PRK8 Attack from the Psel

Paul_RS

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I've got to say that the wording in the set up for the Germans has to be one of the most convoluted and confusing I've ever encountered in an ASL scenario. the 45 degree offset North point doesn't help the situation either.

We set up to play this via VASL both of us set up the Germans offline with a competitive roll for sides when we got together on Skype.

We aren't ASL novices and must have close to if not beyond 800 scenarios played between us. One got the scenario set up wrong and the other set up in such a way that it would be nigh on impossible for the Russian player to lose.

To be clear, the Russian player does not need to attack in this scenario, he only needs to survive to win. Turn 1 OB infantry is 13 squads and they can remain offboard until the last couple of turns. The Russian needs greater than 24 EVP to win. Squads count double. there's 52 points that the German player can't touch for most of the game. By then there will be enough burning wrecks to cover the area with enough smoke to give them protection from fire. Even if the German manages to eliminate or destroy every other reinforcement group (highly unlikely) the Russian player can still win with a last-minute dash and can still afford to lose almost half of those units.

I'd be interested to hear how the playtest went on this one to see if we are missing something fundamentally essential for the German tactics.

I re did my set up after we'd played the first turn and half just see how I could have set up more effectively to at least give me fighting chance of few decent shots on the Russians as they enter.

Cheers

Paul
 

sebosebi

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Unfortunately there is a typo, "136th Guards Rifle Regiment" group enter on Turn 1 not "on/after"
 

Paul_RS

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My thoughts on specific set up rewording for the first group of counters.

The German player must set up greater than or equal to half of his infantry squad equivalents (non-crews and guns) East (north to the top of the map) of hexrow LL in hexes numbered greater than 6 on board 4. The remainder set up East of hexrow T on boards 3 and 4.

There are only 2 Guns (as defined, I think?), the 50L AT and the mortar, set up one with each group. The 37L can set up with either group.

To try and set up the infantry in any other fashion will reduce the number of units that can set up in foxholes on Hexrow T, which is where you need them. It will be at least 2 turns before the Tigers arrive to cause mayhem and 3-4 turns before the infantry from the eastern 'box' arrive.

There's an awful lot to this module, no question. We're still picking up idiosyncratic differences to the standard rule set after at least a dozen readings. It oozes history and ultimately, it is worth the additional effort it takes to get to grips with the module specific rules and SSRs.
 

sebosebi

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The issue is that this Soviet weak penetration on LSSAH left flank, was not previewed by SS and we tried to simulate, in the setup, non-ready German spreaded units that ran frantically to close the gap. In our playtests all the 136th Gds Rgt Group always entered on Turn 1 and in that way the scenario seemed enough balanced,maybe a bitter thougher for Germans but they have broken morale 9, good weapons and so on
 
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