xenovin
Elder Member
John Haughey and I got together to play the aptly titled Red Barricades scenario RB 2 “Blood & Guts” that takes place in the middle of the factory complex. The last time I played RB was CGIII as the Russians (and took a beating) so I took the Germans in this scenario. The Germans are armed to the teeth with assault troops, MGs, flamethrowers, DCs, and three StuGs. This scenario is a little different as the Germans have to secretly pick one of the two victory conditions BEFORE the Russian setup. Pull the scenario if you want more details but it boils down to Option A: control the SSR fortified Factory building S18, the stone building O18 and the Rubble pile next to both of them (20 building hexes not including upper levels/basements) or capture building K22 and two additional multi-hex stone buildings initially controlled by the Russian player (or at minimum 8 building hexes depending on the targets – you just need to cross the street against 3 Russian HMGs, A 10-2 leader, And it’s raining so no smoke…). The only caveat is if the German player loses any of their starting large factory buildings (L17 or Q14), the Russians automatically win.
So of course I chose option B and it turned our John guessed my attack. I didn’t see the need to try and make some crazy setup to confuse him as to which one was my objective so kept my original setup.
see set up photo
As the German I received 6 fortified building locations that had to be placed on-map and used them to fortify my initial kill stack/assault jump off locations:
H19 (10-3, 3x548, LMG, MMG, HMG)
K20 (8-1, 3x458, 2xLMG, FT, DC)
M20 (9-2, 2x838, 548, HMG, DC)
O17 (548, FT)
P17 (247 to search for mines around Building O18)
I actually fortified factory hex R15 (8-0, 838, 2x467, ?) as a strongpoint against any Russian counterattack against my weak flank and any capture attempt on my factory Q14 for the instant victory. Mr. 10-3 and his 30 FP stack in building H19 will rake the fronts of G22, I22 and the K22 victory buildings. Turned out it also had a nice shot onto the Russian strongpoint in M22 and the HMG on the roof in P21. My other killstack/strongpoints in hexes K20 and M20 helped out with breaking down K22’s defenses with M19 (3x467,3xLMG) putting 20 FP onto building O18 or the visible rooftop HMG in Y21. Finally my two strongpoints in O17/P17 could only initially have one squad with one SW per SRR but the storm groups were emplaced behind them moving in on Turn 1. I did place a FT in P17 to start the part on taking down building O18. I figured both building hexes would be mined (which they were) but a quick capture of this lightly held building would be one of the two multi-hex victory buildings needed leaving only the capture building I22 to meet the victory conditions.
John figured I would go for K22 so fortified it, had cellar dwellers, mined the front door in K21, and the classic 76L gun position on the 2nd level in J21. A bunch of 527s guarded the buildings left flank in G22 and Mr. 10-2 with the 8 FP HMG in the 1st level of M22 guarding the right flank and any German move from the L17 factory into the O20 rubble pile. His 628s were guarding the northern limit of Factory S18 against any German capture attempt and/or form the tip of the spear for any flank counterattack.
The first two turns went well for my Germans with my killstacks suppressed most of the Russian MG positions while I was able to use the rubble/shellholes to AM close to Building K22 and actually got a squad in by the end of Turn 2. John was a bit surprised when I told him I now your HIP gun is in the 2nd level in J21. So, he put it concealed on-board and proceeded to quickly frag one of my StuGs! Luckily I was able break the gun crew and they never came back. Both our snipers were very quite for the first half of the game and we figured they were drinking in a basement someplace – very similar to what we were doing!
see Turn 3 photo
Turn 3 I managed to take most of Building K22 but had a lot of broken guys on various levels but nobody to rally them. The Russian Reserves also make it to the front with one group knocking on K22 and the other with the Russian flank attack into my eastern large factory Q14. I wasn’t too concerned as a had a large 838 led kill stack in the P15 chock point and a few HS scrubs holding to the north. I had quickly captured Building O18 and was using the upper level to break the Russians moving up my eastern flank entering the factory but also was the object of Russian firegroup shots. I had a lot of squads in here to beat off any assaults but John was happy to just flank around the building. The big sticky was to remind us that it was now heavy rain so +1 to all shots at 6 or less hexes. As you can tell we kept forgetting.
I entered Turn 6 hesitantly believing I might pull of a victory if I can just keep control of Buildings O18, K22 and I21. However, the tricky Russians had other plans. John used a DC and breached the wall between P15-Q16 and managed to get a 628 into CC with my kill stack in P15. In addition, two more Russian squads and a leader moved through a secret tunnel in P21 and entered the basement in P18 (holding my guys in the building now) while all his 527s in G23 and the reserve 628s launched their own counterattack on my other flank against Building K22. A nice piece of timing by John indeed.
Now the CC in P15 holding Factory Q14 against the Russian hordes was a German 4:1 vs the Russian 1:4. I roll a 10 and miss and John rolls snakes and kills all my units!!! In an instant my bulwark against Ivan was a smoking ruin! On Russian Turn 6 he killed my other 3 half squads and Factory Q14 fell to the Russians and the victory to John. Well played sir! The pile of dead counters on both sides attests to the title and the virtual punch in the mouth scenario went down to the bitter end. Hell of a fun scenario and glad John recommended it.
Set Up
Turn 3
End
So of course I chose option B and it turned our John guessed my attack. I didn’t see the need to try and make some crazy setup to confuse him as to which one was my objective so kept my original setup.
see set up photo
As the German I received 6 fortified building locations that had to be placed on-map and used them to fortify my initial kill stack/assault jump off locations:
H19 (10-3, 3x548, LMG, MMG, HMG)
K20 (8-1, 3x458, 2xLMG, FT, DC)
M20 (9-2, 2x838, 548, HMG, DC)
O17 (548, FT)
P17 (247 to search for mines around Building O18)
I actually fortified factory hex R15 (8-0, 838, 2x467, ?) as a strongpoint against any Russian counterattack against my weak flank and any capture attempt on my factory Q14 for the instant victory. Mr. 10-3 and his 30 FP stack in building H19 will rake the fronts of G22, I22 and the K22 victory buildings. Turned out it also had a nice shot onto the Russian strongpoint in M22 and the HMG on the roof in P21. My other killstack/strongpoints in hexes K20 and M20 helped out with breaking down K22’s defenses with M19 (3x467,3xLMG) putting 20 FP onto building O18 or the visible rooftop HMG in Y21. Finally my two strongpoints in O17/P17 could only initially have one squad with one SW per SRR but the storm groups were emplaced behind them moving in on Turn 1. I did place a FT in P17 to start the part on taking down building O18. I figured both building hexes would be mined (which they were) but a quick capture of this lightly held building would be one of the two multi-hex victory buildings needed leaving only the capture building I22 to meet the victory conditions.
John figured I would go for K22 so fortified it, had cellar dwellers, mined the front door in K21, and the classic 76L gun position on the 2nd level in J21. A bunch of 527s guarded the buildings left flank in G22 and Mr. 10-2 with the 8 FP HMG in the 1st level of M22 guarding the right flank and any German move from the L17 factory into the O20 rubble pile. His 628s were guarding the northern limit of Factory S18 against any German capture attempt and/or form the tip of the spear for any flank counterattack.
The first two turns went well for my Germans with my killstacks suppressed most of the Russian MG positions while I was able to use the rubble/shellholes to AM close to Building K22 and actually got a squad in by the end of Turn 2. John was a bit surprised when I told him I now your HIP gun is in the 2nd level in J21. So, he put it concealed on-board and proceeded to quickly frag one of my StuGs! Luckily I was able break the gun crew and they never came back. Both our snipers were very quite for the first half of the game and we figured they were drinking in a basement someplace – very similar to what we were doing!
see Turn 3 photo
Turn 3 I managed to take most of Building K22 but had a lot of broken guys on various levels but nobody to rally them. The Russian Reserves also make it to the front with one group knocking on K22 and the other with the Russian flank attack into my eastern large factory Q14. I wasn’t too concerned as a had a large 838 led kill stack in the P15 chock point and a few HS scrubs holding to the north. I had quickly captured Building O18 and was using the upper level to break the Russians moving up my eastern flank entering the factory but also was the object of Russian firegroup shots. I had a lot of squads in here to beat off any assaults but John was happy to just flank around the building. The big sticky was to remind us that it was now heavy rain so +1 to all shots at 6 or less hexes. As you can tell we kept forgetting.
I entered Turn 6 hesitantly believing I might pull of a victory if I can just keep control of Buildings O18, K22 and I21. However, the tricky Russians had other plans. John used a DC and breached the wall between P15-Q16 and managed to get a 628 into CC with my kill stack in P15. In addition, two more Russian squads and a leader moved through a secret tunnel in P21 and entered the basement in P18 (holding my guys in the building now) while all his 527s in G23 and the reserve 628s launched their own counterattack on my other flank against Building K22. A nice piece of timing by John indeed.
Now the CC in P15 holding Factory Q14 against the Russian hordes was a German 4:1 vs the Russian 1:4. I roll a 10 and miss and John rolls snakes and kills all my units!!! In an instant my bulwark against Ivan was a smoking ruin! On Russian Turn 6 he killed my other 3 half squads and Factory Q14 fell to the Russians and the victory to John. Well played sir! The pile of dead counters on both sides attests to the title and the virtual punch in the mouth scenario went down to the bitter end. Hell of a fun scenario and glad John recommended it.
Set Up
Turn 3
End
