Scenarios Seemingly DESIGNED To Cause A Major PMC

[volgaG68]

I was just recalling an LCP scenario that I had played a number of years back that fits the title's description. I can't remember the title but do recall it was from one of the latter LSSAH packs (4? 5? I want to say it was the Lipovez Station one, but that is more a guess than anything). I played it against two different oppos, attacking once and defending once. A competent Russian attacker will wipe the German OOB completely off the map by Turn 4 or so, before German reinforcements came on in Turn 5 or so. The question is how much of the Russian OOB gets bled to do so, and does he have enough troops remaining to stop the counterattack.

I've played many a scenario where this ebb and flow occurs with units of both sides still on map, however scarce they might be. This was the first one though that left a full half Turn or so where one side had zero units on board, even leaving a small window for the attacker to reposition his forces for the oncoming counterattack. At first I thought it a glitch, or a shortcoming by my oppo, but when the sides were switched I got a taste of the same medicine. Talk about demoralizing!!! The first game, I remember having to pep talk my oppo into continuing; and my other oppo gave me a similar one when the tables were turned on me.

It would seem to have been purposefully designed that way, to inflict maximum PMC. Does anyone here have similar examples?

 

[bprobst]

WCW02 "Scotch on the Rocks". Each turn, both sides must expose themselves to withering fire. You just don't have any option. The victor is who gets withered the least. I get the willies just thinking about it.

 

[bendizoid]

WCW02 "Scotch on the Rocks". Each turn, both sides must expose themselves to withering fire. You just don't have any option. The victor is who gets withered the least. I get the willies just thinking about it.

Not if the British imploy a reverse slope defense.

 

[Actionjick]

I was just recalling an LCP scenario that I had played a number of years back that fits the title's description. I can't remember the title but do recall it was from one of the latter LSSAH packs (4? 5? I want to say it was the Lipovez Station one, but that is more a guess than anything). I played it against two different oppos, attacking once and defending once. A competent Russian attacker will wipe the German OOB completely off the map by Turn 4 or so, before German reinforcements came on in Turn 5 or so. The question is how much of the Russian OOB gets bled to do so, and does he have enough troops remaining to stop the counterattack.

I've played many a scenario where this ebb and flow occurs with units of both sides still on map, however scarce they might be. This was the first one though that left a full half Turn or so where one side had zero units on board, even leaving a small window for the attacker to reposition his forces for the oncoming counterattack. At first I thought it a glitch, or a shortcoming by my oppo, but when the sides were switched I got a taste of the same medicine. Talk about demoralizing!!! The first game, I remember having to pep talk my oppo into continuing; and my other oppo gave me a similar one when the tables were turned on me.

It would seem to have been purposefully designed that way, to inflict maximum PMC. Does anyone here have similar examples?

Interesting. Nice thread.

 

[Martin Mayers]

I find any scenario that involves strolling across a swathe of open ground being mowed down by heavy weapons demoralising, even when I know that the OOBs are designed around it. THE worst part of that experience though is when my opponent is holding back with the big stuff and trying to nip the odd unit with an occasional half squad or the dreaded conscripts and you see those 3s and 4s popping up. Erk...sends a shiver down my spine.

But I think the genuinely most soul-destroying experience I ever had was attacking as the Russians in the Ozerekya Breakout Campaign. To this day I think the only people who ever got anywhere with the Russians in this one are those who misread/misunderstood the LCP Victory Conditions as both I and my esteemed opponent Ian Morris pored over the rules to try to fathom how the Russians are given even the remotest of chances

So I charge on. There's, like, zero cover other than the odd woods. The Romanian defenders have an absolute smorgasbord of heavy weapons including medium mortars alongside an absolute plethora of light tubes for those beneficial woods hexes. They're queued up on, sort of, two side of a valley. The Russians charge up through the open ground. AND...GET...ABSO...FRICKING...LUTELY...HOOPLA'D...from every single corner.

I get so far and think "wow, I've found a safe spot"...then, from across the valley some bastard of a Romanian trooper with a HIP mortar opens up...into it's Bore Shited hex of course. Git.

By the end of CG Day One, I've like got about two half squads left from a starting force of about 20 squads....but of course I haven't been able to take any form of real estate. Nor any 'Tactical Hexes' or whatever the hell they're called. Hence...I start the next CG Day from scratch. ARGHHHHHHHHH.

Then...we're looking at the Romanian refit groups and you see that a MG unit has something like three HMGs, five MMGs, and so forth.

Just...my worst ever ASL nightmare. I've not got the strongest of chins to begin with. Felt like my chin was made out of the finest crystal during that one.

 

[Actionjick]

I find any scenario that involves strolling across a swathe of open ground being mowed down by heavy weapons demoralising, even when I know that the OOBs are designed around it. THE worst part of that experience though is when my opponent is holding back with the big stuff and trying to nip the odd unit with an occasional half squad or the dreaded conscripts and you see those 3s and 4s popping up. Erk...sends a shiver down my spine.

But I think the genuinely most soul-destroying experience I ever had was attacking as the Russians in the Ozerekya Breakout Campaign. To this day I think the only people who ever got anywhere with the Russians in this one are those who misread/misunderstood the LCP Victory Conditions as both I and my esteemed opponent Ian Morris pored over the rules to try to fathom how the Russians are given even the remotest of chances

So I charge on. There's, like, zero cover other than the odd woods. The Romanian defenders have an absolute smorgasbord of heavy weapons including medium mortars alongside an absolute plethora of light tubes for those beneficial woods hexes. They're queued up on, sort of, two side of a valley. The Russians charge up through the open ground. AND...GET...ABSO...FRICKING...LUTELY...HOOPLA'D...from every single corner.

I get so far and think "wow, I've found a safe spot"...then, from across the valley some bastard of a Romanian trooper with a HIP mortar opens up...into it's Bore Shited hex of course. Git.

By the end of CG Day One, I've like got about two half squads left from a starting force of about 20 squads....but of course I haven't been able to take any form of real estate. Nor any 'Tactical Hexes' or whatever the hell they're called. Hence...I start the next CG Day from scratch. ARGHHHHHHHHH.

Then...we're looking at the Romanian refit groups and you see that a MG unit has something like three HMGs, five MMGs, and so forth.

Just...my worst ever ASL nightmare. I've not got the strongest of chins to begin with. Felt like my chin was made out of the finest crystal during that one.

The problem is that you are lacking the required quantity and quality of refreshments to approach such a dilemma. Work on that. I eagerly await a report of your results using this suggestion.

 

[Vinnie]

My most recent experience of this was playing HAZMO 4 Kids these days.
As the Germans, you get a right kicking at the start but the VCs are predicated on you being able to exit for the win, or recapture the village and exit. A very well designed scenario.

 

[Gamer72]

I’m presently soloing Pastor’s Surprise : the Scots have to advance into the teeth of 22 Axis squads, 3 88s and a plethora of light SW/Guns, with only Light Dust (thirded, FRD, at that), Vehicle Dust, and whatever Smoke they can produce from SDs, mortars and grenades, between them and extinction. Not for the glass-chinned, as the infantry get slaughtered and the Matildas get drilled by the 88s.

 

[Honza]

The Marines attacking in my Iwo Jima CG is like a suicide mission. There are twice as many Marines as Japanese on map - they have a total of over 400 squads - but they get mowed down. A fixed Japanese SAN of 6 plus maximum booby trap level and then all the Japanese Guns, MGs and OBA from caves and pillboxes....the Marines are like riding through damnation alley.

 

[Carln0130]

The Dinant CG was designed to give both sides a PMC. The French sit there saying, "I am going to have to stop all that?". The Germans are left to say "We have to do an opposed crossing vs THOSE Cliffs?". Yet both do get the chance to get er done. The moral of the story for all these examples is: never give up in ASL unless you are mathematically eliminated from victory. The flexibility and variances of the ASL system allows you to find ways to do the seemingly impossible.

 

[wrongway149]

It would seem to have been purposefully designed that way, to inflict maximum PMC. Does anyone here have similar examples?

When the players feel the same kind of decision stresses the real -life battalion Commanders might have (minus the blood and noise, of course), I feel like I have done my job as a scenario designer.

So - it's a feature, not a bug

 

[wrongway149]

damnation alley.

Hmmm.. THERE's a good scenario title...

 

[Eagle4ty]

The most memorable game I remember playing that was almost influenced by a string of unbelievable DRs that resulted in a PMC loss was a game of FrF74 OUT OF THEIR ELEMENT against Wes Vaughn. He had the Germans, with an additional Squad per tourney rules no less, and moved first. As this was the last game on Sunday we said, "let's pick something that would go fast" as we both had to travel some distance to get back home and we had both come off of trying wins over our previous opponents the night before. My dice were so hot that after his initial MPh & my DFPh he was about to give up the game with almost no unbroken/undestroyed units left on-board. After he had checked with his partner about the ride home, finding out he had fared a bit better in his scenario, I talked him into completing the scenario (Never, EVER do that BTW). He would come back to make it a tense game fraught with danger and destruction at every turn. I was just lucky to come out with the win in that one. BTW, in a game the following year he would deliver an old fashion butt-whuppen on me to let me know how lucky I had been.

 

[von Marwitz]

This does not fit exactly into this thread, but I dimly remember playing a scenario in which one side had NO units left at all (except for some unpossessed SW covered in gore that is...) and still won the game. Must have been something with Exit VC.

von Marwitz

 

[Paul John]

and still won the game

Probably that one from way back where the Finns sweep in, kill all and burn the town but have to get back offboard too.

 

[Martin Mayers]

This does not fit exactly into this thread, but I dimly remember playing a scenario in which one side had NO units left at all (except for some unpossessed SW covered in gore that is...) and still won the game. Must have been something with Exit VC.

von Marwitz

I did the opposite a couple of weeks back against my friend Sam Prior. Lost a scenario without a single shot being fired in anger. A very strange affair to say the least. Bloody old-skool Critical Hit grrrr

 

[Gamer72]

I did the opposite a couple of weeks back against my friend Sam Prior. Lost a scenario without a single shot being fired in anger. A very strange affair to say the least. Bloody old-skool Critical Hit grrrr

Go on, tell the story, you know you want to

 

[wlee123]

BRT 6, A Legend is Born. Even though you know that you have enough marines to eventuallly get the job done, it is hard to keep the personal morale above desperation level in the face of all the casualties you have to suffer. The BRT campaign games are even worse.

 

[ibncalb]

I played Omaha West at a four day team event. Obviously the American has some PMC issues if he charges across the beach. But if he takes his time, waits for the German to break a few guns and go down under the American fire, then it's the German who has a much more profound PMC as he realises that there are a lot of angry Americans, laden with SW that he cannot stop in any way.

That is the biggest and most unexpected PMC I've seen in a game.

 

[JoeArthur]

you get a right kicking at the start

My claim to fame - Martin was so worried about that scenario he had a sleepless night

Bugger still won.....................