So what scenarios have you played Recently?

Bill Cirillo

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I played FB18, Red Banner Days, which is one of a couple of Festung Budapest scenarios that were published in journals. This is a pretty fun one: the Russians attack first, needing to overwhelm a small picket force of Hungarians, then dig in as a strong German force counterattacks them.

Lots of stuff to do for both sides: Germans and Russians each have toy-toting infantry and a bunch of armor, and the Russians have some towed guns, although obviously the towed guns never did anything useful because towed guns have never once had an impact on a scenario in the history of ASL. I'm not sure why designers keep adding them to scenarios.

On the last half-turn, my German opponent hit his CVP cap with a boxcars during the rally phase and the Russians won the game. My opponent predicted the 12 before he rolled it, but felt he was far enough behind he needed every body to try to push the Russians back out of the victory buildings. Pretty fun--the Russian did a lot of street fighting and went 3-3 or 4-4, which probably swung the game, as it's going to be pretty difficult for him to bring down the German Panthers any other way. I recommend making sure that you play this one the next time you break out your Festung Budapest scenarios.
Great to read that guys are giving this scenario a try!

I just wanted to check and see that you were playing the version with the corrected Victory Conditions that is available for free download on the MMP website: https://mmpgamers.com/support/asl/FB_FB18.pdf

Thanks!

Bill
 

Maurizizio

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Just played ON - 9 with Mike S.. Very nice scenario, with interesting developments. Germans need to advance to a village, clear it and then move to the exit against a British Defender. The interesting part for me (that I screwed up) is how to manage at best a INF gun, a 80mm Mortar and an AA that will start the scenario "in the back". Moreover, there are few AFVs to play with. And of course few British ACs entering as reinforcement. I would like to blame only my bad luck for having conceded at Turn 3, but I definitely made three big mistakes (one is the set up of the Guns as mentioned before). I would definitely replay it. As first scenario of Operation Neptune, I really enjoyed (again, a part some Italian words/curse that were heard here and there during the game...). Thanks Mike!
 

Steve E7

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Saigon Shuffle - Rally Point - RPT74 - Set in 1945 the French are in Saigon , back to take control. They bring 9.5 squads to this half board (38) fight, helped by a British squad/leader and a 88ART piece.
Facing them is also a mixed nationality force. The Viet Minh is manning a hut/building crossroads area with a few Japanese units, deserters who remain in the area. My opponent deployed strongly and attempted some flanking movements helped by Smoke from the ART piece. HIP Japanese units stalled one flank, and the other lighter effort, being the direction of bamboo was more of a feint. Predictably surrounded in the end - the defenders, now in only 2 hut hexes, faced a last turn charge. The Viet Minh succumbed to a FPF shot as they were surrounded, but a close combat melee in the other hex which had started mid game, saw continued high dice rolling ... and in the end, the French were not able to take that hex for the win.
 

wrongway149

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As I recall, Hurley Fuller's biggest problem was his cantankerous personality. His proclivity to openly disagree with his superiors did not win him a lot of support from above. Evidently, he spoke his mind a little too frequently. This is a fault that often leads to an early retirement. Nevertheless, his reputation for fearlessness in combat got him a second chance with the 110th regiment. Albeit, short lived.
So if in an actual scenario, he would be a 10-2.
 

fenyan

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Played Friendly Fire's FrF15, Kampfgruppe 1001 Nacht. It was tough going against a tactically sound German player with a good defense. A mortar in the north woods stripped several riders off their tanks and an 88LL situated in the center west behind the brush and orchards stalled the armor advance. We played two Russian players as a 3-player game, it worked well that way but we couldn't solve how to execute the attack. The southern village board seems like a trap. Barring a mad rush across the map with riders, it seems you need to dismount the riders in cover and have them rush forward to engage the 658s and distract their Panzerfaust usage.
 

boylermaker

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Great to read that guys are giving this scenario a try!

I just wanted to check and see that you were playing the version with the corrected Victory Conditions that is available for free download on the MMP website: https://mmpgamers.com/support/asl/FB_FB18.pdf

Thanks!

Bill
Oh wow, no! Although it looks like the correct VC are more favorable to the Russian, so it would not have made a difference in our game.

@volgaG68 I think you are correct that changes in scenario design are the main thing that has made the towed guns irrelevant. I do like those older scenarios that give you time to do silly stuff like drag your guns into positions that are completely useless because you forgot that you have to spend a turn unlimbering. But yes, if you are smart, you can get some use out of them. I say "you" because 100% of my trucks get destroyed by 1FP resid long before they get anywhere near a useful position.
 

Bill Cirillo

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Oh wow, no! Although it looks like the correct VC are more favorable to the Russian, so it would not have made a difference in our game.

@volgaG68 I think you are correct that changes in scenario design are the main thing that has made the towed guns irrelevant. I do like those older scenarios that give you time to do silly stuff like drag your guns into positions that are completely useless because you forgot that you have to spend a turn unlimbering. But yes, if you are smart, you can get some use out of them. I say "you" because 100% of my trucks get destroyed by 1FP resid long before they get anywhere near a useful position.
Ummm, no. The corrected VC should help the Axis out as the Hungarian “speed bump” CVP losses don’t count toward the overall Axis CVP losses. So, this should help the Axis out.
 

boylermaker

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Ummm, no. The corrected VC should help the Axis out as the Hungarian “speed bump” CVP losses don’t count toward the overall Axis CVP losses. So, this should help the Axis out.
Oh, well, I don't remember what the original VC were, I thought the CVP numbers had changed.
 

Richard Weiley

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O12 Loss of Hope. Paddington Bearz - February 2022. Diced for sides and got the defending Americans. Basically US firepower dominated. I set up so my opponent had to non assault move adjacent. 12 flat shots quickly resulted in my opponents first line troops melting away to striped 2nd liners. If there was any danger of CC, the defenders would self break, rout back to a leader, rally and then wait for the next Japanese movement phase. The main Japanese assault came as a wide swing around the US left. But even here I was able to interpose the reinforcements between the Japanese and exit area. My opponent conceded on turn 5 when it was clear his chances of exit were negligible. Had a couple of issues around the scrub jungle SSR, not sure if we played that correctly. Overall an OK scenario, might be a be it tough on the Japanese.
 

Richard Weiley

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AP190 We Are Sparta. Very good scenario. Managing an attack on a fortified hilltop position when half your force has 6 morale and ELR 2 requires passing a few Personal Morale Checks. Ironically it was the US who managed to secure their hilltop while the Greeks crumbled under the sustained fire of the HMG which just could not be subdued. Highly recommended.
 

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HazMo 13 Tin Men in Tianmen Played this interesting scenario with Ron Duenskie. In 1945 post-IJA-surrender China, Nationalists combine with IJA to take on the Communists. 12 ChiCom squads set up first in two areas on both sides of a stream, then 5.5 elr2 IJA SE and 10 nationalist SE set up next in their two similar areas. A dr decides who moves first. The 2nd player does get their reinforcing tank(s) first, which is key as the player who controls the bridge location is likely to win the scenario. Since the two setup areas are adjacent in the two blocks of rowhouses on board 59, it's risky for either side to set up in a forward posture. Of course Ron and I both did so. I won the dr and had a good fire phase which set Ron back on his heels for a couple turns. He scraped his way back, but his infantry never really contested the backup VC (hold more rowhouses). Ron knew he needed to control the bridge. He parked one his two Ha-Go tanks on the bridge with the other nearby. My radioless T26 failed to move one turn and then experienced mechanical failure in sight of the bridge. On the last player turn Ron's bridge tank missed once, and then bounced the IF shot off the T26. He then moved his 2nd tank, overstacking it on the bridge as insurance (since tanks only control a location when in good order). In my final fire, my T26 killed the non-moving tank (which failed the DR3 crew survival) but missed the motion tank in IF. Then my ATR hit and killed the 2nd Ha-Go. Just when I thought the game was over Ron managed to have the crew survive for the win. A good fun game. Good replay value, interesting forces and game dynamics. Ron and I were a bit torn on whether it makes for a good tournament scenario. I would recommend it as a fast setup, fun and interesting one, although I can see how some folks might shy away given the possibility of a first turn rout.
One note is that the two ford locations (S2 and M8) aren't on the scenario card but are on the HazMo website.
-Paul
 

Paul John

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Mike Stubits and I played ON-10 Chateau of Death last week. This is a rather small scenario with Germans coming out of the woods to take a trio of buildings from some Brits in the middle of board 7a. They set up plenty close, so the pressure is on almost immediately.
What makes it look interesting is the rather unusual vehicular OB for both sides. Both very vulnerable to the other side and thus challenging to use. Unfortunately, this one seems better in concept than play. The Brits got rolled pretty hard in our playing and neither of us could really see what they could do to prevent it. British vehicles come on too little too late and it were pretty easy to hold off with German AT potential while the infantry rocked the British. I will be curious to see if anyone can win as the Brits. Seems unlikely.
 

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I played ON 10 as the Germans, and my opponent conceded at the start of British Turn 2. In my German Turn 3, I would have broken or killed (for FTR) nearly all the British infantry defenders around that trio of VC buildings. With only 2 carriers coming in on Turn 2 and no other reinforcements until three British armored cars arrive on Turn 4, the Brits threw in the towel.

I am also curious about other people's experience with this scenario. Maybe there is a defensive strategy for the British that would protect the VC buildings from an early German blitz, but I don't see it (yet).
 

MajorDomo

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I lost badly in ON-10 as the Brits also.

My only real chance was a 1-2, later 1-4 CC in the further forward VC building. Snakes or a three initially, would have kept me in the game, only snakes in the 1-4.

When the carriers arrived, all they saw was a Brit -1 leader, squad and MMG in the back VC building They were opposed by an overwhelming firegroup.

Bring out the milk bones for this one!
 

volgaG68

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Mike Stubits and I played ON-10 Chateau of Death last week. This is a rather small scenario with Germans coming out of the woods to take a trio of buildings from some Brits in the middle of board 7a. They set up plenty close, so the pressure is on almost immediately.
What makes it look interesting is the rather unusual vehicular OB for both sides. Both very vulnerable to the other side and thus challenging to use. Unfortunately, this one seems better in concept than play. The Brits got rolled pretty hard in our playing and neither of us could really see what they could do to prevent it. British vehicles come on too little too late and it were pretty easy to hold off with German AT potential while the infantry rocked the British. I will be curious to see if anyone can win as the Brits. Seems unlikely.
I played ON 10 as the Germans, and my opponent conceded at the start of British Turn 2. In my German Turn 3, I would have broken or killed (for FTR) nearly all the British infantry defenders around that trio of VC buildings. With only 2 carriers coming in on Turn 2 and no other reinforcements until three British armored cars arrive on Turn 4, the Brits threw in the towel.

I am also curious about other people's experience with this scenario. Maybe there is a defensive strategy for the British that would protect the VC buildings from an early German blitz, but I don't see it (yet).
I lost badly in ON-10 as the Brits also.

My only real chance was a 1-2, later 1-4 CC in the further forward VC building. Snakes or a three initially, would have kept me in the game, only snakes in the 1-4.

When the carriers arrived, all they saw was a Brit -1 leader, squad and MMG in the back VC building They were opposed by an overwhelming firegroup.

Bring out the milk bones for this one!
This is the kind of thing that really makes me wonder. We all know that the BFP playtesting process is as solid and methodical as other industry frontrunners. It's not like this particular playtest was just farmed out to a couple of new SK players, one recovering from recent head trauma. I'm sure it went through several playtests with several different opponents. So, why such a horribly skewed result?

Even had it been initially PT'd by an unevenly matched pairing of oppos, someone would have eventually seen the imbalance, right? For every player that reads your comments and immediately passes on it, there is another like myself that cannot wait to give it a try and see if you were missing something. Neither of you three commenters are ASL rookies, so IF there is something to find, it would not be easy; yet the intrigue for someone like myself is piqued.

I am not saying such is necessarily the case, but this sort of thing always reminds me of an LFT scenario whose name I do not remember. ROAR had it as a major dog, forum comments mirrored that as well. The designer chimed in eventually that in PT it was found that extensive use of Opportunity Fire, especially in the opening Turn(s) was the key to unlocking it, and providing even results during PT. There were a couple of "Aha!" comments that followed. I pulled the map and pieces just to get a better picture of it, and will admit that heavy use of OppF would not have been my immediate instinct either.

You three may well prove correct, occasionally a dog does wander out of the yard. In the old days of ASL that was more common, though still far from the norm; these days I see it as being exceedingly rare (among the reputable publishers anyway). That being said, my personal challenge this week is taking the Polish against the SS in PiF's "Asphalt Soldiers", 8-SS/1-Pol on ROAR. Martuzas is a great designer, BFP is a top-shelf publisher with second-to-none PT protocols, yet ROAR (less than 10 playings FWIW) has it 8:1.

The sad thing is that you never hear from playtesters for a perceived dog scenario explaining how they won with the underdog or the tactics/rules one needs to use to achieve it. Any ON-10 playtesters out there?
 

Gunner Scott

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I think the main problem with ON 10 is if the Germans get smoke, they have a chance to win, if they do not get smoke, it can be tough.
 

MajorDomo

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My ON-10 opponent unloaded the HMG, which added to the German firepower advantage.

Smoke was not a factor in my game as the huns came through the woods, orchard field and took up postions behind the wall.
 
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