So what scenarios have you played Recently?

[Vic Provost]

Fore-warned is fore-armed. This scenario was a tournament staple back in the day. It was also pretty balanced despite people being aware of the fact that the Chinese could still be taken prisoner.

Hi Carl, Joe Leoce already roped me into this as the Japanese on Saturday of the Albany tourney coming up next week, been a long time since I played it but the prisoners were overrated from what I remember. They can be a big boost in CVPs if taken but I found them dying in HtH CC was a much more likely fate when I played it way back when, it is much harder to take well led and well armed 4-4-7s as prisoners than 3-3-6s, that's for sure.

 

[Michael R]

I finished a skewed playing of J202 DOWN BY THE RIVER today. The east side Germans lost all three of their leaders in the first three turns; two to snipers and one to a double break. At the end of the third player turn, the east side Germans did not have enough good order units to take on the Russians. I loaded the VASL map, with the flooded marshes shown, onto the Archive site.

 

[Paul John]

Ron and I played the recent Cellar Pack scenario FT234 Smashing the Corridor

How did you interpret the SSR that one should ignore the note J for the T34's? I thought it would mean that their sD could go all day, but Houlie thought it should mean that they have no sD at all. Your thoughts? Scott?

 

[Gunner Scott]

How did you interpret the SSR that one should ignore the note J for the T34's? I thought it would mean that their sD could go all day, but Houlie thought it should mean that they have no sD at all. Your thoughts? Scott?

Unlimited sd usage. Iguess the SSR was not clear enough.

 

[Paul John]

I thought that was clear, Craig did too but the other way. That's ASL for ya. Thanks. First two turns in the books, and the Russian pressure is pushing the Germans back, but I worry not fast enough nor with enough damage. Let's see.

 

[william.stoppel]

Play tested the vintage OAF playtest scenario The Strongpoint twice with Fen yesterday at our SoCal club gameday. A soon to be DASL classic of only four turns we went with the only written account/recommendation and upgraded two Russian 5-2-7’s to 6–2-8’s. Featuring simultaneous setup with the Russians selecting their reinforcement entry hex before setup, it’s all about CVP with points also for units in the board “a” factory (aka The Strongpoint). An excellent Jeff Cebula scenario that must be perfectly balanced as both sides won one yesterday!

 

[fenyan]

William identified and implemented good strategies for setup and tactical plan and gave me little leeway for error as German defender in our first game and then the Soviet attacker in the second game. The Germans need to protect and position their armor, moving them into the factory with the infantry/panzerfausts keeping the T-34/85s at arm's length. On the Soviet side, aggression is called for and any advantages must be exploited. It's a fun DASL scenario, only 4 turns, with armor on both sides and a decent amount of infantry.

 

[Paul John]

Nathan W and I just finished the first day of the Platoon Leader mini campaign, Cemetery Hill.
It has been an absolute bloodbath for the german paratroopers and glider troops. My Greeks and Brits
killed ~27 CVP including 2-3 leaders at cost of one crew and 3 squads. Nonetheless, it was touch and go
at the end with my positions being nearly overrun. This seems like an absolute dog for balance given the
lopsided dice. I rarely broke the germans, more likely to get a K/ or KIA. Now there were lots of shots at
-1/-2/-3 even, given he was dropping from the sky and forced to run about in the open, but it was still pretty nutty.
Somehow it was still a success in terms of ground captured for them and I was very much feeling the thinness
of my positions. The dice would have probably ruined most scenarios. If nothing else, it was pretty fun.
Day 2 hopefully starts soon.

 

[fenyan]

On All Fronts Tiger's Roar

An old scenario I've wanted to play due to some recommendations on this site. Setting is Kursk, battle for Syrtsevo. 12 x 468s approach from the Board 4 woods, moving east towards the Board 3's roadbound village, backed by a couple of medium tanks and a flammpanzer. My opponent would focus his attack to the front of the village but sent a platoon with a handheld FT to cross the gully on the Russian left flank. The flammpanzer would appear on the right flank supported by an infantry platoon. The Germans have to control five of nine buildings by the end of Turn 5 but the Russians have the last move. The Germans have a platoon of Tigers reinforcing on Turn 4.

Worrying about multiple cardboard flamethrowers will really take your mind off things...

The Russians have a stalwart defense group of 8 x 628s and 3 x 45Ls with their ROF 3. I put a couple of 628s outside the village to slow the advance but did not/should have set them up to gain concealment. Instead, two of my outpost squads were broken by kill stacks and the other enveloped in Smoke. The Germans were able to approach too fast and I had trouble routing one of these 628s back to safety.

However, the Russians were able to hold on until the Turn 3 reinforcements arrived -- 4 x T-34s and 4 x 447s lead by an 8-1. I kept the 45Ls close to/within the village and was able to hold off the flamethrowers with Pin and Shock results. In P5, a 45L was able to break two hexes of 468 squads before Shocking the hull-down Flammpanzer. It would rally back next turn and flame a T-34.

The turning point was a platoon of 628s dropping concealment to take a 20+3 shot against a 9-2 platoon entering the R6/R5 2-hex stone building at the center front part of the village. The 2 MC broke the whole stack!

The last-ditch effort to take two more buildings was cut short by AP minefields immobilizing two tanks (ridiculous luck) that were headed for bypass freezing locations. This was a really fun scenario we'd play again. We gave the Germans the HMG balance. Nice way to wrap up another great year of ASL.

 

[william.stoppel]

Saturday at our local SoCal game day, Jim Aikens, Stance Nixon and myself playtested the three player No Brothers, No Friends scenario from the upcoming Twilight of the Reich pack. A tense situation in late war Berlin where a mix of 1 ELR Germans/SS are holding the train station. The Ukrainian Front and the Byelorussian front are both trying to grab the station for themselves and the win. Some interesting SSRs making the two commie fronts attack each other in CC if adjacent. As usual with this pick you can buy support weapons and reinforcements but only one player can win. So the two reds came to a quick truce until they got into the train station. While this preserves their forces it also give the Germans extra purchase points for reinforcements. A delicate balancing act. Unfortunately we only finished 3 of 5 turns when the game store closed. So we ended with the surviving Germans holed up in the train station and the reds about to enter on turn 4. As with all of the ToftR scenarios Bill and Sean hit another home run. Crazy fun with a ton of options and replayability. Each side presents their own challenges and it is up to each player on how to maximize those and when to stab your buddy in the chest.

 

[M Faulkner]

I have playtested it as well. It is a blast! Especially if there is some good trash talking going on with the players.

 

[Vic Provost]

Saturday at our local SoCal game day, Jim Aikens, Stance Nixon and myself playtested the three player No Brothers, No Friends scenario from the upcoming Twilight of the Reich pack. A tense situation in late war Berlin where a mix of 1 ELR Germans/SS are holding the train station. The Ukrainian Front and the Byelorussian front are both trying to grab the station for themselves and the win. Some interesting SSRs making the two commie fronts attack each other in CC if adjacent. As usual with this pick you can buy support weapons and reinforcements but only one player can win. So the two reds came to a quick truce until they got into the train station. While this preserves their forces it also give the Germans extra purchase points for reinforcements. A delicate balancing act. Unfortunately we only finished 3 of 5 turns when the game store closed. So we ended with the surviving Germans holed up in the train station and the reds about to enter on turn 4. As with all of the ToftR scenarios Bill and Sean hit another home run. Crazy fun with a ton of options and replayability. Each side presents their own challenges and it is up to each player on how to maximize those and when to stab your buddy in the chest.

Tom Morin had some nice things to say about it as well, another real 3 way is much needed for ASL playing options for any club that meets ftf. I look forward to playing it myself once released.

 

[chris_olden]

Dr.Dave Haasl and I celebrated 25 years of friendship and ASL today, by playing “Late Comers” from The Journal.
A fun “low budget ballet for cr@p troops and tin cans” scenario.
Dr.Dave played the Italians, and I played the French.
Dave’s initial attack went well, making good headway
against the French, who couldn’t land a blow to save their cardboard hides.
The Italian armor started their flanking maneuvers, and were met with shockingly accurate fire from the French INF gun, which was apparently manned by the French Sgt.Rock, who knocked out 2 Italian tankettes in one fire phase, and eventually a third.
Despite the loss of his armor, Dr.Dave’s Italian infantry pushed forward against my otherwise ineffective French and their malfunctioning machine guns.
Our wild DR swings eventually leveled out, and the Italian attack faltered against the French who finally decided to harden the f_ck up.
Dr.Dave called the game on Turn 6, as the Italians had sort of fallen apart during an overly successful French DFPh.
A really fun little scenario. Two thumbs up!!!

We also cracked open a bottle of Baclcones “1” single malt whiskey to celebrate the day, and Christmas season. A seriously good whiskey!!!

 

[Vic Provost]

Dr.Dave Haasl and I celebrated 25 years of friendship and ASL today, by playing “Late Comers” from The Journal.
A fun “low budget ballet for cr@p troops and tin cans” scenario.
Dr.Dave played the Italians, and I played the French.
Dave’s initial attack went well, making good headway
against the French, who couldn’t land a blow to save their cardboard hides.
The Italian armor started their flanking maneuvers, and were met with shockingly accurate fire from the French INF gun, which was apparently manned by the French Sgt.Rock, who knocked out 2 Italian tankettes in one fire phase, and eventually a third.
Despite the loss of his armor, Dr.Dave’s Italian infantry pushed forward against my otherwise ineffective French and their malfunctioning machine guns.
Our wild DR swings eventually leveled out, and the Italian attack faltered against the French who finally decided to harden the f_ck up.
Dr.Dave called the game on Turn 6, as the Italians had sort of fallen apart during an overly successful French DFPh.
A really fun little scenario. Two thumbs up!!!

We also cracked open a bottle of Baclcones “1” single malt whiskey to celebrate the day, and Christmas season. A seriously good whiskey!!!

Wooo-Hooo, 'tis the season. I have some fine Rum and excellent, legal cannabis stored away for Christmas and New Year, plus I get to play Steve Johns twice in ASL the next week or 2. Life is good! No matter what the dice do to me. Enjoy...

 

[Trainspotter]

Me and my brother played through HT1-HT6. A lot of fun, but we both found that the defender is in a big disanvantage.
It doesn't matter if the German Player or the American is defendig. Every time the defender got in big trouble so that the scenario was done 1-2 turns earlier.

We had just one scenario were it came down to the last CC. I think it was HT 6? Need to check that again.

The weakest scenario was were to get the cemetery. That one was to easy for the American.

 

[Michael R]

284 Crisis at Kasserine. BIG scenario using two desert boards and board 25. I had the Allied defenders. Bruno L'Archeveque had the Axis attackers. If you ever do it use VASL, or at least use VASL to print the maps because of the F13 Broken Ground. The Axis conceded after five German turns of 11.5 due to excessive casualties. I will probably write an AAR for this one. I recommend the scenario.

 

[Vic Provost]

284 Crisis at Kasserine. BIG scenario using two desert boards and board 25. I had the Allied defenders. Bruno L'Archeveque had the Axis attackers. If you ever do it use VASL, or at least use VASL to print the maps because of the F13 Broken Ground. The Axis conceded after five German turns of 11.5 due to excessive casualties. I will probably write an AAR for this one. I recommend the scenario.

Tom Morin came up with that very challenging scenario, the Axis need Smoke to really get the assault going, if they got it more than once then they were in good shape, if not, they better hope their TH/TK & IFT results are decent. Taking TH shots over 20 hexes was commonplace early on. Desert mayhem and you can always blame the Italians if things go south. Originally in Dispatches from the Bunker #04 way back in 1998, MMP republished it for a wider audience. I always look forward to your AARs Mike, roll low.

 

[Fort]

J Gorkowski's playtest report for one of the AP Burma 2 scenarios. The roadblocks and sapper have been removed and replaced. Was a a good playtest with just a bit too much for the British to accomplish before time ran out.


"Yet the Bite Remains depicts a fighting withdrawal, PTO style, with just the right combination of run and gun among bamboo and light jungle to give both sides options and alternatives for a great scenario. The Japanese have enough firepower to actually put up a sustained defense, albeit briefly, at each of several chokepoints, so they’re not just running away. The British have enough time to maneuver among those chokepoints, so they’re not just rushing forward into dangerous fires. In the end, both sides scramble for control of the village along the chosen victory road. No real need for the roadblocks which in fact create too much for the British to do. Along with them, toss out a British DC and the sappers. No need to replace the sappers with other MMC since when the roadblocks were present the sappers mostly hung back waiting for their chance to crack the obstacle rather than function as regular rifle teams. By deleting those elements, you keep the focus on fire and maneuver for a more balanced and engaging scenario.

Bamboo (g.f. This scenario differs from the other scenarios in the AP in that, per normal PTO alterations, Brush becomes Bamboo instead of remaining Brush) makes this scenario better. It creates avenues of approach which the Japanese must cover and the British carefully select. The swamp, jungle, and pond make for a “checkerboard” of terrain options that enhances maneuver by forcing both sides to make deliberate choices about where and when to engage. Since there is no broad swath of open space easily covered by MGs there is a premium on maneuver while firepower has its limits.

As the Japanese, I got to use the much-loved CC ambush by a HIP 447 in jungle to take out a British 457 and then preoccupy a British leader and two more squads for two turns of cat and mouse sideshow. The mouse eventually died in the cat’s clutches, but pulled the feline away from the main objective long enough to make a difference. I also broke a few British MMC and even killed one with the classic PTO kill stack, a 10-1 leading two 228 each with an MMG, which bobbed and wove through the jungle. The 75mm INF broke on its first shot and a 6 flat shot dispatched the crew soon after. I should have gotten more out of them, but not much more given the British firepower advantage which would have knocked out the gun soon anyway. Japanese mortars disappointed for lack of smoke and white phosphorus, but one HE hit did real damage, and they prevented British kill stacks from forming in the jungle.

The Gurkhas won most of the CC, but all those fights were close and could have gone either way. Plenty of 2-1 and 1-2 HTH combat with -1 for both sides as well as a few ambushes. British mortars provided timely smoke to facilitate their advance and the 9-2 earned his pay with an effective flank attack borne of victory in HTH combat. Without the roadblocks, this comes down to the wire in a last turn fist-to-cuffs for buildings along the road. Great game!"

J Gorkowski

 

[PS NJ]

Vic Rosso and I played HazMo31 Cloak of Disorder. 10 IJA 448's with 3 radioless 57* tanks and a towed 70* gun take on 12 chinese 337 plus two elite 237 hs reinforced turn 3 by two L4 tankettes and 3 elite 447s. Vic's attackers have six turns to negotiate a large field of brush (grain is brush, hexrow Q is out of play) and then take all four stone buildings. PTO is NOT in effect.


It was a quick game as Vic systematically dismantled my chinese defenders. I held my fire IJA turn 1, but during chinese turn 1 and both IJA turn 2 (pictured) and Chinese turn 2 I had 2-3 squads break each player turn while only striping 1 squad per player turn. In IJA turn 3, Vic fired his SMOKE and used a DC hero and his tanks to tear up the remaining on-board Chinese. I didn't quit until one of my reinforcing tankettes fell into a cellar while the other bogged. Still a fun and quick scenario I would highly recommend. Right now on ROAR it's 3 IJA to 5 Chinese.
-Paul

 

[Khill]

Ted and I played J231 Cooking Up A Storm. It was a really fun scenario. I am a sucker for the historical maps. This scenario played tight, went right down to the end, but my Diggers hung on through a very high casualty scenario. Ted got off a couple good Banzai charges, boys from Oz took the HtH option when ever they went into CC too, the most exciting was an Australian 7-0 taking out a IJN half squad and a stepped crew in HtH CC. Not a lot of counters on the map in the end. Super fun, I would play it again as either side