I got in a few ASLSK games with my old friend, Mike Wattie, who is back in Taipei for a couple of weeks, and rather keen to learn how to use ordinance and vehicles in ASLSK. So far we have completed 3 games: S-29 ("No Monumental Acclaim"), S-27 ("Stand For New Zealand"), and S-21 ("Clash At Borisovka").
Game 1 (last week) S-29 ("No Monumental Acclaim").
To teach ordinance in ASLSK to someone who already has a decent grasp of the infantry rules, I think S-29 is the best place to start. The only ordinance is a pair of '44 bazookas, board W introduces hills, and I also feel that S-29 is a bit more balanced than the other scenarios offered in ASLSK#2 (which from my experiences seem to favoring the attacker a little more than I'd like them to). I've played this scenario before with David (see post #207 on this thread), so gave Mike the Germans with the German balance (+2 LMG). Mike (correctly) established an 'Alamo' defense of building p1, with scattered squads throughout the other multi-hex buildings to slow down the approach to the final assault. My American assault included lots of infantry smoke, and I moved at a good pace towards the main objective of p1. By picking the right time to overload the defenses, I got 1 747 into the 'Alamo building' (p1) on turn 5, but it was immediately killed in CC. Another got in turn 6, but it too suffered immediate death in CC. The failure to grab a toehold left me with a last-turn, suicide charge on turn 7, although still with a slim chance to win. But it wasn't to be, as my Americans were definitely having an off-day in CC. The one worthy note for me was that my first bazooka shot was a critical hit, so at least the ordinance was able to introduce itself to Mike with a little style.......
Game 2 (last weekend) S-27 ("Stand For New Zealand").
For Mike's first game with vehicles, he wanted to be the defender, with no more than a few uncomplicated vehicles. S-27 seems to fit the bill here, so Mike played the New Zealanders, and I got the Germans (I now realize that I intended to, but did not give Mike the balance, and I suspect that it had something to do with the fact that there was a BIG World Cup cricket match being played between New Zealand and Australia at the time that we were preparing to play). The Petrol Coy group of New Zealanders that set up on board v have quite a limited setup area; instinctively you want to reverse-slope, but the LOSs are just not conducive to that, and you end up with a pretty forward looking defense. But in spite of these obstacles, Mike's Kiwis could do little wrong, and I was not having a very good time with MCs, with my 8 morale Germans failing about 80% of the time. KG Ramcke failed to survive the first turn, so the board u elements of 10 Bde were able to quickly assist Petrol Coy into withdrawing back to board u. With the New Zealanders having a strong presence in building M9, the Germans were forced to flank the north side of the town (board u). But then the Vickers tanks arrived in a big way, with the first tank bounding firing six times - 5 ROF (1) shots (including 2 snake-eyes) !!! Worse yet, most of the damage was versus the would-be AT teams with MGs and ATRs, leaving the Vickers tanks virtually unopposed, and acting as street-sweeping guardians; there wasn't much my spent German force could do, and I had been effectively stuffed. At the end of German turn 7, I still hadn't captured even 1 multi-hex building, and it was beyond obvious that I wouldn't be able to capture all 7. It was almost as bad as getting bowled out for 151......... :stirthepot:
Game 3 (last 2 evenings) S-21 ("Clash At Borisovka").
Time for a tank battle. Tigers and T-34s, the stuff of legends. Mike took the balance-assisted Germans (upgrade 2 PzIVF2s to PzIVHs), and I took the Russians. The game started badly for me , with me losing a T-34 to a crisp 88L hit, and by the end of turn 2, I had lost 2 more, another 2 were immobilized (one by a failed Mechanical reliability DR), and I suffered 2 gun malfunctions as well. For all my heartache and sacrifices, I had only managed to (small) Stun a German PzIVF2, and it looked like I was about to suffer another whipping by Mike. But in turn 3, the fortune of the dices turned the game in my favor. Although I lose 1 more T-34, I knock out the stunned PzIVF2, and Mike malfunctions all 3 of his remaining 75L guns. The slow-traverse turrets of the Tigers then struggle to hit the T-34s swarming around them (with no supporting guns to keep the Russians in check), and before long, one of the Tigers falls to a flank shot, as does a PzIVH. I soon after lose 1 of my immobile tanks (which leaves me only 4 mobile, and 1 immobile tanks), and Mike repairs 1 of his 75L guns, only to malfunction it again on the very next shot !! Oh, the humanity......... By Russian turn 4, the score is 5 to 3 in the German favor, and my remaining 4 mobile tanks are looking to exit with 1 functioning 88L and 2 currently malfunctioned 75Ls opposing them. But the surviving immobile tank tries a tough LOS shot to the last Tiger, gets it, and kills it with a critical hit, while the impotent remaining PzIVs can only watch the Russians waltz past to win the game 8 to 5. Mike was pretty impressed at how rapidly things can change in a tank battle, and how important it is not to give up, even when things don't go so well at the start. Very good lessons to have under your belt for aspiring cardboard tank commanders everywhere......
John.