So what Starter Kit Scenario have you played recently?

Neal

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After playing through most all of SK, we finished a full Decision at Elst CG a couple months ago. Here are our video AARs for each CG date. The British overwhelmed the Germans early on the last date of the CG.

We've since moved on to full ASL.

 

Eagle4ty

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Always tough on how to best use the ATG.

One of my most treasured Patches is the "Golden Lions" 106th ID. One Division that was never reformed after its destruction, although its 424th Regt did reconstitute and would be in the U.S. Order of Battle until the end of the war. Trained at Camp Atterbury, IN it was probably one of the most trained units in the U.S. Army prior to its deployment in late 1944. However, the length of its training and late deployment would have catastrophic results for the division as in August-September '44 most of its company and many of its field grade officers were transferred out to fill battle casualties in front line divisions incurred during the Normandy campaign. Upon its arrival in Europe, another blow was delivered when many of its quality NCOs were grabbed as replacements for divisions that had been engaged in the Nancy and Hurtgen Forest actions. Its arrival in the Ardennes only a couple of days prior to the German attack found many, if not most, of its companies commanded by freshly minted LTs and led by platoon sergeants and squad leaders that a mere 3 weeks prior had been corporals or privates and fleshed out with newly arriving replacements direct from their basic training. To add insult to injury the division on 16 December, having only been in the line three days, had all three of its regiments deployed on-line with almost no divisional reserve in order to cover the extended front it was given and in some of the worst possible terrain to defend from. Several elements would perform admirably, notably at "Parker's Crossroads" and the 424th's stand at St. Vith but its commanding general and the division as a whole would suffer the ignominy of being the only U.S. division in the ETO to surrender and GEN Smith would be dismissed in shame.
 

Jplott94

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Several elements would perform admirably, notably at "Parker's Crossroads" and the 424th's stand at St. Vith but its commanding general and the division as a whole would suffer the ignominy of being the only U.S. division in the ETO to surrender and GEN Smith would be dismissed in shame.
Thank you so much for sharing this intriguing bit of history. I had often heard about WHAT happened to the 106th during the Bulge, you have provided the insight on the WHY it happened that way.
 

Honza

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Which elements of the 106th Div were at Parker's Crossroads? Wiki does not mention it.
 

kempenfelter

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S68 The End Of Their Rope seemed aptly named. At the end of Turn 4 the Japanese 10-0 had obligingly failed an NMC but the rest of the 148th Infantry Regiment continued to move forward.

14494


By Turn 5 defeat looked certain even though a series of low odds fire attacks had stopped the Japanese advance on one flank.

1449514496

Hail Mary time! Decided to push back and hope the dice were kind. On the right side of the map I pinned the largest enemy stack and then advanced into CC even though I was +2 to the Ambush roll. Didn't get Ambushed and stayed alive. On the left I advanced to control the hut location again.

14497

End game. The Japanese needed two buildings/huts to win. Got one on the right but the stalwart defenders of AA5 survived a Banzai and a HtH CC to claim victory.

14499
 

kempenfelter

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Started S69 Stovepipe Funeral as the Japanese the other day. To win there have to be 6 squad equivalents within 2 hexes of I7 and the Japanese have twice as many squads as the opposition on the first turn. However, the Marines are 7-6-8s and 3 more show up at halftime.

Things seemed to go my way. My opponent set up an MG too far forward, thinking no doubt I would be intimidated by PBF of twenty. Nope, I was able to Assault Move and then Advance and since the CC was HtH even a low odds attack got the job done. Considered picking up the MMG then decided against it. With a 0 ROF and a breakdown of 9 it didn't seem worth the PP. Ran out of Smoke before I wanted to, and my through the jungle flanking move was ill-considered, but all in all not a bad beginning.

14648

Turn 2 was all about setting up for Turn 3. Cleared the ridge and scampered forward. Kept the CHI-HAs in Motion because at 2 squad equivalents each they need to survive. One was maybe too close to a bazooka.

14649
 

kempenfelter

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Banzai time! The MG on the hill helped the charge though at the end of the turn I had a lot fewer troops on the board. And malfed a MA because I can never resist Intensive Fire.

14651

We played the Japanese half of Turn 4 and there was good news and bad. The 9-1 directed firegroup kept rate and caused havoc. A second Banzai got lucky and made it to the target hex to take out the enemy machine gun nest. Unfortunately there might not be enough Japanese left to stop the soon to arrive Marines. Time for that half squad to drop the mortar and join the party.

14652
 

Jplott94

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Just played S73, West of the Vire. Thought I had a pretty good defensive strategy, but the careful, steady pressure by the Yank paratroopers and infantry carried the day. The HIP SSR rules made the Americans a bit more cautious than they would usually have been, but poor shooting on my part and an early breaking of my only MMG did not help the delaying tactics. It came down to the last turn, but the Americans firmly held the town center for a clear win.
 

trailrunner

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Just played S73, West of the Vire. Thought I had a pretty good defensive strategy, but the careful, steady pressure by the Yank paratroopers and infantry carried the day. The HIP SSR rules made the Americans a bit more cautious than they would usually have been, but poor shooting on my part and an early breaking of my only MMG did not help the delaying tactics. It came down to the last turn, but the Americans firmly held the town center for a clear win.
That was a good game. The dice were not on your side, and the American side had both quantity and quality. Tough to hold off the green steamroller of assault fire.

Here's how it ended.

14662.
 

Eagle4ty

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I imagine the result would have been the same but isn't the perimeter off? I thought the VC indicated buildings within two hexes of O5 not Q5.
Prying units out of stone buildings is just no fun. That little adjustment adds quite a few more buildings with their high TEM into the mix, it may make all the difference.
 

Jplott94

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I imagine the result would have been the same but isn't the perimeter off? I thought the VC indicated buildings within two hexes of O5 not Q5.
My bad. New eyeglasses on order.

Attempting to learn VASL the same time I'm learning ASLSK has been a bit of a learning curve! The mistake has been corrected, should I use the map again in the future!
 

Faded 8-1

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Prying units out of stone buildings is just no fun. That little adjustment adds quite a few more buildings with their high TEM into the mix, it may make all the difference.
Maybe one or two locations... hard to tell for sure without digging out the map.
 

Jplott94

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Finished playing S16, Legio Patria Nostra today. A cautious assault by the Free French and some hot DRs by the Bosche prevented the Legionnaires from from attaining their objectives today. Tight game to the very end, the issue was not decided until the last French CCPh. Great scenario, lots of fun with the guns, and it could have gone either way. Looking forward to the rematch.
 

kempenfelter

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Not my day. Gacked the repair roll on the tank's MA--bye bye--and so on Turn 6 I had to run the gauntlet. My cunning plan depended on the remaining CHI-HA cruising over to the biggest threat, the closest 7-6-8, and taking it out with Bounding Fire. Nope, I couldn't roll a 3 with either the BMG or as a To Hit. And I actually got ROF. Two hexes into its run the half squad broke from a 6 minus 2 shot and that was that.

Would I play S69 Stovepipe Funeral again? Sure, but next time I'd be more careful with the CHI-HAs, using them to deny Rout paths while staying far away from the BAZ.

14677
 

Jplott94

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Played S14, 88s at Zon earlier in the week. The Americans had significant issues just getting on to the board; my opponent Craig R did a great job of breaking a number of my units as they tried to get organized in their assembly areas, and my DRs (today, at least) were such that units broken in Turn 1 in some cases stayed broken until turn 3. The Yanks tried forcing the center and got rebuffed; they tried forcing the western flank and got stalled. By the time the Americans were able to reorganize a force of any strength, it was already turn 3. By Turn 4, the paratroopers were able to get some movement to the south, but it was too little, too late...the German defenses were able to completely stop any Americans reaching the victory condition map exit hexes).

Congratulations, Craig!

1469714697
 

kempenfelter

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Sometimes you have to play a scenario to learn what not to do. S70 A Sideshow Affair is one of those. The Japanese have 3 Type 92 infantry guns. I didn't think my Shermans had anything to fear from them and barring a Hull Hit to the side or rear that is correct. However, the 322 RCT infantry quickly learned to dread To Hit rolls, even when the guns where changing CA to fire. Towards the end of Japanese Turn 5 my opponent had amassed 15 CVP, all infantry. He advanced a Concealed half squad and a striped crew into a hex with a Concealed CX 3-4-7. Ruh-roh. Hey, I had a chance, -1 vs -3 to the Ambush roll. Surprisingly, no Ambush but 1-1 minus 1 HtH meant the CVP total was reached. The next time I play this as the Americans, and there will be a next time because it's Starter Kit and that makes it easy to replay, I will be more cautious moving forward. The Americans need all of their eight turns, I think.

14882
 

owenedwards

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On a solitaire kick of ASLSK2 at the moment. Recently finished S9 Ambitious Assault and S11 A Long Way To Go (having previously played S10 Paper Army). Got S13 Priority Target set up on the spare end of the dining table at the moment (always a degree of risk with two small boys running around...).

S9 ended with an Italian victory - but this is infamously unbalanced in favour of the Italian defenders. S11 was a last-turn, last-die-roll kinda victory for the US defenders, as the Germans exited 7/9 required VP with a few potential winning squads broken as they ran for the line (Residual FP on a constricted exit path is horrid).

Need to improve my offence - I'm 1-5 as Attacker.
 
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