WO22 The Cost of Non-Compliance

Vrosso

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Hi All, Just got the latest WO pack in and for the latest FTF game with Ron in NJ, I knew this was the game as it has lots of tanks on both sides to go along with an infantry battle. Since the game was at my place, I had the defense (even though it's a simultaneous setup). Looking at the board, it seems pretty clear that the bulk of the forces are going to be channeled thru the area of L thru S. This was a game that was wild and wooly, where we both made lots of strategic oopsies and went down to the wire in the last turn. So for the record, here are some things that I tried for my strategy, some of which worked, and some that didn't.

My first "brilliant idea" was to put HS with LMG forward to lay down some firelanes where the infantry would have to move. They were in S5 & X6 (middle board), never really got the firelanes in, both escaped on T1 but didn't get too far in the game with a net result of turning over a couple of really valuable LMG to Ron's forces by mid game. So this idea was a dud.

My 2nd "brilliant idea, from the ****ing genius" was to setup the PzIIF in P9 and put it in motion in the stone building and hope it survives long enough to inhibit movement of infantry past it (and to take armor shots at +5, or +7 if I can manage to use my SD. Net result, after a HW, the commissar and a squad ambush it and take it out with a roll of 4 in the first cc attempt. Another DUD!

Overall strategy for the game was to have the guns take out 2 tanks a piece, in particular, the weak armor vehicles were the prime targets.

3rd brilliant idea was having the 37L setup in P8, kind of worked, it went on a crazy rate terror and chewed up 2 vehicles in the area of R4, R5, T5, but it quickly became the victim of a HW attack that also took out the Pz IIF. It would have been better a little further back or in the brush oppo-site the stream, where it would have been a little harder to reach.

The other 37L was in DD7 where it also got two vehicles in the area of U4/U6 before being shot up by CMG's of the T34's. It did not get a full round of shots off and the crew was eliminated for double breaking (out of action).

The 105 was setup in a nice spot which I really liked in u9 as it can also see down the road on the back board, in case tanks do a flanking move. This took out a prized T34 in S8 via a side shot. It then got a thin skinned tank in O8 starting a fire. This fire would likely take out an immobile KV in P8 near game end (dropped it's transmission around T4/T5) and had become unimportant at the end of the game.

The MkIII setup in BB7 VCA setup to run away, and it ended up going in motion quickly in T1, got a 4 factor cmg shot off into the area of W1/V9 to inhibit movement, then bagged a thin skinned vehicle in N8, burning it.

Two of the fast BT7's had moved onto the front of the hill in BB6/CC7 to cause DM to some of my infantry, and my reinforcements came onto the side of the board. I sent the AL and two Mk III's over there and in strange gun duels, we got a lot of ties and ended up with 4 burning tanks on that section of the board. I thought one of mine would survive and bag the two tanks, but this was a calculated risk that didn't go my way.

The 9-1/mmg started out in Y10, deployed and ran into the building on the hill, advanced upstairs and layed down a lot of fire in the ensuing turns (often skulking back and repositioning to other lvl 2 hexes). A few times, it rolled snakes on -3 shots, vaporizing oncoming squads. A lot of my forces started in the back and made it easily onto the city board.

My challenge with the infantry was lack of leadership (i.e. me), but one of the setbacks I faced was having a leader with 467/lmg pretending to be a mmg in CC6. This leader was wounded by boxcaring a MC caused by CMG fire which really hurt, it stayed DM for a long time (and was one of the reasons for the BT7 move into this area), this in turn caused a shift of the leader in row K over to the center to rally some broken squads. At game end, I would have two broken HS in the region of 76V8 that could not stop a few 447 squads from moving thru that area in the last turn to capture buildings in the area of U5. In my last turn, I tried to move my Pz III past the side of a T34 in O7 (i had failed a PTC to jump it in CC earlier), only spending a half MP in it's LOS, but it managed to turn, fire and wipe out my vehicle that was moving to defend this back block. My mmg tried to stop them but couldn't and that ended up being the game.

Earlier, I lost another Pz III to snakes on a TK roll from a lmg. So Ron had two mobile vehicles left, a KV and a T34. I might have been better off, just running away with my two vehicles to force him to take 10 buildings instead of 5, but I was aggressive and paid the price for it.

Overall, we both rated this game highly as it was loads of fun. V
 

clubby

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Sounds like a boat load of fun.
 

Ray Woloszyn

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I played this at WO and took it to the last turn. It was harder than I thought to get my infantry over to the stone buildings despite some decent luck in the beginning.
 

Doug Kirk

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I played this one against Jim Taylor. Jim set up strong on the hill as anticipated. I pushed hard down the opposite map end. This allowed me to preserve my tanks pretty well by hiding in the blind hexes. I really thought I had the game won, but my infantry could not cross the open ground, they broke at every shot. I was perhaps a little too bold with the infantry, but if they can break thru early you can really put the infantry starved Germans under pressure. In the end, I won the tanks battle but could only take 3 buildings, as my infantry woefully under performed. Good scenario, fun for sure. Look for it on the St Louis tourney list in July.

Edit: I forgot to mention the highlight or lowlight of the scenario, my two T-34s in platoon rolled a 12 on the start roll and then they rolled another 12 to yahtzee the random selection roll. Ugh!
 
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Ronald Duenskie

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I played Vic in this one and pulled a win out of my a--. I didn't get the SSRs correct nor the VC correct until late in the game when Vic explained them to me , I had miss read them. But that being said it was a fun scenario and I would play it again. Vic forgot to tell about the most interesting thing that happened in our playing, which has never happened to me before. When Vic brought his Mk IIIs up to do away with my BT-7s we got into a gun duel. The mods on the to hits turned out the same, so we both rolled to see who would get the shot off first. The rolls were once again a tie so both shots went off, each a hit. The rounds passed each other in mid air one going east and one headed west, when they struck home the to kill rolls resulted in 2 burning wrecks! If you like crap tanks and early war Russian / German fights this one is a must!
Ron D
 

Ray Woloszyn

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I played this one against Jim Taylor. Jim set up strong on the hill as anticipated. I pushed hard down the opposite map end. This allowed me to preserve my tanks pretty well by hiding in the blind hexes. I really thought I had the game won, but my infantry could not cross the open ground, they broke at every shot. I was perhaps a little too bold with the infantry, but if they can break thru early you can really put the infantry starved Germans under pressure. In the end, I won the tanks battle but could only take 3 buildings, as my infantry woefully under performed. Good scenario, fun for sure. Look for it on the St Louis tourney list in July.

Edit: I forgot to mention the highlight or lowlight of the scenario, my two T-34s in platoon rolled a 12 on the start roll and then they rolled another 12 to yahtzee the random selection roll. Ugh!
Cliff Smith, my opponent at WO, had set up strong on the hill also but I also attacked this hill the most of my infantry which by dribs and drabs got through to the stone buildings on that same flank as I had no luck taking out the guns on that hill. It took a cowering shot to allow me to get the last building I needed. My tanks had pretty good success in neutralizing his armor at the beginning of the game. If used for a tournament then maybe the last round of the day as the armor battle makes it somewhat long (especially when two senior citizens are playing it :(!
 

Paolo Cariolato

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The Scenario is certainly interesting, unfortunately in our game both KV1 and one T34 broke their MA on their very first shot and the other T34 was immobilized (on a very good position) but still not counting for the VC, after 4 turns we throwed the towel since is not fun just waiting for the RPh in order to roll for the MA repair roll. I think I'll give it another shot, even if the main axis of attack is scripted.
 
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