So what scenarios have you played Recently?

[Paul John]

The Germans are the likely side to get ganged up on and "knocked out" early in this one.
Not sure if there is such a likely choice in other three-players.
But hanging around as the Germans can still be fun.
And if the other two start to concentrate on each other, can't the Germans creep back into contention?

Certainly that is the hope. In this case he got wrecked so hard it was pretty clear, but we last played No Brothers No Friends
and I was the one getting kicked in the teeth in the first couple turns. I managed to claw my way back into the game, albeit too little too late, but there was a path to victory. That seesaw action is potentially super fun and reminiscent of many games that rely on two vs one to keep the balance going, with the makeup of alliances shifting regularly.
I think we need more 3-player scenarios, the challenge to the personal morale of the currently loser notwithstanding.
Also, ROAR has the Germans winning this one just over 50%, so who knows what can happen. Depending on the choices, I think all of the 3-players can swing in any direction.

 

[chris_olden]

I’ve won, and lost, as all three sides.
I do think that both Greek forces should dogpile on the Germans, initially. Then, someone has to break the truce.

 

[Houlie]

I have gotten way behind on posting recent playings. Here is a short and sweet account of games thus far in 2025 from the oldest to the most recent.

Hazmo50 Heart and Seoul
A back-and-forth fur ball with Chuck Hammond that tested us both. We each felt we were on the cusp of collapse one turn, and stumbling toward victory the next. Appropriately, it came down to the absolute last CC. The USMC had a 4:1 (-1) CC ratio and eliminated the 447 while surviving the return CC DR. Chuck played great, but he had some tough DRs in the final turn (pins) that really helped me survive the end game. AWESOME scenario!

BFP125 A Wave Breaking with the Tide
A large village fight where Polish troops eliminated four squads and three more were under DM in the first two turns. 3/5 German leaders lost by SAN1, CC and capture. Polish OBA was accurate on the church/steeple trapping about three squads. It ended early due to their losses, but could see this one being very tight.

AP196 Silver and Bronze
Epic game. Defenders did not set up anything on Bd92. Falling snow stopped on turn 2 only to reappear in final turn at double intensity. Excellent Ami defense and Germans lost two tanks after both malfed MA. Germans able to KO two Shermans in return to even AFV score and then KOed an M10 in the final turn to put the Germans ahead on VPs for an exhausting win. A swirling duel the entire game. Both sides attack/defend. A real ”thinking man’s” scenario. Plays long and careful VP tracking required. Highly Recommended.

J236 Deadly Dexter
Fast playing PTO scrap that can go either way. The two VC hexes on the smaller hills fell quickly. The big hill VC hex foxholes/trenches made it a challenge. Eventually, it fell under the weight of the remaining Japanese attackers. A great 3rd annual President’s Day game with my pal Mark Harms.

Hazmo47 Slavic Brotherhood
Interesting Deluxe scenario; super-high fun factor. Blobs of Russian 426/447s + six tanks barreling towards wide-eyed Poles. Poles require a skillful fighting withdrawal. CVP cap wisely bridles Russian enthusiasm. End game: Polish 9-1/DC pinned in its final move to evict lone CX 447 from VP location. Only one of four Polish squads survived DFire for the final CC attempt. In 1-1 CC, Polish 457 rolled high; Russian 447 rolled low. Slimmest of Russian wins. Poles amassed 25 CVP of 31 needed. Another great game with Chuck Hammond!

J247 Kicked to the Curb
Was Russian vs. two opponents who split the Polish OB. Attackers advanced broadly seeking to pivot to eventual cracks in defensive line. Defenders were cautious, skulking where necessary and taking selective shots. They slowly broke Poles such that their attack bogged down. Russian T26’s FTRed a couple squads, soaked up MG fire, and blocked the attackers. The Russians gently withdrew, pivoting to a line making Polish victory difficult. They called off the attack in turn 5. A nice no-fuss game that can be played in an afternoon.

199 Ace in the Hole
I was totally outplayed as the defender by Francois B. My Tiger couldn't hit its target and was shocked for a few turns, ultimately KOed. No real highlights for me other than my wounded 7-0 KOing the beastly Pershing behind a wall (TH 1,2) when the game was all but over. He was lost to backblast and posthumously awarded Oak Leaf cluster.

Inor7 Sauerei Wald
A very immersive scenario on the historical map with Jeff Wasserman. Germans are very strong, but the French dished out significant punishment with an excellent defense. As expected, the inner Sauerei Wald was a meat grinder. Attacks were point blank and casualties were high. My pre-game bombardment took out two critical wires in the Sauerei Wald that would have delayed me by at least a turn. Jeff played a very tight game, and I made several careless mistakes, but the powerful German OB kept me in the game. Once the French flanks were turned the defenders decided to withdraw. Recommended.

 

[Old Noob]

Played "Whom Gods Destroy" as the Germans. First rule for the SS is "Don't get cocky!".
There's more of them than of you.

 

[Thunderchief]

To pass a bit of time on our South Korean battlefield tour, I took along some ASL and my mate and I played ten games in two weeks. Due to baggage limits what I took along had to be smallish - so we played some scenarios from the CH Devils in the Woods pack:

DW 9 played 3 times
DW 10 played 2 times
DW 20 played 2 times
DW 15 played once
DW 14 played 2 times

Overall the wins went 50:50 and a good time was had by all.

 

[Houlie]

Played 306 Roads to Perdition as the attacking German against the Czech/Partisans. A VP-driven game for building control, AFV/Guns, and the all-important hex control (>=4 of the available 10 hexes are mandatory for the Germans). A fun mishmash OB for both sides.

Germans pressed toward the mandatory VP hexes with some rearguard squads/HSs to protect VC buildings from any partisans that pop up by SSR. The Germans attacked thru the Allied left flank (better cover). The at-start German force had a decent foothold in the hex-VP areas, but Allied turn 3 reinforcements were applying pressure. Plus, Germans must be careful as the Allies had 2 x 150ARTs, and a 75*INF HIPed – I assumed beaded on those VP hexes (they were – and the Allies have the last move). Things were getting interesting, but I was able to KO a PSW234 and T34 along with some other helpful Allied breaks. The last straw for the defenders was an effective 12+3 FP on a 9-1 and a couple squads that broke the momentum on the Allied left flank. At this point, the Germans had only lost a 658 to a 150 CH while the Allies had lost several squads. Considering the German position, Allied loses and the those breaks, the Allies pulled back. Super-fun scenario! We really enjoyed it.

Final position

 

[Michael R]

I played the German side in RPT210 FUSED AT ZERO. I had the opportunity to use the new 5-3-7 squads with a few 4-4-7 squads to attack a Canadian armoured division artillery headquarters. The Germans have a ELR of 2 to make their force somewhat brittle. At first glance, the Germans appear strong with twelve 537 and four 447 squads, lots of MGs, two 75* INF guns and a medium mortar. The guns, however, are very limited by their setup well away from the victory area. The mortar can at least provide smoke for the first turn, but it also can't do much from its setup area after that. The Germans need to take VP away from the Canadians. Each gun with manning crew is worth 1 VP (they have three) and some buildings with the right units inside are worth 1 VP. Besides the three guns, the Canadians have 5.5 squads with a 10-2 and a HMG and some more stuff. They receive reinforcements on turn three of an AVRE, WASP and three squads.

I had expected the Canadian guns to shoot at the Germans early, but only one did from a woods hex in the town center. The other two remained hidden for the four turns (of five) that we played. The closer the Germans came, the more they broke. If they ELR'd, they didn't come back.

The image below is at game-end after I conceded. The blue square defines the Canadian infantry setup area. The red square defines the Canadian artillery setup area. The Germans came from the right, a few hexes outside of the image. The two 25 pounders were hidden for the entire time we played. I was so sure that they would be used against the Germans, that I didn't think to search for them.

 

[fenyan]

On the last turn of SaP6, Rough Recess, the Russians had 8 out of the 10 buildings they needed. The Germans were in a row of the 6 remaining building objectives, and the ones they controlled on the ends would be the targets: Q69 on the south and R63 (and Q64) on the north.

In the north, the Russians rushed five 447s adjacent to R63 and Q64. One of them was broken in the shellholes due to first fire, and another pinned in the brush. In final fire, the 10-2 stack broke the 8-1 group in S63. Single 447s advanced to R63 and Q64, locked in Melee in R63 but in Q64, the lone defending 7-0 was eliminated to give the Russians their 9th building.

In the south, A KV-1 moved through the debris, the wooden fence, and went into bypass in Q68 to freeze the MMG squad helping protect Q69. 4 squads then moved next to Q69 and the lone 467 could only pin a 447. The LAX conscript prevented the Russians from ambushing the 467 but they won the CC anyway for the 10th building. However, the frozen MMG squad rolled a “3” in CC and destroyed the KV-1, bringing the required Russian VP total to 11 buildings. The Russians had one more chance with a CX 447 passing its PAATC to attack a Marder but he rolled too high. Otherwise this would have reduced the Victory Conditions back down to 10 buildings.

 

[wrongway149]

On the last turn of SaP6, Rough Recess, the Russians had 8 out of the 10 buildings they needed. The Germans were in a row of the 6 remaining building objectives, and the ones they controlled on the ends would be the targets: Q69 on the south and R63 (and Q64) on the north.

In the north, the Russians rushed five 447s adjacent to R63 and Q64. One of them was broken in the shellholes due to first fire, and another pinned in the brush. In final fire, the 10-2 stack broke the 8-1 group in S63. Single 447s advanced to R63 and Q64, locked in Melee in R63 but in Q64, the lone defending 7-0 was eliminated to give the Russians their 9th building.

In the south, A KV-1 moved through the debris, the wooden fence, and went into bypass in Q68 to freeze the MMG squad helping protect Q69. 4 squads then moved next to Q69 and the lone 467 could only pin a 447. The LAX conscript prevented the Russians from ambushing the 467 but they won the CC anyway for the 10th building. However, the frozen MMG squad rolled a “3” in CC and destroyed the KV-1, bringing the required Russian VP total to 11 buildings. The Russians had one more chance with a CX 447 passing its PAATC to attack a Marder but he rolled too high. Otherwise this would have reduced the Victory Conditions back down to 10 buildings.
View attachment 31976

So -what do you think?

 

[fenyan]

SaP6 Rough Recess: We both thought it was really fun. The linear terrain is very interesting, from the hedgeline and wooden fences paralleling the RR tracks down to the schoolhouse strongpoint in the south, with the need for the Germans to defend (and rout amongst) 14 buildings running the same direction. But you don't know exactly how many controlled buildings are needed to win, as the amount can shift based on if AFVs (on both sides) get immobilized (or eliminated).

For the Germans, love the Marder reinforcement section as they really do come in to impact the battle.

I would rather attack in this scenario, it's more stressful being a "fireman" in these types of scenarios where there's a broad front. You've got to recognize where you want your guys to be as the endgame starts to develop. Oh and I finally realized the 2-3-8 HS should probably carry the DCs, as I was about to fling one with a 4-6-7 then wisely decided not to...

Overall a great piece of design work in my opinion.

 

[wrongway149]

Oh and I finally realized the 2-3-8 HS should probably carry the DCs, as I was about to fling one with a 4-6-7 then wisely decided not to...

Overall a great piece of design work in my opinion.
View attachment 31982

When the scenario designer gives you a DC and an elite HS -- It's kind of a hint....

 

[Fort]

Currently playing this playtest set up of scenario "GREBBEBERG HEIGHTS" from the current AP I'm working on.

The Dutch are defending the Grebbeberg Heights vs "Der Fuhrer's" SS Regiment in the first few days of the German attack on the West.

The flooded stream represents the Grift canal. Woods are Light Woods

The Germans on the Turn Track enter on the north edge, on/east of 39Y1. Germans have an onboard radio with 80mm OBA, and an offboard observer with 80mm OBA. Both modules have 3 black cards only in their draw decks. The Germans also have a '39 FB w/Bombs on Turn 1, recalled at end of Dutch turn 2.

Dutch have a couple of 20mm Oerlikon's and an 81mm MTR...the fortifications and Guns are set up HIP, but I put them on so you could see. Germans have to control all buildings on bd 17, and more trenches/Pillboxes than the Dutch at Game End. The board 17 Dutch represent forward position screen that fell back in front of the German assault. German reinforcements represent forces that had crossed the Grift canal and assaulted the heights from the northeast.

The AP scenarios will have Dutch (3), French(5) and Belgian(2) forces covering battles from May 10th to May 17th. I am hoping to have this ready by ASLOK.

 

[william.stoppel]

No Luxembourg scenarios Gary?

View attachment 31992
Currently playing this playtest set up of scenario "GREBBEBERG HEIGHTS" from the current AP I'm working on.

The Dutch are defending the Grebbeberg Heights vs "Der Fuhrer's" SS Regiment in the first few days of the German attack on the West.

The flooded stream represents the Grift canal. Woods are Light Woods

The Germans on the Turn Track enter on the north edge, on/east of 39Y1. Germans have an onboard radio with 80mm OBA, and an offboard observer with 80mm OBA. Both modules have 3 black cards only in their draw decks. The Germans also have a '39 FB w/Bombs on Turn 1, recalled at end of Dutch turn 2.

Dutch have a couple of 20mm Oerlikon's and an 81mm MTR...the fortifications and Guns are set up HIP, but I put them on so you could see. Germans have to control all buildings on bd 17, and more trenches/Pillboxes than the Dutch at Game End. The board 17 Dutch represent forward position screen that fell back in front of the German assault. German reinforcements represent forces that had crossed the Grift canal and assaulted the heights from the northeast.

The AP scenarios will have Dutch (3), French(5) and Belgian(2) forces covering battles from May 10th to May 17th. I am hoping to have this ready by ASLOK.

 

[von Marwitz]

I see PFZs in there. Great! I liked that concept from the start and would love to see it more frequently used.

von Marwitz

 

[Fort]

No Luxembourg scenarios Gary?

Who dat?

400 or so volunteer soldiers and policemen running away with the Queen is not much of a scenario.

 

[Gunner Scott]

I do enjoy your designs Gary, but I really hate board 38 (or 39?) its such a pain to play on and the attack looks limited to only one side of that map. Why not use board 2? It would open up a few more avenues of attack and defense. Anyway just saying lol.

 

[Fort]

I do enjoy your designs Gary, but I really hate board 38 (or 39?) its such a pain to play on and the attack looks limited to only one side of that map. Why not use board 2? It would open up a few more avenues of attack and defense. Anyway just saying lol.

Thanks Scott,

I believe the prepared fire zones and light woods really change bd 39. The Grebbeberg Heights was covered in sparse woods and much steeper than Hill 2 depicts. And, like the eastern front, board 2 has been overused and bores me.

 

[Fort]

Google Earth view of the heights and canal. Note the very sparse tree cover.

 

[Chris NL]

FYI https://www.grebbeberg.nl/