Our Friday game, saw the continuation of A-37 Dreil Team. As noted in the previous post, my opponent and I weren't too terribly excited about this scenario. In fact, we both thought regardless of how many turns we finished...that we would probably put this scenario to bed and start a new one next week. We would both be surprised by the night's events and find out once again that ASL can never be predicted...
You would think after all these years...I would know better than to think I know how a game of ASL is going to go...
The situation as picked up with the start of Turn 3. At this point, the British were threatening the Northernmost bridge. My Germans were in fair positions and had been shrugging off most of the British fire.
As in many a scenario, I was confident that my Germans would continue to hold their positions...why I have this false confidence game after game is a mystery. What happens after turn 3 in any ASL scenario is almost always different that what I #1 thought would happen and #2 was what I wanted to happen. Someday, I'll learn...
I expected my opponent to continue his drive on the Northernmost Bridge. He had committed to it and I believed that he would keep his focus there.
My opponent would do just that.
True to form, my opponent lead off Turn 3 with fire against my boys near the Southernmost Bridge. One of my regular STL opponent's primary traits is a desire to soften positions before doing anything else.
My forces would once again shrug off the fire.
Further North, the British also spent Prep Fire trying to soften me up. This time, they met with some success as one of my 4-6-7's broke.
Don't worry Mattias...we'll rally you in the next turn!
Little did I know at the time, but that first break would begin the destruction of my dam at the bridge. My Panther tank had arrived on the scene and I felt comfortable that I had taken the appropriate steps to stop a British crossing.
That was my thinking at the time.
Back in the south, my boys continued to trade desultory fire with the British.
My opponent's Defensive Fire seemed rather ineffectual...except for one small thing. He managed to force a Pin Task Check on my concealed 4-6-8 holding the stone building beside the bridge. Not a big deal right...???
One of the positives on the German side was the activity of the German Sniper. My sniper would KIA the British 8-0, who was busy rallying broken boys on the west side of town. He would then go on to Pin two squads, who were poised to cross the R7 bridge. At this point in the game, my opponent loudly proclaimed his undying love for ASL and I quote..."I hate this _______ing game!". Yes the random pain inflicted by snipers in ASL often elicits this expression of love for the game.
As for me...I was digging the efforts of my sniper. He was contributing mightily to my efforts.
At this point in the game, the momentum would begin to swing towards Britannia. The British mortar would drop its one smoke to shield his drive on the bridge. Things were going to begin moving very quickly from this point forward.
The Smoke exponent of 7 seems low...but I wasn't going to complain.
Now real trouble would befall my defenders. The British dropped their smoke and then began moving towards the bridge. Incredibly, my opponent's Advancing Fire forced me to make a simple morale check...of course nothing is simple in ASL. I rolled the dice and boxcars sealed my fate. A DM'd, ELR'd 2-4-7 would be all that remained of my critical position. UGH!!
As my positions at the Northernmost bridge began to collapse...I would go on to double down on disaster. I saw a chance to take 2 factor +1 shot at the British 9-1 Kill Stack. It would do nothing and suddenly reveal to my opponent that he could possibly nuke my last position holding the Southernmost Bridge. Genius on my part...pure suicidal genius...
Oh..look...my opponent's very next fire would eliminate my defense in the south. The bridge there was now open for business.
Now...our previously dull game was going to heat up fast! The British would go for it and try to rush the bridge. A stack of three 4-5-7's would just go balls out! I would fire...first squad breaks, second squad breaks...then SNAKE EYEs...the third squad goes BERSERK...the British don't go BERSERK...I though that was just a Scottish thing!?!
Read the rules Lad...read the rules...
OH NO was right...seriously...this isn't going to actually go down...the 4-5-7 isn't going to cross the bridge and take out my Panther....not going to happen right...???
My boys fired away as the crazy British squad rushed ahead. And good grief...nothing could stop them. But then...my Panther fires his MA and rolls SNAKES. Take that Berserkers!!! a +3 Morale Check should stop them!!! But it doesn't...they are still coming...NOOOOOO!!!!
There was no stopping them!
The Berserk British 4-5-7 survived everything I could throw at them. And I didn't roll badly. I forced two +3 Morale Checks...but my opponent finally had some hot dice and made all his morale checks.
Meanwhile in the South, the British finally stormed across the bridge. My DM'd boys could offer no resistance. (My opponent was loving the game of ASL more fully at this time.)
The boys in the second floor also ran down into the street and made for the bridge.
As our gaming for the evening neared its end...we had two Close Combats to resolve.
In the south my 9-1 went down under the crushing weight of the British assault. He didn't have a chance.
In the north, it was time to resolve the CC between my Panther and the Berserk 4-5-7 squad. My Panther would fire it's self-defense system...but it would have no effect on the Berserkers. My opponent climbed onto my Panther and rolled a "3". My Panther was gone.
Yeah...it sucked to lose my Panther...but what a game moment...it was absolutely fantastic to watch that 4-5-7 storm across that bridge...survive everything that was thrown at them...leap onto the Panther and knock it out. It was FREAKIN' AWESOME!
Our mutual adrenaline rushes over...my opponent and I agreed that we had reached the stopping point for the evening. We will pick the game up with the German Phase of Turn 5.
While the British celebrate their successful Bridge Crossings...my Germans will have to dig deep to find a way to stop them.
Kein problem...richtig?
I love that comment. "I hate this *deleted* game...let's play again!" That's usually how I say it :)
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