Our Saturday Game - Scenario PAD 3: Earning Face

For our Saturday game - Dan Best and I broke out our Christmas gifts early in order to try out our new Broken Ground Design mouse pad maps. Shout out to Alan Findlay for this unique and very well-done product addition to the ASL system. Quality of the mouse pad is first rate and the map is a great throwback to the classic SL Boards 2 and 3. Suffice to say...I like this mouse pad and the accompanying four scenarios very much. I can see a great future for this to be the perfect...throw down game of ASL when time short. For those of you, who don't have this great product...I highly recommend grabbing one for yourself. Broken Ground Design


For our first game with our new mouse pads, Dan and I decided to go with PAD3: Earning Face by Brian Martuzas. The title was particularly appropriate...since I am on a 7 game losing streak at the moment and saving face was very much on my mind as I prepared for this scenario. But I would make one critical...did I say critical...one truly...epic critical mistake, which would cost me this scenario on the very first turn and very first die roll by my esteemed opponent.

Never forget...the Japanese can always have 10% of their force HIP at game start. I will be writing this down a hundred times...so that I never forget it again....

One of the great challenges of playing a game like ASL is learning how to gracefully take the body blows that are inherent to this game and wargames in general. For me, my mental outlook on the game always suffers a bit...the longer I find myself struggling to play a decent game. After six straight losses, which were rough losses, I was trying very hard to approach this night's game with a positive outlook. Like the Cleveland Browns...I was determined to believe that...yes I can score a touchdown. Unfortunately, channeling the Cleveland Browns was probably not the right choice. 

Yeah...let loose the dogs of war baby and take those scenario objectives!!!

Oh come on...show me your war face...I need you to get mean...c'mon this is serious business. Dan Best has the Japanese and he is SCARY with the Japanese...at least he scares me. Being cute won't cut it!!! 

Oh man...I'm in trouble....

After rolling sides, Dan ended up with the Japanese. He would command elements of the 148th Regiment, 56th IJA Division. His force would consist of a 4-4-8, 2 x 4-4-7's, 4 x 3-4-7's, 3 x 2-2-8's led by a 9-1 and 8-0, with 2 x MMG's, 2 x LMG's, a DC and a 70* INF Gun. Dan would use this force to defend the 4 multi-hex buildings, which constituted the Victory Objectives for the attacking Chinese led by Grumble Jones.

As the Chinese, I would be the scenario attacker leading elements of the 36th Division. My force would consist of 4 x 5-3-7's, 8 x 3-3-7's led by a 9-1 and 8-0 with 2 x MMG's, 2 x LMG's a DC and a Flamethrower.

Overall, my Chinese seemed well equipped to win the day. 

My Chinese ready to launch themselves into the fray and take on Dan's Japanese! Dan's HIP locations are circled. Ever the clever opponent, Dan used his crews to man the MMG's and was therefore able to HIP both of them. Now the G15 building is clearly a key position with great fire lanes. So yes...I found it curious that Dan didn't have anybody there. And now...my brain didn't kick in and say...hey...maybe he does.

Yeah...I completely missed the sign..

On the left, my boys moved into position. On the right...total disaster. My 9-1 lead his boys with both of my MMG's towards the G15 Building. And then Dan's first HIP MMG opened up and Dan rolled the first of several snake eyes. That's always fun to have your opponent's first roll out of the gate be death dealing snake eyes. My 9-1 and a squad both died. Oh and with  his rate, Dan laid down a fire lane to break my Dare Death squad with the DC. His second MMG in the church steeple missed my other two squads on the hill...but would later take them down.

Surprise!!!

 OK...that wasn't fun. In the opening sequence, I was down a 9-1 and a squad and a half. I  had secured a victory location.

I had taken a hard hit...but my boys were still on the move.

 My flame thrower did good service and managed to inflict some losses on Dan's Japanese. That was the only good thing in this sequence. Dan's steeple MMG went on a Rate Tear and both my 5-3-7's on the hill (each with a bazooka were DM'd). One was DM'd and disrupted after I rolled snake eyes on my MC and then a 12 on my Heat of Battle...cannot express my displeasure enough at this rule. Dan's 9-1 moved forward to destroy one of my abandoned MMG's.

The GOOD...

The BAD

And the UGLY...

 Turn 1 had been an absolute killer. My attack on the right flank was done...over...kaput.

 Turn 2, I tried to salvage my advance. I worked the left flank and made some progress. Back on the right, Dan's steeple MMG continued to pound my DM'd 5-3-7's on the hill.

 My efforts on the left flank continued to show some success.

 Despite being relatively successful throughout the game, Dan did manage to break all of his machine guns. By game end, he would intentionally destroy both of my MMG's, and also one of his LMG's and one of his MMG's. In fact, Dan would end the scenario with no functioning machine guns.

 Even without his MMG, Dan's 9-1 and 2-2-8 crew managed to push back my assaulting 3-4-7 squad with the DC. 

This 2-2-8 Crew would be Dan's standout unit of the scenario.

 In the center, Dan tried to place a DC, but failed in the attempt. He would ultimately throw it, but it wouldn't do much damage. His 9-1 would move back to rally a broken squad.

 On the left, my boys had scattered and were trying to flank Dan and my goal was the church. I didn't get there.

 Dan's 70* INF Gun finally showed up and would stop me in my tracks.

 As the game neared the mid-way point, I had two squads pushing around the left flank and then three squads moving up the center. Dan's defenders were still barring my advance. And Dan's hero crew decided to go into my backfield to take out my broken squads and destroy my remaining MMG. Yep...it was that kind of game for me...

 Dan's 2-2-8 would essentially roll up my backfield.

 I tried hard to keep my personal ELR intact and keep trying to make a game of it. But my efforts were just prolonging the game.

 Dan and I had a number of close combats, which surprisingly would go in favor of the Chinese for the most part, but in one case both sides would be KIA'd. I couldn't afford the losses.

After rallying my long disrupted 5-3-7, my 8-0 would be poised to move into the village from the right. But as luck would have it...I would miss my morale checks and it would be game over for my 8-0.

 With Dan pressing me in the center and with his 2-2-8 running rampant in my backfield, I had to pull back to deal with those threats.

 I would manage to restore my position in the center, but on the left, my squads would fall to Dan's Japanese.

 As the battle ended in the village, I would finally get revenge on Dan's 2-2-8 Crew. As bold as every, they charged up the  hill with a captured DC. I would take them down in CC.

As we began Turn 7, I gave Dan the concession. I had played the scenario to the bitter end. In reality, Dan had defeated me on his first Defensive Fire. I never recovered from it. 

Once again, my congrats to Dan on yet another Saturday Game Win! You are on a roll my friend!

Join Dan and I again next Saturday for BtB 4 Firestorm in St. Manvieu as we battle in the Normandy Bocage! Panzerfausts and Crocodiles...should be fun!!!

And lastly, thanks again to Alan Findlay for his mouse pad. It's a fantastic addition to my ASL Kit!

Cleveland...I feel your pain...