Wow...what a week since last we met. Tonight's game would by my 85th this year. Since last Saturday, Dan and I would play a game every night this past week. This would be a record for me. This was possible as my wife is currently out of town with my daughter...who is as I type this, in labor and should soon give birth to our first grandchild. So Dan has been kind enough to keep me company these many days. Dan would win four of these games and I would get 3 for my win column. I would lose one of them simply because I couldn't roll less than 8 to remove a roadblock after eliminating all of the opposing force. That was fun... The scenarios played included the following: Midnight Massacre (it was), Ejected from Eloi, Seize the Moment, True to Form, Tank Desant, One Last Attempt, and With Tigers on their Tail...which will be our featured game tonight. My favorite of the bunch would be Ejected from Eloi. I had nearly given up any hope of winning that one after a miserable series off dice rolls early on....but then managed to win it on the last close combat. My least favorite of the bunch...would be the last one and I'll be bloggin this one. And to be clear, winning a scenario does not necessarily make it fun. I would win Midnight Massacre, but it seemed so tough on my opponent that it wasn't a lot of fun. You take the win of course, but I wouldn't want to cross paths with that scenario again. Ejected from Eloi was fun, because it proved the ASL maxim that the game isn't over until it's over. Failing your personal ELR is a common affliction in ASL. Sometimes, things can look really bleak...but if you throw in the towel too soon, you might miss the turn around that gives you the win.
Yeah...that sounds good...but John Cena never rolled boxcars multiple times in the span of 3 turns...come talk to me John once you have...just say'n...
ASL Scenario 117 With Tigers on their Tail is designed by Brian Martuzas and covers eastern front action near Saturnia, Galicia in July 1944. The Hungarians were hustling away from the onrushing Soviets. Covering their rear would be a pair of Hungarian Tiger Tanks with the Hungarian Tiger Ace, Lt. Matyas Eszes.
ROAR has the old version with 8 Hungarian and 16 Russian wins. The scenario is a big one with 11 Turns and a lot of counters to manage. It's a double exit scenario where both sides get points for exiting off the south board edge. The Hungarians must get at least 30 VP off and more than the Russians. This is not an easy task as the ROAR results seem to imply.
As the defending Hungarians, I would command elements of 3/1 Tank Battalion, 2nd Armored Division. This force would consist of 6 x 4-4-7's, and 12 x 3-4-7's led by a 9-1, 8-1, 8-0 and 2 x 7-0's with an HMG, 2 x MMG's, 2 x LMG"s, 2 x 50 MTR's, 2 x Tiger 1's, an 8-1 Armor Leader, a MKIV, 2 x Stugs, a Nimrod, 6 x Trucks, and 6 x Hungarian Tanks.
As the attacking Russians, Dan would command the men of the 8th Tank Division and 317th Infantry Division. This force would enter over Turns 1 - 4 and consist of 16 x 4-4-7's, and 6 x 5-2-7's led by a 9-1, 8-1, 2 x 8-0's and a 7-0 and 8-1 Armor Leader with 3 x LMG's, 2 x Jeeps, 2 x Scout Cars, 6 x Trucks and 19 x Tanks.
The battle space is big. MMP seemed to like 'em big back in the day. The more I play, the less I enjoy big scenarios. They often become a grind as you move a lot of counters over a big area. It can be a bit of logistical overload. Back in the early days, I was a big fan of large scenarios...but I didn't work or have a family either, so playing for several hours was not a big deal. Now...having the 7-8 hours to devote to a scenario is just not available. Fortunately, Dan and I play fast and we would bring this game to a conclusion in about 4 hours. If you have the time, this is a great scenario to give a shot. There are a ton of tactical choices available to both players and I can't imagine this scenario ever playing the same way twice.
And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:
:The Russians must catch as much of the Hungarian army on the board as possible and then exit as many of their own units as possible. Likely board 9 is going to be a kill zone for the Tigers. Board 11 will be an open fields of fire but low changes for moving vehicles. The Russian turn 1 units will move on to board 50 in strength and have flanking units on board 11. The two scout cars will try to unload the 50cal HMGs and leaders on board 50. The turn 2 infantry will enter on board 50 and push to break through the Hungarian infantry in the woods. The Russian turn 3 and 4 units will go after any surviving Hungarian tanks except the Tigers. Once the Hungarians on board 50 are eliminated the Russians will try to exit from board 50 and 11. Hopefully with over 200 VP the Russians can break through the Hungarians and exit 50-100 VP will keeping the Hungarians from exiting over 50."
As the Hungarians, I found myself with some big decisions to make and I had to make them early. Did I make a run for the exit with as much as possible...stand and fight on the north edge or fall back to a center defensive line??? The Russians enter over four turns and the first group would be T-70's, SU-76', 2 jeeps and 2 scout cars. Basically no infantry. And my armor assets would be sufficient to blunt this force. So, my Tigers would camp out on the high ground of Board 9. They would have LOS to the most of the battlefield. My 3-4-7's would mount the trucks and make straight for the exit. All of my 4-4-7's, officers and support weapons would take up residence on the north edge, create fire lane opportunities and wait for Dan's Turn 2 infantry assets to enter. I would also send one 40L Turan Tank towards the exit as well. This would give over 30 VP off the edge. So all I would have to do is destroy as much Russian infantry and armor as possible.
Spoiler alert...it wouldn't pay off...so you now you know...
Turn 1 Hungarian - I'm off to the races. I elected to run for home on Board 50. My MK IV and Stugs would fall back to defend the road and keep any Soviets from getting in behind my convoy. I sprinkled my 7 squad rear guard along the north edge. I was going to fight it out right there. This was probably not smart.
My trucks made excellent progress. All would be able to exit on Turn 2. They were beyond the reach of the Russians. It's debatable if you should exit so early in an 11 Turn game, but I felt like getting them off and hitting my 30 needed VP would serve me better in the long run.
A look at my up front defense. The infantry were upfront with tanks sprinkled in the near rear. My boys would also have Panzerfausts.
Turn 1 - Russian - Dan's first group enters.
The SU-76's were the biggest threat in the first Soviet Group.
Dan sent both jeeps up the Board 9 road. Both would be eliminated. The T-70's and SU-76' focused on Boards 11 and 50. The Scout Cars would empty their 2-3-7 half-squads and two dismantled 50 Caliber MG's. I utilized my Defensive Fire to assemble my dismantled MG's and Mortars. I would have all of them ready for the Turn 2 Infantry.
I had placed a lot of my defensive hopes on my Tigers.
Turn 2 Hungarian had resulted in some destroyed Russian Armor, but I also had suffered some losses. My infantry screen also a bit messed up on Board 50 and 11. Dan's infantry went for a Board 50 Schwerpunkt.
Turn 2 would also bring disaster. My rolls are generally poor to begin with...but this week was just a nightmare of bad rolls for me. I would MALF my 8-1 Armor Leader Tiger. This was absolutely devastating. I would also perform miserably on my Panzerfaust shots. I would pin repeatedly when checking for them. I would fire 7 Panzerfausts and not hit once. I was also rarely getting rate of fire, which has always plagued me.
My boys clearly were not paying attention during Panzerfaust class.
Turn 2 Russian - I was losing big on Board 50. The Russians were dominating the battlefield.
Turn 3 Russian - Dan would get 7 T-34's and 6 x 5-2-7 squads. My Nimrod had immobilized when I rolled a 12 on the start up and my infantry were failing to get any results. It's critical for the defender to get results when firing...otherwise your opponent just walks up and knocks the snot out of you...which is pretty much what would occur.
The last shot of the game. As we moved onto Turn 4...I gave the concession. We had played just over four hours and it was clear that my defense was going to be completely unhinged. Dan still had another reinforcement group of tanks to bring on and that group alone would have enough exit VP's to win the game. And Dan would probably exit over 80 points by the end of Turn 11. So...it was game over and a Russian Win.
And yes....I was at wits end with my atrocious dice rolling. Sure ASL is a game of movement, but at some point you have to shoot the enemy and Pin checks aren't going to get it done. I was so miserable at the end of this game, that I decided that I needed a break. So we won't play again until Wednesday. You hate to let your emotions get the better of you...but ASL can be a really painful game to play, because your own dice rolls are constantly inflicting damage on you. Good grief...ASL is like playing tennis and every time you go to hit the ball, you hit yourself in the head with the racket. It can get to be too much...and for me yesterday was just an accumulation of frustration. This is a familiar tale of woe from me, but unfortunately it does hold true. You have to have some success in the Fire Phases and if you don't well...the odds of winning go down drastically.
My congrats to Dan on a great win. He took on the upfront defense and wasted it. His armor also got right into my grill and took me down. And when playing Dan, you have to stop him in Defensive Fire and if you don't...well he's right on top of you and the school of pain is in session!!!
Dan's boys would celebrate the win!
And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:
"The plan worked. Scott exited all the trucks with 3-4-7 infantry for 28 points and two tanks for another 12 points. But the Russians smashed through the thin line on board 50 and cut up the board 11 defense. One Tiger was recalled with a disabled MA and the math was against Grumble Jones for any win. My thanks to Grumble Jones for giving this monster scenario a try. But the Russian steamroller was in motion. This scenario is a true monster to play...definitely not for the faint of heart."
That's a wrap on a 7 Day ASL extravaganza!!!
It was quite the campaign and many thanks to Dan for all the games!
Dan and I will return next week for more ASL!!
We will see you then!
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