November is already upon us and so quickly that I forgot to upload the November scenario on the 1st. Completely slipped my mind until a moment ago...when I went...Hey you need to post the scenario. It's been in the can and ready to go for a while now.
Before we get to the scenario, I'll give of recap of recent events. One of the most significant for the blog relates to some sort of attack executed on the blog at the start of June. It seems to have finally subsided. I'm hoping that it is really done.
As I have pointed out previously, this blog averages 4000 views a month. A great month will see 5 or 6 thousand views. But beginning at the end of May, my blog was inundated with additional hits/views, but none of my posts were actually read. It was very strange. September would be the height of this "attack" with 45,000 views. Thankfully, October was a mere 6000 views and a sign of normalcy.
But gaffs continued to haunt me recently. Dan and I would play two scenarios from Vic Provost's excellent Dispatches from the Bunker. I was busy finishing up that Blog post last night around Midnight, when I noticed a stray word appearing in the wrong place. I went to delete it and the next thing I knew my entire blog post was deleted. Well...that sucked. I didn't have the desire to start over. So, I'll post a few pictures and comments regarding the two scenarios that we played.
Both scenarios would come from the most recent issue Dispatch #56. I was unfamiliar with DFTB until Dan Best told me about them. He's a big fan and in a surprise move, ordered all of them for me. Over the course of five days, Vic would send me 10 emails for each of the volumes.
Every day was ASL Christmas!
The link above will take you the site where you can subscribe to the Dispatches from the Bunker. Currently there are nearly 200 scenarios and these are the best value in terms of cost per scenario of any publication out there. They would be a fantastic addition to your collection.
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Our Friday night game would be DB179 Having a Go (designed by Ted Wilcox). This scenario is set during Operation Dragoon and covers actions of the British paratroopers who participated in this operation. I was unfamiliar with the British support of the operation. Their landings would be scattered across the battlefield. In the scenario, a group of collected paras assault a bridge over the Naturby River connecting Grenoble and Le Muy.
Dan would be the attacking British Paras and I would command the hapless 2 ELR Germans. I would severely muff the setup. The set up SSR's allow for the Germans to set up on the other side of the River in the two wooded hexes. The German OB even comes with the 2 x 2-4-7's that are supposed to be there. This was a critical mistake as the British get to set up on the other side of the river and at least 2 hexes from any German unit. I sealed my fate by not putting boys on the other side of the stream.
A look at the game as I gave my concession. I didn't last past turn 3. Dan's MTR would smoke me on Turn 1 and he would easily cross the bridge and crush me in Close Combat. I would break and ELR left and right. At this point in the game, I only had 2 x 2-4-7's (ironically) left.
My dice were stone cold and Dan's were on fire, which is a terrible combination and usually leads to defeat. The scenario is very constrained in terms of area and set up choices. My failure to grok the designer's intent with the two half-squads was really unfortunate. The Germans are very brittle in this game and the LV +1 Hindrance coupled with Smoke made it impossible for me with high rolls to do anything to the 6-4-8's that easily crossed the bridge and wiped me out in Close Combat. It was not a fun game for me from start to finish. So, don't be me...put those two half squads across the river in a foxhole...and pray the mortars don't get smoke.
Our Saturday game would be DB181 Hot Tigers (designed by Jim Povey). This scenario is set in Latvia during the summer of 1944. This is also one of those scenarios where one player immediately realizes that the most important roll was for sides. I would roll poorly and get the hapless Russians. Two games in a row I'd get the short end of the stick. Additionally, my dice would be just as bad as they were Friday night. On Friday, Dan would lose a half-squad while annihilating me. He would repeat that feat in this game with his hot dice. As an example, my 57LL AT Gun would have a rear shot on a Tiger. I needed a 9 to hit. I would roll an 11. I'll say for the 100th time...Dice rolls Matter.
A look at the start of the game. Once again, I'm certain that my setup didn't meet the designer's expectations for the Russians. I set up in the rear with the intent to let Dan's forces come to me through the grain and hopefully eat up a lot of time on the clock. My concern was that his armor would quickly move through and cutoff any troops I put out front. Keep in mind the Germans have 7 x Tigers and 2 x STUGS. The Russian have no tanks, 3 x 45LL AT Guns, a 57LL AT Gun and 2 x 76L ARTy's. And guess what!?! Only the 57LL AT Gun had a reasonable chance to kill the Tigers. The 76L ARTy's can't do it and so should be kept under wraps to deal with the German infantry. I would shoot them at the Tigers and lose both of them.
A look at the game after I conceded. It was a truly miserable game for me. Dan's Tigers just moved with impunity across the battlefield and Dan's dice were so hot that he was breaking concealed squads and knocking out my AT Guns. Honestly, I could have just forfeit the game at the start. It was just that bad. I would MALF 3 of my AT Guns including my 57LL. I wouldn't destroy any tanks and Dan's MC boxcars killed the only German half-squad. So, I couldn't even take credit for that.
I would concede at the end of Turn 2 as I had only 4 unbroken squads and 3 x 45LL AT Guns that couldn't do jack to the Tigers. It's 1944...so I'm not sure why there is only a single 57LL AT Gun. Dan and I speculated that perhaps an earlier play test with additional 57LL AT Guns was just to devastating to the Tigers especially if they get rate of fire. I rarely get rate of fire in any game. It's honestly a debilitating aspect of my play. I feel cursed at times. But scenario designers do need to consider that rate of fire might not be achieved and if the scenario is designed with the expectation that RoF will occur...well then it could be a problem...especially when there are 7 Tiger Tanks roaming the field.
Two other scenario concerns: 1) the placement of the Orchard Overlay in the grain is completely unnecessary and clearly blocks LOS from the stone building with an upper level. I really found it to be a pernicious placement. I would suggest that just making all buildings one level would remove the necessity for that overlay. 2) The historical outcome clearly indicates that the Tigers suffered a large number of breakdowns from overheated engines. This is modeled in the scenario by the Red Number movement start up. But the Tanks only stall on a 12. Dan's Tigers would start and stop with no issue. So, again if the design is dependent on a couple Tigers breaking down...then perhaps add a +2 to the roll, which would help the Russians by ensuring that more of the Tigers stay in motion and can't fire as effectively as they did in our game.
So, my first two DFTB scenarios were a bit of a bust. Neither of them survived into Turn 3. I was plagued by terrible dice rolls that couldn't counter Dan's great rolls. And I'll take the hit for not being able to grok the defenses. But in fairness, it's not always easy to get into the designer's head and his expectations for how each side will approach the scenario. I would definitely play both of these better a second time around.
Dan and I look forward to playing more Dispatches from the Bunker in the future!
This month's scenario is GJ127 Grenadier Grind. I've always been fascinated with the battle for Rostov. It's often overshadowed by Stalingrad, which would take center stage only a month later.
Rostov is also one of the few tough urban fights to involve Waffen SS units. In this case, the Wiking Division would find itself trying to drive the Russians out of Rostov.
Once again, Osprey Publishing would be my friend and provide the source material for the scenario.
This scenario depicts the Wiking Division in action to overcome roadblocks as they drove deeper into the city. Flamethrowers on both sides will find rich targets in this game. It was also a great opportunity to utilize Waffen SS 8-3-8's.
With any scenario design there are two primary hopes: 1) that it is winnable by both sides 2) that it is fun.
Following a playing on December 9th, 2023 - Dan Best and I revised the scenario to provide a richer game and provide better opportunities for the Russian Player to win this scenario. Our playtest showed that the German force was too strong if given the opportunity to board edge creep. Hopefully, these changes improve the scenario's balance. This new version (image below), is no uploaded to the ASL Scenario Archive.
As always, these monthly "Basement Quality" Scenarios are offered for fun only and as a thank you to the readers of this blog.
Remember to open pictures in a new window in order to maximize the size.
All Grumble Jones scenarios are available from the ASL Archive website.
(Just search on Grumble Jones)
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