Our Games FT72 Catcher Caught and FT287 Operation Scipio

March crept up on me pretty fast this year. I think in general; I've been very pre-occupied with other things instead of ASL. Most of that is work related, but lots of personal stuff thrown in there for good measure. My son (Tulsa Paramedic) lost his partner (EMT/Driver) to suicide this past week. Truly sad and of course more than difficult for my son. He came over this evening while Dan and I were finishing up our playing of FT72 Catcher Caught. My wife was helping hem some pants for him to wear to the funeral, where he will be a pallbearer. We tend to forget that PTSD and similar trauma impact First Responders. They see some pretty horrific things. My son has seen more than his fair share and two years ago called the death of two Tulsans shot execution style in the head. Other, more awful stories are best not shared. We are indebted to those who dedicate their lives to running into the storm to save others.

This blog post is dedicated to Lauren. May God bring her spirit peace. We remember and honor her service to others.

Let's all be mindful that we can't always know what other people are experiencing and what issues and pain they may be struggling with. We can only try our best to be there for each other and help shine the light to keep the darkness at bay.

Apologies for such heaviness, but I felt this was a positive way to remember Lauren. Of course, a little hard to jump into an AAR, but we keep moving in our lives. We remember and get on with the business of living.

Our first game this weekend would be from LFT's From the Cellar Pack 2. Scenario FT72 Catcher Caught would be up to bat. Designed by Laurent Closier, this scenario covers fighitng near Leskovicz, Albania between EDES Partisans and German Gebirgsjaegers. It uses Heat of Battle Boards I & II which are the same as the BFP Boards I & H. This would be one of the few times, I have played on these boards.

Partisans vs German Mountain Troops may seem like an uneven contest...and you'd be right to think that. We certainly noted the difference in capabilities during our playing of this scenario. ROAR had it 1-1, so that was a good sign, that either side could win. Our playing would also prove that as well. Playing Partisans can be tough, and you have to think through your moves when playing with them. Understanding their strengths and weakness is critical.

As the defending Partisans, I would command EDES Partisans. My force would consist of 16 x 3-3-7's led by an 8-1 and 2 x 7-0's with 3 x British LMG's.

As the attacking Germans, Dan would command elements of 1. Gebirgsjaeger Division. His force would consist of 15 x 4-6-8's led by a 9-2, 9-1 and 2 x 8-0's with 2 x MMG's, 2 x LMG's and 2 x 50 Mortars.

The battle space is an interesting combination of high hills overlooking a central valley. The Geman player enters from both the West and East board edges, which the Partisans split their force into units at Levels 1 & 2 and units in buildings on the valley floor. The setup SSR's have the Germans entering from the high ground. All buildings are stone as well. The German player wins at game end by inflicting 24 CVP on the Partisans. Beginning on Turn 5, the Partisans can attempt to exit off the south board edge and keep from becoming German CVP. I would setup with a mind to exit at first opportunity. Was that the right strategy...we'll soon see...

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

"The Germans must eliminate 24 CVP and not let any escape off the south edge. The east side will be led by the 9-2 with a MMG and LMG and one MTR. This side will have 8 squads. The west side will be led by the 9-1 with a

MMG and LMG and MTR. The west side will have 7 squads. Hopefully the Germans can move along the ridges and attack into the village along the south board edge."

I'll be honest, I really didn't grok this scenario at the onset. It was later during the game that I realized my initial setup was inadequate. Some scenarios really require a playing or two to home on the best to way to play it. I tried to set up a forward force designed to slow down the Germans and maybe break up their attack, while the rest of my force staged itself to exit on Turn 5. Let's just point out the obvious...which is that the Partisans are unlikely to last to Turn 5. The Germans are very tough and have the high ground along with great range and heavy weapons. The Partisans...they ain't got much to fight back with.

Sometimes staying concealed is your best option in a scenario. That is definitely true in this scenario.

Turn 1 Dan's Germans sweep quickly across the ridges. I let rip here and there to break some of the probing half-squads, but generally Dan was able to move into his Turn 1 objective locations.

As the Partisans the setup SSR's don't allow you to set up on Level 3. The Germans will quickly move down those ridges towards the south board edge. This is difficult to defend against, but keep in mind that the Germans can quickly get behind you.

Keep in mind that the Germans can quickly take up positions to limit the Partisan moves towards the exit. I didn't set up to shelter my exit route. Don't be me...

Turn 2 - Dan's Gebirgsjaeger hit me hard and began to bubble into my rear...sounds kinda bad...it is...it is kinda bad. I was rolling pretty high for much of the night with D-Fire shots going astray and then missing Morale Checks early and often. Dan's German dice that he uses are tough on me. Lots of 3's and snake eyes. My SAN was a 3, so I was getting a lot of sniper checks...around 9 I believe, but I only got one Sniper activated out of 9 attempts. Yup...that sucked. In spite of my rolls, I was still able to inflict losses on the Germans. Dan would lose 6 squads and two officers during the battle.

Not even halfway into the scenario, and it's clear that the Germans are going to get the edge on the Partisans.

I was losing ground on both flanks, but in the center things would go in favor of the Partisans. I would manage to hang on and win some of the ensuing close combats.

The Close Combats would help me to hang on in the center and even take out some broken Germans at a couple points in the game.

Despite some successes in the center, Dan was securing the heights overlooking the exit path. I was in real trouble.

I was breaking as well. My 8-1 and both of his squads were broken and would never rally. I was collapsing.

Dan pushed his troops forward to seal the fates of my broken units.

I made a last ditch attempt to get two squads exited. A third squad (in the center) decided to head north and avoid becoming CVP. There was no chance for it to exit.

The rest of my boys were trapped in the woods along the south board edge and waiting to mopped up.

Turn 6 - Dan's Mountain Troops move in for the kill.

As Dan mopped up my brokies he would surpass 27 CVP and that was game and a German victory. I would lose 13-1/2 squads and all of my officers while Dan would lose 6 squads and 2 officers. Pretty much a bloody mess all around. Congrats to Dan on a good win. He drove his force hard and shrugged off the losses to deliver a knockout blow. This was definitely a fun scenario. It's a great infantry only battle with lots of movement and some hard fighting. Worth a playing!

And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:

"The plan worked. It was a near run thing with the Partisans inflicting 6 and a half squads in CVP. However, in turn 5 the Germans broke 7 Partisan squads and were able to cut their route paths. In the end they had 26 CVP. My thanks to Grumble Jones for a great game of ASL!"

Our second game played on Saturday would be FT287 Operation Scipio. Designed by Torsten Cumberland, this scenario is set in 1943 Tunisia and is a hill fight between the Afrika Korps and Gurkhas.

So far, I've managed to play six of the scenarios in this great pack. One of my favorite aspects of this pack are the great maps. These are probably the best DTO maps put out. Always look forward to putting them on the table.

LFT products are some of the highest quality out there. Just wish they were 8-1/2 by 11...just say'n.

As the defending Gurkhas, Dan would command the men of A Company, 2nd King Edward VII's own Gurkhas Rifles, 4th Indian Division. His force would consist of 14 x 4-5-8's led by 2 x 9-1's, an 8-1, 8-0 and 7-0 with an HMG, an MMG's, 3 x LMG's and a 50 MTR.

As the attacking Germans, I would command elements of Panzergrenadier Regiment 361, 90 Leichte Afrika-Division. My force would consist of 14 x 4-6-8's, 5 x 2-4-8's, and a 2-2-8 led by a 9-2, 9-1 and 3 x 8-0's with 3 x MMG's, 4 x LMG's, an 81 MTR and an 88 AA Flak Gun.

Yeah...glorious maps!!!

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

"The Gurkhas must stop the Africa Corps from taking hill hex LFT8S3. The 9-1, squad and HMG will set up in a foxhole in M8 to cover all board LFT4 and the level 3 hills on LFT8. The 8-1, squad and MMG will set up in Z4 backed up by the 51mm MTR in V2. The 8-0 will set up in a foxhole in R2 as a rally point. While a squad LMG set up in each S5 and R3. A squad will set up in the victory hex and in a foxhole in EE4. Sangars will set up with a squad each in V8, G8 and E8. Hopefully good rifle fire and H-t-H CC will win the day."

Turn 1 - my plan was to board edge creep along the west edge as far from Dan's HMG position as possible. I would send 9 squads with all the MG's and leaders, excepting an 8-0 who would have 5 squad in his area along the east board edge. Their job was to occupy Dan's defenders on the center hill and be a reception committee for his Turn 4 reinforcements. But of course, plans fall apart upon contact with the enemy. I didn't know it yet at this point in the game...but this night's playing would be an abject lesson in futility. And of course, dice would be the primary culprit. Tonight, would be a dicing of the first magnitude. I've experienced it before, but I will admit tonight's dicing was as bad as it gets. Maintaining your poise and your personal ELR during a dicing is one of the hardest things you can do. Your first instinct is to just throw up your hands and check out. But tonight, I tried to hang in there and see what I could achieve. I should have checked out.

This was me most of the night. And fate wasn't interested in my opinions.

My first OBA card draw was Red and my third OBA card draw would be red. My OBA broke a single squad in this game and then it was gone for the remainder. A much-needed asset was gone. My 88mm Gun would blast Dan's 9-1 and HMG during the game, but as you will see, Dan simply regenerated that position, and that single HMG would mow me down in the center in an unrelenting rate-of-fire blood fest. Six and seven shots with 6 factors -1 will eventually destroy your world.

Rate of fire is one of those things in ASL that can really unbalance a game. I have a problem with getting rate of fire consistently. Dan's Mortar and HMG wouldn't have that problem.

My single FFE would do very little. My grenadiers moved up and made some progress on the west edge. I hadn't met the dragon yet.

But the dice dragon would awaken soon enough.

About two turns in, I wasn't doing badly. I had busted up the center HMG position, but the gun and the 9-1 were still there. A replacement 4-5-8 would arrive soon enough and undo my success.

My 88 would get some early hits, but then struggled during the remainder of the game. I needed more from it...but I struggled to roll the 6's needed to hit.

And good rolls...like a Rally Phase Snakes always seem to bend you over...a 4-6-8 would become berserk. Goodbye fellas...it was nice knowing you.

I would MALF my 81 MTR and then six it. I got a single smoke from it and nothing more. That smoke would allow me to move around the west flank. Despite the hammering I was taking, I was still advancing. Dan began rolling a few 5's (3's and 4's were starting to get old!!) and my sniper would make an appearance and pin Dan's 50 MTR, which had successfully Pinned my 9-2 twice in a row. It wasn't just that Dan was rolling incredibly well...but I was rolling very badly. That combination will destroy you in ASL.

By British 4, Dan had put his 9-1 and MMG back in action. In one of his rate tears, this HMG would annihilate all my forces in the center.

Dan's Gurkhas were solidly in control of this battle.

While I had finally turned the flank on the west side, I'd lost my ground on the east and was soon to lose the center. My three 4-6-8's with my 8-0 were stuck in a house and Dan was coming for them.

Dan's reinforcements of 4 x 4-5-8's and an Heroic 9-1 were hardly needed, but would ensure that the Gurkhas would win. He also got an ARTY observer that was placed HIP anywhere at least 4 hexes away from a German unit. How bout that. And again...Dan hardly needed the OBA...which would go on to destroy my 9-2 and 8-0 base of fire.

While Dan's ARTY was obliterating my heavy weapons teams, his reinforcements arrived to augment the defense of the objective hex. I was trying to keep my head in the game, but I'd been slapped around hard. The constant rolls of 3 and 4 were just sapping me and taking me out of the game. You can only take so much.

To top it off, Dan would create two Heroes in this game and one would capture 2 full squads and reject their surrender and then go into CC with the remaining squad...win ambush...(of course) and then casualty reduce them to a 2-4-8 and hold them in Melee. My 9-2 would then be killed by the Gurkha sniper. An already mentally tough game was just sticking the knife deeper into me and twisting it hard. I was beaten and had nothing left.

As we started Turn 7, I gave the concession. I was adjacent to the victory hex, but only had 5 good order squads and a 9-1 in play. All of my MMG's were either MALF'd or crewed by dead men. My 88 couldn't hit S$%& and I was on fumes. I could have kept playing and tried to get onto the victory location, but there was no way, I could hold it as the Gurkhas had the final move and would easily take me out...especially given Dan's overwhelmingly good rolls. So that was game and about as unfun an experience as I can recall in ASL. It was a misery for me. But it was a commanding win for Dan and his defense did its job. So, my congratulations on a sweep this weekend. I went down in both games and went down hard.

I think this scenario is a good one and I enjoyed it for the most part. My attack managed to get me adjacent to the victory location in spite of the ass-kicking I had to endure. So, I think that says a lot about the scenario. Designers can never account for someone rolling an insane amount of low rolls. In fact, no design will survive that. The only thing I really didn't like was the HIP ARTY observer that just pops up pretty much anywhere. No...I really didn't like that. It was hard enough for the Germans to get to the objective area only to then get smacked around by ARTY that just magically appears. But otherwise, a good scenario with equal opportunity for both sides to win. Just hope your opponent isn't using Dragon Dice.

Not a fun way to go down.

And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:

"The plan worked. But mostly due to good rolls by the Gurkha and terrible rolls by the Africa Corps. This scenario is fun with small side battles and various toys. But it relies on fickle things like OBA and the dice can quickly unbalance it. As happened in this game. My thanks to Grumble Jones for a great game of ASL and LFT for some awesome new arid boards!"