ASL79 Bridge of the Seven Planets AAR in progress

[Rindis]

Again, the game is in progress, and I'm getting started on the AAR writing started early.

Though, if I can make a few more major rules mistakes, this could get short....

Anyway, Patch has been wanting to try out the French, so we're playing this bridge crossing (gasp!) scenario from CdG. It looks interesting, and seems good for getting me back up to speed with vehicles. (Not that I ever got much experience with them.)

The weekly Wednesday on-line session started the game, so there's not too much to say, as we're at the beginning of Turn 2, and it's taking a bit of time to come to grips with each other.

...A bit more time than I'd expected, in fact. The most notable news is that I completely muffed a 'remember the rule correctly roll.' I walked a 9-2, squad and MMG into a 4 -1 firelane attack that I thought would be a 4 +1. The resulting 1KIA killed the squad, and the MMG is still lying in the road after the same HMG got a K/1 on the squad sent to retrieve it.

This all means I've barely got anything around 16L6, which was going to be the early firebase and jumping off point.


Overview of the map as of Turn 2 German Rally.

New Rules:
Trucks and all associated passenger rules.
Vehicular ordnance

Rules Lessons:
A9.22 Fire Lanes are one collumn to left, not 1/2 FP like other Residual FP.
A9.222 Fire Lanes ignore SMOKE, grain, brush, marsh, FFE, Dust, huts.

[Patch_Bunny]

Yeah, the 9-2 moving into the firelane path, followed by a snake-eyes was a dream come true. I on'y wish I'd nabbed the 9-2 instead of the squad. 3VP, and the 9-2 goes away! I'll have to stick with the 2VP for the squad instead. My other fire was surpisingly effective, breaking two other squads.

Rindis is coming in more spread out than I had expected. I'm hoping that works in my favor, as I've the board nicely divided into thirds with MGs. Too early to discuss my strategy as I still have a lot of Germans to hurt. More to come!

[Patch_Bunny]

German Turn 2 movement continues through the mail. I've managed to Pin two squads at the expense of losing a MMG and HMG ROF, but a squad's IFP at long range nailed a 467 on the 2FP -1 column with another snake-eyes, reducing it to a 237. Another VP! This is tempered by the fact that the more I look at my set-up, the more I realize I should have given it more thought. I'm less than happy with several features. Too late to deal with it now. *sigh*

I can't go into what I'm doing until more units are on the board, but it looks like Rindis is doing what I predicted, but not as heavily (aim for the 16L6 area as a jumping off point). I'm curious to see how his Turn 3 reinforcements are directed. Should learn more tonight on VASL.

[Patch_Bunny]

Well, Wednesday didn't go well as Rindis didn't show on VASL. Train delays kep him from getting home on time to play, so we're still doing things via email.

Turn 2 went poorly for the Germans. Rindis still has yet to score a MC against any of my units, and I continue picking away at his squads, breaking two more and killing another HS. However, I still cannot damage that damn truck with my HMG. 20 hexes appears to be a nice safe zone for it. His units are too spread out, and I've managed to break all his units on the right side of board 16, where there's no leader. I'm sending down a HS to see what mischief it can cause amongst those broken units. I don't think the French were meant to counterattack in this scenario, but it's not stopping me!

Several errors were committed by me up to this point, but it's too soon to discuss as it concerns hidden units. More on that to follow.

I now await those turn 3 reinforcements. Things are about to get complicated for my units.

[Honus]

Are you using the -1 Bridge TEM rule in this scenario? I speak of the recent errata in Journal 7.

[Patch_Bunny]

Are you using the -1 Bridge TEM rule in this scenario? I speak of the recent errata in Journal 7.

Ya know, we're not even that far along yet and it hasn't come up. Personally, I'm more inclined to abide by what the counters say, as it avoids a whole host of new questions. Must be discussed with Rindis, however.

[Rindis]

Ya know, we're not even that far along yet and it hasn't come up. Personally, I'm more inclined to abide by what the counters say, as it avoids a whole host of new questions. Must be discussed with Rindis, however.

I had meant to mention this when we got going....

Personally, I was planning on using the errata. I've mentioned elsewhere that I generally support it, and I'm not changing that just because I'm attacking accross a bridge.

Besides, at this rate I'll be lucky to clear out the French in front of the bridge....

(Xtreme-Gamer...? bleck.)

[Patch_Bunny]

Turn three proceeded slowly last night, only bringing us through the entry of German reinforcements. We've now a light breeze blowing to the SW, and I'm hoping that it will kick up to heavy winds and eliminate Smoke cover for the eventual bridge crossing. I'm doing rather poorly, not only managing to muff near every die roll, but I also broke an HMG on the right flank for the second time (thankfully, Rindis also broke an MMG). Rindis went gun hunting with his trucks, and I managed miss with every infantry shot against the vehicles as they trundled nearly to hexrow Y, even surviving my MMG's boresighted hex. Guns are still hidden, and I've my first broken unit. I'm hoping things turn around over my turn 3 and I break another unit or two, and maybe bag a vehicle.

[Rindis]

Yes, German Turn 3 movement was something of an epic.

After the mistakes on turn 1, my attack pretty much stalled before it even got to the initial defenses. This put a lot of pressure on me to 'get it right' this time. I futzed around with pre-RPh placement for two evenings, and then had a disagreement with the interpretation of the scenario card, which had me going back to do it again during the Wednesday session.

Towards the end of my movement, Patch asked me, "You do realize you have four trucks, right?" I looked at the card, and sure enough, there was a '4' beside the truck counter (as the line was long enough to wrap 'up' at the end), that I had missed when pulling counters on Vassal.

...So I pulled out three more and moved them on as part of the end of my movement. With how things have been, this isn't a big loss for me. They couldn't have really gotten anywere I'd want to go that I couldn't reach on foot and unload. I'll admit a second one to begin with would probably have gotten used.

Beyond that, the turn went fairly well. My position is better, French units are finally coming out from under concealment, and I'm finally causing casualties. I'm probably a full turn behind the schedule I wanted to keep, but I'm certainly not out of it yet.

Now where are those darn French Guns?


Situation East of the river, end of German Turn 3. Three trucks are in motion, the CX at the right is a French HS, the center DM is a French HS, and the ACQ is where the PzII is firing on a suspected Gun location.

[Patch_Bunny]

It's turn 3, and I've managed to malfunction an HMG for the third time.

Thankfully, though I don't know how to shoot them, I know how to repair them. I'm hoping this one comes back on line fast, too.

Prep Fire nabbed another squad due to casualty reduction. That's 7VP so far! Woo!