Battle Report: Nations at War: WSR Basic Scenario 1: Noville, Belgium

After reading the rules, clipping the counters, and looking longingly at Nations at War: White Star Rising for several weeks, I finally got around to playing it.  Unfortunately, I didn't have an opponent handy, so I ended up playing it solo.  This generally isn't a bad thing, especially when I'm first playing a game, because I'm sure I'll need to check the rules multiple times, slowing down a Face-to-Face game.

The first scenario covers a precursor battle to the Siege of Bastogne, in Noville, Belgium.  In the battle, a battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) and 4 M18 tank destroyers attacked units of the 2nd Panzer Division who were en route to capture fuel dumps needed for the German offensive.  The M18, a notoriously fast vehicle, and the infantry support got to a spot on the highway well before the German objective, and began to attack.  The result was a solid victory for the Americans- the M18's strong shooting and mobility caused the Germans to stall on the attack (believing they were going up against a significantly stronger force than they actually did), and the Americans ended in possession of the town.

In the scenario, we have a similar situation.  Kampfgruppe Beck, with its 6 tank platoons and infantry support are attacking the town of Ste. Jeanne, defended by infantry of the 507th PIR, as well as tank support from Combat Command Alpha (CCA).  An M18 platoon is attached to the 507th.

To make the game more interesting, a portion of the Kampfgruppe Beck formation enters from a randomly determined board edge as a flanking force.

Deployment:


The Americans deployed on both sides of the road, but kept a sizeable amount of forces back with the town, in case the Germans broke through (the tanks would hopefully have to assault the town, which isn't favorable for tanks vs. defending infantry).



The Germans deployed in the town, prepared to advance across the river as soon as possible.

Nations at War: White Star Rising uses a chit-pull system, so there's no guarantee certain formations will activate from turn to turn. This factors into the German plans- they have to move into position fast, because they can't know how many chances they'll have (they will activate a minimum of once every other turn however). They have 8 turns to accomplish their objective.

Turn 1:
Very uninteresting turn. The first chit draw was the End of Turn chit. CCA was then drawn, but with no one in sight and no real need to reposition, they passed. The second End of Turn chit was drawn, ending the turn.

Since neither the 507th nor the KG Beck chit was drawn this turn, neither End of Turn chit was returned to the cup. One would be added back to the cup upon each of these formations activating.

Turn 2:
The first chit was the 507th, who passed, since they didn't have anything to do.

KG Beck finally activated. The flanking force rolled to see their entrance location, rolling a 3, meaning they were coming in from the south. The tanks on the right moved across the river. The M18 on the hill took the opportunity fire shot at a Panzer IV, and reduced it. The unit of Para Inf with the HQ also Op-fired at another tank, but failed to get any hits.

The units coming from the south (a Tiger, a STUG-III, and a unit of Infantry) advanced into the forest right next to the 507th. The 57mm ATG fired at the Tiger, but had no result, but the mortar hit the STUG-III and disrupted it.

The 2nd End of Turn counter, just added back to the cup, was drawn, ending the turn.



Turn 3:
507th start the turn by activating, and with plenty of targets, they unload.

57mm ATG fires at the STUG for no result.

The Para Inf and HQ fired at the Panther nearby, resulting in 3 hits (using 2 Fate Points to enhance the rolls), which kills it. The other Para Inf deployed towards the front retreats some.

The M18 fired at a Panzer IV, disrupting it, then moved back. The 60mm mortar tried adding its fire to the Panzer IV, but did no damage.

Not a terrible round of shooting- losing a tank this early is bad news.



CCA activated next, but did nothing but reposition to prepare for the German advance.



Two consecutive End of Turn chits end the turn, and with the Germans out in the open- they definitely had to be concerned about getting their activation (so they could rally from their disruption) before taking more fire.

Turn 4:
End Turn marker is drawn. The second one won't be added until the KG Beck activate, however.

Luckily for them, they get the first activation. Unfortunately, both the STUG III and a PzIV fail to rally (although the PzIV with the HQ does), meaning they would be unable to shoot or move closer to enemies they could see.

The Tiger takes a point blank shot at the ATG, rolling 4 dice and needing 3s to cause hits, he manages to get only a single hit, which disrupts the ATG. The PzIV and the HQ take a shot at the ParaInf (w/HQ) in front of them causing 3 hits and killing it. I have two of the German Infantry units unload from their APCs, and try to have the Panther assault the Mortar, hoping to clear it out of the forest. The Panther, sadly, deals 0 hits, and takes 1 in return, disrupting it. The other transports wait, hoping that next activation the tanks can clear enough of a hole for them to make a move towards the town.

And the second End Turn chit is drawn ending the turn. Halfway through the game, the Germans aren't making very good progress, although the 507th isn't looking very good at the moment.



Turn 5:
At the start of this turn, a Chaos Marker is added to the cup. If it's drawn, a random event occurs.

The 507th activated, and with the HQ being moved way back after his death (and his reduced command range), the formation had to start checking for being Out of Command. The ATG and the mortar both failed the test, meaning they wouldn't be allowed to shoot or move, except as Opportunity Fire. The ATG did rally, however. The HQ moved onto the hill, to bring the southern elements back into command.

The Chaos chit was drawn, and the roll resulted in a Comms Breakdown- the next activation to activate would have to roll for being Out of Command, regardless of where their HQ is!

CCA got the pleasure of suffering the effects, and it was pretty painful, with an M4A1, and Armored Infantry, and the M4A3E8 going OOC. A different Sherman with the HQ fired at a Panther, causing a hit, but was negated by the armor.

The 81mm Mortar was more successful, however, firing at the Sd.Kfz.521, causing 2 hits (using 1 Fate Point), reducing and disrupting the half-track.

The first End Turn chit was drawn, bad news for the German...

But again, are lucky to be activated in time. The STUG and Sd.Kfz.521 all rally, starting things off great.

The sHQ and a Tiger assault into the ATG, causing a single hit (and taking none in return), knocking it into the open. The STUG III and the Arm Inf did the same to the 60mm mortar, but caused two hits, reducing it before knocking it into the open.

The reduced half-track overran the mortar, causing a single hit and killing it, but takes 2 hits (and negating one) from the M5A1's OpFire, disrupting it. The other Sd.Kfz.521's infantry disembarks. The HQ and PzIV moved up to the M18, which OpFired, causing 3 hits (using another Fate Point to increase the die roll), only one of which gets negated, reducing and disrupting the PzIV.

The second End Turn chit is drawn, ending the turn.

Turn 6:
The first two chit draws were End Turn chits. A VERY quick turn.

Turn 7:
Every formation would have to activate this turn, since none activated last turn. The first End Turn chit was drawn immediately, for all that it matters.

The 507th activated first. The ATG in the open failed to rally. The M18 fired at the PzIV next to him, hoping for the kill, and caused a hit, but the armor negated it, and the M18 moved away. The 507th end their activation, since they didn't really have much else to contribute.

Combat Command Alpha activated next, and started by shooting their M4A1 with the HQ at the STUG III, causing 3 hits (with none negated), killing it. The M5 fired at the reduced Sd.Kfz.521 in the open, and gets a hit, but the armor roll negated it. However, the 81mm mortar took a shot at the unit, and caused two hits, killing it.

KG Beck finally activated, and managed to rally everything, but by now they were pretty severely weakened, and needed to get to that town as soon as possible. They advanced up, with the sHQ and Tiger overrunning the ATG, killing it.



Turn 8:
Well, it's not looking good for the Germans. They need to take all three town hexes, and don't really have a lot of forces in range. Plus, they needed to actually be activated this turn. Going to be tough!

The 507th was activated first. The HQ and the Para Inf moved up, hoping to assault the Tiger, but the OpFire from the Tiger deals 3 hits (with the terrain negating 1), disrupting and reducing the Infantry.

KG Beck gets their activation, and prepare for the final push. The sHQ and Tiger fire at the CCA HQ w/ the M4A1. They cause 2 hits, and although 1 hit is negated by the armor, it's enough to disrupt the unit, preventing it from shooting.

An Arm Inf moved to Assault the M5 and the reduced Para Inf, and deals 2 hits, taking 2 in return, but manages to kill the 507th HQ, and again, prevents the M5 from shooting.

Finally ready for the push, the KG Beck HQ moves with the PzIV towards the town, and are fired upon by the M18, who causes 3 hits, killing the PzIV and HQ.

Unable to achieve their objectives, the Panther tries to go in anyway, and takes a shot from a Sherman, disrupting it.

Game ends with no hexes of the city under German control. Pretty solid defeat.



This scenario is tough on the Germans, who really have no choice but to go straight at the city, right through the prepared defender's lines of fire. There isn't enough time to go around to either the north or south, though I suppose they could take a shot at going through the southern forest some, to protect against some fire, but I'm not sure it would help tremendously. However, it's a fairly good introduction to the series, and hopefully I'll get some more games in soon!

I haven't been idle, I swear!

This past weekend, I finished clipping the counters for Nations at War: White Star Rising, and read the rules.  I'm planning to get the first solo play done tonight or Friday night, so look for a battle report soon!  Hopefully a few more games later, I'll get my first game review up.

Okay, I'm not doing news, but...

But there are two games just announced that I'm so excited for, I can't help but mention them!

An Expanded Deluxe Edition of the Great Battles of Alexander.  Now, the key part of this is that there are two expansions included (Diadochoi and Phalanx) both of which are very hard to come by, and a few other bonuses included.  Since the two expansions are some of the few things I'm still missing, I'm really really excited about this news.

Of course, if they would reprint Cataphract, that would be even better!

The first expansion for Frontline General: Spearpoint 1943.  I loved the initial game, although I haven't played it much the past month or so, but having a map and tiles would really add some extra depth to an already fantastic game.  I'm going to be looking forward to it.

Received Nations at War: White Star Rising

Well, received Nations at War: White Star Rising in the mail yesterday, probably one of the few game purchases I'll be making for a while.  I pre-ordered this about a year ago, and thankfully paid for it 4 or so months ago (back when I had some money). 

This is the World War II version of the LnL's popular World at War series, which I love.  The components are great, and the counters are a bit bigger and very easy to read.

Hopefully I'll get this baby on the table in the near future, would love to play it.

Battle Report: Panzer Grenadier: Airborne Scenario 1 - Orange Hero

Finally played a game!

This will be my first shot at a wargame battle report, so I expect it to be a bit rough.  I'll hopefully iron out some of the rough parts after some experience, but if you're reading this and have any comments- either things you like, or things you feel I should leave out, please please let me know.  I don't take any criticism personally.  The photos are of course terrible, but I'll figure that out as I get more experience photographing games in progress.

So, for my first foray into the Panzer Grenadier line, I've decided to start with the first scenario of Airborne 'Introductory' set.  Now, as many gamers, and even Avalanche Press, have agreed, this product isn't really that great as an introduction to the series, but I'm not terribly concerned with that at the moment.  I really just want to get the hang of the rules before trying some other scenarios.

Scenario One is called Orange Hero, named because future Syracuse University football coach Floyd "Ben" Schwartzwalder fought in the action depicted here.  In it, a few American paratrooper squads are trying to take a town held by the Germans (or kill a significant amount of German soldiers), hopefully using Hedgerows to provide some cover from the superior firepower of the German infantry.

When looking at the scenario, to decide what to do, the first thing I noticed was the relative firepower of the units involved.  The Germans have 21 Direct Fire strength total, plus 2 random strongpoints (with firepower from 0 to 4), plus three leaders (who might have a point apiece), and also an 8 strength bombardment piece.

The Americans, on the other hand, have a total of 12 Direct Fire strength, with an additional 5 potentially coming on as reinforcements, plus two leaders, one of which when drawn actually gave me a two strength bonus.  Still, that's quite a difference, especially since the Americans really have to take the town in hex 0412, where the Germans will already be located, and eat one or more shots already (due to the mechanics of the Panzer Grenadier rules, units can't move and shoot during the same activation).

In addition, a quick rush to the town is both helped and hindered by the presence of Hedgerows, those joyous terrain features that annoy players in so many WWII games.  The Hedgerows around hex 0513 specifically will help block shots from German units in the town.  The Americans also have slightly higher initiative, which will help them go first every turn, but again, it doesn't give them a chance to shoot first.  American paratrooper morale is pretty good also, with both good bonuses from the leaders I drew, as well as a good 8/8.

First things first- I have to draw leaders for both sides.  I ended up with a 9/1/0 Captain, an 8/0/1 Lieutenant, and an 8/1/0 Lieutenant for the German forces, and a 10/2/1 Captain and a 9/1/0 1st Lieutenant for the Americans.  The Germans get moderate morale bonuses from their leaders, which will help keep them in the town, and the Americans received good fire support from theirs.

Setup:

That's the German setup. The Germans have to start on the opposite side of the swamp from the towns, but have more than enough time to get there. Of course, I spread out when I really had no need to, but it didn't matter in this case. The fire strengths of those strongpoints are unknown until the Americans spot them (I randomly put some out there face down).


This is the American setup. I was under the impression that this was a night scenario (which really helps the Americans get close), which means that they didn't have to spread out so much. Of course, it turns out to NOT be a night scenario, but regardless, you'll need all of these guys forming a single hex to deal any damage anyway.

0600
The Americans get a 7 for their initiative roll, the Germans a 6. The Americans (again, I had thought this was night) advanced over the railroad embankment in front of them, and with a squad in spotting range of the first strongpoint, it's turned over to be revealed as unoccupied (therefore removed).

The Germans advanced towards the town, but the 81mm mortars stays put. He'll end up depending on a leader spotting for him to get his shots off.

0630
Initiative rolls: Americans get a 6, the Germans a 4.

Americans continue their advance. Some members advance into the town in hex 0613, others get into the hedgerow nearby.

The Germans send the HMG and the Captain into the town, a Lieutenant plus the GREN through the town to the other side, and a Lieutenant + the Engineer unit on the bridge behind the town. For some reason, I still had it stuck into my head not to stack; forgetting how many opportunities the Germans would have to fire at the Americans once they got into range to be dangerous. Turned out not to matter though.


Positions at 0630.

0645
The Americans roll a 7 for their initiative, the Germans get a 4. Normally, this would allow the Americans two activations, but because there are so few units on the board, there wasn't much point.

The Americans rush the position. Everyone moved either into the Hedgerow adjacent to the destination town, or in the clear hex in front. Several chances at Opportunity Fire happened (each unit that can direct fire gets two Opportunity Fire shots).

The GREN fired first, using 6FP, and getting a net +2 column shift to fire on the 11 column. A roll of 9 resulted in 'M'- a morale check for the American PARA squad fired upon, who easily passed (needed a 9 or less on 2d6). Second shot by the GREN resulted in nothing as well.

From the town, the strongpoint was revealed to be a 4-4, which combined with the HMG to fire at the PARA in the adjacent hedgerow, resolved on the 16 column. The result is again an 'M', and again the PARA passes. Second shot accomplishes nothing.

The 81mm mortar fires at the squads out in the open in hex 0413. It's resolved on the 8 column, but the roll is an 8, so there's no effect. However, since the target was adjacent to friendly squads, they both have a chance to received friendly fire... and thankfully don't.

The Germans ended their turn by moving the ENG and the Lieutenant with him into the town.

0700:
For the Americans, this was the closest I ever rolled to getting their reinforcement on. Every turn, a single die was rolled, and on a '6', another American PARA squad would come on. This turn, I rolled a 4. It's the only turn I rolled above a 1. A shame too, they really could use the help!

Regardless, the Americans again win the Initiative, with a roll of 10 to 4. That's 3 activations for the Americans! Sadly, it's wasted as the Americans decide their best bet it to fire everything into the town, and hope for some good rolling. They manage to get a total of 15 firepower, meaning they fire on the 11 column. However, modifiers bring them down to the 7 column. A roll of 10 results in an M check, disrupting the HMG and the strongpoint. Being disrupted hurts the strength of the firepower those counters can produce, meaning they'll be easier to assault, or won't shoot so effectively. Of course, the Americans would need troops available in order to assault.

The Germans start their activation by firing the mortar into the clear hex (0413) hoping for a disruption so that decent German firepower might cause actual damage (if a disrupted unit disrupts again, it becomes demoralized, and could run). The shot gets lucky and disrupts the 2-3 PARA squad there.

The Germans then recover their two disrupted units.

They end the turn by firing the GREN, the ENG, and the two leaders into the clear hex. A total of 13 firepower, plus modifiers means the shot is resolved on the 22 column. The roll is a 2. That means the result is a 2X- two steps have to be lost by the target hex. That effectively eliminates the 5-3 PARA in the hex, although everyone that survives passes the resulting M2. The American initiative is now lowered to 2- the same as the Germans.

0715:
The Americans luckily roll a 6 for initiative again, compared to the German's 3. The 2-3 PARA and the 1st Lieutenant in the clear hex realize how bad things are for them, and move into the hedgerow with the rest of the American troops. The Americans already there open fire on the town, but resolve the combat on the 4 Col, resulting in another M check, and the strongpoint + the ENG disrupting.

The German mortar again fires, using a German leader in the town to spot, but fails to deal any damage.

The Germans again recover from their disruptions, and again take a shot into the hedgerow, but don't accomplish anything.

The Lieutenant + GREN move adjacent to the hedgerow to provide more firepower.

0730:
The Americans again win the initiative roll, and immediately open fire at the town with everything they have, but don't cause any damage.

The Germans return fire on the 30 column, and roll a 10, giving an X result. That means the 2-3 PARA squad is dead, and the American initiative is dropped even further.

0745:
The Germans finally win an initiative roll, and open fire at the Americans, resulting in an 'M1'. The Americans all pass the morale check, however.

After some thought (the Americans were going to have to assault at some point and pray for some luck, it seemed), decided to take another shot at the town, and force the Germans to take another Morale check, which they all pass.

0800:
Both sides again exchange fire to no effect.

0815:
Again, both sides fire... nothing happens

0830:
This is the final turn of the game, and the Americans really needed some luck here. However the Germans won the initiative roll, and on their shot, they roll a 9, resulting in a 'M2' result, forcing the PARA to disrupt.

Already looking at probably impossible odds in the Assault, I call it in favor of the Germans.

Final Thoughts:
The Panzer Grenadier Headquarters website for this scenario lists the Germans as the winners in 69% of the games played, and that's without the night rules used (meaning the Germans can actually start shooting sooner). It's very unlikely as written for the Americans to win- they just don't have the firepower to make meaningful shots at the Germans in the town.

With that said, the scenario was still a good time, as I both learned the system, and finally played a game of something. I'm going to give scenario #2 a shot when I have some time this week. It looks to be a bit better balanced, so hopefully it will be a closer game!

Alright, short term goals for this month

Well, if I'm hoping if I set up some feasible goals for the next for weeks or so, I should be able to get myself playing more games, and getting this blog moving.  So, let me put on here what I'm hoping to do.

I own a lot of games I've never played, so to start, I want to get them opened, clipped, learned, and played, even if solo.  I'll start with these three:

• Panzer Grenadier: Airborne Edition.  I own a few of the Panzer Grenadier games from various sales, so I'd really like to at least try one or two of them out.  I'm told this isn't a really great introduction to the series, but I'm not that concerned about it- I just want to get the rules figured out, and some of the scenarios look really short.  Hopefully I'll take a crack at this tomorrow.
• Great Battles of Alexander: Deluxe Edition.  I love ancient warfare, and I've wanted to play this game for so long.  Plus, it was one of my new year's resolutions (which is well on its way to failing!).  If I can learn and play the first scenario (Chaeronea, I think?), I may be able to salvage the resolution.
• Fields of Fire.  Supposedly a very difficult game to learn, but it's designed to be a solo game, which is a plus for me, and it's supposed to be fantastic once you get the hang of it.  I imagine this is going to take some time to work through, however, so I'll prepare for it taking up two weeks :).

So hopefully next week will see some battle reports, from Panzer Grenadier, at least.  I'll work to branch out from there.

Have a great weekend everyone!

News ending :(

Well, no news here anymore.  Consimworld added a page called the Forward Observer, which is pretty comprehensive, covers a lot of smaller publishing companies, and provides all the information I would.  Frankly, I don't think many people are that interested in news off some small blog out here, and I'm glad they have the feature anyway, since it's a great place to get wargaming information.

As for this blog... hmm...  I've really struggled to get it off the ground, primarily because I've struggled to get free time.  With the girlfriend's move down here, her getting laid off, and the uncertaintyy about what they two of us are going to do, it's made it tough. 

I'm hoping to continue putting posts up here, at least once a week, but now they'll actually be more game focused.  Really going to try...

Thanks for reading, regardless :).