Wild West Fest '99 AAR Part 1

Game 1: Start Time: About 12:30 PM Friday

I arrive Friday about noon and expect to find Chris Olden ready to play “To the Last Man” (Deluxe Scenario A). We had previously agreed to play this monster, but when Chris didn’t show, (it was only an hour or so) I started a game with Ron Monson. Ron is from Oregon, and is an old “high school buddy” of Dave Haasl. Now that Dave is away at college, poor Ron only gets to play when Dave comes home. I suckered Dave in for a game and we went to it.

We selected AP 11 “Swamp Cats”, and Ron chose to defend. I had played this one once before, but had diced my opponent so badly that he conceded after about two or three turns. So I really didn’t know too much about the scenario would play beyond turn three.

A couple of weird bits of trivia: Four of our first six weather rolls were “11”. IIRC our SANs were 4 (for Ron’s defenders) and 2 (for my attacking Germans). I don’t think we got more than two Sniper possibilities in the entire game, but we both rolled 3 about a dozen times!

I setup my on-board forces on my left and launched my attack along the board edge into the village. My reinforcements (that enter turn 1) all came in on the Russian Right (except for the OT-34 Flame tank, I sent it up the left to support the attack in the village). It takes the reinforcements two full turns to reach the middle of the board. On turn three, I shifted the reinforcements to the left to move toward the village. The Germans in the village got “squeezed”, eventually becoming surrounded by Russians and going down in the rout phase for failure to rout. (In turn 5 alone, 4 squads and two leaders die for failure to rout.) This breaks the back of his defense, and when I first immobilize, and then kill his Panther I have three full turns left to control the bridge and take the church. We both feel that this is more than enough time, and agree to end the bleeding at that point.

We were keeping track of CVP’s inflicted on the other guy and in this one I caused 35 CVP and lost 21 CVP. Ron is a nice guy and a good player. It was anybody’s game until my right flank tanks and infantry managed to slip into the village to form the “anvil” part of the “hammer and anvil” attack that cleared the village. If you get a chance, play this guy.

Footnote: After I’d won, I told Ron that I’d planned to celebrate the win and I hoped he didn’t mind. He gave his consent and after he moved away from the table, I announced to everyone in the room that after going 0-7 at Winter Offensive I’d just won a tourney game. I opened a package of confetti that I’d brought along, tossed it in the air and blew long and hard on a party horn. The only unforeseen problem with the confetti was that every time I walked up to “my” table the large pieces of confetti looked like counters on the carpet. So I spent a few seconds each time I approached to stoop and check for counters….

1-0 and a nice start to the weekend.

Game 2: Start Time: About 5 or 6 PM Friday

There is no way I can convey in an AAR just how sweet this game was. I was paired up with Randi Rossi of California. Neither of us had any strong scenario preference, so eventually Ron lined up three scenarios and said he’d play any one of them. We diced for scenario (ASL 88 – Art Nouveau) and for sides (I got the defender).

This is a very cool scenario. All defending units can setup HIP, the attacker gets German motorcycle troops, tanks, and air support.

The defender draws three cards from a deck and adds (black card) / deletes (red card) units from his Order of Battle based on the draw. The attacker in this one must clear a road block and exit CVPs to win. The number of CVPs goes up or down based on the number of black / red cards drawn and on the number of CVP the defender inflicts on the attacker.

I draw a black card first, and choose to add the 9-1 leader to my Order of battle. I could have added a second tankette – and this might be a good idea – but I usually kill my own tanks, and decide I’ll stick with infantry. He’s gotta clear a roadblock an push me back in the forest / road. Infantry will be the “Main Line of Resistance”. If I had more armor I’d probably just kill it.

Second card is red. I delete the light mortar from my Order of Battle. This seems like a no-brainer to me, in this scenario the light mortar seems to be the least useful piece of gear on the board.

The third card is red and now I have a tougher choice. I delete the 8-0 leader. I reason that in effect, I have dumped a useless weapon, and still improved the leadership of my troops. A net gain with a 2 red / 1 black draw. I’d be interested in hearing other’s comment on what their choices would be when drawing cards for this scenario. What do you delete first? What is the first unit you add?

Here is my setup for the game. (All defending units in this scenario can start HIP if in concealment terrain). Did I mention that this is a great scenario?

32A4 Pillbox, 458 (Facing toward 3FF5)
32C6 9-2, 458/MMG
32C9 9-1, 458
32E7 458
32I3 458
32J4 458
32D5 Tank, VCA / TCA facing 32BB5

Because of the two red / one black card draw, Randi must exit 15 CVP (and clear the roadblock) to win.

Randi comes on board – he sends about 300 half squads on motorcycles to scout the defense. We crack some jokes about Steve McQueen in “The Great Escape” and I pull the bolt on the MMG and kill the first HS. He sends another, and it takes me three shots, but I manage to dispatch him to cardboard cemetery too.

I know that the first three or four times Randi tries to use his air support he fails is sighting task check. And these are not hard checks – very view positive DRMs. Just “bad luck”. When at last he passes the sighting TC, My troops shrug off repeated 6FP attacks as if they were Seattle rain.

I tried on turn two or three to move my tank back, but couldn’t pass the non-platoon movement task check. Perhaps I should have gotten the other tank so I could have move in platoon.

My notes on this game are not very detailed, but I know that by turn 3 I was still holding along row F – except for a squad that slipped behind me in E3. By turn 4, he’s adjacent to the road block and in melee.

Turn 4 I start to fall back. I plan to delay again at / in front of the road block and then fall back through the forest – delaying enough to win, I hope. My infantry get out (all but one squad that Randi captures) but my tank is stuck - surrounded by enemy infantry who would nail me in street fighting if I leave the woods.

Randi’s reinforcements (three AFVs) enter on turn 4. On turn four he proceeds to swarm my 12.7mm armed tank. He not only successfully swarms up around my tank (I’ve already foolishly expended all but intensive fire before his reinforcements). He moves his tanks up ADJACENT to mine and stops, fires and then restarts to remain in motion… My tank is hit 5 times, and all 5 shots bounce off. (Modified kill number was 5 or 6).

Then it’s my turn. My tank is still surrounded by his tanks and by enemy infantry. I elect to prep fire. Two of the three enemy tanks are in motion. I fire at the one who didn’t have enough movement points to restart after his bounding fire and manage to hit and kill him. Then I announce an Intensive Fire shot vs one of the other tanks. This involves no TCA change, but the target is in motion… No matter, I roll a “2” for the “To Hit” DR. Second tank burns. We find out later that a critical hit does not apply to MG main armament. Another application of A.2.

Summary So Far: Randi’s FIVE hits net him NO effect. My TWO hits kill TWO of his tanks…. These are vital to Randi’s cause because its an easy 10 points for exit. At least killing the tanks doesn’t raise the number he must exit the way infantry losses do.

By the end of turn 5, the road block is still secure. I still have two HIP units – one on each side of the road block.

Turn 6 – more mayhem and in-close fighting. Now my guys are in full retreat to get to the roadblock and set up my “goal line” defense. Randi has moved his surviving tank and infantry away from my tank. So I start up (pass the non-platoon move TC) and start to move back to the road block. With my tank in about 32G4 Randi fires at my tank and gets a STUN result. Oddly enough, this “successful” attack will be a major factor in Randi’s defeat. Here’s how this played out.

There had been three broken squads and a broken leader in the house at 32E3, and a good order leader went in to rally the troops. He was successful – they all rallied – but now the house was getting a little too crowded. In my Defensive Fire phase, I shoot at this large group of enemy infantry. I think it was a 4 FP +2 attack. The enemy infantry (three squads and an 8-0 and 8-1 leader) roll for a NMC. The second leader rolls snake eyes and Heat of Battle makes him berserk. He tries to make everyone else berserk with him and succeeds in getting the other leader and two of the three squads to go berserk too!

Now, remember that my tank was stunned and stopped in G4. Since all my other troops were near the road block in 32J3 the tank becomes the closest enemy in LOS of the hoard of berserk guys. The berserkers have to charge the tank. This means that a significant portion of Randi’s forces are tied up and out of his control for two player turns! A major blow to Randi’s chances of winning, because by that time I’ve cause enough casualties that Randi will have to exit about 25 CVPs to win.

In the mean time, Randi (dastardly clever guy that he is) has been routing his broken guys forward through the woods. Taking advantage of the fact that they can’t see anyone once they read the forest. Well, one of the broken dudes is the guard for a HS of mine that he has prisoner. (The same attack that broke the guard reduced the prisoners to a HS, but they all knew it was for a good cause.) My prisoner succeeds in rolling his TC to attack his guard and immediately kills the guard in CC!!! (Never seen this happen before!) This gives me another HS to slow Randi’s attack, and the death of Randi’s squad ups his exit CVP requirement. Things are beginning to look bleak for Randi.

By turn 8, Randi needs to clear the road block (which is still in place – but there’s a squad with –2 labor status trying to get the job done) and he needs to exit 28 CVP to win. Assuming the road block is cleared and all of Randi’s troops rally and run toward the board edge without any interference from me – he can only exit 23 CVP. I win!!!! (Truly amazing!)

Randi is a very good player, and seems to be an extremely nice guy. After I went 0-7 at Winter Offensive people wrote that I never whined about bad die rolls, luck, etc. But this is not true! I whine as well and as loud as most guys. Randi is one of those guys who didn’t whine at all. When his fighter bomber couldn’t see my tanks rumbling down the road, when he hit me five times and failed to kill me, etc, etc, he’d just smile and shake his head. If you ever get the chance to play Randi, I’d definitely recommend it.

I feel that this game was on of the best games I’ve ever played. It was also among the most enjoyable. At the same time, luck certainly had a part in my win. It wasn’t my “plan” to stop my tank where it would draw off 25% of Randi’s infantry when they made their berserk charge – it was luck. (to give just one example.) BTW, both of us had some low rolls, but IMO I came out ahead in the “luck” department.

Ever notice that when you’re playing ASL you get so absorbed in the game that you don’t notice anything else? Well, I looked at the clock and realized that it was 2:15 AM – and I was so pumped full of adrenalin that I had to lay in bed till after 3:00 AM in order to calm down and get to sleep.

I am 2-0 and NO ONE is more surprised than I am.

Game 3: Start Time: About 9:30 AM Saturday

What a contrast. At Winter Offensive by round three they were feeding me “newbies” and the newbies were beating me. Round three at Wild West Fest I draw Steve Pleva as my opponent. (For those who don’t know, Steve’s won this even about 3 or 4 times out of the 5 years its been held.) I can say that I was a little intimidated by this unexpected turn of events.

Steve and I choose “Point of the Sword” (G 31) and I will defend with the Germans. I’ve never played this one, but it looks interesting and is on my “want to try this one” list. This is an infantry battle fought on board 10. The British start with a company of assault engineers and are reinforced by a rifle company about turn 4. The Brits win immediately when they control two of the three buildings which are fortified. (I fortified building BB1, DD5, and V7).

I setup as follows:

HIP HS in U1 and in R7
U3 468
U5.1 468/LMG
U6 468
V7 9-1, 468/HMG
W3 80- 468/LMG
W8 468
X6 468/LMG
Y5 248/MTR (discussion after the game suggests that this is a good place for the HMG)
AA4.1 8-1, 468/MMG

I didn’t take many notes after the game started. So much of the detail will be lost to history.

By turn 3, Steve’s troops are down to row V. I think I hold my own fairly well until turn 4 or 5. At this time, Steve has large “death star” fire groups setup to pound my positions. Perhaps I should have fallen back one turn earlier, but Steve fires at my 468/HMG, 9-1position – the 9-1 becomes heroic and the squad goes berserk. I only have one other squad on that flank to support the HMG and he’s not enough to stop Steve’s charge. Of course, my berserk squad drops the HMG and charges out into the open where he’s gunned down as soon as he steps outside. Steve skillfully takes advantage of the new weakness of my defense and starts dismembering my troops.

Turn 4: I get the other squad into the building with the HMG, but then Steve breaks the squad again with fire from the “Death star”. By the end of turn 4A both the squad and the heroic 9-1 have routed upstairs to avoid death / capture for failure to rout. In turn 4B, these guys all die / are captured for failure to rout.

On about turn 5, my last remaining HIP HS fires at a passing 7-0. Steve points out that this is a mistake. Sure, I got a shot has a 7-0, but now he knows where everyone is and doesn’t have to search or worry about the possibility that a HIPster will hurt him. He is correct, and its obvious that he is as soon as he says it. Why didn’t I think of that before I fired?

By turn 5, all his mortars are out of smoke, but my defense is falling apart. To quote Steve, “Now it will be hard to stop the bleeding”.

By turn 6, Steve (who starts with one hero in his order of battle) has generated three more. I’m in stone buildings and he’s hitting me with 24 to 30 FP attacks with –1 and –2 DRMs!!

Somewhere shortly after this, I concede the game to Steve. We both know he’s looking for the buildings that have fortified locations, and we both know there are only about 4 buildings left where the second fortified location might be found. He moves a couple of squads ADJACENT to the single-story, single-hex building that I fortified and I know he’s going to advance into it. (He’s too good a player not to do this.) I concede and we shake hands.

Its just my impression, but I think the Brits are a little too strong on this one. Steve didn’t even have to use his reinforcements – and still beat me handily. (Must be unbalanced, eh?)

Awesome. I’m 2-1 but I’ve been beaten by Steve Pleva in the third round of a tourney. How many “0-Fers” can make that claim? PLEASE insert smiley faces anywhere in here

I’m 2-1 and have a big, silly grin on my face.

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Click here for part 2 of Sam's AAR