Sam brought along some excellent scenery, and he set it up while I decided the mission, using the default scenarios in the rulebook but the troop listings from Kampfgruppe Von Luck.
Once Sam had set the table up, representing a small village on the outskirts of Breville, we agreed Sam would be the Attacker and I would play the Defender, simulating a clash early on D-Day similar to those in the Von Luck scenarios. The objective, simply to push the other team off the table.
Sams excellent Normandy scenery.
Sam rolled a 5 for his support, and initially selected the French Halftrack option, but as neither of us were well versed with how they were crewed or worked, he opted for a preliminary NebelWerfer barrage which would restrict my deployment for the first turn. I had a full platoon of 3 sections of paras plus HQ, and 2 points of support I spent on a second light mortar team.
The map - Sams German JPS in blue, and mine in red.
Once the patrol phase was over, we placed our jump off points. I had to make sure I covered the full table as I wasn't sure if Sam would move up on my left, although looking back I can see once you start the patrol phase you are going to be restricted in where you can deploy anyway, but I felt I had enough JOPs to cover all areas Sam could attack.
Sams JOPS were a bit restricted due to the lack of cover on that side, and once I had seen where he was going to be coming in I felt if I could keep him in that field we'd be ok.
The silence was broken by a single,sudden urgent screaming sound, followed by another and another until the air was filled with whistling shrieks. Then, the first distinctive crump crump crump of the NebelWerfer rockets finding their targets.
Although I had the higher Force Morale and therefore the initiative, the Werfer barrage meant I could only bring troops on with the roll of a 5-6 on a single dice. I rolled my Command Dice, and we got started! I started with a couple of 1s, a 4 and two threes. Immediately I attempted to get one of my sections on the board, and succeeded in bringing one on, who came on the left flank by the church. in the little sunken lane between the Church wall and the hedge.
As a little aside, as used to Bolt Action as I am, I hadn't realised the positioning of my Bren Gun at the rear would be important, but as it turned out it would be!
Sam brought a PzGren section on at the far edge of the table, using the hedge as cover and immediately opened fire on my paras! Foolishly thinking they were out of range, as in Bolt Action we rarely come into contact on the first turn! The paras survive, but take one shock.
I counter this by successfully rolling for a light mortar, who comes on and positions himself with a good view down the north south road. Further rolls for bringing players on fail, and Sam brings on all three of his PzGren squads!
Sams 3 squads deployed. The HT was being used as a JOP, as is the medic!
You can make out the para squd between the church and the fields, and the light mortar taking up position at the far edge of the table with a view down the road. The plan is to keep the enemy in this field with fire from the buildings, and move up the first section to finish them off - unfortunately the Werfer barrage has put pay to this!
As the phases alternate between us, I consistently failed to bring more sections on and Sam concentrated on wearing down the squad in the open. I try and alleviate this pressure with some smoke, and it falls nicely onto the road in front of the squad, who are forced to move easing the pressure up a little.
"Right, get those Bren guns up in the house and cover those fields - you lot, get back over here and keep those Jerries heads down!"
I finally managed to bring on some support in the form of a second section and a First Lieutenant. The Lt jumped on board with the section taking fire and started to sort them out, using an initiative point to get them to jump back over the wall and sort themselves out.
At this point I realise that I can't fire back at the Germans because my Bren gunner is right at the back. There is a little confusion over how to seperate the Bren Team and move them up on their own, but I think I'm out of command dice.
The paras back behind the wall. Note the Bren gunner bringing up the rear!
The second section appear in the first floor of the house overlooking the field full of germans, and set up their two Bren teams in the windows. The Light Mortar pops some smoke again but it drifts off between two houses.
At this point two things happen. Sams section use my smoke to pop out from behind the hedge. I roll a double 6 so get the next activation, and successfully bring another section on from the house pictured above on the right, who run around and take up a position in the open covering the road. I've accrued enough Command Initiative points to use a die, so I stop the effects of the werfer by playing End Turn. This also means all the smoke lifts, and I get to fire at those pesky germans with my full section, meaning 6 dice for the LMG and 5 rifles! Bring on the pain!
But, Sam has also got a Command Dice and plays it to counter my fire before his. He hits hard with his LMG's, killing two men and putting on some shock. I fire back and kill one german but with reduced effect now, and once Sam gets to go again he starts pounding this section with two seperate fire points.
I finally get the Bren in the Churchyard to fire on the section in the corner hedge, using Concentrated fire I manage to put shock and casualties on the enemy LMG team, and Sam decides to bring up his third squad who are hiding from my Brens positioned in the windows. He runs down the road straight into their fire, and loses two men, but makes it on his next activation to increase the fire on my section in the open.
I'm taking casualties and I can't inflict any more pain on the PzrGrens, and when he finally assaults them round the corner it's all I can do to cause two casualties to his Germans and injure his NCO, my section take massive casualties and are no longer operable. The junior leader is killed alongside his men, and this reduces my Force Morale to 9, but the injury to Sams NCO also causes his men to take a roll on the FM chart, and he loses 1 point of morale to go down to 9 as well.
The Paras wait for the Germans to press on their advantage, but they do not and both sides retire licking their wounds in a dishonourable draw. The germans took three casualties and one wounded leader, the Paras suffered the loss of a full section of 10 men and their NCO, and two dead from the other section.
Overall it was a very gritty and tactical game, quite tense and enjoyable but in a very different way from the rough and tumble dice rolling of Bolt Action. It seems to lend itself to the platoon sized confrontation well, the Patrol Phase is a little mini-game in its own right and makes for an interesting and complex battle. There is plenty of Friction - by design, troops don't do what you want (i.e turn up!) or don't run as fast as you expect them to. You don't get to control all of your troops in each phase, meaning you have to make imoprtant decisions that reflect on the overall outcome of the game, and I can see that playing a mini campaign where your troops need to survive a little longer will cause even more tactical awareness to be employed!
If there is an opportunity to play through the entire Von Luck campaign, I think it would make for a very entertaining and interesting set of games!
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