AoM: Refused Flank

 

Myself and Adam got in our second game of SAGA Age of Magic last night, but our first using sorcerers. We went with the same warbands as previous and both started with 7 SAGA Dice.

Game Set-up (BoB Chaos)

Scenery-Marshy Country

Deployment-Refused Flank (fighting along the long axis)

Special Rule-Fog (no L Shooting or Charges in first 3 turns)

Victory Conditions-Target (Massacre Points with bonus for killing target unit)

Game Length-Cautious (5 turns-opponent moves first)

The Great Kingdoms (7 SAGA Dice)

Warlord
Sorcerer
Captain (cost 6 Levies)
Paladin (cost 4 Warriors)
3 Hearthguard (half mounted)
2 spear-armed Warriors(-4)
2 bow-armed Levy (-6)
Sacred Ground-Memorial

Masters of the Under Earth (7 SAGA Dice)

Goblin King
Sorcerer
Lieutenant (cost 2 Hearthguard)
3 heavy-weaponed Hearthguard-Grim Hammers (-2)
1 cross-bow armed Warriors-Uruk-hai
1 cross-bow armed Warriors-Moria Goblins (-2)
1 Destruction Team-Moria Goblins (cost 2 Warriors)
2 units of  Goblintown Levy
Sacred Ground-Underground Network

Initial Set Up

Masters of the Under Earth

The Great Kingdoms

Early use of Chasm to slow the GK advance

Sneaky Goblins have come through the Underground Network

This Paladin just would not fall

 It was a fun game and went quite smoothly, using spells was quite interesting and relatively easy. The fact that we got a combination of Fog and a 5 Turn game with two shooting armies really kept the attrition down, but I did ike out a Victory with the MaUE scoring 15 points to tthe GK's 9.

All American-The Battle for Fière 1944

 

I started another concurrent campaign on Saturday in Lachine, QC. As detailed in previous posts, I had been contacted by a gamer in Montreal who was quite interested in playing Chain of Command. We have had a couple of one off games which were a lot of fun, but Pierre-Yves was quite keen to move onto a campaign which as we all know is the best part of the of the ruleset. This is my 4th ongoing campaign and they are all going well except for Bloody Bucket because myself and Tom are having quite a hard time getting together to play. Too bad as it is the most intricate campaign I have seen.

I was quite keen to visit P-Y, as from looking at his twitter stream he had quite a gaming setup. I was not let down, it was like a factory of wargaming with 3d printing, an airbrush station and just tons of terrain stuff, it was like walking into a terrain shop! Unfortunately my photos do no justice to his terrain but I should say that almost all of what you see has been self made.

Anyway onto gaming, P-Y had painted up both a German and American paratrooper force so a search about for a suitable campaign revealed a fan written campaign: All American-The Battle for Fière 1944. This campaign details the exploits of the 82nd US Airborne on D-Day, if interested find out more here on a PBS special.

Campaign Summary
The 82nd Airborne has dropped in France as a part of Operation Neptune. They encounter a combined force of German infantry and Armour. The paratroopers have secured a vital crossing necessary for the American landings at Utah Beach to succeed. The Germans counterattack.

Game 1-Probe along the Road
The German initial assault towards Cauquigny is played as scenario 2 from the main rulebook.

82nd Airborne 1 Platoon (FM 11)

Core (Elite 5+1)

SLx2 (carbine and SMG)
Bazooka Team

Squads x 2 (JL/SMG, M1919 LMG Team/3 crew, Rifle Team/8 men)

Supports (3)
M1919 bipod mounted LMG/3 crew

Grenadier Platoon (FM 11)

Core (Regular 5)

SL/SMG
Panzerschreck Team

Squads x 3 (JL/SMG, LMG Team/3Crew, Rifle Team/6 men)
Supports (6)
SL
Hotchkiss H35


As usual my photos are all muddled and really do not tell the story but do illustrate what a beautiful setup P-Y has.

The table

The Patrol Markers

JOP's, 3 aside

The German edge

Advancing grenadiers

Ending Position at time of US withdrawal

Game Summary

Very brief indeed...The Germans advanced initially down the road and in the triangular forested area in the middle of the table. I placed one force in the walled farmand another on the road on my right centre. I was able to cause some attrition on the advancing German squad in the forest. I had also placed my 3 man LMG support team to cover any German approach on their right flank. The Germans jumped into the road as well as the fields on their left flank. They also advanced a squad towards my LMG support team and engaged in an assault, the 3men of course all died. The right flank German squad now advanced  down my left flank, I had all my forces in the centre and right. Victory would go to the Germans if they could get one team to my table edge. My troops on the road covering the German advance were being chopped up the squad on the road.I took one last shot at the squad on the road but knew it was time to move them to cover my left flank. The Germans rolled a double phase, time to withdraw.

I believe the dice gods slightly favoured P-Y in this game as he got multiple double phases but otherewise things were about equal.

The ending force morale was 10 for the Germans and 10 for the Americans. The Germans lost 4 dead while the Americans lost 7 riflemen. So once we apply the post campaign process, we have the following:

After 1 turn

German Platoon: Unlimited platoons so not tracked

American Platoon 1: 3 dead.

Campaign Tracker

Germans

Commander's Opinion+1

Men's Opinion +2

Platoon Leaders's Outlook: Affable

Americans

Commander's Opinion +2

Men's Opinion -2

Platoon Leaders's Outlook: Thoughtful

Hmm.....Piere-Yves has now won his first three games of CoC! A lunch was had and we proceed to game 2 of the campaign.

Game 2-Holding the Line at Cauquigny
The German assault is now in the town and almost at the bridge, the scenario  is played as scenario 4 from the main rulebook.

82nd Airborne 2 Platoon (FM 11)

Core (Elite 5+1)

SLx2 (carbine and SMG)
Bazooka Team

Squads x 2 (JL/SMG, M1919 LMG Team/3 crew, Rifle Team/8 men)

Supports (5)
M1919 tripod mounted LMG/5 crew
Entrenchment

Grenadier Platoon (FM 9)

Core (Regular 5)

SL/SMG
Panzerschreck Team

Squads x 3 (JL/SMG, LMG Team/3Crew, Rifle Team/6 men)
Supports (10)
Pregame Barrage
Sniper
Panzer IIIG 

On to some photos....

Patrol Markers and JOP's looking from the German edge of the table

Very nice terrain again

 

P-Y placed 2 of his squads in the walled farmhouse enclosure...I wish I had

Advancing Germans

The Panzer III, I had a unit in a house covering my right flank but experience has told me that HE reducing cover can be deleterious to one's health so after my Bazooka Team failed twice to take out the tank and got blown to bits in the process, I said time to leave, fortunately there was a back door!

Cowering hehind the house...I was getting a little tired now so photos stopped....

Game Summary

Again brief...As you can see the Germans placed all 3 squads in the  I placed one force in the walled farm complex. I placed a squad in the house on my right flank and a squad behind the hedge on my left flank. As discussed above the squad in the house got out beacuse of the Panzer,  the Germans jumped into the road, I think on a double phase and went on overwatch, then unfortunately for P-Y and I got 4 double phases in a row, the first on a triple 6. Overwatch lifted, the MMG team was placed on the road in an entrenchement and I was able to destroy

Clearly dice gods favoured myself in this game as a quadruple phase is nothing to laugh at, and this is a tough scenario to win for the attacker, I was well entrenched and was able to cause the squad in the road to rout and then ended the turn with a CoC dice. German FM was down to 4 while I was still at 10, a German withdrawal.

The ending force morale was 4 for the Germans and 10 for the Americans. The Germans lost 5 dead while the Americans lost none. So once we apply the post campaign process, we have the following:

After 2 turn

German Platoon: Unlimited platoons so not tracked

American Platoon 1: 3 dead.
American Platoon 2: Intact

Campaign Tracker

Germans

Commander's Opinion 0

Men's Opinion 0

Platoon Leaders's Outlook: Affable

Americans

Commander's Opinion +3 (+1 Support)

Men's Opinion 0

Platoon Leaders's Outlook: Content

I had a great time and P-Y is surely a dedicated gamer with a great set up. I look forward to our next game which we hope to be in the last week of August.

Attack of the Old Guard

 

We played another scenario from the 100 Days sourcebook for the Général d'Armée ruleset on Wednesday night. Again with Iannick, but I took the French this time and he played the Allies.

It is an intersting scenario as the both sides have already taken significant attrition, so enter the fray already wounded. Essentially both sides are weakened but the Prussians have arrived. Napoleon needs to make a decisive move to rapidily change the situation and snatch victory from defeat. He sends in the Old Guard against the British elite supported by their Brunswick and Dutch allies.

Some beer and pizza were had and the game commenced. We played for about 3 hours and got in 6 turns, unfortunately we were unable to come to a conclusion but I did take some photos the next morning to illustrate the game.

British Light Brigade

Action on the French left flank

Another angle of the same

The Old Guard attack on the British Guard Brigade

Overview

Never got to put  the reserve Old Guard Chasseur brigade in action

The Old Guard were on assault orders and my Guard Cavalry were already to charge the British guns.

Another unit of Guard Chasseurs ready to take the centre

I think I could have won in 2-3 turns, I had Halket's brigade which had just 2 small battalions with 14 casualties and had taken out one of the Brunswick battalions. With this and the threat I had placed on the British Guards brigade, I think I would have accomplished dispersal of 4 Allied Brigades and accomplished victory. But of course who knows!

Going with a Bang

We had a very close and exciting game on CoC Monday night in Montreal. My favourite scenario in the 1940 source book is Going with a Bang. It is challenging to blow the culverts. This was a pickup game, and as I played the attacker in the last game, I went with being the defender (Chasseur Ardennais) in this game.

Chasseur Ardennais 1 Platoon (FM 9)

Core

SL

GdC 1
GdC 2
DBT Lance Grenade Section
Demolition Team

CoC Dice

Supports (5)
2 Demolition Teams
Franc Tireurs
Red Dice

Schützen 2 Platoon (FM 9)

Core

SLx2

5cm Mortar Team

Squad 1

Squad 2

Squad 3

Supports (9)
Shabby Nazi Trick Jean Claude
Shabby Nazi Trick 5th Columnist
MMG Team
le.IG 18 IG

The Patrol Phase

I will not bother with an AR but will follow with a few photos taken when the game was over.

Charge set!

DBT Team

I was able to quickly weaken the le.18 IG

The German left flank

Almost broke!

The German line of attack

Troops are actually in the house.

The Belgian line of defense

It was a fun game, I made a big mistake exposing my 1st demolition team early in the game trying to take out the exposed culvert. The game then settled in, Pierre-Yves deployed all his squads early on in hard cover behind the wall. He set up a pretty good base of fire. I countered by placing my 2 large Group de Combats in the two houses on my flanks. I then placed my DBT section behind the hedge on my left flank. They wew pretty successful with throwing down smoke mortars.

It was an odd game in respect to dicing, the Chasseurs start with a CoC dice and I was able to accumulate a total of 3 CoC dice before the game ended. I never got a double phase but I believe P-Y had 3, my to hit dice were great but my save dice were awful. I thought I was done for after my 1st demo team was wiped out, but soon enough both our Force Morale's were down to 5 and I had an oportunity to Interupt several of the German phases. I could blow the ciulvert but German FM was 4, I used another Interupt to fire at a team in pinned in heavy cover, they were 6 men with 10 shock. The CdG fired with 16d6, one shock only. The Germans fired back at the DBT team which was supported by the SL, the JL already being killed. Multiple shock and kills, my SL was hit and wounded, the DBT section broke, my FM was down to 1. Time to call it a day, a German victory in one turn!

It was really a great game, and P-Y although new to the game is a great player. I will see if I can get my revenge on Saturday when we start the All American: The Battle for Fière campaign. I am playing the American paratroopers, should be fun.