Sunday, March 12, 2006

Hillcrest HQ 12/03/06


After a full on morning of Laser Tag, the spare room got its first actual wargame. Cameron and his son Tristan came up, ostensibly to play Mage Knight, but it turned into the kids playing video games, so the adults opted for a quick flames of war.

We created armies from what I had. Which is a lot of tanks and not a lot of infantry. So it was two armoured forces. Cameron was Russian and I was German (decided by the roll of a die). We fought over the steppes, modified by throwing down some hills.

The Russian force was:
C in C in a T-34
7 x T-34
4 x KV-1e
2 x SU 152
3 x SU 76

Probably not a legal Russian force, but you play with what you have.

The German force was
C in C in a Pz IV H
2 ic in a Pz IV H
3 x Stug III F
5 x Pz III M

The Russians were attacking in a hold the line.

The Germans deployed 3 Stugs in the center, covering the first objective. The rationale was that with their big gun and superior range, they could get in a lot of shots. The panzer IIIs were reserves. The Russians deployed the SU 152's and KV's in the center for a charge at the objective, while the T-34s and SU76s tried to sneak up each flank.

The game started with the Russians doubling their T-34s down the side of the table, hiding them behind the lone woods on the table.

The Germans managed to maneuver their Pz IVs to shoot at two tanks that were sticking out, but only managed to bail one T-34. The Stugs failed to have any effect on the SU 152's. Then the Germans stormtroopered to cover.

The Russians unbailed their bailed T-34, and continued their advance, maneuvering their T-34s out from behind the forest, in range of objective II.

Deciding the T-34s were a threat, the German C in C and 2iC popped back over the hill -- and missed. The Stugs concentrated on the SU 152's, and with 5 shots managed to bail one tank :(. To make matters worse the C in C and 2iC failed his stormtrooper roll, and sat on the top of the hill staring back at 8 t-34's.

Smelling blood, the T-34s pounded the German command structure into vapour, while continuing their advance. The SU 152 commander doubled on to the first objective.

The German reinforcements arrived. 5 x Pz IIIs ran to the top of the hill -- and managed to kill one T-34. They then also failed their stormtrooper, and sat still as inviting targets. Fortunately the Stugs finally managed to load real shells into their guns, and the SU 152's were vapourised.

Blasting away, the T-34s destroyed the Panzer III platoon. Needing a 1 to penetrate, the T-34s hit 7 times and penetrated 4 times. Fortunately one resulted in a bail. But the end result was the Panzer III platoon that ran to the rescue was now mostly scrap metal, with 2 bailed tanks. The KV's moved close to the other objective, and managed to kill one of the stugs with a lucky long range shot. Fortunately the german luck changed, and they managed to save on their morale roll.

Over the next two turns the Panzer IIIs came good, and destroyed some T-34s, but the damage was done. One was knocked out. And the KV's moved onto the other objective. The stugs had to move up the contest the objective, but the SU76's crept into the stug's rear and destroyed them.

In the end a 5-2 victory to the Russians -- but revenge is planned!!!!!!!

The room had a few teething problems. I will re-arrange the table for the next game -- its current place makes it VERY hard to play one side.

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