AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

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BenfromBrooklyn
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by BenfromBrooklyn »

Splod wrote:
Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:03 pm

I always forget that you can have a cracking game with only a few figures on the table. Great looking game, and a good use of interesting GHQ kit! :mrgreen:
Thank you! I have a theory about wargaming, at least, WWII to contemporary: Although it's not a simulation, we get good results when we try to emulate the point of view of a commander.

A standard rule for "what is a commander interested in" is "Two Down, One Up". That is, if you are trying to emulate a battalion commander's point of view, your movable individual units should be platoons, with exceptions for special purpose assets. So stands should represent platoons or special purpose sections. The one up means the battalion commander should also be interested in the brigade assets that can support him. Higher level assets might be involved, but only if they are assigned to the brigade and thereby become brigade assets.

If you are trying to emulate the brigade commander, the whole thing slides up one notch, and for a company commander, down one.

This means a typical game ought to feature somewhere between 6 and 18 "line units" and assorted special units. An OP might represent 3 men but if it's important to the scenario, put it on the board!

With very rigid structures like the Cold War Soviet armies, okay to have miniatures representing platoons for a regiment commander's force, because the platoons will stay neatly clumped in their companies and the company will be effectively one unit. But today even the Russians have embraced more flexible forces, which usually requires a more professional army. So aside from the old Cold War Commies, a scenario should have 10-24 miniatures for a player. That usually produces a good, flowing game. And realistic, because the player doesn't have control at levels a real CO wouldn't. (Or I should say shouldn't. A brigade commander CAN position individual squads, but should restrain the impulse)

pmskaar
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by pmskaar »

Great looking games Cav Dog, Ben, and Mark Luther! I always enjoy seeing what other people are doing game wise and how they do their terrain, minis, and what rules they are using. Ben, some good insights into game philosophy as well. It was great to see all of your games. Thanks!

mluther
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by mluther »

I try to run a Kursk IABSM game every July and this year was no exception. This one was going to be an all armor one based on the action of Kampfgruppe Stachwitz on the southern front of Operation Citadel on July 10, 1943.

Pz Div Grossdeutschland was working its way north towards Oboyan but had to dispatch a strong unit of panzers(KG Stachwitz) to the SW to deal with units holding up the 3rd Pz Div.

William would command the panzers, while Simeon, Jon and I took the Soviets of the 22nd Tank Brigade, 6th Tank Corps.

The Russian tank hordes are coming in from the near, SE corner while KG Stachwitz begins from the opposite NW edge.

The Russians had 3 companies of 10 T34s each and a bttn CO vehicle.

KG Stachwitz had a unit of 4 Panther Ds(subject to the breakdown card), 10 PzIVG/Hs and some off board Tiger Is. The Tigers could cover the left flank and would roll a D4 to see how many could fire at 18" plus range.

Russian crews had 2 activations (3 for the company COs) while the Germans had 4 activations. So it was Soviet numbers and speed vs German training and firepower.
Link to flickr AAR: https://www.flickr.com/photos/6mmgaming ... 303147081/

ImageT34s appear through the trees by Mark Luther, on Flickr
ImagePanthers pull back by Mark Luther, on Flickr

ImageMore intermixing by Mark Luther, on Flickr

ImageQuite the tank bash by Mark Luther, on Flickr

Mark


Mark

pmskaar
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by pmskaar »

That is another great looking game, Mark! For my Mein Panzer games, it has been a good plan to go with tanks only when introducing new players to the game. Your game looks to be a classic quantity vs quality battle which is fun as long as both sides think they have a chance. I have also run games where the tanks have similar characteristics on both sides. In my North Africa games, I find the Crusdader III and Pz IIIs are pretty well matched. Even then, you can make one side a bit better in the experience department while the other side has a few more tanks to compensate.

I always love seeing your games posted here and elsewhere!

Pete

BurtWolf
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by BurtWolf »

Nice game Mark - great to see!

redleg
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by redleg »

That's a fantastic AAR Mark! Your posts are always super inspiring!
Redleg's Website: micropope.webstarts.com

Cav Dog
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by Cav Dog »

Continuing the saga of Troop E:

Having had Red Platoon decimated the remainder of E Troop has been given a hasty defense mission around the strategic crossroads at Al Amok.
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Looking from the American side, the Al Amok pass is at the bottom, the Wadi Al Amok, Al Amok village, crossroads and rail line with the cactus patch at the top of the picture.

E Troop has placed White Platoon to the left of the crossroads and Blue platoon to the right. White platoon's scouts are deployed in the cactus patch as early warning and Blue platoon's tank section is in hull down positions in what will be known as Patton Gap. The Troop Commander has positioned his CP in the center where the highway crosses the tracks.
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Blue's dismounted scouts placed their Dragons on top of the buildings in the village.

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The Troop Commander has placed the mortars under the XO in the Wadi and the FO is on Djebel Al Amok near ancient hill top mosque.
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The advancing Soviets attack with the two remaining tank companies side by side and the MRR company ready to exploit the breakthrough.
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The battle is joined as the Soviets come into range of the M150s on either end of the E Troop line. The TOWs are deadly.
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The White platoon scouts get off a volley of Dragon ATGMs but don't get any kills so the mortars drop smoke so they can break contact.
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They don't make it to the crossroads.
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White Platoon tanks and TOWS continue to decimate the T72s but the remaining tanks press the attack and begin to draw blood.
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The tanks in Patton Gap hit the T72s in the flank which halts their attack. With his tank companies all but destroyed, the Soviet Commander sends the MRR company around the flank and begins to overrun White platoon.

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High tide for the T72s - they nearly took the crossroads.
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The BMP 2s manage to cross the rail line and are met by the E Troop reserve, the lone tank and scout from Red Platoon plus the surviving scout from White platoon.
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Unfortunately the gunner of Red 22 is still a bit shaken by the loss of his buddies and misses the BMP. The BMP does not and Red 22 takes an AT5 right in the nose and brews up.
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The remaining scouts don't miss with their Dragons which ends the battle with E Troop holding the pass but having lost most of White platoon.
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The E Troop Commander has stopped the Soviet advance but lost a lot of Troopers in the process.
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Tactics are the opinion of the senior officer present.

Beagle
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by Beagle »

Super nice AAR, super nice scenery, super nice paint jobs, thanks for sharing. We need more of these kind of photos.

chrisswim
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by chrisswim »

Mark & Cav,
Great pictures guys, thank you for sharing.
Chris

pmskaar
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by pmskaar »

That is a great looking game, Cav Dog! I like the well painted MERDC on the M113s and the smoke with flames for the knocked out vehicles.

BurtWolf
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by BurtWolf »

Great AAR- lovely minis as well. Thanks for posting as it’s inspiring work!

redleg
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by redleg »

That's awesome! Great AAR - keep them coming!

What's next for E Troop? Some replacements and another mission I hope!
Redleg's Website: micropope.webstarts.com

panzergator
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by panzergator »

Love that E Troop! Get 'em recinstituted and let 'em loose again! Very nice work.
All blessings flow from a good mission statement.
Pogo was right. So was Ike.
"A Gentleman is a man who is only rude intentionally." (Churchill)
Give credit. Take responsibility.

Cav Dog
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Re: AARs: Show Us Yer Games!

Post by Cav Dog »

Thank everybody. I'll have to reconstitute them and give them another mission, hopefully with better odds. Although destroying a reinforced tank battalion is a significant accomplishment for an armored cav troop.
Tactics are the opinion of the senior officer present.

BenfromBrooklyn
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Italy's 6th Bersaglieri takes on Extremistan

Post by BenfromBrooklyn »

The mission: seize a port guarded by a reinforced infantry company.
Italian forces: 2 infantry companies on Freccias, one Centauro company, one engineer company, scouts, one mortar battery and one 155mm battery (offboard)

Extremistan: 1 infantry company, 1 mixed AA battery with 1 platoon Zsu-23-4 and 1 platoon SA9, infantry weapons platoon, scout platoon with atgm section, 1 120mm mortar battery and one 122mm battery. Random reinforcements available- due to severe Command and Control disruptions the Extremistanis know they have the rest of an infantry battalion in the area, but do not know when or even exactly from where they will come.

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There's always a key event, it seems. An Extremistani infantry company arrived on the east flank, but unlike the Italians they were not in armored vehicles. Artillery caught the truck mounted infantry, and things went downhill.

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Suppressed and battered by artillery fire and the 25mm guns of the approaching Freccias, they broke.
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Meanwhile, the Bersaglieri company on the west side quickly took the village midway between the hills and the port, but defensive fire stalled them.

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They took casualties from the ZSU-23-4 just visible at extreme right. This was quickly eliminated, but this company had been stalled.

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On the east, though, the other company was able to come around the flank and reach the port, bottling the defenders in.

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The port board is in need of some repairs and update. The buildings are very shabby, since they are from before I switched to high density foam. Next project.

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