T1 - Gavin Take

(These things take awhile. It helps though when you look at the board as you write them.) 4:30 pm, Sat. Feb. 26. Opponent is Joe Sylvester. I mention that I am a newbie and have only read Ch. A and most of B. He suggests Gavin Take since it is only infantry. He also suggests that I take the Americans since if the German sets up wrong the scenario could be over quickly. I concur since the American gets a 10-3 and a 10-2. I take a break while he sets up. I setup my units off-board while he debates where to boresight. I then re-read the SSRs and remind him that he can't boresight. Turn one. I figure that if I sprint the 2 groups straight south then turn after clearing the hills I can have a little extra time to shoot the enemy if I can't exit most of my forces. He has stacks in O5, levels 0 and 1 of S3, Q7 and I forget where the rest of them were. I move my western group (1 MMC at a time) from I1->I4 CXing as necessary. When the last MMC and the leader came across I3 he opens up with the O5 squad, leader + LMG, but no effect. So far so good. I then take the first squad in the east and double-time it to X4. Second squad - same thing. Third squad and 10-3 leader he opens up on with the level 1 S3 squad, 9-1 leader and MMG. Um, let's see, 6 -3 -> 2MC -> leader pins, squad goes berserk, residual in Y2. Oops. Other stack of squads and the 8-0 leader decide to run on the other side of the hedge. (Now what was it I read about Assault Movement in the open?) German turn, Joe takes his O5 stack to level 1 of M5, the Q7 stack to Q10, and moves groups to level 1 of R5 and R6. He also shoots at the berserk squad and reduces it to a half-squad. We then have a short discussion about when I would find out how many units I need to exit if he exits a concealed stack off of Q10. We decide to resolve the issue later since the pizza has arrived. Turn two. Since my eastern force is a disaster, I need to take a chance with my western group. I move one squad to K4 (at the time I had a plan) and assault move the other units to I6. He shoots at the last MMC with the leader and again misses. I follow this by advancing them to I7, and the K4 squad to L4. The berserk unit managed to make it to level 0 of S3 where it was shot to pieces by the units in level 1. However, by doing so it fixed the CA of the MMG down the stairwell, so my eastern forces are clear for a bit.) The 10-3 jumps the hedge and runs to catch up with the rest of the force, while 1 squad AMs into the woods at W4 to draw fire. (Rather successfully, I might add.) Now that I am moving south the Germans move from S3 to level 0 of U6 then advance upstairs. Joe also starts digging a foxhole in Q10. [Somehow during this turn the 8-0 ends up around X4 and I think there was a squad in X3.] Turn three. I now still have my full complement in the West and I note that L8 is blocked from enemy LOS so I start by moving the 10-2 and an MMC to J7, then K8 where the R5 squad with LMG opens up. 10-2 passes, MMC breaks, 10-2 continues to L8. At this point my brain goes on vacation and I decide that the residual in K8 isn't significant so I move both of the other MMCs into J7->K8. Both break. The brain comes back and says "That wasn't so good, was it?" The L4 squad AMs to M5 level 0 then advances to level 1. Since all units are concealed, after Joe explains things, we both decide not to declare an attack. (I have no clue why I moved into CC if I didn't plan on attacking.) In the east I move the 10-3 and 2 squads into W8 where they are shot at by the squad in U6. The 10-3 pins (again) and one squad breaks. A third squad makes it to X7. The 8-0 and other 2 southern squads move to W3 and advance to V3 and the broken squad at W8 routs to W9. During defensive fire I manage to break the squad in U6 and he routs it with the leader to R6. During the German turn Joe advances his M5 squad and leader to L4. (Everybody concealed -> no CC -> no-one held in Melee.) He moves one squad and a leader from Q10 to M8 to complete the punishment of my stupidity. [At this point things get a little fuzzy. I can't get the German movement details to work out so I will give the rest of the game a little more generally.] In the southwest, his squad and leader CC my leader who collapses like a 6+1 and of the 3 broken squads, two eventually recover. In the northwest, we continue the dance in the L4-M5 building with the American squad making a sprint down the road to Q9 in turn 5 where he turns into MMC p(^a)te. In the northeast the 8-0 and two squads make it to T6 in turn 4. While there they break a squad in R8, but the squad escapes by routing Q9->P8 after I point out that I have no LOS to Q9. (My last moral victory of the game: my 3rd correct rout usage!) In turn 5, after the suicide run of the NW squad the 8-0 stack moves T7->S8->R8 where everybody breaks. If anybody had survived, I might have had a slim chance to get somebody to Q10 to attempt ambush and escape off the board. The 10-3 and squads finally get together on turn 5 but didn't have near enough time to get near the exit. I resign in his half of turn 5 since I can't even get to Q10 on my turn 6 let alone exit anyone. Lessons learned. 1) Smoke - there is a reason for that little 3 exponent on the US firepower. 2) Gauge speed carefully - I didn't need to rush straight up the Y road. By simply going up the Z row behind the hedge I would have changed a -2 modifier to a 0. (Can we say HUGE difference?) Similarly in the west if I slow down by one hex I avoid another -2 modifier. 3) Kill stacks (i.e. "Death Stars" says Joe) are not to be messed with if they are in some protective terrain. [Note: I know this doesn't hold in scenarios with OBA. I am well aware (thanks to the list) that if the enemy has OBA, then the pre-registered hex is wherever the kill stack is.] 4) Know the rout rules. Even as a newbie, if you truly understand the rout rules you can impress even the most jaded grognard. (Now if I can only use the rout rules to harass the enemy instead of just being able to effectively run away.) For those of you have stubbornly slogged this far I give you a preview of the last part. Pull out A103 - Mayhem in Manila and image how someone who has not read chapters C or G will play the Japanese. Try to keep from falling out of your chairs.

Larry "You mean all nationalities don't play the same?" Reeves larryr@acm.org