Memorial Day Tank on Tank

To commemorate Memorial Day, I decided to play a WW2 battle using Tank on Tank.

Set Up

This is scenario 2 from the West Front module.

The objective is simple - destroy the other side, In addition, the Americans can win if they seize 2 towns.

Here is the initial set up. The Germans have units in two of the objective towns.

I'm playing the Americans (bottom).

The Battle

The Americans move out. With excellent command & control (I received the maximum 4 actions this turn), they manage to wipe out 2 German units.

The Germans draw first blood.

Note: Lesson learned. Do not put your command units in front! This will cause me to waste an action next turn promoting another unit to command.

The Yankee swarm continues. Two more German units gone!

The Americans lose a unit. Still, this is a favorable exchange for the Americans. If they keep killing at a 2:1 pace they'll win.

Only 1 German this turn.

The Tigers strike back. Two Americans gone.

Then another.

And another. Oh oh, things are going south!

The Americans get organized and swarm a Tiger unit. It goes down!

But another American drops.

And another. Curse those Tigers! If we can just get that last Tiger, we'll be sitting pretty.

Need a 9 on 2D6 to hit. Success! The last Tiger is gone.

And the Americans mop up the last Pz IV for the win!

Tank on Tank

Vacation News

I'm on vacation! That means you may be getting a slew of content, assuming I get a chance to play.

First Up

I'm going to start my vacation postings with a quick post about a board game.

Recently, I happened to stumble on a board game sale at Lock 'n Load Publishing. Tank on Tank was going for only $17.50!

Several years ago I purchased the computer version and I liked the game. Alas, that computer died and I don't know where the game files went.

Anyway, I now have an analog version.

First Game

I played the first scenario last week. Both the Americans (left) and Germans are trying to secure 3 towns in the central part of the board.

Here are the opening positions.

I'm not going to give a turn by turn recounting. However, here is a crucial turn. Having missing on attack where they only needed a 5 on 2D6, the Americans scored 2 unlikely kills (they needed an 8 and a 9 on 2D6). The counters with crosses represent the destroyed units.

The final turn. The Americans hold all 3 towns.

Thoughts

ToT has a lot of elements I like.

• The rules are simple. They are somewhat abstract but the game is still fun.
  
• It was a quick game. I did not track the time but I guess that it was under 30 minutes. I think later scenarios are somewhat longer. But it is still a quick game.
• The board is bigger than my homebrew games but it was still somewhat compact - 11" x 17" in believe/

Drawbacks? There are a couple.

• WW2 is not a particularly favorite period of mine. Therefore, I see this as a game with which I will occasionally dabble.
• As mentioned, it was a little bigger than my typical games. As such, it won't always fit on my gaming spaces. For example, I played this scenario on a footstool in my bedroom. And yes, I often play there. I did not have room for rolling dice so I rolled in a box on the floor. The size may inhibit play.

Despite these drawbacks, I'm glad I bought the game. I see myself using it as a filler game on occasion.

Tank on Tank

My experiment with One Deck Dungeon has impressed upon me the value of commercial games where all you need is contained in the package. Last weekend, as I waited for Hurricane Irma to hit, I spent some time searching online for a simple, small, board wargame that I could pull out when I don't feel like dealing with miniatures. Eventually, I stumbled on Tank on Tank by Lock n' Load Publishing. I remembered that the Battlefields and Warriors blog did a very thorough review, which had piqued my interest, When I noticed they had a digital version, I decided to give it a try.

I picked up the Westfront module. 

I played the first scenario (Overrun) a few times. The starting positions are shown below:

In this scenario, German Panthers and Tigers are trying to overrun an American held position. I played the Americans in my first attempt. Not really understanding the objectives or how to play the game, I proceeded to lose my entire force. Imagine my surprise when the game said that I won. The Germans (the computer) never managed to secure the 2 objective points before the end of the game (7 turns for this scenario).

I then tried as the Germans and got slammed. I tried a couple more time before Hurricane Irma knocked out my power. As I played, I began to pick up the rules and tactics of this game. Now that I have power, I tried again and finally won! On to the next scenario!

I really enjoy this game, even though I am not particularly interested in World War II. It is simple, quick, and yet requires tactical planning. I think this will be a wonderful filler for when I want to play a game without setting anything up. I am even tempted to get a physical copy!

If you have an interest in quick and simple WWII games, I recommend you read through the Battlefields and Warriors review I mentioned earlier. If you like what you read, order a copy!

Thunderbolts from the Sky

This morning I tried out another dogfight using my experimental dogfight rules. This time, 2 P-47 Thunderbolts were pitted against 2 ME-109s. I intended to give them different ratings. The P-47s were supposed to have better defense (greater chance to succeed on saving rolls) while the 109s were going to be more nimble (more on that in a bit). As it turns out, I forgot to apply these rules.

Anyway, here is the initial set-up.

And here is my revised movement template, made from a piece of cardstock. I decided not to use the Ace of Aces template (my version is here but there is a really nice one on boardgamegeek). This template features 3 speeds (slow, medium, fast) and 5 maneuvers (straight, slip, lazy turn, hard turn, or bank). I took inspiration from Crimson Skies and allow planes to attempt an even tighter turn. They need to make on a Quality roll with success allowing the plane to turn an extra 60 degrees. The Me-109s were supposed to have better Quality, permitting them to turn better.

Throughout the game, I rolled very poorly for both sides, as shown in this attack by one of the 109s.

 A swirling air battle ensued. I chose the maneuvers for the Americans and then randomly rolled the speed for the Germans. Based on that speed, I would pick the most logical maneuver. If multiple maneuvers were possible, I rolled randomly to pick. This process generally worked well, although on one occasion, one of the 109s (bottom) made a verrrry wide turn. This allowed one of the P-47s to get on the tail of the other 109.

Finally a hit!

But the 109 turned the tide with a tight turn and some good gunnery.

The damaged American tried to flee, pursued by the enemy. The other American came to the rescue.

The damaged Thunderbolt made it off the board (I assumed he escaped into some clouds). The second American has a bead on a 109 but the other has made it back!

The damaged 109 makes a spiffy tight turn to shake the pursuit.

But the American pulls an Immelman. Both 109s turn on him, rake him with shot, and send him down in flames. However, he responds by destroying the damaged German.

Results:

• Germans lose 1 fighter.
• Americans lose 1 fighter and have 1 damaged fighter flee the dogfight.

Overall German victory as a P-47 Thunderbolt fell from the sky. 

In addition, it was an enjoyable game. For me, picking maneuvers from a template provides a nice feel for aerial combat. I've tried more abstract rules or rules that involved alternate movement with each plane having x number of movement points. Neither felt right to me. For solo play, I always shied away from simultaneous movement based on maneuver selections because I assumed it could not be done properly with random movement. I think that my experiments have proved my assumption wrong so I will continue on this path.

The major "flaw" with these solo rules is that I don't think I can run battles with a lot of aircraft. 2 vs. 2 works fine but I don't know if I can handle more planes by myself. That, however, is why I am planning an air battle scale rules set, where 2-3 planes will represent a squadron.

An Unsatisfactory Foothold (Memoir 44 game report)

"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

The above quote comes from a letter that Eisenhower wrote and planned to publish in case the D-Day landing failed. Fortunately, in real life, he did not have to use that letter. On the table top, however . . .

This game report is way overdue. A couple of months ago, I cajoled my wife into playing Memoir '44 and we chose the Omaha Beach scenario.

Battle 1
I play the Americans; Elizabeth commands the Germans.

I began my attack on the American right flank. I was hoping to sweep over the artillery in the bunker.

 The American storm the beach

The Germans struck back hard, with accurate artillery and rifle fire. Soon, the attack on the right looked like this:

The assault fails

The action then moved to the left flank. The American assault seemed to be succeeding, and the Germans were being worn down. Then the Germans received timely reinforcements (my wife played the Medics and Mechanics card) and the attack faltered.

Finally, the Americans tried to push in the center with an armored assault against the bunkers. Once again, the Germans held on.

The center after the failed armor assault.

Where is the American armor? Destroyed!

At this point, the Commander in Chief (me) had to call off the attack and report that the landings "have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold."

Game Score

Germans - 6 medals

Americans - 0 medals

Battle 2

We switch sides so now I am the Germans.

Elizabeth initiated an attack on the German right.

Here come the Yanks!

Heavy fighting ensued with much bloodshed. Although the Germans suffer severe casualties, they manage to hold on, largely due to a vicious artillery bombardment (I played the Artillery Bombard card, which allows the guns to fire twice).

The American assault fails

The Americans then land their tanks and begin to press forward.

American armor rumbles forward

Again, heavy fighting breaks out. Under cover of the tanks' guns, American infantry actually make it up the bluff.

The village threatened

 But the German defenses stiffen and thrown back the invaders. Once again, American troops withdraw and D-Day is a failure.

Game Score
Germans - 6 medals
Americans - 2 medals

Results for the Night

Omaha is a very difficult scenario for the Americans, and a German victory is most likely. When playing this scenario, it is best to switch sides, as we did. The winner of the night is the one with the most wins or the most overall medals.

My wife clearly had the better of the fight. She absolutely slaughtered me in the first game; I felt like a target on Top Shot. The second game, despite its score, was much closer. My wife did a good job pushing forward against my right. Only my Artillery Bombard saved me there. In the center, she managed to get to the bluff and threaten the village. The German defenses were just too tough. Overall,

Elizabeth - 8

Kevin - 6

A good job by my wife; she earns the laurels for the evening.

A Review of Memoir '44

Best. Game. Ever. 

That is basically how my friend Jeff described Memoir ’44  after I introduced it to him several years ago. I have to concur. Memoir is a game of World War II tactical combat based on Richard Borg’s Command and Colors system. There are several distinctive features of the system.

·         The map board features modular terrain features (hills, woods, towns, etc.). This allows players to set up an endless variety of battlefields.

·         Each player has a hand of Command Cards. To get troops to move or attack, the player must play a command card to order units (usually 1 to 3). There are also Command Cards that allow special actions, such as reinforcing units with casualties.

·         The map is divided into three sections (left, center, right). Often, a player may only order units in one section.

·         To attack, a player rolls special Memoir dice, which have icons of infantry, armor, a grenade, a star, or a flag. Infantry or armor icons hit their respective types of units, a grenade hits anything, and a flag causes a retreat.

·         Players gain medals for seizing key objectives or destroying enemy units. The first player to reach a specified number of medals wins the battle.

A game involves setting up a selected scenario, listed in the rule book. Each scenario specifies the map setup, the number of medals to win, and any special rules. Players then take turns playing a Command Card, ordering units, and making attacks, until one player reaches the medal count and wins the game.

A game in progress - Omaha Beach

Mechanically speaking, Memoir 44 is a very simple game. Like chess, however, that simplicity hides a very sophisticated game. Players will need to make a number of decisions throughout each turn – which Command Card to use, which units to order, which enemy units to attack, how to attack (e.g. do I use armor or infantry?), which unit attacks first, etc. The game definitely keeps players on their toes.

People who like “realistic” games will have complaints about Memoir. Luck can play a role – if you roll poor dice or draw bad Command Cards, your game will suffer. The Command Cards can be a major source of irritation. For example, if my opponent launches a serious attack on my left flank and I have no left flank cards, my units might just end up sitting there taking punishment without a chance to retaliate. Memoir also makes a number of abstractions. There is no differentiation between armor units, so different types of tanks will be treated as if they are equal. An American Sherman attacks the same as a German Panther.

Despite these limitations, Memoir 44 delivers an amazing gaming experience. As I mentioned, players have a number of decision points so they will remain engaged. Furthermore, I have been surprised at how the abstract system can encourage realistic decisions. For example, it behooves a smart commander to withdraw a unit with severe casualties from the front lines. In most wargames I played before, players blithely send units on suicide missions – win or be destroyed! Also, I have learned through hard experience that armor is not invincible, especially against infantry in prepared defensive positions. A wise commander will support his armor with infantry. Finally, a commander must realize that his plans will always risk being upset by the fog of war (i.e. a lack of command cards). Therefore, he will remain patient and flexible, marshaling resources until the time is right.

All these factors have made Memoir ’44 my favorite game ever. Even if I have a run of bad luck, I don’t mind. Games are short (typically around an hour, depending on the dice and the scenario) so a rematch is easy to do. I HIGHLY recommend this game.

Rating 5+++++++++ / 5

A Couple of Down in Flames Pictures

I recently reviewed Dan Versenn Game's Down in Flames. I began a campaign - Poland 1939. The first mission was a cakewalk for the Germans. I randomly rolled to determine assets (normally, the players pick their assets), and ended with a single Polish P11c against a Bf 109 E and Bf 110 escorting a single Stuka.

Here is a somewhat blurry picture.

The P11c did manage to score some hits on the Stuka, but then the escorts came in and blasted the Pole from the skies. The Stuka's bombs then damaged its target, a Polish airfield.

In this picture, my cat Cooper decided to take on the Luftwaffe.

I played 2 missions of the campaign. Naturally, the Germans are winning but they are doing worse than historical. I should finish up the campaign, but the revolution in Grayrock is calling to me!