Game #3 was the first real game–the one that went down to the wire. I played the Allies again, learning from my first game’s mistakes and from Dan’s set-up.

I felt like the Allies had a pretty optimum set-up. I didn’t attack the German garrison at Padiglione until my second phase, but I did have to kill it so it couldn’t be used to negate a river advantage.

Dan tried a couple of risky moves on 1D, neither of which are readily apparent from this map. On the left front, he tried a massive 1-1 attack to turn my flank. It was risky because he had a 1 in 6 chance of dying outright. Instead, I bounced his troops off the map, which meant they got to come back on *any* map edge two turns later–a way around the pesky 50/50 reinforcements split rule that I had suggested the game before. As it turned out, those troops may have been more useful putting pressure on the Allies for turns 1 and 2, but we’ll never know.

Dan also tried a ballsy 1-2 attack near Padiglione, trying to get into the city. He had a 1 in 3 chance of dying. Instead, he had to retreat.

The front stayed pretty static for the next several turns. The only Allied loss was an exchange at Conca, but the Allies don’t need that city to have a good line, anyway, and the loss ration (3-1) was highly favorable. If only I’d left a one strength factor stronger unit in there, I would have killed another German 9-1! Oh well.

Oh no! The Germans tried a desperate gambit, attacking all along the lines hoping to invoke the cracked morale rule. Only a 1 in 3 chance, but they got it, and they poured through the Allied lines. Was this the end?!?

As it turns out, no. All of my strong units were still in the game, and, at least for two turns, it is possible to trade ground for time. I sent my forces down to crush his infiltrators (got defender retreats with no legal retreat spots–the best result), and arranged the rest of the Allies in a defensive pattern.

Even with the Germans crushing in my eggshell of forces, there simply was not enough time to take advantage of his superiority. Dan conceded the game at the end of Turn 6 after 5 hours of play.

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