Sometimes life is not all M1’s, AMX’s, and T-80s.

Sometimes life is not, the best leaders taking charge and heroically saving the day.

Sometimes life is just a shit bowl of half assed guys who are fighting in a war, they either did not ask for, or did not want to start.

Sometimes, amazing things happen to ordinary grunts.

 

Honneur et Patrie scenario “The B-Team ”  is one such situation.

Peter and I had played several of the earlier scenarios in playtest mode… a bit of a grind, as some were a bit of a cluster…so we had not played with the shiny new HeP bits, nor really seen the final product laid out….wow. Stunning does no justice.  But I digress.

So we found this little scenario and thought we would give it go.

Some very nice scenarios are in here, including the ones we had the opportunity to play test.  The B-Team has some cool little SSR’s for period feel, and to reflect the weaknesses of both sides at this stage of the war. But what we have is 2 groups of units that are sub par, low morale units, with SSR’s that further compound these weaknesses.

I played French first:

 

My job is to keep the majority of the 18 building under my control. This corner of the map has a bunch so we setup a layered defense. I was a bit dismissive of the French AFV’s… I should not have been. As you really need them. If you read my older post on the different units some of the French Anti Tank weapons are also kick ass.

The Soviets advance carefully keeping tanks in reserve and really limiting my ability to respond to a highly coordinated advance.

I really left some guys swinging in the wind too….ahem.

The French get aggressive with some deft use of Melee to kill off weaker Soviet units, since our direct fire was worthless. Thankfully the Soviets did not use their Arty, nor did I remember to use mine…sigh.

I’m failing at my own suggested best practices. I mean really. Sometimes I head game my self out of a win before I start. It is always like this playing Peter. I was determined to eek out a victory. After several…nearly a dozen plays I am yet to score a win against him in LNL….it was going to happen again I could see.

The Soviets steam roll my far flung defense and crush me in 3- 4 turns. Easy.

We reset. I take Soviets. Dam this will be sweet! I elect to charge in with Tanks, braving the LRACS.

By the middle of turn 1, there are 2 smoking hulks on the field…Oh COME ON…. WTF. that is 2-0 for Peter. I resign.

We rest I take Soviets again. I’m going to play my game this time. Focused, easy, take my time and look for good kills.

I fake the wide flanking move, and stage over 2 turns all my forces to come down the side of the map and into that primary red 2 hex building. It has a defense value of +3 not +4 like all the other stone buildings.  Both of us try popping Arty this time, to little effect as the LOS is so tight. Peter sneaks a Territorheer upstairs to spot, I gun at him hard with the T-55’s to root him out.

The corn fields are a modified terrain in this scenario so I accumulate several units in tight formation, hoping I survive any Arty attacks. I also pop a T-%% with a LOS down the road to split his forces in half.

Peter sees what is up, and patiently awaits smoke,while I clear one building, near the edge. A BTR advances drops a hero and squad and the Soviet Lt advances, with a Tank in tow.

 

The AFV that I mentioned earlier now prove their worth. With a penetration of 9, the thin skinned little buggers toast a BTR. Now with forces massed I pull a trump card. The Co-ordinated Fire!!! ohyeah all adjacent units combine fire and bounce the unis across the field OUT. 24FPs…..WHAT NOW! 😉

As you can imagine that was a bit of a shock…but so was this, I then ram the T-55 across the field and rubble the building…. Oh sweet Jesus yes! The political officer loses his mind and charges in to setup a forward position and protect the tank.  Who now adds +3 to his defensive rolls.

 

The French units move to block the breach. The T-55, misses. The T-55 moves down to a street melee, and we on the fly house rule T-55 passing thru buttoned up, no Opp fire in Melee hex. I pop the T-55 adjacent to the units low crawling and kill French men left right and center, and pop the tin can French AFV in one devastating round of fire.  The French admit Defeat….again. The Fatherland is falling to the Soviet masses.

A review of the game had us realize that even if that pass thru of a melee hex was not allowed the AML-90 unit would have been hit on the fire by the T-55 moving down the board edge and shooting thru the buildings.  Delaying the inevitable.

Another very well crafted LNL scenario. Do yourself a favor, go grab Heroes of the Blitzkrieg, Heroes of the Gap (Charles Roberts award winner) and this module. SWEET!