ASLOK XVI 2001
ASLOK XVI 2001
Travelling to ASLOK this year was different due to the heigtened security measures everywhere. I arrived on sunday evening after four flights. There was no gaming yet, but lots of talk over beers with the crowd that had arrived already. This year had three new (for me atleast) products that were excellent: the new rulebook, Journal 3 and Schwerpunkt 7. The Journal is outstanding and probably one of the best "annuals" so far. Brilliant scenarios and good articles. The Schwerpunkt was back to scenarios in my taste too and locks really promissing (but I do hope some arrangement will allow them to use the ASL art in the future). The rule book is must of course, together with Perry's article in the journal on the new rules.
Monday and playing Darryl Lundby (NZ) in J53 Setting the Stage. Rolling for sides I got the Germans. This is dual VC scenario; either take some buildings or exit. I went for the buildings since it was quite a way to run. The attack was two pronged. It started good but then the Russian HMG and heavy MTR went berserk and totally eliminated my right attack up the middle. I failed to kill the Russians AFV's and gave up with a turn to spare. (0-1)
Next was Steve Tinsley (US) in J60 Bad Luck, with me getting the US. I've managed to forget most of thie game but Steve played his attack nicely and had won the game when in the last MPh he parked an AFV unecessarily on some infantry whom took it out on a snakes DR, causing Steve to exceed his CVP cap. (1-1)
The same evening Randy Rossi, whom I greatly enjoy playing since he a) also loves Night and b) shows me something new in each game. Feeling brash we decided to play J61 In the Bag next day. This is a monster scenario with 40 AFV's on the US side, and also including OBA on both sides, US Fighter Bombers and more. I drew the Germans and spent two hours doing the setup before hitting the sack. There are several tricky issues for the German to resolve. For example how much goes into defending the right flank road? It is separated from the rest of the game by the big wooden hill and is really an action on its own. I put the roadblock fairly close to the US side in 39V10 -> W10, guarded by a 467/PSK under a Concealed SPW 251/1 to get some respect from the US.The next issue is where to put the PzV's. I put two on the Hill, leaving them naked to the FB's, but I felt the need to do some damage and possibly delay the US motorized guys. The other two went into concealment terrain close to the road on the right of the hills. The radio set up HIP on far back on the wooden hill. I put the AT 75L in the middle of the wooden hill board (39S3), guarding the opening shared with board 24. Not wanting them to be overun early the HIP 8-0/Radio was in 39M3. The other two PSK set up quite forward on the flanking boards. Randy did his next morning and we were ready to go.
Briefly what happened was (it is impossible to tell it all): The US attack was three pronged: a minor force consisting of 3-4 AFV's, some HT's and squads went down the board edge road on the German right. The middle prong went up the wooden hill and took the Panthers on the opposite flank under fire while moving on down to the center of board 24. The left flank hid behind the woods mostly, while moving 5-6 vehicles onto board 24 into the gully. The two panthers failed to do anything, including the M4A3E2(L) - parking in a bore sighted hex - hitting it with a dud. In my prep I managed to kill one Sherman before losing two panthers to FB and to fire from the wooden hill. The green wave rolled on, but I managed to fall back without more losses. The forward panther on board 2 was given a lot of attention but still lived. The german observer landed a FFE concentration and killed a Sherman and a HT, but the open topped M30 GMC just drove out of it! On the right he decided to take out the forward PSK squad with a couple AFV's, parking all of them in the LOS of the German AT gun. Over two fire phases it took out three of them, and the crew was broken and chased away by a HT being immobiized PB to it.
Before the German reinforcements arrived all panthers were dead except the immobilized one on board 24. As the sole AFV on board 24 the Whirlwind FlakPz was the attemping to shoot up US halftracks as they were racing to exit. Having used up its ROF in def fire it was subjected to a CC attack by a squad and leader but survived! So in the ensuing PFPh it got a nice TPBF fire for an IFT 60FP attack! Wow! And with ROF too. Kazing! Yes, I managed to break both of them. At this point it was clear that my dice sucked in a unprecendent way, before the game was over I had rolled 21 boxcars (6 snakes) versus Randy's 6 boxcars and 15 snakes! Still the germans fought on...
As the Germans entered in turn 5 board two was cleared by the US and the final two multihex buildings on board 24 were under siege. Randy was a good way on to exit the needed VP. A M30 GMC was parke on a board 2 hill watching the entry with its 90L gun. A sherman closer to the edge got the attention of a PzIV and a JgPz IV/70, both of failing to kill it. The JgPz broke its MA on boxcars. The second JgPz entere behind the edge on board 24 and as the M30 held its fire it went for a BFF shot, rolling the 3 needed for a clean hit. The effect was dud... The M30 swirled its turret, killing the JgPz with a CH. The second PzIV was sent to the woodenhill road to aid the second PzIV there in blocking the US there (in the end only a Stuart got of there). A lone forward US HT killed the SPW 251/10 and survived into next turn. The german infantry deployed to kill anyone trying to exit, except for a leader and a squad running to reinforce the remaining multihex building in my control.
Comes the final turn. My own OBA got a red chit so I was unable to protect the final building and Randy had removed the OBA he had there (hindering himself). And the building fell. In the end it came down to some tricky exit attempts for the US. The surviving JgPz had just repaired its malfunctioning MA for the *second* time and was hidding opposite the obnoxious M30. He has 2-3 halftrucks that would have to pass two PzIV's and the infantry. It was rather painless as he started the M30, run off adjacent to the JgPz. The JgPz takes the shot and rolls ... 12. Malfunction number three and game over! What an amazing game and Randy is a really pleasure to play. Great fun playing Randy again and great play in a brilliant scenario. (1-2)
Comes next day and the start of the Minis. Having registred late I am happy to get a slot in the Pacific mini. I draw the IJA against James Serafin min J46 Strongpoint 11. The IJA basically has to clean up a hill of dutch troops hiding in trenches and two pill boxes. My little brave fellows do this quickly in spite of losing a leader early. Three squads run around the whole hill and can place the DC on a pillbox from outside of its CA, but the effects DR is 12 (sigh!). The last two turns all dutch are out of play except for a squad in each pillbox and I have enough infantry to overstack in their hexes. However, I don't remember that I can fire on them from the same hex and so I am reduced to rather comical attempt of killing them in CC. Missing 3:1 and 2:1 attacks doesn't help and I lose. (1-3)
So out of the mini and looking for a game I sit down to play Jason Eickmann in J59 Friday the 13th. I get russians. The two main weapons of the russians are the 57LL AT gun and the .50 cal HMG. The gun went into N8 with some wire on top of it keep infantry from stumbling into hex. The .50 cal went into the wooden two-hex building on lvl1. I put 1.5 squads close to and a dummy ?(4) there to keep some uncertainty as to where the HMG was. This scenario reminds me a lot of a late war version of the scenario "3rtr in the rain". Off we go. Jason sends in the AFVs first, putting done some smoke for the inf to hide behind, and stopping well behind the hedge. One is in LOS of the AT gun but I hold the fire. Some of his infantry comes in on the other flank. Next turn Jason pushes a bit more and tries go around the wire, but the 1.5 squads there manages to hold him off. This seems to work *to* well as Jason decides to push more: one AFV moves upp to "obvious" AT-Gun-is-here-woods-hex in front of the hedge on the Russian right. Ah, in LOS of the AT. Next AFV goes through the Woods hex with wire (and HIP AT Gun), clears the wire (jeez!) and I reveal the Gun when he leaves the hex (should have been as he entered), changes CA for a rear shot: roll the bones and sure there it was again, another boxcars! And always important ones... Oh well, it goes down. My HS there is of the "from hell" veriety and makes up for it by breaking 2 or 3 squads, not even blinking through FPF attacks. As Jason squeezes towards the buildings the HS keep the germans at bay, even ambushing a leader stack and using that to withdraw (he was fated to move to keep the squads he broke under DM. Meaning to decide matters the AFVs came swirling between the buildings, russians taking all kind of PAATC, but not harming a single one in 9 attacks at 5/6 or less! The village fight seasawed back and forth a little and the Germans needed all the turns to take out the last defenders. I think this little scenario has great replay value. Cool to play Jason finally (and wow! does he have a nice Raaco set!). (1-4)
To finish of the day Shaun Carter and I scavenged Randy's box for the board and counters for J42 Grebbe End. We've met several times and have emailed a lot in connection with AoO and HP, but this is the first time for us playing. We diced for sides and I got the Germans. The first one notices about this scenario is the AC's! They are critical to the German success, they are easily hurt and they are better off *reverse moving* towards the enemy! My first forays into the woods were easily blunted by Shauns units. Slowly I managed to slip through his lines on my left (to the left of the road). The Dutch 9-2/HMG still presented a formidable force, but using a german hero and keeping the AC's out of LOS till turn 3 or 4 allowed to break theHMG squad and eliminate him for failure to rout. In that and the following turn the Dutch defence crumbled and Shaun had to throw in the towel. A nice game that did not end to late. (2-4)
Comes wednesday and my favourite minis tournament: the Night! I wait the whole year for this one. It turned out to end in an anticlimax this time. Playing Bill Wiesing after selecting / rolling scenario / sides we ended up playing SP56 No Good Reason with me as IJA. As it turned out Bill had played very little PTO *and* Night so this turned more into a learning session, using 2.5 hours for 1.5 turns where everything went wrong for me. In addition the 10-2 was HIP in a nice spot so in principle I was slaughtered. Ugh... (2-5)
So no freebie grofaz points this year. Mr. Nixon put me up with Jim Cmelak and havin purchased the new Schwerpunkt we decided to try SP77 Green Jackets Bridge, with me as the British defending a bridge against Jims germans. Jim entered to setup to cross the bridge on turn with the exception of the FT toting 838 whom had detected a ?(3) which he could reach across the canal. My def failed to hurt him and the FT removed my dummies. It advanced back into the woods hex. In my turn the LtMtr killed the 838/FT (it had bore sighted the woods hex). To increase the FP of the 9-2 the Carrier off loaded its HS + MMG. In his turn Jim forced his way over and moved all three panzers over the bridge and all my attempts at streetwising, ATR's and MG kills failed. The carrier ATR MA broke. Then a stack followed, by I managed to pin it on the hex after the bridge. Jim also moved a leader back to pick up the FT and getting him back surviving my fire. In my turn I still failed to kill any of the PzIIA's but broke two squads on the other side of the river. He also failed to hurt me, gunning for the infantry close to the canal bridge exit hexes. Next turn sees Jim advancing up on the bridge and pushing a little, but return fire keeps him away. In my turn it turns loose as I break the squads (2 or 3) and leader waiting on the road hex opposite side of the bridge. Two PzIIA's dies and a carrier moves through the carnage over the bridge and cuts of the routing for the broken guys there, ending the game. We had some enjoyable movements and agreed this was a scenario that can be played a couple of times. It seems rough on the Germans though, since they not only have to cross the canal, they also have to clean a long stretch of buildings. (3-5, 1-0)
In the third game for the day I and Tom Mueller selected one of the Kursk scenarios from J3, J52 Dress Rehearsal. Tom wanted to practice defending so I played the Germans. This scenario presents some tough choices on which groups and VC (for the German) to select from. For VC I preferred the exit VC, but did not want throw the defending the village option out. My selections where the Tigers, the PzIVF2's (I think...), the MTR HT's (since playing Cold Reception I absolutely like these mobile MTR plattforms!), the 9-2/MMG group (better for attacking / exit and routing) and the 75L AT's. Tom's choices where the 82 mm MTRs, three AFV groups (SU-122, T-34 m43 / T-70, T-34 m43) and one of the inf groups. All of which I would agree to. The new village board (48) is quite cool! I set up all forces behind the crossroad except for two forward HS. Neither was in X10 overlay building, which is possibility for LOS stripping. Some thought went into the placement of the AT's. As the Russians move first the Germans cannot deny the board 18 lvl 2 hexes to them, and I did plan to exit on it, one went into 18X1 waiting for any AFV's to park up there. Knowing my dice the other went into 18P8 for the same purpose...
Tom moves in, placing T-34's in overlooking positions: looking down the village road from the board 18 hill, one more looking down the same road but on board 48. The SU-122 moves in with infantry across the gullies (wadis by SSR). Tom surprised me by placing the 82 mm MTRs behind the lvl 2 hill, moving a a concealed spotter onto the lvl hex. I totally missed this possibility! The T-70's moved halfway across board 18 and parked ADJACENT to the HIP AT gun there, but otherwise the movements where carefully executed. The AT gun also had the T-34 on the rear hill in its LOS, but held its fire. The other AT also held its fire with a T-34 in its LOS. My turn, fearing the AT's, I sent an empty HT across the open to the rear road entering the village. A tiger followed and parked on the road, right opposite the two T-34's. Well, Tiger crews are supposed to have balls. On board 18 the 37L HT was following the example and raced forward to engage the T-70 from its rear. It turned around, but only managed to Stun the HT. Pretty dumb stunt in hindsight. Anyway, the second tiger went to a lvl hill, on another a HT MTR together with a PzIIIJ. The PzIV's followed the road on board 18, with the rest of the units racing up the board middle, giving them the choice to reinforce the village or turn left for exit depending Toms entry of the remaining two groups. The tiger on the road survived, and little else happened. In my turn the 37L HT must have missed the T-70 and was Shocked in return. The Tiger on the road reached out and killed the T-34 on the opposite road end in this western like duel. The 75L guns still held their fire (oh so hard to do), some infantry was offloaded to help the 9-2 battling the spotter for the Russian big mortars. In his turn Tom killed the 37L HT and moved the remaining groups, racing two T-34's past the forward HIP AT gun. The one on the rear hill T-34 did not want to face the tiger and moved down and forward, parking six hexes from the rear HIP AT. After all movement had been done this AT killed the T-34 and the T-70 in front of it. It then changed CA to fire on one of the new T-34's on board 18, through the smoke of my HT, but missed. The board 18 tiger on level one reached out and killed a T-34 on the forward lvl 2 hex. In my turn the active 75L AT killed its third AFV. Other AFV's moved forward trying to kill the remaining the T-70 by BFF, but all missing, but at the same time they isolated a T-34 on my half of the board. I moved the villaged side Tiger to engage a SU-122 in the gully. A SPW 251/1 there served as vehicular backup.
The Russian MTR's failed to do much damage, missing most. A LtMtr killed a PzIV which had halted in a AT mine field. As I started to upload infantry to move them over to board 18 for the exit, the forward T-34 was moved backward and parked PB to the remaning HIP AT in 18X1, boom and was gone. The AT's really performed in this game for me. Not wanting to be outdone the tiger on board 18 surged forward, taking out a T-34 with a BFF CH! The poor Russians had their AFV's plucked out with surgical precission. The final strong point of resistance to be overcome before the HT's could move out on board 18 was the 82 mm MTR's and a final AFV. Having little choice on turn 5 I had to place a Tiger in motion in the MTR hex while the other tiger finished off the last Russian AFV. Another very exiting late night game, this time with many things going my way. (4-5, 2-0)
Next day after sleeping a little longer, Paul Haseler from Downunder and an old nemesis was looking for an easy win on his road to the title (he ended up 4th). We agreed to play the third Kurks scenario; J54 Showtime and the dice again gave me the Germans. This the trickiest of three Kursk scenarios because you also bid for starting the by giving the opponent better and better stuff depending on how keen you are to begin. I bid 2 since to bid higher Paul would have to give me a Tiger VI (he bid one). The germans set up first and must exit VP to win. Exit in this scenario included mobile AFV's in the rear of the Russian boards. I missed when calculating the pace of the attack, thus the open area to my left locked more inviting than the constrained area on the left. I selected Tigers, hoping to kill whatever showed itself like in the game against Tom Mueller. I raced on board, getting some AFV's into good positions. Paul come onboard, slightly more defensiver, but not exactly defensive. One of his selections included the lethal, but thin skinned, 57LL HT's. ROF 3 mind you! Anyway, we pushed onward and exchanged some fire. My spearpoint went down along the left edge in the pocket created by the woods there. The two Tigers cowered the area outside the woods, assisted by some other Pz's. The left flank was advanced upon by StuG's. Quite early Paul eliminates the Tigers in consequtive fire phases, first by a 76L CH (KIA) and then by a silly snake on the effects of another hit (Immobilized). Sigh. Thus set back, and discovering my timing misstake I loaded as much infantry as possible on the HT's and set course for the area behind the woods in the middle of the boards. More infantry run on foot in the same direction. Paul sensed victory and wanted to decide the matters, but pushed a little to much. Several dead AFV's later (one or two by the hand carried FT) Paul drew back again, sending only the 57LL HT's around to pluck my loaded HT's away. I threw in the towel there and then. He had missed that loaded HT's would count as exited, so if the Tigers had been more usefull... Anyway, a quite intense and wild game that went back and forth. The selections and bidding here makes it a real challenge, and playing Paul doesn't make it easier! Great game that ended at midnight roughly. (4-6, 2-1 & not counting more).
On Saturday I managed to get into the minis (Eastern Front) again, starting with Anthony Flanagan in J1 Urban Guerillas which we had both played before. Dicing for sides I again got the Germans. While waiting for his setup I just decided it was time for new dice, retiring the original BV set. Anthony placed the HMG & 9-2 in the rear lvl 2 building, dividing the rest of the units into two prongs. I defended mostly on the left side, placing units so they could rout to a leader or back over the bridge. The Panther in the middle and the PzIV behind the wall to the right. Anthony came on strong but missed a couple of LOS'es so I could break 3 squads. In my phase I broke the HMG squads and pull back almost all of the forces on my right unmolested. Anthony pushed a little more and lost a T-34/85 to the PzIV. Following that I pulled back the rest, breaking some but got all over except for two HS & squad left to harass. The panther guarded my left flank and the PzIV together with the 88L AT my right. When his reinforcements arrive he move them in on my right. The 88L misses, the PzIV misses. On his left he places both remaining T-34/85's in the LOS of the Panther (though one was tricky). I shoot and miss, Intersive fire and .. miss. His turn, swivels the turret and misses. My turn, first shoot: I need a 12 to hit! Ah, that is what the $15 precission dice rolls as well. We didn't resolve the hit (should have!). My 88L crew is broken, but the PzIV gets CH and kills a IS-2m! The lucky T-34/85's returns fire and getting a CH resolves that duel. The PzIV also buys it. The partisan are really active having two heroes on board (and also three HS before it was over). This locked like one lost game. I still got a squad on the left bridge with a PSK and another behind it. Anthony has great respect for the PF's and only slowly approaches the bridges and have to rush in the last two turns. Deploying and filling up as many hexes as possible the Germans do what they can to hinder. A squad advances up on a Russian squad sitting in the right bridge entry hex, and ends up in melee. That blocks one bridge in the last turn and all units have to come over my left bridge, running over three Residuals and the weakened units that make cannot empty a building, giving me the win. That was really hard work, and Anthony provided lots of fun comments. 5-6
For round two Alan Salzman was waiting for me, having finished early. Eventually we get to play SP45 A Stroke of Luck, again raiding Randy's equipment box. Doing a side selection and giving the loser the balance I got the Germans and Alan the Russians with balance. The balance is one of the biggest changes to any scenario that I know of and makes it totally different game, allowing the Russian to start his AFV's crewed up! But Alan probably set them up to defensive, guarding approaches to the buildings.Not that it would have mattered as Alan was diced into oblivion in this game. Not only was he unable to make any morale checks (well perhaps two in the whole game), the new precision dice delivering six snakes. Not much but all were usfull, on BFF MG's versus ?(guy), on TH's etc. Add an average of about 5 to that. In one phase my sniper killed the best leader, reactivated and moved over to Stun the SU-100, allowing a PzV to move up PB and kill it. Two turns before game end Alan had perhaps two GO squads and leader left. I also avoided the Gun and had lost a squad at most. Even when doing right and being lucky – going for a BFF MA vs a Panther missing the TK – he goes for a 4MP ESB and gets it. In his turn again his uses a sM to blind a PSK squad I had sneaked up on him, not that the squad cared firing his PSK out of Smoke and killing the Sherman! Not enjoyable and I hope to play a *real* game of ASL next time we met! (6-6)
So in the final I get to play Bill Cirillo. Bill was to leave the next day so we decided to play immediately even though it was 11 o'clock in the evening. At the same time Bill showed is gorgeous maps for a Budapest HASL. If done this will be a must have! Wow. Considering the late hour we selected SP11 Pomeranian Tigers, a brilliant small heavy metal scenario. Dice again gave me Germans. I pushed agressively by moving in all my units on the right flank. The leftmost units where on the road, or adjacent to it. Bill revealed his AT right then, finding a LOS between the buildings on the left hill and killed a StuG. So at least I knew where it was! In his turn he rearranged a little in his rear. I pushed more, guessing a little about the dummies being right twice. The King Tigers made it up on the hill and together with the other AFV's support my push on the right now as I managed to shift over the central stack and entering all reinforcements there. It held for a turn and then crumbled with my infantry closing in. On the right flank he pulled back as well and I decided to send a King Tiger forward, and avoiding the AT mines in the road he scares the hell out of me by announcing a Deliberate Immob attack by the AT * and * that I was in his bore sighted hex! Agony, I had missed that, perhaps due to that is was 4:30 in the morning. Anyway, he rolls the dice and ... misses. I quickly move another hex forward to be behind the wall there. Having some MP's left I turn left and moves to middle, missing that the squad there was in a building (= CC attack with streetwise). Bill, being a total sportsman, asked if I had seen it and if I wanted to take the move back. I declined, so he rolls for it, makes the PAATC and succeds in immobilizing it right there. Feeling desperate I drive the StuH into a lvl 1 hill building and gets there, only to be immbolized by the AT gun.
It was not a bad spot as it turned out. In my return fire it rolled a CH on an Area shot back and sent the AT gun with crew home. The infantry managed to clean up the width of the board except for a small pocket that his infantry held on my right edge of the board. The IS-2m reinforcements arrived and were moderately aggressive, hiding behind and only one atop his lvl hill. Well, the immobed StuH fires again and gets a CH killing one IS-2m! It is 7:30 in the morning and the final turn comes and having killed enough to only haqving to exit 20VP's the remaining King Tiger stands at 3 hexes distance from the sole IS-2m left. They have failed to kill each other. My last movement phase. I start. He fires for Immob. Rolls the dice. No chance of IF if he misses. He doesn't. Game over, with one point too little exited and no one else in range. Later I realised that Bill hit with one less than needed and IF I had thought of the sN thingie it might have been different! Grin. Bill was a real pleasure to play and truly earned his win this game. Hope to play you again. (6-7)
Well, the final sunday. After I catch a couple of hours of sleep Mark Nixon agrees to play a game. Looking at some of the scenarios in the new Schwerpunkt we decide on SP76 Flaming the Guard. I get the British and set up in a roundish fashion with one AT gun on each side of the rear large stone building. The Shermans are one each flank and one forward. Mark enters from the opposite edge and from my left flank. He has five panthers, one of that must be close to the middle at the end of game as part of the VC. The attack is of the „fast and furious“ kind, and intimidates an Firefly to break its MA. Another Panther nearby is killed by a PIAT guy from the rear. A second panther is killed by the other Firefly. In the front the 10-2 with the FT guy and infantry walks over and break my outpost there. They rout back to a leader in the same building. I fall back a little, the PIAT guy misses the intimidating panther there. The Firefly disables its MA and is recalled. Mark moves forward again and surround my PIAT guy. Two other panthers move in to kill my remaining Firefly, it has to change TCA and misses the first, but gets it on a IF shot. The second now approaches from behind. The AT on the left sees it and changes CA and fires ... boxcars! Then the previously broken PIAT guy fires up and hits the turret from the rear, killing it. Mark now only has one Panther left. He engages the PIAT squad adjacent to it, but it doesn't break. So some units move in for CC. And are ambushed! The PIAT guy withdraws and is looking at the final Panther from the side at a distance of one hex as luck would have. My prep, TH works and the TK also, ending the game there. Short but sweet and fun, and really great to have played Mark himself this time after enjoying three of his tournaments. (7-7)
And so ends another ASLOK. I've said it before, if you only play one tourney in your lifetime this is the one!
Thank you very much Mark and Wild Bill for the work!
