Tasinsky, Russia 23 August 1943
SITUATION
As part of a general assault on Tazinsky, 2nd platoon is tasked with overrunning an isolated German section on the northern flank of the battalions attack.
SCENARIO
The German squad starts west of the wire and may set up in the rubble on the outskirts of town or in two-man slit trenches. The Russians start behind the hedges across the fields at the east end of the table. At the beginning of turn 7 a d10 will be rolled; on a ten the game will end at the end of the turn, on turn eight the game will end on a nine or ten, etc.
Russians Objective – take the large ruined building in the center of the table and the supplies within. To control the building/Supplies there must be Russians within 6” of the supplies, and no Germans within 12”
German Objectives – hold the building and the supplies within. To control the building/Supplies there must be Russians within 6” of the supplies, and no Germans within 12”.
For fulfilling an objective 5 victory points will be awarded. For each enemy Knocked out of action 1 victory point will be awarded.
FORCES
Russians
Comrade Commissar Pavlovich
Ag d6, Sm d8, Sp d8, St d6, Vg d6, Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 5
Fighting d6, Shooting d8, Notice d8, Stealth d4, Intimidate d10, Throwing d6
Rock n’ Roll, Command, COMMISAR!
PPsh SMG Rng 12/24/48, ROF 3, Dmg 2d6 (1)
Pistol Rng 12/24/48, ROF 1, Dmg 2d6 (1)
Lieutenant Mikhail Postnikov
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6, Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 5
Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Throwing d4
Command
PPsh SMG Rng 12/24/48, ROF 3, Dmg 2d6 (1)
Pistol Rng 12/24/48, ROF 1, Dmg 2d6 (1)
3x Russian Infantry Squads (7)
Ag d6, Sm d4, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6, Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 5
Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Notice d8, Stealth d4, Intimidate d10, Throwing d6
Command
PPsh SMG Rng 12/24/48, ROF 3, Dmg 2d6 (1)
DP – Rng LMG 24/48/96, ROF 3, Dmg 2d8 (2)
Mosin-Nagant Rifle Rng 24/48/96, ROF 1, Dmg 2d8 (2)
Bayonets Str+d4
Germans
Feldwebel Johann Wieneschnitzel
Ag d8, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d8, Vg d8, Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 6
Fighting d8, Shooting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6, Intimidate d8
Command, Combat Reflexes, Rock n’ Roll
MP-40 Rng 12/24/48, ROF 3, Dmg 2d6 (1)
Luger Rng 12/24/48, ROF 1, Dmg 2d6 (1)
Knife Str+d4
LMG Team (3)
Ag d8, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d8, Vg d8, Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 6
Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
Rock n’ Roll
MG-42 Rng 30/60/120, ROF 4, Dmg 2d8 (2)
Luger Rng 12/24/48, ROF 1, Dmg 2d6 (1)
Kar98 Rng 24/48/96, ROF 1, Dmg 2d8 (2)
Bayonets Str+d4
Rifle Team (5)
Ag d8, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d8, Vg d8, Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 6
Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
Kar98 24/48/96, ROF 1, Dmg 2d8 (2)
Bayonets Str+d4
Everyone has Grenades Rng 1/10/15, ROF 1, Dmg 3d6 Med Burst Template.
NEW ABILITY/EDGE
COMMISSAR
A Commissar may make a combined Group Intimidation/Shooting attack against any friendly unit within 6”. This counts as a single action - there is no multi-action penalty for this combination (unless it is combined with other actions, i.e. running) The shots must be taken at the nearest/easiest to hit member of the unit. If the group intimidation roll is successful (whether anyone was successfully executed or not) all shaken members of the unit immediately recover. Additionally, if successful, all units within 12” of the commissar are +2 to any morale tests for the remainder of the turn. If the roll goes bust (roll of one on the intimidation die) any unshaken members of the unit (or other friendly troops within 6” of the commissar?) will immediately attack the commissar.
THE GAME
Gary showed up and we diced randomly to see who would play whom. I ended up with the Russians and Gary played the Germans.
(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)
TURN ONE
Gary set up…
… then I set up…
… and we were on our way! All the Russians did on the first turn was RUN!!!
3rd Squad moving up.
2nd Squad making a run for it across the open, 1st squad is in the background. The Germans did fire on 2nd squad but didn’t hit anyone.
TURN TWO
The Germans cut 2nd Squad to pieces. They failed moral…
3rd Squad continued it’s advance towards the objective.
As did 1st Squad, though they’d have an LMG team to deal with first…
TURN THREE
Third Squad ran at the Germans as fast as they could. Firing his PPsh SMG from the hip the Sergeant actually hit and knocked out one of the Germans in the trenches (Running, Full Auto, hard cover… only a 12 to hit… three aces hits with a raise!). The leading rifleman tossed a grenade though he missed, he didn’t me by much (close DOES count with hand grenades – and horse shoes…) the grenade went off next to the trench and knocked out the second rifleman (+4 toughness from cover doesn’t help much when you roll 19 for damage).
After the slaughter of 2nd squad the previous turn things were looking pretty grim for the Russians. After this little bit of luck things looked… well… slightly less bleak. The German flank was exposed somewhat. Already it was clear to me that the victory points for enemy killed would definitely win it for the Germans – even if the Russians did manage to take the objective….
The German LMG team then fired on the 1st squad knocking down the squad leader and a rifleman, causing them to fail morale!
Since grenades worked out so well for the Russians, Gary thought try throwing a couple potato-masher back… it didn’t work quite so well…
Around this time Mr. Miller joined us and took over the Russians. In true form he had Commisar Pavlovich rush up and try out his new Commissar edge – he executed one of the riflemen in 1st squad and the rest immediately recovered!!
TURN FOUR
Gary tried again with the grenades and was a little more successful, knocking down three more Russians.
The third squad carried on their assault and threw even more grenades back at the Germans knocking out two of them. One, which was thrown from medium range, scattered so wildly it blew up near Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel (hiding behind the objective in the top right of the above picture!). The remaining rifleman in the rifle team failed morale.
The Squad Leader from Second Squad recovered and started firing his SMG at The remaining German rifleman in the ruined building and hit!? Medium Range, Full Auto, Hard Cover… only needs a 12 – rolled a 13!? Being shaken from the moral failure all he had to do was beat his toughness of 6 on 2d6…. Rolled a 3…
The Gemran LMG team K.O.ed two more riflemen in the Russian 1st squad, who then failed morale again… You’d think they’d have learned after the last fellow was executed.
TURN FIVE
Commissar Pavlovich cocking hit SMG menacingly must have been motivation enough… 1st squad drew a joker – for Fortune and Calamity they rolled “Teamwork” and the Commissar joined them. They recovered all on their own advanced on the German LMG position, throwing grenades, while the Commissar sprayed them with bullets from his SMG. It must have LOOKED impressive… too bad the Germans ducked…
Later in the turn the German LMG team finished off 1st squad and tagged the Commissar in the process, causing two wounds… which were promptly soaked!
Lieutenant Postnikov, like the Second Squad’s commander the turn before, sprayed bullets at the remaining German rifleman in the building and hit, but caused no damage!?
The Russian Third Squad rushed the building. Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel, who had been on hold attempted to interrupt… The Russians sprayed bullets and grenades all over the place. The Feldwebel sprayed bullets all over the place. The was a moment of silence… when the smoke cleared they realized nobody had hit ANYTHING!?
The (still shaken) German Rifleman then crawled away from the window and the Russians entering the building, hoping no one would notice him.
TURN SIX
The Russian Platoon commander rushed up to the window recently occupied by the German Rifleman, he sprayed bullets in after him, hitting him THREE TIMES!! HE was done..
The German LMG team decided Commissar Pavlovich was nothing to worry about, but it sounded like their Squad Leader needed help in the building, so they vacated their position and made a run for it. Upon entering the building they sprayed bullets at the remains of the Russian Third Squad (so… Running, Snapfire, Full-Auto….). They actually hit one rifleman knocking him down, the remainder of the squad failed morale…
Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel then sprayed more bullets at the Russian squad, knocking down two more. Only the Squad Leader remained…
The Russian Third Squad Leader recovered and advanced into the ruined building and took cover behind some crates, but took no further action.
TURN SEVEN
Rolling for game end… nope, not this turn…
The LMG team fired, again from the hip, at the commissar, missing.
The Russian Second Squad Leader fired at Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel well inside the building (medium range, full auto, though a loophole… 14 to hit…) and actually hit him, but caused no damage (this seems to becoming a regular theme…)!?
Lieutenant Postnikov fired at the LMG team, the loader was hit and shaken.
Commissar Pavlovich and Russian Third Squad Leader threw grenades at the LMG team, but missed. The one from the Russian Third Squad Leader went clear over the Germans and landed a little too close to the Commissar – shaking him!
Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel then charged into close combat with the Russian Third Squad Leader and stabbed him dead! (Gary wanted to see how close combat worked…).
TURN EIGHT
Roll for game end: The game will continue at least another two turns…
Things seemed, to me at least, pretty up in the air until this point. I really thought it could go either way…. Then Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel pulled a JOKER! For Fortune and Calamity he rolled “Out of Ammo”, which he applied to the Russian Platoon Commander. If that didn’t suck enough for Lieutenant Postnikov, the Feldwebel then ran wound the corner of the building and filled him full of lead – a full-auto blast from his MP-40 hit Lieutenant Postnikov THREE TIMES (one with a raise). After all the damage and soaking was done and the dust settled Lieutenant Postnikov had two wounds and was shaken!
The Russian Second Squad Leader rattled off a burst at Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel, who was now at short range and in the open, but the Feldwebel’s luck held and he remained unscathed.
The LMG team opened up on the Commissar at extremely close range, causing a hit and a wound but jammed their gun in the process. The Commissar Quickly recovered however and shot back at the LMG gunner shaking him!
TURN NINE
The game-end dice roll declared the game would end at the end of this turn.
The DP gunner in the Russian Second Squad finally recovered from being shaken. He and the squad leader advanced spraying bullets at Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel, missing wildly.
Commissar Pavlovich again shot the LMG gunner, hitting him, but failing to finish him off.
Lieutenant Postnikov failed to recover from being shaken, so he crawled around the corner for better cover.
The German LMG team loader recovered from being shaken but could take no action. The ammo bearer steped out the door and tried to shoot Lieutenant Postnikov, but missed. Feldwebel Wieneschnitzel ran back into the building and sprayed bullets at Commissar Pavlovich, which shook his resolve once again; “Could a communist utopia really be worth all this trouble…?” Well we didn’t find out as that was the end of the game.
Conclusion
Well the Germans won. According to the victory points originally laid out the Russians got five (for knocking out Germans), and the Germans scored NINETEEN (also just for killing Russians). Technically no one held the objective, though I probably should have stipulated that there should be “no UNSHAKEN enemy within 12”… I never did figure out degrees of victory (minor victory, major victory, etc…) I’d say it was a victory… they held their position against an attack of 2.5:1 odds (I have another 12 Russians on the workbench that will be finished by next Monday, though… BWA-HA-HA-Ha… ha… ha….), but it was at a cost.
I rolled for survival later on. I gave the Russians a -2 since they lost and the injured would have been more or less left for dead. The tally in the end was as follows:
Russins
KIA/DOW 12
Serious Injuries 4
Light Injuries 2
Minor injuries/Walk Aways 2
Germans
None Killed
Serious Injuries 3
Light Injuries 1
Minor injuries/Walk Aways 1
The German victory looks a little more secure in this light, don’t it…?
NEXT WEEK
Well I really want to get going on some Cold War Commander… but I do have another 12 Russians that I’ll have finished… and that KV still hasn’t seen any action…
As Future War Commander is expected to arrive at the Dragon’s Den by the end of the week (or maybe early next week) I’m pretty sure the following week we’ll be busting out the micro sci-fi toys to try that out!!
Close game!
ReplyDeleteIt was! A fair bit of back and forth. I had a lot of fun running it.
ReplyDeleteMr. Miller looked a bit bored - but maybe that was his "poker face"...