Another Portable Wargame: Eastern Front Scenario - Take III (Part 2)

Realising that the German artillery position is the most dangerous position the T-34s concentrate their attention on it (see below):

Exchanging shots the T-34 take damage but gain the upper hand (see below):

The German front line valiantly tries to hold back yet more T-34s and infantry but cannot help but nervously look over their shoulders (see below):

It is "do-or-die" time for the German gunners (see below):

But the appearance of a third T-34 seals their fate (see below):

The Russian infantry pressure also breaks the German infantry line (see below):

Then the German gunners are gone (see below):

And the position overran (see below):

Morale broken the Germans "drift away" on the breeze, the flotsam and jetsam of the 'lost' battlefield (see below):

The German armour (a trusty PSC Panzer IVH) escapes thanks to its mobility. It has been very ineffectual in its attacks (see below):

The German Commander routs (see below - lucky to be alive):

The last German platoon is surrounded and surrenders (see below):

Quiet a brutal affair, but I did want to see how the "step-loss" rule variant played. I liked it. However the "quick kill" seems much more in the vein of the armour (now you see it now you don't), so I might just mix-and-match them. Something about the gun values may need tweaking too when you get light tanks versus heavies etc. I do like the 'morale collapse' passing the initiative to the attacker (or perhaps non-broken). Onwards to "Developing the Portable Wargame" as I believe Bob addresses some of these very issues ("Pinning": say no more!). Also I think it is time for me to cook up some of my own scenarios.

Another Portable Wargame: Eastern Front Scenario - Take III (Part 1)

Another run out for Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame rules, this time played with the "step-loss" variant (so no quick kills). Dawn breaks to see the German defenders facing a gathering sea of Red Army units ready to "surge" forwards 'en masse' (see below):

The German Armour takes a flanking position to anchor the front (see below):

The Soviet T-34 Phalanx just chooses to roll on through the middle (see below):

Soviet artillery pushes the German PAK crews out of their prepared positions as the T-34s try to grind the Germans out of their defenses (see below):

The German PAK rallies and reoccupies the defenses (see below):

However this precipitates the T-34s to storm the defenses (see below):

The Pak 40 Platoon succumbs to the treads'n'tracks of the metal monster (see below, note the weakened German MG platoon to the right - it has been a tough time in the line):

The German center is wilting and the German armour is engaged in an ineffectual dual on the German left flank. Russian infantry have moved up on the German right flank and it is beginning to look very precarious for the defenders (see below): 

The meat-grinder continues with German infantry attacking the central T-34 from a covered ambush position (see below):

The Germans are looking very thread-bare so the attack is desperate measure (see below):

The first German attack id repulsed (see below):

But the second sees the T-34 erupt in a column of smoke and flame (see below):

Meanwhile the relentless Russian attacks have ground down the German infantry destroying a German Infantry Platoon (see below):

A second T-34 launches an overrun attack and cuts behind into the heart of the defense threatening the German Artillery position (see below):

The odds seem stacked against the Germans .. is there any chance of a counter-attack?

The Portable Wargame Book WWII Eastern Front Battle (Part 4) - Re-Fight III "End Game Over-run"

Heartened by the destruction of the Panzer IV the Soviets regaled their T-34s to "super human patriotic efforts" and charge and break the German centre. Supported by artillery (it was deemed to be a fresh close combat as the PAK crews had just returned to the fray) and other units the PAK was destroyed. This left a Commander alone in the hex and the T34 mercilessly advanced, tank tracks squealing in "Cross of Iron" fashion (see below): 

We had a brief conversation regarding what to do with a solo command figure alone in close combat and we decided that it was an auto kill - alternatively it could have been roll a "6" for it to hit the T-34, but the latter auto kill seemed more fair (maybe it was getting late). The German Commander went to Valhalla (see below, the Germans are approaching their Exhaustion Limit having lost a Pz IV, a Pak 40 and a Commander - 3 towards their 4 limit, whereas the Russians despite losing three infantry and one tank - are only 4 towards their 7 limit):

The one remaining hope for the Germans was their Mountain Artillery piece, now firing over open sight could brew a T-34 but alas the T34's armour was too strong. Almost inevitably the German front ruptured; Soviet direct fire returned the complement to the German Mountain Artillery and a hit made it retreat (crew not the guns, just like the PAK). This effectively brought the German forces almost to the point of "Exhaustion" - no further movement for offensive action. However the rampant T-34s kept coming (see below, the German artillery crew can just be seen bottom left corner):

The close combat although not killing the Germans (still tenuously hanging above their exhaustion point) hurled them away from the safety of their fortifications and opened up the rearmost T-34 to perform exploitation right into "the enemies backfield" (see below):

The veteran T-34 (veteran as in "model", not as in quality of the unit, as it was painted last century in the 1990's was about to claim it's "wargaming moment") did not need to be asked twice and promptly 'overran' [again I can hear those tank tracks squealing - that remorseless metal on metal sound ] the retreating Mountain Artillery crew. Again after discussion we deemed the German crew were in no position to defend themselves (perhaps "6" to hit would the T-34 have been as appropriate - but what with?) This was sufficient to break the Germans or rather make them reach their Exhaustion Point (see below - no more offensive movement for the Germans from this point on):

With the Russian infantry moving up and two rampant T-34s in the German rear (not forgetting another positioning itself to charge from the front) it was 'game, set and match' to the Soviets. The only question now was, "Could the Germans could get anything off in good order?" or was it a complete rout. Answer: It became a rout as another German Infantry Platoon was eliminated and all the other units forced to retreat "pell-mell" off table (see below, the final position):

This certainly was a comprehensive Russian victory. The game was over in just over an hour, with plenty of time spent in interesting conversation to add to the enjoyment of the proceedings. In fact I have played much longer games of DBA, so it was a quick game for sure - with the previous "run through" and this game done in the same evening. Note: I definitely want to re-run the scenario using Step Points (SPs) instead of the "instant kill" option to see the difference it makes - I expect a prolonged resistance but a Soviet victory.

Thoughts on the rules: Noting we just played the 'basic version' from the Portable Wargames book, not the additional features from the Developing the Portable Wargame. We seemed to get "most" things right, but I think we allowed direct fire (as opposed to close assault) from adjacent hexes at certain points. The more I think about it I am more inclined to prohibit this and force the player to either stand back or go in close and dirty. I am also assuming initiating close combat is "optional in your turn" if you are adjacent to an enemy unit. Regarding weapons characteristics, both the T34 - Pz IV - Pak 40 were OK as they were evenly matched. Throw a Tiger or a JSII into the mix then I think some "relational" modifiers would be appropriate (medium gun versus heavy armour implies a six or the tank could get a saving throw). Likewise for this period of the war, infantry anti-tank weapons justify the danger in T34s or Pz IVs attempting to overrun infantry, early war that would not be teh case. Things I personally want to introduce would be (and these are borrowed from many board game other rule-sets):

• "Pinned Status" for troops that are fired upon and go "hunkered down" [Bob has read my mind with this additional feature in the follow on book: Developing the Portable Wargame].
• An "Over-watch" action [placed defensively on units that don't move/fire that allows them to shoot at enemy that move into LOS/range next turn].
• Playing around with vehicle characteristics to be more historical without becoming a "rivet counter".
• Armour (AFV) attacking infantry in the open - overrun, then moving on after a successful attack.
• Period Adjustments - for example 1940's "tank fright", here the Panzer Leader, Squad Leader and other Avalon Hill/SPI games are fertile sources of rule inspiration.
• Special one-off troop characteristics (Stalingrad Militia high morale for example) 
• Soviet "Tank-Riders"
• Ammunition shortages [probably best dealt with in a scenario briefing]

All-in-all a good rules run out and I look forward to many hours of enjoyment spent tinkering along with these rules. That's the beauty of Bob's system, he doesn't explicitly demand you 'kowtow' to him but rather get started in an interesting conversation and how it could work out. Personally I am particularly looking forward to replaying the Colonial scenario and exploring the Ancients. Bob has also published a naval variant and is currently working on a Napoleonic set.

The Portable Wargame Book WWII Eastern Front Battle (Part 3) - Re-Fight II "Armoured Assault"

The Soviet Commander decided to risk all in an all-out armoured attack. The four active units of T-34s pushed as far forwards as they could. Two of the T-34s halted as they ended "woods" (which stops any further movement but laid down "suppression" fire) and a third T34 aggressively chose to attempt an overrun of the PAK position (see below, the fourth T34 wisely stands off leaving "retreat room" - just in case if the advanced units attack goes badly and they have to retreat (see below, also note the German infantry platoon that has taken up an advanced position in the wood ahead of the PzIV, bottom left): 

The first 'tank-v-tank' engagement of the game started, with the T-34s coming out slightly on top, making the (Elite) German Panzer IV retreat (see below, beaten but not 'worsted'):

The central T-34 close assault was ineffectual, much to the relief of the Soviet Commander as when the odds were calculated the T-34 was in a badly  disadvantaged position (Soviets needed a 6 to hit while the Germans [in a fortification with their commander] needed 4-6 to hit). The close combat would continue but the Russians had "dodged" a bullet this turn (see below, note the "smoke" was a visual just for effect and to signify a unit had fired):

A second round of combat ensued [and in fact I think I let the Russians perform multiple "direct-fires" rather than force them to a close assault again - which seemed fair as a close assault attempt had been attempted] with the result that a "retreat" result enforced on the German PAK . True the winning the Soviet player could  not advance, but that was OK as it would have put him in yet another "disadvantageous close combat, " this time with the German MG team from a 'flank' hex. The German Commander thus elected to stay "in situ" hoping the crew would return rather than rout away with them [we ruled that without a transport the PAK could not rightly be hauled away].

Note: A brief discussion ensued to decide whether the "Commander" was just a DRM or could hold a hex himself - certainly not manning a PAK but could he "close combat"? The mutually agreed  decision being that he was a figurehead and an organiser rather than a combat element (despite what you see in teh war movies).

The Soviet player at this point was more concerned with the 'Elite' German Panzer IVH on his flank (see below, looking promising but still fraught with danger for the Soviets):

The Soviet Commander regrets at not having supporting infantry up with the tanks to take advantage of the heroic T34 and its local success.

Note: Another rule question came about regarding firing at units while in a close assault. It was decided that supporting units could fire at the defenders in advance of the attacker going in (by virtue of firing other units first). However, once in a close combat then it was deemed another matter (confusion and intermingling) and the norm would be to refrain from firing because of the danger of a "blue-on-blue". I think there may be a need for a "locked in melee" close assault marker, to denote when both sides cannot shoot into a close combat hex!

The German PAK crew recovered their composure (automatically - not needing a morale roll) and returned to their PAK (but were deemed unable to fire this turn) and the Panzer IV made a heroic but  desperate counter-attack (see below):

Choosing the rearmost T-34 as the most dangerous (being stacked with a commander and thus gaining to hit benefits) and also the most visible (the two other T-34s were in cover and one dangerously close to the re-manning PAK unit) the Pz IV's main armament barked and a T-34 erupted into a column of fire and brimstone (see below, one of Stalin's best succumbed):

The Soviets were not going to take this tank duel lying down and a fusillade of 76mm AT shots from the two remaining T-34s  with a clear LOS (the other one was back in close combat) crashed into the side of the Panzer IV. This time the Elite Panzer status could not save the Panzer IV (see below, go tell Adolf about the death of another panzer tank): 

Now there was the small matter of a PAK and the fortification line to deal with. It has to be noted at this point that despite firing in every turn both sides artillery had been quite ineffective.

The Portable Wargame Book WWII Eastern Front Battle (Part 2) - Re-Fight I "Opening Moves"

After a brief "commanders/generals" conversion discussing the merits of the quick 'exhibition game' (see previous post), we decided we were keen to move back to the IGOUGO system as we thought the random card mechanism a bit too random (capable of generating too many "flip-flops") for the moment. Likewise we did not favour the positioning of the German AT Pak 40 so we collectively moved it behind the fortifications with the commander, giving it the best offensive and defensive bonuses. Admittedly it would be more exposed to the expected phalanx of T-34s but it seemed teh better option to us (see below, the 'calm before the T-34 storm') :

Given the information gleaned from the last disastrous attack the Russian commander brought the phalanx of T-34s on and parked them menacingly outside of the range of the German Mountain Artillery and PAK unit. This was not going to be a piecemeal attack but a coordinated cut and thrust (see below, famous quote of "a plan not surviving contact with the enemy" comes to mind): 

The "cool-handed and cool-headed" Soviet commander (not me I hasten to add) was not to be rushed and brought in flanking companies of Soviet infantry to push forward either side of his precious T-34 Phalanx (see below, I like the terrain-vehicle-figures visual presentation): 

The German Commander was forced to play the 'waiting game' as the Soviet Commander ran his infantry up to but not into some cover (see below, the Germans now at least have targets to shoot at next go):

Whereas the attackers are hindered by the numbers of units activated (card selected - half to +/- 1 FV) and always making choices of what to move, the defender can pretty much always decide to shoot at "any targets of opportunity" and his artillery. Note: The "two reserve" German infantry platoons have moved up taking firing positions "in the front line" (see below, the three nearest Soviet infantry units are in the line of sight to one or more German "weapon systems"): 

The PAK 40 was the first to speak with a HE shell eliminating a Russian squad/platoon (I am still undecided at what level a basic "manoeuvre unit" is pitched at - platoon is my default assumption) in one fell blow (see below):

A second Soviet infantry platoon is eliminated in quick succession from accurate German Defensive fire by one of the German infantry platoons that had moved up from reserve (see below):

Adding insult to injury a German MG42 section barks and a third Soviet platoon is no more (see below, devastation in a matter of seconds - anybody remember that plan?):

A deep frown is now seen creasing the brow of the Soviet commander. Although his T-34s are still intact the 'first wave' of Soviet infantry has been devastated. After thinking long and hard he decides to act with extreme utility.

The Portable Wargame Book WWII Eastern Front Battle (Part 1) - Example Run Through

This one has been on the bucket list for quite some time. Ideally I wanted to play "The Portable Wargame" well before I went to CoW 2018 earlier this year and met Bob in person. Unfortunately there was too much 'other wargaming stuff' going on at the time to fit in, but when a friend announced he has purchased a set of Kallistra hexagons (envy!) I jumped on the opportunity. The first thing to do was to decamp some of my dust gathering wargame kit from the loft to fulfil its "wargame destiny". To familiarise ourselves with the rules we decided to run through the play test in Bob Cordery's book, The first thing to do was to set up the German defences. I re-used the scenery I had made for the Fire-Move Hex game, fortifications were made-up of random lengths of platic sprue (I have started keeping this with a hope for a "use") and finally added the minefields with wooden counters, recently picked up from "The Works" - I still have the inclination to put skull and cross bones on them. (see below, a PSC Pz IV, two units of four-figure infantry "platoons", two units of two-figure MG "sections", a Pak 40, 105 Howitzer representing the Mountain Artillery):

The attacking Soviets charge on, heavy in armour (the dreaded T-34) and infantry (see below): 

The Soviets rushed the German defences, lead by a phalanx of T-34's and wave of infantry following. The T-34 fell victim to the German Pak 40's opening round (see below):

As Bob was performing more of a"tour de force"of the rules, a second T-34s charged through a minefield to its destruction - minefields being particularly as we were playing the one-hit sudden death variant of the rules (see below):

With 50% of the T-34's down the great patriotic hope shifted to the mass of Soviet infantry following them (see below):

A third T-34 was lost close assaulting a German fortified infantry position. The lack of obvious anti-tank assets is mitigated by the assumption of hand held AT infantry devices in this period of the war are profuse (see below):

As the final T-34 succumbed to the Pak 40 the scripted game came to a close. Another interesting feature had been the card driven sequence of activation as opposed to the more normal IGOUGO system. Again Bob was walking through the various rule mechanisms you could use ratherthan setting up the 'perfect attack' (see below, as the Russians cut their loses and retreated):

Having served its purpose as a bit of "Victorian Theatre" we decided to set up and replay the scenario. We decided to keep the instant kill (as opposed to step loss) rule in play but return to the standard IGOUGO sequence of play. The number of units that can be activated remained decided by an activation card draw (half the force value +/- 1: for the Germans FV: 8 implies [3, 4, 5]; for the Russians FV:13 implies [6, 7, 8].