WIP- Build up to Hotlead 2

WIP- Build up to Hotlead 2

My build up to Hotlead 2012 continues now on game design.

So I thought about what would make a good game and quick, continuous action seems to me, to be the goal. Rules are a Squad Leader miniatures conversion, scale is 1/72nd, and must accomodate 4-6 players. One big change we have made is that vehicles can not enter woods (mainly to speed up play)

Its going to be late '44 Eastern front with the Soviets on the attack.  I want the Soviets to have a lot of troops so they can take loses and keep going, their orders are "take the crossings or this" an enclosed cynide pill (last year I had a player who didn't want to lose any troops, so moved his infantry deep into a forest and did nothing else the entire game)

My initial thinking is a small German force is defending 3 river crossings (bridge and 2 fords), Soviets arrive, and fighting begins. There is little cover on the German side of the river so they have to cross over the bridge. The Soviets win if they control 2 crossings, otherwise Germans win.

Soviets enter F edge, germans row C and halfway onto D, reinforcements enter on road A3 for the Germans and roads F1 and F4

Soviet OB is 7xT34/76, 2xSU-122, 2xM3 halftracks, 2xM3a1 halftracks, up to 10 rifle squads, 2 Machine gun teams at start. German started with 4 squads 1 of which had a Panzerfaust, a Panzerschrek team 2x Sturngeschutze IIIG (Stug for Short) and a SdKfz 234/2 Puma Armoured car

I laid out some terrain (I wanted short Lines of Sight and plenty of cover), pulled some figs and vehicles and played 3 turns.

Terrain layout doesn't exactly match my map, but close enough

The Germans had lost 2 vehicles (Stug IIIG and Puma), vs. 2x T34 and a SU122 (to a panzerfaust) and the infantry were just starting to squabble.

Both side get reinforcements;
Turn 1: 3x German squads in 3 halftracks arrive, plus a SdKfz 250/1.
Turn 2: 3x Mark IVs
Turn 3: 3x T34/85s, 2xSU-85s
Turn 4: 2x Tigers
Turn 5: 2x JS II

My short playtest is encouraging, I may remove the Puma, as it can't really hurt anything's front armour and its unlikely to get a side shot, due to the terrain layout.

AAR - ASL with Miniatures

Miniaturised Advanced Squad Leader game

I was tiding up on my computer and found these photos from the club meeting in February which was a play test for the game we (Greg and I) ran at Hotlead 2011, and since my flaky camera was working that day, I thought I should post them.

Terrain arrangement shot

another terrain arrangement shot

If I recall correctly the scenario objective was for the the Soviets to have more victory points at game end than the Germans, points were obtained for controlling buildings, ruins, hills, killing enemy units, and for the Soviets exiting vehicles off the opposite table edge (in retrospect not likely to happen).

Soviet armour and infantry moving through the woods.

Soviet armour occupying the first hill, the one on the hill top has been acquired by enemy ordnance.

Germans holding them, at the moment.

Soviets preparing to capture their first ruined building, Germans defend the second hill.

Tigers arrive, just in time to blunt the Soviet advance.

Soviets turn the German's right flank, and some T34/85's arrive to spur the Soviet advance.

 

A close range tank duel results in many burning vehicles and dead infantry (though some of them may also be burning)

As I recall the Germans won this game, even though they lost three of the four objectives (they kept control of the house with the stone wall), the Soviets lost a lot of vehicles and infantry.