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: Damond and Jer GAME: FMA WWII Paratroops meeting between lines on way back
from patrols
Each side had about 10 guys, with one MG, an SMG or two, a few grenades (too
few I think) and a bunch of rifles. Both sides had to exit guys off the other
side and the board looked about 6x6 or 5x5. Tree stands and a house in the
middle.
Bob Makowsky, Greg Davis and I were the Fallschirmjager. I draw a blank at 2
am on the names of our opponents, but mean no disrespect. I'm just tired and
bad with names.
The German plan was:
1) Get MG into firing position fast to cover road, house, and mid-board
2) Get Sergeant up with MG for reactivations 3) Get Corporal and two soldiers
into house
Well, our plan failed miserably. Bad dice helped a lot, but so did good
American decisions. Americans beat us to the house (dice, I think) and then
proceeded to throw back (to our detriment) every grenade we lobbed into the
house. We eventually hurt those guys a bit with massed gunfire, but it took a
long time.
Meanwhile, grenades and gunfire cost us that entire flank - 2 riflemen
and the corporal.
The MG got to fire once all game then the allied MG and rifles put so much
fire on him that his stress precluded any reactivations (note stress was not
being removed by failed activation tests!). He just became useless. The
sergeant ended up activating riflemen until he was shot dead with one shot
from a US rifleman. Survivor of Crete and the Eastern Front, some 82nd AB
yahoo killed him.
Our remaining rifles took position and fired until seriously wounded (one guy
shot through both legs seriously, another with a head wound) and until ammo
was running low. We stressed a few Americans and killed another, but our side
lost morale with the MG down, all NCOs down. Some started to melt away and
some held on against bad odds, which usually ends badly.
The game was an American victory by a combination of sensible tactics, mutual
support, good grenade return skills, and their early kill of our
corporal and later mid-game kill of our sergeant. The German tactics
seemed valid enough, but just didn't pan out.
Critiques included how easy it was to chuck back grenades (including ones not
directly at your feet) and how a figure with a bunch of stress that can't
activate but not enough to autofail to a lower morale status can languish for
the entire game doing nothing.
This draft is a modified 2003/4 FMAS draft, so probably not much like
that currently in testing (or so I suspect). But it was good and playable,
with the few complaints. Bob and I both thought it did a good job of a lot of
things and that it would make a playable game more or less as Damo had it
written up with the issues we mention above addressed.
Thanks to Damo and Jer for a good game (as usual), nice terrain and figures,
and a fun end to my convention.
And a BIG THANKS to Jon Davis, Mark Kochte, Jerry Han and anyone else doing
organizing and helping out. ECC would not exist without these noble souls and
that would be a big loss.
Thomas B
> On Mar 2, 2009, at 2:03 AM, Tom B wrote:
> Bob Makowsky, Greg Davis and I were the Fallschirmjager. I draw a
Jerry and Derek ran the US troops.
> Critiques included how easy it was to chuck back grenades
If using the 2004 draft of FMAS, as written, troops who fail their activation
test go to shaken....and if they fail another they haul it
-- much too quickly for trained troopers IMHO. So I decided to play
with that mechanic a little to model suppression and the impact of taking
massive amounts of fire. The German LMG gunner was taking massive amounts of
fire.
If I was to run the scenario again I would allow a SOLDIER the ability to fire
once, at reduced FP, if they fail their activation test. A BETTER idea, IMHO,
would be to use the standard SG2 morale progression: confident, steady,
shaken, etc...with the activation check. It would require more tokens on the
table but that's okay.
As far as grenades go I figured a straight Nerve check would be good enough.
When fighting against Nerve 1 troops you only want to throw grenades once
they've activated which is a bit gamey. Beating 2*Nerve would probably work
out better over the course of the game.
I know young Mr.Davis would have preferred that.:)
Vet/1 troops would still be able to throw it back 75% of the time but
I figure they have the battlefield presence required. The more
common Vet/2 will do so 50% of the time.
With the above tweaks I may run the scenario against a local in the near
future to see how it plays out. Perhaps Historicon.
> Thanks to Damo and Jer for a good game (as usual), nice terrain and
Thanks for playing and taking it like a man.:)
> And a BIG THANKS to Jon Davis, Mark Kochte, Jerry Han and anyone
Yes a big thanks to Jon, Mark, and Jerry H.! ECC is the convention I go to in
order to PLAY games, drink beer, get inspired for next year, drink beer, and
play games. I go to Historicon to spend cash.
Damo
> On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 1:03 AM, Tom B <kaladorn@gmail.com> wrote:
How many grenades did you have, out of curiosity?
Doing research for the First Special Service Force book, I found that the
normal combat load for the FSSF was 7 grenades, four of which were immediately
accessible.
> Critiques included how easy it was to chuck back grenades (including
Any suggestions on how to correct for this? What if you could buy off
some/all stress by taking a lower morale state, perhaps with a
requirement of a retrograde movement?
The scenario sounds interesting, anyway. Any pictures of the terrain?
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> Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 6:48 AM, Damo <damosan@gmail.com> wrote:
> If I was to run the scenario again I would allow a SOLDIER the
Damo, if you get Les to agree, maybe we can meet at his place one evening and
play it out there? I'd be interested in giving it a go.
Mk
> On Mar 2, 2009, at 10:30 PM, Indy wrote:
> Damo, if you get Les to agree, maybe we can meet at his place one
Talking Les into a game is far too easy. I'll send a note to you guys off
list.
Damo
> On Mar 2, 2009, at 10:11 PM, Allan Goodall wrote:
> How many grenades did you have, out of curiosity?
I assigned two grenades to a few troopers in each squad. I didn't want it to
become a game of 20 guys throwing grenades back and forth.
> The scenario sounds interesting, anyway. Any pictures of the terrain?
I have a few poor pictures -- I'd wait for better pics to come out.
Damo