I was there early and helped set up tables and unload gear and terrain. Turn out was very high because most people take a break from gaming in November and December.
My plan for 2010 is to be there early and get a quick game in before returning home and the Honey Do List. Tim was very understanding of my time and we decided to scrap up two 600-pt German forces and do a blue-on-blue training exercise.
Here's a few shots of the Hall:
Refreshments bar and Tim scribbling up a 600-pt army.
The Table.
CiC, 2iC, and 3-strong platoon. All PzIIIL's.
How this game was going to end was foreshadowed by the dice throws to see who went first. Tim and tied 3 times before he won the right to deploy first. Here he deploys his two F-2's and PzIIIJ(specials).
I deploy and move my command units into the grain fields, while the platoon seeks cover in the small village.
Tim's 2iC tries to be sneaky and flank me.
Tim's tanks are armed with lasers! Whew! It's just a leveling tool to check line of sight.
Two hits! I bounced a 75mm shell off the armor (yah, FA6!) and one tank is bailed, whose crew quickly jumps back in.
Uh oh...2iC driver bogs down.
Not enjoying so much firepower in their direction, the 3-tank platoon shifts over to deal with Tim's 2iC.
I manage one hit and Tim obliges me by failing an armor save and I make a FP roll. First blood to the men of 11th Panzer.
The 3-tank platoon then returns to the village and promptly gets shot at again, this time with deadly results - 1 dead tank and 1 bailed tank.
CiC and 2iC make it into the forest.
2iC bogs down, the CiC pops out of the forest for an ineffectual shot.
The survivor of the 3-tank platoon hides behind his burning friends and a building. A couple of turns of the CiC and 2iC play peek-a-boo with Tim's 2 F-2's and 2 IIIJ (specials) and Tim decides to press the issue and charge into the forest. A newbie watching the game rolls all the bog checks and makes them all.
2iC gets blowed up, but Tim bogs a tank. The newbie had gone off to another game, so Tim was "forced" to roll his own dice. The survivor arrives in the forest to help the CiC. They manage to bail one of Tim's IIIJ's.
The dancing and maneuvering begins. Tim misses or I make armor saves. In return, a IIIJ goes down.
The crew of the F-2 jumps back in, Tim makes bog checks, the IIIJ swivels its turret and I await the destruction of my tanks. But no! One F-2 misses and so does the IIIJ, I make an armor save versus the F-2! The 75mm must have gone right through the tank.
An F-2 blows up. The forest is filled with smoke, the sound of booming cannon and shouting crews. It's now 2 versus 2.
Tim misses all his shots. I don't.
The view from ground level.
600-pt games usually go quickly. This one didn't. It lasted about 2 hours. Tim helped explain rules and taught me a thing or two about leaving one tank of a platoon in the open and the rest in concealment.
Tim and I were both smiling and cracking jokes at how ineffectual our cannon fire was in the forest. Since this was a Blue on Blue engagement, we imagined the tanks were shooting paint, like Odd Ball's Sherman in Kelly's Heroes, at each other. We figured the tanks in the forest were covered in paint. Upon their return to the dispersal, Tim said the commanders would be there to yell at the tank crews "Fire and Maneuver!" They'd also be screaming at the crews because of poor marksmanship. Vets shooting at vets, especially in concealment means needing lots of 5's and 6's.
The enjoyable forest battle lasted several turns. Vets shooting at vets, especially in concealment means needing lots of 5's or 6's. Tim and I shot and shot and shot at each other. Miss, miss, hit, armor save, hit, failed armor save, failed firepower roll, etc, etc. At the end, we both were shouting, "No!", "Yes!" "Argggh".
Tim has a great attitude and is really fun to play with or against. He said he'd be happy to accomodate my early schedule and get a game set up for next Hobby Day.
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