Planning a solo commando raid game - Part 3

This post the third of a series of posts on planning and gaming a commando raid where I need to decide how to decide the orders to the defending Germans in this solo game. I will be using the same mechanisms as I used in the St. Nazaire game, with one or two changes. But before getting into that, it may help to first  look at the tabletop and where the German defenders, including pillboxes, start the game.

Defender’s Starting Positions

The position of infantry units are circled in red and pillboxes in yellow.

At the beginning of the game, the German defenders are placed on the tabletop as follows:

• Pillboxes are placed at key strategic points to defend against attack from the sea.
• German 5 infantry units, one with an truck, are placed in cover key positions: the gun emplacement, radar installation, rail sheds, harbour, and costal defence HQ building.

Defender's Reaction Rules

These rules define how the defending Germans will operate during the game. They cover the tactical operation of individual units on the tabletop and the arrival of reinforcements. These rules are written to fit in with the simple UGO-IGO sequence of play used in the main rules. As with any predefined set of reaction rules, units can on occasion seem to make odd moves, which from a narrative point of view can be put down to the confusion of the raid and night time combat.

German Unit Activation

During the German turn, the following rules are applied to each unit on the tabletop:

1. Any German unit must move towards the closest commando unit using only the roads until within shooting range. As soon as they are within shooting range, they must shoot.
2. Any German unit which cannot shoot at a commando target and cannot move along a road due to other units blocking the way, will leave the road and move towards the closest commando unit until within shooting range.
3. Once German units have left the road and there are no commando units to shoot at, they are no longer constrained with moving along the road and must move towards the closest commando unit until within shooting range. As soon as they are within shooting range, they must shoot.
4. If German units begin a turn within shooting range, they must only shoot at the closest commando unit. Until all enemy units within range are eliminated, they cannot move.

Pillbox Fire

Pillboxes must shoot at the closest commando unit.

A pillbox positioned to defend the harbour.

Reinforcements

A single German infantry reinforcement unit arrives each turn after contact with a commando unit is made by the defenders. Roll a dice to determine which of the three reinforcements points a unit arrives:

• 1-2 Arrive near the gun emplacement
• 3-4 Arrive on the south road
• 5-6 Arrive on the east road.

The photograph shows the entry points for reserves.

The next post will be the battle report.