A big battle fought in three games - Part 2

Following on from my previous post, where I described the setup and preparation for a larger one-off Napoleonic battle which would be fought as a series of three games, with each game representing one section of the battlefield: the centre and the two flanks. This post covers the battle report.

The idea for this approach came from Donald Featherston’s book War Games. In the Franco-Prussian War campaign described in one of the book's chapters, whenever the opposing armies met and a major battle developed, the battle was fought as three separate games, representing the centre and two wings of the armies. The overall winner of the battle was the side that won two of the three games.

A game in progress with a mix of old plastic 30mm Spencer-Smith figures and 25mm Minifig artillery.

My initial thinking was to write a separate game report for each of the three actions, followed by an overall battle report combining them into a single battle narrative. In the end I decided against this as it is a single battle which just happens to be played across three tabletop layouts.

So, here is the overall battle report, bringing together the three games into a single account of the battle.

Background

A French army has crossed into northern Bravance with orders to march south between the Pies and Zoilern Rivers with the aim of preventing an Austrian advance. The French commander, Marshal Victor de Launay, has organised his army into three Corps, supported by a small reserve.

The Austrian army, under the command of Marshal Karl von Hohenbruck, is marching north in three columns between the two rivers, unaware of the French army commanded by Marshal Victor de Launay. Both armies are organised identically into three Corps and a reserve.

Battle positions using ChatGPT to generate a map from my original line sketch in my previous post.

The first contact between the two armies occurs along the banks of the Pies River, near the towns of Gelsen and Bernsdorf. As reports of the enemy's presence reach both commanders, their armies begin to concentrate, and deploy ready for battle between the two rivers. The ground between the rivers is mainly farming land with a few woods which is intersected by several roads connecting a number of small villages and the regional town of Lemback situated on the Zoilern River.

Opening Clashes

The first clashes were between the scouting parties along the banks of the Pies River, where the French III Corps, on the army’s right wing, came into contact with the Austrian I Corps. These were the first formations to deploy, and by midday the opening attacks were underway around the villages of Gelsen and Bernsdorf.

The setup of the tabletop for the first game.

The French occupied Gelsen, while the Austrians established themselves around Bernsdorf. The high ground on the French right flank, north east of Bernsdorf, soon became the principal objective for both commanders. French infantry were initially able to secured the position, but determined Austrian attacks drove them from the hill. The fighting then developed into a struggle for possession of the high ground as the French brought forward reinforcements in an attempt to recover the position.

The French initially secure the high ground north east of Bernsdorf.

On the Austrian left, their cavalry moved along the banks of the Pies River, seeking a ford where they could cross and threaten the French rear. However, upon reaching the ford they found it held by French infantry who had recently arrived from army reserves. After a couple of charges they were forced to retire.

Austrian cavalry move along the river seeking a ford where they can threaten the French rear.

The Austrian cavalry are unable to cross the river.

Meanwhile, the contest for the high ground continued. Additional French troops had now been committed to the fight, which enabled them to successfully retake the position. The Austrians, having committed their last available reinforcements and with no army reserves available to them were compelled to withdraw, leaving the hill firmly in the hands of the French.

The French are able to retake the high ground.

The French had gained the upper hand in the opening action, as the larger battle began to develop.

A map showing the main thrusts by both sides (French blue and Austrian red) and the held objectives. French 2 objectives and the Austrians 1 objective.

Attack on Lembeck

By mid-afternoon, the French I Corps had commenced an attack along the banks of the Zollern River, with orders to seize the town of Lembeck and the overlooking hill to its north-west. The Austrians had quickly occupied Lembeck and were in the process of deploying their troops to secure the heights. Both forces were still receiving late unit arrivals from their rear as the first shots were exchanged.

Tabletop set up for the second game.

The French advanced in two columns. The main column followed the road towards Lembeck, while a second column moved around the woods and along the Zollern river, with the intention of attacking the town from the north-east. The French skirmishers moved through the woods to be the first to reach and occupy the hill. The Austrians hurriedly formed to meet the French advance with the bulk of their force positioned west of Lembeck.

The French seize control of the hill with their skirmishers as they march towards Lembeck town.

Commanded arms of infantry and cavalry secure the hill for the Austrians.

The Austrians launched an attack the hill. Supported by cavalry, their infantry succeeded in driving away the French skirmishers and secured the hill. The French, continued their attack and fresh troops were brought forward and committed against both the hill and the town.

The second French column attacks Lembeck from the north-east.

The struggle for Lembeck intensified when the second French column emerged from the north-east, advancing along the river and threatening the Austrian flank. With both corps now heavily engaged in the action, all available troops were being thrown into the fight. The French were further reinforced by troops drawn from their army reserve, allowing them to maintain the pressure despite their mounting casualties.

Austrian troops rush to defend the town from a French assault.

The Austrians troops held their ground against repeated French assaults without having to draw upon their army reserves. As the afternoon wore on, and with the hill and Lembeck still firmly in Austrian possession, the French commander was compelled to order his troops to retire. The attack on Lembeck had failed, leaving the Austrians very much in control of their right flank on the Zoilern River.

Key tabletop movements and objectives held on the Zoilern river flank.

The Assault on the Centre

Following their success on the right wing, the Austrians now sought to press their advantage in the centre, advancing II Corps against the French position. The possession of the centre would hinge upon the villages of Herzburg and Offingen, together with the commanding hill to the west of Herzburg.

Game three setup for the centre action.

The Austrian advance met with early success. Their troops were able to occupy both the villages of Herzburg and Offingen. The hill west of Herzburg was soon contested with Austrian skirmishers. Making good use of the broken ground upon the summit, the skirmishers repulsed multiple charges made by French cavalry.

The hill to the west of Herzburg is contested.

The initial fighting around the village of Offingen gradually subsided, with the opposing forces exchanging artillery fire. Meanwhile, the French had concentrated their attacks against Herzburg. Supported by fresh troops, they launched a determined assault that succeeded in driving out the Austrian defenders and seizing control.

French gain control of Herzburg.

The French also succeeded in clearing the hill of its Austrian skirmishers, but their success was short-lived. Nearby Austrian cavalry quickly seized their opportunity and launched a counter-attack, driving back the French and claiming the hilltop.

Austrian cavalry counter-attack and seize the hilltop.

With both commanders committing all available troops, the fighting around Herzburg and the neighbouring heights became increasingly fierce. Eventually Austrian infantry were able to retake the village. Both sides desperately looked for reserves to arrive to tip the balance of the fight.

Austrian infantry retake Herzburg only to lose it to a final French attack in the evening.

Austrian cavalry rush to secure the hilltop before nightfall.

As evening approached, the French once again forced their way into Herzburg, while Austrian reserve cavalry, under fire from French artillery, moved swiftly to take possession of the vital hilltop. With darkness fast approaching, neither commander was able to renew the contest. 

The Austrians held the more favourable position and the French withdrew from the field, leaving the centre in Austrian hands.

Key advances and held objectives in the centre.

End of the Day

The battle had opened favourably for the French, but the terrain on the other flank and centre was just a bit more favourable to the Austrians. Resulting in their failure to capture the town of Lembeck and inability to secure the centre where the Austrians had successfully weathered the French assaults and retained possession of those key positions. The result was therefore a marginal Austrian victory.

I added some arrows to the map to indicate the objectives taken.

Wrap up...

Having now set up and played the three games that make up the overall battle, there are quite a few things that worked out well, along with a couple of changes I would consider for future games and battles.

Tabletop Layout

The tabletop setup for each engagement worked out very well. I drew up three alternative layouts for each game, with each having broadly similar features but arranged slightly differently (using ideas from Grant's "Programmed Wargame Scenarios" book). Once the players had decided on their deployment, the dice determined which of the three layouts would be used. This added a level of uncertainty without making the terrain completely unpredictable. I will definitely be using this approach again.

Layouts A1, A2, and A3 are possible tabletop layouts of the left flank. Layouts B1, B2, and B3 are the possible centre layouts. C1, C2, and C3 are the right flank layouts. Hopefully you can see the variations between tables A, B, and C.

Each layout also had three objectives, represented by significant hills, towns or villages. The winner of each engagement was the side holding the most objectives at the end of the game. This did mean that some thought was needed when positioning the objectives to ensure that neither side gained too much of an obvious advantage. I did not try to apply complete symmetry. These variations made the tabletop much more interesting and made players have to adapt their plans to the terrain.

Random Sequence of Games

The sequence in which the three games were fought was randomly determined, but based on suggestions in the comments (thank you) I will change this next time. Rather than using the dice to determine all three engagements, I will only use it to determine the first. After that, the winner of each game will have some influence over the next game. For example, they could either choose which flank or the centre is fought next, or perhaps have the advantage of being the starting player in the following game. 

Reserve Chance Cards

The use of Reserve Chance Cards did not work quite as well as I had hoped. Each side had a deck of 15 Chance Cards, including three Reserve cards. When a Reserve card was drawn, the player could bring one unit forward from their reserve.

Chance cards in use as reserves arrive in the shape of Spencer-Smith 30mm ACW figures converted to French infantry.

I originally had six reserve units available to each side, but in hindsight I think this was probably too many. I would reduce this to four reserve units in future games.

Another possibility would be to have each player begin the battle with six cards and, before the start of an engagement, select up to three of these to be shuffled into their Chance Card deck. This would force players to decide when and where they wanted to commit their reserves, rather than simply having them available throughout the game. The reserve cards would be three infantry reserves, two cavalry reserves, and one artillery reserve. Once used in a deck they would be unavailable for use again.

This could work well for solo games, with the opposing side using a dice roll to determine how many cards are added to its deck.

A close up of the action around Offingen village.

What Worked

The combination of late-arriving troops, variable terrain layouts and pre-planned deployments produced some interesting situations. The fact that terrain was not finalised until the basic deployment and late arrivals were determined meant that players had to make plans without being able to rely completely on the tabletop they would eventually fight over.

Taken together, these mechanisms created a good level of uncertainty and decision making for me as a solo player while not being too swingy. I will definitely be using them again, including for my one-off games.

This set of games played over a week also got me thinking about using the same approach, but with smaller games where three games could be completed within an evening. I am thinking along the lines of One-Hour Wargames, with its smaller tabletop and six units per side, plus a maximum of one late arrival and one reserve unit.

Anyway, this post is much longer than I expected and I will call it a day.

A big battle fought in three games - part 1

I quite often enjoy picking up an old wargaming book in the evening and reading a chapter or two. Recently, I picked up my battered copy of "War Games" by Donald Featherstone and read the chapter “Organising a Campaign,” which provides an overview for running a Franco-Prussian War campaign.

One detail particularly caught my attention was that battles between the opposing armies in the campaign were fought as three separate games, with each game representing the action of a corps. Each army was organised into three corps: left flank, centre, and right flank. The winner of the overall battle was the side that won two of the three games. It did not go into detail about what happens if one side wins the first two games, and whether the third game would still be fought. I would assume that two victories would constitute a minor victory, while winning all three games would be a major victory.

I do not want to start another campaign while my Battle of Britain campaign is still in progress. However, the idea of playing three connected Napoleonic games sounds appealing. Especially as, last week, I added a four of second-hand artillery units to my Napoleonic collection after tidying them up and rebasing for my needs.

The recently added 25mm Minifigs artillery mixed in with my 30mm Plastic Spencer-Smith Napoleonics. The size difference is not noticeable on the tabletop.

What follows is my approach to deciding the tabletops, Corps organisations, and deployments for the three games. It is mostly geared towards the solo gamer.

Deciding the Tabletop Layouts

The first step was to decide upon the terrain for the three tabletops. Rather than have three fixed layouts, I opted for a method similar to the approach used in "Programmed Wargame Scenarios" by Charles S. Grant when determining the tabletop layout.

Layouts A1, A2, and A3 are possible tabletop layouts of the left flank. Layouts B1, B2, and B3 are the possible centre layouts. C1, C2, and C3 are the right flank layouts. Hopefully you can see the variations between tables A, B, and C.

I drew up three layouts for each game, with each having similar features but being slightly different. After the players have decided upon their deployment, the dice would determine which layout is to be used. This hopefully will create some awkward moments and force the players to change their battle plans as their troops deploy.

I drew all three tabletop layouts on a single page so that the features of the left and right flank tabletops would line up with the centre table. While this is not particularly important, as each game is fought in isolation and troops are not moved from one tabletop to another. It will be useful later when I have played the three games, and write a battle report covering the overall action. Having the three layouts that at least look as though they can be joined together will also be useful when creating the overall battle map.

When drawing the maps, two things were important:

1. Each tabletop must have at least one road entering on the player's home table edge, as late arrivals and reserves will enter the game.
2. The hills and towns are objectives, so there should be three objectives on each layout. The winner of each game is the side holding the most objectives, so these need to be positioned carefully to provide a reasonable level of fairness, although complete symmetry is not necessary.

One further note about the vagaries of these layouts comes from reading the chapter “A Potted Campaign” in Featherstone's "War Game Campaigns" where it notes that maps could be inaccurate and reports from scouts were not always reliable. These sorts of uncertainties are very useful for the solo wargamer.

After drawing the maps, the approach of each army must be determined. Then players have a general idea of the terrain over which their army will be fighting and where their objective might be.

The dice can also determine whether the first game is fought on the centre table or one of the flanks. This does not really affect the battle, but it adds to the narrative or any game reports.

Deciding the Corps Organisation

Each army is organised into three corps, with a reserve. Each corps contains 10 units, with the composition determined using the army selection table from Neil Thomas's book "Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815–1878". A dice roll determines the composition of each corps.

The army composition table from Neil Thomas's book "Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815–1878" is similar to the "One-Hour Wargames" book by has 10 units rather than 6 and you always have as a minimum one unit of skirmishers, artillery or cavalry.

Each army has a reserve consisting of three infantry and three cavalry units. Once a reserve unit is committed to a game, it cannot be reused in any subsequent game. 

I am using a modified version of One-Hour Wargames Napoleonic rules for the battles, along with the chance cards from the book's chapter on “Solo Wargaming”. The original deck contains 15 event cards, with one card drawn at the start of each player's turn. I have replaced three of the No Event cards with Reserve cards. When a player draws one of these Reserve cards, they can choose to bring any available unit from the reserve pool into the game. This means it is possible for a player to receive three additional units during a game, but there is no guarantee that the reserves will arrive when they are actually needed!

Late Arrivals

To introduce a little more uncertainty, before deployment each player rolls a D3 to determine how many of their units will arrive late. These units are placed in a late-arrivals pool and can begin entering the game from Turn 2 onwards via any road on the player's home table edge. Only one late-arriving unit can enter per turn, with the player choosing which unit to bring on from their pool.

There is one restriction: at least one artillery unit must be included in the late-arrivals pool. Apart from this, the player has complete freedom to choose which units arrive late.

Reserves use the same mechanism. If reserve units become available before all the late-arrival units have entered, they are simply added to the late-arrivals pool.

The player with the most late-arriving units starts the game. If the number is equal, the dice decide who goes first.

Late arrivals quick move along the road to join the action.

Deployment

Before setting up the tabletop, each player must decide how their available units will be positioned.

My tabletop is 6 × 4 feet, with the longer 6 foot edge being the player's home table edge. Deployment is divided into three sections: left, centre and right, with each section occupying 2 feet of the table edge.

Within those three sections, the player can deploy their units as they wish. So, if a player decides to deploy their cavalry on the left flank, those units must be deployed within the left 2 foot section once the tabletop layout has been determined.

Here is an example...

A corps contains:

• 5 infantry
• 2 cavalry
• 2 artillery
• 1 skirmisher

The player rolls a D3 for late arrivals and scores a 3.

The first decision is which 3 units will be placed in the late-arrivals pool. The player chooses the mandatory artillery unit and two infantry units.

The remaining 7 units (3 infantry, 1 artillery, 2 cavalry and 1 skirmisher) must then be divided between the left flank, centre and right flank.

To help with planning for these games, I quickly draw four squares representing each of the three deployment areas and the late-arrivals pool, then jot down the units in the appropriate squares. This gives me a simple deployment plan that I can refer back to after setting up the tabletop.

The deployment plan. 7 units deployed on the table (left, centre, and right) and 3 late arrivals.

Once the tabletop has been set up, the units are placed in their designated areas. Each unit can be deployed up to its movement distance plus 6 inches from the table edge, but must remain within its designated section of the tabletop.

The 7 units are deployed in their sections.

Sequence of Setup

There are quite a few steps involved in setting up the campaign games, so here they are in order:

1. Draw the tabletop layouts — three variations for each tabletop.
2. Decide which direction each army is approaching from, such as north or south.
3. Use the dice to determine whether the first game is fought on a flank or in the centre.
4. Determine the composition of each corps involved in the game.
5. Roll a D3 to determine the number of late arrivals for each corps.
6. Decide the deployment plan for each corps and reserve.
7. Roll to determine which tabletop layout is used and set up the terrain.
8. Deploy the available units on the tabletop according to the deployment plan.
9. The player with the most late arrivals goes first. If the numbers are equal, use the dice to determine who starts.
10. Play the game, noting any use of reserve units, they will not be available for subsequent games.

This gives me a three connected games in the context of a larger Napoleonic battle. The next few posts will have the individual game reports and then a final overall battle report using the narrative from the three game reports. 

Background

To set the scene before playing the individual games, here is the background to the battle.

East Bravance, Spring 1813

In April 1813, a French army has crossed into northern Bravance with orders to march south between the Pies and Zollern Rivers and prevent any Austrian advance. The French commander, Marshal Victor de Launay, has organised his army into three Corps, supported by a small reserve.

Maps of the area are limited.

The Austrian army, under the command of Marshal Karl von Hohenbruck, is marching north in three columns between the two rivers, unaware that the French army is advancing towards them. Between the rivers lies an agricultural region known locally as the Bravancian Plain. Several major roads connect a number of small towns and villages.

The army positions as they make contact initially around the Pies River.

The first contact between the two armies occurs along the banks of the Pies River, near the towns of Gelsen and Bernsdorf. As reports of the enemy's presence reach both commanders, their armies begin to concentrate, and prepare for battle.

Battle of Britain Campaign - Turn 8 - 26th August to 1st September 1940

With not much to post about this week, It was time to return to the Battle of Britain campaign and play a quick game, moving the campaign forward another week to 26th August to 1st September 1940. 

A Spitfire is spotted by an escorting Me109.

I have been running this campaign since mid-April and generally manage to get a game played every couple of weeks. For the tabletop games I use Warlord Games’ Blood Red Skies rules from the Airfix's Battle of Britain introductory boxed set, with a few modifications to suit the campaign and allow the games to be played on a hex grid.

So far, seven campaign turns, each representing one week of the Battle of Britain, have been completed. One week did not involve a game due to bad weather, meaning six tabletop games have actually been played. For the campaign I am taking a "bath-tubbing" approach with each tabletop game representing a key encounter that determines the campaign outcome for the whole week.

Details of the campaign rules can be found here. There are a couple of changes to the original campaign rules which I mention at the end of the post.

The Mission

The mission for the week of 26 August to 1 September was determined by a dice roll, with a 5 indicating that the Luftwaffe would attempt to bomb Radio Direction Finding (RDF) installations along the coast.

Selecting the mission.

In the campaign each mission has a set order of battle, and for this game the forces are:

Luftwaffe

• 1 × Ju 87 Stuka
• 4 × Me 109

RAF

• 2 × Hurricanes
• 2 × Spitfires
• 2 × Barrage balloons with supporting flak

When setting up a game there are several factors randomly determined by dice, these including the weather, pilot skills and starting altitude. Apart from the weather (who can predict that!) the other factors can be influenced by the outcome of previous games and the campaign rules. For example, during the first five campaign turns, the Luftwaffe received a +1 modifier to their pilot skill dice rolls.

Game Setup

For this game, the weather is fine, with just a couple of clouds in the sky.

The RAF had one Ace, one Regular and two Novice pilots, while the Luftwaffe had one Ace, one Veteran and two Novice pilots. As always, bomber pilots (in this case the Ju 87 pilot) is treated as a Regular pilot.

The Luftwaffe aircraft were positioned along their tabletop edge, with their starting altitude determined by dice. The RAF could deploy anywhere on their half of the tabletop, after which their starting altitudes were also determined by dice rolls.

Battle Report

As the German aircraft approached their target, they spotted a couple of Spitfires climbing to gain altitude. Then suddenly, two Hurricanes emerged from the clouds, taking the Luftwaffe by surprise. They swept past the escorting Me 109s, aiming to turn onto the tail of the Ju 87. However, their quarry disappeared into a cloud before they could get into position.

Game setup with all aircraft positioned, pilot skills diced for along with aircraft altitude.

Hurricanes emerge from the clouds taking the Luftwaffe by surprise.

The other two Me 109s engaged the two Spitfires. In the resulting dogfight the RAF caused some minor damage and a Boom token on one of the attacking German fighters.

A note on the rules -  In the Blood Red Skies ruleset, a hit results in the aircraft taking a Boom token. These tokens represent a combination of minor damage, fuel or ammunition expenditure, and pilots becoming increasingly rattled by enemy attacks. A hit can be successfully dodged, allowing the aircraft to avoid losing its altitude advantage and potentially being shot down. However, Boom tokens remain in place, and once a certain threshold is reached for a force (not an individual aircraft) it means: 1) the RAF, break off the attack, or 2) for the Luftwaffe the fighter escort protecting the bomber must withdraw, leaving the bomber exposed to RAF fighter attacks.

The Ju87 disappears into the cloud.

With the Ju 87 safely hidden in the cloud, the fighter melee continued as the RAF tried to position themselves for the bomber's reappearance. The dogfight resulted in the RAF aircraft taking some punishment and they accumulated two Boom tokens.

When the Ju 87 finally emerged from the cloud, it was game on. The RAF fighters closed in on the bomber, but luck was on the Luftwaffe's side. The Ju 87 escaped unscathed and one of the attacking RAF fighters took a hit. Fortunately for the RAF pilot, the hit was successfully dodged.

As the Ju87 emerges from a cloud its escorting fighters they and disrupt the RAF fighter attack runs. 

Elsewhere, the two Aces had become embroiled in their own dogfight. Twice the Me 109 Ace gained the upper hand, scoring two hits against the RAF Ace. Both were successfully dodged, but the attacks had nevertheless achieved their purpose. With ammunition and fuel running low, the RAF had accumulated too many Boom tokens and had to break off the attack.

Having survived the worst of the RAF fighter attacks, the Ju 87 continued on towards its target. All that remained was to run the gauntlet of the barrage balloons and any ground fire from the nearby flak batteries.

The RAF break off the attacks.

The Ju87 flies past the barrage balloons and flak.

As it turned out, the flak proved completely ineffective on this particular day.

Wrap Up

A win for the Luftwaffe. While this victory does not earn them any campaign victory points (those can only be gained by successfully bombing industrial areas, London, or Channel convoys) it does have an effect on the next campaign tabletop game.

If an RDF installation is successfully bombed, all RAF aircraft will begin the next game at low altitude. Putting them at a disadvantage so they will need to think carefully about where they deploy. Positioning their aircraft too far forward could leave them exposed to attacks from the Luftwaffe fighters while they try to gain altitude.

This is an amendment to the campaign rules that I originally wrote before I had played many games. The original rule stated:

• The RAF subtract 2 from the altitude roll if an RDF installation was successfully bombed in either of the previous turn.

Having played a good number of games, I have replaced this with the much cleaner and simpler:

• The RAF aircraft all start at low (disadvantaged) altitude if an RDF installation was successfully bombed in either of the previous turn.

This is the third change I have made to the campaign rules as the campaign has progressed. The previous two amendments were:

1. Combining barrage balloons and flak - Rather than treating them as two separate defences, they are now combined. Flying adjacent to a barrage balloon means an aircraft is subject to flak fire.
2. Limiting Ace pilots - Only one Ace pilot is allowed per side in a game. If a second Ace is generated by the pilot skill roll, they are instead treated as a Veteran pilot.

These are small changes which should not drastically influence the outcome of the campaign.

Counter-attack at Bir Kalifa - second remote game

This past Friday I played a couple of remote WW2 Western Desert games with Jon from the Palouse Wargaming Journal. The games moved along at a brisk pace, playing both games took just under two hours. We were using the Tank on Tank board game rules from Lock 'n Load Publishing, with a handful of house rules and some updated unit capabilities.

The rules are fast and decisive, if a unit is hit, it is eliminated. However, this cut-throat combat is balanced by the fact that a player is limited to between two and four activations each turn, with the third and fourth activations having to be diced for.

An activation allows a unit (or units) to fire at one enemy unit, move individually, or make a group move using an HQ. For a useful overview of the board game rules and how it plays, see the review posted by Norm of Battlefield and Warriors Blog (here).

Scenario

The scenario has a German counterattack following a successful Commonwealth advance. As the Commonwealth forces look to consolidate their gains near the settlement of Bir Kalifa, elements of the Afrika Korps launch an attack.

Map

The game is played on a hex grid.

Tabletop set up

Order of Battle

Commonwealth Forces

• 2 × HQs
• 4 × Grant tanks
• 2 × A13 Cruiser tanks

These units begin the game deployed behind the red dotted line. The Commonwealth player deploys first and has the first turn.

Beginning on Turn 5, the following reinforcements may arrive:

• 2 × A13 Cruiser tanks
• 1 × Bishop self-propelled 25-pounder

Afrika Korps Forces

• 2 × HQs
• 2 × Panzer IV (75mm short)
• 2 × Panzer IV (75mm long)
• 5 × Panzer III
• 1 × Wespe (105mm)

The German force begins the game deployed behind the blue dotted line. The Afrika Korps deploy second.

Victory Conditions

The Germans win if, by the end of Turn 9, they either:

1. Destroy all Commonwealth units, or
2. Successfully exit three units from the opposite tabletop edge.

If neither objective is achieved, the Commonwealth player is the winner.

House Rules

For those familiar with the Tank on Tank rules, the following house rules were used in the game:

• Attached HQs – HQs are attached to combat units and may transfer to another unit by spending 1 Action Point.
• Dust – Any unit that moves or pivots in open terrain raises dust. A marker is placed beside the unit to indicate this, and it adds 1 to its defence value unless it already benefits from cover.
• Indirect Fire – Only HQs participating in the shooting action may call in indirect artillery fire.
• Terrain – Hills and buildings are treated as described in the standard rules, while all areas of broken ground provide cover.
• Use solo activation mechanism from the rules - Where the first two activations are free and a 3+ is required for the third activation and a 4+ for the fourth activation. This was because it was a remote game and the usual method requires a bowl and tokens and not suitable for a remote game.

The above unit values were used.

Battle Report #1

For the first game please read Jon's battle report on his blog here. (We decided to split the battle report writing effort.)

I used small sticky notes to attach labels to the back of each unit to help with unit identification for this remote game.

Dyed soft toy stuffing is used for dust markers where units have moved or pivoted, and black dyed stuffing attached to little wooden blocks to show brewed up vehicles where units have been destroyed. The dust did on occasion hide the unit labels - I did not think about that when setting up.

I had a few key takeaways from this first game:

• As the attacker, the priority should always be forward movement, with shooting taking second place unless the odds are overwhelmingly in your favour. The nine turns go by very quickly, so there is little time (turns) to waste.
• The tracks (roads) are important, they provide a useful boost to movement. A blocking unit positioned to on the track can create delays and need to be eliminated.
• Attack with two groups in the beginning and the limited activations should be used with the group able to make the most progress.

It is always easier to be the defender. There is less to think about once the defensive line has been set. Jon was kind enough to take the attacking role first. This was appreciated as when hosting a remote game being the defender makes things a little easier. There plenty of things to be mindful of when running a game for the first time.

Battle Report #2

The second game opened with my Afrika Korps forces advancing towards the settlement of Bir Kalifa and along the left flank. Jon responded by moving a mix of A13 and Grant tanks into defensive positions in and around the broken ground near the settlement, while a second group pushed up around the opposite side of the town.

To keep the forward momentum, my left-flanking force pushed around the broken ground. Jon responded by withdrawing from the position and forming a new defensive line ready to block my advance, using his reserves to reinforce this new position. Meanwhile, around the settlement, I attacked one of the Grant units and successfully destroyed it. Outnumbered, Jon's left-flank group opted to retire back along the road.

Opening moves.

The Settlement of Bir Kalifa is occupied as Commonwealth forces retire to form a second defensive line with their recently arriving reserves.

Pressing forward with both groups, the Afrika Korps left flank engaged the larger Commonwealth defensive line, while on the right flank my forces moved out of the settlement and advanced along the road. The smaller Commonwealth defensive group defending the road was forced further back as it tried to contain the advance.

With the clock ticking, both sides were beginning to lose units in the fighting. However, the Afrika Korps was gradually working its way around the larger Commonwealth defensive line while, at the same time, continuing to inch further along the track.

The tow groups advance on the left flank and out of the settlement.

Nearing the last turn as the attackers are poised to exit the table.

By the final turn, the situation was on a knife-edge. I had four units in a positioned ready to exit the table, two on the left flank and two on the road. With two activations Jon managed to destroy one of them on my left flank. He then needed a third activation with a 3+ on the dice to move a unit into position to block the road and prevent a third unit from escaping using the track bonus to movement (one unit could already travel off road to exit the table).

Fortunately for me, luck was on my side. Jon rolled a 2, leaving the road open. I was able to exit three units from the table on Turn 9, securing a last gasp victory for the attacking Afrika Korps.

Wrap Up

Winning this scenario as the attacker is no easy task, and I certainly needed a little luck at the end to get a victory. These games played very quickly, with the first taking around an hour and the second just 40 minutes. Remote gaming does slow things down a bit at the start until you get into the swing of things.

One of the reasons for running these remote games was so I could to get back into playing Western Desert games using the Tank on Tank rules, keeping them as close as possible to the original rules while making a few small house rules to better reflect the desert environment, such as the use of dust markers.

I have now finally managed to get my own copy of the game, so the next step will be to work through the various scenarios and try to adapt them to the Western Desert. The scenarios are important as without them the game can descent into a shoot out. I am looking forward to seeing how they work on the tabletop.

The game arrived this past week.

What's Next?

I am also thinking about playing a larger campaign using Avalon Hill's old Afrika Korps board game board and may be the counters, with the battles being fought on the tabletop using the Tank on Tank rules and modified scenarios.

I have not yet worked out best to translate the situation on the campaign map on to a tabletop while keeping the overall number of games to a manageable level. I do not want the campaign to become so large that it stops being enjoyable.

This is not my first attempt at a Western Desert campaign. I previously ran a linear campaign starting in early 2020 that continued well into 2021. It was a lot of fun, but I was getting a bit tired of the games towards the end and was quite glad when it ended. You can read about that earlier campaign it starts here.

A second hand game I picked up a couple of years ago always with the idea of using it for a wargame campaign.