My first game with Test of Battle led by Sgt Steiner and the chaps; Command Decision 4.1 in other words - a cleaned up and more concise version of the original, and very good set of rules.
The turn sequence - when you get used to it - forces good appreciation of combined arms, use of artillery and requirement to support tanks...and most of all, it's very difficult to get up a bloody road in the face of determined enemy defence. Lessons learned in terms of using the
Regroup advanced rule, but that's for next time.
But there weren't any Tigers in this game? ...read on McDuff!
Scenario was 'A Race Against Time' from the Market Garden book - with 43rd Wessex Division trying to break through to the remnants of 1st Airborne at the Oosterbeck pocket via Elst. It was never going to be easy...
(Actual battle featured a flanking action via Oosterhout and Valburg on the British left; we were a little more direct...).
On the right, 7th Somerset light infantry makes its way in force up the road toward Elst.
Determined German defenders begin to take a toll of 4th Wiltshire, who had been advancing to the left of
Ressen.
The road becomes a bloody crucible.
20mm! Take it out!
Jazz hands.
It'll only take one good artillery strike...spread out dammit!
Infantry in decent going in the
Polder... but not so good for tracks.
7th Somerst makes some progress, until Mr. Panzerfaust starts to make a mess, and they are ambushed on both sides from the villages, tearing into companies with MG crossfire.
Some
Firefly discipline required, but the British were getting decimated on the right and were pinned on the left - finally realising that going up the middle might not have been such a good idea.
Germans begin to show themselves and provide covering fire against any further drive on Elst.
Retreating units, ready for rally.
British elements hoping to reach the crossroads and turn left toward
Elst, but there aren't enough of them.
View from the west as the British try to drive on Elst. Too late I'm afraid.
Now there were two tigers to be thrown into the mix by turn 8...but it was decided long before that.
A very nice set of rules and certainly a learning experience. Lessons learned include: understanding how brutal the hits can be, using arty to suppress the enemy units properly and using recon units effectively.
Super looking game! "Jazz hands" is quite funny and that effect crops into my battle photos more than I care to admit. It has probably been twenty-five years since I last played CD.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jonathan. I do remember playing it around that time too - and it was complex. Now a lot smoother. I had good teachers today though.
DeleteI'm thinking the post title should have been 'jazz hands' now.
Yes good revision of the original sets but one must resist temptation to put too much kit on table.
ReplyDeleteYes, very true.
DeleteIn line with my madcap urge to try the next shiny thing - am considering setting up another FoB WWII game next as a contrast...perhaps using hexes and set in Vietnam - so changes to artillery plotting, and air strikes will be choppers etc. Scenario would be Operation Pegasus - relief of Khe San. How does that sound?
(Of course you realise that this is just an excuse to have a Rolling Stones soundtrack during play...)
What a pleasure it must be to play on such a beautiful table...Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil. It was a great game. Sometimes that table can be too big (especially if the enemy is hiding)...:)
DeleteLooks like it was a great game your ducness, not a set of rules i am familiar with but they look like they give a nice scale of operations.
ReplyDeleteVery nice set - though take getting used to - but the beauty is that they force you to think with the WWII hat on, which is probably good fro a game set in WWII...wait, I think I've just stated the obvious ...and that WWII hat is heavy...
DeleteThat's the thing with historical rules, do they give enough flavour for the period they are designed to simulate?. Tough ask for ww2 with combined arms and the differing scales in which to operate. (And the weight of all that headgear!).
DeleteYes, these do seem to work well - granted you get a lot of counters on the table, but that's not a big problem.
Delete(Being of an age where my neck muscles are less than stellar, I shall be adopting officer's cap from now on, damn the shrapnel!)
Looks like a good game.
ReplyDeleteThanks George. I certainly learnt some lessons from this one (that really I should have already known). (Recon...Recon...Recon...there's a reason for having Recon etc. )
DeleteGreat looking game - I guess the German forces were hidden until they opened fire??
ReplyDeleteYes - but there is spotting if you do it right with recon elements.
DeleteThe rules are 'hard but fair' - very good but brutal if you make a mistake. We are after all simulating war, after a fashion, so works well.
Really good seeing CD games online. Don’t see many AARs from this solid game.
ReplyDeleteHow long did the game take you?
Actually didn't take too long - maybe 3 hours - bit of a fudge since we could have been a lot more careful with the allied push across the table, but a solid set of rules, that force you to think in a period manner. Very impressive, and so many great scenarios.
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