WW2 West Front 1944 on a large 3x4 grid with 6mm forces, and son

Introduction

These are two games I played with my 13yo son S-- who wished for a game using the 6mm figures as per the campaign I am running on an A4 page.  But wanting to run it on a larger table.

Rules

I am using my own rules. 

The rules (slightly revised since my last 3x4 game, see below) here:  ww3x4 Advancing Companies v2.1a.pdf

There is a summary of changes on page 7 but here they are:

• Activation was a d6 roll to choose a side, now it is alternate. This also changed the sequence of firing when in the same square.  I have left the old method in as an option.
• Events now optional.  With so few units events can dramatically shift the game dynamic.
• Clarified vehicle flank attacks.
• Clarified how a leader may survive a stand’s routing.

The main change is activation is now alternate squares  and it is now harder to assault a square – moving into a square now sees the occupiers  firing at the attackers prior to a melee.  The rest is still much the same: Most units move 1 square and can fire out 1 square and non-firing units are seen at 0 or 1 square.  Stacking is 3 units of one side per square.  Each turn has one square activated and units in that square can fire, move or rally.  Then the other side activates a square.  After each activation there is a special melee phase where opposing units in a square fire at each other. Play another turn and keep this up until one side’s morale fails.

First game (2 pictures and rule changes with musing)

The first game we played I took only two pics:

The layout

End game – the hill is taken!

It was a really great game.  It was actually quite a tough fight for both of us but in the end the Germans prevailed and took the hill from me as the British

Background and rule changes

We were going to play with 20mm and tanks but (there is a long story here) they are in a cabinet in another house for staging (it sold!) and the figures won’t be back until mid-September.  My son was happy to play with the 6mm.

I got the felt tiles about 5 years ago.  They are each 24cmx24cm.  My son wanted a big hill and set up all the terrain (I don’t have that much to set out!). We played co-op each taking half the British force and attacking the defending Germans who had 2 Panthers and an AT Gun as well as a few MMGs and a few sections.  As we have just watched A Bridge to Far, we were airborne with no heavy weapons.  He made up some “campaign”-type rules where the game was spread out over several days.  Once a side morale broke, that was the end of the day.  We got to check if routed units came back (or the Germans fixed their tanks). Check for reinforcements (1-3 on a d6).  We played 4 “days” until we managed to take the hill.  He also made up d6 rolls sometimes to decide what the Germans would do.  And also if infantry could swim across the river when retreating (bad dice rolls though and only 1 made it).

So we were playing the same rules on a grid, albeit large with 6mm figures.  At a scale of 150m to a tile, the game was at a ratio of 1:600.  Figures are 1:300 so ground scale is only 1:2.  A lot closer to 1:1 I have ever played!   The green is a little bright but I did like admiring  stuff at a 1:2 scale.

Anyway, I realised while the activation sequence was good at occasionally giving a side two activations (a hangover from the CCG Tank Commander originating game where you could play a card to get an extra activation in a turn) and I knew it and had no issues.  But when playing with someone else it was a) confusing to roll so often to see who activates and b) did not actually add much value to the game to randomise activation.  We went to alternative activation and it worked fine.   We also removed events rather than roll each turn, possibly as we rolled a few events early and it really swung the game.  Events can easily turn the game (happened in I think mission 3 for me) and maybe too much randomness with such small forces.  I did not miss the events during the game (or the next one – see below) but will have to think more on events as I do like the random sniper and artillery.  I may think on how to include events again, just maybe not as often.

Also found that moving into a square and then doing melee did not seem fair to be simultaneous –the stationary force should really get in  a first fire.  So now if a force moves into a square, the occupiers fire, then the moving units fire, and then melee.  This worked out very well.

Second game

The second game we moved the terrain around.  The British were trying to take the hill but the Germans are counter attacking and are aiming to build a bridge across the ford at the centre of the table.  But to build the bridge the Germans need to collect 3 essential items of equipment scattered over the table.  The British will if they capture the hill or stop the Germans taking the bridge.  The Germans win if they build the bridge.  S-- came up with the scenario and laid out all the terrain; as with the first game, having just watched A Bridge Too Far obviously had some influence.

The battlefield (white circles indicate the three essential items the Germans need to collect).  British enter from the left, Germans start on the hill at the right.

 

Troops (estimating form the images)

British  (me):

   Company HQ

   2 Platoons, each 3 sections.

   1 x 2” mortar team

   1xPIAT AT team

Reinforcements:

   2 x Sherman A4

   1 x 6pdr AT+ Carrier

   1 platoon with 3 sections

Germans (S--):

   Company HQ

   2 Platoons, each 3 sections.

   1 75mm AT Gun

   1 Panther

   1 Tiger (actually not in play - left over from previous battle!)

   1 Sdkfz251 for transport

 

Game

The British enter alongside the centre road, aiming for the centre village and the left flank woods.

British enter

The German early moves see them head for control of the centre hill.  The AT gun on the rear hill actually has quite good LOS.

Germans first move

The British take the village on their side of the central ford.  The Germans move to the top of the centre hill.  The Germans suppress the British in the village.

Centre Hill Vs Village battle (and can see the Tiger KO'd from the last game in the rear of the image with several British units at the woods bridge)

The British take the opportunity to move from the bridge and assault the German controlled hlll!  The British are repulsed with only one German section suppressed in return.

After a British failed attempt at a hill assault

British reinforcements enter – a section, a Sherman and a 6pdr.

British reinforcements arrive

The British reinforcements advance and shore up the village at the ford.  They come under fire from the Germans in the village at the bridge to the wood.  They were going to cross the bridge to get at a bridge building piece but realised they would come under fire from too many British that were next to the woods.  So instead they fired on the British in the village, KOing the Sherman and suppressing most of the rest.

The Village Vs the Bridge defenders.

After making short work of the British in the village, the Germans move back to the commanding heights of the centre hill.

Germans move back to the hill

 

One of the pieces for the bridge is across the river and is proving difficult to get with the British  able to contest the bridge.  S-- decides that on a d6 roll of a 5-6 a section can swim the river (had this rules in the first game as well).  On a 1-4 they do not make it and are swept away.  He allocated only one section to the task.  I mention they have to swim there and then get back and a one-third chance each time is not great.  S-- thinks it will all be OK.  Swim there – rolls a 5, swim back rolls a 6.  All good.  I then mention there was a 1 in 9 chance of that happening you know;  if you had sent 9 sections across and back, you would expect only one to actually make it! S-- just smiles.  Sometimes it is better not to know the exact odds in advance!

The successful river swim

The British see a chance to knock out some of the Germans.  They assault the hill.  Just taking out one or two units would be very useful.  It does not go well.  A 4-6 will do some damage.

 

Another hill assault – the melee.

The British have almost nothing left on the table.  The Germans complete the bridge and win the game. The next two images say it all- showing the British losses and German losses throughout the game. The British did get more forces as they were mostly attacking but lost everything compared to almost nothing on the German side. Lots of German suppression but no German losses. 

British losses

German losses

Verdict

We both had a lot of fun. I may have been overly enthusiastic using attack as a tactic :-) The tiles are packed away as my son is over 6mm WW2 for now. My next A4 page mission will be trying out the new rules to see if they are still fun solo.  And the 20mm is due back soon so may get them out as well before the year is out.  It has been 4 weeks since we played and alas no time for games for me or him – studying, sleepovers and yard work on my side are conspiring to make sure neither he of I can get in a game.