WW2 Battle report British Vs Germans using 20mm figures and my own rules on a 2'x2' table

Introduction

Playtesting a variation of my WW2 rules.  Using a 2’x2’ board as I still don’t really have the room for the table tennis table (later this year I hope). This is actually the 3^rd playing of this same scenario while I bedded down the rules.  No vehicles in this game.

Scenario

I have a scenario generator loosely based on Platoon Forward.

It is 1944 and a UK infantry force is attacking a German infantry force. The UK mission is exploiting a successful attack. The parent force has broken through enemy lines.  This force was held in reserve to exploit this breakthrough.

The terrain is mixed:

Key building | Open, road | Woods

Orchard | Brush | building

Crops | Hill |Crops

Primary Objective is the Key building.

Victory is to capture the primary objective. Lose if do not capture the objective.

Major Victory is achieved if capture objectives with minimal casualties. Minor Victory if capture objective but take major casualties.

The UK force enters at bottom right. The German force deploys in top two thirds of the board.

Troops

UK

The UK has regular morale for its six sections and one leader:

Company HQ (section + leader)

1st platoon 2  sections + 2” mortar

2^nd platoon 2 sections

MMG platoon – 2 MMGs

1 Engineering section – engineers

5 units

German

The German has green morale for its six sections and one leader. One section is allocated as the reinforcement.

Company HQ (section +leader)

1^st platoon – 2 sections

2^nd platoon – 2 sections

3^rd platoon – 1 section (reinforcements)

MMG section – 1 MMG

5 units

Map

Deployment

Rules

Slight departure from my normal set but mostly stays the same. 

Card activation – I use most of a card deck.  Draw a card, red an Allied unit activates, black an Axis unit.  Draw another card and activate a different unit if the same side.  Each side can activate up to 3 different units in a row, then ignore more cards for that side if the same colour as the last card.  Picture cards (I add a different amount for each side) counts as an activation but no unit is actually activated. 

1 section = 3 figures but for shooting roll only 1d6 per section, regardless of casualties. 1d6 may result in pin, suppress or 1 figure KO; target return fires on a natural 1.  Reduction is KO does not reduce firing power.  Think of it as morale tracking by figures and when hit zero figures no longer a viable unit.

Grids are used to determine movement and range.  I am using a 4” grid as the table is 24”x24” (so 6x6 grid) but in the next few months hope to get out a ½ table tennis table and play with 6” grids (so a 9x10 grid).  There is no real limit to units in a square – mainly used to simplify terrain and movement.  One square is about 80m across.

Game 1

Brits enter 1^st platoon onto the table.  Germans react fire as Brits just moved into LOS and suppress a section.

Germans in ruined building fire on the entering Brits

Things heat up as the Brits bring on more units but the Germans manage to suppress another section while only receiving a pin.  The Vickers MMG did bugger all.

Germans managing hold the Brits at bay

The Vickers MMG then manages to force the Germans from the building, the Gruppe losing one figure in the process.  The forward British section advances into the building - the Germans behind the building fire on them and manage to pin them.

The Brits manage to force the Germans out and occupy the building

A few more back and forth and the Brits are forced out of the house and the Germans reoccupy.  The Vickers team is suppressed, as are other sections, and Brits are losing figures here and there.  And the German MG in the orchard is contributing to the British pain.  The British really need to bring on more units.

Not doing well at the house

And it gets worse.  Lots of bad dice rolling see the British lose a few sections and a Vickers.  They are forced back to the entry edge.

British doing really badly

It got even worse. The Brits failed rallies, the Germans in the ruined house passed every single one, even being green.  I gave up at this point.  The Germans have lost two figures, the British their force.

I decide to play again.

Reset – Game 2

The early stages see this game going very different.  The first few activations saw the Brits advance with the 1^st platoon and the MMGs and manage to force the Germans from the house.  No suppressions or losses for the British.

British doing well this time

The British advance into the ruined house, fired on by the hidden Gruppe behind the house for no effect and the Brits return fire and force them to retreat.  They later try and rally and retreat even further!

The British at the house

The British move on the 2^nd platoon. The German MG in the orchard devastate the Brits in the house (two 6’s result in two figures lost).

German MG opens fire

The British 2^nd platoon advances onto the hill.  The German MG spots them and suppress one section but the other section manages to suppress the MG.

British on the hill engage with the MG

The British advance their Vickers team, the German MG unsuppresses but does little damage in a subsequent activation.  The 2 Vickers open up on the German MG and it routs.

German MG just before routing

The German Gruppe in the orchard fires at the British for no effect.  The Vickers then open up, suppressing them.  They subsequently attempt to rally but, being green, it is not so good and they retreat.  Down to 1 figure from 3.

Another German Gruppe is down to 1 figure and suppressed

The Vickers subsequently clears the orchard of a Gruppe.

The two German Gruppe in the woods adjacent to the leader roll to rally.  Both roll a 1 and so are both routed.  One Gruppe had one figure that was lost on a 1, the other had two figures, lost one but must retreat, which they did off the board.  Very, very unlucky.

The two Gruppe in the woods that rout

One Vickers moves onto the hill.  A British section moves into the ruined building but the German HQ fires on them and forces them to retreat. However, the Vickers on the hill takes out half (2 figures) of the German HQ and also moves the Vickers into the ruined building.

Ruined building and depleted German HQ

Lastly, the German reinforcements arrive to bolster up the target building but too late to make a difference.

German reinforcements arrive too late

The German HQ is down to one figure and then eliminated under the fire of two Vickers.

The German Commander just before routing

The Germans are down to two units of the original 5 and force morale sees the Germans retire from the field.

End

Verdict

The first game was really unlucky for the British, in the second the bad luck (though not as bad), fell to the Germans. For small games with limited units a few bad dice rolls can really change the game.  The game really revolved around the ruined house and to a lesser extent the orchards and hill.  It may have gone quite differently if the British had a different entry point.

The rules are very similar rules to previous games but the activation I feel is smother (using most of a card deck rather than a card per unit).  The older rules also had each figure rolling 1d6 and it was hard to limit casualties but also include suppression (as for 1d6 it would be per figure and that means lots of markers, lots more rallying and a slower game).  For these rules a section is 3 figures but only rolls 1d6 until all figures are eliminated.  This gave the game a flow of fire/suppress/rally that I quite liked.  More playing will see if it is still too slow.   Thumbs up so far as three playtests.  Required tweaking after the first two but the two games above saw no changes required to the rules.