Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => The Second World War => Topic started by: TacticalPainter on March 02, 2022, 06:49:07 AM
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After finishing the Bloody Bucket campaign last year it was our intention to have a short break from CoC before returning with this campaign - Many Rivers to Cross from the Lard Magazine 2018. Dave, my regular opponent has a force of early war Germans and had added a Dutch platoon that he was keen to see in action and so we had decided that Holland 1940 would be our setting. Covid lockdowns then got in the way and threw our gaming schedule completely, but I'm pleased to say we got there in the end and the campaign started last week (although I should add since we played this game both Dave and I have tested positive for covid, as have four others from our club. Fortunately we are all vaxxed and so are not as sick as we might otherwise have been, nonetheless I write this from isolation and not feeling my best!).
The full AAR for the first game is now live on the blog and you can find it here http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/03/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-1-village.html
It wouldn't be blitzkrieg without the obligatory Stuka (this one from Airfix, one of the lovely new tooling in 1/72):
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/aWLvVS.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnaWLvVSj)
A Dutch Kazemat - this one a slightly embellished MDF one from Blotz:
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/4pc3xr.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn4pc3xrj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/D8EnKl.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmD8EnKlj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/atgJ9M.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmatgJ9Mj)
A diminutive Carden Loyd carrier is minute in 20mm, I'd hate to imagine how small a 10mm model would look like!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/ha5Def.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnha5Defj)
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Excellent thank you for posting Tac, I will follow this with interest. I don’t have any early war and it might be my next WW2 project after the pacific. I hope you (and your opponent/club members) are ok and back up and running soon.
Stay safe and look after yourself
Andrew
BALM
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Always loved to read your AARs: unfortunately in the last week my internet provider decided that the whole blogspot domain is not secure, so I cannot access it any more... :'(
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Always loved to read your AARs: unfortunately in the last week my internet provider decided that the whole blogspot domain is not secure, so I cannot access it any more... :'(
Really? Given it’s run by Google I would have thought that’s unlikely to be an issue but I’m no IT expert. That’s the first I’ve ever heard of that happening, what a shame, so many great blogs are on blogspot.
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Great AAR!
I have a painted 28mm Dutch WW2 platoon and happen to be a Dutchman so I'll follow this campaign with great interest.
I didn't know the 2018 Lard special contained a pint sized campaign for early war Holland (the descriptions on the website are not always that clear), but I've put it on my to-buy-list :)
T.
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Great AAR!
I have a painted 28mm Dutch WW2 platoon and happen to be a Dutchman so I'll follow this campaign with great interest.
I didn't know the 2018 Lard special contained a pint sized campaign for early war Holland (the descriptions on the website are not always that clear), but I've put it on my to-buy-list :)
T.
Basically all of the above (except replace 'platoon' by 'squad' lol )!
Always interested in anything to do with Fall Gelb and the Dutch defense :)
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I didn't know the 2018 Lard special contained a pint sized campaign for early war Holland (the descriptions on the website are not always that clear), but I've put it on my to-buy-list :)
It's not really set in Holland. It's a generic 1940 campaign and you can use any army in the 1940 Blitzkrieg Handbook, and the campaign can be set in any of those countries. It's quite handy because you can use what you have.
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It's not really set in Holland. It's a generic 1940 campaign and you can use any army in the 1940 Blitzkrieg Handbook, and the campaign can be set in any of those countries. It's quite handy because you can use what you have.
Thanks! Knowing what to expect helps.
T.
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Nice to see another CoC campaign. I commented on the blog, but I will say the same here: It seemed a major initial mistake on the part of the Dutch to not have that first squad occupy the terraced houses facing the Germans.
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Great AAR!
I have a painted 28mm Dutch WW2 platoon and happen to be a Dutchman so I'll follow this campaign with great interest.
I didn't know the 2018 Lard special contained a pint sized campaign for early war Holland (the descriptions on the website are not always that clear), but I've put it on my to-buy-list :)
T.
As others have said the campaign is flexible for anywhere in France or the Low Countries where there is fighting over waterways, canals or rivers. We chose Holland because my opponent had recently painted a Dutch platoon. I did some research to try and find a suitable historical setting. I wanted to use a German Schützen platoon from a panzer division and this made the research a little easier as 9th Pz was the only armoured division operating in Holland. The action around Dordrecht seemed to have the right situation to match the campaign, but to be honest the campaign is more about capturing the flavour of the historical situation - Germans driving to capture the next river/bridge and the Dutch hastily trying to block them. I think it will end up doing a good job of that but there's no reason why you couldn't make it more historical if you wanted to.
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Nice to see another CoC campaign. I commented on the blog, but I will say the same here: It seemed a major initial mistake on the part of the Dutch to not have that first squad occupy the terraced houses facing the Germans.
Thanks, yes, saw your comment and replied. It may not have appeared as though it was but the jump-off-point was more than 6" from those buildings and so it would have required at least two phases for the squad to occupy them, which is not to say it wasn't possible to do (although only two of the three were safe to occupy given one was unstable).
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Great looking terrain!
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Not another AAR (yet) - we hope to play the next game later this week now that we've both got over Covid. This is just a background post on pulling together some of the terrain for this campaign. You can find it here https://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/03/getting-ready-for-many-rivers-to-cross.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/ateKAV.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poateKAVj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/WlepVS.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnWlepVSj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/htwfY2.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pohtwfY2j)
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Great work on the terrain, especially the windows on the shop.
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The kazematten and the store are perfect for a Dutch setting (I love the shop window too), but the windmill is of a decidedly non-Dutch configuration. Which makes perfect sense when wanting to re-use terrain pieces in different settings of course, just thought I'd mention it.
All pieces are looking great though! 8)
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The kazematten and the store are perfect for a Dutch setting (I love the shop window too), but the windmill is of a decidedly non-Dutch configuration. Which makes perfect sense when wanting to re-use terrain pieces in different settings of course, just thought I'd mention it.
My understanding is that ithe hollow post mill style are reasonably common in Holland having been in operation there since the 13th century. It is not a classic style that one usually associates with Holland but it is one of the four most common types. A Google search for ‘post mill windmill Holland’ gives plenty of examples of the type, like this page https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/hollow-post-mill.html
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So, a bit of an interruption to allow Dave and I to isolate and recover from our dose of Covid. Six members of the club all caught it on the same evening but I'm pleased to say everyone has now recovered.
Finally we get back to the campaign and play out scenario 2: Farm & Forest with the Germans pushing on to the next map and trying to dislodge the Dutch defenders from a position constructed around a stout farm. The Germans are still without heavy weapons while they wait for the engineers to finish the bridge and so must push ahead relying on infantry alone. The full report is here http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/03/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-2-farm.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/tWEIdQ.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pntWEIdQj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/5dVDdf.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn5dVDdfj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/vC991F.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnvC991Fj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/hkLcUk.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pohkLcUkj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/6J83Cb.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn6J83Cbj)
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Excellent report!
During the blitzkrieg, the Germans where reportedly using Pervetin to keep their troops going. The amount of phases for the Germans in your game would certainly support this.
T
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Having won the previous scenario the Germans are electing to push on immediately to the next map with the force at hand for a blitzkrieg. It may buy extra time but it has to be done with the force at hand and without heavy weapons or armour. I think it's a risk worth taking, it is May 1940 after all! The full AAR is here: http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/04/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-3-farm.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/9olSr8.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/po9olSr8j)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/GQl7QZ.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poGQl7QZj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/H4DmPR.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmH4DmPRj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/FTY8CA.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poFTY8CAj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/MGVnKh.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmMGVnKhj)
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Very nice pictures!
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Great reports. Sounds like a fairly realistic depiction of the fight for Holland in 1940...well done1
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Enjoyed the AAR and the blog post of how you write the reports, very interesting. Thanks for posting.
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Another great battle report :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
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The Germans return to see if they can prevent the Dutch from blowing the culverts. In the scheme of the campaign that won't delay the Germans if they succeed however it would deliver a welcome scenario victory and the chance to inflict further casualties on the enemy. As we saw in the last game it's a very tough table to attack, can the Dutch hold the Germans off again? The full AAR is here http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/04/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-4-farm.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/yTcFZK.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmyTcFZKj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/07Nte4.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn07Nte4j)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/BV3TgE.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmBV3TgEj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/Yc6S9O.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poYc6S9Oj)
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The German juggernaut rolls on and after a pause the armour has finally caught up with the infantry. Time to set the panzers loose..... The full AAR is here http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/05/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-5-open.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/eqDuc2.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmeqDuc2j)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/Wj2dZo.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmWj2dZoj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/7fRBgj.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pm7fRBgjj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/wpXhp4.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnwpXhp4j)
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Beautiful looking game and really interesting AARs. I do love the tactical choices CoC gives in this type of campaign.
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Your battle reports are one of my favorite aspects of the hobby. Truly inspirational!
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Another great installment. I can't but root for my countrymen and they performed above and beyond in this scenario for sure.
Going with the tank support and rush to capture bridges, I'm guessing this is somewhere in the Southern theatre; my favourite (because I live there, and it's the most dynamic, with the Germans rushing to capture the bridges at Dordrecht and Rotterdam, with armoured support and (mechanized) infantry.
Heck; they could even run into some French forces which were deployed this far North as well!
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Another great installment. I can't but root for my countrymen and they performed above and beyond in this scenario for sure.
Going with the tank support and rush to capture bridges, I'm guessing this is somewhere in the Southern theatre; my favourite (because I live there, and it's the most dynamic, with the Germans rushing to capture the bridges at Dordrecht and Rotterdam, with armoured support and (mechanized) infantry.
Heck; they could even run into some French forces which were deployed this far North as well!
Thanks. Good guess, we are basing this on 9th Pz Division’s push for the Dordrecht bridges!
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2 more great battle reports. Sounds like the Dutch are making the Germans earn their keep. Well done!
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So, the Germans are back again for another attempt to break through the Dutch lines and on to the final map of the campaign. The clock is ticking! Can the Germans do better this time? Full AAR is here http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/05/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-6-open.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/RcTeFt.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnRcTeFtj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/dXXjcC.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/podXXjcCj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/85z3wk.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pn85z3wkj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/HueK0b.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnHueK0bj)
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Great looking game! Thank you for sharing!
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I was really rooting for the Dutch in this one.
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Very good report and a nice use of those armoured cars. Thrilling ending
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Alrighty then. That was quite the dust-up! If the Germans pull off a win at the bridge, it won't be because the Dutch rolled over.
Well-played on both sides!
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Tense!! 8)
I love this series of reports; they're well written, have great pictures and are quite suspenseful... :)
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I was really rooting for the Dutch in this one.
They've put up a very good defence so far. When we started the campaign we were a bit fearful it might turn out to be too easy for the Germans given the Schützen have two MG34s in each squad and the Dutch equivalent has one Lewis gun. So far they've put up a very stiff resistance and made the Germans pay for every gain.
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fabulous guys, great looking games.
working on my 20mm Dutch this year also.
cheers
matt
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What a tense game! Your style of writing and the very disciplined way you take pictures of each phase gets the excitement across really well. I haven't played any Blitzkrieg games yet (some in the early Western Desert though), and I'm not familiar with the additional red command die or the Kazematte's pre-programmed(?) barrage yet.
Either way, I enjoyed the AAR a lot. The prospect of covering a wide, open area with infantry is always daunting. The whole affair coming down to taking out the AT gun makes sense and gave a very tense game I'm sure.
Oh, and that 'immobilized' marker is very, very clever. ;) I like it.
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Enjoyable as always. Yours are still some of the best after action reports I have ever read.
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After their breakthrough the Germans reach the final map and the important road bridge. The Dutch engineers are delayed and have not started laying charges and so it’s up to the infantry to hold off the attack. The full AAR is here: https://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/05/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-7-river.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/921/7VigNQ.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pl7VigNQj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/Cp2VSB.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnCp2VSBj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/921/akN7dW.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/plakN7dWj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/aNAkMq.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnaNAkMqj)
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Awesome. 8)
The resistance the Dutch put up is remarkable and I think your Germans actually came off lightly (although knocking out the tank on the first shot was downright lucky). Time to lick wounds and evaluate...
Let's hope those engineers finally get on their bikes and ride though!
Another great report and a very enjoyable read indeed :)
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Very good reading in those battle reports. Makes me keen to get a chance to play CoC sometime.
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Great stuff :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
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Great battle report! That Dutch platoon leader should certainly get a mention in dispatches!
Now to see what the Germans and the Dutch do next...
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After a break of a few weeks we're back into the campaign. The Dutch have seized the initiative and try to stall the Germans by mounting a counterattack. A very interesting game and not what I was expecting. The full AAR is here https://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/07/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-8-open.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/YhWAZh.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poYhWAZhj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/GGTs7p.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmGGTs7pj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/x29S7L.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmx29S7Lj)
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The crew of that Dutch armoured car had balls like planets! To sit in the middle of the road and trade shots with a tank. Great stuff.
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The crew of that Dutch armoured car had balls like planets! To sit in the middle of the road and trade shots with a tank. Great stuff.
I heartily agree. Great write up & nail biting to the end.
I must admit in rooting for the Dutch. I always like underdogs. :)
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Ooh; so close to achieving an unexpected victory, only to be cut off at the pass...
Another gripping installment, and for me also one that did not go as expected. At all. I thought it turned out to be a done deal for the Dutch, only for them to stumble in sight of the finish line.
And the engineers not showing up just adds insult to injury. But also the opportunity to play yet another game in this riveting campaign, of course.
Great stuff 8)
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Dang. The Dutch were THAT close to pulling it off. Oh well. Great report!
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Great stuff :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
medals all round for the Dutch AC crew :D
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Thanks everyone, glad you’re enjoying following this. Before we started we were a little concerned that the schützen squads with two MG34 were going to be too much for the Dutch to handle and this might prove a walkover for them, but as you’ve seen, this certainly hasn’t been the case. That’s made for a very enjoyable and far more balanced campaign than we initially imagined. The final table is not an easy one for the Germans, so that despite the delay with the Dutch engineers they are still in with a chance.
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Yeah, I think the Dutch in those games acquitted themselves pretty well. Even though they came out on the short end of the stuck, they made the Germans earn their keep. Waiting for your next report...
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Good to read the AARs and looking forward to the next one. Thanks also for posting the museum visit pictures and descriptions on the blog.
http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/07/australian-army-infantry-museum.html (http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/07/australian-army-infantry-museum.html)
Very interesting and new facts for me to - Austen sub machine gun for one.
Cheers
Tony
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The Germans take a second crack at taking the river bridge. This is a tough table for the attacker and they had no luck at all in the first game, can they do better this time? The Dutch engineers won't be delayed forever after all. The full AAR is here http://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com/2022/07/many-rivers-to-cross-scenario-9-river.html
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/923/izOX2w.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnizOX2wj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/SrY0Sa.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmSrY0Saj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/ZeCD4T.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmZeCD4Tj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/924/F0J5RO.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poF0J5ROj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/922/Ym2Hp2.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmYm2Hp2j)
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What a nailbiting conclusion to a great campaign!
All in all, I feel it perfectly captures the development of the actual invasion in 1940; despite a spirited defense, in the end a German victory was inevitable due to overwhelming firepower, better C&C and numerical superiority.
I really enjoyed following the campaign; certainly something to aspire to... 8)
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Great campaign and write ups as ever but ... play the period not the rules. How can you launch a 150 mm shell into a terrace house with a friendly squad stood next to it. I know there is nothing in the rules against this but it is somewhat unreasonable to not expect friendly fire casualties from such a thing.
This is a weakness of these rules in general actually. As great as the narrative they generate there is no friendly fire considerations at all. So you can amble within 1 yard of a mortar barrage and be perfectly safe. Likewise you can have troops adjacent to 150 mm HE target and have no effect. Stood behind a target being shot at with an MMG? - no worries!
What about something like this? If a friendly unit is obviously in the firing line then for each 1 rolled on the to hit dice it strikes the friendlies instead of the target. So the bigger the stonk the more likely you are to hit a friend
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Very enjoyable campaign once again! Huge thank you for these brilliant battle reports, it's such fun to read!
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Should have dropped the building on the Germans by the road-block. :D
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Thanks for taking the time to share your gaming mate, I have enjoyed it. It has indeed been inspirational for me. 👍
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Great campaign and write ups as ever but ... play the period not the rules. How can you launch a 150 mm shell into a terrace house with a friendly squad stood next to it. I know there is nothing in the rules against this but it is somewhat unreasonable to not expect friendly fire casualties from such a thing.
This is a weakness of these rules in general actually. As great as the narrative they generate there is no friendly fire considerations at all. So you can amble within 1 yard of a mortar barrage and be perfectly safe. Likewise you can have troops adjacent to 150 mm HE target and have no effect. Stood behind a target being shot at with an MMG? - no worries!
What about something like this? If a friendly unit is obviously in the firing line then for each 1 rolled on the to hit dice it strikes the friendlies instead of the target. So the bigger the stonk the more likely you are to hit a friend
You have a good point. It wasn't entirely without risk, with four sixes in the HE roll there's a chance that building could have collapsed immediately with the squad underneath it. Nonetheless I get your point and I've never been comfortable about the way you can creep right up to a barrage.
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Yes not a fan of that tactic either…..there should be an element of risk if you do I think.
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Great report. The Dutch put up quite the scrap!
As for artillery, We've been using Fistful of Lead: Bigger Battles for WW2, and it includes a reasonable possibility of scatter for arty and mortars, etc. Trying to drop them danger close can come back to bite you...and I think that's appropriate...