CapnJim's Modern Stuff - Balczaki-Soviet Bridge Fight Full AAR - Pg 54-10 Aug 25

[Freddy]

In Russia, several series of "magazine" (model + magazine with historical review) models of various military and civilian vehicles were published:
- "Autolegends of the USSR" (Deagostini), 1/43; passenger cars of the USSR
- "Tractors. History, People, Machines" (Hachette collections), 1/43; models of famous tractors of the world
[...]

Yeah, most of these are running in Hungary too (there are even scalpers who buy up the magazines quickly and sell the models 2-3* the price later), I have some of their models despite I do not collect diecast stuff nor in 1/43 neither in 1/72. I just was not aware that their diecasts are actually made in Russia.

There are a huge number of collectors of various models in Russia. The most popular scales: for cars - 1/43; for military equipment - 1/72.

There is a huge selection of 1/72 military vehicles from Russian companies, a lot of stuff not even being available in the more popular 1/35 scale at all. But the ones I met were "classic" plastic models.

[cuprum]

In this case, I wrote only about Diecast models. Very convenient for wargamers - the models do not require assembly and painting, and besides, they are quite durable. And relatively cheap (considering that assembly and painting are not required). There is one drawback - after the full sale of the manufactured edition, they become less accessible and, naturally, become more expensive, as rarities.

[Andy in Germany]

I always thought an alternative to the high octane car chase computer games would be a car parking one.
First level = parking a Mini on a mid-week shopping trip.
Top level = Trying to park a long estate car in the run up to Christmas, with things like what seems to be an
                  empty bay actually being filled with a short or low car. Other cars going the wrong way & stealing
                   parking spots just before you.

                 

Most British computer game ever.

[Andy in Germany]

In this case, I wrote only about Diecast models. Very convenient for wargamers - the models do not require assembly and painting, and besides, they are quite durable. And relatively cheap (considering that assembly and painting are not required). There is one drawback - after the full sale of the manufactured edition, they become less accessible and, naturally, become more expensive, as rarities.

Ebay is a good place to find relatively inexpensive models, although I admit I tend to go for inexpensive vehicles, and I'm not fussy about the prototype, which is why my Royal Navy Police are driving heavily repainted Russian saloons. DeAgnostini models are also fairly easy to dismantle for painting.

[HerbertTarkel]

Gotta love a Trabant! Someday I’m going to buy a bunch - one to run, the rest for parts.

One from Sofia - a RUNNING ONE! It moved around the hood I stayed in. This photo I altered for a playlist called “And sometimes it runs”. 

[CapnJim]

I read on Rubicon's FacePlant page that they were working on a line of 40s/50s/60s civilian vehicles, as plastic kits.  Intended to be used with their WW2 and Vietnam stuff.  Could be interesting, if/when they might eventually be released...

And I apologize for bringing this back to my "modern" games  , but I think we're gonna go back to Balczakistan later in June.  One more chance for the Balczakis to provoke Mother Russia.  After that, the gloves will likely come off... 

[CapnJim]

Good morning, Balczakistan!

Yep - this coming Friday (20 June), we're going back to Balczakistan.  This time we're gonna try it with Xenos Rampant rules.  This one ought to be a bit tough for the Soviets, as they are going out to grab a PBR VIP.  Here are their scenario info and unti sheet:





The Balczakis, on the other hand, have planted the VIP - he's a fake.  They plan to ambush the Soviets, and the Balczaki Army will be on hand to help.  Here are their scenario info and unit list:





Here's a bit better version of the map, and a few shots of the board:













An illustrated AAR will follow the game, likely next week.  Gotta do my Vietnam AAR from last week first....

[CapnJim]

Oh well.  In the "Oops, my bad" category, a couple corrections are in order.  On the Balczaki Scenario Info sheet, that heading should read "Balczaki Deployment".  And there should be a rule explanation for the Balczaki T55 tank's Linebreaker rule.  The tank may ignore the movement penalty for low Obstacles, such as wood fences.
Sorry about that.  Note to self:  Do a better job of proofreading...

[mikedemana]

Interestingly, your regular Dave E. was playing in my Viking Raid game at Origins on Friday night. There seems to have been a mixup, and he brought Ted's luck with him. Bar none in the 16 times I've run the scenario this year at various cons, Dave had the worst luck -- losing two of his three Viking raiders!   

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Interestingly, your regular Dave E. was playing in my Viking Raid game at Origins on Friday night. There seems to have been a mixup, and he brought Ted's luck with him. Bar none in the 16 times I've run the scenario this year at various cons, Dave had the worst luck -- losing two of his three Viking raiders!   

Mike Demana

Well, that's sub-optimal...

Anyhoo, Let's get on with some story-telling.  We did indeed play this Friday past.  I warned Ted and Gene in advance that this was a tough scenario for the Soviets, and then they rolled randomly to see who played who.  Ted played the Balczakis, and Gene the Soviets.  I GM'ed.

A couple administrative notes, first:

1.  Failing a unit's Activation Roll did not end the turn.  All units got a chance to activate.

2.  We used the "Fog of War" chart in the rulebook.  We only rolled on it at the first failed activation test each player's turn.

With that out of the way, here we go...

Part 1:  Here They Come!

To the Soviets, it was supposed to be a raid by some OMON troops.  Just in case, they had a Motor Rifle Squad mounted in a BTR80 lined up to back them up, just in case.  To the Balczakis, however, it was a trap.

They'd fed false intel to the Soviets about a BPR leader being holed up in a safe house in the country.  Their HUMINT source had let them know the Soviets had left their base, and had headed in the direction of the target house.  Their source also alerted them to the presence of the Soviet BTR80 in the column.  The Balczaki regulars who were supporting the PBR irregulars took note, and called in one of their T55 tanks to back them up and deal with the Motor Rifle Infantry.

The Balczakis got ready.  One PBR cell was in the house, while the other 2 were at the hedge by the driveway, and along the scrub at the creekside, just east of the road bridge.



The squad of Balczaki regulars set up in the tree line along the road just northwest of the bridge.



"Alright, boys, get ready.  Here they come." was heard among the Balczakis as the Soviet OMON units approach up the road from the south.  They led with the UAZ 469, followed by theri Ural truck.



As the Soviet vehicles approached the bridge, the Balczaki regulars let loose with RPGs.  And missed.  The cat was out of the bag now.  The OMON 469 veered left and screeched to a halt, the larger truck right behind.  The OMON troopers dismounted.  Their officer barked orders in thick Russian.



One group of Soviets went left to the trees along the road, while another to the right.  PBR guerillas opened fire on the OMON command unit that had taken shelter behind the 469 - one of the OMON troops crumpled to the pavement.  The big Ural truck pulled forward, and the OMON command unit moved over behind it.





As that was going on, something odd happened (the first of a number of unusual events).  A column of civilian cars came driving south on the road, in a hurry to get where they were going.  Seemingly oblivious to the gunfire, they sped toward the bridge.



The Soviet BTR, which had lagged behind the faster OMON vehicles, came up from the south.  The Soviets and the Balczakisi traded some relatively ineffectual fire.  The 469's driver pulled off the road a bit, to let the civilian vehicles through.  Right now, they were just in the way.



With the BTR coming up, the Balczaki regulars moved to some better cover.



The convoy of civilian vehicles wove its way through the OMON units.  They did slow down enough to snake their way through.



At this point, some civilians, on foot, come along the river from the east.  They seemed confused, milling about as though they were looking for something.  Or perhaps someone.



The column of civilian cars and the BTR passed each other on the road, as the OMON unit that had gone left moved back behind the 469.  More gunshot and RPG fire.  Assault rifle and RPG fire makes a lot of noise, even if it doesn't have much effect.



As the so-called firefight went on, those civilians found their way, and began heading toward the PBR cell by the river.  And, a reporter hopped down off the OMON's truck, snapping pictures as she did so.  Who invited her?



That's it for now.  I'll post Part 2: Shit!  They Got a Tank! (the last part) soon enough, but likely after I post the last part of our latest Vietnam game.  Till then...

[carlos marighela]

An air of mystery to this one. Nice storytelling, as ever.

[has.been]

I know quite a few gamers who would not have been so nice to the civilians as the Soviets were.

[CapnJim]

An air of mystery to this one. Nice storytelling, as ever.

Thanks.  This is a little mystery here, especially for the Soviets...

I know quite a few gamers who would not have been so nice to the civilians as the Soviets were.

Yes, well, my gaming group is certainly not above gunning down/running over/blowing up civilians.  Been there, done that, as they say.  All three.  In this case, though, the civilians were in the way, and Gene decided to let them pass to get them out of the way.

With all that taken care of, here is now, for your reading and viewing pleasure...

Part 2: Shit!  They Got a Tank!   

This is the final part to this tale.  But not the end of the story.

Just as the Soviets were planning to push across the bridge, now that those civilians were out of the way, it happened.  The Balczaki T-55 came rumbling on the scene, coming down the road from the north.  Black diesel smoke bellowed from its exhaust.  The Soviets were a bit less than thrilled with this new development.





The last of those civilian cars kept heading south, away from the action.  Now perhaps we know what they were trying to get away from.



In a desperate move, the Soviets drove their truck across the bridge, turned it a bit sideways, and blocked the road.  Or tried to, anyway.  The reporter jumped down from the truck - she didn't like the 100mm gun tube of that T55 pointing at the truck she was riding in.  The BTR moved forward, and some of the OMON men rushed the bridge.  The others fired on the PBR men lining the river, shooting one down like the dog that they claimed him to be. 



Then, it started raining.  Probably just one of those summer afternoon pop-up storms.  But it rained hard, limiting visibility for a while.  And, more civilian cars came down from the north and drove right up to the rear of the tank.  Knowing Balczaki driving habits, they were likely laying on their horns and swearing at the tank for blocking their way...they were rewarded with seeing the T-55 turn the Soviet truck into a blazing wreck.  A 100mm HEAT round will do that.  But now it was a blazing wreck that blocked the road, even with the rain.



Those civilians on foot by the river found the PBR men there.  Words were exchanged, and the PBR men disappeared away to the east.  Apparently, the civilians must have brought word that the PBR were needed elsewhere.  Or it was quite the prank - that punk in the hoody does look kinda shifty...and the civilians would end up going away, as well.



It quit raining, but the storm must have knocked out Soviet commo.  They seemed a bit confused for a few minutes, getting just static on their radios.  The T-55 shoved the burning truck out of its way, perhaps denting the tank's left front fender.  The tank showed no real effects from that maneuver, though.  The Balczaki regulars moved up to take cover behind the truck and the tank.  There was more shooting, little of it very effective but it did force the Soviets back across the bridge.  And with its view cleared, the big gun on the Balczaki T-55 roared again, sending a HEAT round slamming into the Soviet BTR.  It very nearly killed it.

   



The driver of the Soviet 469 didn't like being that close to the armored monster, so he drove his vehicle away, down the riverside.  Not the bravest of moves, I should say.



More shooting.  One OMON unit got down by the riverbank.  They were greeted by some of that shooting, and another OMON man went down.  And another 100mm HEAT round turned the BTR into burning hulk, just as its infantry moved up near it.  I'm sure they were somewhat less than thrilled with that turn of events.  And the reporter appeared with the lead OMON unit.  Apparently, she had made her way back across the bridge, away from burning truck and that big f***ing tank (her words...).



And more shooting.  This time, it was another PBR man who went down - one of the chaps lining the hedge by the target house.



Things were now a bit tenuous for the Soviets.  They had traded men down with the Balczakis, one for one, but most of their rides were blazing away, burning hulks in the post-storm summer sun.  Their only good wheels they had were driving away to the west along the river.  But the reporter had a front row seat for it all.  She would have quite the story to tell, subject to review by Soviet authorities, of course.







The Soviets decided they had had enough.  They began heading back south, from where they came.  On foot, mind you.  As for the 2nd group of civilian cars, their drivers were still laying on their horns, their occupants trading words with the Balczaki regulars.  Apparently, they had places to be.



And that was it.  As the Soviets retreated away from the scene of action, the firing died down.  The Balczakis' trap had pretty much worked.  They suffered a couple casualties, but all in the name of freedom.  The Soviets, on the other hand, had suffered another embarrassing bloody nose.

Aftermath

The PBR and the Balczaki Provisional Government were pleased with themselves.  That pleasure would not last long though.  The Soviets would be done screwing around.  If the Balczakis could bring tanks to a fight, so could the Soviets.  The Hell with a propaganda war.  It was time for a real, honest-to-God shooting war.  The Soviet gloves would be coming off now... 

[commissarmoody]

Send in the HINDS!!! 
Who makes the OMON figures?

[has.been]

I wonder, if the Soviets send in the tanks, would it be like the Prague Spring?
Student protesters soon worked out that you could take a tank out,
some rags stuffed under the spare fuel tanks & a cigarette lighter would do it.

/quote]