A New Year; Same Old Points (23rd January)

A long break and returned again

 As you'll no doubt notice, the last post on this blog was away back in May of last year. This is mostly my fault. With University studies getting me distracted, and working a full time job over the summer, it didn't leave much in the way of time for writing up events. But that all changes now, I have returned with a vengeance and will get out a full report on time, every time.

The Flames of War Scotland team return to Common Ground Games

 All change, except not

 Battlefront announced at the end of last year, that the points for Late-War Tournaments would be changed to a rather intriguing and controversial 1420. (You can read the full article here). With this new points value expected to test the resolve of players who have a list set in stone, I was excited to try out new and interesting forces. But, alas, the Scottish players are a fickle bunch and didn't want to be dropped in the deep end straight away, so we put it to a vote, and the old fashioned 1750pts won out, but only just.

 So, with the points and date set, we were all ready for a new year of gaming.

Again, apologies for lack of pictures from the late game, but when I get playing the camera is set aside for a little while.

New Faces

 Originally, we had a prospective ten players lined up for this Late-War Tournament; but unfortunately, the weather, call-offs and no-shows dropped this to five. But, never one to be put off by low numbers, we ploughed on regardless.

David Forrest is the first of two players to make their debut into the tournament scene this year. David has been ever present on the Flames of War Scotland Facebook group, but work and life had kept him away in the past, so it was a pleasure to finally see him along this time round.

David is using a Schwere Panzerjagerkompanie from Bridge by Bridge.

 David's force consisted of a Panzerjagerkompanie from Bridge by Bridge, with StuGs being the mainstay, while the hitting power of Jagdpanthers, 88's and Artillery rounded out his force.

 Gavin Turner was brought along by David. Being a completely new player, he wasn't given the harshest baptisms of fire, but with a few experienced players around to assist, we ensured that Gavin would be taught this time, rather than ground into the dirt.

Gavin was using a 101st Parachute Division list from Market Garden

 Starting out with a Fearless Veteran list might be a wise choice, to give the army more survivability on the field, but we'll see if it holds out for him. Add in a platoon of British Shermans packing Fireflies, it should be a daunting force.

 Michael Byrne is slowly becoming accustomed to the tournament scene, and returns with his US 9th Armored from Bridge at Remagen. The mix of Easy Eights, Jumbos and a small platoon of 105 Shermans gave this list a look of balance as it seemed to have all it wants to take on a variety of targets. With a singular Super-Pershing kicking about to add some fear factor.

The mixture of Sherman types always makes for interesting results

 Greg Fyfe is now an old hand at tournaments, having attended them for a little longer than I have, and almost ever-present at the ones now being run at Stirling. A common gripe from Greg over the years was the lack of Veteran lists for the Soviets, despite the addition of 'Hero' lists from Desperate Measures, the Soviets still went the entire war without true Veterans (Ignoring Spetznaz Platoons), until Berlin Digital treated us to Veteran cavalry, Engineer Sappers and a Recce Company. So, with these new lists, he fielded a Hero Cavalry Regiment.

Veteran Cavalry charging in with T-34 support makes Greg's list

And finally, yours truly. I always love trying out new toys, and for this event I had in mind some really fun little toys to use in the form of Wasp PPP carriers and Land Mattress Rocket Launchers. Alas, I had ordered them a little too late, so they weren't available for the day. Instead, I went with another unit type that I've only fielded once in a friendly game, and only as a supporting platoon. Comets...

The firepower of a Panther, the speed of a Cromwell and the armour of an Easy Eight make this tank amazing.

Round One: Surrounded

Bye: Me

 With five players, naturally someone was going to have a bye. Usually, I would have stepped aside and allowed a round robin between the other players, but I wanted to get some games in with my Comets. I did however elect to take the first round bye to allow the others to get settled into gaming.

Greg vs Michael
Gavin vs David

 Greg took on Michael, while David and Gavin faced off against each other to allow the two a softer start to the tournament. I spent most of the time sitting between the two tables, glancing either side and manning a rulebook.

Michael's Shermans await to attack on Greg's dug in troops

 In the game between Michael and Greg, the US tank company were attacking dismounted, dug in cavalry. With the presence of a daunting hill in the middle of the table, Michael had a tough job of getting to Greg's lines. Early on, a vineyard made for tough going on the platoon of 105's to the north, bogging a couple down, while the others navigated towards the hill. To the south, the recce slipped into the forest, but alas a bogged down M8 made the platoon a target, while trying to sit and lift Gone to Ground on some of the softer targets.
 A brutal use of 120mm mortars blunted the armoured advance, in a horrible display of dice-rolling, two Easy Eights were knocked out by the light artillery, and with the SU-85M's rolling up to the edge of the forest to put some hurt on the rest of the platoon, the south flank attack from the Americans crumbled.
 On the other side of the table, the Stuarts came rolling in, ready to assault into the mortars to extract some vengeance, but some sly positioning from the T-34s meant the defensive fire drove them back and sent them fleeing.
 It was looking pretty grim for the Americans as each attack broke down and units broke off, while the dug in Soviets held on for dear life, denying an important platoon kill.

 The game was called as the Americans were forced into a company command check, and the CiC was no longer on the field, with the 2iC also out of action. And that was that, a 6-1 to Greg and a strong start.

Dismounted cavalry assaulting Recce? Sure!

 On the other table, Gavin and David were still getting to grips with some of the ideas of the game. But with me sitting out, I was more than happy to offer advice to both sides. give them ideas of how to use certain units and get the game away from an old fashioned 40K shoot-em-up.
 The start of the game involved a heavy gun line of StuGs and Jadgpanthers pounding away at the dug in Paras, while the Wirbelwinds tore into anyone foolish enough to raise their head above the foxholes. With the instruction on how to fire smoke, the US troops started making the Wirbelwinds and Jagdpanthers less effective, but there was  still an imminent threat.
 On the other side of the table, the Paratroops broke out and went after the Artillery. The 105s almost caught short by the advancing troops, losing a few of their number to light mortar and machine-gun fire.
 As time was called, the Germans hadn't made enough ground to take an objective, so the game was called as a 5-2 win to Gavin.

++Lunchtime++

It's hungry work commanding and fighting

Round Two: Dust Up

Bye: Michael

The old favourite, Dust Up, was rolled for round two. The mission always gets a groan of dislike from veteran players, but it's not a bad little mission.

Me vs David
Greg vs Gavin

So, with me now in the gaming, I had less time to look over the game between Greg and Gavin barring the very end. So it'll be a little stunted, I'm afraid; but first, my own game with David.

 Dust Up is one of the few mission in the game that can be won in the first turn. It's not fun for either player when this happens, but I can guarantee that if it happens to you, you will probably never suffer the indignity of it again, knowing what you know.
 Unfortunately for David, he wasn't aware of this, and so began the lesson. I placed an objective as close as I could to my own deployment area, on top of a hill, within 4" of the flat land, so my Comets could immediately jump the 16" onto it first turn. David's closest until was about 15" away, leaving him high and dry to contest first turn, and the presence of the hill blocking line of sight to my attacking force.

 I did immediately extend the hand for a game well played, but I didn't just pack up and walk off. Despite teaching the lesson of watching your objectives, I still wanted a game, and it wouldn't have been much fun to David if I'd done that and then buggered off for a coffee.
 So we carried on, ignoring the taken objective and playing out the game as normal.

 My Sherman OP managed to bog itself down, as I was silly enough to try to roll it through a forest, despite it being gone to ground and concealed if it had just sat slightly behind the front of the woods. More the fool, I.
 The speed of the Comets showed as a platoon of them rushed down the side of the table a speedy 32" to take position behind a forest and out of line of sight of all nasty guns, while the commander led the other one forward from the objective. My two platoons of infantry and Daimler Recce were held off table for some immediate effect when they show up.
 The German artillery got off some shots onto my Comets, but they only managed to bail one out. I rolled a platoon of them through the woods to the south of the ruined monastery and fired off some rattling machine-gun fire across the walls to little effect.
 Finally, David brings in some reinforcements in the form of a pair of Jadgpanthers. The fear of these weapons made me wary. Despite the slight increase of armour on the Comets, the shots go through automatically at short range, and the one-in-six chance of a bailed result at long range was not worth the gamble.
 Ignoring them was the best option, as the Sextons threw a repeat bombardment into the monastery knocking out the observer and pinning down the infantry, as my CiC rolled himself into the artillery huddled in the corner. The failed counter-attack roll and with nowhere to escape to, the guns went down and at that point, we called it a game.
 The Jagdpanthers were mostly disappointing for David, only managing to knock out a pair of Comets, and being rather ineffective against the Sextons, bailing two and doing not much else. But, the list is promising and David has the makings of a good player; good humoured and a really good sportsman.

The Jagdpanthers make an appearance, tickling the Sextons for little effect

On the other table, Greg's cavalry were put into action against Gavin's Paras. In this case, the cavalry went on the attack, I only caught it from the last few turns, but what I did see was cavalry doing horrible things on the charge, bazookas reminding tanks not to get too close and an objective being hotly fought over.

 There was a ring-around-the-forest going on near the objective that would finally end the game.

The cavalry assault into the Paras who knock out a couple of T-34s

 The Paras nobly try to hold back the assaulting Cavalry, but to no avail as they over-run the objective and take the day without a lost platoon. A convincing 6-1 to Greg, but signs of good gamesmanship from Gavin.

Round Three: Hold the Line

Bye: Gavin

 The final round put Greg up against myself and Michael's armored were put up against David's Heavy Tank Hunters. Unfortunately, there are no pictures from this round, as I was heavily involved in my own game, and didn't get much chance to see Michael and David's game.

 With my own force being tank heavy, Greg's cavalry were smart to leave their horses behind and dig into defensive positions for this one. At the start of the game, Greg was a little down on the set up, claiming that it would be over very quickly, with my Comets ready to poise and run straight over his defensive lines. Luckily for him, he was fielding a pioneer platoon and slapped down a minefield across the main approach, bordered by the table-edge and a large hedge.
 First turn, my recce moved up to the hedge to spy on the dug in dismounted cavalry, lifting their gone to ground and allowing the Sextons to put some pinning on them, a platoon of infantry charging down the middle to prepare for a second turn assault.

 That decision to charge infantry at the double almost proved to be a costly one, as a small platoon of 45mm guns popped up from behind a wall and let loose into them. With their AT 8 not going to trouble the Comets much, the infantry bore the brunt of the fire, pinning them down with a torrent of hits. Luck must have been on my side, however, as only two bases failed their saves and the infantry breathed a sigh of relief... for now.
 My assault went in, but a few lucky round reduced the effectiveness of the attack, with only a single hit on the defenders, who rose up and wiped out the platoon in return. Not quite what I had in mind, maybe I'll take Commandos next time, because there were an awful lot of '2's' rolled in that assault.
 Regardless, the 45mm guns were crushed beneath Comets as they rolled over the walls and into position, the other platoon coming round atop a nearby hill to offer supporting fire. 

Greg's SU-85M's and dismounted cavalry from his first game against Michael

 The game was still there to be won, but with the appearance of the 85M's, it looked a little bleak as they opened fire into the Comets... for no hits, and the subsequent return fire knocking them out and sending them packing for the hills, I had once again been spared a horrible fate.
 By now, things were getting desperate on both sides as assaults went in, were beaten back and units were whittled down. A brave attempt to assault through a building (avoiding Faustnika defensive fire) resulted in an impressive three bogged Comets. Sensing the capture of these, I positioned my other infantry platoon to within counter-attack distance and awaited the assault.
 And it did come. A platoon of sappers throwing themselves in, but the top armour of the bogged down Comets proving too much for them, as they held on and the infantry poured into the fight, beating back the sappers and chasing them off. Then came some dismounted cavalry, causing havoc amongst my men, but again I held on, with British Bulldog keeping my forces in the fight, as they too were chased off. Subsequently passing the platoon morale checks to keep them on the table added insult to injury for Greg.
 A final, last ditch attempt from some cavalry to get my Comets off the initial objective failed as the assaulting platoon fell completely to defensive fire.
 A very hard fought 5-2.

 On the other table, alas, I didn't see much, but it sounded like a fun game as Michael ended up eventual 5-2 winner there too.

Michael's Stuarts from game one left burning from their assault on the heavy mortars

Final Scores and closing points

The StuGs roll off, with their job done for now.

 And that was that for the first Scottish Tournament of 2016. With a very big thanks to Gavin and David coming down for the first, and hopefully not the last, time. The final scores for all were:

1= Me - 14

1= Greg - 14
2= Michael - 9
2= Gavin - 9
3- David - 5

*- Players with a Bye are awarded the best losing score possible (3 points)

 We come to the end, and with plenty on the schedule for this year, including Team Yankee, Great War and the Nationals again, I'll have plenty to talk about. So thanks for reading, and see you next time.