QUAR AT WAR - THE TOWN

 This Wednesday we play tested my newest rules Quars at War which is based in part on a Fist Full of Lead (FFL) skirmish rules. I added my own Coin System of command and greatly modified a number of the FFL tables. I also borrowed from the Two Fat Lardies Suppression system. 

In this scenario the Coftyran Crymuster, the boys in blue, engaged in a fight against the Tolkis Crusaders, the lads in green, to capture and hold as much of the town as possible. Both sides approached from the opposite sides of town, Crusaders from the East, Crymuster from the West. The Crusaders goal was to capture as much of the town as possible, while the Crymuster are similarly instructed to do the same, but focus their main efforts on taking the High Ground represented by the blue domed buildings. 

Crusaders Quickly Take Control of the First Block on the East and Begin to Infiltrate the Center of the Second Block. The Blue Tokens Indicate Crusader Controlled Buildings. 

The Crymuster Forces Quickly Seize the Western Side of Town as Indicated by the Brown Tokens. As the Crusaders Try to Storm Across Main Street that Divides East and West, They are Meet by Withering Fire from the Crymuster Forces.   

Crusaders Rush Across the Main Street and Lob a Grenade into the Well Defended Crymuster Balcony Wounding Some and Causing a lot of Confusion to Their Enemy. 

Seen from Behind the Crusaders Position. Both Sides are now Engaged in a Number of Fire Fights. While There are Few Injuries the Disruption Level, as Indicated by the Orange Blast Marker, are Piling Up on both Sides. 

At Battles End the Crymuster has Dirven Back most of the Crusader Forces, except in the Key Central Domed Building. 

Crusader Forces Hanging on to Their Left Flank and Central Positions. The Right has Been Heavily Mauled. 

The Appalling State of the Crusader Right Flank. At the Start of the Following Turn All the Troops in the Near Building Will Need to Fall Back. Most are Carrying Wounds. 

The Crymuster's Right Flank's LMG Section and Infantry Gun That Have Been Battering the Crusaders Mercilessly.

For a first run the game went rather well. My charts left a few things out that will make a few serious changes to play. The players seemed to forget a number of their special units as most lingered out of site in the rear areas. A key issue I have is the play went much slower than I wanted. In part because few Quar were killed until the very end, and because of the single section activation sequence. I need to address the later, but the kill issue was more about luck then anything mechanical. The rules have already been updated, and I will put them online when they are in a more polished state. 

My real-world situation is about to become very hectic. I don't plan to run another game before August. Hopefully I will be able to play in other people's games before that. Time will tell. 

IF IT'S WEDNESDAY THIS MUST BE POLAND

 On Wednesday we played a WWII game of Jadepanzer featuring a Polish force's attempt to halt a German advance. Outnumbered, out gunned, out armored the Polish players thought this was going to be a daunting task. The thing they had going for them was position. The Poles could deploy their entire force in concealment and ambush which they did. The first line of defense was just behind the woods you see in the upper center of the picture above. The second line was in the town. The Germans key vulnerability was their fuel. They have five trucks that if destroyed would possibly leave an entire platoon of tanks out of the game. This weakness was what the Poles planned to exploit to the best of their ability. How did this work out? Read on. 

The German Tank Column has Advanced into the First Ambush Zone. Polish Fire was Very Accurate, Scoring Numerous Hits, but Their Weak Armor Penetration Left Them with Only One Knocked out Panzer Which is Hidden Behind the Building. 

The German Response Was Serious and Devastating. They Knocked Out Four Polish Vehicles. Due to the Terrain, They are Unable to Bring Their Numbers to Bear, Which Prevented Even Further Losses. 

To Their Good Fortune, The Poles Cause a Catastrophic Kill to the Lead German Tank Nearest the Town. This Caused the First German Platoon to Rout Buying the Polish More Time. The Cost so far was Extremely High. The Poles Have Lost Three Full Platoons to the Germans One, But it was Here the Germans Made Their Crucial Mistake of Having Their Lead Elements Attacking the Ambush Rather Than Advancing and Letting Their Follow Up Forces Deal with it. 

The action became very intense at this point, so I forgot to take any more pictures. 

As the Germans turned to attack the ambush they exposed their flanks to the Polish main armor waiting in ambush in the town. Capitalizing on this the Poles knocked out a number of the Panzer IIs. and at the same time the fuel trucks entered the board and that is when the Polish railroad tanks appeared. Of little use against the armor, they were a terror against the trucks and destroyed two of the five on the first attack. 

The Germans response was to turn their Panzerjagers I and rear tanks to deal with them. They knocked out one and effectively suppressed the second. The Polish took this opportunity to send a platoon of their heavy machinegun tanks to attack both the remaining trucks and the exposed crew of the Panzerjager Is. All of the trucks and two of the three Panzerjager Is were destroyed. This made for a clear victory as the Poles still had about a third of their total forces intact, while the fuel crisses caused the loss of four additional German platoons.

We found a number of things needed to be tweaked. The range of the MGs needed to be seriously cut back. The system for MGs engaging the trucks and the exposed crew needed to be rethought to conform more to the standard rules. Terrain needed to be made clearer as all hills you see on the table are in fact representing very dense, impenetrable woods. Overall the game went smoothly and was fun for both sides to play.