More Ogre! Back to Basics - The Pocket Game

A sight no one likes to see outside their CP...

and no...it isn't your Amazon Prime delivery truck!                                                 Fnord - trump putin disputin'

The classic pocket edition re-issue from a few years ago - I bought all 4 copies from my FLGS when I saw them! And the Car Wars pocket edition...can't find it at the moment, however. This was the best promo evah!! I still have three mint in plastic that I'm hoarding, like an ogre.  :)


The classic Ogre game - pocket edition reissue - is truly a bland map. I would like the one with the craters actually mapped out, but am grateful for this one. I LOVE the counters!

Below, Paneuro forces selection v. MkIII, a Mechanized Infantry company, basically. For the 12 Armor Units, I picked two Howitzers HW, then two each of Heavy Tank HT and Missile Tank MT, and four GEV. The infantry INF are freebies with the scenario.


And this is my setup. CP at center, two equal flank forces, GEVs on the outside, no one in range of even an Ogre missile on the first turn. The Ogre really only has two choices v. a mirror defense: First, go straight down the middle and to heck with the flanks. Second, go down an edge and protect one flank with the board edge. Unless there's an opportunity to hit a few armor units on turn 1 or 2 due to a bad setup, I feel the board edge offers the best attack. I compute it as 4 hexes longer but it forces the defense to get a bit crowded and that can slow them down a bit or limit their chances to get into firing position. Open to suggestions, however!


Turn 1. Ogre making its attack run, defense starting to form up.



Turn 2. Ogre continues its merry way, the defense positions for a flank envelopment while remaining mostly outside of threat distance [since this is a Move & Shoot turn sequence, TD = move distance PLUS weapon range, or 8 hexes for missiles, and 6 for Main battery, 5 for Secondaries].


Turn 3 Ogre. IT decides oncoming HT is worth a missile, only needs a 2+ to do something and if Disabled the HT can be easily run over. Unfortunately, IT rolls like a mechanical moron. What The Ogre, man!?  WTO, WTO, WTO! Can't make it up...man, I love dice games...sorta...


Turn 3 Paneuro. MT gets in range and knocks out the Main Battery - ouch! With its three most powerful weapons ineffective, I'd be ready to throw in the towel...but OGRES don't sweat!


Turn 4 OGRE. IT goes lateral. I felt IT had to move in close and knock out a couple of the armored units with ITS secondaries. The crowded field of Pan vics created the opportunity, and staying a hex closer to the targets kept IT out of range of the Howitzer. But considering ITs dice track record thus far I toss down the dice with grave misgivings...

...that are unwarranted! Two Heavies and a GEV knocked out!


Turn 4 Paneuro. The GEVs get on both flanks and let it rip, but only the MT draws blood, knocking out a secondary. Three secondaries is still a pretty potent threat to half an armored company!


Turn 5 OGRE. It advances on the HW but takes a little detour to wreck some GEVs.

Turn 5 Paneuro. The envelopment continues, with a MT and two GEVs leading the charge of a pile of INF against the monster. With three 5s, ALL Secondaries are destroyed!  Woo-hoo!


Turn 6. With its teeth yanked, the OGRE starts the final drive against the CP. All Paneuro fire is directed against the Treads, needing a 5+ to destroy Tread Units = to Attack Strength. Both Howitzer's miss [!] but an outstanding series of rolls by everyone else makes up for it a bit.


Turn 7 OGRE. Still, IT has three movement and closes in on the HW.


Turn 7 Paneuro. Everyone closes in and despite some missing by the HW [a theme that will continue...] Team Euro manages to take out enough treads to put it down to 2 movement. This means 5 turns to knock out the CP v. 3 turns, a huge difference! The HW crew may not care, however...


Turn 9, OGRE runs over the HW, which makes it's only contribution to the battle - the mangled bits of gun and the detonation of some rounds carelessly left out results in ONE tread unit destroyed. Still, they died manning their gun...Paneuro shooting was pathetic, just a couple of hits.


Turn 10. OGRE cruises along 2 hexes, it is two turns from running over the CP!
The Paneuros finally get a hit with a HW, and altogether knock out 11 TUs!


Turn 11, the OGRE closes in for the kill. The pressure is entirely on Team Euro at this point. Desperate measures motivated the socialist slugs to get focused, and they take out ALL remaining TUs!  The beast grinds to a halt as the worlds largest combination ash tray and door stop.


Turn 11 redo!  All this time, I totally forgot about the Anti-Personnel guns! They should have been shooting up the INF the last several turns. Just to see what would've happend, I made several rolls for them, and it almost certainly would have made a difference, with nearly all the INF dead. Oh well, this was the first time back in a long time, so I have to give myself a bit of a break!


Wow, what a game! There is something about trying to kill an Ogre that is tense - very tense. I didn't think the Paneuros could do it, but after a bunch of disappointing rolls - mainly by the howitzers [may they RIP] - the lowly GEVs and such beat the monster down.

I have to try again...I think the Ogre can win with a different strategy...