Micro Armor Work part 5: New Gear, Detailing BMP-2, T-74

Hooray for gear! Everything arrived about 2 weeks after order being placed. I can proceed with my detailing of the OPFOR micro armor, as well as move forward on some terrain.

GAZ 66 trucks, BRDM Spandrel TOW in center, AAMGs to right.


GAZ 66 and US infantry - lt. AA, AT, TOW. Metal is quality, crisp, clean. Infantry are a bit smaller than GHQ, but that will help them fit better onto the vehicles, actually. They're fragile. Wasn't expecting the GAZ to be pieces, but it makes them more detailed.


US .50 cal AAMGs. All this stuff is nicely detailed but fragile.


Heads up! US guided munitions to left, Russian AAMGs to right. Nice!

Compared to the GHQ Russky AAMGs [right], I think I prefer the  CinC [left]. Lots of spares now! However, if a barrel broke, I'd almost certainly just glue a small piece of piano wire in place and leave it at that. They may be different MG models, but the CinC looks more like the pics I'm seeing on the 'web.


Bridge is excellent - crisp detail, nearly no cleaning.



WORKING ON THE BMP-2's
Good view of BMP-2 hatches: Commander opens forward [for protection, one presumes] and driver rotates to side, around the three periscope vision apertures. Want to have the hatches open right, right? Shows how thin the top armor is, too...funky camo scheme...

https://www.armyrecognition.com/may_2013_news_defence_army_military_industry_uk/indian_army_will_upgrade_entire_fleet_of_russian-made_bmp-2_sarath_infantry_fighting_vehicle_1305133.html

Another great pic - you can see how the driver's hatch flips over to open up then lays flat.

By Фальшивомонетчик (original picture) SuperTank17 (crop) - Crop of File:Rep parad4.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7576920

Jeweler's saw - a must if you want to work with metal or plastic - gives a close cut and only removes a little of the material. Also, it's pretty cheap and will last forever, basically.


The blade is flexible, and you can tilt a bit to shift the angle of the cut - not much, a little goes a long way with this technique! You can see how perfect the cut on the driver's hatch is! May replace periscope glass - it's so tiny it'll be easy as any bit of debris will suit.




Commander's hatch is sticking up vertically atop the turret [it opens forwards] silhouetted against the green clothes pin holding the craft stick on which the mini is mounted.

And with the crew member added, here's the command BMP-2. The crew member is actually firing an M-72 LAW but it sort of looks like a laser sight, so I may leave it as-is.




WORK ON THE T-74s
Need to figure out a few things, like where the AAMG will go and how the hatches open, plus crew and how to set them down.

Hatch opens forward - nice pose! Little bits of red for lights will help model pop.
http://www.wwpd.net/2017/01/tighten-down-those-turrets.html

Below shows the AAMG mount fwd, with spotlight back. Apparently the ring rotates.

http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/USSR/soviet_T-72.php
Another great close-up of turret AAMG mount [ammo can to right].
https://www.armyrecognition.com/russia_russian_army_tank_heavy_armoured_vehicles_u/t-72a_t-72_a_main_battle_tank_technical_data_sheet_specifications_information_description_pictures.html

Model kits can be great sources of info - they aren't 100% reliable, but they help.
https://www.model-space.com/gb/build-the-russian-tank-t72-full-kit.html

This is not only a great shot, but this is an exceptional website! Note how the commander has turned around the AAMG for use, putting the spotlight and the hatch to the back.

https://thesovietarmourblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/t-72-soviet-progeny.html

OK, so I've learned a few things from the web, and now it's time to get these tanks assembled.

First, I use the jewelers saw to make vertical cuts where the hatch folds up, then cut horizontally across the tank [tilted on the craft stick to the verticle...much easier to cut] until the hatch is just about to come off. Then I used a new X-acto blade to gently pull it off.

Left tank has hatch removed, two others have the vertical cuts.

Below, hatch removed - shiny spot at 7 o'clock on turret to left is where removed from.


Some crew members - US LAW shooters. the Stiff position and slender build makes them perfect as crew, if not great for infantry on the table!


I pre-position them first, then cut to fit where I want them. They're fiddly, so I use a clamp to handle them [the kind that reflexively closes on the held object].


And here they are - two sort of crouched down behind the open hatch, one standing.



I then attach the AAMGs. I started the hole with a very sharp, new X-acto blade, and gently made a small guide hole, then used a very small Dremel drill bit to drill the holes for the peg on the AAMG. I also run a little superglue on the gun itself, hoping to keep the barrel from breaking as easily [doubt it will work if roughly handled, but...here's to trying!].


Note that from this angle you can see the ammo can I glued to the right side of the gun. It didn't come with one, but I cut a little box shape off the sprues. It may sound crazy, but without it the gun looks quite narrow and loses a lot of bulk, so I felt obliged.


This only leaves the GAZ-66 trucks and the Spandrel BRDMs to assemble and crew, and then I'm ready to finish priming this batch!

Battleground 2020: Syria, Post 2: schedule & more gear

"If you look on the dry erase board, you can see that they get +2 Dice...1 for being Dug-in, and 1 for Hard cover. We need more than an AAMG for this target!"

http://www.novinite.com/articles/102832/Russia+Ends+Decade+Long+Chechnya+Operation

Sometimes as work progresses with a project, I realize that some more items are needed to finish the phase of work I'm in. This can be frustrating due to both budgeting constraints and available time, so I always like to work on a couple of items simultaneously - if one experiences a slow-down, then I switch to the other while acquiring the needed items.

Present phases of work:

1. prepping and priming OPFOR micro armor and infantry.
2. creating mixed terrain on bases, printing paper terrain, making the buildings.

This happened with the work on the micro armor. The jeweler's saw makes a little bit of additions to the vehicles pretty easy, and commanders, guns, gunners, crew and boxes / bundles on vehicles always makes them a lot more realistic. It also adds depth to the model, making it "pop" to the eye. As I experimented in this post [click] I realized I didn't want to waste a lot of really nice infantry figs as crew - chopping up a few for a trial is fine, but the GHQ figs are too nice to waste. Also, their dynamic poses are harder to work with than more static ones, anyway.

So, I checked GHQ and CinC and found that the latter had some static poses perfect for vehicles - dirt cheap, too [$7 / 36]. Also, shipping is free for orders in the $20-50 range, so it was time to fill in a few other deficiencies as well. In the end, this was the order placed:

OPFOR
* BRDM Spandrel [TOW] [x5] - had no TOW capability, and they're scout cars, too.
* GAZ 66 trucks [x5] - transport for Syrian motor infantry.
* 40 Russian AAMG for Armor - useful for a number of vics, a common upgrade.

USA
* Guided bomb set - for future airplanes, and immediately as markers for IF attacks.
* 50 .50 cal AAMG - both an upgrade and spares for broken barrels, etc.
* US Lt. AA, AT and TOW figs - poses suitable for many crew uses.

TERRAIN
* Wooden span bridge - 2" span, 6" long, seems to have metal rails. Seems like a common 3rd-world or secondary road bridge. Got an extra span to make it cross 4" of water.

I found CinC easy to work with thru their site, and plan to use them in the future, after I see how this order goes. The items look good, altho not all have pics or adequate pics.

For the 2nd bullet, I realized that to create terrain bits that will last, I need to mount them on something sturdy, easy to handle and water-proof [spilled beverages...] so the time and effort spent on terrain isn't wasted when it falls apart with use. Also, painting terrain can make it curve as the paint dries. I therefore ordered .02 / .04 styrene sheets from Hobbylinc, which are on the way.

Also, I want to have groves of trees, whether cultivated or wild. So I ordered trees from China. More will be posted on these when they arrive.

Battleground 2020: Syria, Post 1: Initiating project

Styker BCT staff prepare for their greatest challenge: One-Hour Wargames

https://paxsims.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/augmented-reality-sand-tables/

This will be a project post that I hope will achieve two goals:

1. Help me to organize, track and push forward with this project, and,
2. Help experienced or new gamers alike to get ideas on how to choose, track, and progress with a project in a satisfying, responsible way.

Often projects get lost in the sauce of daily living - that's ok, a hobby is _just_ a hobby. But when it gets lost due to another sudden _hobby_ interest, or loses steam, it may be that we aren't being organized about it enough, letting new shiny things grab our attention and distract us from goals. That's not good - it leads to a host of issues:

• dissipated time, money and effort,
• spending money on multiple projects that get nowhere,
• blowing our hobby budget on incomplete projects,
• lost interest since often we can't play an incomplete project.

I find that posting helps me stay focused, so a big "thank you" to followers and occasional visitors alike!

BLUF

This project looks forwards to a near-future US intervention in the Syrian Civil War [say 2020] with a Stryker Brigade as a Reaction Force moving into theater with all the latest challenges and tech of near-peer decisive action. It features:

1. working with micro-armor including terrain, manufacturors, etc
2. resources for contemporary warfare: gadgets, doctrine, uniforms, everything,
3. new rules for "Oil Cheaper than Water" to reflect contemporary possibilities of near-peer conflict, such as decisive action as opposed to COIN warfare,

WHY? 
Every project needs a reason why it'll stick. I think this'll do well as I'm in a SBCT and we're training for near-peer conflict, so a lot of the issues are things that I get to see and talk about regularly, from weapons to doctrine to planning and tactics. Also, it is pretty cool to do near-future...it's pretty much the same stuff we have now, but the potential for a few things to be better and no one can tell you it is wrong! They may have opinions on likelihood, but they can't say that it is wrong. This gives much of the freedom of an Imagi-nation without constructing something from the ground up.

Also, I'm enjoying micro armor. Yes, it is small, but there is still a bit you can do to spruce it up - and it costs about 1/4 as much and takes half as long to work with than 15mm, maybe less. It also fits nicely onto a small table, which is the vast majority of my gaming these days, even with several people.

Finally, the rules are coming together more and more, showing that the core mechanics are sound - the tricky part of balancing reality and playability is something that definitely comes about with playing, and I've more people than ever who are interested in all the modern warfare rules, including some veterans and veteran gamers. It's important that I have rules I like to play and that fit into my resources of time and energy.

All that being said, below is how things stand as of 02 FEB 18.

********************************************************************
1) RESOURCES
A. Books
Thunder Run: Combat [x+], Tactics [x], doctrine [-], story [x+]
In the Company of Soldiers: Combat [-], Tactics [-], doctrine [x+], story [x]
Outlaw Platoon: Combat [x+], Tactics [x], doctrine [x], story [x+]
An Angel from Hell: Combat [x], Tactics [x], doctrine [-], story [x+]
This Kind of War: Combat [x], Tactics [x], doctrine [x+], story [x]
Crusade: ?
Generation Kill: ?

B. Video

The Long Road Home series

Generation Kill series

Paths of Glory
Blackhawk Down
American Sniper

C. RESEARCH
US Weapon Characteristics, Annex F - [CLICK] 1998 from globalsecurity.org
OPFOR World Equipment Guide [CLICK] - public release
* for these large publications, CTRL F is your friend for finding sections quickly!

2) RULES
Primary: "Up the Blue!" WWII --> developed --> "Oil Cheaper than Water"Secondary: Portable Wargame
Inspiration, resources: FFT3, Nordic Weasel [No End in Sight, Five Core], FUBAR, Saber Squadron, Team Yankee, 

3) TERRAIN
Bought
* Paper: Highways, modern city bldgs, town bldgs,
* 3D trees from China
* Plastic styrene sheets for basing terrain from Hobbylinc [CLICK]

Ready
*none*

Needed
all OHW scenario terrain in 1/285 [6mm]: towns, hills, river, bridges, ford, woods / palm groves
Arid / Desert: Mixed Terrain & Flat Terrain pieces

4) MINIS
Bought

OPFOR [Syria / Iran / Russia]:
GHQ Modern Micro Armor
* T-74 [x10]
* BMP-2 [x5]
* Btr-50 [x5]
* 3rd world Infantry and heavy weapons [x164!]
About 5 Vehicle platoons, and 8 Infantry platoons

Added 27 FEB 18
* BRDM Spandrel [TOW] [x5] - had no TOW capability, and they're scout cars, too.
* GAZ 66 trucks [x5] - transport for Syrian motor infantry.
* 40 Russian AAMG for Armor - useful for a number of vics, a common upgrade.

USA Stryker BCT: 
* Strykers [x5 ea] - CAV, IFV, MGS, TOW, 
* US Infantry and Heavy Weapons [x150+]
* M1A2 TUSK Abrams [x5]
* JMTV [x5]
About 10 Vehicle platoons and 8 Infantry platoons

Added 27 FEB 18
* Guided bomb set - for future airplanes, and immediately as markers for IF attacks.
* 50 .50 cal AAMG - both an upgrade and spares for broken barrels, etc.


* US Lt. AA, AT and TOW figs - poses suitable for many crew uses.

Ready
*none*

Needed
1. Artillery [off-board, observers on-board, Counter-battery, Air attacks]
 - Zis Rockets, Guns, 
3. Air "tactical" [SMALL drones, UAV, helo, inf / thin vic AA, small missiles] 
Super Tucano [CLICK] 
4, Air "operational" [DRONES! Jet / big missiles]]

2017 In Review - 2018 Things to Do!

"Tell them we are coming..."

Seemlingly asleep, but about to awaken...


March or Die!!

Wow, in January 2016 I was thrilled to pass 4,000 posts. Presently, we are at 18,000 and counting, and projects are taking shape, getting focused and moving forward well!

2017 was something of a mixed bag, with lack of direction and 1:1 Army slowing down projects and scattering energy. It was hard to focus, and some projects that are long-term love affairs were neglected for new and shiny things, which was a mistake:

• There were 16 Posts in 2017, double that of 2016
• The year started off with a lot of energy spent on 54mm Colonials, NW Frontier British, Indians and Pathans. Skirmish seemed the way to go, and it is cheap. I am still interested in working on the skirmish version of my rules, but there's lots of ideas and not much development at the moment.
• Things tapered off as we went into the summer training period, with just a couple final posts on NW Frontier skirmishing.
• As a result of 1:1 Army training, I got to thinking of a micro-armor project, which would both further my professional and personal development. I felt it would also fit well on my office table, where I do most of my gaming these days [and a lot more gaming it is since I discovered the whole "One-Hour Wargames" Movement!].
• I bit the bullet and bought a Stryker Company and Soviet Puppet opposition, postulating a hypothetical US intervention in the Syrian Civil War.
• There was a big lull here from July to November. But as Thanksgiving approached, I did a few playtests of Wargaming: An Introduction rules, namely the Skirmish [French Foreign Legion v. Arabs in 15mm, a long-neglected and forgotten project from the 1980s or 1990s I think] and WWII rules [desert WWII again]. I liked them both, but development of my 6d6 Medieval Rules was so successful that I knew they could be adapted well to WWII, and would be less clunky than the W:AI rules.
• Breakthru in game design concepts led to a 6d6 WWII v.2 that is presently not on the internet, but available direct from me in a controlled playtest agreement.
• This gave me confidence to run a big-battle game for my dearly beloved Sidi Rizegh, to which much of my 15mm force is focused: Operation Crusader.
• That game went really well, and momentum for 6d6 WWII v.2 has been strong.

That's 2017 in Review!

Now, on to 2018! This started off with an unexpected journey to 1973's Yom Kippur War, for which I had neither figures nor interest. BUT two pals did and they asked if I'd work the WWII rules into the modern period. This involved halving the time of a turn and doubling the distance, and a bunch of other changes, also. It was a pretty wild ride, as it mostly occurred around an NTC staff trip. However, it worked well and was a great learning experience. It also forced me to ponder mechanics that would go from 1940-2020, a long time span of tech and training. Quite a challenge, but easier than doing all the periods separately, I think. 

So here's where we are now:

1. 13 Posts in 2018 nearly equals all of 2017 - wow!
2. Modern company-level rules for 1940-2020 are the top priority.
3. WWII and the 2019 are the main and secondary effort [start and end of period].
4. Hobby work must prioritize finishing my desert British [so I can have a balanced force to fight Italians], and pushing forward on my modern micro-armor [it's fun, it's easier and faster than 15mm, that's for sure].
5. Terrain for both these projects needs to be made - fortunately, it is all middle east, so not that hard to make and I can probably double-use them despite the scale difference - IF I am clever enough.
6. Shifting to the continent, I have a double-force of German Luftwaffe Feldkompanie ready to go, with some lovely paint jobs [if I do say so myself!] and their StuGIII's nearly done. Now, they need an opponent, and I have made zero progress on my US forces over the last several years, so I sense a bucket-load of US infantry in the works. These will HAVE to be based off the 28ID, no doubt about it!
7. Using the same desert terrain in 15mm would be my French Foreign Legion v. Arabs, which I plan to change from Skirmish to Unit-based game, using the "Up the Blue!" rules but with more assault / melee mechanics, and of course, cavalry.

That's more than enough for now. I'm already getting my Brits on the table this Sunday, despite working on the Welsh spearmen for the medieval game next Saturday. Tally-ho!

Hope your 2018 gaming is off to a strong start and a great season!

1973 / Scenario #14 part 3

Well, the examination of Scenario #14 just doesn't end. I had to see if the town was a realistic objective if the Defender had 1 Mortar and the Attacker had 2. I felt it was possible, but this is definitely one of those scenarios where the available forces will dictate what objective you will go for [player errors and genius counts as well, of course].

So I returned to Scenario #14, and played it a couple times, and decided that I could update a few more things in the rules and play again for showtime. Ergo, this is not just an AAR, it is a carefully planned attack that was rehearsed multiple times - and practice pays off.

The final training session ended with the below situation. Like a total Pogue, I trashed the IDF IFVs getting them too close to Dug-in Infantry in a town [duh, POGUE!] where their RPGs and recoiless rifles tore them apart. I then lost most of a Centurion platoon and got a Mech Infantry platoon hammered also. Still, I did take the town! I will just have to write a lot of letters to bereaved families...ugh. Errors in attack management aside, I think this is doable for anyone. I also took the opportunities to fine-tune Red's defense plan.

Below, a trashed but successful IDF force. The M-113 IFVs are all quite destroyed.

So this is the surviving Blue force - one battered MBT, one trashed MBT, one trashed Mech Infantry, one fresh Mech Infantry - I'm lucky this isn't a campaign game, my next scenario would have to be from the last set in the book...where one side has only four Units!


OK, below is what I've learned in - I dunno...a dozen playtests of this scenario - maybe more. Several in the '73 period anyway. The Egyptians Quality is Unreliable, less than the IDF, so need more Units. Accordingly, they've an 8-6 advantage: 2 Infantry on each objective, 2 MBTs, 1 IFV and a 1 Infantry with ATGMs. Deployed, on the Hill there are two Infantry [1 has 3 volleys of ATGMs] and the IFV [BMP1], with their MBTs above woods [w'in 12" of the Hill, but can move freely, the other Units have to stay within 12" of the Hill].

To the Right on the Town, are another Infantry with ATGMs [3 Volleys], an MBT and two Infantry, but the MBTs can move anywhere on the Table. The long reach of the ATGMs are a serious problem for the Isreali player - they have the equivalent of a battery of 88s that are hidden among an Infantry platoon - nothing to dismiss but at peril!

At bottom is the Isreali attacking force.

Below, the IDF has two Infantry platoon, each mounted in a platoon of IFVs, M-113 w' 50-cal mounts. These are hard to categorize, but Light Gun for this battle, mainly due to Range. They also have two platoons of MBTs, Centurions. With the top platoon is an artillery spotter, marked with the small base. They are all rated Reliable.


Below, the Hill force. They have both Infantry able to spot over the crest, and the right [ATGM platoon, with 3 volleys - black die] able to shoot from the crest [and be shot at, if they do so]. Behind them, and touching therefore ready for them to mount up, are their IFVs, with Light Armor and Light Guns.


Spread across the rest of the battlefield, the T-55s are Slow, and Short Ranged [can only shoot 20", while Isrealis shoot 30"], and they can't go Hull Down unless they Dig-in. The Infantry platoon has 3 Volleys of ATGMs and is Dug-in. 

The Infantry in the town both touch the South side, and the West and East sides, respectively, and both also touch the road, so they can observe well for their Artillery, a single battery of Medium Guns that are off-table. Their MBTs are ready to pop out around the town and shoot, or turn and drive down the road to make trouble. The ATGM Infantry cover the long gap between the Town and the olive Groves - Woods - to the left.


Positioning Artillery spotters. The IDF spotter viewpoint is in the very SW corner - the X - and looks down the valley between the Hill Objective and Woods. It will attempt to intercept Egyptian reinforcements moving from the Hill to project Fire in support of the Town. On the left, the '4' is a Heavy Battery, it arrives on a 4+ and has 4 Fire Missions [white die]. To the right there's off-table Mortars, 2+ Arrival and 7 Fire Missions. Both can fire smoke.

Egyptian Spotter. One battery of Medium Artillery, arrives on a 3+, 5 fire missions. X is the off-table spotter, who has a view thru each valley and can rain death of IDF advance! The other spotter is the Infantry in the SW corner of the town...forgot to mark it for entire game!

The Off-Table Artillery Spotters represent look out posts on hills / mountains outside the Box of battle, and therefore can't be shot at or stopped. In game terms, they allow a force to always use their Artillery, reduce the gamey "shooting at spotters" and provide a zone to mark artillery availability. In a more realistic setting, this information should be concealed, of course, but I'm playing solo and am too aware of what both sides have!

Turn 1. IDF starts with Initiative and enters the Table. The mech infantry dash to the Woods in their IFVs, while the MBTs push up the road against the town, rolling enough on their Maneuver dice to get into a dead zone out of view of the ATGMs - assisted by the half-light of dawn? The Egyptians shift their MBTs a bit in response and load of an Infantry Uni with ATGM upgrade at the hill onto their IFVs, and look forward to Turn 2's Artillery phase...

Turn 2. Artillery Phase. Egyptians Target the Mech Infantry and roll a '1' for the Arrival of their Fire Mission, so the Arrival Number drops by 1 to '2' instead of '3'. 


Turn 2 Artillery Phase. IDF pick Targets but miss their Heavy Artillery Arrival roll, needing a '4' and rolling a '3'. Their Arrival # drops 1, to '3'. The off-table Mortars use the Recon ability of their Mech to spot and Target the Dug-in Egyptian Infantry in the valley at extended range - they're worried about those ATGMs! And rightfully so! They also have the Spotter, who rolls a '3' and they Arrive. 

The mortars trash them rolling 3/3 Hits! They started with 3 Dice, lost 1 b/c Target was Dug-in, gained 1 b/c Target was lower Quality, ending with 3 dice for a 3+ to Hit Infantry. They rolled 3x3s! This results in a dice on 3 for them, and it is Yellow b/c they've a Permanent Hit. The PH means they will start with 2 Fire Dice from now on, b/c they actually took losses that can't be replaced this battle.

Turn 2 Action Phases begin, above. The Egyptians roll a '5' v. Isreali '1' and seize the Initiative! They had the Second Action Phase last turn, and now they get to choose either Action Phase, so of course they choose the First and act immediately! Their Tanks Fire at Range on an Isreali MBT but roll a disappointing 2 Hits. Their Infantry from the Hill move into position at their max, 12" from the Hill, and prepare to unload and dig-in there, putting a further damper on Isreali maneuver space near the Town Objective. With 6 total volleys of ATGMs, the IDF will have to attack carefully.

Turn 2 Action Phases continue, below. With this development, the Isrealis Fire back at the Egyptian MBTs but also score a disapointing 2 Hits each, missing the Permanent Hit they need to pull the teeth on this MBT Unit that is right in their face! They dismount their infantry and move them up as their IFVs dash back over to the woods. Sure, they are a target, but if they are Fired upon, it will be them instead of the main effort MBT platoons.


Turn 3 below. Artillery drops, smashing the Infantry with ATGMs, and relieving some of the Maneuver pressure on the IDF Tanks, and inflicting one Hit on the Egyptian MBTs who now look vulnerable with 5/7 Hits. Egyptian Artillery fails to Arrive. In the INitiative Phase, the Isrealis tie the Egyptians who get a +2 for having the IN last turn. With a tie, there is a Respite - both sides can perform Rally or Dig-in Actions with any Unit, then the Turn ends. Next Turn, neither will have the +2 for IN, and another Respite can't occur.


Turn 3 continues. Isreali MBT w' spotter moves into touch with Egyptian Infantry spotting from Town. The mechanics for spotting require that any point of a spotting Unit be able to have LoS to a Target, so touching the corner of the Base to the edge of the Area Terrain - Town - fulfills that. However, it also means that the Tanks, who cannot end a move in the town [except on a Road] can move into touch and spot them back, as well as have mutual LoS at Close Range. 

The Egyptians are "Ready" so get to Fire first, inflicting no hits with 3-3-2 as they need a 5+ against Tanks. The Tanks Fire upon the Egyptian Infantry, inflicting 2 Hits despite their protection of being Dug-in with Hard Cover [Town], needing a 4+ and rolling 6-6-1. The position of the Tanks is a big threat, as they've both Armor themselves and a Spotter attached, putting this Infantry Unit in danger from their superior Artillery. So this is a tactical move of major importance!

Egyptian Return fire doesn't amount to much, but their Infantry dismount and take up positions to fire ATGMs down into the valley between the Town and Woods.

Turn 4, Isreali heavy artillery fail to Arrive, as does the Egyptian Artillery. Isrealis keep the Initiative easily, rolling a net '8' v. 2. They choose the First Action Phase as theyv'e plenty of Targets. The IFVs fire on the Egyptian MBTs and manage to put in a Hit each, causing them to depart the table. The Isreali MBTs then score 3 Hits on the surviving Egyptian MBT, so a Permanent Hit on it, pulling its teeth quite well at this longer Range. The fight in the town doesn't progress, disappointingly, so the Mech Infantry Dig-in for their own safety.


Turn 4, Action Phase 2, Egyptians strike back. Their MBTs lash out at the close IFV Unit, getting 4/4 Hits and making it Permanent! Their Infantry Hit the Tank in their face.


Turn 5, all Isreali Artillery arrive, and they severely damage the Infantry holding the East sector of the Town! However, Egyptian Artillery also Arrive, and they put the hurt on the Isreali Infantry staged to occupy the East sector of the Town! 

Isrealis easily keep Initiative, rolling a net '8' v. 3, and take the First Action Phase. They finish off the hurt Infantry in the town, knock 3 more Hits against the MBTs [giving them 6, two Permanent] and manage to Activate the IFVs with 4 Hits rolling a 3+, so hide them behind the woods. The other IFV moves up to support the attack on the town, or pick up and retreat the damaged Infantry Unit, as needed, an option available due to the Egyptian MBTs being so banged up. 

The Isreali Infantry that are standing by to enter the Town, roll a '2' for their Maneuver movement, which is a total of 4", enough to enter the Town and occupy the sector where the Egyptian Infantry just get thrashed...unfortunately, they were Dug-in so lose 2" and the remaining 2" prevents them from being able to clear the Tank Unit that is clearing the way for them. So, they sit outside their foxholes and prepare to move into the Town next turn, trying to formulate a movement plan. Things are looking up, but it's not all wine and roses...


Turn 5, 2nd Action Phase. The destruction of the Egyptian MBT clears the field of fire of the Infantry with the ATGMs, who fire and put the hurt on the Isreali MBTs! And they've two volleys left... They also manage to Activate their MBTs who have over 4 Hits, by rolling a 4+, and move them into the town via the Road. This puts pressure on the Isrealis, and keeps their damaged Infantry from moving into the town safely. 
Now I REALLY regret rolling a '2' for their Maneuver Movement! Had they rolled a '3+', they'd be safely in the Town, getting Hard Cover and mostly out of LoS of the enemy - rats!


Turn 6. Artillery arrive, putting a little more hurt on the Egyptian Infantry that are the key to the Town fight - they are able to move into and stay in any part of the Town, while the Tanks must stay on the road. Isrealis easily keep IN with a net '7' to net '-2' as Egyptians have lost three Units. They destroy the MBTs on the road, fail to Activate their Infantry who are pinned with 4 Hits. They auto-remove 1 Hit, and fail to remove a second due to a failed Quality Roll. The IFVs manage to remove two Hits [erroneously marked as '1' Hit now].


Turn 6, 2nd Action Phase. I forgot to resolve the Egyptian Artillery, so I do, and it totally wipes out the Isreali Infantry. The critical problem is that there is now only one Isreali Infantry left that can occupy the Town fully, and not much hurt on the Egyptians in the Town.


Turn 7. Artillery has little effect. Isrealis keep IN but the exchange of Fire does little. They reposition their IFVs more aggressively to try and clear the West sector of the Town, and load up their Mech Infantry for a quick transport back to the Town.


Turn 8. Isreali Artilery lands big-time on the Egyptians, who fire their last Fire Mission to no effect. Isrealis keep the IN and of course take the 1st Action Phase, and roll well on Direct Fire, wiping out the Egyptian Infantry. As there's plenty of time for their Mech Infantry to occupy the Town, no Egyptian Artillery left, and little direct fire assets, they concede.


Whew! that was quite tense. Still, despite the Egyptian surprise at seizing the INitiative Turn 2, they weren't able to capitalize on it, lost it Turn 3, and never regained it.The careful attack plan, lead by heavy armor, managed to survive, keeping a spotter on the Egyptian Infantry and letting their Artillery advantage - just - play out and tip the scales in favor of the attacking MBTs. Attacking with IFVs was a bad idea, so I didn't do that this time.

I hope this AAR gives you some idea of the clear decision making opportunities that the rules provide. As much of the mechanics are "either-or", it is easier to learn how to think and play tactically, instead of spending lots of time pouring over rules or complicated charts. 

The only mistake I made with the Egyptians, I think, was getting threatening with the Armor early. I should have let the Isrealis set their Tanks against the Infantry in the town, THEN moved in with the MBTs, and hopefully would have knocked out at least one Isreali MBT, which would really have helped. Also, their survival would have driven a wedge between the woods and town space, preventing free movement of the IFVs in support of the Isreali attack.

In deployment, I think the Dug-in Egyptian Infantry with ATGMs was well done, altho I could have hid them better behind the woods from Isreali Spotting. Next time, I would put the Isreali table edge spotter in the other corner to provide more support of the Town.

Overall, a great game. The rules worked well, providing the right sort of friction while remaining easy to deal with.

I think it is clear that if the attacker has an Artillery edge, the town is a viable objective. If not, the Hill is pretty much the only choice. What an attacker would do with, say, four Infantry, an ATG and a Tank, I don't know, except to put them against the hill, moving the infantry thru the woods along the way.

This finished the 1940-2020 rules for now, except to back-design them to WWII. If you are interested in playtesting them, please send me a comment indicating that - I welcome more playtesters!

So I bid "shalom" to the 1973 war. I don't have minis for it, so will work on WWII again while I move forward on the 2020 micro armor. Special thanks to Ken for loaning his micro-armor, I like it a lot on this size table. Also note, he is blogging again as Bede [click].