First Battle Series: Playtesting a Turn Sequence

 Frank Chadwick!                     from Frank_Chadwick.jpg (297×341) (wikimedia.org)

Game designer and dedicated follower of fashion...

The scenario is a great little scrap with no special rules needed, and almost entirely takes place around a town, with a wadi and road being the only other terrain. It is from the Jump Start rules, and there is a more detailed and slightly larger scenario in the Main Rulebook. I played it several times trying different options and getting a firmer grip on the rules. This was a play test where I don't think I made any major mistakes for either side, and the French definitely had a matured plan.

The French force, the 2nd Desert Light Company - attacking to break the British supply line that runs along the road, so taking village 12A - Sukhna - will cut British supply route for their invasion of Vichy Syria in 1940. Includes two platoons of P-178 armored cars, three Lt. Infantry platoons, an MMG platoon, a Commander [command team, so a half-platoon or squad it seems], and their associated soft transport.

The British Force, a detachment of the Arab Legion - trying to hold Sukhna until reinforcements arrive [not in this scenario, however, only in the larger Main Rulebook scenario]. A commander, four platoons of Lt. Infantry, their associated soft transport, a platoon of Marmon-Harrington armored cars.  Not much, but they aren't being attacked by a lot.

Scenario Start. The British infantry occupy the 2-hex town, with the AC in reserve and the trucks behind the town [I'm trying to have a bit of realism here - it is possible with the rules to abuse the presence of transport in a hex. Trucks were a lifeline for a unit, so I am saying that if they are destroyed or captured, they give victory points to the other side]. French are formed up about a Turn away on the road. The Arrow markers are used to show a unit is in Firing Positions [FP]. 

An FP = Overwatch, so, eligible for Opportunity Fire during the opposing movement phase.  This is important as these rules have two chances to Fire - once in your turn, and once in the opposing turn during the movement phase.  If you move, you give up Opportunity Fire [call Reaction Fire] in the opposing move phase.  So during the game turn as a whole, your Firepower is halved if you move.  Not unusual game mechanic, but simple and elegantly done here.

All British Units are ready to Reaction Fire when the French come within range. They are also Concealed in the town, and can't be targeted by Direct Fire [DF] but could still be shelled by Indirect Fire [IF]. I get that, but I still don't like it as an artillery sheaf is about 100x100m, and these hexes are 200x200m, or 4 times the size of the sheaf...if you are just speculating and firing blind, your chance of a hit should be quartered, realistically, unless you drop four salvoes or something. Anyway...

Turn 1. French skip the Prep Fire Phase [called First Fire] and go to Movement. They advance down the road, preparing to dismount outside of effective British infantry range, and also set up a base of fire in the Wadi [blue line] which acts as an entrenchment giving good cover, same as a Town [+3].

As I've now played the scenario several times...the French aren't dumb enough to rush right into Effective Range [for Lt Infantry, 1 hex].  They park at what is long range for the Lt Infantry, 2 hexes. The choice for the Brits is to fire at long range at the relatively weak targets of the Trucks [a 1-4 attack] or wait for the Infantry to dismount and approach to within effective range of 1 hex [a 1-3 attack, but next turn]. Also, once the British Fire they may be fired upon by the French MMG and the two AC platoons. In response, the British also have the M-H AC platoon behind the town. This is the tactical problem that is now jammed into about a 4x4" piece of game board. It feels a bit cramped, actually.

What a "what the ho and cheerio!" the Brits fire, at 1-4, a 10% chance of a hit, which they don't achieve. Also, their fire is too weak to harm the passengers, either. You can't add up firepower in this game to improve the odds on the CRT, you only make additional sequential shots.

Turn 1, French Move Phase continues...

The AC platoon takes a long range shot at the French ACs, and rolls better but still misses due to the range and the "L" light gun they have. A pity...

The French infantry dismount, ending the Move Phase. No French Units may Fire in the Advancing Fire Phase [called Final Fire Phase] as they all moved. There is no move and fire in the basic rules - only some with special rules for gadgets like stablized guns.

The British Turn 1 begins with the AC firing at the P-178 ACs and missing. The infantry fire on the dismounted French infantry - they roll quite poorly and miss! The AC moves up to put the French within its effective range of 3 hexes, which is outside the French effective range of 2 Hexes.

During the Move Phase, the British infantry resume Fighting Positions and may Fire during the French Move Phase.  The AC platoon cannot as it moved up.

You may Fire then Move in this game, OR, not Fire, not Move, then Fire in the Final Fire Phase instead - and at units which revealed themselves by Reaction Firing. Makes overwatch easy to plan.

Turn 2 heats up quickly, as the French lay down some effective Prep Fire. they get some great rolls with the MMG and the ACs, and Pin both British platoons! Pinned units lose their FP and cannot Reaction Fire. This opens up the opportunity for Assault Movement by all units. Assaults allow defenders and attackers to fire during the phasing player's movement, albeit at reduced effect. The other French infantry fire but roll poorly.

French Turn 2 Move Phase, the trucks fall back out of range, while the AC take up an FP to overwatch. The French Infantry assault the Arab Legion in the town!

It should be noted here that I use the Blood and Thunder "Same Hex Combat" rules, which are better than the SoW Assault rules. They allow all combat units to enter an enemy hex, whereupon the defenders may Reaction Fire [at half effect if not in an FP] and then the attackers may fire at half effect. Overall, feels more realistic as this is a sizable 200m x 200m attack going on, and there is plenty of activity with as many as 8 platoons altogether allowed to participate!

British defensive fire is poor - pinned, they've only a 30% chance of pinning the French. French assaulting Fire is good, and they get another Pin result, destroying one Arab platoon. If you pin a pinned unit, it is destroyed - and if you damage a damaged vehicle unit, it is destroyed. Simple.

French Turn 2 move phase continues - the Base of Fire moves down the Wadi to engage the next hex, hopefully pinning the Arabs and preventing them from helping their friends engaged in Close Combat in the North side of town.

British try some Reaction Fire, but don't roll well enough. The French turn ends.

British Turn 2. Prep Fire manages to Pin one French platoon in the North of town, everything else misses. 

British Turn 2 Move Phase. The French AC shoot at the MH but miss.

British don't move, so take up FP instead. Note that this doesn't include the Pinned Brits fighting in the North hex of the town - Pinned units do not take up FP and cannot Reaction Fire [Op Fire]. The French infantry that is NOT Pinned Fires but misses [the other can't fire].

British Move Phase ends with both their Infantry un-Pinning.

As the British Fired everyone already, their turn is done - no one to Fire in the Final Fire Phase.

French Turn 3. Prep Fire goes pretty well. The Pin one Brit platoon in the North and South hexes of town, and Damage the British Armored Car platoon. Both lose their FP and cannot Reaction Fire during the French Move Phase.

French Turn 2 Move Phase. Their AC close to effective range of 2 Hexes, and the rest of the French do not move and take up FP. Brits have two Infantry platoons that may Reaction Fire, one in each hex of the town, but don't achieve anything.

By now, you should have a feel for a turn: Starts with Fire, then a move phase where enemy units in Fighting Positions may Fire, then finally friendly units may Fire if they have not yet Fired and didn't move. This doesn't happen if you have spotted all enemy units as you're going to shoot them in Prep Fire before they can Fire at you during the Move Phase!

British Turn 3. They manage to eliminate the Pinned Lt Infantry platoon. During the Move Phase, the Pinned infantry recover. They cannot Fire as Recovering counts as a Move.

French Turn 4. Prep Fire goes very well, Pinning both Brits in the North of Town, and the Commander in the South hex, and destroying the MH Armored Car platoon. The French AC move closer to increase their firepower against the South hex of town, while the North Hex Infantry assume FPs. The Commander and MMG also assume FPs, but I forgot to mark it.

British Turn 4. They manage to damage a P-178 platoon, but not much else, and their units recover from being Pinned. French Reaction Fire....

...kills one Infantry platoon in the North town hex. This hurts, as the Brits are now down to two Infantry platoons [one in each town hex] and the Commander in the South hex. 

So far the French plan has worked well! They established a base of fire, pinned Brit Units and assaulted into the town, then their fire support shifted to pinning the British in the South hex and destroying their AC, resulting in a gradual attriting of the British force.

British Turn 4. Prep fire doesn't accomplish anything. There's not much else to do, as they do not need to reposition.

French Turn 5. They move the commander into the north part of town, and assume FP with everyone else. Nothing else accomplished.

French and Brit turn 6. The French clear the North part of town and pin the commander in the south. The Brits manage to destroy one AC platoon and the other is pinned!  Still, they are in deep trouble...

French and Brit turn 7. The French Assault into the South part of town with the Damaged Armored Car platoon helping!  They lose the AC but otherwise nothing happens.

Turn 8. The Brit CDR recovered but now the Lt Infantry platoon is Pinned.

French Turn 9. They eliminate the Brit Lt Infantry and take no losses...

...then move the MMG platoon into the North of Town. Brit commander doesn't achieve anything.

French Turn 10. They get two Hits on the Brit CDR, who is double-pinned and dead...

...so the town is clear, the British supply line is cut, and the French win!

Whew! A French victory, finally!

I'd say that the level of abstraction misses a few details that some gamers will like, and can result in some predictable shoot-outs with neither side gaining much until that lucky roll shows up - a natural 1, or 2 perhaps, that pins or destroys a unit.

That being said, the Turn Sequence does make it pretty manageable to plan your "Shoot - Move - Shoot" turn out, but if you get interrupted it can be hard to remember who has done what. The hexes are tight fits resulting in large stacks that have to be spread out elsewhere on the game table to make it easier to track things. One does have a good feel for the difference between Assault / Close Range and Effective range using the Blood & Thunder rules which show a more mature system. If Infantry want to do something decisive, they need to bring heavy firepower to bear, pin the enemy, then Assault the hex.

Time is pretty quick in a small scenario, about an hour or so. I can see it taking two hours if there is more support like Artillery, or a bigger scenario. I don't think armor will last very long once engaged, so probably not an issue.

However, there is overall a lot of splitting the difference, and it generally makes attrition the path to victory for one side. At a counter/unit = 1 Platoon level game, that is OK. 

The rules are pretty simple but not simplistic, and the Turn Sequence commits units to Prep Fire [and possibly moving] or Moving, or Firing at enemy Units that reveal themselves by Reaction Firing during one's Move Phase. This makes for good practical and doctrinal "feel" and the mechanics minimize most aspects of "gaminess" the worst being manipulating the presence of soft vehicles in a hex.

The use of a CRT and mechanics that demand halving and doubling results in a fair amount of math. That could put some people off, altho a halving and a doubling cancel out resulting in zero math. Still, addition and subtraction is preferable to multiplying and dividing, IMHO.

My main issue is that the use of tight fitting hexes results in a fight taking place in a pretty small area of the board with stacks of 4-6 counters a side possible [2 Vic, 2 non-vic, and a marker counter or two] and teetering everywhere. the game would have benefitted TREMENDOUSLY by making the - very cheap, thin - map boards much larger so that the hexes could be twice the diameter resulting in 4x more space, or enough space for each side to have two stacks of combat units of 2-3 counters. This is something one can solve, by blowing up the key combat areas like a town and playing them next to the main map.

Overall, I think the system works for the company to battalion level of play it aspires to give. However, it is not very dynamic once you have maneuvered into position - it basically becomes one shot after another until something gives. There will then be an occasional maneuver decision to make. That may well be realistic with weaker units and minimal support from armor and artillery. Speaking of which...

This was a small scenario with no Artillery. Indirect Fire guns will certainly present more options for the attacker and help develop a plan of attack by pinning enemy units. Armor will obviously present itself as a maneuverable but risky unit, as it is most effective up close but then it is most vulnerable. At a longer distance, it is only effective against other armor units.

So the summary is that this system seems to offer attrition-oriented combat within a Turn Sequence that keeps both players engaged, while offering enough maneuver to keep you thinking, but not so much that it gets unrealistic. The concealment rules seem like they will need to be fleshed out a bit, but are realistic enough for a game with this level of detail. I never felt that the core mechanics were unrealistic or jarringly a-historical. While there is some gaminess possible, solutions are readily available like making soft transport part of the enemy victory points.

Overall, I feel like this is a good game system without a lot of rule problems if you have B&T on hand to answer your questions. Both TY and SoW benefit from additional rules explanations that came later in B&T.

I'm still uncertain I prefer this structured turn sequence to my own simpler, more fluid one. But I am giving it a thorough try!