Terry37
Wrt Off Class 1
Joined: 27 Jul 2008
Posts: 542
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 Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:49 am Post subject: Not So Quiet on the Western Front |
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It was October 1917, and a cool Saturday morning as the sun rose slowly over the Western Front. General Klunk peered through the trench periscope and knew that it was going to be “Not So Quiet on the Western Front”!!!!
This was our first game of HitT (Hordes of the Trenches), an excellent adaptation of the HotT rules for WWI by Matt Kirkhart
The Armies:
Both armies were 24 points and each army had a core of 1xGeneral(Rifle), 3xRifles and 1x HMG.
The French additionally opted for 1xTrench Raider, 1xTank, 1xCavalry and 1x Barrage.
The Germans opted for 1xSturmtruppen, 1x Artillery, 1x Cavalry, 1xGas, and 1xBarrage
The French were lead by the able Marchael Paul Potter
The Huns were lead by Generaloberst von Klunk, aka Terry Webb
And of course you can’t have any official battle report without a view from the Snoopy and the Red Baron blimp. Here you can see the terrain and the initial deployments. And as the Germans have the trench line, Paul and his Frenchies were the attackers. (Paul made those trench pieces for his Boer Army games and they are really great and worked very well. Even though he is my foe in this game I have to commend him on them). You can see the large shell craters in the bad going too.
Here you can see the French deployed for battle. Plenty of Horizon Blue isn’t there!!! My kingdom for some red or green or brown or……
And facing them, General von Klunk’s Horrible Huns! Notice the “make shift” stronghold behind the trench line.
The French waste no time and make a dash for the German left hoping to make a sweep around and assault the trench line from the side (and that side isn’t even Belgium!!!). The German artillery and supporting troops move to occupy the high ground.
The Frenchies showing no fear continue their stalwart advance in the face of heavy artillery fire.
The French HMG is well within range of the German Strumtruppen and in a blink my beloved assault troops fall to the deadly French machine gun fire. Little does Paul know how he has raised the ire of the Germans with this dastardly act!
After seeing their kommrades fall the left flank Germans feel it might be wise to pull back a bit, even if it means giving up the high ground. Well, at least until that French HMG can be taken out!
The Germans come back with a vengeance and fire gas shells at the French HMG (rolled to remain for 2 turns) , while a Rifle company moves into support the Artillery, which has prolonged to the left for a clear shot at that clanking steel monster rumbling toward them. You can also see the German HMG has advanced from the trench line to also give support.
The French Cavalry having great fear of the German Natal Colonial Cavalry, advance so as to avoid them to face the grape and canister of the Artillery instead. If memory serves I think the French Cavalry were recoiled. The French General and the advancing German Rifles exchange fire as well.
As the French Cavalry regain their position, the fire fight between the French General and the German Rifles comes to an end as the German Rifles succumb to the overwhelming fire unleashed upon them! Note the Gas attack is still underway on the French HMG.
However the grit of the Germans could not be stronger, and the German HMG wreaks revenge and deals a death blow upon the French General who left himself in such an exposed position. However, since the Germans have lost more points this does not end the game, but at least requires the French to use two pips for each element/group it moves. Obviously the beginning of the end for the French attack!
But the unmanly acts of the French have only brought the full wrath of he Germans upon them, and the German Artillery with the aid of he HMG force the French steel monster to flee. Of course the plan was to assault the tank with my Sturmtruppen had not Paul been so rude and destroyed them!
General von Klunk feeds more troops on to his left flank, and even heads over that way himself for a closer inspection of the happenings on that side of the battlefield. The Gas attack has expired after failing in it’s mission to destroy the French HMG, so that is still there to be contended with!!!
And just how deadly that French HMG was can clearly be seen as yet another German Rifle element goes down. Counting the Gas element that puts the Germans down 8 points and the French only 2 points, but those two points are also the French general!
As the French continue their attack, the German HMG unleashes it’s deadly toll and takes out an element of French Rifles. It is indeed the beginning of the end for les Francais!
And still brought to anger by the dreadful deeds of the Poilu the German HMG takes out yet another element of French Rifles. That makes it 10 to 6, as I had also lost my Colonial Cavalry, but the gap is closing!
And the one thing you sure don’t want to do is really raise the ire of the Germans, and prove it by unleashing a deadly onslaught upon the rumbling, clanking, steel monster, and stop it dead in it’s tracks! Now we’ll see about this victory thing Mr. French General Paul!!! Score now 10 to 10!!!! A very close fought game now! And the Germans have brought in off board artillery with their Barrage element all set to rain down death and destruction upon the poor Poilu, if, and a very BIG if, General Paul does not see the one weak pint in the German line.
Ah, but such is called wishful dreaming - to expect Paul to not see the vulnerability in his opponents line, and as quickly as I can type this report …… well, maybe a little faster than that, OK, a lot faster than that - the French Cavalry swoop in to take out the German HMG, and as the French Cavalry tell it – C’est fini!!!!
This was a really fun game I thought, and although we were both just getting acquainted with the rules, it went quickly. We played a second game which went even worse for my poor German forces, but again a good learning experience, and especially with my upcoming combat with Matt Kirkhart himself at Fall In. Be afraid Matt, be very afraid as I now have two whole games under my belt!!!!
For those interested in the HitT rules they can be obtained free here (if the link will work)
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/sD_ySnP049Uy3YaBN0BnUQ378jgffdvFTcC9zQ1i28BOFSD0QhWBwltjpamLYoSWdKl_8Wdze_p66ijUyiCrzX39bpMdQkQ/Hordes%20in%20the%20Trenches%20Version%202.doc
And the Yahoo Group for HitT is here
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/when_technology_meets_tradition/files/
This is your reporter always on the scene with all the news that is the news, saying time to finish packing for Fall In, but be assured there will be reports and pictures upon my return.
Terry |
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