A "Tropic Lightning" Rifle company is on a routine patrol, when suddenly an enemy of unknown strength engages them! With Armored Cav nearby, waiting to react, the US push forward.
Sean and I decided to try out a book mission for the first time, deciding on Contact! Contact! Contact! Up until now, we've only done quick and dirty homebrew scenarios. With about 930ish points per side, we figured a full board would work out okay. Sean is up to play the US, and he is excited to get some tracks on the ground. We aren't sure how the US will do at Confident Trained, having only played them as vets up until now! |
Sean's US Rifle Company (25th Infantry)
- HQ + Medic + Medevac + C&C Chopper
- Rifle Platoon
- Rifle Platoon
- Armored Cavalry w/ 4 ACAVS and 2 Pattons
- Huey Hog
- 105 Battery (fire support w/ 3 tubes)
| Steven's PAVN Infantry Battalion
- HQ + 3 Booby Traps
- Infantry Company w/ 1 Platoon and LMG
- Infantry Company w/ 1 Platoon and LMG
- Recoilless Gun platoon w/ 6 Type 52 75mm
- AAA Platoon w/ 3 Type 54 AAA
- 130mm Artillery (fire support w/ 6 tubes)
|
TURN 1
The board setup. The Elephant Grass is waist high, giving concealment to infantry in the open.
US Infantry stays spread out, and keeps a close watch on the terrain.
Keeping a watchful eye for Sir Charles.
Suddenly the creek bed comes alive, and a platoon strength force ambushes the US right flank!
The Ambuscade is hilariously bad. One US team is wounded... right next to the medic!
The US Response is swift.
One of the M60 gunners finds a trip wire in a field on the US left flank.
At the bottom of turn 1, the PAVN have lost a unit, with no reserves! The US control the board soundly at this point.
TURN 2
The US advance along the center of the board. The Platoon in the fields has a man wounded thanks to PAVN booby traps, while the platoon crossing the stream has a team held up by booby traps in the woods.
PAVN reserves arrive between the US forces and the objectives.
PAVN artillery observer gets on the horn.
AK47 fire brings down the first US casualties.
130mm shells slam into the US position, causing wounds and casualties across the board.
The US are scattered and pinned along the creek.
TURN 3
Armored Cavalry shows up to the fight, racing up the road.
A Medevac sets down in the field as the M60 gunners find another booby trap!
A Chuck Chuck shows up to direct fire from the 105s at Firebase O'Hara.
PAVN infantry are caught in the open, cut down by M16s and 105s!
The developing situation.
Armored Cav rollin up the road!
Bottom of 3, and PAVN reserves arrive in the south!
In the North, the PAVN fail to unpin, even though the Americans are right in front of them, ripe for an assault!
They just sit there, twiddling their commie thumbs.
Turn 4 and Beyond
In the center, US Rifles take the rice paddy, inching closer to the objective.
The freshly arrived PAVN are cut down almost as soon as they arrive by the Armored Cav.
MESSED UP RULE ALERT: The PAVN platoon eaten alive by the Armored Cav had one or two teams left. I elected to use the Voluntary Withdrawal rule, but for some reason totally screwed it up! I rolled the motivation check, and failed it. For some reason I thought that meant they were actually destroyed and thus out of the game! So this PAVN unit doesn't come back in this game. In fact, what happens is you make the motivation test. If you PASS they come off the board and count as destroyed for victory points but NOT for company morale. If you fail, they count as destroyed for both. In either case, they enter Guerilla Reserve again, and will be back on the table! This was the only 'nam rule we royally screwed up this time, but i figured I'd share it with you all. The More You Know.
The Hog spots the PAVN observer, hovers in place, and lets loose with the miniguns, annihilating the team.
The Northern side of the board.
Pattons spot a unit of recoilless guns.
The Recoilless Guns arrive in a defensive position, with only a few clear shots on the ACAVs. The Chuck Chuck quickly calls in fire on the hill, but can't quite spot the well hidden teams.
The hog ascends again after decimating the tree line.
The US assault the pinned PAVN unit who get 6 dice in defensive fire needing 4s.
Uncle Ho is pleased.
The US are thrown back!
Type 54 Guns arrive in the absolute worst spot, nowhere near any helicopters. But the CO arrives with them, with good fields of vision to keep the 130mms firing.
130mm artillery called in by the CO rains down on the Cavalry!
...killing the Medevac and one ACAV!
Finally the PAVN in the north unpin, and AK47 and LMG fire tears into the Americans!
With only the CO and 1 rifle stand left, the PAVN assault!
But lose 2 of their number in defensive fire.
And the remaining two in the assault, losing another unit! The Score is now 3-0 in favor of the Americans!
It's been a bloody advance.
The Situation.
Pattons push forward across the bridge to the engage the RcLs.
The ACAVs keep pace
A fresh Medevac lands as the Chuck Chuck and Hog provide cover for the cav's advance.
Armored Cavalry.
The Hog fires off its rocket payload, but to no real effect.
The RcLs are dug in and gone to ground, and are so able to weather the storm of US fire.
The CO and one remaining team from the gutted platoon fall back into a tree line.
The medic tries to aid the wounded, but there's nothing he can do for them. With that, the PAVN earn their first point as the Rifle platoon has ceased to exist. They took a boat load of fire, including a failed Ambuscade. I can confidently say they did their part, but at very high cost.
One more PAVN unit arrives, electing to chase down the US CO in an effort to get a victory point! Unfortunately, they arrive behind the advancing US forces leaving the objectives unguarded.
Pattons continue their advance!
Two more ACAVs fall to 130mm fire! With 3 destroyed ACAVs, the PAVN earn another point, closing the gap to 3-1.
The view from the PAVN defensive position on the hill.
The US CO runs for his life
The Medevac takes off, evacuating the wounded. One team is consolidated and put back in the fight while the other has taken too much and is airlifted out.
US 105s slam the hill.
Pattons fire on the RcLs as 130mm rounds fall all around them.
The PAVN continue chasing down the CO, but have no hope of catching him now.
Pattons rush the hill, firing beehive into the PAVN positions!
Their fire combined with the Hog and Chuck Chuck clear the hill of enemy resistance. Unfortunately for the free world, the command team remains and passes morale (as well as sole survivor). At this point, the game seems over as the US have effectively captured both objectives. But the PAVN have one more turn.
As the PAVN withdraw from the battlefield, a 130mm barrage keyed in to the village rains down on the Pattons.
And lo and behold, one Patton goes up as the US infantry capture an objective in the background.
CONCLUSION
Awesome game as usual! We probably played 8 or 9 very fast paced turns in less than 2 hours (including setup!). The PAVN *really* need more infantry. I am painting them as we speak! Having more than 1/3 of their army off board in artillery hurt. Although, the artillery did cause some real damage! Sean wins the game by capturing the objective, but we tie on VPs. 3 PAVN infantry units were destroyed giving Sean 3 points. The US lost 1 unit, 3 ACAVs, and 1 Patton giving me 3 points.
