Below - Chris Johnson and a raffled off German Panzer Army for EW. Everyone started with one ticket, but each loss earned you another ticket. (very good idea)
My List: I debated a lot about what to bring. I decided on something I could never get to work. I had only played them once, at 1425 pts and they were the worst list I ever brought to a tournament. I should have known better at the time, but there it is. What is over pointed like crazy? What is a fast tank? What has the stink of the oddly non-synergistic British rules about them.....you guessed it. Comets.My List - Nachtjager
British Motor Company (which for some reason is an Infantry company)
HQ - 2 white scout cars with cmd and 2ic
1 - Motor Platoon (cmd MG team + 3 MG teams w/ piat and lt mortar) (6 stands)
2 - Motor Platoon (full)
3 - required scout platoon (3 UC's)
4 - Wasp platoon
5 - AT guns 6pdrs
6 - mortar platoon
7 - 4 comets
8 - 4 comets
for a grand total of 1945 pts.
First Round - Joey Laderoute from Blackmoon Games in Lebanon NH
I missed the chance to play him last tournament so I was glad I got a shot this time around. He brought American Tanks, Jumbos and Easy 8s, and an assortment of other trained armor. He reasoned that in V4, Easy 8s were dead, and Jumbos wouldn't be nearly as good. He attacked, since I was an infantry company.
His stuff is also beautifully painted
The Board
He was stuck with some of his guys in reserve, so he put his 6 tank 105 platoon and his mortars in reserve while leaving on his tanks and large infantry blob.
I deployed mostly on this left hill.
6pdrs defend the town, all infantry in reserve.
With a platoon of comets on the right to keep the objective safe
Joey played aggressive and came right up close, through the town and around the woods . a gun battle ensued with the comets and the america tanks exchanging fire at long range.
His last tank, Creighton Abrams was assaulted through a house by my 1ic, who preceeded to kill Abrams.
His tanks wrecked and his attack stalled, we called it, 6-1 me.
Since we had wrapped up early, I went around and grabbed some pictures of everyone else's games. the boards and terrain were great, Chris did a nice job. The store is well stocked and has a ton of space.
Game 2 - Tim Morrisey, the Madman of Catskill.
Tim's Force:
Tim has more pak40s than his display board would fit. Which bode well for me defending in cauldron....
He had some nasty Panzer IV70s as well as a platoon of sturmtigers for rocketed building goodness....needless to say my men decided to sleep outside during the battle.
The Board:
On my left flank, Tim dropped his 4/70's and tried to snipe away my comets....but in cauldron the defender has the first turn, and their AT14 guns were brutal.
He did move his infantry up to the edge of the woods, but mine were holding the ridgeline opposing him, and he couldn't make much progress.
Across the other side of the board, his pak 40s advanced, and I tried to drop smoke on the Sturm Tigers to avoid getting rocketed. My 6pdrs tried to snipe artillery pieces.
I really wanted this spotter dead.
On my right flank, the Pak 40s fully arrive and begin a gun duel with my Comets, which the comets would barely survive
.
In from reserves come my wasps and comet platoon, right behind his Sturm Tigers. They are eliminated, as is his artillery.
Tim is down 3 platoons, but I am getting beat up. and he will consistently pass morale tests once he needs to begin taking them...until the end of the game.
Cat and mouse ensues with Tim chasing me across the square trying to murder my mortars platoon commander.
I assault him out of a house only to learn to my horror that his AA guns coming from reserve are more than capable of turning this house into Swiss cheese. my battered troops try to hide behind it afterwards.
The last refuge of the mortar platoon.
By the end of it all Tim is reduced to a single set of 2 stands...but has murdered my 6pdrs. bringing me a 5-2 victory.
Round 3 - Richard Meacher
At this point I found myself in unfamiliar territory. I never expected my garbage Brit tanks would take me this far. and I wound up on the top table against Richard, and his American tank force. He had an excellent list, and I would have to defend in surrounded. We were on a hedgerow heavy board, which played hugely in my favor.
So as the game started, I had a motor platoon on each objective, and some comets trapped in one hedgerow. in the other they were mobile, and able to shift quickly to either flank. It would quickly turn into an intense firefight on both sides of the board.
On my right, .50 cal armed halftracks made short work of my UC's there. and he get setup for the assault.
But fire from the hedges in the distance made his troops pin and eliminated all of the halftracks killing a passenger or two. the Pershing in the woods to the right would not move quickly enough out of the woods to be able to do enough damage. These troops would stay pinned for quite some time.
On the left, the main push, as Stuarts, and a tank platoon marched to the hedge, and begin to try and whittle down my tanks and infantry,.
But many, many horrible dice for Richard later, and his attack was stalled.
On the right, his infantry unpin and he charges over the hedge.
....and can;t make it in against the MG teams.
I counter attack and hurt his infantry. We also could not figure out how the hedgerows worked. some of his teams started their assault on the other side but not against it...so we couldn't figure out how they would get in. In the end he moved most of them through the opening, and that worked. But it came up again when my troops assaulted and were in contact with the hedge where the Pershing was hiding. Can they attack over the hedge to kill it? I thought so? but feel free to help educate me on this one. Richard is an excellent player and I think if not for my hot dice and his terrible dice he should have steamrolled me here.
As it stood, game ended to me 4-3.
The winners Circle:
Best Sportsman.... Joey Laderoute
Best Painted.....Richard Haskins
3rd Place.....Tim Morrisey
2nd place.....Richard Meacher
1st Place......Tom Mullane
In playing V3 since 2011 when it came out, I have placed 2nd, 3rd and everywhere else countless times.....but never actually won a tournament. I'm glad I got a win before it all changed over and I need to relearn so much.
Thanks to Kirwans's, to Chris Johnson and all my opponents. I had a blast and I hope to see you all again soon!
Tom Mullane aka Captainecho on the forums is a High School Teacher in Brewster, NY and a resident of Danbury CT. His Club, Ordo-Ineptus, meets at Hobbytown in New Milford CT on Saturdays and Sundays, come stop by and grab a game!
