1985 Company Megatest - Summary and Roundup

 

That's the end of the Modern Company-Level rule set test, more WW2 focussed rules to follow hopefully later in the year. Eight sets of rules played against variations of a single scenario of a meeting engagement to seize the town of Semmenstedt. The summary below is in order played, and each title links to the relevant blog post. Of course your mileage may vary and most based on a single playthrough.

Reviews Summary

Battlegroup: NORTHAG 8/10

• Pros: BR endgame system, just plays pretty well
• Cons: Over generous and IGOUGO activation system. Lookup table for hits.

Seven Days to the Rhine 7/10

• Pros: Nice activation system. Worked better than Iron Cross (may be me!)
• Cons: No HE or indirect fire.

Team Yankee 5/10

• Pros: Nothing seemed really broken.
• Cons: Very old school IGO-UGO. National "to hit" values. Long dice chains. Tank ranges seem short. Repeated "free" attempts to get your artillery on target. No real difference between ATGW and gun fire. No suppression. No friction, no spotting. 

Bolt Action - Reality Check 8.5/10

• Bolt Action plus house mods
• Pros: Bolt Action scales up reasonably well
• Cons: Need to clarify how sub-unit pins effect unit activation

3rd Generation Warfare 5/10

• Pros: Lots of nice info
• Cons: Need to buy a separate data book to play. Multiple fires, cumbersome mechanics

Cold War 3 3/10

• Pros: More nice info
• Cons: Essentially a re-engineered version of Team Yankee. Typos galore (18 per page!). Errors in QRS. Errors in data (or may be typos...)

Sandhurst Modern Infantry Battle - 6/10

• Pros: "What the pros used". 3 pages. "Official" view on what are effective ranges.
• Cons: Very slim-line, not even AT wpn and armour differences. Limited scope.

Contact Wait Out - 8.5/10

• My own in-house set
• Pros: Covered pretty much all the basis. Adding 7DTTR activation and NORTHAG Battle Rating added to it
• Cons: Might replace infantry direct fire with the suppression mechanism (so similar approach to Sandhurst). Bit too hard to kill things? 

I played Sabre Squadron a while ago, I think it would have come out at around 6/10.

Conclusions

So Contact Wait Out did way better than in the Platoon tests, and with the tweaks for Battlegroup:NORTHAG and 7DTTR is playing really well. Bolt Action needs a few more tweaks to also work really well at this scale but is a good second choice. Battlegroup:NORTHAG and 7DTTR both play OK with no major issues, but the rest were very much a mixed bag.

One thing I did note across all the games is that I started with 1 fig = 1 man and individual basing. Even with just a couple of platoons dismounted that was a lot to move, and more importantly place - particularly since most rules were at 25m - 50m per 4cm hex. So I started sabot the figures up, then decided actually I only needed ~4 figs to represent each section. Even so cramming into a couple of hexes (~100m section frontage) was hard, especially in urban areas. Next time I run a company game (and certainly for the Bn games) I think I might switch to 10cm Hexon or 10cm square grid, and use section sized stands.

For my previous megatests see:

• Platoon Megatest
• Skirmish Megatest

1985 Company MegaTest - Contact Wait Out

 

Time for the last in the run of 1980s Company level games, and time to put my own set through its paces.

Presentation

I did have a "rule book" edition several versions ago but whilst it's still in flux all recent editions have been on an A4 landscape QRS - two sheets (admittedly 9pt) for main rules, 2 more for stats, and a few extra pages for air/engrs etc.

Set-Up

As previous, but now had the British coming in broadly across the East edge, and the Russian's coming in broadly on the West edge.

How It Played

Seemed a far more even game than the others. The Brits were slow to get into Semmenstedt with both sides more or less meeting in the middle. The Russians got to the farm first, only narrowly beating the Brits. There was the standard face-off between T64s and Chieftains, with T64s tending to hit but not penetrate and the Brits fluffing a few shots (although Milan got one). By the end all the Chieftains were gone and two T64s were left.

By the farm the M109 battery put in a couple of fire missions, causing suitable pinning/shock but minimal damage - although one BMP bought it. The Brits dismounted from their FV432s about 150m and tried to take the site before the Russians could recover, both slides lost a section but the Brits couldn't unseat the Russians and pulled back. 

In Semmenstedt 2Pl got into the high-rise and poured fire onto the Russian Pl that was pushing in, causing one section to give up. A Russian fire mission again caused some damage to the S of the city but wasn't fatal. One of the Chieftains took out a couple of BMP before it was fired on from a BMP up the road in Remilingen and taken out.

An attempted airstrike saw one Harrier go down to a SAM-7, whilst the second ship missed the T64 it was aiming at.

With most of the rules tested and both sides at 50% of their battle rating, and SN10 making a spectacular first flight (and even more spectacular second!) I'd run out of time and called ENDEX.

Rules Impression

OK I know this is going to sound biased, but bear in mind I gave CWO only 6.5/10 in the Platoon MegaTest, but I thought that CWO played pretty well and was the closest to what I'm after in a Company level game.

I did make a few changes before the game. One was to simplify the Indirect Fire rules - and in doing so remove the last vestiges of the WRG Armour and Infantry1950-1975 rule set (yes up to a decade before 1985!) in which it has its spiritual home. I also changed the way I did random movement distances, trying to eliminate the use of Fate dice and keep to just D10/D6. In fact I found the new system too random in the first couple of turns and changed it again, still keeping the D10s - random movement is a must I think, especially for this sort of game. I also introduced a new system for randomly determining how much FIRES support you have which worked well.

I also stole the Battle Rating system from Battlegroup:NORTHAG. As it was  both side started with identical BR (not planned, but they did have similar forces) and ended with the same number of BR tokens (about 50%). With the British having lost all their MBT, and the Soviets at least 1 Platoon then playing on too 100% seems a bit much. In future games I might make the percentage national/scenario based, so say Brits play to 60% and WARPAC to 80%. There is the issue that the loss of a section might have a bigger impact than the loss of an MBT - but that may the the price for no bookkeeping and and amount of friction.

The other big change was in activation. I played the first half using the existing random card activation at Pl/Tp level - but really that just doesnt go with mechanised warfare really where reasonable comms and covering fire doctrine means far more co-ordination is possible. I liked the 7 Days to the Rhine system, but having a token per element (so 20-30) was crazy, so I did it at unit level - so about 6 a side in this case. I then did some randomisation to make it +/-2 per turn. Activating like this made it sensible to move FIRES calls outside of the normal activation cycle and do at turn start for both side. Interrupt fire in 7DTTR works as the opponent unit spend its token early, but since I've got unit tokens I'm doing that by a simple overwatch order. I'm keeping the ability to "pass" phasing at any point - but I am concerned that if the phasing player doesnt do that it becomes IGOUGO. So as well as this I gave the non-phasing player the ability to spend 2 tokens to take over phasing and activate a unit (or the phasing player could bid 3 etc). I think this might give just the right level of interactivity and how you spend your tokens becomes a key decision, but without being too gamey. It's not really very easy to test in solo play, so post-lockdown I can hopefully try the mechanism with other players.

I did think that things were a bit hard to hit/kill than in other rules so I'm tempted to drop the "to spot/hit/kill" scores by 1. I think I might ditch targetted inf vs inf fire for the suppression rules, and I need to work a bit on the whole shock/pin/neutralise/kill mechanic, but its definitely getting there. And despite the extra complexity overall I  don't think the game slowed too much.

Overall

Pretty good I think, back to what I remembered it being before the Platoon game, and actually improving on what it was before, so all in the right direction. Just the right combination of friction, grit and playability. Overall 8.5/10, and I think I can push it up to 9 or even more when it comes to the WW2 company test.

Battle of Königslutter am Elm - 5 Jul 1984 - AAR

 

Played through the Königslutter am Elm game in 8 turns over a total of about 3-4 hours. A bit of a blood bath but a useful outing for the rules.

AAR

The Soviet 1/62 Gds Tank Regiment took the northern route from the Lappwald through Süpplingenburg to Konigslutter. They hit the minefield in front of Süpplingenburg head on, and the combination of Chieftains and Harrier ground attack managed to take out the mine-clearing tanks and lead companies. 2/62 GTR then came up, pushing through and round the wrecks of 1/62, and inflicted enough damage on 3RTR BG to push them back from Süpplingenburg, and on through Schickelsheim to join a final defence at Rottorf.

On the southern flank the MR/BMP Bn of 62GTR took the lead, and had slightly more luck with the minfields. But the RGJ BG dug into Wolsdorf and Warberg held the BMPs off until reinforced by 3/62 GTR and stonked by repeated 2S1 and BM27 missions. A BMP assault was finally needed to clear the RGJ out, who then fell back through Rabke to join the final defence of Konigslutter. By this time the RRF BG was the only capable fighting force, whilst the Soviets still had 2/62 and 3/62 going strong, and elements of M/62 and ENDEX was declared.

FRAGO Rules

It was evident pretty quickly that the Attack-Defence model that I'd used in the BAOR/Corps game didn't work too well here - mainly as most combat was ranged and so the attack/defence model meant less. I'll probably recast to Anti-Armour/Anti-Infantry next time - which is what an earlier version had.

The dice per platoon model worked well though, and happy with the attack values for most combats, and the assaults worked well. Indirect fire seemed a bit week, should at least suppress every time. Ground attack/helarm also seemed a bit weak, but air defence did its bit and took a Harrier and TOW Lynx sortie out.

I massively over-allocated the LOG/Activation tokens, both sides barely using half by turn 6. Will significantly scale down next time. From turn 6 I zeroised the tokens and went onto the A1 roll which made for more thinking about allocation but still a bit generous. The model felt good though.

The old paper Heroics and Ros buildings were better than the small 6mm ones, and the 1/1000th. Also the 6mm trees better than the 1/1000th ones. I wouldnt mind trying with some 2mm or 3mm tanks though.

The overall scale and effect was pretty much what I was after though - this felt like a Brigade game, not a company or platoon one. So iterate the rules and try again, perhaps at Bn level whilst I have Waterloo on the main table, and do another Bde game in the new year.

 

Battle of Konigslutter am Elm - 5 Jul 1984 - Setup and Rules Considerations

 

Whilst my Combat Wait Out rules are developing OKish for games with Bn and smaller forces I've always wanted a more "operational" set for playing Bde and maybe even Div level engagements (shades of SPI NATO Division Commander). Brigade has always hard a particular interest for me having spent 2 years at 24 Airmob Bde HQ, and in the last few months I've actually also been wargaming with our current 3 Div brigades. That plus holiday reading the other week of Russell Phillip's The Bear's Claws and Harvey Black's The Red/Black Effect meant I was keener than ever to get something on the table.

The rules I developed for my BAOR game earlier in the year (on the SPI map but rules developed from FreeHexBlitz) seemed to work pretty well, so I've refined them for play at Bde rather than Corps level - but the aim is to have the same core rules deal with Bde to Corps.

What I want on the table is something that is not a million miles from an SPI style game with figures. I've got a nice 4cm hex cloth, and all my 1/300th are mounted on 4cm hex bases, so half way there! As ever getting building scales is hard, proper 1/300th is too big, Brigade Models 1/1000th too small! Actually some old 1980s Heroics and Ros cardboard buildings were not too far off! In future I might try with 2mm models and then the 1/000th might work well.

At this scale each hex is 500m. Units are represented 2 down, so for a Bde game the manoeuvre unit is the Company.

I don't like the SPI CRT ratio approach, and "my" BAOR/FreeHexBlitz  rules gave each unit:

• A size, based on number of constituent units (eg Pl for a Coy), so typically 3 or 4
• An attack strength, starts at 5, but then modded for type of kit, training etc, emphasis on tanks/IFVs, typically ending at 6-8
• A defence strength, again starts at 5 and modded, but an emphasis on Inf/GW, typically ending 6-8
• An AA strength and range, based on type of kit, 0 (rifles) to 4+ for Rapier etc

In combat a unit rolls the number of D10 equal to current size, with a TN of the Attack or Defence value as appropriate, looking to roll under, with TMs, and scoring hits (size reductions) for wins.

A Company RGJ dug in at Warberg

The BIG change from the BAOR game is the introduction of logistics. I think I've found a neat way of playing this, and in fact combining with activation - but we'll see how it plays. The idea is that each Unit (ie Bn) gets 12 log tokens, although held at Bde. On a turn to activate a Unit you need to spend 1 Log to move it and/or 1 Log to fire it, and/or 1 Log to go into close assault. You can also spend upto 1 more Log for a +1 in fire. The idea is that the initial allocation represents F echelon on vehicle/man stocks for 6 turns. You then drop into A1 Echelcon for the next 6 turns where you "might" get 2 Log per unit per turn, but interdiction and foul-ups might stop that. Then form turn 12 onwards your into A2 and a full log load becomes unlikely. We'll see how it works!

Here's the table set up showing the valley between the Elm and Lappwald hills from Konigslutter to Helmstedt.

Need to find an easy way to show roads! Note also that the hex grid just disappears at any reasonable distance.

And here are the two opposing forces 1 RGJ Battlegroup and 62 Guards Tank Regiment lined up on the parade squares ready to deploy.

RGJ Battlegroup with Sqn from 3RTR

62 Guards Tank Regiment with integral BMP Bn

Will report back once I've played a few turns. Working title for the rules in FRAGO!

PS. Would also like to try out the WDG megablitz rules, and just as I started writing this the latest TooFatLardies video was previewing Dave Browns new 'O' Group rules for "Battalion and up" - but they look more Rapid Fire style but potentially with some nice mechanics.

Combat Wait Out: Development Playtest #2

The CWO playtest is progressing well. Shots were exchanged between the Chieftains and T64s, the T64 ERA saving at least one shot. With one Chieftain lost for no T64s (but lots of suppression/button-down) the Troop decided to pull back to their #2 positions. The recce Scimitar did manage to take out one of advancing BMPs although its troops escaped.

One the left Russian flank the 3rd BMP Platoon pushed well forward, flanking and eventually killing the second Scimitar, and then pushed on and caught the MFC unawares and took him out, the FOO wisely deciding to withdraw. Pushing further forward the Platoon came under Carl Gustav fire from the British #1 Platoon, but the fast moving BMP was hard to hit. The BMP replied with 75mm rounds into the wood which caused 2 damage points (section can take 5). The Milan team also now had a theoretical sight-line to the BMP, but cover and dips meant it couldn't get a good lock. With #1 Platoon engaged to its flank the Soviet 2nd BMP Platoon broke cover from the forward villages and pushed on towards their front.

The game now gives a good opportunity to test out the infantry and ATGW rules.

3rd BMP Platoon passes the burning MFC Spartan. Suppressed 1st UK Platoon in the distance.

2nd BMP  Platoon breaks cover in front of 1st UK Platoon

The T64s reach the tree-line recently vacated by the Chieftain Troop

Combat Wait Out: Development Playtest #1

A lone T64 dashes forward

The development playtest of Combat Wait Out (CWO) finally got underway - see my design notes for background.

The setting was a bit ad-hoc, a British Combat Team (Company Gp) holding out against the early elements of a Soviet MRR deploying from the march. The terrain was started by just throwing my new 4cm green hex cloth over the Adwalton Moor terrain, and then adding villages and features based on typical (by Google Earth) Estonian terrain (more fun than NGP, and if I move to 10mm then I'm going to base it around a 2020/2025 Baltic conflict).

The Brits all started on blinds. The Soviet m/c crew headed up the central road to the hamlet of Adenstedt where a first burst from the Scimitar MG missed them, but the second got them. The BRDMs scurried for cover in Shelem and awaited the CRP. The Scimitar engaged and took out the lead BMP emerging from Sehlem, and the rest of the CRP also took cover back in Sehlem. The FSE (rest of the BMP company plus arty, mortars and a platoon of T64s) then crept on. In fact I decided they crept too slowly so I upped the "dash" speed (which is itself varied by N  x Fate Dice).

BMP burns on the highway, platoon mates disordered, and the Gunners drop short!

The Scimitar and Chieftain lining Almstedt Wood started to engage the T64s and BMPs at long range, but to no avail. The FOO then called in an SP70 strike on Sehlem which dropped short (Gunners living up to their name), and failed to get a second Fire Mission in when Sunray got on the net. The Soviets responded in kind, their FOO having got up onto the hill S of Harbarnsen and called in the 2S1s against Almstedt Wood, slightly off target but enough coverage to take out the Scimitar. The Chieftain finally took out the lead T64 despite it having dashed forwards twice to close the range (taking on a camouflaged Chieftain in a wood at 1400m whilst moving at speed cross country was never going to be too easy). The Brit FOO got another Fire Mission, this time was more or less on target and took out one BMP and Neutralised one of the T64s which was close to the town and in the beaten zone. That's it so far.

British (near) and Soviet (far) stonks reduce visibility

I've been tweaking and rewriting the rules each day, and I must admit I think they are playing pretty well now. One big change was I started with die roll then DMs as having + = good and roll-high always seems sensible, but I noticed that the way I prefer to play is to have a target number, apply TMs to that ( so _ = good), and then roll, so I've rewritten everything accordingly. D10 is giving about the right range of numbers, and all the results so far seem narratively correct. If anything spots/hits seem slightly too hard, but with the design I can just change the TN by one to adjust. The DM/TM selection (whilst more than many would like) also seems right to me. The whole indirect fire bit with requests, target deviation (fate dice) and direction (D6 on hex!), beaten zone (basic 7 hex cluster), smoke for 1 turn each in each, and central hex turned to mush) also working well, and have finally simplified the IDF "to hit" table which still showed touches of WRG 1st Edition (and still does).

The fight for Almstedt Wood, Chieftain and T64 firing but not yet hitting.

One other enhancement was to turn the activation cards into reference cards for their units - so the Platoon card shows the firing stats for the Sections under its command, plus HQ, and any orbat notes. This gets away from the "hunting for cards" issue I mentioned previously, looks nice, and there is still a reference sheet to look up the target's armour!

Example Activation and Information Cards

Will update after some more playing, particularly with GWs and suppression, and maybe air.

The Battle for Grosse Mahner Gap - ENDEX

About turn 22 and the game has come to and end. As the Soviets edged closer to Grosse Mahner itself, and started coming under fire form there and so making it a legitimate target, they started to bring down sustained artillery fire on the village, first from 2S1s and then a regimental shoot from the divisional BM21 regiment. The Brits tried to call in a Jaguar cluster bomb strike on the advancing BMPs and remaining T64s but again the SA-9 Gaskin caused both to abort, one with heavy damage. It was the BM21s that made the killer blow through, rolling 18 D6 for each unit around the village (with a 6 hex damage area), and scoring hits on 6+ in the village and 4+ out of it. The company in the village was pretty mush devastated, but the real prize was the Bn HQ sat behind the village in the open (never again) which caught the full force of the rockets and just ceased to exist. With only open operational company and a couple of Chieftains it was time for the remaining defenders to withdraw.

Overall a good game, if a tad long, but there was a whole MRR in the assault. The rules still worked pretty well but quite a few bits to tweak and clarify and make a bit more my own (eg armour saves on IDF - why at full whack? Treating Mortars as IDF not DF. Scope of MFC/FOO, HQ movement and damage). The big issues, as intimated before though, is that modern (any mechwar?) combats at this scale come down to artillery fire - the BM21 stonk just ended the game. Perhaps a more cluttered and distributed environment would give a better game (Harz mountains?).

I'll take a rest from Modern's now, and the next outing for CWC/BKC, will probably be when I do WW2 Desert War in the autumn.

Here's a few photos to finish with.

The BM21 stonk in progress - small white markers show unit damage

First wave infantry company taking casualties - probably 2nd Company that would take GM

Aerial view - note Battlegroup HQ smoking at the top

The BM21 regiment

The Battle for Grosse Mahner Gap - Update 2

The  Battle for Grosse Mahner Gap rolls on - now up to Turn 20! The Russians are finally coming into contact with the main British defence around Grosse Mahner but have already lost most of the T64 Tank Battalion. I think the big tactical mistake was sending the Battalion forward in companies as they arrived from line of march. It would have been better to wait til all were on the board and then push them all forward in one go to swamp the Chieftains, which have instead been able to pick off (with the help of Swingfire on the flanks) each company as it has moved up. The Russians have also had very poor dice, often scoring no hits when the Chieftains scored max. Two worst-case command fumble rolls didn't help last move either.

Still like the system, but think I might stream line it a bit (eg AA), and handle mortars more like Artillery, and remove some of the "special" HQ rules. Will play til Friday then if not finished I think I've learnt enough from this game and time to change periods!

T64 Platoon lost to 120mm APDS. Damaged platoons in distance

2S1 strike against the woods falls short, but effectively obscures the Chieftains from their targets

A BMP Platoon has taken over from the BTR60s fighting through the woods

The Battle for Grosse Mahner Gap - Update

Soviets at bottom, attacking up table

The Battle for Grosse Mahner Gap game in CWC has been progressing well, if  a little slowly, just getting a couple of turns in a night. Currently on turn 13 I think, so is that 1 or 2 hours in in game time ? Feels more like 1.

The Soviets are making heavy weather of it - although they are only just up to Bn+ on the board, with another Bn+ yet to come!

On the left they deployed a BTR60 coy to root out A Coy Gp DERR which had ambushed the road, but they lost their Coy HQ and have been immobile every since (v low roll needed to activate as woods and Russian and lost OC).

A BMP Coy sent up the road cleared it of mines but then again got ambushed (poorly) by A Coy Gp. The Soviets deployed from their BMPs and are now looking to push up the slope. They've called in mortar support (off target) and the AGS17 is not being too effective either.

In the centre a new T64 Coy has taken over from the first one that got destroyed covering the mine clearance operation. They are supported by a BMP Coy. As they came in range of B Coy Gp and the Chieftain troop in Nienrode the Chieftains opened fire, but only caused slight damage. To help arrest the coming onslaught OC B Coy called in air support and a couple of Harriers raced in, dodging the Gaskin and SAM-7 (just one minor hit) and used PGM to effectively take out one platoon of T64s.

Harrier pair on its way in

The first Harrier inflicts damage

A second BMP Coy has just arrived in Liebenburg to help clear the ridge and road to Grosse Mahner. The next few rounds should see some intense fighting on the ridge and around Nienrode.

The Battle for Grosse Mahner Gap - Startex

The next step in my "move" to Cold War Commander is to try it on a proper size game, Soviet Motor Rifle Regiment against a British Reinforced Battlegroup, with 1 element = 1 platoon/troop, and 1 hex = 10cm = 200m.

The Soviets are attacking form Line of March, so there is a delay between each of the main elements.

In the first few turns it was just the recce group which got nicely brewed up by Scimitars of the close recce company as they reached the minefield (fires in the distance).

Then delayed Combat Recce Patrol (Platoon) arrived, closely followed by the Forward Security Element (Coy+). Next step is for the Soviets to clear the mines, although an ambush waits up on the ridge.

Playing nicely so far, and I've done my own 3 page QRS so I can do away with most of the book, and also have some unit cards nearing completion so I don't need the army list pages.

Saw that WW2 new edition was out at Salute, will buy it when I do Western Desert, hopefully in the Autumn, and apparently Modern new edition is due out around Christmas.

If this game works out OK then the next step will be an SPI BAOR based campaign.