Platoon Mega Playtest: Part 3 - KR16

Presentation

KR16 is a set of free PDF rules from Angel Barracks and available for download at https://cpmodels.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/KR-16-2nd.pdf. They run to 25 pages. The layout is reasonable, but whilst the loads of examples help they break the main rules a bit too much. All the rules and stats tables would probably fit on a single side of A4.

Set-Up

Time to move on to Scenario 2 in Operation Martlet - Pushing On. 7DWR (at least I think it's them) "attempt to push on through the sprawling village of Fontenay towards the German main line of defence. They must clear this position before they can progress further".

KR16 are SF rules, but have normal rifle and MG type stats. The ranges seemed a bit short, e.g. 24cm for a rifle, so I scaled it all up so that 4cm in the rules equalled one 10cm square on my board, giving a rifle an 80cm range - about the same as Bolt Action.

Forces were reinforced platoons as per Scenario 1, but the Brits picked up a sniper team as well.

ENDEX view, British were attaching bottom to top

How It Played

The Germans started sitting tight in the village, with rifle groups deployed well forward and ready to pull back as the British came on. The British (unwisely?) had all the Sections deployed N of the main road, and the Cromwell and 6pdr on it.

The Germans in the wood in front of the main house opened up on No. 3 Section cowering in the chicken shed and caused some damage. The Cromwell took a glancing blow from the Pak and decided to move off the road to help No. 3 Section out. MG fire and the Section's fire soon caused enough damage for the German Section to pull back. In the N the plan was to use No. 1 Section on the far flank as the fire base, deploy smoke, and No. 2 Section to rush through to get the German section in the N copse. The fire took a couple of goes to get in, and then No. 2 Section just refused to move. And refused, and refused. In fact they only got going in the last couple of turns (and then wished they hadn't). So No. 3 Section was swung N instead. Though the smoke, hesitated, and got caught in the open as the smoke cleared. Deciding that the Germans on their flank were a more serious threat they swung S, over the hedge and into melee with the Germans by the main farmhouse. Multiple rounds of melee saw No. 3 Section wiped out. No. 1 Section had no option but to charge on on their own. Rifle fire had whittled away the German defenders, but they'd been reinforced by the reserve section, and so the Brits ran into a hail of fire and an outnumbered melee, and again after multiple rounds were toast (no morale in these rules!). No. 2 Section finally got moving, and supported by the Cromwell tried to take the German's on but the Pak engaged the Cromwell again, missed, then glanced, and finally the PzKfz IV got the bead and took the Cromwell's turret out. No.2 Section were taking damage from both flanks, so realistically after about 12 turns it was all over. German victory.

Rules Impression

These rules are "not meant to be super detailed, nor do they make any claim to be accurate, if that is even possible with fictional things? They are simply a set of rules I wrote for my own games with my own figures and I thought I would share them for free.". And kudos for putting them out there. I think they meet their objective, they give a fast game (c. 90 mins) and things flow pretty smoothly. Ranges out the book were I think a bit short, and there's a lot not covered - but I was expecting that.

The real reason to try the rules was the activation system. Each command needs an appropriate die roll, so easy orders, like withdraw, just need 3+ (on D6) whereas assaulting needs 5+, most need 4+. If you've got a pinned marker then its DM-1, and troop quality (and commander) also gives +/-1. In practice I think though the results were just too random, eg:

• No.2 Section staying stuck so long (should have sent Pl Comd over?)
• Lots of "easy" shots being missed as units refused to activate even when in cover (more use of the overwatch order?)

The worst thing was that whilst a first hit causes a Pin a second hits causes a casualty and removes the Pin. So in some ways you were best off getting 1 hit not 2. That then happens for every other pair of hits, so your unit goes in and out of a -1DM on activation.

Interestingly Bolt Action has a standard 9- activation, with DM+1 for each pin and that change of probability (83% cf 50%) was enough to make it far smoother. However I still LIKE the idea of some orders being harder than others so I'm tempted to introduce an orders DM into my rules/my version of Bolt Action.

Cromwell supporting No.3 Section

Overall

It does what it says on the tin and gives a reasonable and quick game so you can't say fairer than that. But it is limited and does have a few issues, so I think in terms of what I'm evaluating and am after it's only a 6/10.

No. 3 Section advancing through the smoke