Platoon Mega Playtest: Part 10 - Contact: Wait Out!

Having ripped everybody else's rules apart, time for my own!

Presentation

Although I have a 43 page A4 rulesbook (few photos) I played exclusive off the 2pp A4 QRS.

Set-Up

Operation Martlet Scenario 5: Winning Your Spurs again with a mad advance across open ground.

How It Played

No. 1 Section on the left (fm British), No. 2 Section on the right. As No. 2 Section got to about 100 and crested the hummocks, failing to spot the 2. Gruppen in the hedgeline, 2. Gruppen opened fire and wiped out No. 2 Section (they got 3 activations - one for reserved overwatch, one for normal that turn, and one early next turn!). The Cromwell and No. 4 Section moved up to replace but the Panzer IV cam out and after Panzer and Cromwell bounced a few shells off each other it was the Cromwell that took a fatal hit.

On the N flank No.1 Section went to ground behind the hummocks as soon as it came under fire - suffering far less than No. 2 Section. Even with No. 3 Section and the UC coming up in  support the German defensive line was going to be a tough nut to crack and so the Pl Commander lost patience and called in an artillery barrage from the Battalions Direct Support battery. Couple of turn later it arrived and although slightly long, decimated (accurate in this case) the German position, 1. and 2. Gruppen gone, 3. Gruppen badly mauled and the Panzer button-down. The Brits could have walked onto the position but I called game over.

Where did all the Germans go?

Rules Impression

I certainly have more DMs than the other rules tested here - but not too many I think - and the niceties are there to cope with systems right up to 2020. I did realise I was missing rules for direct HE, but everything else was covered with random activation, randomised movement if running, and smoke.

But it didn't feel as good a game as my last 1985 outing of them. Partly the scenario is a real tough one, but also this was PL+ where as that was Bn+, and it was hard to cope with the fire factors at bolt-action rifle group scale, and the 30m grid seemed to make a huge difference when the HE came down.

In terms of that barrage though a Bolt Action one would have covered a similar area, and seeing as I rolled double + three times (so 1:9 chance three times) I'd have had 6s all the way through on BA - so probably a similar result (although may have been in pins and rout, not elimination). Also just thinking of the rec outside my old house which is a similar size (~ 200m x 150m), having a platoon lying there and a 25pdr battery shoot arriving in the field I can believe that not many would walk away - so maybe not as off as it seemed.

What I didn't try was shooting for suppression - doing a quick check on that No.1 Section could probably have readily got suppression and the odd damage, so No. 3 could have charged through, so it may have been possible.

At the end of the day though with a British Pl going 1:1 with a German Pl in defence and no cover the German's are pretty much bound to win without some deus ex machina!

Overall

Not as good a run out as usual for CWO, but they are really more intended for Company up (that's my excuse!). Looking like Bolt Action - Reality Checked might become my preferred Pl set, be interesting to see if I can stretch that up to Coy in the next round. Overall, a disappointing 6.5/10 I think.