BCT part ... 2?


First some corrections:

1.  The Southern INF BN did break until turn 2, need to read my notes better.
2.  Upon re-reading the rules 34 years later, it turns out Mr. G.O.D actually stands for game organizer and developer.
3.  For 6mm games I normally play 1"=125m, for this scale it was reduced to 1cm=125m.
My apologies for these outrages.

Turn 2:  The Soviets opt for some force protection by displacing their SP artillery and the remaining guns switch to smoke to cover the crossing of the Klein river.  (I treated it as shallow, allowing the units to cross at half speed.  The 2nd regiment Inf BN cleared Kleinstadt and proceeded west until it rand afoul of the first mine field along the road.  For this I treated the mines as a  concealed mixed AP/AT stand.   d10 roll:  1-6 detected, 7-9 suppressed, 0 destroyed.  The platoon rolled a '2' and stopped abruptly in front of the mine field.  (This was placed as a blocking, rather than turning, obstacle.)

The advance Jaguar AT stand took this opportunity to destroy one BMP stand from its ambush position.  (I treated all stands as starting in concealed entrenchments.  Spotting distance was 6cm for infantry, 9cm for armor.  (+3cm for recon units)  I want to tweak these rules to incorporate a potential random element to assist with spotting.)  This is part of what I like about moderated games.  You can actually allow for ambushes/opening salvos that aren't spoiled by player knowledge.

Turn 3:  Soviet forces continue to advance, the WG Jaguar pulls back into the trees.  The German M109s decide to join the fun, firing on the BN in front of the minefield for 1 suppression, only to receive 2 suppressions from well targeted Soviet counter-battery fire.  The Soviets attempt to push around the minefield, with one more stand suppressed from hitting another undetected field.

Turn 4:  The Luftwaffe manages to push some ground attack sorties through the hostile air environment.  This time, some properly equipped Wild Weasels (Tornado's armed for Air-Defense suppression)  One strike bagged off under pressure from the Soviet missile umbrella.  Apparently, that provided the perfect target for the other sortie that savaged an SA-6 battery.  (Rolled a '0': Air Defense factor permanently reduced by 1)

 
The hapless 2nd MRB crested the hill to find the German recon screen waiting for the,  Three stands evaporated under a whither of ATGM and tank fire.  The BN commander failed his morale check forcing the BN to go to ground.
2nd MRB can't catch a break.
 Turn 5:  Painfully accurate artillery fire savages the German recon screen before they start their movement back towards the Wasser river.  The slightly more friendly air environment allows a sortie of BO105s to move East of the river and engage the Soviet vanguard.  1 T-64 stand is destroyed, but the hail of AA fire drives the helo back out of the fight.
I don't have an 3mm helicopters...yet.
 The German artillery decides to rejoin the fight and pin the lead tank BN of the first regiment near an old farm.  The 2nd TR Commander managed to get his infantry moving forward again, just in time to find the 2nd blocking obstacle.
 Turn 6:  The Soviets are now firmly in control of the approaches to the river and are preparing their second preparatory bombardment to force the river crossing.  The survivors of the German covering force exit the woods and make a run for the river before the bridges are dropped by the engineers.  2 more German Phantoms sorties swoop in to bomb the Soviet artillery parks.  One jet is blotted out by an SA-8 while the other destroys  one of the redeploying gun sections.  The Soviet 3rd Tank Regiment arrives resulting in a crowded battlefield.
Luftwaffe Airstrike in bound

Mixed results....

The Soviets control the heights.
 Turn 7:  Somewhat diminished, the second bombardment strikes aimed at the tiny village of Rechts and the main crossing point at Machsnichtstadt.  The attack catches the 2nd security battalion as it retreats through the village as well as suppressing a German Milan team.  
These guys are shell magnets....
 The fire against the primary target was significantly less effective.  The 2nd TR tank battalions emerged on the Western edge of the ridge to a wall of ATGMs and accurate tank fire.  The last of the German Jaguars is dispatched as they make a desperate push for the crossing point.  The remains of the German recon company cross into the town and link up with their sister unit.
The main event is set.
Turn 8:  The Soviet assault units are prepared to make their move, so the batteries switch to smoke.  The surviving elements of the Divisional Rocket BN release another chemical strike against the targets in the town and the farms to the North.   Effect is similarly devastating to the first strike.  The recon companies in the town are particularly hard hit, as is a company of Marders to the North.  The second confirmed release of Chemical Agents is the final straw for the NATO command element.  The WG lance battery is alerted to prepare a special munition.....


 Turn 9:  STRIKEWARN:  1ID024...230830JUN86...NB173368EST...SURFACE...5kt  Units are to remain in protected positions, evacuate all personnel East of PL WASSER...continuous monitoring to commence immediately following detonation. 

My goal in designing this scenario to look for the different conditions I needed to model to make a streamlined, playable, but somewhat representative game.  For the narrative I decided to go with one of the potential scenarios:  The Soviet first use of chemical weapons results in a NATO nuclear response.  A few low yield weapons to send a message..hopefully.

I opted to center the target point just Northeast of Kleinstadt.  The counter represents the "beaten zone" (5cm disk), and I used my old GW artillery dive to determine the hit location.  (rolled a 'hit, so didn't matter)

Using the MSH rules as a guide, all the stands under the token were immediately destroyed, all of the stands within 12cm are attacked on a base 2+ to kill on d6.  (This would be a 3+ for the armored vehicles.)  The results are shown below.
Scratch one regiment, and the Division staff
 I did an immediate morale check for every BN within the attack area.  1 Tank regiment went to full rout, while the other went on defend orders.  The woods were set ablaze and the town reduced to rubble.

This really is a game stopping event, as you consider that the resulting fires, and shock effect are wiping out the division rear, leaving the advanced elements unsupported and in danger of being burned out of their positions.  (1 turn ~30min)  That, and while the rules reflect the correct distances for the overpressure/blast effect.  The lethal radiological effects extend out an additional 2-8cm.  You would have soldiers overcome with nausea and weakness.  Those who understood what was happening would recognize their chance of survival over the next 72 hours was very low without significant medical intervention.

A fierce fight develops to the South as the Northern Regiments wonder at the large mushroom blossoming behind them.
 I opted to go with a morale check for each of the remaining Soviet units.  The Regimental commander in the South threw a '1' which resulted in his ordering his elements to disengage to the east and establish a hasty defense while he waited for orders.
 I decided to suspend combat operations at this point and gather my notes.  Next up, some final thoughts on my attempts on rules development.

Comments

  1. "Game stopping event" indeed!

    Reminds me of my early days playing SPI's Central Front series of hypothetical WWIII games in West Germany. I recall BAOR and Hof Gap and the impact of either chemical or nuclear weapons on the battlefield.

    Perhaps, you could use some ideas from that series for your design?

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    1. I had forgotten about those. I was actually looking at my Ruleset for "NATO" for inspiration earlier. I will look them up.

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  2. Great looking game with cool models. Nice!

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    1. Thanks, a little depressing with the subject matter though....

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