AAR: Tower Games Feb. 7th, 2009 Tournament

After Action Report

Tower Games, Feb. 7^th, 2009

Over the past weekend I drove down to Atlanta for a big Flames of War tournament hosted by Kevin and the folks of Tower Games. This worked out really well for me personally cause I got see my brother Brian and his girlfriend Lindsey who live in Atlanta.

However, back to the action which your looking for. I brought along my trusted American Infantry Company. I changed the list up from my regular routine by not bringing any TDs or HMG attachments. Instead I spiced things up with some Priority Air Support and upgraded for some 155s. Here’s the list.

HQ w/ 2 bazookas

Full Strength Rifle Platoon

Full Strength Rifle Platoon

Half Strength Rifle Platoon

2 Section Mortar Platoon

Full ATG Platoon w/ 2 bazookas

Full A&P Platoon w/ 2 bazookas and supply truck

1 Section of Intelligence and Recon Platoon

5 Stuarts

Full 105 Battery

Full 155 Battery

L4 AOP

Priority Air Support

The plan was to bombard the junk out of anything that moved, otherwise it was the work of the infantry to do the dirty work. On we went, and with some last minute assembling we arrived in time for the tournament.

Game 1: Fighting Withdrawal vs. Radcliffe’s German Panzer Company

So great, I get to face off against some tanks, and there are all Panzers! Radcliffe was a great guy and he had an awesome looking army. He ran 8 Panzer IVs and 3 Stugs, along with some Hummels, a PanzerGrenadier platoon, and some mobile AA. Great… a lot of veteran German tanks to deal with. At least I’m defending!

The board was a pretty sweet deal, as seen here. The town in the middle provided some cover from long range fire and also split the road nicely. Using my pioneer’s and their truck to my fullest advantage I went ahead and planted a minefield on the only open stretch on my left flank, effectively plugging that gap. With the edges lining the right, I figured Radcliffe’s best route was for the center, which was also my objective. And that’s where the pioneer’s went, with the CO nearby (trading off with another rifle platoon). The other full rifle platoon went on the right obj, while the half rifle platoon and stuarts covered the right, protected the 155s. My ATGs were wisely in ambush, as my side had 3 wood sections nicely spaced out.

Radcliffe went almost all in the middle/left, but left 3 stugs to play with the stuarts on the right. Looks to be an interesting match! For me, it’ll be a matter of how many tanks I can bust before the inevitable charge comes in.

The first few turns were pretty slow for the most part. Radcliffe wisely went after my 105 battery with some artillery and guns while his tanks and troops slowly advanced, trying to thin the lines a bit before coming in. I made my saves but unfortunately was unable to knock out too many tanks with the artillery. My one early victory was that I nabbed his CO first turn! He took a 155 round right in the gut and failed the warrior roll to jump ship. That makes things a lot easier, particularly with a couple other tanks down, looking to maybe work the company morale?

My mortars smoke proved useful in controlling how his artillery worked, along with denying him full ROF a lot of the time. My stuarts on the other hand almost pulled off a great victory! They ran up the flank of the Stugs and he failed like 4 saves on side armor! Of course, I fail all the important FP checks and he’s left with a bunch of bailed out, but not dead tanks. The remounting next makes for an unpleasant situation, and the stuarts’ fate is sealed, though their destruction proved well in the end in stalling the Stugs to allow for the air support to do it’s job.

In the end, it came down to a brutal assault on the main obj by his 2iC one of his tank platoons. The other one was running behind but came in second. The pioneers performed quite well, destroying and bailing a tank, removing the platoon completely as he failed morale and fell back, His other platoon came in though and forced the pioneers away, they were badly battered but passed their morale check to stick around and still managed to contest the objective.

It was the bottom of turn 5 and having removed enough platoons and with this threat (plus his grens looking at the other obj.) It looked like I needed swift action. I had saved my ambush until the last possible second, and it paid off in the end! My ATGs knocked out the other panzer platoon, while my TOTs killed all but one of the pioneers. He passed that morale check and came back with a vengeance, assaulting my infantry who had moved up to support while he brought the AA guns to try to help out at long last.

In this 6^th turn I sealed the victory, with my planes pulling through and knocking out a second stug while my assault bailed the remaining half-track and forcing the 2iC to fall back, capturing and killing that platoon. He failed his morale check for the stugs, and it was game over. 5-2 Victory for me!

So the game went well for me, aside from my artillery not performing as well as I would have liked early on. I had several chances to land multiple tanks at once ( the terrain plus a couple of failed stormtrooper roles gave me a couple of chances, but overall I liked the big artillery and the planes, they did they’re job, all be it slowly.

Game 2: Encounter versus Larry’s German Grenadiers

So the first round went well, and it was nice to be on the winners end of the brackets. Encounter was a change of pace, but I was happy to see some German infantry, even if he was totting some Stugs and Jagpanthers.

Larry was running 2 full Grenadier platoons, a pioneer platoon, 3 Pak40s, 4 Stugs, and 2 JagPanthers. A small list, particularly as CV, but I guess the Jags were pretty expensive. Either way, I figured if I didn’t claim things early all that armor would give me problems.

The board was nice, lots of concealment bonuses but pretty far ranging lanes. Larry put out a grenadier platoon on his left objective in the woods, his pioneer platoon on the other right objective (I spread them out to make it harder to defend for his small force). His Pak40s were his other platoon, and they went with the Grenadiers, though on one side of the wood. I got a lucky 5 platoons to place, and due to the objectives deployment on my side I got my pioneers spread out to cover both objectives. Both batteries started on opposite sides, and I loaded the left flank with the stuarts on the far side and a full infantry platoon covering the middle. The goal was for the stuarts to advance quickly, using the woods to avoid the Pak40s and give the infantry a good sound beating while the infantry moved up to secure the objective.

And away we went! The Germans got the first turn and promptly dug everyone in, I guess he had no plans of attacking right away. I double timed my stuarts up and hide them nicely while the infantry double timed it into the village center, using the buildings as cover. My pioneers dug in and my artillery successfully ranged in on the left infantry/guns, knocking out an infantry stand and pinning them.

The next two turns is where things got interesting. He fired his 2 HQ mortars at my infantry and pinned them, but otherwise went GTG. In my turn I ran up my stuarts within assault distance, on the opposite side of the wood from the Paks. My artillery All Guns Repeated and repined the infantry again and while my infantry moved along the road once more to better position, the stuarts dared the assault. The stuarts only lost one tank in the counter assault (they are known for rolling 6s against those fausts) but my ability to happen to roll 3 1s in the bog phase to bog 3 other tanks. Thankfully though his grenadiers failed their morale role (with just the command stand left) and fell back, failing his morale and being destroyed.

Things were looking up! I had my stuarts still operational, and the Pak40s had only LOS to 1 bogged stuart, and only one could see it. If I unbogged one or two in the next turn, I could flank and overrun the 40s and secure the objective! Twas not to be, as of course he lands a hit and then a kill on my lovely bogged down start. This puts me at 2 tanks down, 1 tank up (the other 2 don’t count) so a morale check, which of course I promptly fail! So much for that 6-1 victory!

My second attempt comes quickly though. Neither one of us are getting reserves in right away, but my infantry are ready to rock and roll on just those Pak 40s. I’m in position to charge and Larry had his stugs come in, both on the other side of the table! They were no position to get there in time, but I knew I had to move quick otherwise his reserves would be plowing into my poor unsupported infantry. I overrun his Pak40s and force them to flee, but my artillery can’t finish off his stugs (range in ToT but fail to hit any of them) so there’s no morale check, but I’m on the obj. and ready to rock. His final reserves come in, the last grenadier platoon and the Jags and after a bloody assault down to the last teams on each side, our groups break off, with me failing morale and him passing. Now, with two attempts foiled, I’m stuck not in a real position to reassault, so now it’s up to bringing him to company morale.

The game continues into 10+ turns, basically consisting of me continuing to put the pressure on with my other large infantry platoon while shelling him into oblivion. I manage to knock out that beaten infantry platoon and slowly work my 155 and airplane magic on the Jags. Unfortunately the plane dice had run low and I was stuck dropping the 155s, which Larry made the exact rolls he needed to save his Jags for a few turns. In the end however my artillery nailed the coffins, plus a combined sudden effort from my ATGs on his stugs dropped both of those platoons, and he failed his second company morale check.

4-3 Victory for me, though it was a tough fight with the dice. Larry had a good list to deal with armor, but my amount of infantry combined with artillery gave him a tough time. Since I was on him from the beginning it was tough for him to try and knock out any of my guns without any air or artillery. A great battle and I’d play against Larry again anytime! Thanks for the great game!

Now I find out I’m the second top allied player going into the third round (yikes!) behind Charlie. I was about to experience all of the goodness that is Sturmgrenadiers.

Game 3: Fighting Withdrawal against Erin’s German Sturmgrenadiers

So Erin is an awesome guy and he a great looking army. I didn’t mind playing Fighting Withdrawal again, but I soon discovered how difficult it was going to be with this map. The woods and fields were area terrain which caused loads of problems with getting my artillery to bear. Not to mention the fact that he had all of those trench sections which allowed him to remain GTG and still move throughout the trench was gonna bring a tough day for me.

Erin had 2 big grenadier platoons with tons o’ attachments of HMGs and Pak 40s, a Pak 40 platoon, 3 Stugs with assault riders, a battery of 105s, and some mortars. He attached a single HMG into an 8^th platoon and set up in a nice big along the trenches, which covered the entire board (88’’ of trenches!)

Due to me attacking I had to plan for a double attack, though I had a wide front and what actually looked like a triple attack. I had the pioneers, small infantry platoon, and stuarts on my right flank and my 2 big infantry platoons on the middle/left to left flank. I had hoped to push through with the stuarts early on while the infantry advanced as quick as they could through the woods (a problem I was already seeing). To claim the right objective. When he shifted over to contest and control it, my other arms would strike out, but I needed to pin him to make it happen.

This was not going to be an easy battle by far. Part of my biggest problem was the fact that I always needed 6s to range in, and with the terrain I couldn’t get all of my batteries to bear at one location. To make things worse, whenever I did manage to range in, Erin was able to relocate everyone out of the template zone while still maintaining GTG due to the trenches. It was a tough fight to be certain.

I managed to break through on the right flank at last, though I did the assault order wrong and sent in the stuarts first. Erin was a dice rolling master in defensive fire and nailed 3 stuarts before I even to get in on it! However it paved the way for my infantry platoon to climb through and take out that platoon. At least this point I saw it in a not too good situation, because I couldn’t get any sort of pin on the infantry platoons in the middle, and I had claimed that objective with too many casualties to deal with.

Erin sprung his ambush and contested the objective, and even though I forced him off of it, I eventually lost the platoon trying to take on the artillery with the tanks too close. I tried again and again to throw my men at him and even tried to knock out his Pak 40s in the end to try to claim another point, but without pinning them down and not doing enough damage early on I was stuck taking a 5-2 loss.

It was a tough battle overall, and I think in that situation I needed to focus my attention on what the mission could do for me. He had several small platoons that were hanging out in the back. Had I focused my artillery on them first (like the 2 team HMG platoon or the 3 team mortars) and knocked those out. If I had done that, it hopefully would have forced him to pull off some more important platoons from the main line, and not simply call off the unimportant platoons. Other then that and the platoon assault order on the right flank, the dice odds were against me and Erin was rolling too good for defensive fire to give me a chance.

Either way, I had three great games and overall I finished 9^th out of 24^th, which isn’t shabby considering! I need to work on my history/painting a little bit more, I’m thinking about rebasing my models so I can earn a few more of those points.

Thanks again to Radcliffe, Larry, and Erin for three great games and giving me a great experience at Tower Games! Also to Kevin for running that smooth ship! Apparently I qualified for Nationals to boot!