Huzzah! THIS is why you play TSATF, kids...
...Lt. Bifteck confronts The Sanguine Shiek!
So, completely committed to another RAW play of the rules, this time with my special super secret PLAYER'S AID that explains all aspects of the RAW in an easily consulted 3 pages [altho you need the period charts]. And I just HAD TO use my favorite scenario rules, "One-Hour Wargames" [still the best $15 I've ever spent!] to play a new scenario with old rules.
Scenario 25 "Infiltration" is one that I've never played before. Soon as I looked at it, it reminded me of a chaotic Legionnaire battle in the Atlas. On 26 April, 1882, deep in the 'Sud-Oranais' of Algeria, a topographical expedition lead by Cpt. Henri de Castries, with an escort commanded by Cpt. Barbier of III/LE, was ambushed by Beni Gil tribesmen in rugged terrain of gullies, sand dunes, and dwarf palm tree clumps, "a curious region, full of hidden dangers". Barbier's leading platoon under Lt. Delcroix had to fight their way out of the ambush to high ground, a gara [mesa] that the Beni Gil were racing them to. Along with some Africa Light Horse, the platoon ran a gauntlet of fire from Arabs converging on their flank and rear, and finally broke through a few that had got ahead of them. Upon arriving at the mesa, they manned the lip of the plateau and covered the retreat of the rest of the company [Martin Windrow, "Our Friends Beneath the Sands" p.72].
Looking at the scenario [and ignoring the explanation] it is a perfect "Retreat in the Face of the Pursuing Enemy" scenario. Below is the map and scenario rules. But basically, the attacker is moving diagonally North from the lower left corner to the top right road, needing to exit two Units [50%] for a win. The defender starts with a unit on the hill [zone 1] and gets two units from the North board edge turn 3, and 3 units from the South turn 6.
So a 6-4 movement battle, obvious who will be on what side.
Below, the French force. I divided the 20-fig peloton into two escouades of 10. Most of the combat power is in these two Units who do a solid job in all areas: Fire, Maneuver, and Close Combat. The best firepower is the Gun, and the best maneuver is the cavalry [who also Close Combat well when they Charge].
Board layout. Rough Ground at top left [functionally woods - reduces LoS, LoF to 4", can't see through two edges, etc], Rough Hill at center, road at right. At top, arriving Turn 3, defender has two units of 10 spearmen. On the hill, a unit of 10 rifles. Interestingly, the game plays as well or better with 1/2 Units, which lessens the effects of shooting at times.
At bottom right, arriving on the road Turn 6: 12 Camelry-spears, 12 Cavalry-rifles, and 10 infantry rifles - I figured that they will need the additional Threat Distance of speed or range due to playing catch-up against the French Force's rear.
At bottom left, the French have 2x10 Infantry, one Artillery, one 12-fig Cavalry-carbines. There is also one "unit" of 4 supply camel bases, composed of 8 camels and 4 Camel-holders. Their only game purpose is to carry wounded and act as a Unit for card activations. While not much for combat, the camel-train functions as a mildly useful support unit. The Arab drivers are Horse-holders fighting as Arab swordsmen, the camels are targets.
Now, let's put this scenario and each side's plan to the test!
At over 50%, the Arab rifles roll a '7' and fail Major Morale without a Leader. In the distance a dutiful and loyal bodyguard carries away the wounded Le Souk Noir.
Turn 4. Lots of French Move cards are drawn first, so they act defensively and form a line of Infantry, which unfortunately masks the gun [oops].
The Arabs are able to react to the French Infantry but the cavalry are moving last, an opportunity to find time and space to maneuver. They then roll for 12" of movement...
Below, the Cavalry and Infantry lose a man, but the spears lose 3.
Turn 5. The spearmen charge, but their move roll is almost a disaster...
They advance a little, and have 5" left. they lose 1 straggler [rolling 1d3 for these 1/2 Units].
The card draw mechanic in action: the Arabs have to move again - would definitely have preferred to see the cavalry move first. The spears try and corner the cavalry rather than charge since they'd likely Evade successfully. The spears can throw and have a range just a bit shorter than the cavalry carbines...
...but the cavalry roll high and are able to completely slip through the gap, and maneuver to shooting range outside of spear throwing range.
Turn 5 Fire Phase. French firepower shows it's potential when skillful maneuver is combined with excellent dice rolls. Two escouade get the spears in their Target Area, one rolls up [a '6']. The French Officer kills a Fig with his pistol [also a '6']! 
Unfortunately, an evil fate awaits him - he goes down wounded, apparently shot at close quarters with a French automatic pistol!
*** Interlude, commencer ***
Theorem: "Playing RAW reveals design intent best."
What I'm seeing is that Larry Brom's design intent is predictable Firepower. And it usually is, delivering 6-5-4-3 Hits at Class 1-4 Targets, respectively.
There is a slight variation of 1 Hit either way 1/3 of the time, rolling a natural '1' [-1 Hit] or '6' [+1 Hit]. There is also a small possibility of an extreme result in one optimized situation: IF the best shooters [20 Europeans] are Firing at the best targets [a Massed Unit Standing in the open]: 10 Hits if you roll a '6' for the shot.
Question: does this represent the firepower of the period well?
*** Interlude, fin ***
Turn 6. Cavalry make a risky charge to wipe out the spears as all the Arab reinforcements dash straight at them full speed! Captain Brouille looks on with approval...but does he notice the dust around the corner of the hill??
Unsurprisingly, spears get trounced. Still, they only *just* fail Major Morale. "They" meaning "both of them" in this case!
Turn 7. French are moving towards the road and victory toute vite. This results in a few of the units clumped together with poor fields of fire, and the cavalry have their backs to the edge of the world. The Arabs have two units that shoot, but they're probably more dangerous in Close Combat, considering that time is running out.
Turn 8. And with that in mind, the both sides' cavalry charge!
In the Fire Phase, the French cav lose two, and the Arab cav escape with only 3 wounded. The camels are crushed by an optimal gun hit and lose 6!
The gunners rolled up at a Class 1 target, achieving a 1 Hit per 2 Fig ratio.
But now, I am filled with concern for the French peleton, as they are in open order [my bad] against cavalry. Can they hold off the Arab horse with the help of Le Capitaine Variable and the renowned sergent-major Acier?
Perhaps! He kills one, using his special rule to win ties in Close Combat!
"Goûtez à l'acier froid" he cries, killing his opponent with a strong gesture.
Does camel meat make good hamburger, in a pinch?
Thanks to sterling support from nearby leaders, the legionnaires manage to defeat the Arab horsemen, but are now at 50% exactly.
Meanwhile, the French cavalry take on what they assume will be an easy opponent, the Arab rifles [who only melee with a d6; the cavalry are d6+2 for charging]. Seeing the grim situation, Le Chiek Sanguine rides into the fray taking on the cavalry Leader, Lt. Biftek, in manly fashion!
Despite this setback - or perhaps enraged at it - the rifles manage to cause 4 casualties while losing the melee, overall.
This was the crucial turn - the Arabs had to get a couple of French units below 50% and run them off the board edge that is so perilously close. Unfortunately, only the cavalry went over 50%, and they were farthest from the board edge. The Arab combat power is largely shattered at this point. Even if they pass morale...
But the cavalry fail Major Morale on a '9' and move off-board like lightning...
...they are swiftly followed by the last three camel-men who also roll '9'...
With no figs on the field, the Arabs have decisively lost this scenario. The French will exit with all four Units, altho two were 50 and 58% losses.
...while the last three rifles fail and then flee faster than the cavalry!
The victorious French cavalry easily pass on a '5'.
An exciting scenario that could have gone either way, perhaps, if I had played a few things differently for the Arabs, namely:
- count prone infantry on a crest as Class 4 Targets to DF, which would have made the rifles a lot more resilient, and more of a threat.
- substitute a rifle for a spear unit in the turn 3 reinforcements. Altho the spears did quite well, anyway, both being able to throw, their short range limits them.
- spend one more turn advancing with the Turn 6 reinforcements, getting some shooting in especially at the cavalry.
This scenario could certainly use a re-match to see if an Arab win is possible with the forces available. Hmmmm.....
"Inflitration" is a great scenario as it is a classic reinforcement battle. I've actually used it to represent offensive operations by a smaller force (specifically Panzer breakthrough in 1941 Russia) as well as some other situations.
ReplyDeleteYeah, sometimes the titles are a bit misleading, mostly in that they limit the obvious possibilities. I ignore them now when trying to determine if a scenario is suitable for a tactical problem, and just try to look at the description.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, the operational situation is what makes a scenario a "breakout" or a "penetration", even with the same forces and setup!