The Enveloping Situation

It felt like ages since our last Bolt Action game. About 2 seasons ago. Enough for us to forget a lot of the rules. But that wasn't gonna stop The Bob and I from having some WW2 fun!

See? -FUN!!!

We rolled up quite a fun mission: Double Envelopment. In this scenario we are both trying to get units across the table and through the enemy's deployment zone. If a unit leaves off of the enemy deployment zone that result is worth 3 VPs! If the game ends and you got a unit in the enemy deployment zone, that is worth 2 VPs. If you wipe out an enemy unit that is only worth 1 VP. This mission is more challenging than it sounds.

For some reason we have to put half of our forces into reserve and run them all in on Turn One. The other half is deployed by randomly die pulls.

British deployment force

British reserve force.

German Deployment force.

German reserve force.

 Like that the game was off. Much of the first turn was maneuvering and moving. My Artillery Foward Observer called a strike on one of the German Units and the Firefly killed a few men from the opposing infantry unit nearby, which seemed like an unnecessary waste of it's potential.  But that is about it.

It was a stinming shot.

End of Turn One.

Turn 2 and my artillery barage scatters in such a way as to catch my unit in cover behind the house, killing a few models and loading them down with pin markers. The German squad took no casualties. To make things more worrisome, that unit of mine that I just barraged also had an airstrike called upon it (that is what the larger flame counter is for) so anticipating the outcome of that was definitely worrisome.

Shelling our own troops! 

On Turn 2 the Panzer had moved into a position in which the Firefly could artempt to deal with it. I scored a perfect shot on it but managed to only stun it. Still, that would by me a round in which I wouldn't have to worry about it.

CLANG! Firefly stuns Panzer.

Turn 2 ended with a few more Pin Markers accumulated here and there, with my unit on the left behind the house taking the most abuse. My Forward Air Observer called a strike on the unit opposite the beleaguered blokes behind the house, while they remained Down and wondering when the German bomb will hit them! On the right flank the infantry unit waa making a push into my deployment zone and I sent the Firefly over to deal with them, but that was proving difficult to pull off. And in the middle my Leader in the Bren Carrier was making a push as well and was trading fire with a machince gun nest in the nearby brush.

End of Turn 2

The air strike hits the Brits behind the house, who are very close to being pinned to death at this point. The Bren Carrier kills the Machine Gun nest, and the Firefly survives a tank shell while also attempting to stop the German infantry from achieving their objective.

End of Turn 3 

The Germans close on the farmhouse, ignoring the incoming plane...

Turn 4 and the damned rookie pilot comes staffing in and blasts my own men doing considerable damage to my troops in the center of the table! All of my units there are now weighed down with Pin Markers! Ignoring the PIAT team, the Germans round the house and continue to harass the Downed British Infantry unit. The PIAT Team, bewildered to be alive, fire a shaped charge into the German Squad and actually manage to kill a guy!

Encounter at the farmhouse.

The Bren Carrier tried to stop the German unit that was making a push against my middle forces, but this proved to be a tactical error (I should have gunned it deeper into their Deployment Zone and towards the table edge!).

End of Turn 4

Turn 5 begins and I have a decision to make about my center units. All of which are loaded down with Pin Markers but each had the potential to make it into the enemy deployment zone. But the early die pulls favor the Germans..

The Panzer annihilates the Bren Carrier. The pinned and batter Commander bail out only to be gunned down by the German unit before them. Seeing their chance my middle Infantry Unit runs for the enemy line and makes it into their zone. The medic was about to do likewise but he was gunned down.

"What's banzi in german?"

Done with messing with the infantry unit behind the building, they decided to go for the easy kill (and avenge their friend) and engage the PIAT team in close quarters. It was a quick and brutile demise for the PIAT Team.

End of Turn 5.

With the German Infantry team making it off of the board on my far right flank, Bob was able to secure another 3 VPs making his tally, along with his three kills (Bren Carrier, Command Section. Medic and PIAT Team) a total of 7 VPs to my 3 VP (Machine Gunners, 2 VP for the one unit in his DZ).

Earning that Tiger Fear

It was a challeging and hard fought battle. My FOOs FUBARed their strikes and did more damage to me than they did their targets leaving me in some very dire straights. One of the things I should have done was attempt to get the unit that was behind the building into the damned building but they spent the whole game pretty much Down (and as a result, Out).

It was torture wasting the Firefly on that infantry unit. Even though I was hurting them, it wasn't enough to eliminate them and they were able to make it through my lines. I would have been better served if I had just focused on that panzer.

Again fun, though challenging, mission and game. Thanks again Bob. Hopefully I can get some new units built before I play again. I feel that the PIAT and Light Mortar would serve the war cause better by staying in the miniature box...