My ASL buddy and I played Dorset Wood in the Rain (A100: '96 Annual) yesterday. Boards 10 and 24. German tries to diddy-bop 25VPs off board 10, with 2 PzKfW VIE(L)s, 2 StuG IIIs, 16 467s and assorted leaders and SW. Brits have 10 457s, 76* MTR and assorted leaders and SW. An Achilles (M-10 TD with a 76LL), 2 1/2 suqads, 9-1, 2 ATGs and a MTR on carriers enter on turn 3 in the exit area (Ubiquitous board 10 Village). Overcast with with wind, mud starts 4 half-turns after rain starts. 8.5 turns. Brits stay "fixed" (TI) till they get LOS.
I set up in an arc along the 24/10 board edge as the brits. My idea was to get LOS soon and then move toward the board 10 village to fight it out. I left the MTR and on squad covering the 24 board in case he surprised me.
Niall moved his Panzers und Grenadieren in good order through the board 10 woods for the first two turns. I had nothing to do but roll for wind change for the first two turns. But of course my turn 2 wind change came up a 10 so rain started.
German turn 3 saw him coming out of cover to make a mad dash for the village. Broke two squads with the MG stack and Sir 9-2. Lost ROF and watched the rest move out. He moved two killer stacks in to pressure my covering MGs. My setup kept two 3 squad stacks stuck in place, unable to move to board 10, with his move into the woods along the 10/24 board edge.
Next turn, I stripped concealment on his flank stack, pinning them with a lucky shot. My machine guns hammered another couple of squads and his fate (12) DRs reduced them. He moved up his squads, declining advancing fire, too many hinderances to make it effective. I moved my Achilles into the village walled square (HD, covering the road).
His next turn moved his Tiger into LOS of the Achilles. Achilles missed, Tiger hit, but HD status saved my bacon. An overly agressive quad paid the ultimate price from the Achilles AAMG. He then moved up all his other AFVs and lined them up along the road in an attempt to overwhelm my HD Achillies.
My turn 4 Prep presented me with a interesting smorgasborg of targets. Two StuGs within two hexes and two Tigers within 7 hexes, the farthest with a -1 Acq. Modified To Hits were, from the farthest, 8-9-9-11. I chose the farthest TIGER (with the Acq.); flamed it, lost rate; and flamed the closest StuG with IF. What was optimal? You decide. His DFF flamed the Achilles. My PIAT squads were pinned and broken by some long range fire, so my original plan was coming to naught. The carries dismounted their ATGs and took up infantry interdiction positions.
The rest of the game degenerated into a flight for the edge of the village and a couple of lucky carrier shots snuffed out his major infantry push.
The result? British by TKO. He moved off 13 VPs of 25, before giving up on turn 6. Interesting tactical problem. Worth a replay, IMO.
Don Nordloff