Played HOB's new HASL scenario Opera of Death Sunday. Here's my non-ASLOK AAR for it.
Scenario:
OoD pits the remnants of the last defense line against the victorious red army. Play centers around the Kroll Opera house just south of the Spree river and it's spanning bridge the Moltke. The sov's get 16 squads that span the range of quality plus two T34/85's and an IS-2. The germans get 13 squads also spread between 658, 447, and 436's, plus 40 FPP to play with as well as a 75L atg. The russians must take 15 LVP's, one LVP for each ground level stone building/rubble location.
Setup:
JR setup his forces with the majority in the opera house, but with strong elements also in the G16 building and a squad and a half in the G15 and D16 buildings. I stacked heavily in Himmler's house with one squad and lmg across the spree to mess up skulking and concealment gain. I failed to realize that by taking all the rest of the building's I could ignore the opera house. JR's defense was very vulnerable in this case, but I did not see it at the time. I had my IS-2 in N15 to attack the upper levels of the opera house, while my two T34's were setup in the level-1 road next to the spree to try an end around. I was fairly certain that the 75L was in the southwest, covering all the inviting area behind the opera house. I planned on going the other way. My 10-2 and lmg, 458*2 I stacked in the L15 hex as a kill stack.
Play:
The first turn saw me breaking one concealed hs in I13 (the only unit in the building) and then dashing conscripts and some 447's across the street. Here is where JR realized that he didn't have enough troops in these two buildings. With my 628's I dashed across the L16 street to get into the rubble next to the Opera house. I suffered a couple of brokies, but JR blew most of the 2 -2 shots offered, which caused loss of his concealment. My two T34's moved up to the crest line to exit the -1 terrain. JR's turn saw him shuffling troops over to the D15 building. IN my turn 2 I managed to lose a t34 to a 'faust from a conscript (I thought that a 'script had a lowered TH#, but I was wrong). Anyway, it provided JR with a burning wreck to dash through. My other t34, in an attempt to get ack in the AFPh, rolled a 2. "Critical Hit" I called before I rolled it, to which JR responded "Unlikely hit." ATT vs concealed units. So I had to roll another 1 to get a CH. Gods are with me and I get a dr1 to KIA a concealed conscript. At this point I should have been trying to gain the eastern buildings and ignore the opera house, but I still think that the opera house is a necessity. So, I start shoving conscripts into the street, which JR keeps killing. My 628's are broken, and I'm ready to surrender. We break for lunch and then come back to finish it off. My IS-2 hasn't done anything; the one hit I get with it I roll a 12 IFT. I realize my other mistake, in that I should have been using ATT to clear out the entire hex. Turn 5 prep fire has me doing this and gaining a hit on two conscripts in the corner of the opera house. At the same time my 10-2 finally breaks a couple of squads. Suddenly, JR is out of infanty. A couple of DFF shots leaves his defense with a hole through which I run a 9-1, 628, 447 stack. It occupies a fortified location in H18. I also am able to tie up a couple 658's in Melee in F17. Without enough Infanty his defense falls.
Aftermath:
JR rolled poorly, and his setup was too weak on his left flank. I think the scenario is sov favored, since the three sov tanks could have been a big problem. I think a roadblock in E15 is important. JR bought fortified building locations (cheap at 5fpp a location). There seems to be too many buildings to defend as the german. I think that at least one more LVP should be added to the sov vc. this forces the soviet to try for the G16 building or the opera house; otherwise the sov can ignore these buildings and go for an easier victory by pushing west instead of south. Anyway, Soviet attacking at it's finest blasted a hole for me to exploit. I never would have finished it out if JR had said it was over mid-game. I've never played in a game where the pendulum swung so fast (EXC: Totsugeki). So I had a good time. Hat's off to JR, whose house played host. Don't believe a word of what Fritz says about the Master. I was even allowed into the sanctum sanctorum to see him update the automated record. Thanks, JR.
Brian Williams