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[admin]

I felt sorry for the AAR forum, as it had no posts yet, so I decided to start the ball rolling.

This AAR reviews the Bread Factory #2 scenario, played about a week and a half ago against Adrian Earle (a particularly talented and patient player). He played Russians while I played Germans. Adrian destroyed me, and this, even without the use of his AT gun and reinforcements. Then again, this is my 2nd game, compared to his 16+ years of experience. I'm just glad I remembered most of the rules.

I tried to keep my strategy simple so I could focus on the rules a bit more, and not get overwhelmed by his forces in the middle of the game, panic, and do something stupid. I was to use my HMG as a base of fire to pin his squads down, assault the north building and the west building with two squads to prevent his reinforcements from coming in to the target buildings and use my reserves to assault the said target buildings. My strategy went in the sewer (with one of my assault forces) in the middle of turn one.

Adrian positioned his machine guns in such a way to neutralize those two assault forces, which pretty much got cut to pieces due to bad leadership on my part. For example, I used the culvert to move to the north, but the machine gun positioned there just fired at anything coming out of the hole. Instead of clearing that machine gun nest, I kept moving troops out (I know, I know).

Adrian's dice roles were not helping either. In one instance, that machine gun rolled 2,2,3,9 (I believe), eliminating a 9-2 leader and a squad. He commented that I should be screaming at the dice.

Somewhere in turn 5, we stopped playing, although I considered doing so much earlier to try another scenario.

Lessons learned:
* Leaders and SWs should go together
* If at first you don't succeed, DONT try again
* Assaulting requires aggressiveness, decisiveness and boldness
* Stacking is bad
* Form fire groups as much as possible

Fortunately, Adrian is patient and passionate ASL player, enough to keep playing a newb like me. I look forward to our next match.

Nat

[CPL ScottH]

Hi-
Nice AAR, I always thought this one was tough on the Russians due to the Germans having lots of bodies to throw at the Russians. I'v played this one over a dozen times, so if played before, you pretty much know that the Russian ATG will be in building X, trench in hex Y.
Still a classic though.


Scott

[syfaulk]

While I haven't played it as many times as Scott, I agree that it's setup is a bit predictable. Nevertheless, it's a blast to play, as are most scenarios on the RB map.
Nice AAR. I'm gonna have to get one in here soon.

-Scott

[Paul Saunders]

Played this around 3 times now. First playing it looks as though the Germans have their work cut out, crossing the roads. The culvert is a no, no. Any attempt at leaving the culvert usually ends in disaster against a reasonable Russian player. Though throwing a feint up there is sometimes a good ploy to draw troops away.
A tactic I used in later playings was to conceal the German frontline troops and assault move into the shellholes, behind walls adjacent to the buildings. retaining concealment, and normally getting WA as the Russkies are normally tucked up inside the bulidings.
It pays to read the factory rules and note which buildings are classed as factories, you may see the odd attempt to place a nice mg and squad at level 1 in the factories with acommanding view of the German approaches... a common error.
The scenario is extermely well balanced and often will come down to the last CC.

Cheers

Paul
_________________
"Gentlemen, you are now on a two way firing range!"

[Fred Ingram]

I just played this against Dave McLee this last Tuesday night. As the Russians it looked awfully scary with that amount of Germans coming down the pike. Luckily the German 9-1 never went berzerk (and then did not bring the 3 squads with him into the victory buildings). Dave failed his personal morale check right after I spray fired my 2 MMG's into 2 adjacent hexes chocked full of germans (I rolled a 3). It was a full scale disaster. This is a great scenario and I feel that the Germans have to be real aggressive. They must put the Russians into the position of having to counterattack to get the buildings back. I think a single squad (or 2 deployed HS) shoulld go through the culvert to keep the Russian honest. But to attack through that avenue with t he bulk of the forces ignores the vistory conditions (the culvbert is way too far away from the prize buildings)

[Peterk1]

I'm playing this one right now and I'm finding it a scary attack from the German side.

Anyone else play it super-aggresively and actually place the 9-2 and the rest of that group in the shellholed road adjacent to one of the victory buildings?

People on another board have mentionned that you shouldn't stack anyone with the 9-2 to minimise the loss when he goes beserk...I thought about it a while and decided on the opposite approach - I'm going to try and make maximum use of that 9-2 before he goes on his charge and that means stacking him up with as many units as possible.

I tried the following - I'm playing by e-mail so I don't quite know how it's going to go. the 2 467s and the lmg fire with direction at the adjacent building 2nd level, hoping for something on the concealed russian. Didn't get lucky there.

But now in the movement phase...527 pops smoke and places DC at ground level in the same building. Got lucky with the smoke so I think my opponent will wait 'til the DfPh to shoot....and then he'll get the -2 from the leader. And even if some guys break, they have a nice rout path straight backwards.

It's aggressive but looks like a good way to play the opening (...scare the hell out of the Russian player) instead of sitting back and being careful.

[Oberst Balck]

Lessons learned:
* Leaders and SWs should go together

Yes, modifiers do matter esp in + 3 terrain.

* If at first you don't succeed, DONT try again

Not exactly, disengage- reform- plan better on the first experience.

* Assaulting requires aggressiveness, decisiveness and boldness

Indeed so .

* Stacking is bad

I don't think so. That is the way you form good fire groups.


* Form fire groups as much as possible

Yup esp in RB.

[admin]

[Peterk1]

You often aren't able to keep a line of many units in covering terrain with LOS to the target, in a city. In Guards Counterattack, you must stack. here I think you may have a point - the rubble and shellholes everywhere makes it much easier. Stacking heavily with the 9-2 leader might make sense to give as many units as possible the benefit of the -2.

[Brian W]

[Oberst Balck]

Well, we are talking here about the land of + 3 and +4 TEM . I am presuming the Russian has a decent number of squads and leaders- let say 40 squads and 8 leaders.

I had a RB III game a few years ago ( as the russian) where I put a 10-3 3 x 458's 1 HMG, 1 50 cal and a MMG in the first level of P 18 ( the building between all the factories). After 2 turns I ran out of targets to shoot at !!

If you read the articles in my web site at www.git.com.au/~maryferguson/index.html
there is a section on Red Barricades in one of the articles they talk about the " Buzz saw" I am simply suggesting that the same technique can be used back again once the Russian has enough units and SW.


The Russians main problem is that they have to protect thier rout paths AND reman thier SW since they cannot rout with MMG's and HMG's. The best way to do this in both circumstances is kill any Germans that stops it from happening. The best way to do this is with ROF ( ohh you cower on doubles without a leader) and FP and "-" modifiers- did I say " stacking is good."


Eric

[Matt Romey]

This is a cool scenario with one Achilles Heel: if the leader goes Berserk on the first turn, most likely he will Battle Harden instead because there will be no KEU in LOS.