ASLSK #1 Scenario 2-War of the Rats (a Pictorial Blow by Blow)

Recently, when putting an online order together, I needed just $15 more to qualify for free shipping. I decided to add ASKSK #1 to put me into the free shipping zone (nothing like spending $18 to save $9). I have always wanted to check it out, and one of my online gaming partners kept talking it up, so I decided to pick it up. Well, I can’t even really remember what other games were in that online order, because ASLSK has been absorbing all of my gaming attention since it graced my doorstep about two weeks ago.

Within an hour of opening the box, I was pushing some chits around on the map and shooting at stuff. While the rules are complex, the game is by no means complicated. With the help of the many excellent articles/tutorials written by Jay Richardson, in a couple of days I had already played through the first scenario twice (solo). So I decided to share my enthusiasm of the game with others, by writing a session report, replete with pictures of the game to accompany the blow by blow analysis. I have uploaded pictures to my gallery to aid in reading this session report. When you get to a picture, I invite you to open it in its own window, then you can read along as the action unfolds, while following the progress in the picture.

Unfortunately, it is a solo game, as I do not know of any gamers, let alone ASLers where I live (if anyone knows of any Grognards who happen to live on the Navajo Indian Reservation, please send me a geekmail). I am in the process of acquainting myself with VASSAL and playing a game or two online.

After playing scenario 1 twice, I was ready for some support weapons. Having recently watched the Stalingrad episode of “The World at War,” the War of the Rats scenario seemed like a good fit. Looking over the scenario card, the Soviets are in a defensive posture, as they win if they deny the Germans 3 specific hexes. For the Germans to win, they must capture the three hexes within 6 turns. The Soviets deploy first, but the Germans get the first turn. There is not much “no mans land,” as both sides can start at range 2.

For the Soviets to win, they have to hold on to just one of those hexes. Even if the other two fall to the Germans, they will still be victorious. Looking over the board, I decided that F8 would be the hex where they make their last stand. A defense was set across the whole front, with the idea being that the right flank, when broken, could retreat westward. To protect the left flank, I set up a mini-kill stack with 2 first line squads, the MMG, an LMG, and the 8-1 leader in hex E8. Their job would be to protect the left flank, retreating to F8 if necessary.

In order to facilitate the dual thinking that is necessary when playing solo. I let it sit for a night, and came back to it the next day to set up the Germans. Knowing that they had to capture all three hexes, I decided that deploying them evenly across the front was not the way to go. Instead I chose a “flank denied” deployment. The Germans all set up opposite the left flank of the Soviets. The German plan was to crush this left flank, then sweep across behind the lines, capturing the victory hexes, and improving the chances of eliminating enemy units for failure to retreat. To this end, I set up a German kill stack in C7, with three elite units, the MMG, 2 LMGs, the FT, and the 9-2 leader. The leader was toting the FT. I was planning on prep-firing with this stack, in the hopes of knocking out the Soviet kill stack. I wanted to have the leader’s -2 modifier, and have the blast from the FT too, but a quick refresher of the rules told me this couldn’t happen. FTs can’t be part of a firegroup, and if units in the same hex are going to attack the same unit, they must do so as a firegroup, they cannot make separate attacks. So the FT would have to wait.

Here is how the initial deployment looked:


GE Turn 1:
I figured the Germans would spend this turn, and likely the next, just using prep fire to soften up the Soviet defenses. If they make an opening, they could advance and exploit it. The German kill stack in C7 managed to break every unit in E8. F5 and G5 teamed up to break the Soviet unit in F7. The units in H4 and I4 did not perform as well, leaving the rest of the Soviet Units unscathed.

As they had all fired, none of the Germans moved during the movement phase. During the defensive fire phase, the only thing the Soviets managed to do was break a machine gun. During the rout phase, the broken units from E8 and F7 fell back to F8, abandoning the MMG in the process. The kill stack in C7 advanced to D7. This left them in the open, but they needed to cover some ground, and the Soviets could only muster 4 FP against them.

SU Turn 1:
The Soviets tried in vain to fix their broken LMG. The broken units failed to rally. The units on the right flank and in the middle decided to enter the building that housed hex L6. One of the units got caught in the orchard at K6 and was broken by German fire. The two non-broken units on the left flank skulked out of LOS, only to return during the advance phase. The routing unit sought the solace of a leader in L5. The Germans still had a lot a ground to cover if they were going to defeat the Soviets.

Here is the state of affairs going into turn 2:


GE Turn 2:
The rally phase was very productive for the Soviets. They managed to repair the LMG, and rally all but the conscripted units. The kill stack, not wanting to get blasted by the recently recovered units lurking in F8, opted to prep fire and wait to advance. They easily broke the lone unit in F7. The units in F5 and G5 teamed up to prep fire at the unit with the machine gun in G7, but with 16 FP/+3 DRM, they didn’t even force a panic check.

The remaining German units, having already made up their mind that they were moving out during the movement phase, were going to be subjected to some fire. The Germans actually succeeded in deploying smoke to cover their advance, needing a roll of a 1 to do so. After going through the trouble, it seems it was a waste of smoke, as the Soviet unit with the LMG did not have LOS, even without the smoke. The Germans managed to cross the street on the Soviet right flank. On the left, they advanced into the street, splitting up and leaving the leaders behind, in cover. The kill stack moved into E8.

SU Turn 2:
The ad hoc shock group did not show up…yet. For the first time, the Germans realized the full impact of the reinforcements: they would have to protect all of the victory hexes with more than token forces, lest the reinforcements come in on the last turn and snatch one away.

The conscript unit in L5 rallied after Sgt. Evich gave them a stern talking to. Sgt. Zygin in F8 must not have been as eloquent, as the broken conscripts in his hex failed to rally.

The units in F8 did manage to weaken the kill stack by breaking one unit with an LMG. The last Soviet unit covering the street feebly shot at a unit. The units in L5 fell back to M6. They would wait there a bit then advance to L6 in the advance phase. All the German units in the street shot at the holdout in G7, but to no effect. The kill stack unloaded on F8 at point blank range, amassing a whopping 36FP/+1 attack. Sgt. Zygin and one whole squad were eliminated, the broken conscripts became a half-squad, and the remaining squad was broken. The conscripts somehow managed to pass their leader loss morale check, while the first line unit failed, reducing it to a half-squad. The MMG rolled for ROF, so it got to shoot again, eliminating the conscripts and keeping ROF. The third shot was not effective.

At this point I realized that I had made an error last turn during the rout phase. The broken conscript units in F7 and F8 had been adjacent to enemy units, so they should have been placed under DM and routed. I decided to go forward, despite this error, as one of the squads had already been eliminated, and the other was about to be. The conscripts in F7 low crawled into G8 and remained there, postponing the inevitable. The sole remaining unit in F8 retreated to G9. The units in M7 advanced to L7. The left flank was all but annihilated.

Here is the situation at the beginning of turn 3:


GE Turn 3:
The broken elite unit with the kill stack rallied despite being under DM, with the benefit of the -2 leader and the building -1 DRM. With the Soviet left flank collapsing, it was time for the Germans to make their move. The broken Soviet units would keep the kill stack from going too far in the movement phase, and there was a minor Soviet threat in G7 that could use neutralization.

The Germans in J5 and K5 tried to soften up the Soviets in L6, and succeeded in breaking the leader and both conscript squads, while pinning the remaining first line unit. The kill stack moved into F8, taking control of a victory hex. They drew some fire from the lone Soviet unit on that flank, but with only 6 FP/+3, it didn’t do anything. The lone German unit in the road used double time to hustle up the road to N4, putting him in position to take O6 next turn. The other German units in the road could not move, as they had prep fired at the unit/LMG in G7.

During the defensive fire phase, the elite unit with the LMG standing in the street was broken by the holdout Soviet with the LMG. Finally, Major Pigott was going to get a chance to use his FT, targeting the broken half-squad in G9. The FT, ignoring the cover of the building (and the Majors -2 DRM as well), incinerated the half-squad. All that was left was an LMG. The remainder of the kill stack finished off the broken conscript squad in G8.

During the rout phase, the broken German elites retreated to F5, while the broken Soviets ran to M7. The first line German unit in the street advanced into the building with the holdout Soviet, initiating close combat. On the Soviet right flank, the CX’d unit advanced into O5, while the Germans in the center moved closer to L6. The advancing Germans ambushed the lone Soviet with the LMG, but couldn’t capitalize on the initiative and were eliminated by the Soviets.

SU Turn 3:
No reinforcements yet. Sgt. Evich failed his rally. One of the broken conscripts attempted to self rally but failed (needing a DRM of 2 to succeed). Prep fire was declined, as all units were going to move.

Cpl. Bessorov moved with two units to O8, but did not draw any fire from the CX’d German unit in O5, as that unit was waiting for defensive fire to take a shot at the first line unit that moved into M7 with the broken stack (to put them back under DM, but they should’ve checked their math because it was impossible because they were CX. 4FP/+4). The hold out on the left flank moved out into the street, to put the broken German unit in F5 back under DM.

None of the other Germans had any shots in the defensive fire phase. The Soviet advancing fire phase was equally unexciting, with 2 low FP attacks against targets in buildings. The broken German unit routed to F4. The holdout with the LMG advanced to F5 behind them. Cpl. Bessorov and his two units advanced to O7, with the hopes of protecting O6 until reinforcements could arrive.

Here’s how things looked going into Turn 4:


German Turn 4:
Sgt. Evich rallied, but he was unable to restore the two conscript squads to order. The broken German unit also failed to rally, and since it was adjacent to a known enemy unit, it kept it’s DM counter. The German CX’d unit in O5 was the only one capable of prep fire, but it declined this opportunity.

The bloodbath in the building at L6 was about to begin. One at a time, the units in L5 were going to move into L6. The idea being that the Soviets in M7 would break from final protective fire, then Capt. Weiss could sneak around and plant the DC. The first unit entered L6 and was pinned, but the Soviets had a final fire marker on them, having used both defensive first fire and subsequent first fire. There was also a 4 FP residual fire marker there. The next unti advanced, shrugging off the residual fire. The final protective fire was too much for the remaining good ordered Soviet unit, as they broke. Sgt. Evich however, was pinned (the roll was an 8). The remaining unit and leader stayed put in L5, not wanting to risk the residual fire.

Capt. Weiss and his stack had enough movement to move into L7 and set the DC. [At this point a question came up. My 9-1 leader was carrying the DC, but I also had an 8-0 leader there. The 9-1 leader placed the DC, but I wanted him to be able to direct the shooting that was going to occur in the upcoming advancing fire phase. The only rule related to this that I could find reads “A squad attacking with a DC may use its own FP in the AFPh.” This would seem to imply that a leader could direct shooting in the AFPh after placing a DC, but with out consulting the ASL full rules, I’m unsure. Had I looked forward a bit, I realize I could’ve transferred the DC to the 8-0 leader during the RPh. For my game it is a moot point, as the DC alone is likely to finish off the broken units. If not, the -1 DRM is probably not going to alter the course of the game].

I thought about splitting the kill stack, but decided to keep them together to discourage reinforcements from entering on the left flank.

Time to set off the DC. 30FP/+3, die roll of 10 (unmodified) = NMC. Sgt. Evich passed, but the three broken squads didn’t, forcing them to be reduced. The remaining adjacent squads fired, but to no effect (even with the -1 DRM).

Now the rout phase. Since the broken stack knew about the enemy unit in O5, it looks as though they had to flee to O8, across the open road. With morale levels of 4 and 6, they were unlikely to make it there alive. Time for the low crawl again. All of the units crawled into N7, accompanied by the leader (I’m assuming he can low crawl if accompanying a fleeing broken unit when he is not broken). The broken German retreated to F3. The Germans advanced to M6 and M7 (except for the pinned unit), consolidating their position. The kill stack advanced to G9, to obtain a better field of fire, in case Soviet reinforcements appeared.

SU Turn 4:
Still no reinforcements. Things are pretty bleak at this point. No one rallied (the conscripts needed to roll a zero). The Soviets are still under DM since they are adjacent to a known enemy unit. No prep fire. The stack in O7 skulks to P7, but the unit in O5 has LOS. A 4FP/+2 attack, followed by a 2FP/+2 attack did nothing.

The holdout on the left flank took this opportunity to creep back to the abandoned MMG in E8. They would wait until the next RPh to attempt to pick it up, as they did not want to become CX’d. The stack in P7 shot at the squad in O5 during AFPh, pinning them. Sgt. Evich and company routed to O8. Cpl. Bessorov and his stack in P7 advanced into P6.

Here’s how bad things looked for the Soviets going into Turn 5:


German Turn 5:
The German elite unit in F3 rallied. Unsurprisingly, none of Sgt. Evich’s men rallied, but they were no longer under DM. The holdout Soviet unit was unable to figure out how the MMG worked. The only target for prep fire was a stack of half squads that were unlikely to ever rally, so the Germans skipped firing, and went to movement (to put those half squads under DM yet again).

On the left flank, something had to be done about the holdout. If left unchecked he could retake control of the victory hex on the last turn, and would likely figure out how to use that MMG next turn. Now was the time to strike. The FT still had some fuel. The plan was to send one squad at a time into F8 and force him into final protective fire. A quick review of the SSR showed that the elite units had their smoke exponent increased by two. That would prevent assault movement, but if successful, would still be a net +1 DRM for the first moving squad. The squad with the MMG would go first.

The smoke was successfully deployed. In they went. 12 FP/+4. They passed their morale check at +1, and the LMG retained ROF. [At this point I got a little confused and had to go check the Jay Richardson article on ROF. The unit had a first fire marker, but the LMG kept ROF. What to do. After the refresher, I decided to mark the LMG with a first fire counter as well. This allowed 6 residual FP to be placed in the hex as opposed to 4 FP. Granted, by doing so the Germans lost at least one additional 4 FP attack, but with the odds against the LMG maintaining ROF again, I decided the additional 2 residual FP would be better in the long run].

The holdout went ahead and did final fire, but there was no effect. Now the next unit, an elite squad with an LMG, advanced. They would have the benefit of assault movement, smoke, and the building to modify the residual 6 FP attack. It had no effect. Next was final protective fire. No effect. Final protective fire again. No effect again. Now for the last unit. No consequences for the Germans, but the holdout finally broke.

Maj. Pigott, not eager to step into the residual FP with a FT, instead moved to E9. Not only was this safer, but it would allow both the squads and the FT to fire, should it prove to be necessary. On the right flank, the Germans boldly stepped into the road at N6 and N7. The newly recovered elite with the LMG in F3 moved into E5, with the hopes of interdicting the broken holdout.

During defensive fire, Cpl. Bessorov and his men shat at the unit in O5, but there was no effect. The FT was discharged onto the holdout, reducing the squad. The attack from the elite squads then eliminated it. Advancing fire from the Germans in the street eliminated the two conscript units in O8. Sgt. Evich and the remaining first line half squad routed to P8. Maj. Pigott advanced to F8 to join the kill stack. The unit in E5 advanced to F5. The units in O5 and N6 converged on O6. Capt. Weiss and Co. advanced into O7.

[At this point I rechecked the victory conditions and had a question about what exactly constitutes a “building.” The victory conditions state “the Germans win at game end if they control buildings F8, L6, and O6.” But each of those hexes is part of a multi-hex building depicted on the map. So do they need to just control those three specific hexes, or do they need control of the entire building to which those hexes are a part of?]

Soviet Turn 5:
At last! Reinforcements have arrived. Now where to deploy them? I had considered bringing them on in the advance phase (only because I read about it and it seemed like a neat trick), but their movement would be needed this turn. The weakest link seemed to be to try and retake L6. It was the least defended of the victory hexes, and they could enter near it without being shot, as the Germans did not have LOS to this area (they vacated their fire position to kill the holdout).

The half squad with Sgt. Evich failed to rally, but was no longer under DM. Cpl. Bessorov and Co. blasted the units in O6, but failed to do a darn thing. Capt. Gorelov and his men came on at K10. Their plan was to move as a stack to L7. Perhaps they should have moved individually, but they would have had to CX to do so.

Upon entering L7, they came under fire from the squad in L6, and the kill stack had LOS too. During the first fire from the squad in L6 (8 FP/+2), Capt. Gorelov failed his NMC. The Horror! One of the other squads broke too, and the other 2 were pinned (making the leader breaks morale check moot). Luckily, the kill stack failed to make the situation worse. [Lesson, don’t move hastily, don’t move stacks, and know those LOSs. I can see how the game rewards experience playing but not allowing you to measure LOS except at the time of the shot. An experienced playe might well have known that the kill stack would have LOS. I know I will next time!].

Things were looking bad for Cpl. Bessorov too. He was staring down a 40 FP/+2 attack! He ran out of places to skulk to. Everybody broke. The pinned Soviets in L7 didn’t do much in the advancing fire phase, as their firepower was halved twice. Capt. Gorelov and the broken squad routed to L8. The units in P6 were eliminated for failure to rout.

Here’s how things were going into the final turn:


German Turn 6:
No one rallied. The kill stack prep fired on L7, breaking one squad, and pinning the other. The squad in L6 fired too, but there was no effect. The squad in F5 moved into H6, for a vantage point.

On the right flank, the Germans wanted to reinforce their hold on the center victory hex, while also moving squads next to the broken units, to force them to rout. The only resistance would come from the pinned Soviet squad in L7. Sgt. Harpe and 2 squads moved to L6, leaving one squad behind to guard the victory hex at O6. The pinned Soviet unit forced an NMC, but everybody passed. One of the squads in O7 moved into O8 with Sgt. Krause. Capt. Weiss and the other squad moved into M8.

During the advancing fire phase, the last unbroken Soviet squad was broken. The stack in L7 had nowhere to go. The Germans had them “triangulated,” and they could not move, without becoming closer to a known enemy unit, or moving adjacent to one, so the two squads were eliminated. Capt. Gorelov and the broken squad routed to K9. The broken squad with Sgt. Evich would need to rout to O10, but in doing so would be subject to interdiction. So they did the low crawl to P9.

During the advance phase, the kill stack moved to G9, Capt. Weiss and his squad moved to L7, and Sgt. Krause and his squad moved to P8.

Soviet final turn:
Okay…realistically the Soviets have no way to win. If I was playing another opponent, I’d likely concede at this point (if I hadn’t already). But I learning so let’s play it out. Who knows, maybe Capt. Gorelov and his squad will rally, then run across open ground unscathed, and finally clutch victory by winning a close combat against overwhelming odds. That’s the great thing about this game: it could happen (but it probably won’t).

Capt. Gorelov managed to rally, but his squad didn’t, so that’s game. Victory to the Germans (for now, but February of 1943 is only 5 months away…).

Here’s the end results:


Post Skirmish Analysis:
I think that the tactics involved for the Germans in this scenario are easier for a new player to grasp. I’m not saying that the scenario is not balanced; I just think it is more difficult for a new player to grasp what the Soviets need to do in order to win. You clearly cannot depend on the reinforcements arriving, as there is a chance, albeit a small one, that they will never show up.

Things could’ve been different if Capt. Gorelov had passed his NMC (he only needed a 9 or less). But I realize if my whole strategy relies on needing to roll a 9 or less at one specific point in the game, I probably need to come up with a better strategy.

So, where do I go from here? I have the full ASL rule book sitting on my desk on top of Beyond Valor. I have a rather strong suspicion that I will be receiving Yanks for my birthday. I am hooked. ASL is a deep game that is still capable of creating a wonderful and memorable narrative. To any non-ASL players who are still with me at this point: check it out. It is not as complicated as some would make it out to be. Thanks to Scott for getting me into this wonderful game; thanks to Jay for making it easy to learn, and thanks to MMP for keeping it alive for my to enjoy.