I usually do these things on Consim but I thought I would give the BGG crowd a replay and see if my game generates some interest.

This is a replay of scenario 2 of the Groesbeek scenario set. It is the day long attack by the Germans on the 82nd Airborne positions on the second day of Market Garden, September 18th, 1944. Although the British Paras get most of the press, the 82nd probably had it tougher in the first few days. Up north, in the Arnhem area, Frost's battalion holds the bridge and the first of two major relief efforts are just starting. The British would fail to reach their comrades on the 18th and would try again tomorrow morning (tomorrow would have disastrous results for the British).

The XXX corps is stalled in their advance at a town called Valkenswaard - some 40 miles away to the south. They had advanced only a few miles on the first day. They would arrive in here, on this map, around 11am, tomorrow, 9/19. They were already significantly behind schedule. the 82nd would have to fight alone today.

Here, in this sector that we will have our battle, and to give a little background, the 82nd landed with 3 regiments on the 17th - the 504, 505 and the 508 PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment). The 504 landed off this map area in the Grave area. They would march on Nijmegen and not be a part of this battle. The 508 landed and sent 2 battalions off to Nijmegen as well - leaving the 3rd Battalion in reserve in the Beek area - and one company of the 2nd battalion to guard the Drop Zones. The 1st battalion of the 508 would be rushed back to this area and were to play a vital role in the real thing. The 505 were to cover the rear and were spread out over a 6 mile front covering the middle and southern approaches to the vital bridges. They had several platoons guarding the southern approaches and hoped they would provide enough warning of an attack to allow the US to concentrate against the Germans.

This scenario highlights how to use command effectly and proper artillery/mortar tactics. The Germans are far more numerous but the Americans are much better commanded. They also have an artillery battery that should play a pivotal role in the game.

The Germans are a patchwork of troops that were in the area. A few good units of collected paratroopers all the way down to ear and stomach battalions and garrison troops. Overall, the Germans are a pretty shabby bunch here. They would try this same attack again in two days with both more and better troops and cause far more damage. The Germans have a little bit of armor here as well in the north that might cause some trouble.

The objectives for the Germans are to advance on the US position and to hopefully gain a position along the Waal-Maas canal and isolate the 82nd position. They also suspect a reinforcing air drop will be coming this afternoon and hope to interdict that. The US needs to stop this. In the real thing, they just barely did so. Clearing the DZ just as the planes were arriving and although losses were fairly light, the drop was a Hot DZ.

The scenario is 5 turns long (7am to 3pm, 9/18) and should take about 2 hours to play for experienced players. The play area is on the Groesbeek map.

The gamers giving this a go are Steve Hanzelman (playing the US) and Nick Richardson (playing the Germans). I will provide some neutral comments. I am not looking ahead to see what happens before I comment.

Also, to note, I am using a map that has not been updated for spelling and terrain - there are several town misspellings and some landmarks are not labeled here. Lastly, a few of the counters used are makeshift (rearguards and roadblocks come immediately to mind) - but this is very close to the final look of the game.

I can't fit the entire VASSAL map on my screen so here is an overall modern view of the area that will be involved from MapQuest. The battle here was in three main areas - Beek to the north (Beek is northeast of Berg En Dal on the modern map), Groesbeek in the center and Mook in the south. I have marked the areas on the modern map that I will be covering in detail on the TDC maps. Nijmegen is just off this map to the northwest...you can see the city limits in the upper left corner.

Here is the area of ops for this game:


This is roughly how the Germans come into play. KG Becker is the best of the lot but must attack over bad terrain and through a bottleneck in the dikes, polder and small rivers. They also face the strongest concentration of US troops.

KG Greschick and KG Goebel are as bad a group of troops as you will find but, as Stalin said, quantity has its own quality. Greschick outnumbers the US 1200 or so to 120...and Goebel outnumbers the US 1100 to 100.

The game organizes forces into roughly regimental groups. The KGs (Kampfgruppes) for the Germans are roughly regimental in size.

I will get into how the game plays as we go along. Some opening comments by the players are up first.

From our German side of the fence, Nick Richardson gives some idea of what he will be trying to do in this game.

Nick's opening comments:

Das Plan:

KG Becker will attempt to capture Beek as soon as possible. Using the roads to get the armor up to the gap in the raised road structure, and bringing the infantry along to clean out those road blocks the swine through in there. The plan is to poke and infantry unit in to remove the road block, have the fast moving units push through and use the road system to get to objectives in the west. The infantry units will be used to tie up those swine units of the 508 and prevent them from getting in the way of the armor. If the armor breaks through, should be able to get to his arty unit without too much trouble. Of course, this requires Becker's chit to be drawn on the first turn (which failed to happen...radio malfunction I guess).

KG Greschick is starting off a little slower, hoping that the action to the north with draw his attention away from Groesbeek. The plan is to try and push into Groesbeek and dig in with these weaker infantry units, holding the area for the day.

KG Goebel will split his forces in three, one heading to Riethorst to capture the hill, and an other is going to bypass Katerbosch, moving to the SW of that village and then heading North to Mook. A detachment will head North to Groesbeek to help out Greschick, or if that is going well, to push West into Groesbeck Heights.

The artillery is going into Artilery Park A, to cause trouble in Groesbeek and Beek, laying down some barrage to minimize movement and firezones.

Command Points are being reserved for turns 3 and 4, where they'll be spent to guarantee second actions.

(I will be explaining many of these rules that Nick is referring to as we play along - so while you might feel a bit lost for now, bare with me. Little bits at a time will keep you more interested - and maybe a little less overwhelmed...)

From the US player...

Steve's opening comments:

I have my heaviest concentration of troops, plus the newly added AA gun close to the raised road, located near Berg En Dal. This is where the bulk of the initial German troops will be arriving shortly from the east. I expect that I can hold two or three turns if I'm lucky.

There is another 508 company located east of Groesbeek with the engineers located in town at the observation post. Hopefully, the engineers can throw up a roadblock or build a defensive position that I know I will need in coming turns.

To the southeast of Groesbeek are three companies of the 505th in improved positions. I have a feeling that they will be falling back in order to defend the two LZ's adjacent to the town. The Jerries can pick up some nice propaganda points by having firing positions on the LZ's on the landing turn.

Mook, well...Mook is Mook. We'll see how that comes into play. Right now it is defended with nothing more than a few detachments. A company, leader and some mortars are on the way in the initial stages.

Fritz will come hard and fast from the east and northeast. We'll see if the roadblocks prevent him from crossing the river with that armor.

My neutral comments:

The Germans have to be careful here as they are vulnerable to rout at any time (rout can occur when a German KG takes losses - the entire KG will grab it's ball and go home to fight another day). So the Germans, while they have to advance, need to keep loses down. I generally hit the US where they are the weakest and be ready with the other forces should the US reinforce the weaker areas that I am picking on. KG Becker is the scariest but also has the most US in front of them and poor terrain. KG Goebel and Greschick are ready to move. I would move with them as fast as I can - the numerical odds will never be better.

As the US, as Steve mentions, seeing the area where KG Becker will be attacking is key. There is a place called Devil's Hill nearby that offers an observation post. A major key to seeing the area - and calling in arty fire. We will see how soon Steve sees that and moves to place US troops there to provide observation over KG Becker's attack area.

TDC maps and comments specific to the areas of attack are coming soon (as soon as Nick sends me his comments that is)...

OK, the stage is set...now off to TDC itself. Some opening comments on the most northern area - the area around Beek...



Steve's comments (US Player):

Beek
Who is kidding who here? The Jerries are coming harder and faster than a Slayer song. Nick is going to try to ram the armor through near Beek where the raised road has a gap at the village.

I have placed a roadblock there and one farther to the northwest to try to delay the inevitable as long as possible. The artillery is placed in a supporting role to the west. I'll be anxious to see if the AA battery does me any good there.

One disadvantage of the position at Beek is the raised road. It prevents the Germans from storming right in, but it blocks LOS for the mortars and AA battery as well as for spotting for the artillery further to the rear.

Nick's comments (German Player):

The most important hex for the attack on Beek is the non-raised road hex. The raised road is a major barrier preventing the entry of any non-leg units into Beek, and KG Becker has 4 armored Units that need to break through. With the road block there, it has to be removed by an infantry Unit if I'm going to get access to the raised road that runs East and West from it. The plan is to bring the armored and leg units up to just north of the entry hex (using the raised road to block LOS on any opportunity fire from the american anti-tank gun), and then send in an infantry unit to try and clear out the roadblock. Once this is gone, bring in more infantry and as a second action have them assault the AT gun. If this pushes the AT gun back, bring in the armor units, have them get in column and use the road system to quickly push West. One of the infantry Units will move NW to take the roadblock out there, opening up the entire road system. The mortar Unit will remain in Beek with a few infantry units and dig in, holding off any counter attacks, while the armor runs around causing chaos with thier high mobility.

Neutral Comments:

A very dangerous place for the US. Almost all of the German armored vehicles are here (not many for sure - but the US has none) and if they bust through, the US has nothing with wheels that can catch them. They can roam in the rear at will and grab key bridges and approach routes for the XXX Corps. Steve is understandable nervous here and uses all of his roadblocks to try and funnel the German approach routes.

The infantry and an AT battery stand watch on the key hex with a break in the raised road along the dike. Under Col. Lindquist are the regimental mortars. An important asset.

The Germans can either charge in with guns blazing with their tanks and ACs or try and force the position with infantry. Touch choices.

Map has stars that are points towards winning. They go in increasing value of green to yellow to red. The Germans want to capture those places.

Next up is the center. This is the area of the town of Groesbeek and the US Drop Zones.



Comments from Steve (US Player):

Groesbeek
There are some propaganda points to be had in and around Groesbeek. There are three location hexes in the town itself, plus one slightly to the west. In addition, there are two LZ's nearby that need to be clear of Germans on the drop turn. To defend the town itself, the Americans have one company of airborne and a unit of engineers.

There are two observation posts in town that will hopefully help direct some artillery fire in upcoming turns. Contact with the battery can be a crap shoot, but owning one might prove worthwhile.

There are three airborne companies south/southeast of the town. They have to guard against elements coming from the east and south of the town. The German units to the south are not the highest quality and probably will just hang around to delay my units from being more useful elsewhere. Time will tell on that matter.

Comments from Nick (German Player):

Groesbeek is more difficult, compared to Beek due KG Greshchick troops are much lower in quality and are more fragile than Becker, far too weak to assault. We do have the two HE guns that have a decent range, and the arty will be available by the second turn. Ideally Advance from the East with the force split in two, probing and looking for soft spots or holes in the road system they can take advantage of. Deploy the guns as soon as they are within 3 hexes of any targets, and try to suppress those targets in order to move around them using the road system to gain the objectives. Arty units will try the same A detachment from KG Goebel will be able to assist, though if not needed, its off to the heights for them. If possible, a gun will be placed in the Observation Post by the south mill, which should be able to pin down any reinforcements who try and retake Groesbeek.

Neutral Comments:

For some reason, my personal games of this scenario seem to always hinge on last turn combats in the town here. Maybe it is that both sides are looking at the flanks more and this battle is when the other two fronts have petered out - but for whatever reason, this area seems to win or lose the game. Command is scarce for the Germans and KG Greschick tends to move only on the tightest budget. Tight until late in the game when all seems to depend on this area's result. As a German, I tend to move cautiously and setup fire zones with the longer range weapons as the Germans. Also, a few company dash into the town itself often happens. As the US, usually, just as much as is needed heads here in the morning.

But Nick and Steve are new eyes. We'll see how they play it out.

Hi Adam,

Excellent AAR! Keep them coming, please I'm still undecided, but being the game such a piece of art, I've been reading the 1st replay posted at the game's website. I have one question, though, due to the size (and time commitment on the players part) of the game: Is it really playable via PBeM?

Recently I've been playing some PBeM ASL, and while at first I thought it would be madness, it can be done.

Thanks in advance for your time,

miguel.

Miguel,
I think that it can be played via PBeM. When doing some of the initial playtesting, I was swapping logs with an opponent in Australia. We were, literally, on opposite sides of the world so a live game was impossible.

I'm not going to lie and say that it is a flawless, but with the chit pull system it seemed to work well for us. Obviously, opp fire and moving to the next turn (where there are chit purchases, etc.) throw a wrench in the works.

Steve Hanzelman

Yeah - not so good straight PBeM...highly interactive...

But there is good with the bad - for the same reason TDC isn't so good PBeM, it is very good solo. Usually the case that you get one or the other...

And as soon as I get the Mook comments from Steve and Nick, it is back to the replay.

Adam

Here is the most southern area on the map - the area around Mook...



Nick's comments (Germans):

The obvious plan is to use the two groups of Units to capture Katerbosch and Riethorst. I want to quickly move in on those two areas, capturing the areas, and getting rid of the rearguard units (who should vaporize under an assault unless a 0 is rolled on the opp. fire -- this would also give double propaganda points).

All being well, these two forces can converge on Mook to capture that town, pushing further north to capture richer targets.

Steve's comments (US):

Mook is kind of the backdoor to the whole operation.

At the beginning of the scenario, it is guarded by nothing more than a few detachments that might slow the Germans down for a very short piece of time.

Beginning on the first two turns, it will be reinforced by two paratroop companies, the regimental mortars and the regimental commander. Two other companies of the 505th are dug-in to the southeast, but will serve better defending Groesbeek than Mook.

The German units heading towards Mook are not the highest caliber guys, so I'm not really feeling threatened from this sector. However, to leave it open will give the Germans access to the road network that will let them roll freely around behind the lines.

Neutral comments:

Mook can be decisive but both players see this and this theater usually gets a lot of early attention. As the Beek area holds the most action, focus is there for the first few hours and shifts down here if the Germans are stalled at Beck.

It is essential for the German battalion that comes in from the Reichswald tie up the 3rd Battalion of the 505 as long as possible. The is the swing unit for the US and the sooner it gets into a major action, the poorer the German changes will become.

Only weak US platoons are on the front to start with...the Germans should use up some commands here to advance as far as possible.

Now on to the first turn - but first, a brief explanation of the activation mechanics.

This is a chit draw game and players will be drawing chits out of a cup to determine when units do anything - and what they can do. There are three types of chits in the game - Divisional Activations (DivActs - activates an entire division), Formation Activations (activates a regiment) and the Direct Command Chit (sort of a wild card that can activate anyone in command).

Here is what they look like (they are also big - 1" square)...



Each has some special attributes.

The DivAct activates every unit in the division. There are 8 divisions (some are called corps in name but they are all divisions for game purposes) in total in Devil's Cauldron (Guards Armored, 43rd Division, 1st British Airborne, 82nd US Airborne, Korps Feldt, Hohenstaufen - aka 9ss Division, Frundsberg - aka 10ss division, and Korps von Tettau). In this scenario, we have only two divisions - 82nd Airborne and Korps Feldt.

When the DivAct chit is pulled, all the units of a division may perform an action (an action is doing anything - move, fire, build, mount up, etc. - but an action is only doing one of these things. You can't move and fire in one action - that would be two actions). This chit is always in the cup - you don't have to "buy" it. However, you are limited in only doing things that will not put troops in danger (to do that, you need the personal command touch of the other chits). So, for example, you can't enter a firezone or fire weapons at the enemy (the enemy tends to dislike those sorts of things and likes to fire back at you).

The Formation activation lets you perform one action with all the units of a formation - but this time, without restriction. You can tell which units are in a formation by their colored band. So all the units of the 505th regiment would activate when the 505th formation chit is pulled (but no one else activates). This chit you have to buy from some thing called Dispatch Points - that is coming up soon.

The Direct Command chit lets you activate anyone at all on your side (German or Allied) that is in command (needs to be within a certain number of hexes from the formation leader usually). But each action costs a command point - and you only have a few of those. This chit is also always in the cup.

One last twist, after a unit has finished his activation from a DivAct or a Formation Chit, he can immediately do any other action (just not the one he just did - so if you move, you can't move again - but almost anything else is fair game). The only hitch is that this second action costs a command point (they have lots of uses that I will mention next - and there are never enough of them).

After the chit has been pulled, and the player does all he wants to do with it, it is placed to the side and the next chit is drawn from the cup.

There is one cup for all the chits. You might get several activations in a row for one side before the other side gets to go.

Now - a brief note on the cup mechanics...nothing hard here but something a little different...

The cup will always have a divact for all the divisions in play and the two Direct Commands for each side (German and Allied). It will also have any purchased formation activation chits. You buy these by paying 2 dispatch points if you want them this turn or 1 if you want it for the next turn. You only have one formation chit to buy.

Some divisions also get the Blue Plate special - here the 82nd. If they buy two activation chits, they get the artillery chit and the independent chits in the cup for free.

One twist here, the last chit in the cup isn't played but rather is always the first chit for the next turn. So you always know what the first chit in play will be.

One other thing, I will move to these next but when the DivAct chit is drawn, you get to add more commands to your pool (these are nice)...but if it is the last chit in the cup, you have to wait till next turn to add more command points to your pool (this is a bad thing). This is to how things like Urquhart getting caught behind the lines or general and unpredicatable snafus happen in TDC.

Here is the VASSAL screenshot of the chit cup screen and the first chit in play in this scenario (the Korps Feldt DivAct). The chit cup has all the chits that can be drawn this turn - the lower left has all the chits that can be purchased but are not currently in the cup. In the middle left, where it says "purchased" - this box is for chits that have been purchased for the next turn (at a discount) - they will be added to the chit at the start of the next turn.

Thanks for the answers, and sorry for me kinda hijacking the thread, but I wanted both of you to know I'm preorder #815

I understand that the game is not as PBeM playable as Paths of Glory or Twilight Struggle can be, but if all that it takes are some logs either way more, it's quite enough for me.

Keep up the good work. I hope to be at Consimworld next time we'll talk; I was wondering if there's still time to do some playtesting...

Thanks again,

miguel.

There is certainly still time to playtest...send me an email here and I will get you in touch with Nick.

Back to the replay...

We covered the activation, now on to command points and dispatch points...after this, we can get back to the action.

Command Points are abstract representations of the personal attention of the command staff. A leader telling this unit to go and attack here - or to defend at all costs there...in general, to make people that don't want to get hurt to go into harm's way. These are jewels to be cherished. A division that runs out of Command Points, will see his forces start to stall and slow up - even worse, the division becomes very brittle and can start surrendering on you.

How do they work? Command Points do two basic things. They allow a unit to perform a second, different action (either after a DivAct or a Formation Chit activation), or to do one action with anyone in command when the Direct Command Chit is in play. They also allow you to guarantee passing a Troop Quality check. So you can do more actions (albeit with one unit) or you can forgo the risk of a single unit failing at a key moment. Running your opponent out of these precious things is a key strategy.

Dispatch Points are something else. These represent the ability of a division to plan things. Getting artillery and infantry and tanks to all work together to achieve a goal. These allow you to put an entire formation into the cup and get somewhere between 10-25 actions at one time (that would cost you 10-25 Command Points to do). The only problem here is that you don't know when they will get to do all these things because of the unknown of the chit draw order.

Formations that depend on planning will use this method more (like the British Army and the lesser German formations). Command Points are more oft used by the SS troops and the Paras. Each can work fine - just different ways to use your force the most effectively.

These points are "restocked" when the DivAct chit is picked and each division has a command point and a dispatch point rating. For dispatch points, you can gain a point if you roll your dispatch rating or less. There are built in modifiers for accumulating them and not using them (more time to plan), there are snafus that can happen, and there is modifier for being ready at first light (attacks often happened at daybreak in Market Garden).

Gaining Command Points is a little different. You always get your Command Point rating (ranging from 8 to 2) - plus you get 1/2 a 10 sided die roll's worth as well.

You can only store a maximum of 19 points of either type in your pool.

If the DivAct for a division is the last chit in the cup, you don't get any points for that turn. Lots of praying for that DivAct to be drawn can occur in key moments.

Here is an example of a player chart. In this case, the 82nd Airborne. You track your command point/dispatch point pool here as well as other general divisional information (supply issues, etc). It also has special rules that apply to that division and a master reinforcement list (Drop Order for Paras).

There is one of these for each of the 8 players.

Back to the replay and the first activation of the scenario. The first chit (by scenario rules) is the Korps Feldt DivAct. This lets all the units in Korps Feldt (meaning all Germans here) to activate. The DivAct is sort of an Strategic Movement chit. Allows for everyone to move - but to not really do damage. Units can't fire and can't move into a hex in a firezone. So moving into position is the object.

You can spend a Command Point to allow units a second activation (as long as it is different from the action just completed for a unit).

Also, you get to roll for more Command Points and Dispatch Points when this chit is pulled. So the Nick rolls and get to add 5 command points to his pool...but whiffs on the Dispatch roll.

At Beek, nasty armor in column moves up and infantry comes up behind - stopping just short of the US AT gun nearby. Looks like the Germans may try to force their way through.



Same thing goes on in the Groesbeek area...more moving into position.

Infantry in the lead, guns in the rear. Might be a mistake. Guns could also be up front and placed to establish fire zones that would inhibit US movement in the area.



lastly, to Mook...

Nick seems to have forgotten to move out his troops from the Reichswald. This might be seen later and a gracious US player may let him go back, but for now, no pressure on the US center. We might see a shift of the 3rd Battalion over closer to Mook to smack the Germans marching on Mook.

Again, the guns are in the rear...they might be nicer up front for their multi-hex firezone.

This is also a boo boo by me in the setup. The US need to be back a hex. You are not allowed to be closer than 3 hexes to an enemy reinforcement box.

The LOS from the AT guns near Beek are deceiving. Due to the raised road and village location, the AT gun (while possibly being in range) cannot fire. This is one of the frustrating parts of defending this piece of terrain.

It certainly funnels the German attack towards that very spot. However, you really cannot opp fire, or anything else, until an enemy moves into the hex.

any more to this? Im intrigued to see how it played out...

Awaiting the next logfile from the players.

Did the logfile ever show up Adam?

Im curious to see how it turns out

Hey Robert - nope, we moved on to the print and play to try and get more eyes looking at the game...

I can do another one of the print and play....

Adam

Actually I just printed out my copy and got everything mounted .

Not the most professional job on my part but the game looks fantastic!

Uploaded my pics of the game printed up and ready to go

now that I have new batteries, Ill take some of the game in progress.

Interesting to see how this scenario has changed since this thread started. The major change (to my eyes) is that KG Becker now has no incentive to head for Beek and is instead likely to operate on the northern flank of KG Greschick and drive via the DZs to Groesbeek.

I was about to postthe same thing Chris, I played this yesterday and had a lot of fun , I also discovered the benefits of rearguards and Improved positions

I wonder if its worthwhile trying the original scenario to get KG Becker into Beek