David R. Moody - Jun 21, 2007 1:34 pm (#18841 Total: 18952) ¡Señor Beavis! ¿Donde está tu hall pass? Last night Joe Oppenheimer and I took the latest Lock 'n' Load expansion, Swift and Bold, for a spin at Endgame in Oakland, California. This one adds British commands and paras to the basic Band of Heroes (WWII Normandy) game. I like the LnL system, and own the original Vietnam game, but so far have not gotten the WWII version because I don't really need another squad-level game I don't ever play (like Landships, which I really like, and the few ATS scenarios I got in D-Day: The Great Crusade, which I haven't tried yet), being pretty heavily into ASL; besides I can play it with Joe using his copy if I really want to. Thus I was eager to try out the system with the Red Devils. After circling and circling for a damned parking space in downtown Oakland (some big doings at the convention center across the street from Endgame), I at last arrived. Joe chose a small scenario, covering the glider landings and seizure of Pegasus Bridge the morning of D-Day by the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Two maps, and a few counters. To win, my Red Devils had to clear all Good Order German squads, heroes, and AFVs from within three hexes of any bridge hex. I had fought over Pegasus Bridge before on the HASL maps, so it was a little amusing to see it on a geomorphic map with a bit jutting out to the side that wasn't on the actual bridge. Oh well--no biggie. That, and the maps didn't fry my eyes as much as they had before, though I do wish the hexgrid wasn't so prominent. At any rate, Joe had a few German troops around the bridge, some in a bunker, with more arriving later once my paras occupied two hexes with event markers in them (borrowed from Ambush--another thing I like about LnL is how it takes the best bits from several squad-level games I like a lot). I had nine squads, three leaders, a couple PIATs, a 51mm airborne mortar, and three Bren guns, all crammed into three gliders. Reasoning the best way to take a bridge is from both ends at once, I landed two of the gliders quite close to the bridge on one side of the canal, and had the other also land quite close, but not next to the bunker, on the other. The first two gliders landed safely, braving light AA fire; one of my leaders, with the Decisive skill, took a second activation and cleared out a German MG position on the bridge in melee, albeit with the loss of one squad. The glider across the canal took damage and missed its landing hex, actually ending up closer to the bridge (which was okay); the PIAT squad ended up Shaken and cowered in fear by the glider while the platoon leader took the other two squads to clear out the bunker, which they did, taking a loss in the melee. With the bridge secure, I consolidated my position, moving my two platoons on the one side to cover the approaches while the one on the other side cleared out the bunker. My mortar squad set up on the bridge, and I sent a squad with a Bren to the bit of the bridge that jutted out (and had a building on it) to sweep the banks. I had hit both Event markers, though, so soon I would have company. On one side (the side with two platoons) a French-built Somua and more Jerry infantry came up; on the far bank, two squads of Fallschirmjager. I hate those guys. My infantry began to open up as Joe tried to creep forward. My mortar found the range and did heavy damage, forcing Joe's troops back into the woods, Shaken and bloodied. But the tank rumbled forward, firing at my men in the building next to the bridge, who responded with ineffective PIAT fire. The group with the leader who had so bravely led the charge at the German MG after the landing crept on up on the tank, trying to assault it; the leader failed his morale check, so the squad went in alone, and I flubbed the roll! DOH!!!! And Joe took advantage, with two Overrun attacks on successive turns, wounding then killing the leader and wiping out the squad as the tank crashed through a hedge after my paras, my PIAT squad firing ineffectively at it. Joe tried to move infantry up behind it, but heavy fire from my rifles and mortar drove them back, save for a lone Hero who ran forward and grabbed the now abandoned captured German MG. Meanwhile, across the canal, more fighting was raging. Joe's Fallschirmjager advanced, taking fire from the Bren gunners on the bridge. In the confusion, the leader in this sector slipped away to rally the PIAT team still hiding behind their glider and moved them to join their comrades, who had slipped out of the bunker. The leader then led the two squads forward into melee, taking out one German squad. The other tried to infiltrate around behind and get to the now abandoned bunker and building beside it; the Bren gunners fired, forcing their leader to dive for cover, but the squad made it. Another melee ensued, in which both sides were wiped out! So I had four squads left, clinging to the bridge, but Joe had a tank and hero within three hexes for the win. A great game, hard fought. Next week we hope to finish our Down in Flames campaign.