Operation Barbarossa Rages On!

Amanda had completely forgotten we were having a game night last night, and lost track of time – so instead of getting home an hour before the game thus giving me time to prepare and set up… she arrived home half an hour after it was supposed to have started… and I was still trying to herd children in the general direction of bed while players patiently waited downstairs… So I had to come up with something quick and nasty.

I had thought of trying out the Stug against a couple soviet tanks (the BT-7 and T-26… or maybe just the KV-1…?). but didn’t have time to cook up some stats for the Stug or the soviet tanks… so I just went with some stuff I alreadyhad cards for!

15 July 1941, Southeast of Grodno

SITUATION

Pressing ever eastward trying to meet up with friendly forces the soviets have met up with a tank that not only is in good repair and has a trained crew – but it also has fuel AND ammunition!!

SCENARIO

The Soviets start at one end of the table and have to exit off the other before the time runs out (or they take a number of heavy fire rolls equal to the number of turns it would have taken them to walk off from where they were at).

FORCES

Soviet Forces

Serzhant Boris Trotsky - Wild Card - Dave
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d8, St d4, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 8
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Throwing d4
Edges: Rank (NCO)
Hindrances:
Gear: Ppsh SMG (Range: 12/24/48, ROF3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1, Auto)
THREE WOUNDS!

Serzhant Ultarak Kaskyrbai - Wild Card - John
Ag d8, Sm d6, Sp d4, St d4, Vg d8,
Pace 6, Parry 6 (7), Toughness 9
Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Throwing d4
Edges: Brawny, Rank:NCO
Hindrances: Bullet Magnet
Gear: Mosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d6, Reach 1, Parry+1)

Serzhant Zaitzoff - Wild Card - Gary
Ag d6, Sm d4, Sp d6, St d8, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 7
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d4, Stealth d8, Throwing d4
Edges: Rank (NCO), Luck
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty
Gear: Ppsh SMG (Range: 12/24/48, ROF3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1, Auto)

Soviet Conscripts - 4
Ag d6, Sm d4, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 4 (5), Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Notice d4, Stealth d4, Throwing d4
Gear: 4xMosin-Nagant Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2) +Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1)

Serzhant Pyotr Dizalotski - Wild Card - Patrick
Ag d8, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d4, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 4 , Toughness 8
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d4, Throwing d4, Driving d4, Repair d6
Edges: Rank (NCO)
Gear: Pistol (Range: 12/24/48, ROF1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)

Soviet Tank Crew - 2
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d6, Notice d4, Driving d6, Repair d4

T-26S Tank
Acceleration 3, top Speed 8, Toughness 17/15/15 (7/5/5)
Heavy Armour
DT Co-Ax MG (Range: 24/48/96, ROF3, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2, Auto)
45L76 AP (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 3d8, AP: 5, 1 Action to Reload)
45L76 HE (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 3d6, AP: 3, Medium

German Forces (elements of Army Group Center)

German Pak35/36 Team (3)
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
Edges:
Hindrances:
Gear: 2x Luger Pistol (Range: 12/24/48, ROF1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)
1x Pak35/36 (Range: 60/120/240, ROF1, Damage: 3d8, AP: 3, Heavy Weapon, 1 Action to Reload)

German MG Team (4)
Ag d6, Sm d6, Sp d6, St d6, Vg d6,
Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
Edges:
Hindrances:
Gear: 3x Kar 98K Rifle (Range: 24/48/96, ROF1, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2), Bayonet (Str+d4, Reach 1, Parry+1), 1x MG34 (Range: 30/60/120, ROF3, Damage: 2d8, AP: 2, Auto, Snapfire)


THE GAME


(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


The Soviets race into the open!


On turn one Germans were spotted and the tank and MG team were exchanging fire!


On the second turn the Pak 36 cracked off it’s first shot at the T-26 and missed! Meanwhile the MG team was eating up bennies and taking out conscripts…

I felt a little bad thinking I’d once again designed a completely unbalanced scenario and the Russians were all going to die (on the plus side I might’ve taken that as an excuse to switch fronts and run a Normandy campaign…) As it turned out this was the high point of the game for the Germans


The remaining conscripts then went and shot one of the AT gun crew (medium range, hard cover and concealed – needed 12 to hit!?)


Then the next turn they did it again – with the same odds – except they took out the remaining TWO crew, before they could even crack off a second shot!?


Next the Conscripts turned their attentions on the MG tean and took out two of them, causing the two remaining Germans to retire into the woods. At that point the soviets started running – as time was quickly ticking away!


I had originally pulled out a full section and a wild card NCO as well, but then realized that they would cut the soviets to pieces out in the open. I dropped the NCO and Rifle team from the scenario but left them in the corner with all the other hidden units – just to keep the players a bit nervous.

The game ended at turn eleven(?) and no one had quite made it off the board – but everyone survived the “heavy fire” rolls.

Once again the conscript snipers did all the dirty work (it was like the first game all over again.

Not only did the conscripts all survive (a rare occurrence!), but Patrick’s character survived a game (a first!)! (and he didn’t even bring root beer…).

Coming Soon to Savage Timmy’s Playhouse:

This Savage Saturday night we should be back to Realms of Cthulhu and next Wednesday we’ll be back at it on the Eastern Front!!