download

FireGroup '97 tournament ratings: Balance: N/A Excitement: N/A Analysis author's ratings: Balance: No comments provided Excitement: High Attraction: Night rules; Unpredictable Setup

Playing time : 4 hrs

French Disadvantages: Initial scattering.

The Free French forces begin the scenario scattered all over the playing area. The Free French player needs to activate them quickly, in order to halt the Germans before they become firmly established in the buildings around the esplanade.

Building J4 is particularly important to defend, because of the numerous locations it represents. Placing the HIP stack there may not be enough to repel the German attack, but should allow the Free French to maintain control of the building. The German player will not likely enter CC against a 9-2 leader. Placing this stack in a 2nd level location would provide good LOS and fields of fire, but since your most urgent task is to discover and activate the possible Free French units nearby (see SSR4), it’s probably better to set up at ground level, eventually deploying, to get a quicker start on waking up some friends.

On the other hand, you should not pay much attention to the Rowhouses (in particular R4). The attacker can easily turn them into traps in the early game, and you can do the same in the later stages. Moreover, while clearing out multi-hex buildings always takes time (beware of N9 and K9), the Rowhouses limit rout possibilities for DM squads and so will be easier to clear.

During the setup, it’s important to optimize the future movement paths of the Partisan units. You should also be aware that counters placed on the upper levels of the buildings on the east side of the map might never get into action. If you place a counter on the ground floor, it will prevent the German player from hiding your units away upstairs. You could reveal one of your HIP units on the first German turn, to identify and activate all the suspect counters close to it, and to get a faster idea of what your own setup looks like.

The Partisan reinforcements should enter the board unconcealed to make themselves known to all Suspect counters, and it is vital that you make use of the capabilities offered by SSR6. The Partisan leader can be used for the more distant counters, or to grant freedom of movement to the 9-2. At least one Free French leader should participate in the waking up of the other Free French troops. The Free French units activated by the German moves should quickly withdraw instead of letting themselves get slaughtered. A group of three or four squads may be able to form a good temporary defensive position, but a lone squad is doomed. It will probably be impossible to mobilize all your troops, but the Free French force is large enough to repel the attacker even if not fully mobilized. DO NOT attempt to contain the enemy with the partisans when they enter the board; that’s guaranteed to lead to certain disaster.

When sufficient troops have been mobilized, then you should organize the clearing of the buildings around the esplanade. Since I don’t know your setup (any more than you know), I can’t give you any advice for this task. One last hint nevertheless: since you don’t apply No Quarter at start (unlike the savages of the opposite side…), use Mopping Up efficiently, and try to avoid your natural tendency to mimic the enemy. Keep this powerful tool in your arsenal.

German Disadvantages: ELR.

The German force has the advantage of choosing its attack axis and of being able to adjust its entry according to what was discovered during the Turn one. The German player should not get too ambitious. Instead he should focus on Controlling some buildings around the esplanade, and then should establish a strong defensive position before the French counterattack.

For your part of the setup, think of the superb upper level Locations on the eastern side of the board. They have no LOS to the esplanade, and it will take almost forever for any activated Free French units to get into the action from there.

Two principal attack axes are to be considered. One from the west toward J4. Another from the southeast toward L9 with P7 as a possible support position. The J4 attack offers you solid defensive options; nice Firelanes along the K4-Q1 and G5-Q10 hexgrains, and the esplanade under your fire. Unfortunately you may have to deal with the enemy 9-2. L9 is a compact cluster that could be a nightmare for the French to clean. On the other hand, R4 seems dangerous for your health since it can be easily encircled.

You should quickly clear your back by sending some Cloaking counters into the locations occupied by counters placed during setup to avoid any bad surprises later in the game. Considering your initial numerical superiority (which will not last long), all isolated Free French units in the initial turns should be the target of an adequate treatment. Typically, this should consist of one or two kill stacks breaking the squad followed by elimination in CC. On the other hand, CC against a healthy French unit should be avoided.

The trucks are actually an embarrassment to you, since they have a bad tendency to wake up the enemy. To make matters worse, you must enter these pests no later than Turn 2. Nevertheless, they could be useful behind a building to protect it against a flanking unit, or to distract a sniper.

The scenario end will probably be painful, as you try to rally conscript troops while facing elite Free French. Plan to rout toward the upper levels to keep control of a building as long as possible. A single recalcitrant DM unit could win the game for you.