David R. Moody - Oct 24, 2005 5:18 pm (#11046 Total: 11090) Last played: ASL, Under the Lily Banners, Suez '56 (S&T), Downtown, Band of Heroes, War of the Ring, Wellington, Brandywine (GMT), B-17, Down in Flames. Reading: Wellington--The Years of the Sword (Elizabeth Longford). Took the ASL Starter Kit #2 out for a spin Saturday afternoon with my regular ASL opponent. We decided on the first scenario in the pack (Audacious Assault, I think it is--the one on Sicily with the Italian coastal troops in between US airborne and Tommies coming up from the beaches). I also got to use the 8-0 SGT Moody as one of the American leaders. I took the Allies to my opponent's Italians. He set up most of his troops facing north, with a couple squads and LMG to the south to try and hold off the Brits, who arrive on Turn 4 of a six-turn scenario. My plan was to advance most of my paras around to the right, setting up my 9-2 with two squads and the MMG in a building on the hill to act as a firebase while the 9-1 with two more squads tried to infiltrate into town via the woods. SGT Moody and 1.5 squads would go down the left side. In general, the plan worked, as my men, using the hill as cover, set up their fire base and dueled with the Italians in the town. Accurate enemy fire broke one of the squads with the 9-1, but the other, using smoke grenades, assault moved into the street to try and get into a building housing a bunch of broken Italian squads. One of them had managed to rally, and laid down heavy fire, pinning down the Amis. The Italians fought valiantly in places, but that 6 morale and 1 ELR didn't help, as most began to break. My opponent also broke his MGs quite a bit, rolling many 11s and 12s, but almost always fixing them right away. My Amis pushed forward steadily, as Italians began to run, eliminated after breaking multiple times. And what of SGT Moody? His men took some fire, breaking the half squad. He and the other squad, using smoke grenades for cover, tried to take out a fleeing Italian squad toting an LMG, but the Italians rolled snake eyes on Final Protective Fire, breaking and routing the whole stack! My namesake spent most of the rest of the game trying to rally. Meanwhile, the Tommies arrived and attempted to overwhelm the lone Italian stack in their front. They opened up as the 9-1 British leader was trying to get his kill stack (three squads and an MMG) in position, wounding the leader and breaking two squads. The British quickly broke the Italians, however, as the wounded leader rallied himself and his men and sent them on to link up with the Yanks in the center of town. By this time (Turn 6), the Italians only had a couple unbroken stacks left. The Americans surged forward, overrunning what had been the main Italian position on the hill in the center of town and breaking the last good order Italians, who failed to Rally in their half of the turn. The Allies linked up, ending the game. A glorious and hard-fought victory. I think my opponent might have been better served if he had left one more squad, his 7-0 leader, and the other LMG to watch the British--as it was, he didn't hold them off too long. Lots of fun. At home, started up Rocroi from Under the Lily Banners. Cavalry mixing it up--fun so far.