Panzer Graveyard and To the Matter Born

This is going to be a dual update because I'm exhausted. Today was a 15 hour day, resulting in three games, and I have to be back in eight hours to start Bloody Red Beach, which will probably be an eight hour game.

I got a game with Bill Hayward, playing The Panzer Graveyard. A German assault with poor quality infantry and six PanzerKampfWagon Mark III tanks against a collection of British armed with PIATS and a couple of odd tanks. I really can't say much about this one, because it was a complete, utter, devestating annihilation of my forces. Bill is a long time player, and he conducts Maneuvers: a training session of newbies here at ASLOK. Today was my training, as he showed me how to dance tanks like it was a ballet. I can't even describe what happened, other than an utter rout like I've never experienced. I can't even isolate an amusing moment, because it is all a blur. I felt like selling my set and never coming back.

Bill was terrific in the post-mortem, giving me some key advice on tank handling. While demoralized, I did learn a lot and feel a little better now that time has passed.

After I was trying to recover from the thumping, Jeff DeYoung and the rest of his group showed up with about a billion 3D foam maps and a few tons of ASL gear. I helped unload the truck and stack everything in the main room while trying not to drool over the maps and avoid the stampede of people coming over to admire them. I met one of Jeff's friends, Steve Garvey. I wanted to get in a short game, so Steve and I played one of the 3D board - To the Matter Born.

Because Jeff is a historically ignorant snob, he failed to include the historical segment of the module, so I'm not sure what is going on. I have some Germans trying to defend a hill from some British soldiers entering in troop carries. The have to run through a screening force of Germans with PanzerFaust capability while driving toward the hill. Unfortunately for Steve, I managed to take out two carriers with 'Faust shots, and those carriers happened to be manned by two of his three leaders. I also shot up a bunch of guys who dismounted nearby. Really, by the end of turn two, he had suffered critical losses by he pressed on until the end, which left me as the winner.

Best sequence - a second line German squad killed a British squad exiting a vehicle, reduced another squad that jumped out adjacent to him, passing a Final Protective Fire morale check in the process, 'Fausted a carrier in the next fire phase, then jumped on a British squad with a PIAT and killed him in Close Combat. I think he might be ready to apply to the Waffen SS after that performance....unfortunately, he later ELR'ed down to a Conscript status. The dream was over....

I'm adding a picture here of my 'Hawk' setup shortly after the game started, since I forgot I had a picture. I'm also including a picture of Jeff looking desperate in the middle of a game of "The Rock" with Larry. Fine eating indeed....

Bloody Red Beach tomorrow, with a monster report to follow!