Lessons Learned - A Bridge Too Near?

Well, the project I have been working my tail off on has finally been playtested, and there's a lot to learn from this. I think overall, the scenario works, but as this is my first river crossing game, I did make some rookie mistakes, or at least, I think I did....anyhow, 6 of us met at the Games Tavern in Chantilly, which I have spoken about before on "500 Miles...", and the staff went OUT of their way to accommodate us. Thanks so much, Doshu! I wish more game stores were like this. Well done to Games Tavern indeed.

The Good:

• Was for the most part, pretty well organized, though I need to do better organizing the troops into units, I think I am going to color code bases to make that easier. Shouldn't be TOO odious a project.
• I did a decent job of keeping the game moving once we got started, and we played to a conclusion, even if that conclusion was a bit of a British curbstomp of the Germans.
• My alternate plan for the British worked...after a fashion, but I really need to potentially give the British another alternative, perhaps a transport with some rubber rafts?
• We got done in 10 turns (granted, the German BR went from 75 to 29 and showed no sign of slowing down), but yes, this was a rough one for the Germans. 

The Bad:

• I forgot the damn Churchills. I did a packing list, on my phone...which I don't think works as well as paper (the wife pointed that out and boy, is she right).
• I still cannot seem to get the artillery in BG right, or is it my confidence levels in getting it right, I still cannot tell?
• I should have split up the experienced players, but their both being British did keep the game moving.
• I should have had the Volksgrenadier be the starting force, and the Volkssturm be the reinforcement option. I think I need to have set forces, and take this out of the hands of the players.
• River Crossing games make for some of the most complicated wargaming I have ever done, and yeah, I need to get some opinions from the internet brain trust (the wife said, "ask Piers", Piers, if that isn't a damned endorsement, I do not know what is?)
• 7 turns was too long for the Germans to expect to hold on without reinforcements.
• Should have moved the river closer to the middle, give the Brits less travel time, and the Germans more depth.
• The German OOB may need some work.
• Learn to take a breath and not get overwhelmed. It's a game and as long as people have fun, let it be.

All in all, it went well for a playtest, learned a lot, and I think it will be better next time. Now that said, I will be color coding my figure bases and finishing up the flocking. I think once that is achieved, setup will go faster, much faster.

Some players also suggested allowing the Germans a rear guard on the British side of the river, but I wonder if that is counter-intuitive to speeding up the game a hair?

Anyhow, here are the pictures!

The British objective was simple, get units off the British edge (the Germans had to pull one chit for every British squad or vehicle that got off their edge). The Germans had to simply hold on and prevent this, and collapse the British morale, somehow....

The game itself started off with the British making an approach march along the road to the bridge, and there being some desultory fire from both sides. The Germans blew the bridge in the face of the British, and a British tank was pinned as a result. Later fire from a German Hetzer took out the only British tank lost, as the British scrambled to shift the Churchill down from their right to replace the bridge at the center. This took three turns whereby the German Mk IIIN and the Marder II were both knocked out by British fire. A Typhoon strike took out the Flak 88 and caused more mayhem. This was in conjunction with the British recon elements and their FO calling in very accurate artillery fire (2 25lbr batteries and a 4.5in battery). 

After the bridge was deployed, the British rushed across, deploying their motor battalion and combat engineers to overrun the weak German defenses in a series of brutal close combats (and yet another lesson in why Flamethrowers in BG might be a bit overpowered, one took out an entire VS squad in a building without a second thought).

The British then ran the entire truck mounted British airborne platoon off the table, and inflicted more losses, which even the late arriving reinforcements (which the German player could begin to dice for on turn 7, that's going to change), could not stop. With the German BR sinking to 29 out of 75 and showing no sign of ceasing to drop, the game was called and a British victory was awarded.

PS: I just realized, this is Post #20 here at Festungplatz..well, on to September!!!