Chain of Command: When being better prepared does not mean having a better game

Another desert duel 

After the previous dust up in the desert TwoDice and myself opted for another chain of command desert game. This time the game should have been better since I actually brought along the rulebook this time and the paper building outlines were replaced with some more substantial desert hills (yes they may still have been a little damp from the paint). 

Once again we opted for just two platoons with no support. Mission wise the British seemed more motivated to attack this time and opted to try to out flank the DAK.  The patrol phase was a bit dull this time.  The British were able to quickly get into position and lock down the DAK patrol markers so they did not get to move.  While the DAK deployed their jump of points conservatively not wanting to expose anything.  Game wise this meant the dispersed outgunned British has to attack the dense concentration of heavily up gunned DAK.

The initial moves were limited with the British platoon sergeant along with the anti rifle (AT) team and the light mortar deploying behind a hill.  The AT team acted as spotters and the light mortars duly started to create a smoke screen to cover any potential advances. The DAK declined to reveal their positions as the smoke built up.

After a couple of rounds smoke were down a British infantry section deployed and began filter forward conscious of the fact six LMG were unaccounted for. A second section deploy on the far flank to provide covering fire if required.  With targets on the table the DAK began to reveal themselves. First they used a special event to lift the smoke cover (ah sh*t). Then two sections revealed themselves and engaged the two British sections. One of the British section was able to react first and put some fire onto a revealed German unit but it was ineffective. The return fire was a lot more effective while only a single soldier was wounded both sections suffered a lot of shock.

With models on the table things began to heat up. The third British section revealed itself and started to fire on the DAK. The platoon leader also made an appearance and started to re-organise the shocked sections. The light mortar again tried to form a smoke screen but it dissipated to fast to form decent cover.

Lacking cover neither side seemed willing to move.  The British shifted tactics as within each section the rifle team began to lay down suppression fire to keep the DAKs heads down while the bren team concerned on taking out the unsuppressed DAK riflemen.  But in the end the battle devolved into a dice rolling competition with the British coming out slightly ahead after the wiped out a DAK fire team and badly shocked another.  Demotivated the DAK broke contact and ended the game

In hindsight the game was not as much fun as the first.  After a cracking first game I has high hopes for another game but maybe they were too high.  During the patrol phase the British  managed to block all of the DAK patrol markers it meant they were boxed in since the DAK did not risk deploying an isolated jump off point along their table edge although afterwards this would have made for a better game giving them more options for deployment.  Also having the rulebook available meant we had the option of checking the rules. Personally I hate doing this during a game since it ruins the immersion factor and suspension of disbelief. When the Desert Rats break the DAK at el Kuruma it should be tense cinematic moment and not because Page 47 paragraph 2 line 3 say infantry move D6 when going tactically.

Anyway, that is all for now thanks for stopping by