Game tonight 19th March

[martin goddard]

Raw German volksturm with 4 tanks.
Veteran Russian sailors with 1 tank.

Russians attacked.

Russians used lots of smoke.
The Russians did badly on shooting and assaults but well on morale.

Russians held the road objective. They also parked a KV2 on the central objective at the game end as a "sacrifice". The game clock actually ran out, thus denying the central objective to the Germans.

The Germans won, as the Russians had lost the maximum number of bases. A close run thing.


We used the re-roll for assaults. Some discussion about whether this is a good or bad thing.
The +1 vet, -1 raw seemed to be Ok and it made the shoot saves much easier.

Lots of woods and buildings.


martin

[Nigel_s]

Thanks Martin. Sounds good and i love seeing soviet sailors on the table.

I'm not sure re the reroll for assaults. Regards it as a rule it is simple so no issue in terms of clarity, new player understanding. So no problem regarding playability if you retained it.

I prefer the higher quality rolling first then getting to reroll. To me this represents better fieldcraft and experience.

I can't rationalise both sides rerolling back to what it's trying to represent other than reducing the risk of the shocking dice roll. But poor dice rolls are part of the game and while annoying(?) at the time that does fade and becomes part of our gaming story telling.

[Sean Clark]

I would agree that a bad dice roll is part of any game involving dice.

Yes the odds  might mean you ought to do well, but when the dice all come up 1's and 2's, thems the breaks. People ought to be grown up enough to accept it and come up with another plan 😂

[martin goddard]

Yes.
Part of the reason is that assaults are the most important interactions in a game.
These are the times when objectives are taken and casualties caused.
An assault might tip the opponent into a morale test or achieve a break in his line.
This is not often done by shooting alone (quite rightly).

If at the vital assault point a player rolls 18D6 and gets no hits I think they would be justified in feeling that their plan had been a waste of time.

The "6" scores are deliberately erratic but I do not want them to be extreme.
The re-roll is more about recovering a terrible roll than seeking a better one.

The feel of the game matters.
A good plan should have a goodish chance of success.
Failing to get a hit with 18D6 shooting is irritating, but failing to get a hit with 18D6 in a fight is calamitous?

It should also be made clear that rolling second is a big advantage.
You can see what the opponent has achieved and thus tailor your re-roll decision based upon that information. Overall this makes assaults better for assaulters. This benfits players who are making decisions more than those being passive.


martin

[Nigel_s]

Understand that rationale Martin.

Is about game balance, smoothing out the effect of a poor roll on what is a critical and exciting moment in the game.

Agree rolling second is an advantage.

The thought that came into my head on this was about what it represents in terms on the period. It is of course completely acceptable to use this as a mechanic for balancing and to encourage players to be proactive.

[martin goddard]

Thank you Nigel.
It is under trial even though I am keen on it.
I would like to hear how it works for you?

martin

[Nigel_s]

It works fine. Is easy to understand so not a problem for new players. The reroll mechanic is consistent with other roles. And gives the assaulter a reward for being proactive.   

I was asking to clarify (for my mind) the rationale.