Yes, Martlet again.......

I set off early this morning in rising heat to genteel Grange-over-Sands and the Keg and Kitchen pub where Stuart runs the micro brewery and hence is allowed to use their large upstairs room for wargaming purposes. Stuart had already got my parking ticket so I got all day for £1 and that is a bargain you won't get in many places, he had also set up the table and very nice it looked too, I had brought a couple of buildings if needed and the hedges he requested.

I had read the rules and the campaign booklet but I don't think a lot of it stuck, you really need to play rules before you understand them completely and I get confused at times, as I did with the turns and phases, Stuart had to patiently explain the whole thing to me and I am still not sure I understand it, my homework for tonight.

My new Patrol markers.

 How did the games go, well I won't bore you with the details of Probe into Fontenoy but once again the British got nowhere while my Sherman and the Panzer IV spent most of the turns trading shots, I failed to get most of my troops on the table due to the mist so felt I could do nothing but withdraw. I then of course brought two Shermans but one failed to turn up and again I was quickly under pressure so again I bailed. The next turn saw the PzIV backed up by a Pak 40, my tanks did not flame up but lost their guns, run away!

The fields of no return.

  I failed to get anywhere on 25 June, the first campaign day, I have to say I was getting more than a bit disheartened by this campaign. Things looked up on the morning of the 26th and eventually I got that annoying Panzer, the first time I have ever killed it in all my efforts to play this campaign. I had also managed to get a few sections on and one could have perhaps made a run for the objective, the enemy table edge, it was now that Stuart made a mistake, because of (eventually) my smoke he moved an MG team out and it promptly broke, his Force Morale fell to 4, at last the Germans decided to abandon the outskirts of Fontenay.

According to my notes I think I withdrew three times before I got Stuart to withdraw, but we fought seven turns. The butchers bill was not as bad as when son Stewart and I played using Bolt Action, this time I lost six dead and Stuart 4, my officer is still full of himself despite the setbacks but the men will need a bit more convincing. I am hoping for good things now that damn tank has gone.

I actually had no problems with double turns and I think we also got three sixes at one point to end a turn. My only bugbear which it has been in every game I have played is that I have great difficultly rolling a 1 to get my teams on. I can hear the chorus of 'use smoke' ringing in my ear, but if you cannot get the damn mortar on the table it is a useless noise. On reflection it was no slower than my BA games on the same table, it was also not as bloody as BA, I wonder how a simple pick up game would work, I shall have to try this as well. Due to both the British barrage and the morning mist there was not a lot of troops on the table, thankfully once the mist dissipated I could rely on my forces turning up.

I think no matter what rule set you used this is a tough nut to crack for the British, however I am feeling slightly more confident as we move into Fontenay and the Jerries lack a tank.