Author	treadasaurusrex (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany
Participants	goosebrown
Play Date	2025-01-08
Language	English
Scenario	FaoF016

This was a 3-session play-through (16 game turns) with the clever & always stimulating, goosebrown, leading defending elements of the French 3rd Infantry Division & the 3rd DCR, initially in hilltop defensive positions in and around the 2-hex village of Stonne. I led attacking elements of both the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment and 10th Panzer Division. Both sides drew decent sets of leaders.

We used the FOW, consolidation, excess initiative, smoke/Illum and strategic movement optional and extended assault rules, along with the following two house rules: 1) Road Movement for Mechanized & Foot Units - All FOOT & MECHANIZED units may move on roads at the rate of 1/2 Movement Point (MP) per road hex, just like MOTORIZED units, and 2) Standardized Movement for Mechanized Units - All mechanized units may move through clear hexes at a movement cost of only 1 movement point (MP) per hex, instead of 1 1/2. Add one to this cost if moving up, across, or down slopes hexes.

The exciting, but brutal, initial session (game turns 1-4) featured a deliberate German movement to contact, north of Stonne, in one amorphous mass with the tank platoons acting as the rearguard. By the end of the 3rd game turn, the Boche had invested Stonne and both demonic AT gun platoons were on their way to elimination. The first batch of French armored reinforcements began arriving on the south edge of the battle map at the end of game turn 4, just in time for the French initiative level to fall to zero, due to heavy casualties among the Stonne garrison and the loss of the senior French leader. Step losses in this round stood at 6 for the French, and 2 for the advancing Germans.

Our fast-paced, second session (game turns 5-9) mostly consisted of the Germans completing their takeover of Stonne and beginning to dig in their troops across the length of the 40-meter ridgetop. The suffered no step losses this session, though the French lost another 6 steps in close assaults and adjacent-hex firefights as the sun rose & visibility improved. A reinforced company of H-39 tanks rumbled up from the south and joined the French Cavalry Panhard 178 A/C platoon just south of the 22-meter hill slope. Additional French armor reinforcements were again, delayed.

The third, and final, session (game turns 10-14) was a very costly one for the attacking French side with another 7 steps lost in a powerful, all-armor, close assault on the dug-in German positions on the 40-meter ridgetop. By mutual agreement, the hard-fighting French conceded during the 14th game turn, when there was no longer a possibility of a French victory.

I am not sure that the French can win this relatively accurate, historic simulation without an extraordinary amount of die roll luck & player skill. Though fun to play, it is mayorly unbalanced in favor of the German side. The more experienced player should lead the French, IMHO. Still, it is suitable for both SOLO & SHARED play. I give it a fairly generous rating of 4, in shared play with a challenging opponent.