. Romanian's on defense against nine Soviet T-34/SMG combos + OBA + BM-13 (and a couple of recon units).

Boards are set as follows with long axis oriented N/S:

6 22

14(f) 10 (f) = flipped

Soviet victory conditions are, upon entering anywhere on north edge, to clear all roads on all four maps and all town hexes on boards #22 and #10. Twenty-four turns. Heavy mud conditions attain reducing all movement allowances.

Board Six: 2xINF dug-in each on road hexes 0514 and 1010. Board Fourteen: 2xINF on 40-m hill road hexes 0908 and 0609. Also 75mm-FG with spotting 6-0-0 cpt (for OBA) on 60mforest hex (range = 18). Board Twenty-two: 2xINF + 1xHMG in two-hex hamlet 0608 & 0708 with 9-1-1 cpt. 2xINF with LT in farm 0809. 1xENG + 1xHMG + 10-0-1 LT in farm 0914 (road hex controls entry to board 10). Also have 47mmAT guns in 0715 & 1115 (with 3 ATF, only real shot at a T-34 is with a x-fire bonus which is set up vs. road hex just to the north of 0914). Board Ten: 2xINF dug-in on road hex 0705. 2xHMG + 8-0-0 LT dug-in on 0706 (support fire vs. approach). Village holds LtC 9-1-0 + 2 INF in cross-roads hex and Heer 20mmAA + 50mmAT in 0809.

So rather than, say, one mutually supporting stronger grouping on each board, I have opted for a series of spread out road-blocks and town-hex holding positions in the hope of forcing the Soviet force either to split up or to spend inordinate time reorienting itself for multiple attack sequences.

It did occur to "hide" units in forests/hills requiring the soviet player either to off-road in chase or to leave "holding forces" to prevent ROM units from reclaiming a road hex at game end. This seemed a meta-gaming approach or an approach better suited for partisan activities such as scenarios in Sinister Forces.

Play:

The Soviet commander perhaps unfortunately had read his intelligence section's evaluation of the Romanian defense in this area. He didn't expect much resistance from the ROM 7th infantry. Sending his armored column with SMG tank riders south along the road on board 22, about half off-loaded to deal with the town in hexes 0608 and 0708. There was some desultory OF from the village and weak Soviet supporting OBA. The rest of the Soviet column headed west towards board 6 although slowed due to heavy mud.

After a second round of ineffective OBA and BM-13 fire, the Soviets decided to take the bull by the horns and move adjacent to the village preparatory to a combined arms assault. Little did they know that the captain leading the Romanians in this village had spent six months as a liaison officer with the Grossdeutschland division earning a German close assault badge: the OF was withering. The Soviet SMG platoons were savaged (rolls of '12' and '3'). After a mere 45 minutes of combat, the Soviets had initiated an assault in one town hex; eliminated 2 ROM INF steps; but at the cost of four SMG steps and several DIS/DEMs - the Soviet zampolit found himself busy. On the other hand, the attack against the eastern road block on the road on board six had gone well, with come OBA/DF causing compound morale failures.

The Soviet commander of the assault in hex was eventually shot for cowardice. Leading into combat an SMG+2T-34s+M3+subsidiary leader, an hour and a half of combat had not succeeded in dislodging a single ROM infantry platoon (read this as three consecutive '1' rolls on 18 or 13 cols followed by three more rounds of nothing greater than a '3'). By turn 8, the Soviets had suffered seven step losses, but had several other units, particularly in the assault, in poor-order. The Romanians had suffered likewise, particularly over on board 6, for a total likewise of seven step losses.

To make a sad story short, the Soviet player gave up the attack on board 22 and headed west to board 6 setting a few units to "seal off" board 6 from a ROM counterattack; cleared board 6 and off-roaded slow, sloppy trek south to board 14; eventually cleared the two road blocks on board 14.

Game ended in the Soviets controlling boards 6 and 14 for TWO objectives, but had made no inroad at all towards boards 22 and/or 10. Minor ROM victory.

I have to say that it was sobering to observe the die rolling differential between the two sides even playing solo. Whilst the Soviets had a few decent rolls, the ROM side, particularly in the first third (8 turns) of the game, simply rolled amazing attack rolls (10+ or 4-) and certain key units simply never failed a morale check (like heroic forces in the 0609/0708 village on board 22).

The deep-mud conditions also keep the Soviets primarily road-bound, though I had to forgo that because of the tenacity of the board 22 defense.