Author	treadasaurusrex (France)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	France
Participants	Blackcloud6 (AAR)
Play Date	2021-12-29
Language	English
Scenario	FaoF021

Here is yet another unplaytested scenario with a number of relatively unexamined issues. For example, should the Moroccan infantry be represented by ESC counters (4-3) from the 1ere Marocaine Division counter set, or should the French ground troops be represented by French metropolitan INF (3-3) counters? If the former, does this make the game unbalanced in favor of the French side as some have suggested, or would the results possibly be closer to the reality of the actual historical situation. In our playthrough, my aggressive opponent played the Germans in his usual steadfast and opportunistic manner. The German Commander siezed the iniative at the start of the game and occupied advanced, town hex positions within Gembloux. This discumbobulated the initial French op plan and forced a series of right flank moves to try and get around the edge of the central German thrust. We played with the consolidation and the smoke rules and without the dreaded fog of war rule. Repeated French morale failures marred French attempts at comprehensive close assault sequencing.

In this play-through, the strength and weight of the Moroccan side's ESC infantry told the story as the game progressed. This scenario would definitely be improved in terms of play balance with modified victory conditions with a casualty limit on the French side.

This was a 4-session online match, that we ended on game turn 8, with a concession by the German Commander. At the time, the step losses were: 27 for Germans and 13 for the French, mostly reflecting dice rolling luck for the French in our first 2 online sessions. I doubt that the French side would have scored a victory if we had played the full 16-turn scenario, even with the ESC infantry units, given my penchant for bad morale and combat die rolls. In hindsight, it seems to me that a costly & frustrating French defeat was more or less inevitable with the published victory conditions. There is no way to play for a draw.

In short, I agree with my opponent's comments and the rating of a 2 for this one, although it probably deserves a 1 if played in face-to-face, online mode.