Author	treadasaurusrex (Soviet Union)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Soviet Union
Participants	Reconquista
Play Date	2023-01-16
Language	English
Scenario	BluD009

This was a 3-session online play-through with the cunning Reconquista leading the defending Spanish & German combined task force. I played the more numerous, but motley, Soviet side. At least I had armor in this episode! We used the FOW, excess initiative, smoke, consolidation and extended assault optional rules in what was a very near run engagement that the Russian barely were able to win, thanks to faulty victory conditions.

Both sides had decent leader draws, which particularly benefited the outnumbered Axis force, as did the 8 FOW-shortened game turns. The godless Soviet Hordes came on in multiple waves from the north edge of the battle map and aimed their rather haphazard movement-to-contact at the garrisons in the two towns - a total of 6 town hexes in all. Many Soviet casualties resulted, thanks to heavy & accurate Spanish opfire, and a sum total of 13 combat 7-die rolls that plagued the Soviets - usually at crucial moments.

Eventually, those Axis units not in the town hexes were slowly eliminated, mostly by the Russian's substantial OBA, hard-charging tanks, and - sometimes accurate - mortar fire. The Bolshevics wave crested in the assault on the northernmost town and then swept over to the other town in subsequent turns. Still in all, it proved unexpectedly easy to inflict the required 12 steps of Axis losses for a Russian victory in this overlong scenario. Soviet casualties were very high throughout this play-through and there were countless morale failures before the battle was finally won. Final Soviet step losses we 28 and 2 leaders. The few T-34 tanks in the Soviet arsenal proved there worth but did lose 1 step in the process to brave Spanish counter attacks.

I give this one a 2 since it was fun to play, though unbalanced against the Axis, too long, and with victory conditions in desperate need of a rewrite.