Author	treadasaurusrex (Italy)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Italy
Participants	Miguelibal
Play Date	2024-09-11
Language	English
Scenario	COOE009

This was a 7-session, longish & very bloody, fight to exit units and temporarily hold key terrain against a resolute & highly aggressive, online opponent leading the diverse Ethiopian force. This 28-game turn monster nearly resulted in a draw! The scenario instructions need a rewrite. The hard-pressed Italians managed a win on the very last game turn, in spite of some miserable die rolling in the last 6 or so game turns. The leader sets were middling for both sides, with the Ethiopian leadership being slightly better. Unexpectedly, 100% of the Ethiopian leaders were killed or captured, along with 3 Italian leaders. Both sides suffered senior leader decapitations, the Ethiopians early in the 6th game turn, and the Italians in the 21st. There were 16 FOW-shortened game turns in the 28 we played, which hurt the Ethiopian attackers substantially more than the Italian invaders.

This was a fiddly & gamey battle as the Italians held back their tankettes until the infantry caught up with them on games turns 8-9. Using combined arms tactics, and dodging a variety of aggressive Ethiopian advances made the difference in this play-through for Il Duce's legions. They barely were able to exit the required 16 steps & 1 tankette unit of Italians off the battle map. Bad morale recovery efforts ;plagues the Ethiopians throughout our encounter.

We give this gamey, nonplaytested scenario, a solid 3, in shared play, but it is probably better-suited for solitaire play.