A French force gets to sneak up on unsuspecting Germans defending a town. The victory conditions call for each side to get two points for each town hex controlled and a point for each step eliminated. The set up for this scenario has been discussed in the forums and is a good place to start to understand what happens.

The Germans are blissfully unaware of the impending French attack as the approach is made during the dark. As a result the Germans are primarily set up around the larger town segment in the surrounding country to be able to spot the French as they arrive. I initially thought that the game would revolve around urban assaults, etc. I couldn't have been more wrong.

As dawn broke the Germans saw the large French forces coming towards them. There was no way to hold all the town hexes but there were several chances to attack the French in clear terrain with a leader and morale bonuses. Completely uncharacteristically the Germans attacked in the cleaer, ceding a quick French lead in town hexes controlled (mid-game the Germans held two and the French 7). On the other hand, the French forces were either reduced or demoralized, leaving a realtively equal sized force to defend the town hexes they had.

By the end of the game, the Germans held 3 town hexes but had reduced the French to only four (the remainder were contested). Given the large disparity in losses the Germans were able to easily claim victory.

My tactics in this one were completely wrong from a classic standpoint. I didn't defend the town and had to assault my way back in essentially. Yet the opportunity to cripple the French on their way to town was so significant that I picked a higher risk approach. I'm not sure I would have done so if I wasn't playing solo but it was awfully fun watching the French VPs surge past the Germans and then slide back down as they were unable to keep their lead.

This one was a lot of fun. I give it a "4".