I bought AOI on a lark. I know next to nothng about the East Africa .campaign. But once I opened the box I was bitten. Now I'm in the hunt for literature on the subject (only know of one recent book The First Victory Stewart, 2016) The game featurees 6 battle campaigns and historical text; a wonderful addition to PG that I've come to expect. One thing I’d like to see is the geographical location map pinpointing each scenario and a bibliography for the history of each campaign so the player can read up on the subject as he or she desiires.

On to scenario #1. It is a very mall scenario; 17 counters. This is smallest I've ever played. In fact, I was loath to play it because I didn't think I was going to have much fun. But it turned out to be a very tense play.

The object for each side is simple: Capture the villages on board #91. Historically, the Italians tried to raid the British outpost at Moyale, Kenya on July 1, 1940. (This was the 1st ground action but not the 1st action of the campaign. An air attack on Wajir, Kenya happened on June 13). The Kings African Rifles held the fort and even captured the enemy outpost on turn #14. By this time, There was no opposition to the KAR. They won the initiative for that last turn and finally took advantage of 4 steps destroyed to the Italian 25th Colonial Infantry too many losses late in the game. By contrast, the KAR lost 1.

It felt like I was playing a good game of chess. Butit came down to die rolling. The main KAR force was surrounded by the Italians but they punched a hole in th the net and captured their village on turn 14, ending the game.

Il titolo dello scenario ma anche quello che abbiamo fatto ieri sera nella scatola di AOI. Gli Italiani si schierano a distanza di sicurezza su una linea a poi via, gran assalto al villaggio inglese. Qualche fuoco di opportunita' britannico non troppo convinto, ed al quinto turno e' gia' un gran mischione intorno al villaggio. Il resto dello scenario e' un danzare rugbistico di unita' mentre gli Italiani cercano di portare la mischia sul villaggio e gli inglesi cercano di impedirlo. Alla fine gli italiani ce la fanno e quando costringono alla fuga la mitragliatrice inglese, vincono pure lo scenario. Il mio amico-nemico, che teneva gli Italiani, non ha mai smesso di canticchiare "Faccetta Nera" con l'indimenticabile accento del film "I Due Nemici" ("Best of enemies" per gli amici anglofoni).

Author	Greyfox
Method	Solo
Victor	Britain
Play Date	2023-01-02
Language	English
Scenario	AOIt001

This is a great introductory scenario for the Italians. It is a little bit boring for a British player who is attempting to play it smart - the King's African Rifles (KAR) has a reinforced company of Soldiers. The set-up has the KAR restricted to the bottom 44% or the map with instructions to hold the town. Instructions are not clear, but I think it is the Farm/Orchard Space (0415) and a Field (0315) are supposed to be used as the town (it is the one thing that makes sense). The Italian Colonials need to set up in anywhere in the top 17% of the Map.

Lessons learned

Italians-

1) Effective use of time - Time is always your enemy, and while four hours seems like a lot of time it isn't. Agressively, attacking would have gotten the Italians to the town in 5 moves with all their FAN and MIT provided they used the road to 0508. The maneuvering around the flank took three additional, and precious turns.

2) Task Organization is Critical - Part of the problem was how I task organized my forces. The key is to think what the Task and purpose you want for each unit, and then organize the force to achieve that mission. I should have put all my MIT and half of my FAN into the fixing force that pushed due south. I could have then rushed the remaining FAN along the road at the intersection. The fixing force could have closed within rifle range (2 hexes) in five turns and the flanking forces would have arrived a turn after. That would have provided three additional turns. Also, having a larger fixing force could have set conditions better for the flanking force.

3) Maneuver. Think about how you want to maneuver before crossing the line of departure. Overall the maneuver went well, with a few hiccups caused mainly by my erroneous task organization.

4) Concentration of forces - It is ok to have three platoons per hex when the enemy has no credible indirect fire capability or when you are outside observation/in limiting terrain, or outside direct fire range. It is also Ok to concentrate during an assault. Don't tie yourself to dispersing forces unless and until you have to. Sometime concentration of forces can facilitate better command and control and movement when you have fewer leaders.

British -

1) Don't be afraid to adjust your plan. Plan never survives contact with the enemy. I observed the Italians maneuvering on the flank. I could have moved the platoon that was dug In at 0515 to 0516 or 0416 and dug them in, in the time that it took the Italians to close with my battle position. That would have opened up the fields of fire and made more effective use of terrain. I could have also maneuvered a second Infantry platoon to join them and dig in to the same position. The right flank was being threatened and not the left. Since there was no Italian indirect the town hex didn't give me much additional advantage, and I would have gained first fire advantage during every assault turn had the British forces dug in instead. Basically, I was lazy with the British and could have done more to counter Italian flanking attempts.

2) Keep a Reserve - Reserves give the defending force flexibility - so don't put everything into the front line. Moving that one platoon from the front line into the reserve proved critical. When the Italians getting ready to assault a much reduced British force 0415 (a disrupted MG which would have defended at 2 since it was disrupted and an MG without any IN support in a town), It rapidly moved into the town and bolstered British staying power in that town hex. Had it not moved into the town when it did, the Italians would have taken the hex and earned at least a draw. By my calculation disrupted 8-4 MG defended at a combat power of 4, in a town without IN support drops it dropped to a 2. With the undemoralized leader that would have put it in the 3 column. The IN changed the calculus to a Disrupted MG (4) and IN (4) and a undemoralized leader now defending at the 9 column. This when facing an assault from 2 x MIT, a FAN and an undemoralized leader with a combat modifier 18+1 = 19. 18 column +1 for undemoralizeed leader and - 2 for attacking a unit defining at town hex adjusted to a 13 column.

3) Concentrations - Keeping the company in close proximity allowed the Brits to mass effects more effectively than had I dispersed their combat power.

The battle was nothing more than a fight to see who would take the Southern most town. In a last turn effort the Italians won out. It could have gone the other way with a lucky roll on the behalf of the British early on in the game. It was the Italians who got the luck of the dice and one of their dug in positions got beaten early in the game.