2015-02-22 Conwy Wargames Club Force on Force Game

Dave put on a modern 20mm skirmish set in Africa around 2010 using the Force on Force rules. I haven't played these rules but I'd heard good things about them and I was interested to see how they played.

Unfortunately Dave apologised that he hadn't had a chance to fill out a detailed scenario but gave us a broad brush idea. The game's objective was to run through the rules to see how they worked so this wasn't a problem.

The figures are mostly Liberation Miniatures and the vehicles are mainly pre-painted models you can buy.

West Africa 2010

The Western backed government had been overthrown and the US had gone in to support it. The legitimate government's enclave centred on the country's main port had been coming under sustained artillery fire. US Marines are dispatched to silence the multiple rocket launcher hampering the build up of government forces.

The coup had been supported by the majority of the army and the artillery and platoon guarding it were regulars.

Dave's broad brush background left us players with plenty of scope to let our imaginations go wild.

In my head the country was Tangerine (I'm pretty sure I've read a very good blog about this imagi-nation  so apologies for nicking the idea). Again in my head this is a country that at one time or other in its history had parts if not all conquered by Arabs, Portuguese, Spanish, French or British. Main export after slavery was abolished would be various types of oranges. The main religion of the people is traditional based on spirits and ancestors. The coup backed by the army called for a return to traditional values and a more equitable distribution of the new found mineral wealth.

Forces

US Marines D10 quality

4 x LAVs

4 x squads one of which has an AT weapon

2 x Humvees with TOW

African Regulars D8 quality - or in my head DAFT (Defensive Armed Forces of Tangerine)

4 x BMP Baboon Troop 1st Popular Front 

4 x squads (2 LMG, 2 RPG) Baboon Troop 1st Popular Front 

1 x HQ squad Baboon Troop 1st Popular Front 

1 x Tank T60? Jaffa Dragoons - to be diced for each turn until a D6 is scored and arrives on 1 of the 3 roads to be diced for.

1 x truck mounted multiple rocket launcher 3rd Dom Joao Rocket Artillery- hidden on board as an objective. Can move but not fire.

The Game

If you haven't guessed, I commanded the forces of Tangerine. Alex commanded the US Marines.

DAFT deployment

The US Marines arrive in convoy

The village of Clementine where the  Dom Joao Rocket Artillery launcher is hiding

2 Baboon squads man the walls

Another squad waits inside their BMP ready to launch a flanking move. In the background their is a  squad on the roof, and the  troop HQ is inside the same building. 

The US Marines get ready to advance

1 squad of  the Baboon Troop 1st Popular Front mans the walls another is inside (but placed behind the building). 

The US advance and take hits from the BMP's. 1 LAV is immobilised but the BMP on the road gets it's main gun knocked out.. 

In the same fire fight the BMP with 2 squads on board joins in and is destroyed in the return fire. Both squads jump out losing a man each.

Better without flash

The picture at the end of the US 3rd move. We quickly  realised we need to keep track of you is immobilised, lost a weapon, wounded too various degrees or pinned. Since we didn't have any suitable markers we improvised with some Legends of the Old West markers I had. By now 3 LAVs have been immobilised and 1 was destroyed. I thought the DAFT troop was doing well. 2 squads of Marines had disembarked, and the 1 in the centre of the picture was in trouble. 1 colleague had a serious wound so his mates now need to get him to safety and would not take part in  the rest of the fight. Since they were neutralised the DAFT troop left them alone. By this stage my BMP in the centre was pinned.

On my third move I successfully rolled for the Jaffa Dragoon tank

The squad in view are in the building. The BMP in view only has it's machine gun working and is pinned.

Another BMP bites the dust. The immobilised LAVs could still fire. Ouch. They beat the Marine squad working it's way around the hill with the AT weapon.

Another Marine squad moves through the bush towards the hill on the DAFT left flank. The TOW by now have come in to play mainly targeting my infantry squads.

A US non com gestures to the TOW commander to suppress the village before they launch their foot attack

Marines treating their injured comrade

The brave daft troops. These 2 squads gave sterling service but casualties are mounting and their  time to withdraw was nearing. 

Smoke had been found. Huzzah! The battlefield transforms with a mass of burning vehicles

The Jaffa Dragoon tank knocks out the LAV's still firing. The BMP on the far right is taken out. Only 1 BMP is now left and that only has a MG.

Overview - the end. All US vehicles are knocked out. Leaving 3 US Marine squad to continue the mission. They faced the Jaffa Dragoon tank, 2 full squads and HQ from Baboon troop/1st Popular Front. In addition there were 3 squads so depleted they probably had 1 shot left in them before  US Marine return fire would finish them off. The Dom Joao Rocket Artillery launcher was safe this time.

The Umpire believed that the US squads could take the village their better training and weaponry out classing the defenders. Personally I think my tank would have something to say about that.

Review

I enjoyed the game both the rules and the company. As we were all either new like me or very rusty the game was slow moving as we working through the rule mechanisms. The ability to react multiple times to your opponents moves worked well but I found I was easy to get lost in the turn sequence. However to my mind it matched the quick reactions and firefights in modern war. The dice for quick reaction for each fire attempt and the combat mechanism I liked and was very simple, although different the other games I play. The use of different dice types to represent skill and morale worked and you could see how it gave the US Marines the edge. I definitely felt that cards with stats and weapons for your units and other relevant information would have been useful to mark impacts and aid quick look up of dice values.

I'd definitely play these rules again. Apparently if using militia/insurgents you get a very different game.