"...miles and miles and bloody miles of absolutely damn all."
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Battlefield Location: North Africa, 1941 Conditions: Dust Storm Time of Day: Late Afternoon
German Order of Battle British Order of Battle
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Morale All German units are Veteran. All British units are Qualified.
Terrain and Setup The play area should be 20 MU by 30 MU, describing a trackless desert waste composed mostly of rough terrain and sand. A small dune or two, vehicle tracks, and the burnt-out hulks of tanks and trucks may be added for verisimilitude. The players should visualize the game area as being divided into six regions, each 10 by 10 MU, as per this diagram. A sandstorm condition will exist until the beginning of Turn 5. The weather will then clear. |
The British Eighth Army and the German Afrikakorpsare engaged in a seesaw battle for possession of Libya, maneuvering back and forth like naval forces in the trackless, barren wastes. Territory exchanges hands on a daily basis, and little of it has any meaning, for this is a war of movement, logistics, and confusion. The latter element is depressingly common in the desert war, for both sides are skilled at concealment and diversion, and both are equally vulnerable to the vicissitudes of weather. Great storms of sand and dust can blow up with little notice- obscuring vision, splitting units, and terrifying (often injuring) the men who are trapped out in the open.
A small British armored element has crossed paths with a German reconnaissance force on the edge of an afternoon sandstorm. Lost in the clouds of swirling dust, each force has split up and maneuvered unwisely. Now, as the storm finally abates, each unit is in for a series of surprises as it searches for friends and foes alike.
Each side's forces are divided into four groups. One group will be placed on the board each turn, in numerical order. At the beginning of each turn, roll one six-sided die for each side. This will determine which of the six regions each new group will go into (A roll of 1 sends the unit to Region 1, a roll of 2 sends it to Region 2, and so on). Within each 10 by 10 MU region, each player may determine where their unit appears on the board (or, in other words, appears out of the sandstorm). The only caveat is that no unit may be placed within 3 MU of an enemy unit. In the event both sides are supposed to place in the same region, randomly determine who places first. At the beginning of each subsequent turn, roll again and place the next groups, until at the beginning of Turn 4 all the forces have become visible on the board. Newly placed units may move that turn, but may not fire until the next turn following their placement.
EXAMPLE: At the beginning of Turn 1, the British player rolls a 4 and the German player rolls a 1. The British player puts two Matilda tanks into Region 4 and the German player puts a Panzer II tank into Region 1. These units may move but not fire just yet.
At the beginning of Turn 2, the British player rolls a 5 and the German player rolls a 6. The British player places a Crusader tank in Region 5 and the German player puts a "Loki" walker in Region 6. After that, the units placed in Turn 1 may move and fire, while the newly-placed units may only move.
Play proceeds in this fashion until all the available forces have been revealed on the map. Initiative is rolled and handled normally.
This encounter is Medium Mission Priority for both sides.
It's the lowest common denominator this time around- the last side able to leave the field and report back to its HQ wins.
It's another confusion scenario not entirely unlike "A Total Bloody Mix-Up," but with what I feel is an even more interesting randomization device. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my grubby little paws on a copy of the just-about-to-be released Gear Krieg Tactical Combat Companion,which is reported to have all sorts of tactical goodies like artillery rules, random setup schemes, and other complications I can throw into the mix.
Incidentally, this is my first North Africa scenario.
