There was some time on Saturday afternoon for SP to come over for a spot of gaming. I'd had a hankering for something WWII after our recent ancients binges and decided to turn to the Memoir '44 Mediterranean expansion. SP has got Memoir '44 down and does not need any coaching whatsover so I thought it was a good chance to try out the quick-and-dirty campaign rules. SP was also of a mind to give these a go and as per usual took the Germans, We got things started just after 2:00.
First game was Sidi Rezegh Airfield. The scenario goes to five victory medals with five command cards for the Germans and four for the British. I had eight units of tanks versus six for SP who also had two units of infantry, one with the airfield in the central sector and one entrenched in Sidi Rezegh itself.
The British have no troops at all in the left section, and Murphy's Law being what it is, three of my four initial cards were for that section!
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| One out of four ain't bad! |
It didn't matter anyway: SP drove in on my centre with his armour and decimated it, winning 5-2 in just five turns (and I was fortunate to get the 2!).
The second scenario was Dug in at Sidi Omar. I had six infantry units and one artillery section entrenched in hills on my left and left centre, and a force of four tank units in the right rear. Against this the Germans had five infantry, one artillery and seven tank units. Both sides had five command cards and to win six medals were needed.
As part of the campaign, SP rolled six dice (five for the banners he won last game and another for winning the game) which forced me to remove four tank figures, one infantry figure, and to retreat one unit. I rolled two dice, which forced SP to remove an artillery figure and a tank figure. The artillery figure was a significant loss for SP and a great stroke of luck for me.
This was a tougher fight for the Germans: they were at a disadvantage when attacking my entrenched infantry and in the fight with my armour on the right did not get the results hoped. It ended up a 6-2 win for the British.
The last scenario was Flanking Maneuver at Bir Hakeim. Again the Eighth Army was on the defensive. Mines and wire protected the three infantry and one artillery units of my right, while entrenchments and hills protected the four infantry on the left. I also had two tank units in reserve, but they were much reduced by the pre-game campaign dice rolls.
SP had three units of Italian tanks and two of Italian foot on his left, and across the centre and right five units of German infantry, one of artillery, and three of tanks. He had six command cards to my five, and the game was to five medals.
This game was very tight, and it turned on my managing to drive off the attack of the Italian tanks who tried to skirt the minefields, come down through the centre and feast on the infantry. Helpful cards gave me strong options and the Eighth Army prevailed 5-3, though it felt closer than that.
It was another good day of gaming and the three linked scenarios kept things connected and interesting. We usually play overlord (two boards together) scenarios, but playing through these showed how good the standard game is as well.
Thanks to SP for a fun and challenging session.
