Playtesting BA Solo rules

After a rather fatiguing day of outdoor repairs and yard work, today I am playtesting some rules and minis I've painted since TQ (The Quarantine) began. Airborne with armor support, vs Waffen SS holding a town. No points measuring or balancing, just slugging it out to experiment a BA v2.0 rules and a BA solo card system adapted from that found on the Facebook Bolt Action group.

Airborne: Clear the village. Drive the huns out. SS: Stop the Amis. We'll go 8 turns and evaluate.

Stand by for updates.

First die drawn goes to the Baddies. The Nebelwerfer will open up on the center squad of Amis.

Rolls a "1", so it makes noise but has no effect.

It's at this point I recall that I was testing solo rules, but we'll let that stand and draw again.

Green, so I can use HI rather than AI. Advance the left, 1st squad gets a Run.

They make it to soft cover

Next die is grey.

I Draw MMG Team for Unit and Fire as an order. I only have LMG teams available so that will have to do. Ideally, the composition of the Unit deck would match the available units. Lesson 1 learned. Since I have a team inside a nice bunker.... (imagine the dudes on it are in it....)

Missed them with artillery, let's see whst yhe MG-42 can do. Rolled to hit against a Veteran squad, 5 dice, a 4 and 6 hit, they get a pin, roll to damage, 4 and 1. No casualties. 

Next die is grey. Draw Tank and Fire, however, w/ no enemy in range or sight it may advance or ambush. I didn't want to commit yet, so Ambush it is.

Next draw grey, infantry, advance. I think we'll send the fall pattern camo squad to the church.

Next die is green. I choose to Fire an M4 at die bunker, hard cover, small unit, regulsr troops means 6 to hit. It does not :-(

Next die green. Let's lay down some suppressing fire on the nearest huns.

5 dice, long range, hard cover, 2 hits, a pin, convert to 2 casualties. Good shootin'.

Another green die. Advance the gun jeep to the hedge and lay down some more fire on the Nasties. 

Close range, hard cover, moved. Sixes. Nope. Next. Grey, Infantry, Run. As there are no cards for special teams like flamethrower or panzerschreck, I will use Infantry to cover them. Lesson 2, make Specialty team cards.

I think I'll Run the panzerschreck team closer to the enemy tanks.

Next. Green. My 75mm crew can see a log bunker in the distance. Why not FIRE!

One shot, 5 rolled, miss. But that bunker ain't moving.... Next die green, advance 2nd M4 and use all mgs on the 'schreck team. 2xmmg+1xhmg, 13 dice, 3 hits. All do damge, team elim.

That removes their die as well. Next die green. We'll Run our FO team forward.

Next die green. We'll run 2nd squad forward. But first their order test. The 1st Lt is nearby, so the test is base 9 -1 pin + 2 for LT =10 or less on 2d6. 7 rolled, discard the pin and Run.

Next die green (!)

We'll Run third squad up but stay behind the wall.

Next die grey, infantry, run. We'll run the flammenwerfer up. 

Next die, infantry, fire. The nearest SS Squad will open up on the gun jeep, but the panzerfaust mann will target the nearest Sherman. 

Faust First. Measure to find it's 1 inch out of range. My bad. Now for the light weapons. 2 A.R., 2 smg, long range, 8 dice soft cover, 5,6 to hit. 4 hits. Pinned. 6s to damage. 2 6s. The jeep is knocked out, it's die removed.

Grey die. Infantry Fire. As an option, I will have the squad in the woods set to Ambush. Although part of the 1st airborne squad is technically in range, it just doesn't make sense. Lesson 3, don't do something plainly foolish. Next die green. I think some medium mortar fire on die bunker.... they have los, indirect range 35. Smoke, as my HE isn't big enough to bring it down. But I might neutralize it if they can't see. 

Lucky six!

That'll slow 'em down...

Next die green. Officer moving up at a Run.

Next die grey. Sniper advance. As I already had the team in the church tower, Advance makes no sense. Ambush should be an option as with Fire. Lesson 4. So ambush it is. Finally :-(

Clear LOS to all Allied units. Now that nearly all have moved this turn. Can you start a game with a unit in Ambush? Hmmmm.

Next die grey. Hmg advance. Lmg close enough (see Lesson 1) and Ambush (Lesson 4).

Next and final die green. Bazooka team Run forward. End Turn One. Whew. All dice back in the bag except Sniper, SS Squad 1, and log bunker lmg teams in ambush. 

Also rejiggering the Unit deck to get it closer to whats on the table. Reshuffling Orders. Begin Turn Two..... we draw....a Green Die....

But first, let's see if the smoke shifts or clears. Yes, darnit, 2" to the left, leaving a squad exposed. Third squad runs up and over to get out of that arc. 

2nd die green, I'll Run the bazooka team in the same direction. Now the obligatory Bell Tower sniper,  waiting in ambush, fires, taking out the bazooka man. The loader makes his morale check, so I keep the order die, but lose a chance to create a threat for Axis armor. 

Next die, green again. I'll Advance the M4 to block LOS between the bunker and my MMG Team.

He can still fire but what to target? Theres an SS Squad in the trees dead ahead. Another round of mg fire, but not the pintle mount, we're getting close to infantry and i don't want the pins. 2 x mmg. Moved, long range, soft cover, 6s to hit. None. Rats.

Next die green.  I'll Run my MMG Team up to join 2nd squad.

Next die grey. An MG Team gets fire orders. The log bunker team has an Ambush order already, so it has to be the concrete bunker team. Their only target is the Sherman, which it can't damage. Ping ping ping for no damage. Hmm. Not wrong enough to modify IMHO, just bad luck.

 You know, a little LED flashing inside that bunker would be cool.....

Next die grey. Sniper fire. He's already Ambushed, go to next unit card, Tank, Fire. Well, he has no LOS so he'll go back in Ambush. Next die green. 2nd squad will Run to the hedge. The log bunker MG team will fire on them from Ambush. Soft cover so 4,5,6. 3 hits, pinned. This is the Veteran squad, so 5,6 to dmg. 2 5s, 2 troops removed.  Next die green. Medium mortar will Fire on the SS Squad in the trees. 6 to hit. Only a 5. Next die green.  Light howitzer at log bunker ( treating as a building for this game) 5 hits this time (2nd time targeting). Yields 2 pins and 1 hit to the bunker. 

Next die green. First squad will fire on the SS in the woods. BAR and 6 rifles, long range, soft cover. 5,6 to hit. 2 5s, so a pin and .. rolling.. no dmg.

Next die is grey. Infantry advance. The "fall" Veteran SS squad will enter the church . We'll position them next to windows, 2 to a window.

Its big enough to be two rooms, but for purposes of the test and simplicity I'll treat it as one.

Some windows have targets but as it's one unit, I'll have to select one. An lmg and 2 rifles will hit 3rd squad. Most of the squad is over 12 inches away si I'll say far fir rifles and near for LMG. They also have some cover (Boulder) from the LMG and one rifle. Net net, 1 pin, no kills. The Dice were not with them.

Next die, grey. Infantry, Run. I'm tempted to have them assault across the street but the conditions do not favor it. I think they'll fall back. They have to make their order test. 11, they FAIL their order test! So the go Down in place.

Next die grey. Infantry run. Now the flammenwerfer is in range if the 2nd Squad, and could Assault.  Probably.  I'd rather use them in town. They'll Run back down the street.
Next die green. The FO team will run forward. Maybe they'll see something worth Air Striking.

Next die green. Ill move up the HQ.

Last die turn two is grey. Lets see what they want the Nebelwerfer to do. Card says Run. I'll have to move it 12" forward. 

End turn two. Allies still not in town, both sides taken light losses. No armor engagement. Not sure which way this will go. 
I'll post starting with Turn 3 tomorrow. Click here for the Next Move.