Benghazi 2012 - Designing Buildings for Transit Game
Results: SitRep Playtest of Contact Front Gods Eye Games
This past Sunday, Gianna ( @stvitusdancern ) and I had the chance to playtest Contact Front – the new modern skirmish wargame system from Gods Eye Games. We had to use a virtual table, of course, but this was scaled at 6’x’4′, at 28mm. We also abbreviated some of the objective and support options, and again, this was our very first run of the system so we were definitely “leaning to crawl before we tried to walk.”
The complete playthrough is available on the Sitrep Youtube Channel here:
Our 6x4 table, scaled for 28mm miniatures (bases just under 1" wide), showing initial Taliban set up positions and US Army entry. Taliban has a four-man fighter cell, an RPG team, a PKM GPMG team, and a command team. US Army has a squad (two four-man fireteams, M4, M4, M16/203, M249 SAW), and a sergeant squadleader. Again, baby steps here. This is a VERY small game.
Close up of the "miniatures" I made for this game. US troopers carry M4 assault carbines, M16 assault rifles with attached M203 grenade launchers, and M249 SAW (squad automatic weapon) light machine guns.
Taliban figures. AKM assault rifles, PKM GPMGs, RPG rocket launchers, and a local warlord for a Taliban Command Team.
The Americans enter the table to secure at least two of the three buildings on the table (again, VERY abbreviated objectives for this first play through). Just to get the stream started and try out the combat system, I rush Gianna's "Fireteam Bravo" and "Sergeant Rock" with my PKM team. She has them in "Watch and Fire" posture so she fires as I approach the edge of the roof - her M203 grenadier puts an HE-FRAG right between them and rolls very well on the blast damage. Both Taliban fighters are immediately eliminated. Not only do theynot get to shoot, neither does the rest of Fireteam Bravo!
Fireteam Alpha moves up along the left flank, using low mud walls and construction debris as cover. To screen further advance they put down two smoke grenades from the M203. These smoke screens will actually expand on the next turn.
My Taliban "freedom fighters" try to use American smoke screens against them - moving all units down against Fireteam Bravo as fast as I can. If I can hit HALF of Gianna's force with ALL of my force while the infidels are still divided, especially an RPG gunner at point-blank range, even one or two casualties can really slow down the American advance. But Fireteam Alpha is going to get a few shots as I race across that road. One AKM gunner takes a Tier 3 and Tier 2 wound (slight and moderate).
The end game. My aggressive Taliban strategy (taken as much to entertain the stream ... why else RUSH the infidels when I am in fact on DEFENSE) ... pays off ... but I am let down by the dice. Yes, my first rush against Fireteam Bravo is pinned down by "Section Fire" - but the RPG gunner is then set up for a perfect shot, and drills one right in the middle of Fireteam Bravo. Between bad dice and perhaps we didn't do this correctly by the rules (not sure on this) ... the Americans are pinned and take no wounds. The cost, of course, is immediate. My pincer against Fireteam Bravo instead becomes and American pincer and crossfire as Fireteam Alpha comes in to take the pressure off Fireteam Bravo. American firepower and accuracy is just too much, and once untrained militia start taking losses they don't recover very well at all. A great INITIAL playtest, there are TONS of rules and options we didn't get into with this, including hidden objectives and support options.
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