Bucha, Ukraine - 27 Feb 2022 - 15mm
How NOT to play Valor & Victory 1982 Lebanon ...
In addition to the Falklands wargame we’ve had recently, we’ve also had a weekend web wargame with @rasmus in Valor & Victory: expanded to 1982 Lebanon. My reinforced IDF mechanized infantry platoon was charged with going in and securing a Palestinian-help village in the norther Bekka Valley.
Things … didn’t go so well. Although I did get to RUN OVER a Palestinian technical with my Zelda APC! 😀
Okay, here is the map and the two forces. My IDF has to come on the map from the south, and take at least three of the hexes marked in yellow "target" icons (objective hexes).
My IDF has a company commander, two under-strength platoons (or really, one reinforced platoon), and four APCs. Three of these are the M113 "Zelda" - and one is a Zelda machine gun carrier.
The PLO has three platoons, three technicals with DShK 12.7mm HMGs, and one big one with x2 23mm AA autocannon.
The PLO sets up on defense. They're hidden out of initial lines of sight, hoping to deny the Israelis any easy free kills with off-board mortars or their one helicopter gunship strike. Also keep an eye on those civilian counters. Neither side really controlls them, but they can definitely be used to the PLO player's advantage.
Things seems to start well. The Israeli APCs roll in, the PLO moves up RPG teams to attack them, and we get opportunity fire as they do so, killing and pinning them as they move. 
On the west flank, things go much worse. One Zelda takes a flanking RPG hit from the right, and it blows up, producing casualty token. I have to move officers and medics in to evac the casualty, but this overextends that squad and they wind up taking fire from four directions. I can even return fir in many cases because, yeah, those civilians BLOCK my line of fire, but they do NOT block PLO fire. 
With this battle already pretty much going off the rails, I decide to get cut loose and just enjoy myself on the east wing. I try to open fire with my "gun Zelda" and her infantry squads, but roll double sixes (worst roll possible) on one of my antipersonnel firepower checks. This "summons" a PLO sniper, who brains out my company commander and his whole command team. The terrified gun Zelda crew decides to gun it, and overrun the PLO treeline! (Like I said, clearly this game is already lost, now I'm just having fun).
Here we can see the PLO sniper to the upper right, my gun Zelda overrunning the PLO ZU-23-2 technical (hell yeah!) ... and the helo strike taking out another PLO technical in the center. Unfortunately, the PLO with counter-assault this runaway gun Zelda, and molotov-cocktail the hell out of it, knocking it out and producing yet another casualty marker, this one behind PLO lines. I'll end in ANOTHER Zelda to try and evac that casualty, I actually manage to get the gun Zelda's crew out, but then the second Zelda is also hit and I lose that crew as KIA / POW.
A small mercy, Rasmus also rolls double sixes at one point an an Israeli sniper also makes an appearance.
But here's where Rasmus really wins the game. Two assaults southeast, into these woods, partially covered by orchards, ruins, and civilians. Not only are these five casualty markers inflicted on my, but since Rasmus CONTROLS these hexes in which the casualty markers are placed (successful assaults), they count as casualties in enemy hands. So these guys will be tortured or killed on the spot or held hostage until traded back for PLO prisoners, etc. In game terms, it's double victory points for Rasmus on these casualty markers, and he gets x3 what I get for a casualty marker anyway. So now it's x6 victory point awards here. Definitely a grim day for the IDF here.
Final situation - the Israelis have lost this game 81-to-10. Yeah, THAT bad. :( But hey, congrats to Rasmus! And these games show that with a properly-designed system and scenario, asymmetrical games can still allow a big win for the side with obviously inferior firepower and resources.
Leave a Reply