Last night was a 500 point playtest using Battlegroup Tobruk and the 'Take the High Ground' generic scenario from the rulebook.
British force, chosen from the British Armoured list, attacked a list chosen from the Italian Infantry Division section. The British had a great first few turns, with their tanks and infantry in reserve and spending the start plastering everything with artillery fire… and some great rolling and some poor Italian dice, saw losses building from turn 1 for the Italians as troops began to rout from the start. An airstrike by a Blenheim on the housing complex added to their sorrows.
Inexplicably the Italians had not thought to add a Forward Observer to their initial defence, but when he finally arrived, the supporting Italian artillery did sterling work hitting into the gully where the now arrived British Crusaders and infantry were assembling for an attack over the first hill towards the Italian defence line.
As the dust clouds rolled in, the Italians were in bad shape to losses, having suffered bad luck on most dice rolls, from orders, to reinforcements and to morale. Nothing they did seemed to be destined for any success.
But not giving in, and with dust clouds limiting visibility, the Italian tankettes launched a dashing counter attack down one flank, hoping to roll up all the British support assets at the rear. All that stood in their way was the newly painted Bofors Portee…
He promptly put a round through the lead tankette and destroyed it, with the rest turning tail as the chit took the Italians over their BR. A fun game for the British and a mildly frustrating one for the Italians who rather suffered from bad luck which compounded a poor initial defence choice and then lack of orders. Was all rather like the desert really…
