CS: Middle East Tournament - TOURNAMENT ENDED

[Crossroads]

Panzerde and I just finished our game. I was not part of the playtesting team for the "Set A" so these were new to me too. Having said that, I have found out the 1980's battles are my particular sweet spot, and this is an area of the game I have spent the most time with.

As a plan I decided to not contest the two 250VP hexes at the crossroads, but decided to try a game of attrition rather, and to save assets to try something at the latter half of the game. With the loss of the said hexes (500VP), with the IDF objectives held in the beginning (800VP) and casualties even-steven, the result would be a Draw at 1300VPs then.

Panzerde, having already played this as Libyans, was curious to find out if a one concentrated IDF spearhead relying on their Op Fire in slowly advancing would be possible to stop at all, and played accordingly.

As it played out, at the end and attrition wise were at Draw at 1120 points. My raid to Karam with two reinforced Coy task forces, which I launched midway into the game paid out, was then what made the difference.

While the other Coy task force was stopped cold, the other Coy managed to fight its way to have visuals on the IDF assets (depots, factories) at the northern edge of the town. With artillery to keep defenders busy and Gunships attacking those valuable targets I was able to destroy the two depots in the northern edge, for the decisive 2*8*25VP = 400 VPs. I had a late chance to try attacking towards the southern edge of the town for the one depot worth 200VP there, but that was repulsed decisively. The fourth depot in the area I never spotted and actually assumed there'd be only three of them, like with Libyans at El Barqa.

IDF casualties were 68 Merkava's and M60s, most victims to my ATGM units. With infantry platoons keeping a constant LOS with advancing IDF units, I tried to spot an isolated IDF concentration and then used my T-72s at the visibility range to duel with Merkavas and to open a chance for the soft skinned missile units to their deeds. On the other hand I tried to have my force out of LOS as much as possible, so I was yielding ground all the time. What especially helped I had a shorter trip to rearm my Gunships, so they were around for most of the time. We both made a bit of a mess with handling the reload mechanism, so I made a request to have more details available in the final 1.02 manual to explain the various aspects that take place here.

Libyan losses were at 35 T-72s and 53 BMP-1/BRDM2 w.Saggers. As noted above, I used my infantry to protect my mobile group and to keep LOS to advancing IDF forces. It was particularly brutal for them, at the end only a couple of shot out platoons survived the battle of the crossroads, withdrawing finally out of LOS. Friendly infantry losses were at 50sp vs 14sp of IDF rifle platoons.

As a meeting engagement with onus for attack on IDF forces, it seems this can be played out with many alternate tactics. IDF player seems to have the characteristics of Mike Tyson here, moving swiftly towards a decisive punch for an early knock-out, while Libyan player seems to have the characteristics of Muhammad Ali to dance around the opponent looking for those chances as they comet to hit hard too.

edit: we played this with all optional rules ON except AF OFF