Flames of War Missions: Encounter
Scenarios 102 – Encounter
Flames of War is all about the objectives. You take them, you win. Let me repeat this, you take them, you win. Scenarios determine each players objectives. This time, lets look at the second mission: Encounter.
If you played most wargames, this scenario, like Free for All, resembles something you are used to. Each player sets on each long side and the objectives that you need to take are placed the opposite side of the board where your opponents deploy. So lets look at the specifics:
Special Rules
First, the Special Rules are Fair Fight, Delayed Reserves, Scattered Reserves and Mobile Battles.
Fair Fight means, that if there is no winner, then you use the Loser’s Column of VP determination.
Delayed Reserves – Start Rolling for Reserves on Turn 3.
Scattered Reserves – Reserves come in left corner, Right corner or the Center.
Mobile Battle – All teams count as moved during the First Player’s Shooting Step. No Going to ground, No Concealment in the Open, First player has movement ROF for all team and can not conduct Arty Bombardments, and Air support.
Prepping the Battle
1. Determine Attacker – High Die
2. Attacker places 1 Obj – minimum 16 inches back from centerline and 8 inches from the side edge and no further than 48 inches apart on his long edge and then the Defender does the same. Then attacker places objective in Defender objective place and Defender places an objective in the Attacker objective Zone.
3. Attackers nominates at least half of his platoons as reserves, the Defender does the same.
4. Attacker places a platoon 12 inches back from Center, then Defender places a platoon, then Attacker, then Defender and so on.
Beginning the Battle
1. Attacker does recce moves, then the Defender.
2. Player who finished deployement first get a +1 to his roll, each player rolls, high die moves first.
Victory Conditions
Start any turn in sole control of an objective in the opponent’s deployment zone or force opponent to withdraw through Morale.
Tactical Reminders
Deployment: You have two options – Active – How can you get most of your army to an objective by turn 4
OR be Reactive- Before you place your 1st team, take a look at your opponent’s army. Think for a second at how can he get to his objectives. Think of how he will defend his objective. Watch where and when your opponents platoons are being placed. Generally, most players place their most important platoons after they deployed half of their platoons.
Use terrain as highways of cover to get to the opponents objects.
Generally, your most expensive, powerful platoons should be on the board during deployment. If you have 1000 pts and your opponent only has 600 on the board, you should overwhelm him. Take advantage of this.
If you are playing Infantry
Infantry armies are at a severe disadvantage in this mission. Generally, your heavy hitters need to be on the board. Don’t be afraid to short platoons by combat attaching all but one of the squads to maintain high platoon count while beefing up your platoons that will be deployed. If you are playing against a tank army hold on until your mass starts showing up or you have whittled his forces to something manageable – don‘t attack until you realistically can.
Terrain – Terrain can help you not getting shot up, if you plan to attack early then move to terrain, keep the enemy from firing at you. Double Timing on the attack might be a good tool. Digging In helps your Artillery and Infantry to survive the initial onslaught.
Caveats – If your artillery can sight the enemy Artillery then bombard it if it hasn’t dug in. Bombardments = No Gun Shield Save!
AT Guns need to be deployed to slow the opponent armor so infantry and arty can dig in. They can also protect a objective with some back up or support an attacking platoon by forming a fire line. Also, you can start looking at ways to attack an objective by slipping a recon or infantry platoon around a flank especially when reserves come in.
Use artillery to pin and limit the movement of enemy. Smoke can help keep those platoon alive when moving in the open. Combined arms is your plan of action because you will probably get one chance if counterattacking. Eliminating those enemy vehicle MGs is a priority.
If you are playing Mechanized or Armor
Press, press, press. Remember, first turn is already moved, so move! you are already ROF 1. Most Armored Armies will have about 2/3 of their pointage on the board. YOU MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS.
More than likely, you have a recon element, use that recon movement to get close, it’s a free extra round of movement. Use those MGs to thin out enemy when he is out of his foxholes. Generally, you can expect only one enemy artilllery platoon, so bunching up is not a factor. Double Timing can get up into assualt range. Remember that artillery has minimum ranges for bombardment.
Share your thoughts. Next will be 103 – Hold the Line
See you at the tables – Bluestroll
