Battle for Vizerrara Pass

Battle for Vizerrara Pass Table

Graham arranged for an early morning (late afternoon for Graham) two-player game of For Whom the Dice Rolls (FWTDR).  Given my planning from the previous FWTDR game (see Situational Awareness on the Wargaming Table), the pre-battle briefing was just that; brief!  I was given a rough map of the area, my Republican Order of Battle, and a vague objective.  No information on the enemy was provided, at all.  My Republicans will be entering the table from the bottom map edge while the Nationalists will be arriving from the top map edge.  For all I know, the Nationalists may already be on the table and occupying the town.  The Republican objective is to control the pass.  Artillery and Off-Table Assets for the Republicans are limited.  Who knows what the Nationalists may have up their sleeves?  This should be fun.

On to my brief battle report from afar.  Graham, I suspect, will be posting much better photos of the action shortly.  

Graham's battle report at: Heading Them Off At The (No) Pass-aran.

Relevant photo description follows each photo.

The Nationalists win initiative and bring on an armored car and an infantry battalion in trucks.  The infantry disembark.  The Republicans bring on a field gun, unlimbering it off the road.  Two Trubia Naval tanks advance on either side of the road while an infantry battalion advances on the right of the main road. 

Nationalists move the armored car up the road to counter the Trubias while the Carlist infantry head for the town.  The Basques move up to the river and halt.

On the left, both armies bring on reinforcements and make their way toward the monastery on the hill.

Reinforcements continue to arrive on board as the Nationalists advance across a broad front.  The Republican Asaltos enter on the right with their armored car in the lead.  A Nationalist airstrike targets the Basques at the river.  They are pinned but not much damaged.

While both sides advance in strength upon both flanks in an attempt to control the high ground, the Trubias in the center bypass the enemy armored car and threaten the arriving reinforcements.  

The Nationalist armored car spins around to attack the trailing Trubia from the rear while the truck-mounted AA attacks the lead Trubia from the front.  Both tanks suffer hits.  Carlist infantry moves from the dangerous open ground to occupy the central town.

The Republican field gun sends a shell up the tailpipe of the Nationalist armored car before opening up on the advancing Carlists on the high ground on the left.  The lead Trubia returns fire upon the AA truck and knocks it out.

The Republicans keep making their way up the left flank along the ridgeline while a third Basque battalion arrives and advances up the road toward the action.  Both Trubias attack infantry in the open.  One battalion is caught in march column on the road.

Both Carlist infantry battalions, attacked by the tanks, panic and flee to the rear!  Their battle is done.

With the threat of Carlist reinforcements in the center gone, attention can turn toward dealing with the flanks.

To start off, the Republicans call in a bomber run, targeting the enemy on the right hill.  Near the town, the Asalto armored car goes up in smoke from close range fire from the town.  Ouch! 

Unfortunately, the bombers misidentify their target and the bomb loads are dropped upon their own troops!  The Asaltos survive the unfortunate friendly fire mishap but are shaken from the experience. 

In the center, the Basques cross the river to threaten the town while the Asaltos on the right hill attempt to regain their composure.  The Carlists opposite the Asaltos use this opportunity to attack.

On the Republican left, two battalions of Basques move into position to threaten one Carlist battalion among the hills.  The first close assault is repulsed but the enemy has been softened up in a crossfire.  In the center, the two Trubias drive off to the foothills to support the beleaguered Asaltos.  The tanks are attacked by infantry and the infantry are driven off.  Well, maybe driven over.

On the right, the Asaltos are driven off the high ground with heavy casualties as the Basques in the center advance upon the town.  On the left, two Basque battalions provide preparatory fire into a very hard-pressed Carlist battalion before launching an assault.

The Republican assault goes in at more than two-to-one odds.  The Carlists are thrown back from the heights.

The Carlists rout back across the river.  With more than half of the Nationalist infantry scattered, the Republicans declare victory!  

Well, that was a fun and tense little scenario.  For a two-player game, this was just about the perfect size for two players.  Action was brisk and engaging throughout.  Card play with one player per side seemed smoother than in our recent multiplayer battles.  Both players had opportunities to attack and defend.  Game play seemed much more tactical and meaningful in nature since random off-board assets were kept to a minimum.  Not having much onboard artillery helped smooth the game too.  The rules and the interactions between parts are beginning to gel in my mind.

All in all, it was great fun.  Well done, Graham, for putting together a fine game!