OP Thundering Dice

Ever since the Mad Padre got posted to CFB Borden we've been talking about a boy's gaming weekend. We tried to organize one in October but illness caused a cancellation. Finally this Saturday morning I loaded my Afghanistan kit in the car and headed for Barrie for Operation Thundering Dice!

We played my Afghanistan game first using the FUBAR rules again.

Here's my terrain set out on the Padre's 5x6 table. I think I've achieved a decent level of density and complexity, approximating the Panjwayi district.

Canadians entered from the bottom of the picture over the empty fields

Table from the other side

The Canadians can come in from any direction and have to search the village for the weapons cache and try to find a mid-level Taliban leader which cell phone intercepts tell us are in the area.

The Taliban commander, Masoud ibn Pedaji, the Lion of the Panjwayi

Mike took the Taliban. All Taliban (13 fire teams, two weapons teams, two snipers and two suicide bombers with 4 low level and 1 mid- level leader) started hidden, plus he had 15 IED markers to which he could allocate a total of 12 firepower dice.

More table shots:

I opted to come in dismounted through the open fields, so I could avoid IEDs on the roads and get quickest access to the most number of buildings without fighting my way through grape or pot fields, or have to cross ditches.

First a sniper, then a fireteam opened up on Call Sign 12, the platoon HQ, causing a bunch of suppression.

Another RPG strikes CS 12A, knocking out the co-ax MG. Those two LAVs failed a couple of activation attempts and when they did fire rolled abysmally. Obviously all the RPG fire rattled them and then they had breach jams in the main guns.

More Taliban have appeared behind the compound wall and in the pomegranate orchard across the road putting CS 12 in a deadly cross fire! CS 12A takes another hit giving a negative on its next activation attempt.

CS 12B and 12C start maneuvering to clear the orchard from the flank. They start taking fire from the pot field to their right and the building in front of them.

Disaster! CS 12A becomes a mobility kill and CS 12 is knocked out by a lucky RPG hit. The crew bail out but two are wounded.

Aided by cannon fire the riflemen from CS 12B clear the orchard to help the pinned down plt HQ.

The LAVs and other section on the right flank engage the pot field and the building to their front, they don't realize it but the Taliban commander is cut down in a hail of 25mm cannon fire!

On the Canadian left RPGs streak from the grape field to further punish the immobile LAV. One section member goes down and is dragged behind the LAV. The C9 gunner and a rifleman with grenade launcher move to hold the flank.

Covered by fire from the orchard wall, one fireteam dashes across the road to fire into rear of the fighters in the courtyard, killing a low level commander and taking the pressure off the HQ team who are busy stabilising wounded and calling in every air asset and gun in range to cover their withdrawal.

So a pretty heavy defeat for the Canadians, two LAVs knocked out and 4 casualties. Even if none of them are fatal, there will be bad headlines in the press, questions in Parliament and the Lt. is going to have a very uncomfortable debrief with the Boss. The 20 or so fighters and 2 leaders taken out are not much compensation.

The building with the sniper apparently had the weapons cache in it too! So close yet so far. I can only hope some covering airstrike blew it up....

But actually I think the situation at game end could make another tense scenario, as Mike had 6 or 7 fire teams moving through the village to attack me.

After dinner we had our second game. Mike wanted to use the new ruins I gave him (see last post) and so we played Dux Gondorim with his Lord of the Rings collection. This is a variation of the popular Dux Britannarum rules.

I was the Riders of Rohan and Mike took his Orcs of Isengard. I deployed on a hill between the ruins because it was both the strongest position and it was closest to me and I didn't want to get out of my chair!

Theoden with his Companions flanked by archers. Then on the right another unit of warriors with Gamling. Some horse archers down the slope to the right and behind the hill Aragorn with 4 Riders.

My horse archers skirmished with warg riders. Then some Orc warriors charged into Gamling, beginning a bloody melee, which I only just won because Aragorn charged into the Orc flank.

The warg riders then attacked Aragorn. In the ensuing melee buckets of blood was shed. One warg rider survived to flee in panic and Aragorn kept the solitary Rider from doing the same.

Two units of Orc Levy then charged Theoden and his Companions. It was another bloody fight which the heroes of Rohan won but suffered losses, so after the levy Orcs fled a unit of elite Orc berserkers charged the wounded king and his remaining guards.

It wasn't pretty....

Luigi the cat watched impassively.

So a good day even if the Padre did spank me like a naughty choir boy in both games.

After breakfast on Sunday it was time to make the 2.5 hour drive home in the rain and fog.

We're already looking forward to the next time!