Scenario 6: Find the mortar

So last night three of us, Ray, Craig and I (Colin) got together for a game. The game was from the new Sangin Despatches No.1 book and we played scenario 6: Find the mortar and not to put too fine a point on it... I had a ball, you’ll see why as you read on.

The mission brief was:

Overview

INTEL has discovered that the local Taliban are planning an attack using a 82mm mortar from Compound 23. It has been decided to send out a patrol to move the Taliban on and hopefully capture the mortar before they can get themselves set up and launch their ambush.

I took the Taliban (Led by my famous leader the Grey Pashmina) and Craig (Y9B) and Ray (Y9A) took a section of British Paras each, with both the Taliban and Brits have off table snipers.

Now at the beginning of the game Ray set the fate of the gods against him and Craig as he said. “The Taliban only have 8 men so they don’t really have much chance”.

Oh how I am sure those comments now haunt him.

The Taliban are set up in two compounds (11 and 23) and the British have a plan of attack dictated to them, why I hear you ask, well they need to suppress compound 11 so they can then concentrate on compound 23 that has a active mortar tube.

See map:

So with the Taliban in place the British advanced. They crossed the bridge, first their lead scout and then a few combat phases later a larger group of them. 

Here was in my view was mistake number 1. The group ran across the bridge trying to cover as much ground as possible on our large 8ft by 6ft board. This means its is easier to spot them even when they try to use the softcover along the side of the road. 

Mistake number 2 their end position was grouped, based to based, and a large group all in view of the Taliban. Not what you really want to do.

 See the crater on the right behind the trees that's where the 1st RPG hit.

 The morale markers start to mount

I won’t go through this blow by blow, but they were initially stopped by a single AK fire forcing morale rolls, then a few combat rounds later, caught in the blast of the first RPG that missed but not by much. 

I will say I used Snapfire, even though its not my favourite rule, and it was very effective. I think Craig may be changing his mind now :-) Seriously Snapfire makes the games so realistic I won't play without now. Even though it usually goes horribly wrong for me. 

Few Brits were wounded by the morale modifiers now began to add up and then a few combat phases later, they where hit again by an RPG this time dead on target. This lead to one death, multiple casualties and lost more morale modifiers. These are the things that headaches are made off. Immediately the British mission changed to MEDEVAC

A further RPG that deviated but hit men that the Taliban couldn’t actually see meant further casualties for the Brits. 

All this under a barrage of PKM meant that at this point it was basically all over. The Brits retired from the board carrying their dead and wounded. So the Taliban score a resounding victory for the in round 1.

Next week we plan to take this battle further. The Brits will have reinforcements and the Taliban will too, so we’ll see who wins round two then. 

Just wish I had taken some more piccies.