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After our dogfight excursion, Mark and I returned to BCS, in the form of Danger Forward, the game included with the new Battalion S3 magazine. Having played BCS once, I found the magazine of limited use, as much of it is aimed more at first-time players, answering questions that I’d already had to work out. The more Danger Forward oriented parts were better, since I of course hadn’t played that yet. I certainly think the intro combat article could have been better done, as it didn’t answer questions in a really useful way. The article on blobs on the other hand was better, since it explained some of the thinking around a concept that is hard to write ironclad rules for. The charts in the back aren’t bad, but (I think) already existed, and could still use some layout improvements. The spare player aid card is a big help, even when you’re playing on Vassal.

But the real point is the game itself, which is nicely small with a single poster map, one sheet of counters, and all done at a 5/8″ counter size. I’d kind of like to see the British landings on Sicily at this scale, since I’ve played Primosole Bridge ages ago, but the American landing does make for a good situation. There’s a few wrinkles; we had to do an extra lookup that the garrison units do have a ZOC (they generally have the characteristics of “unready” no AV and no assault arrow), the 82nd Airborne is exempted from a lot of usual supply and command details, and the Americans have a decent amount of naval support to assist their attack. We did use the HQ Orders optional rule, though it is probably about as much trouble as it is worth here.

Mark had the Americans and won the initiative. However, he tried for the 82nd Airborne, which starts with its second activation (the first presumably is the drop itself), and he failed the roll for the second activation, leaving them all unready. I activated PG KG and got a partial activation, and no second, advancing to the ridges north of Acate, and taking fatigue since I mistakenly put down an objective (an article on how and when to use objectives could be a good idea).

The 45th Infantry went next, with a double objective on 25.10. The attack on the garrison there went well, with a follow-up battalion getting adjacent to Biscari Station. (Other elements got too far out and around the 27.07 garrison as we didn’t think it had a ZOC at this point.) Pz KG had two companies of the 82nd to deal with (in 31.26 and on the road in 27.27). With a full activation, I put an objective on each, and eliminated them both with barrage or attack by fire, leaving the division scattered about the north edge. The 1st Infantry took two attacks to clear the 16.16 garrison (we missed that you can only have one regular attack on a hex per activation), and then went inland to grab Gela-Farello Landing Ground. Livorno got a partial activation and moved the two elements of Groupo Mobile (the mechanized infantry) onto the plains. Finally, Force X managed to clear both hexes of Gela and get a second activation, which let them reduce, but not eliminate, the third Italian garrison.

I got initiative on turn 2 and PG KG raced down to Biscari Station, with the Tigers winning an engagement against the 45th’s support, and then the motorized infantry came in to force the leading battalion to the HQ refuge. A partial second activation allowed everything to flip to deployed mode. The 82nd went next, taking out the garrison in Vittoria, reducing the garrison in 23.19, and taking out the one in 24.20 (…and also losing a unit while forcing a PG KG battalion to retreat—it can be hard to remember while actually doing things that you need an objective to attack). A second activation saw them lose a company failing to take out the 23.19 fort, but they did take Niscemi.

Pz KG activated, and cleared the road in 26.24 of an element of the 82nd, but the attack to retake Niscemi failed. Force X headed inland and took the fort with the Livorno HQ. Livorno repositioned after that, and got a couple hits with attack by fire on the Rangers in the fort, and reduced the Engineers down to one step in an attack on Force X’s HQ. The 1st Division also went inland in Gela Plain and threw back both Livono mechanized units in a pair of attacks.

TF Kool got a partial activation, and things were coming apart for American planning. Back in the Orders phase, Mark plotted Kool to go to and clear the 23.19 road junction, with 1st and X headed north for the pair of victory locations up there. The latter ended up concentrating on road to Ponte Olivo, and now Kool needed to do something about the western fort, which they couldn’t reach, but they did take care of the motorized battalion that was threatening X’s HQ. The 45th cleared the second garrison and the HQ raced inland to extend command range, while the two new units marched to Vittoria. The rest of the division threw back the Tigers and the battalion holding Biscari Station, taking it, and advancing next to the PG KG HQ.

Livorno has the AT Gun unit in support; this is illegal thanks to scenario rules; I rediscovered that when I played Jason.

I got initiative again for the last turn, and Comiso came on to try to hold the Comiso Airfield. The 1st Infantry managed to get in and take Ponte Olivo; the hold was tenuous, but strengthened with a second round of attacks in the second activation. Pz KG recaptured Niscemi after a successful attack by fire, failed to get a recon objective, and settled for blocking all road access to Niscemi. TF Kool was redirected to the western fort, and reduced the defenders to a single step in two attacks, but couldn’t quite get in.

Livorno had no legal MSR path, since the HQ was stuck in 18.26, and the road goes through 19.26, which was in enemy ZOC without anyone present. The first activation failed, but the second one actually got limited SNAFU, and managed to retake Ponte Olivo. On the other hand, the isolation of the unit in 10.25 caused it to be eliminated. Force X was then able to walk into the fort. Fargo engaged the mechanized unit in Ponte Olivo and forced it to retreat, and then the Rangers came up, and forced their way into the hex. PG KG fought its way back into Biscari Station.

45th Infantry got a partial activation, and recaptured Biscari Station, while two companies moved up a trail to Acate (the initial plan was to go after Comiso Airfield, but the partial activation put that permanently out of reach). Finally, the 82nd Airborne got two partial activations, and used them to bring a company up to Acate, but lost the unit in a bad attack.

Game ended as a draw with five victory locations in Allied hands.

Afterword

One interesting thing with the game as presented for three days is that the American formations are stuck with tracks on the beaches, slightly hurting their ability to activate. There are alternate supply sources on the map that are on roads, but they’re hard to use. Well, one is. 01.24 gets TF Fargo on it at the start of turn 2, and you could switch someone over there during the turn, but there’s not enough going on that far west to be worth worrying about. Scolgitti in 30.00 seems like it could be worthwhile for the 45th Infantry, but it requires eliminating a garrison unit. I would think that both of them become more valuable as things go on, but you need more than three days for it to be worthwhile.

The overall action was similar to the FtF game I played while this one was in the middle of day 2, but also important differences. With something this short, it’s inevitable that play will be somewhat typified, but there’s also plenty of options in the details, and learning how to get the most out of the American offensive is essential to having a good chance at a win. There’s too much for the Axis to stop, but the goals are not easy to get to.

A good lesson here is just how back-and-forth combat can be, at least if the terrain is open, and there’s no way to stop retreats. Also, HQs should be kept a couple hexes behind the front line, as units need to be able to retreat at least three hexes and get in/adjacent to the HQ. Otherwise, the unit bounces out a turn, and I ended up with three units in Livorno coming back in turn 4 because there just was no room left up there.