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Had Jason over on Sunday for some overdue FtF gaming. After some back-and-forth, we ended up with the new(is) BCS magazine game Danger Forward. Arrangements happened a bit last minute, so I was hurriedly clipping counters the day before (didn’t get through them all).

Part of the reason for this is that I’m currently in the middle of a game of Danger Forward with Mark on Vassal, so I’ve currently got the system ironed out. And the organization is bad enough that you can’t really pick it up without lots of lost time figuring out where a particular rule is stuck.

At any rate, despite having the Axis in my other game, I gave Jason the Allies here because I think they’re a bit more active and exciting to play, though Axis needs to be proactive too. He read some of the rules ahead of time, but I started with the basic rundown of formations, types of combat, and the like. We also went with the “American Husky” scenario, since it’s mostly static setup, but the paratrooper drops still scatter for some variation. These went well, with most of the distances staying short, and nothing going off-board.

The first day’s fighting was of course mixed, with the 1st Infantry getting off the beach and taking the nearby airfield. Force X was still hung up on the line of garrisons at Gela. Pz KG got into motion first, and cleaned elements of the 82nd from Niscemi, while the 82nd failed its attempt at a second activation to get out of move mode. The 45th Infantry cleared some of the garrison, and sent a couple battalions NE inland so they could get at Biscari station from the north later. This required being unready in move-mode, which was fine because the biggest non-news of the day was PG KG rolled a 2 for SNAFU. With the -2 penalty for the first day, this was a failed activation, and they couldn’t get a second activation either, leaving them at the entry hex the entire day.

End of July 10, the first day.

Force X and Kool broke through Gela and went inland on the second day/turn, getting up to the west fort location (Mt. Del Zai) and the fort in front of Ponte Olivo. However, this left his HQ exposed, and the new reinforcements to the Livorno Division threatened that flank. Further east saw fighting as the 82nd failed to shift elements of Pz KG, and the 1st Inf came to help (mostly a win for the Germans, but they did lose a lot of steps). The 45th occupied Biscari Station, and PG KG couldn’t get there in one day. Meanwhile, elements of the 82nd cleared out Vittoria, making further progress inland possible.

Turn 2

Naturally, the last day came down to a tense finish. Force X redirected a bit, and took Mt. Del Zai and then chased off the Italians on the flank. Kool got into the other fort, jumping Livorno’s HQ. 1st Inf tried to get into help out, but was still a little far to do much, and the attempt to take Ponte Olivo failed. This section also included an Engagement between the attached Shermans and Pz KG that did a loss to both sides (a rarity here, there’s not a lot armor).

Down south, PG KG finally got to Biscari Station and took it, jumping the American HQ in the process. Jason only got a partial activation, which was plenty for a counterattack, but he wasn’t able to dislodge the Germans. Meanwhile the Italian attempt to hold Comiso airfield failed, and two companies of the 82nd took and held it.

Turn 3

Afterword

So, it was a minor Axis victory, with 4 victory locations held by the Americans, but Jason had had real chances at two more. PG KG was the only fresh unit at the end (mostly because they spent the first day doing nothing, and the second day merely moving), while Pz KG was at fatigue 2. On the American side, Kool was at fatigue 0, 1st Inf at 2, and all the others were fatigue 1.

The main rules confusion came late in the day as I tried to untangle the retreat rules. The Retreat Execution chart is the perfect antidote for this, but isn’t in or referenced by the rules. Figuring out when there’s a three hex retreat and when there’s a HQ shelter retreat wasn’t easy with our end-game situations. As it was, the German assault on Biscari station bumped a regiment off board until next turn, and of course jumped the HQ afterward.

It was good to squeeze in the full game, with teaching, and shows that Danger Forward is at a good size. Jason certainly found the concepts interesting (it is the selling point), though I don’t know if he has come to full conclusions yet.