I Ain't Been Shot Mum - South of Cherbourg

Played one of the introductory scenarios from IABSM with Stephen 'South of Cherbourg'.

This is an all infantry scenario with regular Whermacht defending against advancing US troops. Been ages since we have seen Stephens Yanks on table with any rule set and ages since we have played IABSM.

Very enjoyable it was too despite less than stellar card sequencing for Germans even with two 'Tea Break' cards in deck, I had two turns I got virtually no activations whilst Yanks had several.

Must say this sort of system really appeals to me as I prefer this to standard you go I go styles overall and IABSM works pretty well for the Company-a-side game it covers.

We failed to finish (spent way too much time waffling about our frustrations with ongoing Covid crap) but did get to see lots of action.

The on table 60mm mortars teams (3 of the buggers) seemed pretty effective especially compared to my largely ineffectual off board 81mm mortar battery.

This of course assume we were doing things correctly which not a given after so long away from rules, and still find some parts rather under explained despite this being a third edition.

We fluffed the auto spot and close combat rules somewhat forgetting that close combat is automatic when units end up 4" apart.

Still a fun outing and whets appetites to revisit them again in future.

The table set up from US entry point (the road)

Action around the walled farm

German 2nd Platoon sections just prior to being routed by US firepower

Our close combat mistake at the track/hedge (these two sections should have 'meleed')

I Ain't Been Shot Mum again

Another go with these enjoyable yet frustratingly written rules.
We played another scenario from the Bleneville Or Bust supplement with Stephens using his Yanks against my Krauts.
I had 2 Stugs and 2 Tigers backing up a mixed Company of Fallschirmjager and Infantry against 10 Shermans and a full Armoured Infantry Company with some Recon assets.
We both had access to air power although USSAF had rocket armed Jabos whilst Luftwaffe had MG strafing only.
I did manage to brew 5 Shermans but lost one Tiger to laser guided munitions of the Jabo (and 2nd Tiger nearby was lucky to escape unscathed) whilst my 2 Stugs retired with guns knocked out.
My Infantry were badly handled by Yank tank fire and incessant 60mm Mortar attention (Yanks had 4 of these annoying weapons).
We failed to finish but I think it would have been hard for me to wrest control of the bridge objective from the Yanks.

Again we came up against some rules issues this time being unable to find any rules covering on-table mortar fire !! not covered directly (amazingly !) in the actual rules but is in the late war supplement War of Liberation.
Another was use of MGs on half-tracks, with rules covering their firing included but not how to crew them again I found an answer later in another supplement (a no-brainer as such but at least it spells out that you need to leave crew to drive a half-track and 2 additional crew to fire any onboard MG at full effect).
Such issues are very annoying with IABSM especially with such basic stuff, easily enough resolved but much time wasted trying to decide what rules say, or don't say and making a house rule.

Still an enjoyable game and we both like the scale of IABSM and its system overall but just wish the writing was a tad 'tighter' and less left to Kriegspiel approach.









Overview of the battlefield from Yank entry point with German high ground to left

Yank tanks suffer

Yank Infantry Platoon and Recce defend southern approaches to bridge

Yanks in the church facing my Grenadiern

Stugs on my left flank

Soldaten on ridge line

More Shermans appear to the north

Tiger appear to replace the retiring Stugs

My FJ advance in centre

And uncover more Shermans

My left

My right

Shermans suffering more as Tigers open up

Soldaten decimated by Tank HE

An M8 brewed a hard to spot little bugger in the bocage

  

I Ain't Been Shot Mum eastern front action this time

Another try with IABSM this time using a scenario from the Bashnya Or Bust! supplement.
I was Germans defenders and Stephen used his Russian hordes to attack near the fictional village of Holm.
Le Duc arrived later on to view the rules in action.
We failed to finish the game with things firmly in the balance.
As ever a few 'what do we do here' moments with the rules but thrashed out a couple more house rulings.
We also learnt a few nuances regarding the use of Company commanders and the potential danger of occupying buildings !
The dice demon managed to 3 x 6 on 3D6 when firing HE at a house which reduces it to rubble killing all occupants !
He then rolled 2 x 6 on 3D6 against a wooden abode with same devastating effect...……………
I lost 2 MMG teams and 2 Big Men to this so 12 men.
Despite our struggles to understand several aspects of these at times ill-defined rules we actually like the game they generate at this 'big' skirmish scale as evidenced I guess by multiple plays.

Only a couple of pics once more.




Dug-in Panzer Grenadiers supported by a Pak38

Soviet attack developing slowly

Panthers deploy to thwart Russians

 

I Ain't Been Shot Mum another outing

Another try of IABSM this time using a scenario from the 'Bleneville Or Bust' supplement with my Germans encountering a US force under the command of Stephen near fictional Norman town of 'Belle Maison'.
Another interesting and fun game (unless you were a Panther crewman!) with even a visit from a USAAF rocket armed 'Jabo'.
We did however find one or two more ambiguities with the rules not knowing if Blinds can use Reserved dice for Firing later in turn ?
I believe reading rules they cannot but far from clear.
Still a nice flavoursome ruleset
I still favour PzGr Deluxe overall but these are a nice alternative.

I Ain't Been Shot Mum scenario played

Sticking with WW2 Stephen and I decided to try IABSM after our CofC games.
Stephen picked a scenario set in the Normandy bocage with an US Infantry Company attacking with support of 5 Shermans against 2 German PzGr Platoons with 3 Veteran StugIIIG (one commanded by a Level 3 ace !).
The Yanks also had a battery of 105mm in support (but thankfully these failed to ever fire).

We have always thought that IABSM had a lot going for it at its 'large' skirmish scale but we have usually struggled with how Blinds and the card deck work and are used in IABSM but somehow today we seemed to have got it.....at last !
The card and command initiative system combined with unit actions based around numbers of useable dice works very slickly and plausibly.
I am not a big fan of  'buckets of dice hits/saves' AFV combat systems (with a Sherman if it achieves a hit rolling 7 'strike' dice needing 5-6 to 'hit' and then the Stug rolling 7 'armour' dice needing 5-6 to save any such 'hits') but in essence it works especially when combined with the armour Command system of unit orders (Hunt/Engage), actions, aimed or snap shots and the damage model of equal or greater 'hits'.
Obtaining the initiative by having your unit or big man card appear first is a major boon and of course is random within a deck (that chaos factor I like) and indeed the possibility of not acting in a turn if the 'Tea Break' (end of turn) card appears makes for a nicely unpredictable sequence of actions/events.
Lucky Legs of course managed to get every single card out before mine in one turn and I watched as 2 of my Stugs got pummelled on the road with one suffering it gun damaged and temporary immobilization (with associated effect on actions) and the Ace being permanently immobilized and shocked !!
Of course in hindsight I had no need to reveal them from their Blind as soon as I did so running such risk.
The rules for aces are interesting and easy with ability to aid shooting hits and/or effects.
The ace did brew a Sherman but his mate then suffered similar fate and he was the subject of the attention of 3 other Shermans for rest of the game eventually being forced to abandon his knocked about assault gun.
A firefight between the fifth Sherman and my remaining Stug saw the dice demon twice roll 5 hits out of 7 dice rolls and whilst I survived first volley second saw my vehicle explode damaging a nearby Hanomag and PzGr section.
Just as in CofC dice demon seemed to take minimal infantry casualties whilst nearly every volley on my men resulted in kills and shock.

Great stuff overall and a very enjoyable game.
Only complaints (as per most Lardie rules we have tried) is maybe a lack of definition on some aspects especially regarding line of sight and terrain issues.
We were unsure just what effect some types of terrain have and if sighting across multiple terrain types affects firing/vision.
EG if my line of fire crosses a hedge and goes through high wheat is it degraded once or twice ?
To be fair the rules seem to very much 'a gentlemans agreement' type set in many regards and its easy to establish how much such detail one wants to include.
And since small arms firing is either a Good, Okay or Poor shot its easy to debate/argue a case for which applies for individual actions and locales.
A lack of a points structure means one has to use scenarios or fudge things but that's fine just different than say Battlegroup.

We shall be using these again.



The German set up area with lots of terrain 'Blinds' areas

US Tanks appear with one Blind still unrevealed

Opposing Stugs (Ace to bottom) with one already damaged and crew shocked

Closer look at Shermans and Company HQ units

And the Stugs

Note Engage order behind Shermans (aids shooting)

US Infantry in cornfield

And advancing against my left with Tank support (1 Sherman brewed on road)

IABSM another game

Another game of IABSM played today at Stephens.
We used the 'Canadian VC' scenario from the rulebook with me as the Veteran Cannucks against a hodge podge of Huns (but including a Tiger 1 and a Panther)
Another interesting game that once you get to the tactical stuff is very straightforward to play.
Our main stumbling block to how to play the rules remain use of Blinds vis a vie increasing size of card deck.
Never sure when optimum time to deploy from Blinds is as with only a single Blind card per side in a deck it can get lost once Platoon, Big Men and other cards appear in deck.
We both thought that the optional use of two Teabreak Cards might makes things less problematic in principle.
A lot to like in the rules especially the multi-actions per unit and the nice but easily implemented Tank Platoon Orders (which we both used today)

The Tiger and Panther proved a major thorn in Allied side today especially when they threw a 12 to Spot a Blind containing a Sherman Troop which was attempting to move to my right flank.
These two 'Big Cats' dispatched both my Fireflies in short order and then brewed a further 4 Shermans and Damaged the other 2.
I did manage to inflict damage (Engine and Gun) on the Tiger but could not knock it out especially once I lost the 17pdr Shermans.






Canadians deployed with Shermans burning already

The cause of Sherman grief

Trying to advance

More brewed Shermans on the road

More of guess what ?

German defenders supported by PzIV

Oh look even more carnage !!