Here’s an add-on supplement for the NUTS Czechoslovakia 1938 Campaign with focused rules for Supply and Privation tests (including Exhaustion) for high intensisty combat. These are optional rules to add flavor to your campaign where time is not your friend and you will have to make decisions about your squad and platoon to keep them in the fight.
In addition to rules is an historical review of German-Czech supply sustainment for combat. In short – in a defensive the Czechs could outlast the Germans in food and munitions, but have a tougher time with fuel.
PROLOGUE
By the fourth day, the fighting still hadn’t let up. Lieutenant Jan Novák lifted his head from the hatch and saw the same gray smoke, the same torn road, and another order crackling over the radio to move forward. The gun still had shells and the crew still had nerve, but the fuel gauge was slipping toward empty, the needle trembling lower with every kilometer. Somewhere behind them the tankers were late, lost, or already burning — and Novák’s ears strained constantly, listening for the distant grind of German tanks or the rising scream of Stukas diving out of the clouds. He dropped back inside and told the driver to keep it steady, no sudden bursts unless they had to. A tank without fuel was just a steel coffin in the open, and he knew it. As the engine rumbled forward again, he caught himself listening less to the radio and more to the motor — hoping it would keep running long enough to get them through one more fight…
INTRODUCTION This supplement add-on for NUTS Czechoslovakia 1938 provides optional fatigue and supply rules for campaigns set during the Munich Crisis of 1938. Designed for use with NUTS!, it reflects the intense operational tempo and logistical pressures that would have shaped a German–Czechoslovak conflict — where daily combat, strained fuel reserves, and disrupted supply lines could prove as decisive as firepower. These rules integrate with the standard campaign system, introducing high-tempo mission pacing, cumulative exhaustion, and weekly strategic supply checks to create a more demanding and historically grounded campaign experience.
NUTS! Operation Underworld is a campaign system designed for NUTS! 4th Edition, focusing on the hidden war along Allied ports during World War II. It shifts play away from front-line battles and into the shadows—where patrols, investigations, arrests, and raids decide the security of critical harbors.
While built for NUTS 4e, Operation Underworld is fully compatible with NUTS! Weird War, allowing players to layer in occult threats, super-science, or other strange elements without changing the core campaign structure.
Instead of traditional battlefield objectives, the campaign revolves around:
Patrol missions
Investigations and clue gathering
Arrests and escalating pressure
Raids triggered by completed cases
Port Security Levels that evolve over time
Every mission feeds the next. Clues matter. Arrests matter. And when the pressure builds high enough, it all culminates in a Raid.
This post covers one such raid during the April 1942 New York Harbor campaign.
The Campaign & The Characters
The Star
Lt. (JG) Ernest “Egg” Benedict, US Navy
Ernest Benedict is smart, educated, and technically gifted—and absolutely hates his nickname. Unfortunately for him, he’s:
A “good egg”
An egghead college graduate
Named Ernest Benedict
So “Egg” stuck.
Despite the ribbing, Lt. Benedict has proven himself an effective ONI liaison: calm under pressure, methodical, and capable of keeping mixed groups of sailors and investigators focused when situations escalate.
The Seasoned Hand
Chief Petty Officer Bob McGillicuddy
Where Benedict plans, McGillicuddy executes.
A career sailor with deep dockside experience, the Chief knows when to push, when to threaten, and when to let suspects talk themselves into cuffs. He’s not flashy—but he’s relentless, and Shore Patrol listens when he speaks.
Together, the two form a solid command team for Operation Underworld missions.
Campaign Status Before the Raid
Port: New York City
Month: April 1942
Starting Port Security Level: 3
Active Threat: Organized Crime
Prior Missions
Arrest Mission
Result: 1 Clue recovered
Investigation Mission (3 Clues required)
Warehouse documents secured (+1 Clue)
Person of Interest detained at the railyard (+1 Clue)
With the Investigation solved, Naval Intelligence authorized a RAID on the identified warehouse. Lt. Benedict requested additional manpower and received four Shore Patrol sailors, reinforcing his team alongside Chief McGillicuddy.
RAID ON DOCKSIDE WAREHOUSE
Operation Underworld Campaign – April 1942
Location: New York Harbor, Warehouse District Active Threat: Organized Crime Port Security Level: 3 → 4 (Post-Raid) Mission Type: RAID (Triggered by Successful Investigation)
SITUATION
Naval Intelligence confirmed organized crime activity tied to forged manifests, missing cargo, and protected dock access. A prior Arrest Mission produced 1 Clue. A subsequent Investigation Mission resolved all required leads, including:
Warehouse Documents (Clue +1)
Person of Interest at Railyard (Clue +1)
With the Investigation solved, ONI authorized an immediate RAID.
The Star (Lt. JG, USN) requested Shore Patrol support, gaining four Shore Patrol sailors to reinforce the raid, accompanied by a Chief Petty Officer.
PHASE I — APPROACH & LOOKOUT ARRESTS
Approachingwarehouse.jpg
Shore Patrol and ONI team advance on the warehouse under low light. Delivery trucks and stacked crates provide partial concealment.
The raid force approached at dawn under Port Security Level 3. Several criminal lookouts were identified near delivery vehicles and loading bays and were quietly arrested, preventing an alarm and allowing the team to breach on their own terms.
PHASE II — ENTRY & FIRST CONTACT
The team enters the warehouse and immediately encounters armed resistance inside the loading area.
Upon entry, the raiding party encountered a group of armed criminals inside the warehouse proper. Gunfire erupted almost immediately.
Turn 1 Results:
Player Side: Several Duck Backs
Criminal Side:
2 Duck Backs
2 Out of the Fight (OOF)
The exchange was sharp but disorganized on the criminal side.
PHASE III — SUSTAINED GUNFIRE
Fire exchanged around delivery trucks and stacked crates. Both sides attempt to gain firing angles.
Turn 2 Results:
Multiple Duck Backs on both sides
1 criminal Obviously Dead, dropped near the delivery truck
Despite casualties, neither side broke. Criminals attempted to hold ground through volume of fire.
PHASE IV — REINFORCEMENTS & PRESSURE
Criminal reinforcements enter the fight, but remain pinned and unable to maneuver.
Criminal reinforcements arrived from deeper inside the warehouse complex.
Turn 3 Results:
Sustained shooting
No additional fatalities
All criminals forced into Duck Back
Two player figures Duck Back
At this point, criminal morale visibly faltered.
PHASE V — INTIMIDATION & SURRENDER
Shore Patrol and ONI advance under control. Criminals surrender under intimidation.
With all remaining criminals suppressed, the Star ordered an aggressive advance. The Intimidation Test succeeded, forcing the remaining criminals—still in Duck Back—to surrender.
No further shots were fired.
RESULTS
RAID SUCCESSFUL
Warehouse secured
Criminal personnel detained
Documents and shipping records seized
No player fatalities
Organized Crime cell neutralized
Port Security Level increased by +1 → Level 4
CAMPAIGN EFFECT
This raid demonstrated that organized crime activity along the waterfront depended heavily on low visibility and limited patrol presence. With arrests made and Shore Patrol now visibly active, criminal operations in this sector will face increased resistance and faster escalation.
“They weren’t fighters. They were bullies with guns — and they folded the moment we closed.” — Lt. JG, ONI Liaison
In the NUTS Lights, Action, Camera! game whenever a tank enters the game it’s automatically a Tiger tank until a second spotting roll confirms what it is. Until the second spotting, all units react as if it’s a Tiger. I Painted this M41 tank up in appropriate 1960s TV-style WW2 German colors for a game.
I played some miniature wargames before Warhammer came along in the 1980s, and they were all very chart- and numbers-heavy. You know the ones: endless tables of modifiers, armor penetration charts, morale tests on multiple tables. Those games could be fun, but they were slow and math-driven — at a certain point your brain just hurt from the bookkeeping.
Then the very firstWarhammer Fantasy rules dropped, and it felt like a revolution. For its time it was groundbreaking — easy to get into, fast-moving, and fun. It stripped out the endless charts and replaced them with a streamlined dice mechanic. On top of that, it introduced a bold, grimdark setting nobody had seen before. Warhammer wasn’t just a rules revolution, it was a cultural one. They very quickly iterated to the most successful or influential version, which is the Warhammer Fantasy Battles 3rd Edition (1987). This edition cemented the core mechanics that would define the game for years to come and exert a huge influence on the industry.
Games Workshop followed that up with Rogue Trader, the first edition of Warhammer 40K released in 1987, incorporating the core mechanics of WFB 3rd. Again, it was approachable and exciting, with a whole new vision for science fiction. Before that, most sci-fi rules were “hard science” simulations tied to real-world physics and number-crunching. Rogue Trader blew that up with pulp, narrative, and style.
Since then, I’ve played almost every major miniature rules-system. And over time, a pattern emerged: many of the core mass-market games all feel the same. They look different, are dressed up with new settings or resource tokens, but under the hood they are still running on the same chassis I’d been playing since the 1980s.
The Rules Skeleton
Look across today’s popular systems — Warhammer Ancient Battles, SAGA 2E, Oathmark, Midgard, Barons’ War, Blood & Plunder, Bolt Action, Flames of War, Kings of War, Pillage, Warhammer 40K 9th Edition, and even the indie newcomer Traitor’s Toll — and you see the same pattern emerge:
Unit Stats: Always some form of “to hit,” “defense/armor,” and “morale.” The names change, but the functions stay the same.
Movement: Measured in inches, sticks, or abstract “steps,” always gated by troop type, terrain, and sometimes morale/fatigue.
Combat: Dice pools → compare to defense → make saves → remove casualties. The math hasn’t changed since the ’80s.
Morale: Leadership, Discipline, Resolve, Fatigue, Courage, Motivation, Nerve. All different words for the same bottleneck: units eventually collapse.
At the core, they are all just: Movement → Combat → Morale → Repeat.
Each game adds chrome — Saga Dice, Reputation tokens, Fortune points, Command Points, Firepower rolls, or Pillage’s command figures — but the skeleton is the same.
The Marketing Skeleton
If the mechanics look familiar, the business model is even more so. Nearly every one of these games uses the same sales loop pioneered by Games Workshop:
Points-based armies — Every figure/unit has a cost, making “balanced” pickup games and tournaments possible.
Organized play — Balance enables strangers to meet and compete. Tournaments showcase painted armies and encourage ongoing collection.
Miniatures as products — Army lists are product catalogs. New supplements introduce new units, which correspond to figure releases.
WAB was Warhammer Fantasy in historical dress.
SAGA abstracts to warbands, but still uses point-like structure.
Oathmark, Midgard, Barons’ War sit squarely in the points-list model, directly tied to figure ranges (Barons’ War especially via Footsore).
Blood & Plunder ties crews and ships to Firelock’s line.
Bolt Action uses its dice-bag activation but remains fundamentally points-driven; Warlord sells 1,000-point boxed armies.
Flames of War builds companies and platoons via points, with Battlefront selling 15mm kits sized to lists.
Kings of War is Mantic’s mass battle Warhammer-lite, with regiment boxes built to match.
40K is the archetype: codex churn, stratagems, Command Points, and continuous miniature releases.
Pillage maps warband lists directly to starter sets. The Saxon starter box is exactly the mix of units prescribed by the rules.
Traitor’s Toll, however, shifts emphasis: scenarios and narrative objectives matter more than strict points balance, making it less of a “catalogue driver” and more of a storytelling engine.
The synergy is deliberate: rules both enable play and sustain miniature companies.
Pillage: The New Face on the Old Skeleton
Pillage: Ransack the Middle Ages is a fresh release, and at first it feels different. Warbands are small — 10 to 30 figures — and highly thematic, with armored infantry, levies, cavalry, archers, and command figures. The glossy hardcover rulebook and Victrix starter boxes present a polished entry point.
But beneath the polish:
Movement, attack, defense, morale — all resolved in the familiar loop.
Warbands are points-driven, drawn from faction lists.
Starter boxes are designed to match the rulebook’s prescribed lists exactly.
So while it’s a slicker, skirmish-sized offering, Pillage is still running on the Warhammer skeleton.
Traitor’s Toll: The Outlier
Then there’s Traitor’s Toll — the one that doesn’t quite fit the mold. It still uses dice vs defense and stress/morale mechanics, but it diverges in important ways:
Activation: Random token-draw instead of IGOUGO.
Morale: Crowd Discontent and Guard Stress act as shared “tension clocks,” not just unit-by-unit tests.
Objectives: Scenarios are often narrative or asymmetric — suppress a riot, protect civilians — rather than just kill or break morale.
Army Building: Looser, role-based encounter design, less tied to tournament balance.
That makes it less of a clone and more of a cousin. It’s still in the Warhammer family, but evolving toward a hybrid RPG-skirmish narrative engine. That’s why I scored it only ~75% Warhammer heritage versus 85–100% for the others.
Familiarity vs Innovation
And here’s the paradox:
These games are fun because they are familiar, predictable, and community-driven. Learn one, and you can pick up another quickly.
But they’re also trapped by the Warhammer model. Mechanics repeat. Marketing loops repeat. Creativity gets bottlenecked.
Even Flames of War, playing at company scale in WW2, still resolves as hit → save → morale. Pillage, despite being brand-new, is still the Warhammer loop with medieval chrome. Only Traitor’s Toll edges away by borrowing from indie RPGs and board games.
We’ve been “driving” the same car since the 1980s — just painted in different colors.
Why It Matters
For players: Knowing this helps you navigate systems faster, but also lets you ask — do I want “more of the same,” or something genuinely new?
For designers: The challenge is clear — refine the Warhammer model, or break away from it entirely. What would a battle game look like if it didn’t rely on dice pools vs saves, morale checks, and points-driven armies?
Until someone cracks that nut, most of what’s “new” in the hobby will continue to be Warhammer with a different hat — whether it’s pirates, barons, Vikings, tanks, or space marines. With rare exceptions like Traitor’s Toll, true innovation remains the outlier.
What do you think? Do you enjoy the comfort of these shared mechanics and the thriving communities they support, or are you craving something radically different in tabletop battles?
Why NUTS! is Different – Mission-Driven Skirmish Gaming
If you’re a WW2 skirmish wargamer, you’ve probably asked yourself: What system should I use? There are many excellent choices, but NUTS! from Two Hour Wargames stands apart with its Mission-Driven design rather than the more common Points-Driven approach.
Mission-Driven vs. Points-Driven Gameplay
Most tabletop wargames, like Bolt Action, use a Points-Driven system. You buy units based on points, balance them against your opponent’s force, and then play a match where victory is often determined by Victory Points. While this works well for competitive play, it can sometimes feel more like a game of list-building rather than simulating real combat.
NUTS! takes a different approach. It’s a Mission-Driven skirmish game designed primarily for solo andco-op play (and of course also plays well in head-to-head games) — with a focus on objectives, story, and campaign continuity rather than just destroying enemy units and earning victory points.
Instead of balancing points, your forces are determined by your mission, the scenario type, and campaign progression. Your squad’s success is not measured by how many enemy soldiers you eliminate but by whether you achieve your mission objective—whether it’s scouting a village, capturing a key target, or holding a defensive position at all costs.
The NUTS! Difference – React, Don’t Just Wait
NUTS! is powered by Two Hour Wargames’ Chain Reaction System, which throws out the traditional “I-Go-You-Go” (IGOUGO) turn structure. In most wargames, you move all your units, take all your actions, and then wait while your opponent does the same.
Not in NUTS!—things happen in real-time. Units react based on the situation. If an enemy moves into your line of sight, your soldiers don’t just stand there—they immediately take an In Sight Test to see if they fire, take cover, or freeze up. If they get shot at, they react dynamically, potentially ducking back, firing back, or even panicking.
This means combat flows in an unpredictable, natural way—just like real firefights, where initiative shifts from moment to moment rather than waiting for a turn to end.
Every Soldier is an Individual
In NUTS!, you don’t just command a squad—you know your soldiers by name. Each character has Reputation (Rep) and experience progression, and can also have Attributes (advantage or flaws), making them more than just generic figures on the table. Your squad members gain (or lose) experience, medals, and promotions throughout a campaign.
Plus, thanks to the Reaction System, they act according to their training and situation—meaning sometimes you don’t have complete control. The enemy might suppress them, they might get pinned, or they might charge unexpectedly. This creates emergent, cinematic storytelling every time you play.
Campaign Play – Your War, Your Story
One of the biggest strengths of NUTS! is its Campaign Mode. The game isn’t just a one-off skirmish—your soldiers grow, change, and live (or die) from mission to mission.
Win a battle? Your squad gets reinforcements, promotions, or even a commendation.
Lose? Your force morale suffers, and replacements might be inexperienced green recruits.
Too many defeats? Higher command might pull the plug on your campaign.
Your soldiers aren’t disposable. Their story is part of your war—and whether they make it to the end is up to your choices, not just a die roll.
The Unpredictable Battlefield
One of the most exciting aspects of NUTS! is the way enemy forces are handled through the PEF (Possible Enemy Force) system. Instead of setting up a pre-determined enemy force, you place PEF markers that may or may not be enemy soldiers. You don’t know what you’re facing until you encounter them. Are those shadows across the field just the wind moving the trees, or is it an enemy machine-gun nest waiting to open fire?
This makes every battle feel unpredictable and tense, ensuring that each playthrough is different—even with the same scenario.
Final Thoughts – Play a War, Not a Game
If you want a cinematic, unpredictable, and deeply immersive WW2 skirmish experience, NUTS! is for you. Whether you’re storming a farmhouse in Normandy, leading a desperate last stand in the Ardennes, or commanding a Soviet patrol in Stalingrad, your missions matter, your squad members matter, and your choices shape the outcome.
No points. No gamey list-building. Just war—your war.
Campaign area: Czechoslovakia, Player Starting Specific Area
Situation: Early morning, October 1 1938. Czechoslovakian border. The sky above glitters with the dawn-lit contrails of German bombers winging their way to targets deeper in Czechoslovakia. German fighters have also occasionally flashed by over head, but have not reacted to you – a single man on horseback. You have reached the border checkpoint between Germany and your beloved Czechoslovakia to find the soldiers in retreat, cowering before an advance column of motorized German troops led by Panzer Is. This is your homeland. Your cause is just. You will not retreat. None shall pass!
Last Knight Character Sheet
The Last Knight is a STAR and is built as a Super Soldier with magic equipment based on the legendary Paladins of Charlemagne. His Attributes include: Magic (Holy Magic), Initiative, Combat Monster, Unstoppable, Endurance, Heightened Awareness and Inspiring Presence. These combine to make The Last Knight an incredibly resilient fighter.
Endurance, for example, adds +50% STAR Dice. STAR Dice are unique to your leading character and for each die you expend you can convert a Wound level down by one, or you can re-roll a die of your choice. So with a REP 5, this adds (rounded up) +3 STAR Dice, for a total of 8! This means the STAR could shrug off up to x8 fatal hits! But wait, there’s more!
Initiative gives a modifier to REP for activation
Combat Monster adds +1d6 to Charge and +1d6 to Melee
Unstoppable converts OOF results to Carry On
Heightened Awareness reduces penalties for Night and obscured LOS (rain, fog, etc.)
Inspiring Presence means all friendly figures within LOS can activate when the STAR does
With the Unstoppable Attribute, the Last Knight can expend one STAR die to turn an Obviously Dead combat result to Out of the Fight…which Unstoppable converts to Carry On!! Now let’s see his equipment.
Froberge – the blade of Paladin Renaud de Montaubon provides Piercing, giving it an Armor Piercing Rating = to the wielder’s REP (5) — so the sword can cut through a tank!. It also does extra damage to Demons.
The Maille of Renaud provides extra protection
The Magic steed Bayard can travel 18″ move over any terrain, and can only be hurt by magic weapons and supernatural creatures.
Turn 1: The Germans have stopped at the border post and two Officers pull their pistols and demand the Czechs step aside. This was an Opposed Challenge and the Czech soldiers were wavering until the Last Knight galloped up and used his leadership skills to shore up their morale. The Last Knight demand the Germans leave, that they have no authority here!
The Last Knight moves up to defend the border post
Turn 2: Roll for Activation. The Germans win activation and the Officer decides to shoot the crazy man causing trouble as the rest of the German soldiers deploy from their trucks. The Officer shoots at the Last Knight and hits, but the OOF wound is nullified and the Last Knight Carries On. Since that was the only figure shot at, other figures don’t react. On the Czech activation the Last Knight charges at the Officers and engages them in Melee, and hacks them down!
Then the Czech soldiers open fire on the Germans, blasting one squad and sending others diving for cover! Some Czech soldiers were hit as well, despite being behind cover.
Turn 3: The Germans activated first, and the infantry and tanks move into action! Two of the Panzer Is move to engage the Last Knight with a hail of machinegun fire, which is shrugged off by his Armor and Unstoppable attribute. The other tank engages infantry on the left flank, fails to hit anyone but causes them to Duck Back behind cover, while the German infantry advances. The Last Knight charges the lead Panzer (handled as a Close Assault with the +1d6 REP for being Combat Monster) and slashes into the tank with Froberge, it’s flickering blue flames carving deeply into the tank, causing the crew to bail out and flee (APR 5 attack vs AR2 frontal armor, roll 2d6 against the difference (5-2 =3) – and got a Pass 1 result, the tank is disabled)! The Czech infantry regroup and recover from Duck Back.
The Last Knight disables a Panzer I
Turn 4: Once again the Germans activate first! Looks like the Last Knight, unused to actual combat, is uncertain about the pace of the battle. The Germans, having passed their Man Down tests, decide to press the Last Knight and burst through the barricade. Once Panzer I charges the Last Kight to run him down, the other charges the Barricade. The tank charging the Last Knight misses and its machinegun fire causes one Obviously Dead result, so the player burns a STAR die (dropping from 8 to 7) to covert that to OOF, which he ignores with Unstoppable. The other Panzer I smashes the flimsy barricade and crushes a soldier, and its machinegun fire is deadly a devastates the Czech defenders who flee from the tank. The other Germans move up to the wire and the gate area and fire a hail of bullets at The Last Knight to no effect. When the Czechs activate, the soldiers fall back while the Last Knight flanks the Panzer I and slashes it with Froberge, slicing through steel and igniting fuel and ammunition – the tank bursts into flames!
The Last Knight slices open a Panzer I
Turn 5 – The Last Knight loses activation again, and with a “3” and a “4” for the Germans means the Germans get reinforcements, and a new infantry squad moves up to replace the fallen squad on the right flank. The Germans move up and pour machinegun fire and even grenades on the Last Knight forcing him to burn more STAR dice and forces him into Duck Back. On his turn he Recovers and rallies a surviving Czech defender.
Turn 6: This game went crazy from here, with a lot of Activation rolls of “3” for the Last Knight and “4” for the German side, resulting in more German Reinforcements. Germany Scores — and since I remembered my NUTS Mission Deck, I pulled a card and the Germans got… Armor! Well, let’s interpret that as a Recon unit of armored cars and motorcycles since I don’t have anymore light tanks painted up. The Recon unit zooms down the road to join the fight! Meanwhile the Germans advance on the Last Knight and pour on the fire, burning another STAR die and once again forcing him back out of sight.
German recon unit zooms on the board
Turn 7 – The Last Knight wins activation and charges the remaining Panzer I, slicing it open with Froberge and setting the tank ablaze! On the German turn they drive the Last Knight back again with heavy gun fire, and the Recon unit moves up to join the action.
Turn 8 – Germans win Activation, 4 to 3! Pulling a card we get Civilians, which we choose to interpret as Partizans — the Sudeten Freikorps, pro-German partizans, show up to help their German allies. The German forces move up as well.
Sudeten Partizans attack!
Turn 9 – The Last Knight wins activation and charges into a group of German infantry that has crossed the border defenses, killing several and driving off the rest with slashes and cuts from Froberge. German return fire, including from the Armored cars, once again drives the Last Knight back. The Sudeten Freikorps engages the remaining Czech soldiers in a firefight.
The Last Knight Charges!
Turn 10: This would be the ‘official’ stopping point, but we kept playing anyway. German activation! The German side wins activation 4, 3 and gets reinforcements again – this time it’s Air Strike! A German fighter dives on the fray and drives the Last Knight back in a hail of machinegun and cannon fire, burning STAR dice and once again driving him back, as the Recon unit moves to flank him. I think the Germans REALLY want to force this border crossing!
The Freikorps and the Czech soldiers continued their skirmish!
Turn 11 – The Last Knight wins activation and attacks! He charges the two armored cars and declares that he will leap the first armored car and his horse Bayern will attack the exposed TC, then he’ll attack the other one with his sword. OK, so let’s have him do a FIT test to make the jump — succeeds, then melee at say, -1REP from the maneuver with the armored car TC – and wins by a pass 2! The TC is killed by a strong hoof blow as Bayern leaps over the vehicle, and then the Knight wins the Close Assault test and attacks the second armored car and slices deep into the turret, igniting ammo stores! The German Recon unit kills the remaining Czechs on the right flank and moves to support the Friekorps.
The Last Knight attacks!
Turn 12 – German win activation 4, 3 again! This time we pull another Infantry unit that moves onto the table, and the recon unit attacks the Last Knight, forcing him to burn another STAR die, and the deploying German infantry add to the mayhem with more flying lead! In response the Last Knight charges the recon unit — it’s horse vs motorcycle!
More Germans! Now we’ve seen about two platoons of infantry and armor on the table.
War Horse vs Motorcycle!
Turn 13 — No way, a German win of 4, 3 Activation again!?! We pull another NUTS Card and we get an infantry unit with an AT gun! The SdKfz 7 with a PAK 38 trundles on the table and sets up to engage the Last Knight! The Last Knight and the Recon unit skirmish inconclusively as more Germans move up. The last surviving Czech soldier finally defeats the last of the Friekorps figures.
German ATG enters the battle
Turn 14 – The Last Knight activates first and continues his fight against the Recon unit send the survivors scurrying for cover, and the the last Czech soldier runs for the edge of the table. Then the ATG sees the Last Knight in its sights and opens fire — a hit, causing an Obviously Dead result! The player burns his last STAR die to reduce the killing shot to OOF, which is converted to Carry On by his Unstoppable Attribute. No more STAR dice, one more kill shot and it’s over!
Yes, that blurry thing across the table is the Last Knight — open fire!
Turn 15 – the Germans win activation again with a 4,3, and get reinforcements. The card pull says Medium Armor, which would mean a platoon of Panzer IIIs will join the battle! Nope, sorry, says The Last Knight player — I’ve done my duty and upheld the honor of Czechoslovakia…besides, I’m out of STAR dice and the way thing are going I’ll be dead! So the player trots over to pick of the Czech survivor and exits the table to fight another day.
This was a fun and frenetic game, the Last Knight was almost unstoppable, the German player kept wearing him down until he was out of STAR dice and got a crazy amount of reinforcements. Basically this was the equivalent of a company-sized attack that came in piece meal as the German commanders got word of hold up at the border, and the constant pressure from German reinforcements eventually forced The Last Knight to retreat. The Germans did win, but at the cost of multiple vehicles and several lost squads of infantry.
After a challenging Patrol Mission with several casualties, the Army’s supply system finally caught up with the understrength 1st Squad of 3rd Platoon, adding some new recruits (Rep 3) to bring them back up to full strength. This also meant the men of 1st Squad get their first Mail Call since landing at Utah Beach — and it’s bad news for Sgt Herbet — he’s been “Dear Johnned!”
What we did was make a Campaign Event roll, an optional test you can make between Missions using the NUTS Campaign books. This is described in the Campaign books as part of the “Your War” campaign system. If you roll doubles on your Campaign Morale test, which the US player did, you can roll again on the Campaign Event table. So rolling2d6 we score a 1, 2 = 3, which means “Bad news from home. You fight your next Mission at -1REP.” This means he’ll be preoccupied and fight at a penalty on his next Mission!
The Squad has gotten some replacements — too bad they are fresh out of Basic Training with Rep 3!
1st Squad, Third Mission – the Attack Campain Status:
Campaign Morales • US: 4 • German: 3
Investment Levels • US: 4 • German: 3
Mission 3 – The Attack
Attack Mission
In this Mission you must push forward, engage and defeat the enemy or reach your objective. Be sure to be clear on what that objective is! This will be a full Platoon Attack using all three Squads.
Objective
In this Mission there are two possible objectives.
The first is to destroy as much of the enemy as possible, driving them off the table in the process. The Mission is over when you have chased off or destroyed all enemy forces and PEFs on the table.
The second is to exit the table at the opposite edge from where you entered. The Mission is over when you have exited the table with at least 3/4 of your forces and have inflicted more casualties than you received.
When playing head to head, the player that has the Attack Mission writes down which objective he is trying to achieve and reveals it at the end of the Mission.
The Attack Mission tabletop terrain is generated, and the Squad will enter the tabled in Zones 7, 8, or 9. Since this is a Co-Op game, the Enemy Forces will be generated on the fly using the Potential Enemy Forces system.
Lt. Dan also tried to get extra support for his Mission before the game, using the optional rules in NUTS Platoon Leader.
Let’s see how that worked out for him. Lt Dan has an Attack Mission and wants Support. He goes to his Company Commander to make the request. Lt. Dan has a People Skill of 4, won his last Mission (+1d6) and gives his CO loot item (an enemy Flag) (+1d6). So he tolls 6d6, and scores 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6 for only two Successes (“Successes” are scores of a 1, 2, 3 on a d6 roll). Lt. Dan’s CO has a People Skill of 4, and has no modifiers. So he rolls 4d6 and scores 1, 2, 2, 4 for a total of three Successes. The CO gives him the Cold Shoulder and informs him there’s no Support available for Lt. Dan’s next Mission. Suck it up, Soldier!
The Terrain is placed!
The US team decided to come on in a Platoon Line formation, with the HQ Squad tucked in behind 2nd Squad so Lt. Dan can more easily see and control his Squads, send Runners or the attached Medic.
This Battle was then shot as a series of videos pieced together into a full game report. I hope you enjoy it — it was a brutal game. Not to give too much away, but 3rd Squad ran into a German unit dug into a Hedgerow bunker, and things got pretty nasty after that!
Full game report for D-Day Campaign, Week 4
After the Battle
This was a high casualty Mission. The Americans felt a little smug after 1st and 2nd Squads fixed, flanked and finished the Germans defending the farm in short order — so the fortified hedgerow was a nasty shock! And the Americans learned that Germans can also lob grenades over hedgerows, and even try to fix, flank and finish them!!
1. Recovery and Replacements:
First Squad saw the Squad Leader, SGT Herbet get knocked Out of the Fight and the Squad took one more casualty. Luckily a Medic treated them, and returned one back to action. Sgt Herbet passed two on the After the Battle Recovery and returns to the Squad after being treated for minor injuries at an Aid Station. and co so they have a higher chance of Recovery.
Second Squad took a beating with four casualties including the Squad Leader. They were all treated by the Medic, who returned two figures back to action. After the Battle recovery returns one more, and the Replacement roll adds a new Rep 3 figure to bring the Squad back up to strength
Third Squad also took heavy casualties and did not have a Medic around to help them. After the Battle Recovery results in just one figure rejoining the Squad. The Replacement roll results in two Rep 3 figures – so Third Squad is down one man from its roster.
HQ squad had the Top SGT injured, and he recovers and continues the campaign. If he hadn’t returned, he’d be replaced by the Platoon’s Assistant NCO or the Squad Leader from First Squad.
2. Improving REP: It’s possible for your Star and its squad mates to improve their REP if they did well, and they might lose REP if they had a really bad Mission. Most games will have a core Star and Squad in them you want to track, but the players could check for the whole platoon in this case. After making these rolls, while Sgt Herbet was injured (Decreasing d6 Rep) he doesn’t go down in Rep. One figure increases to Rep 5, and two of the new guys advance to Rep 4.
3. Campaign Morale. Since we completed another Mission we check Campaign Morale. Each side rolls against their current Campaign Morale. The US gets +1d6 for winning the last Mission, and scores Pass 3. The German side only gets Pass 1, so the US side wins by 2+. The US Campaign Morale increases by one, the German Campaign Morale is reduced by one (down to a 2) and the German Enemy Investment Level is also reduced by one.
4. What is the next Mission? Well, since the US player won the Attack Mission, the next Mission will also be an Attack Mission.
We wanted to try out the new Hell Hath no Fury system with a Patrol Mission, which we’ll add to the ongoing NUTS D-Day Campaign alongside the Infantry campaign. We’ll focus this Mission on Platoon Sgt Dave Smith, the second in command of a 5-tank Sherman tank Platoon with the 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. Sgt Smith has been tasked to patrol towards St. Lo as part of the Allied advance from the Normandy beach head.
Campain Status – Week 3, June 1944:
Campaign Morales • US: 4 • German: 3
Investment Levels • US: 4 • German: 3
Platoon Sgt Smith’s tank control sheet – I know, the EasyEight wasn’t available during D-Day, but my son likes it! 🙂
Here’s a video of the game with full description, and the game summary is below:
Patrol Mission
Your objective is to recon the table.
To be successful you or a Junior NCO must spend one turn of activation within 6″ of the edge of the table in sections 1, 2, and 3. Once you have accomplished this you must report back by exiting the table from the edge that you entered.
The Patrol Mission tabletop terrain is generated, and the Platoon will enter the tabled in Zones 7, 8, or 9 and must have the Sgt spend an Activation in each of Zones 1, 2, and 3. The Platoon must then exit off the table top on the edge it entered in order to win the Mission and report what they found.
The PEFs were placed in zones 1,2 and 4.
Sgt Smith decides to advance up the left side of the table towards the farmhouse.
After turn 1 the US tanks were close to the farmhouse, and the German PEFs moved up, one of them right behind the farmhouse bur still out of sight. On the next turn the US player activated, the Germans did not — and the US player pushed up to spot the PEF.
US spots the German PEF
The PEF is spotted and resolved as — the same number of German medium tanks, so the US has run into three Panzer IVs at close range.
Panzer IVS at close range!
This led to a close range gun duel that resulted in one Panzer IV and one Sherman brewed up. Both the remaining Panzer IVs Ducked back into Cover and one Sherman did the same. The remaining Sherman decides to push around the farmhouse and continue the engagement. This forces an In Sight test, and since the German tank is in Duck Back it loses and the US tank fires first. Hit! However, the US tank fails its Reload roll and cannot shoot again.
A second Panzer IV is knocked out.
On the following turn the German player activates first, both unresolved PEFs move up to the stream, while the remaining Panzer IV passed it’s Crisis Test and rolls forward to engage. The US player wins the In Sight test, but must spend its action reloading .German tank fires and misses, the US tank completes its reloading and returns fire, disabling the Panzer. The crew bails out and runs for safety.
While this is happening the German PEFs reach the bridge and are spotted the next turn, resolving as a Pak40 Anti-Tank and hauler with an escort, and an infantry AT hunter-killer team.
The German side srcambles to deploy while the US moves up, and a cheeky aggressive SdKfz 250/9 with a 20mm autocannon charges at the flank of a Sherman to buy time for its team mates.
The charge of the SdKfz 250/9!
The US player wins the In Sight against the halftrack and swats it aside with 75mm gunfire, leaving it shattered on the road. Meanwhile the other Sherman moves up to engage the Pak 40 on the road.
Pak40 and AT teams deploy!
The US player moves up, one Sherman engages the AT gun and the other decides to cross the bridge and “run ’em down” (according to the player!).
US moves to engage deployed infantry units
The US tank wins the In Sight and wipes out the Pak40 with cannon and machinegun fire. However, the second Sherman is not so lucky. The player loses the In Sight test to the German infantry AT HK team and takes a Panzerfaust in the side, knocking it out of action!
Sherman tank is knocked out by a Panzerfaust
The remaining Sherman make a Crisis Test, and since it’s the last tank in its platoon and all alone — it decides to retreat. The US side lost the Patrol mission, ouch!
All alone? I’m outta here!
After the Battle
This was a challenging Mission, Sgt Smiths small tank command was battered by German forces. While the did knock out 3 tanks, a halftrack and a Pak40 — they also lost two of three tanks. They lost their Patrol Mission.
1. Recovery and Replacements: The disabled tank lost two figures, one comes back at full Rep and one at -1Rep. The Platoon also lost two tanks, and since we didn’t win the Mission the disabled tank is lost. So we roll 2d6 vs Rep on the Tank Replacement table and get a “Pass 2” result – so we get both tanks replaced. One will be manned by the surviving crew, the other will be all new.
2. Improving and Losing REP: It’s possible for your Star and its squad mates to improve or lose their REP depending on how well they did during their Mission. Since the Platoon lost the Mission, we roll 1d6 for each crew figure (in the core crew) and the other tank to see what happened. In Sgt Smith’s tank the Radio/Bow gunner loses one Rep, and is not at Rep 3 – the others are OK.
3. Campaign Morale. Let’s see how this would work if e continue with Sgt Davis’ Sherman platoon, Since we completed a Mission we check Campaign Morale. Each side rolls 2d6 vs Rep against their Campaign Morale. The US rolls a Pass 1, and the German side also gets a Pass 1 — no change in Morale.
4. What is the next Mission? Well, since the US player lost the Patrol Mission, the next Mission will be a Defend Mission.
After a brutal day at Utah Beach, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, is stood down for a week to rest and refit. Since Sgt Toomey has been injured, Lt. Dan promotes Cpl Leroy Herbet and puts him in charge of 1st Squad.
Sgt Herbet’s Star Sheet
Several replacements bring 1st Squad’s numbers up to seven men, but since they are still under strength Lt, Dan gives Sgt. Herbet a Patrol mission. The Company will soon begin an attack on St. Lo and needs Intel – 1st Squad is to reconnoiter towards St. Lo and report back. (Note – in real life the 4th Infantry attacked Cherbourg, but the players wanted to go to St. Lo instead – it’s their war after all!)
1st Squad, Second Mission – the Patrol
Campain Status – Week 3, June 1944:
Campaign Morales • US: 4 • German: 3
Investment Levels • US: 4 • German: 3
Mission 2 – Patrol towards St. Lo
Patrol Mission
Your objective is to recon the table.
To be successful you or a Junior NCO must spend one turn of activation within 6″ of the edge of the table in sections 1, 2, and 3. Once you have accomplished this you must report back by exiting the table from the edge that you entered.
The Patrol Mission tabletop terrain is generated, and the Squad will enter the tabled in Zones 7, 8, or 9 and must have the Sgt or Assistant Squad Leader (Cpl) spend an Activation in each of Zones 1, 2, and 3. The Squad must then exit off the table top on the edge it entered in order to win the Mission and report what they found.
Mission 2 – The Patrol, sweep right!
The Mission Set-Up
While we rolled randomly for the weather and time of day, the results were good — clear weather and the patrol will be conducted at Night which reduces Line of Sight to 12″. This will become extremely important later on! Then three PEFs were placed on the table in zones 3, 4 and 7. Remember they don’t stay where they are placed, they will start moving as the game goes on.
Three Enemy PEFS on the table
Then Sgt Herbet decided on his strategy, which was to try and sweep up the right side of the table and reach their Patrol objectives, while managing an encounters with German troops.
1st Squad moves past the Orchard, ready for trouble.
1st Squad moves between the hedgerows on the right side of the table, while the first German PEF moves into the orchard and the Americans get ready for a fight. Luckily, the Germans fail to activate on the next turn and the Americans move forward towards their objectives. They spot the PEF in zone 3, and to their relief it turns out to be nothing.
The US player keeps moving forward towards his Patrol objectives
On the following turn the Germans activate first and the PEF in the Orchard moves into sight and it turns out to be a German squad!
The German PEF moves into sight – it’s an infantry Squad!Short, sharp firefight shatters the night!
The German side and the US side both make an In Sight test, with an advantage to the US player since they were not moving. That, plus Sgt. Herbet’s higher REP gives the US player the edge, and open fire on the Germans! The short range fire is devastating, with two Germans killed and the rest Ducking Back into cover, which ends the fight.
The US player wins the firefight
On the next turn the US player decides to break contact and move forward towards their Objective — they’re here gain Intel, not get into fights if they can help it. The second German squad moves up towards the sound of the firefight near the Orchard.
Second German squad moves towards the sound of the firefight.
The second German squad’s Sergeant encounters some shaken soldaten from 1st Squad, and rallies them, demanding to know what they encountered. The Americans are here! How many? Many, sir, many!
The German squads meet upThe Americans tale a chance and Fast Move through the darkening twilight, trusting they can react in time to anything they encounter.
On this turn the combined Activation dice rolls (Germans roll 4, the US rolls 3) add up to a 7, reinforcements arrive! Since the German side rolled highest, and still made their Rep roll, they get the reinforcements. It ends up being another Squad — which means the American player has run into a full German platoon! Only the cover of darkness is saving them from a quick end!
A full German platoon moves in a Squad Line up the table towards the last sighted position of the Americans!On their activation the US squad scouts the 2nd of three Zones they need to Patrol
On the next turn we have another interesting die roll — both sides rolled under their Rep and scored doubles, 2 and 2. This means there’s a chance for a random event! The event is a stray artillery strike attacks a Zone on the table, and wouldn’t you know it — the unlucky German 1st Squad happens to be in the impact zone! BAM-BOOM! Each figure is attacked by a Shooting Attack at Rep 4, which devastates this squad which had just been rallied!
Unlucky German squad 1 gets hit by stray artillery!
The US player scouts the last Patrol objective as the 2nd and 3rd German squads keep moving down the table.
US player scouts all three areas – time to book it home, boys!
The American player retraces his steps down the table, trying to beat the German and escape before they close in!
The US player moves quickly past the duck pond while the Germans close in!
In this game we’re using an optional rule from the NUTS Compendium called “Audio In Sight.” Since it’s dark and Line of Sight is only 12″, if you use Audio In Sight your figures can hear enemy infantry within 18″, and that can help you move towards them and even fire in their direction. In this case the German player does “spot” the Americans by sound, hearing the clink and rattle of equipment in front of them. So they open fire and hurl grenades in hopes of scoring a lucky hit! RATTATATAT! Rifle and SMG fire blazes away in the dark, hitting nothing — but one of the grenades (thrown at reduced Rep) explodes near the retreating Americans and sends 2 figures Out of the Fight!
The Germans blind fire at the sound of the rapidly moving Americans and score a lucky grenade hit!
On the next turn the Germans fail to activate, allowing the Americans to collect their wounded and keep retreating — but they don’t get far before they run right into the newly rallied, and bloodied German 1st Squad! The Germans win the In Sight test and their rifle fire forces two US figures to Duck Back. The remaining US figures return fire, downing two figures and forcing two more to Duck Back, which ends the fight.
The retreating US squad runs into the unlucky German 1st squad, and another fire fight blazes in the night!
On the next Turn the Germans activate first. The German 3rd Squad starts to sweep through the Orchard onto the flank of the US squad, while the pursuing German 2nd Squad moves up through the Hedgerows to pin and destroy this cheeky Yank unit that’s been running around in their defensive area! The Germans move into Line of Sight of the US figures, causing an In Sight test. The US player rolls less than the German player — so the US player decides to use one of his “Star Power” dice and make a re-roll, and wins this critical In Sight test! The US player has four figures that can act, the other four are OoO or basically in Duck Back from the last firefight. But the BAR gunner, supported by Sgt Herbet’s Tommy Gun and two M1 Garands shock the Germans with a storm of hot lead, knocking down several figures and sending the others Ducking Back into cover.
The US player engages in a close range fire fight as another German squad closes on its flank.
On the next turn the Germans once again blow their Activation roll and fail to Activate – perhaps the chaos of a running gun battle and artillery strikes has made them cautious! On the following turn the Americans continue to retreat as fast as they can towards the edge of the table, and the German squads move after them in pursuit.
Run, Herbet, run!
Sgt Herbet’s 1st Squad successfully breaks contact and retreats off the table, having completed its Patrol Mission. It was a close run thing, only the cover of darkness allowed them to succeed, and saved their bacon against a full German platoon!
The weary and battered Americans retreat off the table having completed their Patrol mission.
After the Battles
This was a challenging Mission, Sgt Herbet’s squad narrowly avoided getting trapped and destroyed by superior German forces, but they did manage to complete their Patrol Mission.
1. Recovery and Replacements: Two figures were knocked Out of the Fight, but since they were recovered and taken with the US forces they have a better chance to recover in time for the next Mission — which they do! The Squad is still down men, and gets a Replacement roll. Sgt. Herbet rolls well, and they get three more men added to the Squad, bringing them up to 10 figures (though two of them are Green, being just Rep 3).
2. Improving REP: It’s possible for your Star and its squad mates to improve their REP if they did well, and they might lose REP if they had a really bad Mission. Most games will have a core Star and Squad in them you want to track, but the players could check for the whole platoon in this case. After making these rolls, while Sgt Herbet doesn’t improve past Rep 5, several figures do go up in Rep, almost half the squad is now Rep 5!
3. Campaign Morale. Since we completed another Mission we check Campaign Morale. Each side rolls 2d6 vs Rep, the US rolls double 6s (they needed fives) and Passes 0! The Germans Pass 1, which means the US Campaign Morae goes down by 1 level. The next Mission the US will have Campaign Morale 4, the Germans Campaign Morale 3. Remember, despite the Campaign Map movement you do you need to reduce the Enemy Campaign Morale to “0” to win the Campaign. If that means you have to keep fight on the same Area Map, so be it!
4. Oh, we’re also going to make a Campaign Event roll, an optional test you can make between Missions. This is described in the Campaign books as part of the “Your War” campaign system. If you roll doubles on your Campaign Morale test, which the US player did, you can roll again on the Campaign Event table. So rolling2d6 we score a 1, 2 = 3, which means “Bad news from home. You fight your next Mission at -1REP.” Oh no, Sgt. Herbet just got “Dear Johnned” by his girlfriend back home! This means he’ll be preoccupied and fight at a penalty on his next Mission!
5. What is the next Mission? Well, since the US player won the Patrol Mission, the next Mission will be an Attack Mission.
Playing the NUTS D-Day Campaign from the Western Front book, starting with a “Star”, which is a leader figure that represents the Player on the table (other systems have a Big Man – same concept). This campaign focuses on capturing the Normandy Area of the Western Front map and starts off with a Beach Assault, which is drawn from an earlier post.
Campaign Tracker, Week 1
We’re going to “harmonize” this D-Day game with other games, so the Star is Cpl Leroy Herbet, the Assistant Squad Leader of 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. We just stuck him into an historical unit that makes sense for the Campaign. The US 8th Infantry Regiment fought from D-Day to the end of the War, starting with landings at Utah Beach.
NUTS Star Sheet for Cpl Herbet
Campaign Morales • US: 4 • German: 4
Mission 1 (week 1, June 1944) – Beach Assault We’re going to use the map provided, but you can use the NUTS Compendium to roll up your own beach landing.
Investment Levels • US: 4 • German: 4
Normandy Map Area, Week 1
The Set-up This was a Co-op game in which each player commanded one squad or section of 3rd Platoon, Dog Company, hitting the beach during the Invasion of Normandy, June 6 1944. While the basic coastal terrain and the town was mapped out and placed on the table, the players had no idea beach defenses they’d run into until they landed on the beach (using the Amphibious Landing rules from the NUTS! Compendium).
The area they would be landing in was loosely based on Utah Beach, with the beach rising to sandy slopes, behind which was a low laying swampy area and then a small town. The player’s objectives were to clear the beach defenses, then attack across the swampy area and causeway and try to take the town, which had x3 Potential Enemy Forces (PEFs) to clear. The Player in charge of Cpl Herbet started off with Sgt Toomey – but the Sgt was hit and knocked out of the game as soon as the landing door dropped, and the Player just continued play with the Assistant Squad Leader.
D-Day – the Beach
Most of the players weren’t that familiar with NUTS!, so we started them out with one unit each of a Star and the appropriate number of REP 4 Grunts (to make it easy on the dice rolls). Each Star had their own ID card with their Attributes, REP and personal weapons on it. The units were: • HQ Section under Lt. Dan • Engineering Section under Cpl Hulka • 1st Squad under Sgt Toomey with Cpl Herbet • 2nd Squad under Sgt Johnson • 3rd Squad under Sgt. Ricci
After the commands were split up (and appropriately, the youngest player given the roll of Lt Dan), each Squad was then placed into an LCVP and ready to hit the beach! At this point Lt Dan determined in which LVCP the HQ and Engineering sections would be, and what the general plan was once they landed. The player running Lt. Dan also rolled for the Beach Defenses (page 39). The Enemy Investment Level starts at 4, so rolling 2d6 against that resulted in a Pass 2d6, so it was a defended beach. Rolling 1d6 to see what kind of defenses led to a roll on the Beach Defensive Position table. The resulting roll meant the players would be facing a Bunker, a squad in trenches and two rolls on the Fixed Defenses table — two mine fields.
Oh boy…at this point I called on the players to make their final plans and gave ’em the “30 Seconds!” warning!
“30 Seconds!!”
Lt Dan rolled for activation, passing more than the German Non-Player Enemy (which was also a default REP 4), and each Sgt in charge of an LCVP rolled on the Beach Landing table (Compendium p. 41) to see if their guys got dropped in the surf or on the beach. 3rd and 2nd squad got a nice ride to the beach, but 1st squad got dropped short, 6″ in the surf and would have to wade to shore under the guns of whatever is in that bunker in front of them.
Turn 1 – Hit the Beach!
Resolving the action from the left side, since 3rd Squad seemed to face no opposition, we see 3rd Squad Fast Move across the beach with one figure straying into a minefield and going Out of the Fight – boom!
2nd Squad piled out of their LCVP and tried to Fast Move, failed, but charged up the beach and spread out, triggering an In Sight test with the German trench line. Sgt. Johnson won the In Sight and the resulting awesome American dice rolls saw many of the German defenders Duck Back, the remaining figures Returned Fire, also causing a few Duck Backs.
1st Squad comes under heavy fire as it hits the beach in front of the MG bunker
1st Squad got the full treatment — wading to shore while under fire from an MG-42 and rifles, immediately causing casualties! Two figures were killed (Obviously Dead) and other OOF, while several other figures Ducked Back behind obstacles. Sgt Toomey took a hit that would was Obviously Dead. And here’s where being a Star is useful — he used his Star Power ability to avoid the hit and instead Duck for Cover. Call it being experienced, the Sarge threw himself behind cover to avoid what was surely a fatal hit! Lt. Dan has the Unlucky Attribute and had to check if the round hitting the figure next to him actually nailed him instead — whew, still missed! Lt. Dan then used his Born Leader Attribute to keep his men moving forward!
In the next few turns, 3rd Squad continues across the beach and moves to put flanking fire on the German trench line. 2nd Squad advances straight at the trench line, laying down heavy fire from the platoon’s .30cal MG and rifle grenadier — amazing US attack attack rolls kill several German figures, and see almost every figure in the trench line forced to Duck Back! That’s a lot of sixes on the attack rolls! With the trench defenders suppressed, the Engineering section moves up ready to attack with satchel charges and flamethrower.
However, 1st Squad is stuck advancing into the meat grinder. An attached Sniper manages to kill a defender in the bunker, but the return MG fire is devastating. Sgt Toomey is hit *again* by machinegun fire with an Obviously Dead result, but fails his Star Power checks. The Player uses “Cheating Death” to reduce it to “Out of the Fight” so he may come back in another game. So now Cpl Herbet takes over the Squad!
1st Squad advances into the meat grinder
While 1st Squad bogs down in front of the bunker, 2nd Squad drives its assault home on the trench line with a series of accurate grenades and a blast from the flamethrower that effectively wipes out the German defenders. That’s the way to do it boys, fix, flank and finish!!
The Engineering team breaks the trench defenders2nd Squad moves up to occupy the trenches
As 1st Squad seeks cover on the beach behind anything it can find while trying to suppress the bunker, 2nd Squad, led by the Engineering section assault the bunker from the flank, press on on through rifle fire and unleashing a deadly blast from the flamethrower.
The Engineering section silences the bunker
With the beach defenses neutralized, the Americans push forward towards the small village of Ville Cotiere.
The Ville3rd Squad pushes forward off the beach and moves into the marshy area to begin scouting the PEFs in the small village of Ville Cotiere.
1st Squad, the HQ section and the Engineering section paused to allow the Medic to make some recovery attempts on downed figures, and then moved up across the bridge. 2nd Squad went across the marsh on the right flank. On the left flank, Sgt. Ricci decides not to make for the causeway, and has 3rd Squad move up and into the low laying marshy area.
As they cross the marsh (at half movement rate) the spot one of the PEF markers that had moved up from the center of the town. PEF markers represent possible enemies, and they will move around the table based on the type of scenario and dice rolls. Sgt Ricci rolled to resolve the PEF, and since we were adding some of the Chocolate & Cigarettes LiteRPG rules in NUTS!, the marker actually resolved as French civilians.
3rd Squad meets French Civilians
Sgt Ricci and his squad move up and speak with the civilians. The Sgt rolls his REP in d6 (REP 4 means he rolls 4d6) on the interaction/challenge table looking for successes (rolls of a 1, 2, 3). He scores three successes, the civilian only one success.
“Champ de mines, what the heck is he talking about?,” said Sgt. Ricci out loud. “Champ, is that like a boxer?? This guy saying he’s a boxer?” “Say, Sarge, my grandma was French, I think champ means field…mines…minefield!?!”
Since the player won the test he ended up getting valuable information, letting him immediately resolve another PEF on the table. The dice roll results in a fixed defense, a minefield the Americans now know to avoid — the French civilians just saved lives, Vive le France! Second squad would have blundered into the minefield, but now maneuvers to avoid it. The last PEF remains at the far end of the village.
On the next turn during the activation roll the US player ends up getting reinforcements. What happened each is side rolled for activation (1d6 vs Leader REP), and in this case the US player rolled a 4, the German player a 3. The US player won activation, and adding the dice together equals 7 — chance of reinforcements. The US players end up getting tank support!
A Sherman with wading gear trundles out of the surf line and into action.
Lt. Dan decides to slow down and let the tank catch up, and sends runners to 2nd and 3rd squad with new orders. Pretty simple — 3rd Squad will advance up the left flank, 2nd Squad and the Engineers up the right flank, and 1st Squad and HQ will accompany the Sherman into the town.
As the platoon moved forward, 1st and 2nd squads ended up following along behind the Sherman, while Lt. Dan decided to climb up on the tank “for a better view.” Cpl Hulka told Lt. Dan that’s probably not the wisest idea, and then had his Engineer section move up through the walled gardens behind the houses on the right side of the village.
Sgt. Ricci led 3rd Squad up the left side of the village, where they cleared one house and moved up until they made contact with the final PEF. As soon as they came into Line of Sight, Sgt. Ricci rolled on the PEF resolution table, and it turned out to be an enemy Squad with AT weapons (Panzerfausts). These were placed on the table, and an In Sight test made — each side being REP 4. The German’s won the In Sight test and opened fire on 3rd squad, knocking one figure Out of the Fight and forcing the rest to Duck Back into cover and out of sight, ending the action.
With the burst of gunfire and yells of medic! medic! filling the air, Cpl. Herbet decided he didn’t want to have to break in another Lt. and hollered at Lt. Dan, perched on the tank — “Lt. Dan, come one down from there — 3rd Squad needs you, and you’d better ask the Sherman to cover us on the left flank!” The excitable 2nd Lt. gave directions to the Tank Commander and then hopped down and moved over to the left side with the HQ section.
3rd squad took cover in a ruined house, and started to exchange fire with the German defenders. Lt. Dan and the HQ section also entered the bombed out structure and the Americans moved up to the walls and windows to engage the Germans, sparking a fierce firefight. The Germans again won the In Sight and opened fire first. A figure next to Lt. Dan took a hit, but being Unlucky and all, the hit was applied to him instead. He burned a Star Power die to convert the hit from Out of the Fight to Duck Back. The Americans that could returned fire ineffectually, ending the turn On the next turn the US player won In Sight and the sniper managed to kill a German figure, but accurate German return fire killed the sniper figure in return and again forced the Americans to Duck Back.
On the next turn the US player failed their Activation roll, and the German play was able to move up unopposed (the Americans in the house were in Duck Back while 2nd and 1st Squads didn’t have Line of Sight on the German figure), and send a barrage of grenades into the house causing chaos among the Americans! The grenades killed and disabled three American figures, forcing the rest to keep in Duck Back mode.
Meanwhile, Cpl Herbet of 1st Squad directed the tank into action and laid some payback down on the Germans. The fusillade of fire and a 75mm HE shell from the Sherman blasted the Germans back away from the fire fight at the house.
The Engineering section continued its flanking move up the right side of the village, and 2nd Squad under Sgt. Johnson decided to move up the main street to try and flank the Germans engaged with 1st Squad, the HQ section and the Sherman. It was an aggressive move that failed, German figures at the end of the village won an In Sight test and the brief fire fight left one US figure dead and the rest doing a Duck Back for cover. The Medic went into action, helping one OOF figure recover and go back into the fight.
The Medic rules, by the way, allow for a Medic test on an OOF figure to see if it can be recovered. The results can range from the figure being only stunned and the Medic gets it back into the fight with no penalty, to walking wounded (able to take some actions), to still OOF. The Medic figure helped several figures recover during the game. Lt. Dan then ordered everyone forward, and tasked the Sherman to move up the main street to support 2nd Squad, which was taking cover in doorways and behind debris, taking fire from a German MG-34. The Sherman blasted the house the Germans were in with MG fire and a 75mm HE shell, setting the building ablaze and forcing the Germans back.
Lt. Dan orders his troops forward after a flurry of grenades that killed and knocked out several German figures, and then moves up into the face of the shocked German defenders.
The Sherman also advanced, along with 2nd Squad, and the German defenders had their Panzerfausts ready to go…
…when the Engineering section completed its flanking move through the village and attacked the Germans from the rear, catching them by surprise.
Combined with Lt. Dan’s continued attack, in combination with 1st Squad, the remaining German defenders surrendered.
With all the PEFs resolved, the Mission was over. As more troops made it ashore, 3rd Platoon gratefully turns the fight over to them and stands down. After the Mission is done, if you’re doing a Campaign Game, you can check to recover casualties, get replacements and try to improve the REP of your figures. Let’s see how that works.
1. After the Battle: This was a tough Mission, there were a total of 15 American figure casualties. Three were recovered during the game by the Medic, leaving 12 more casualties. Of these, seven were Obviously Dead, leaving five OOF figures that could be recovered for the next game. Rolling 2d6 vs REP 4, we end up recovering three of those figures. They will be available for the next Mission.
2. Replacements: Lt. Dan has lost nine figures, almost an entire squad. He asks for Replacements from his Company Commander. He rolls 2d6 vs REP, passes 2 and ends up getting two replacement figures into the Platoon. For subsequent Missions, the Platoon will be short seven figures — the Player(s) will have to decide how that’s distributed in future. 1. Cpl Herbet’s 1st Squad is still pretty short of men, so that may change the next Mission.
3. Improving REP: It’s possible for your Star and its squadmates to improve their REP if they did well, and they might lose REP if they had a really bad Mission. Most games will have a core Star and Squad in them you want to track, but the player’s could check for the whole platoon in this case. Both Sgt Toomey and Lt. Dan took OOF results during the game, so even if they used Star Power not to get knocked out, they can’t improve their REP. We check for Sgt Ricci with a d6 vs REP roll, he rolls below his REP and stays at REP 4. We check for Sgt. Johnson, he also stays at REP 4. We check for Cpl Herbet, rolling above his current REP 4 (the roll was a 5), so he goes up one REP level to REP 5. Checking for the rest of the Platoon, six additional figures go up one REP level — but some of the figures that were injured lose a REP level. You can track this during a Campaign if you like.
Since this is the start of a Campaign, we also check to see if US or German morale has changed. Each side starts off at Campaign Morale 4 in this case. Basically you will run a series of Missions, and as you succeed or fail the morale will change until one side hits 0 Morale Level and retreats from the area. The US player won the Mission, so they roll 3d6 vs 2d6 for the German side. The US player gets Pass 3, the German player gets Pass 2 — so the US player won the roll by 1, and that reduces German Campaign Morale to 3.
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