Open Tournament 2017 Round 5

Open Tournament 2017 Round 5
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Open Tournament 2017 Round 5

Mark McG vs sansmerci
The day of the Red Dice

Game 1
Mark McG (Allies): 2
sansmerci (French): 6
I spent the game shooting at French ART, with some good effect. Hand full of Left cards meant I had great concern about my ability to respond to French attacks. So concerned I used a Scout to draw 2 cards, rather than a Guerilla!
When the French assault came, it was brutal, Spanish ART lift straight off. The Spanish riposte was ineffective, and cost an LC. French cavalry kept coming straight up the centre and my squares started dying. I had nothing for the centre, but I did manage to get a French LN with my artillery. At 4-1 I knew it was GM time, and mangaged to bag a LT before the French infantry closed in for the slaughter. Game took 1.5 hours.

Game 2
Mark McG (French): 6
sansmerci (Allies): 1

Whole lot of artillery fire as the French struggled to get moving almost anywhere. Eventually with 4 Left cards out of 5, I moved the cavalry to the left and drove into the Spanish line. End result was the French cavalry was written down to 1 strength units that got away, which the Spanish lost 1 LC, 1 HC, 1 ART & 1 LN. The whole time the right flank saw a vicious exchange of artillery fire, which eliminated a French LT, and also wrote down the French HC there, and the British ART & GG to 1 strength units. All the 1 strength units headed for the rear.

I finally started getting Centre cards (or rather cards I could use in the Centre, not actual Centre cards), and a Forched March managed to get the Centre infantry forward. A follow up bayonet charge managed to bag an LN with 2 attacks, and the final Leader Inspired attack on an ART unit scored 4 hits out of 5 (3 Red dice)for the match.. Took us close to 2 hours, mainly because not really much to work with cardwise till the end. 2 Guerrilla markers played.

Round 5
The games where just as Mark said. I have never seen as many red arty rolls as Mark got in the second game must have been close to 50% it seemed like. Everyone of his cavalry at the end was down to 1 block but the Spanish are poor shooters and could not get one to die for the tie.

Game 1
Bangla (Allies): 6
GGottoman (French): 5

Wow! This was one fast game. The Spanish started with no movement cards, only Leadership, Bombard, Cold Steel and 2 x Fire & Hold. Great to start a defensive battle, but then not possible to react well afterwards. My Bombard took out a LT in the centre as a good start. But Greg attacked, as per the French should, on their left and I forgot to play my guerrilla counter when he charged with his cavalry. Fortunately, he was sucked in, my right held, and I was able to counter-attack strongly with the guerrilla counter to send him packing. I was 3-1 up by this time. Where would he attack next? Well, he came through the centre with his infantry, took out four of my units and was on the brink of victory. A counter with lots of artillery in combined arms killed off three LN's though, and the Spanish won the battle by a whisker. A good fight, which lasted only about an hour ... fast and furious!

Return match on Sunday, 21st January.

Game 1
EZPickins (Allies) 6 banners
Togan (French) 1 banner

The early game saw the French cavalry attacking on my right flank. He was able to kill my FA but it cost him a LC and HC unit. We then had a period long range fire from which cost Togan a FA. A couple of infantry units advanced within range of my line and were eliminated in ranged fire. Finally a bayonet charge enabled me to take out the final unit. Togan was a great opponent as always

Game 2
EZPickins (French) 1 banner
Togan (Allies) 6 banners

Togan drew first blood playing a cavalry charge on the French left taking out my HA and then retreating from my counter strike. I was able to pursue and kill his HC but lost my HC and Milhaud in return. Late he sent an LN w/ldr and LC into my center line killing Leval and another LN while another LN was damaged. Several turns later he took out this unit as well for the win. I had no center cards to respond to any of these moves. Togan was the better player this game and deserved the win.

Game 1
Gonzo (French) 6 banners
Plainscape (Allies) 0 banners
It was ugly.

Game 2
Gonzo (Allies) 6 banners
Plainscape (French) 4 banners
Early French ctr Bayonet charge coujntered with Out of supply and 2 guerril actions to thwart French reponse to cav attack backed by art. @ French dead to one Spanish. Seven die melee attack on unaccompanied French leader but got away. First French Cav Charge got only the Spanish LC due to Countercharge and Inf first first. Second French Cav charge got HC and art on Spanish right. A Forced march cut them off and killed a 4 pt HC. Leader survived 5 dice getting away. 3 French Hvy Cav die, score 5-4. French center closed, only to have the previous ineffective Spanish range fire devastate a French 4 pt unit for final banner. Close game, could have gone either way. If the French had not whiffed on a couple of critical rolls, it would have.
Thanks to Todd for the match, a fun opponent.

Game 2
GGottoman (Allies): 1
Bangla (French): 6

Wow again! Took about 50 minutes in a real shoot 'em up finale. The first few moves by both sides were taken up re-positioning troops, with the French obviously setting up his cavalry on the left. The Spanish picked up a second GM along the way. Then the French unleashed the charge. Did Greg forget to play a GM? Most likely, but the heavies and the lights crashed into the Spanish right flank, eliminating the foot artillery, light cavalry, heavy cavalry and a line infantry unit in one fell swoop. The Spanish counter-attacked, cut off and eventually eliminated the Frecnh light cavalry, but the heavies got away. Both GM's were used up.
The Spanish then moved forward en masse in the centre. Their attacks were all repulsed for the loss of an infantry unit, and then the French countered with a bayonet charge which snaffled the last infantry unit needed. A really quick game that started slowly, but finished very quickly.

Game 1
mantra (French) 6 banners
Soul1st (Allies) 3 banners

Game started with some sync problems so we started again, but both of us forgot to start the new log file until halfway through. Now it seems the 'new' file' is messed up too and won't load...oh well...sorry folks. Only the 2 game file

Game 2
soul1st (French) 6 banners
mantra (Allies) 3 banners

Both games had similar elements. A lot Cav Charge cards on the FR left were used in both games scoring banners. The FR right never saw much action, except for a bunch of arty exchanges. The center in both games had the French push forward, but not recklessly. Furthermore, both games saw some rather flat rolls for the Allies, except for arty. Twan was a lot of fun and I wish him all the best in his future games.