Chuck Hiner and I travelled all the way down to Austin Texas for Bane of War, our second time attending. It’s a pretty huge commitment in that for both of us, it’s ~1000 miles and to attend pretty much requires a flight, hotel and all travel expenses.
OTOH, it’s a 2 days, Flames of War filled event with some of the best players in the country if not the world. This year it was a late war, no special rules wrt to heros, but everyone received sporadic air support and you couldn’t upgrade it or replace. At 1615 points, Lots of choices to be made.
Located at the Texas Military History Museum on Camp Mabery , the place is just an awesome place to locate an event. Thankfully this time, all the tables for the 50 some participants were all on one side of the museum. Last year we were split on opposite ends so depending on how things were going you might find yourself floating back and forth. No so this year, which was a welcome change.
Tables
With 50 some people, you needs lots and lots of tables and Mark supplied plenty as well as many volunteered and brought their own terrain to contribute.
This table was the winner of ‘best table’…. lot and lots of buildings to content with!
Force
This time around I took a Hero Tank formation out of Desperate Measures. I thought about dropping down and fielding a hen and chicks mass of Soviet armor but I just wasn’t in the mood for it. Much less wanting to transport that much stuff! I thought about fielding something German but Germans in late war especially with unconstrained books can be a real mixed bag I’ve found.
So a formation of T-34/85s with Riders, T-34/76s with Riders, SU-100s, AA with their trucks, pioneers with a supply wagon (that I barely got to use) and 120mm mortars.
Swag / Prizes
Lots of attendees, so lots and lots of goodies. Besides since this year it was a national event, (Thanks Dave for attending!!) so that amped things up just a bit more.
Day 1
For the first game of the day, played Pincer against a German Panzerspah company. Lots and lots of Pumas with their 9AT gun, you had to respect if it could get on your flank.
I decided the main part of my assault would be on the left flank and in reality with my tanks I could pretty much ignore the wire, it wouldn’t be too bad. I also needed to get my pioneers into the fray so they would hope through the houses on the left, into the woods and then would support the final attack to take the left objective. Or so was the plan.
My SU-100s just needed to hold my right flank for a little while and keep things somewhat interesting over there. They started the game off well and immediately took out a Puma platoon.
Meanwhile on the left flank things were going quasi ok, save that the German Nebs were able to rain down and pin my pioneers … fearless … come on fearless, repeat after me … fearless, hello you realize there on the sheet it says fearless, needless to say for a good portion of the game they weren’t moving due to being pinned and that kept me from advancing as aggressively as I should and could have.
The ME-262s .. well “generic air” was pretty kind on the German side of the lines, coming down often which for sporadic is the nature of the beast I guess.
So a last view before my 3-4 loss. With the trickle of reinforcements I wasn’t just finally able to get my pioneers up but enough armor had been whittled away that I just couldn’t kill enough pumas to dislodge and take the objective out right. Worse my SU-100s weren’t able to hold the line any longer, some Pumas got into the backfield as it were and that was nearly the end of my mortars and my AA.
Not a great start to the tournament but least some points on the board and a reinforced feeling I should have put more time into trying to get some games in prior to hone the force.
Game 2
I didn’t take any pictures of game 2 which is a really really sad statement since I won that one, 8-0. I faced a German force with Wittman in it, I managed to kill him with my air on turn 2, (thus the point gain and loss). I was able to move around and really play to the strengths of my force and ended up just doing about as well as you can ever ask for in a game.
Soon here’s a picture of Chuck playing his second game, his artillery park in action.
Game 3
For game 3 on day 1, I faced Hal whom I hadn’t played yet tho I’d seen him around from last year. He was playing a Peiper list and immediately based on the mission I was really really screwed. It was breakthrough, and given the mobile reserves rules I wasn’t going to get much and worse of course was the problem of just getting my reinforcements on table in time to make any sort of difference. On top of that add in the spearhead rules for a Peiper list and it’s just a complete world of hurt.
If I had been the attacker, Hal would have been under similar circumstances so really the game was pretty much decided right then and there. But we played through and I held on for a very long time. 
Hal’s spearhead was immediately breathing down my neck. I made an error figuring my T34 out in field would be reasonably safe but also serve as a good way to string my ambush.
When I sprung my T-34/85s in ambush, thinking I could roast up and then swing around to take out tanks. The dice just weren’t there. While i took out a tank or two it just wasn’t enough to break the German platoon of Pz IVJs.
Then … after taking a few hits, my T-34s decided they had had enough and I lost my fearless morale roll…. fearless .. yeah, sure. My SU-100s and my other T-34s came on as reinforcements, but only SU-100s made their presence felt, plinking off some tanks at just under 40″. Still being slow, they just couldn’t get into the action get more of the German line.
So in the desperate fight for the objective, my pioneers held out as long as they could. Even assaulted and killed a German tank being able to sneak up on it, but it was no where near enough.
In the end, a 2-5 loss.
Day 2
I started out the day approx middle of the pack, which was about where I was hoping to be. I hadn’t had a lot of practice games with my list and frankly I was rusty going into Bane, a little too much Team Yankee I guess. 🙂
My first game of the day was against Andrew Hopson whom I had faced last year. We had play a Cauldron game, I was the defender and he tabled me bad, really bad, in like 2 turns. Granted Andrew is a crazy good and very well experienced player so no surprise. This year, I just hoped to make it to turn 3.
Alas I didn’t take any pictures, the game was a fairly decent one with lots of back and forth in the beginning. My air came down early (and then didn’t show up for the rest of the game), and knocked out a platoon of tanks. That kept things interesting. We went nearly to time, with a 3-4 loss on my part.
Last Game
Going into the last game I faced an American nearly all armor list with Patton. We played Counterattack. In the roll offer for attacker I won, and given the terrain, I was immediately hopeful that I could plink away and get up on the objective quickly.
I needed to do so before his reinforcements arrived because once that happened he’d have even more armor to press his attack.
This forced me into an aggressive situation but go big or go home, and let the dice decide. I figured with the fire lanes there and the ability to move in, I should have decent chances to take the closer objective.
My plan was to swing my T-34/85s around my right flank and concentrate fire and then use my SU-100s in their initial position to work on the same platoon if possible. Given the initial angle of the dangle, I had a shot with at least one of the SUs from the get go.
With the die roll, I ended getting to go second for the game.
This lead to some interesting maneuvering and with the two tank platoons were more or less there to be shot at. It’d be a straight up roll dice kinda fest and to the better rolling player, the victor gets the spoils.
My T-34/85s did their best and with a little supporting fire from the SUs I was able to bail to a morale check but I just couldn’t push through the kills as much as I needed. Same effects to the tank force in the town, bails a-plenty just no kills.
He was able to get back into his tanks and start brewing me up, quickly my T-76s and T-85s started to fall and given reinforcements by the time we were at turn 3, I’m rolling for company morale and well … remember those FEARLESS Soviets? Yeah, not so much, fail and that was the game. A very depressing 1-6 loss to round out the weekend.
Still, a trip to Austin is always a good trip to Austin. Between the Salt Lick and other great places to eat, can’t complain a bit. Till next year!