Coming Round the Mountain - Italy vs France WW2

All last week I had been itching to get in a game with my brick mini-figs, I had the chance to set one up on Saturday.

The scenario is from One Hour Wargames. Rules used were my own.

The setup: A platoon of Italian infantry supported by a mortar is assigned to capture and clear a small village defended by two dug in French infantry units, with reinforcements on the way. The French are all veterans, the Italians have two green units (black helmets), one veteran infantry and one veteran mortar team. French reinforcements are set to arrive on turns 5 and 10.

 

Italians advance under fire, but the mortar suppresses the French threat in front of the village.

 

The veteran Italian infantry, supported by green infantry in the woods, storm the suppressed French, while the Italian platoon leader urges the other green unit to advance under the fire of the second entrenched French section.

 

The Italians valiantly storm the French position.

 

With the French first line of defense defeated, the Italian veterans storm the village, where the French have brought up an HMG team. In a stunning upset, the HMG team, despite being pinned, wipes the Italian vets right off the map in close combat! 

The French flank neutralized, the Italian platoon leader sets his green section the task of clearing the village.  And once again, the MG team punches above their weight cutting the attackers down as they advanced.

  

The last of the French reinforcements arrive and the French drive off the remaining Italians.

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The rules were my own grid-based amalgamation of Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit and Crossfire I had created for PTO games. As written, they're intended for on base = one squad.  However, instead I used 2-4 figures per section and modified the rules to suit.

The game lasted about 90 minutes (this is the only not-fast-play set of rules I've ever cobbled together. Nevertheless, they're lighter than ASLSK - they require much less of a mental load, while giving me a similar sense of involvement).

The French units have two figures instead of four because I originally was thinking of a small scenario based on an actual event, of a platoon attacking a squad and using 1BC Toy Soldiers at 1:1. I just never abandoned that part of the idea! 

Overall, the rules worked well even with the modifications. 

 As for the scenario, I probably could have given each side six units like the OHW scenario called for - again, I forgot to abandon that part of my original idea!