SCoaFF Afghanistan Game

Mike and I had a game of Some Corner of a Foreign Field at the club a week or two ago, just to check for any last bits that wanted changing before the rules went live. My 2009 Paras took on his Anti-Coalition Militia at 2:1 odds.

The table at the start.

Initial Para deployment.

It was a routine patrol for the squad - little did they know that across the river lay an ACM safehouse! The corporal spotted his man on the first turn and opened fire, letting everyone else on the board know that things had kicked off.

Both sides tried to outflank the other, but the Brits not only moved more decisively but also suppressed the ACM fire positions quite effectively, maintaining a historically decisive control of the battlespace.

The forward ACM position, riddled with bullet holes.

The British anvil, waiting for the hammer to their right.

The ACM Emir went down quite early in the game to a lucky UGL shot, and after that the ACM's hopes of victory were pretty much shot too. They held on doggedly, hoping against hope to cause a casualty that made their losses worthwhile (and at the time, the game felt tense until the last turn). Unfortunately, the British flankers got into position to negate all the ACM's cover advantages and killed about half the survivors in one turn. At that point Mike graciously conceded so that we could go and stare politely at all the other games being played.

The ACM position before nearly all those lads bought their ticket home.

The game really vindicated the game's design choices - there was a lot of suppression, manoeuvring and tension until one side had the angles for clear shots - and then carnage ensued! The dice didn't interfere with the game, and at no point did it feel like we were playing the rules instead of the period.

If the ACM had been more willing to accept casualties, their superior numbers and starting positions could have seen the game go completely the other way, but trusting in Osprey to do its job paid off, and the Brits eventually scored a 12-0 victory (on kills and serious injuries).

If I did it again, I would remember to use smoke to mask my movement. But then I always say that...

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