Video Playthrough - Heroes of the Gap: Air Assault

-
Continuing through with my video playthroughs, I've set up and played a game of "Heroes of the Gap".  In this scenario, "Air Assault", the Americans are caught by surprise as the Soviets send in airborne helicopter assault troops in a pre-dawn raid to capture three vital objectives in Eisenbach.  The Americans have a small garrison here and attempt to fend off the Spetsnaz troops for as long as they can while help is on the way.

I really enjoyed playing through this scenario.  It incorporates some of the best elements of Heroes of the Gap.  There are helicopters, air strikes, anti-tank missiles, and an M-1 Abrams tank.  I thought the folks at LnLP did a nice job of creating some specific module rules that accounted for modern weaponry.  They also did a nice job of creating scenarios that let it all shine.  "Air Assault" is a really good example of one of those scenarios.




Comments

  1. HipshotMay 22, 2014 at 10:44 AM

    Running comments:
    Hmm interesting approach. ;) . I think that chopper has to leave ..(oh never mind you got it)
    Really aggressive Soviet start!
    Then the 2nd wave takes some of the objectives!
    Love the STINGER shot !!! BOOM!

    We need to play this again somehow!
    the M1's laugh at the AT gun...bwhahaha!
    Did you do a bailout check for the M113?
    What is it with you and shaken vehicles!
    WTF..wow.... bummer for the yanks.
    Great fun.
    I think both sides can win, I agree.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bradMay 22, 2014 at 10:52 AM

      Thanks Kev! Love the running comments. I did a bailout check for the M-1 after getting equal results on armor protection and penetration rolls and the tankers just barely passed it. I dunno why my vehicles always get shaken - must have been manufactured on a Friday afternoon at the plant just before a long weekend. We should definitely play this one again!

      Delete
  2. UnknownMay 23, 2014 at 2:21 AM

    Another great production Brad. I love the LNL system and how it lends itself to such a strong narrative. Your ability to tell the story really adds to this. Very intesting playthrough. I enjoyed it alot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bradMay 23, 2014 at 7:45 AM

      Thanks Jason! I really enjoyed playing this one through. The loss of two Soviet squads in the early game really ratcheted up the tension. Thanks for the kind comments.

      Delete
  3. UnknownMay 23, 2014 at 9:37 PM

    Hey no problem. Just want you to know your efforts a appreciated. BTW do I detect a Boston accent in there?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. bradMay 23, 2014 at 11:54 PM

      It's always good to hear people enjoy what I do. Thanks again! As for the accent, I'm Canadian but my accent is seriously messed up from living overseas for the last 10 years. I've been working with people from the eastern United States so I think my accent is slowly and subtly changing a bit over the years. I definitely notice the difference whenever I visit Canada. That being said, it's not completely changed. You can probably pick out the occasional "oot and aboot" in the video at times if you listen closely. hehe

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Designer's Diary Part 7: Historical Scenario 1 Background

-
Image
In my game, That Others May Live, the first historical scenario is called “Cauldron of Fire” on page 9 of the TOML rulebook. Here's the description: It is June 1968. While bombing enemy supply trucks at the north end of the A Shau valley, an A-4 Skyhawk is shot down by surprisingly heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire. The pilot ejects, but is seriously injured. His wingman and a “Nail” FAC are already on the scene when the Combat Search and Rescue team arrives. High winds prevent the use of some special weapons in the rescue operation. Historically, the mission was a failure. It was abandoned after one of the rescue helicopters was destroyed by enemy fire. There were no survivors. A ground team was later inserted to find the pilot, but failed to locate him. This scenario is loosely based on the events of June 9 and 10 th , 1968 when US Marine Captain Walter Schmidt callsign Hellborne 215 was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire while on a bombing mission over the A Shau
Read more

GDW Twilight: 2000 - Last Battle: A Review

-
Image
By the late 1980s, GDW was elbow-deep in both the roleplaying and wargaming business, pumping out an impressive volume and variety of award-winning titles.  The wargaming end of the business around that time saw the release of games like Stand & Die: The Battle for Borodino , Team Yankee , and Test of Arms , which were all part of the company's new (at the time) "First Battle" series.  This series was an attempt at producing wargames that were accessible to new wargamers, boasting an easy-to-learn basic rules set that allowed new players to get the game home and start playing right away.  This was quite a shift in GDW's previous approach to wargames, which were often quite complex and meant only for hardcore wargamers (see Assault , for example).  One game, "Last Battle" , was released in 1989 as part of the "First Battle" series and I'm going to talk about how and why I bought this obscure 25 year old game and the circumstances surrounding
Read more

NATO Air Commander - Designer's Thoughts

-
Image
I spent a lot of time this year in what one might generously term "interesting circumstances". One of the outcomes of that was a game I had in the back of my mind for years. NATO Air Commander is the first game I have ever designed and I'm particularly humbled by the show of early support from playtesters and wargamers. Tom and Mary Russell, the heads of Hollandspiele Games, were particularly supportive and I am especially grateful for that. Just like the title says, this is a solitaire game that is supposed to put the player in the shoes of an Allied Air Commander during a hypothetical World War III set around 1987. To that end, the decisions you make in this game are big theater decisions and the scale of the game works on the level of flights of aircraft. Each turn, you're creating and assembling raids and assigning missions to air units, hoping to influence the ground war - over which you have limited control. The game came out of a desire to see more
Read more