Two Raids
Mark and I returned to GEV a little while ago, playing the second scenario from that set, “Raid”, which has always been one of the most interesting scenarios (along with “Breakthrough”) of the system. While it’s on the same basic GEV map as the first scenario, nothing has been shot up yet, and indeed a major source of Combine VPs is shooting up cities, bridges, and the railroad as well as the defending units.
I took the raiding Combine first, with 10 GEVs, while Mark set up a scattered defense, mostly based on the northern part of the map (naturally), with infantry dug-in in the cities, CP Alpha in 0403, the mobile Beta in 1601, a pair of missile tanks on the east-west road, and a howitzer covering the entire center of the map in 1111. I entered in two groups, half on each south-edge road, and wrecked a couple of city hexes before splitting up a little in the second move.
Paneurope starts well outnumbered with a choice of four ‘armor units’ to start with (note that howitzer counts as two units), and twenty squads of infantry. However, he gets a random reinforcing unit every turn, so after a little bit the defense stiffens appreciably. Mark got a missile tank on 1801 for his turn 1, which started down the road, while the other two and some infantry started redeploying. I went forward, and destroyed one infantry platoon in the west, and a squad from another in the east. In the second move, I crossed one of the streams, while in the east I fell back out of range of the infantry to try again next turn.
Mark got a new platoon of infantry for his second turn (anywhere on the north edge; he brought them on at 1701). The reduced infantry fell back onto the river bridge, and other units split up to offer more of a screen, while one of the missile tanks moved towards the howitzer, and the other initial one moved towards the east city. I moved cautious of ranges, and knocked out a couple squads of infantry (“D” results in two different attacks), one of the small bridges, and shot up another city hex.
Mark got a pair of light tanks on the western road, who moved up while the rest of the redeployment continued. This time I moved up in the west, while the eastern force continued to hold, now avoiding the range of the missile tank, and I destroyed a pair of screening infantry squads as well as shooting up another four city hexes. Mark got another missile tank on 0401 for his turn 4, and killed two GEVs from the west force. One with the howitzer, and one on a lucky shot from an infantry squad, another squad and a missile tank missing.
I went the rest of the way in the center and disabled the howitzer while missing an attack at a squad, while the east force finished shooting up the big river city and then maneuvered onto the water. Mark got a three squads of infantry on the lake road which immediately dispersed into the city. A missile tank knocked out a GEV on the river, but in the center all he did was disable one. I concentrated my forces on the river, though one GEV headed west to get in range of that group, which knocked out the howitzer, while in the east I picked off two squads of infantry and a missile tank.
Mark got a pair of light tanks on the lake road, which thankfully I was out of range of now, but he did pick off the disabled GEV and another that was stuck in the center. By now, I figured it was time to get while the getting was good, as I was losing too much to deal with the number of units starting to ring in the center. Over the next few turns I demolished the last two intact city hexes in the south, and picked off that last pair of light tanks, and then another that moved too close and exited my remaining five GEVs off the south edge. Mark had 30 VPs for killing 6 GEVs, and I had 134 from everything, including killing thirteen squads of infantry, three light tanks, a missile tank, and the howitzer. This turned out to be a draw, and just shy of a marginal victory for me (needed another 6 VP).
Then we went for a second round with me as the Paneurope defender. I considered a few ideas for my four armor units, including the mobile howitzer (which I generally like better if there’s roads around), but went with eight light tanks. Mark came on in two groups, nearly just like I did, but he had six in the east and four GEVs in the west. He had a strong start, damaging all four city hexes in range, and picking off two squads of infantry who I’d put forward in 1718. He then scattered north on the west side, but bunched up in the east, out of range of the infantry and light tanks in the big city.
I got a GEV on the west-side road for the first turn, and I started it forward, and the light tanks in the east starting bugging out. My forward defense on the west (two squads+light tank) overran the lead GEV, and I lost a squad in return for killing the GEV. They then disabled another one in the combat phase. Mark moved up in the east and damaged four town hexes, but in the west things continued to go poorly for him as he tried to counter-overrun with the two intact GEVs and lost them both to my defensive round. (I really figured he’d circle around them and hit them during regular combat….)
My second reinforcement was another GEV on the NW road, and I started sending most everything to the east with a few light tanks and the infantry squad to make sure of the last GEV in the west (who went down easy in combat). The light tanks near the river bridge backed off to stay out of range while help arrived. Mark mostly stayed concentrated south of the big city, but moved one GEV onto the lake, and another on the river, shooting up another city hex in the process. I got a third GEV on the NE road, who helped with the defense of the north side of the lake, and I started sending a couple light tanks up there to free him up.
Mark moved up, and disabled my first GEV on a 1:1, and damaged another city hex. I got infantry on the north edge, which came in on the NE corner to help defend that city, as everything raced towards the lake. My infantry in the big city had a shot, but couldn’t damage one of the raiding GEVs. He then moved the bulk of the GEVs onto the lake, while the first one moved into the swamp at the north end, and the one of the river overran my disabled GEV, who killed his GEV on the second round (yes, we both missed the first time). His… ‘swamped’ GEV avoided disabling, but missed in combat.
I got another GEV on the lake road (…which was no longer a road), and put the first one onto the river (safely out of range), while I got the raiding GEV in the swamp in combat. Mark came down the lake and killed a GEV and disabled a light tank on the shore before falling back to the center of the lake.
This was the start of a long period of Mark holed up in the lake where I couldn’t get any firepower other than GEVs to bear, and I largely stayed away from the short to keep him from picking off units. I put a couple light tanks next to the river to take shots if he tried leaving through the river, and kept a screen in front of the lake shore and the northern area. On this turn (6) I sent two GEVs into the lake and disabled one of his, and finished it off the next turn. In between, he finished off the disabled light tank, and the next turn caught one of my GEVs and killed it. He ended up stacked, so the one GEV still in range fired back disabling one, but doing nothing on spillover.
After that, the real uneventful stretch started as he tried picking off some infantry units on the shore (in cover, of course), eventually killing a platoon, and I gathered my GEVs onto the river and brought up a couple missile tanks that had naturally appeared on the west edge. On turn 13(!) I finally moved in, three GEVs to three and killed one. Mark killed two on his turn, but I was able to disable one of his who got within light tank range. He tried overrunning with the last GEV, but lost him to defensive fire, and then I finished off the disabled one. I naturally got 60 VPs for killing all ten GEVs, and Mark got 129 (only slightly under my total), partially thanks to killing four GEVs; overall a marginal victory for me.
Afterword
I think the eight light tanks may be a bit of a scenario breaker. They’re not nearly as mobile as a GEV, but have the same firepower and defense, so having almost as many as the GEVs at the start may shut down Combine chances of doing a lot too much.
On the other hand, I’m really thinking that the GEVs need to be in one mas instead of two. Losing a couple GEVs in a spit up force brings the available strength down too much. Certainly, if we ever get back to this scenario, that’s what we’ll probably be doing.
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