FT SmR5 Fox on the Hill After Action Report (AAR) Advanced Squad Leader scenario

Victory Conditions

The Marines had 5.5 turns to attack up a couple of hills and capture 5 out of 7 “HDP” (Hilltop Defensive Perimeters) hexes.  The KPA wins immediately if they could amass 13 CVPs or more.  

After Action Report

It’s US Turn 2, after the Rout Phase.  The Marines plodded through some rice paddies and reached the hills.  The NK wasn’t shy about shooting at anyone who looked a bit too comfortable.  The Marine overwatch however, shot and broke the NK MMG team.  Thus taken out the most powerful gun in the NK arsenal.  I actually expected the right portion of the HDP to be more vulnerable.  Turns out it’s not the case.  I had a unit on the bottom left desperately trying to dig a hole, just so the reinforcing Marines would have a tougher time flanking the left hill.  

US Turn 3: some of the Marines got shot up on their initial approaches to both portions of the HDP.  The broken NK MMG team (leader & squad) failed to rally on time and so the forward elements came back and tried to pick up the MMG.  At around that time, we managed to get a proper foxhole on the left.  Marines crowded the middle of the field, so my guards on the right flank came into reinforce the right hilltop.  The North Koreans had to constantly make the correct choice between shooting or staying concealed for protection against Advanced Fire.

US Turn 4: my left hilltop got swamped by Marines!  Everyone’s pretty much broken in the area with no aspect of rallying.  The right hilltop was holding on, tried to keep the Marines off the backside even but the Marine 8-1 firebase is steadily taking its toll.  Could we take a hex back?

NK Turn 4: my left hilltop was completely swamped.  The Marines were now able to form a firebase against my right hilltop (that’s a trench I shouldn’t have put into hex BB27!).  The right hilltop could only try to keep concealment and keep the Marines guessing.  They had the advantage in that it would CX a Marine to CC three out of the four hexes on the right.  The Marines only needed two more!

What could be broken were pretty much all broken.  The Marines would be able to advance up at least 2 hexes on the right HDP with no opposition in their last MPh.  The North Koreans were done.  

Thoughts

Most of the fights in LFT Fight for Seoul involves forces with very asymmetrical capabilities.  It’s an art that I have yet to even catch a glimpse of a steady toehold.  As the North Koreans, how do I find the balance between hiding from the insane Marine firepower but yet take steady attrition of his smaller manpower?  How do I take advantage of my ownership of the terrain but yet not get into standup firefights?  Close combat seems to be the natural answer but how do you get close enough to execute?

The elusiveness of these questions is perhaps the key element that brings me back to the game time and time again.