NQM gets to Poltava

I haven't played much NQM in the last 10 years. For a game system that was a staple of my wargaming for the previous two decades that has been quite a change. I also haven't done much in Chris K's Eastern Front campaign for a long while, so it was good to take it up again when he offered to host an on-line session for the MNG this week.

Chris wasn't sure his laptop camera was up to the job, so I took over my C922 on its flexible stand (top left). We had quite a few drop outs and ended up with just three of us playing, two on-line. I think that as a first go at running a mixed game Chris was probably quite relieved at the shortage of numbers.

As usual I took the Soviets. We are in 1943 so finally I have access to some decent kit. More or less. I got a tank army and had armour superiority, but I still had T-26s amongst my T-34s. I've waited over 30 years for this moment. I'm also counter attacking, which is novel too.

The Soviets are at the end of the table near the laptop. We need to bridge the River Vorskla, capture Poltava - which controls the main road - and drive the Nazis off the table.

Poltava is one of Chris' really nice hollow city block constructions. It makes doing the city fight on an operational scale so easy. The little tufts are concealed unit markers. Wish I'd twigged that earlier.

A couple of turns or so in and I've bridged the Vorskla. Because it is one of Chris' games, the engineers often get an important role. You can see on the left the black plastic slabs over the river. Those are pontoon style bridges. One is enough for infantry; tanks need two. Richard, commanding the Germans, has ordered his artillery to shell the bridges. I should have been quicker off the mark and pushed everything across as quickly as possible, but I wanted to lead with tanks. 

My corps level artillery, visible at the back of my army, is shelling the front left corner of Poltava. The aim is to hold their attention to the front and then pincer in from both sides. My slow start, and Richard's effective shelling of the central bridge means i have to get on with things a bit quicker than intended.

Here we go, attacking on all sides. Richard has got his corps artillery well forwards, and it is deployed in Poltava. On the extreme right my motorised infantry has encountered some German divisional artillery. I make rather a hash of attacking them.

A couple of turns on. It has been a bit messy, but by application of overwhelming force we have driven the Germans out of the front of Poltava, inflicting very heavy losses on them. Mind you, we've taken a few but I reckon we're ahead on hits taken/inflicted.

Phil has logged on by now, and is given control of the forces at the top of the picture. He shifts to second stage objectives and supported by two medium mortar units puts the squeeze on the Germans. Richard is heard bleating for some Panzer support.

I have broken in on the Northern side of Poltava and surrounded the remaining Germans. Corps artillery is under threat. Richard has had a significant piece of luck. My corps artillery threw a double 1 and has been out of ammunition for a turn.

The corps artillery takes some heavy damage and decides it is time to bug out, covered by an anti-tank unit. Phil is preparing for the final assault on the last sector that is held by the Germans.

Poltava is finally liberated. Much of it might be smoking rubble, but it has been liberated.

A quick shot from behind German lines. Chris called it nightfall, so the Germans withdrew as we re-organised. A comprehensive Soviet victory.

A very satisfactory game from my perspective. Okay, I had overwhelming force, but it is still possible to foul these things up, and having been on the end of endless Panzer army attacks for more than two decades it was satisfying to be able to give it out for a change.

I did make a couple of errors in the initial phase of the attack, but I was satisfied with how it went once we got going. Chris reckoned I should have encircled the city, but I think by getting such overwhelming firepower in place I succeeded in turning Poltava into a killing ground for the Nazis.

We rounded off with a chat about running on-line games. It was Chris' first go and he was surprised at how different it can be to running a game in a room. Lucky for him there were only two players on-line so it was a good learning opportunity.

And I'm pleased with the pictures from my phone.