Tonight’s play testing involved an attack defence game. The Germans have two battalions of infantry supported by two 50mm A/T gun batteries, 3 PS Panzerjaeger batteries and two two Sturmgeschütz batteries. They are allowed to deploy anywhere on their own side of the table.

The Russians are attacking with an armoured brigade with one light tank battalion (6 coys), one medium tank battalion (3 coys) plus attached tank riders and a mounted infantry battalion (6 coys) with a 47mm gun battery. Supporting these was an infantry battalion (3 coys) plus light and heavy mortars.

The two players take turns placing the 4 objective markers then write orders and allocate points to their terrain objectives (they may each allocate up to 50 points on objectives).

The Germans choose to deploy their four commands occupying the three objectives placed on the hills to the right, next to their line of communication. The Russians then deploy onto the table with their light tank battalion in the centre of the table advancing to threaten the German positions on the hill in the centre. Meanwhile' the rest of the Russian forces concentrate on their right to attack the unoccupied objective on the German left

After a break last week due to the hot weather we are back to play testing Principles of World War Two.

This week we had a ‘Hold the Line’ game where both battle groups can start the game with foot units deployed up to 12” onto the table and ‘mobile’ formations moving onto the table turn 1. The players each place three objective markers on the opponent's side of the table and roll a dice to determine their army's line of communication. The players then draw up a deployment map and deploy blinds to represent the units on table at the beginning of the game. The players then write unit orders and allocate up to 50 objective points (max 10 points per objective in their first third of the table 20 points for objectives in the second third of the table and 50 points to an objective in the farthest third of the table.

The Germans start the game with two infantry battalions on table with the battle group commander with infantry gun batteries and 50mm A/T gun Bty. They have a Panzer battalion arriving first turn to support their attack. The Russians have one Infantry battalion deployed on table with a battle group commander with 120mm mortars and a mobile AA HMG battery. Their mobile units were made up of one medium tank battalion with tank riders, one light tank battalion and one mounted infantry battalion.

The German plan is to hold objective 4 on their left flank with one infantry battalion and the battle group commander. Their second infantry battalion is deployed on their right to attack objective 1 in the village on the Russian side of the half way line. Their armoured battalion was to enter the table and move between the two infantry battalions to threaten objective 3 on the Russian side of the half way line.