Battlefield Academy AAR – Part Three

The battle outside the supply base continues. I get some luck shots in, but most of my light tank force has been destroyed by a combination of entrenched AT guns and German Armor. I manage to do a fair bit of damage with my Matildas, however, and it appears that resistance is finally starting to falter.

The Tank Battle Turns in My Favor

A combination of direct fire from my tanks and artillery bombardment has managed to drive off the last German tanks in the supply base and the southern pass, which means I just need to push my units to victory.

 

Moving to Take the Final Objectives

I quickly take the pass, but wind up one space away from the supply base.

 

One Square Away!

And then my tank breaks down.

 

Mechanical Breakdown

But not even that can stop my victory:

 

Victory!

All in all, this was a pretty good scenario. I wonder how much more difficult it would have been if I started my drive in the southern pass, where the 88s are located. I’m sure that it would be possible, given my artillery and air support, but it could be far more difficult. It is possible that this scenario, like several of the other Battlefield Academy scenarios, is more of a puzzle than a “proper” wargame scenario. Several of the prior battles in the Western Desert campaign have seemed to have one clear solution, which could be a problem for my enjoyment of the game going forward.

That being said, as an introduction to tactical wargames, the puzzle aspect may be a valuable teaching tool. In theory, Battlefield Academy could work to sharpen basic tactical skills (flanking, reconnaissance, etc.) by providing scenarios that require specific uses thereof to reach the solution. I’ll try and talk about this more once I’ve played enough Battlefield Academy to write a decent review.

Battlefield Academy AAR – Part Two

Previously, I was attempting to break out of the pass so that I could capture the victory point at the settlement and then flank the ridge line objective. Things did not go as well as I could hope at first. While the slow moving Matilda tanks pushed towards the front, I attempted to break through with the weaker crusaders. They did not do any serious damage to the superior German tanks, and took a couple of hits, forcing some of them to retreat up the ridge and out of harm’s way. As a consequence, things stay static for a couple of turns.

Two Turns Later, the Front is Static

The air support was less useful than I had helped, causing minimal damage to the German tanks. Luckily, I was able to pull my Matildas to the front (finally), which allowed me to break out of the pass and start to threaten the settlement.

Two Turns Later, the Breakout Occurs

Artillery barrages managed to kill the infantry unit I suspected was hiding in the settlement, allowing me to waltz in with a bren carrier to seize it.  As of yet, I have not seen the 88s that I am supposed to destroy as an optional objective, so my tanks may be walking into a dangerous area any day now.

Captured for King and Country

Having captured the settlement, the tanks push forward towards the supply base. A crusader artillery piece and empty bren carrier head up to take the ridge line, which has been thoroughly bombarded by my artillery.

Tanks Move Out to Threaten the Ridge Line and Supply Base

Over the next several turns, a number of problems crop up. First, I discover the missing 88s. After seizing the ridge line, I moved my Crusader to assist in taking the passage. As it reached the slope downward, an 88 on the opposite ridge opened fire and reduced my tank to a smoking wreck. The bren carrier suffered the same tragic fate. Meanwhile, German reinforcements moved out from the supply base, creating a running tank battle with casualties to both sides. I will need to employ my artillery and air support in an attempt to clear the 88s flanking the pass, as well as the tanks and entrenched AT guns outside the settlement.

Resistance Stiffens

Next Post: The final push.

Battlefield Academy AAR – Part One

Battlefield Academy is a simple wargame produced by Slitherine Games and sold by both Slitherine and Matrix Games. Battlefield Academy is based on a concept created by the BBC, and carries some BBC branding, for those who love the Beeb.

Battlefield Academy is best described as light tactical, focused on squads and individual vehicles and guns. While Battlefield Academy is approachable and simple to control, it is not completely without depth, as this AAR will attempt to show.

The Scenario is “Frontal Assault,” from the Western Desert Campaign. Battlefield Academy presents its missions using a comic book style intro:

Frontal Assault

Once the mission launches, we get an overview map with a briefing:

This scenario has a few notable terrain features that we can identify from the briefing map. First, and most obvious, is the ridge running down the center of the map, with two passes. There is a supply base in the right corner of the map, which is a victory hex. To win, we will need to control 3 hexes on the ridge, 1 hex near a small settlement at the top of the map, and the supply base hex.

Initial Force Distribution

We have an armor heavy force, with a combination of motorized and mechanized infantry as a complement. Significantly, we have two mobile artillery pieces, which will prove useful in clearing out the pass. We also have access to 25-pounder artillery support and Blenheim bomber air support. Looking at my force distribution and the map, I feel that the best plan is to attempt to secure the northern pass, take the settlement in the north, and then split my forces, swinging one group toward the supply base, while the other group seizes the ridge line and then the southern pass.

I begin by moving my units north towards the pass. I move the tanks and infantry as far north as they will go, hoping that there are no enemies ready to surprise me in the dunes. I assume that the Germans will fortify the ridge line, rather than wait exposed in the desert.

Turn One Move

There are a few important things about this move. First, I tried to keep my anti-aircraft tank near the center of my formation, to best defend against German Stukas. Second, I used my artillery pieces to fire rather than to move, attempting to disrupt units on the ridge to the north. I also deployed my 25-pounder artillery barrage near the ridgeline. It will come in at the beginning of my next turn. Both of these turn out to be good ideas. The artillery barrage manages to disrupt and destroy a couple of units, hidden by the fog of war on the ridge. The anti-aircraft tank also finds success:

One Stuka Down, an Entire Luftwaffe to Go

There was a lovely animation of a crashing Stuka, but I was not quick enough to capture the screenshot, which means that we are stuck with the explanatory message instead. After the aborted Stuka attack, the Germans move a number of light tanks (mostly Italian models) out from behind the ridge line. Luckily, my Crusader tanks are more than capable of taking out the weak Italian armor, and the Germans suffer a number of losses.

Those Smoking Wrecks Used to be Italian Made Tanks

The second turn sees more successful artillery barrages on the ridges overlooking the pass. My armored units are also able to clean up the remaining two German tanks on my side of the ridge, allowing me to push forward. Next turn I should be able to occupy the pass, and begin moving towards the northern settlement.

Getting Ready to Take the Pass

My forces push through and take the pass without opposition, but there are a number of tanks in front of the settlement on the other side. This forces a bottleneck in the pass. I call in air support, which should hopefully take care of the problem. Either way, I have 17 turns remaining to take my objective hexes, so this should not slow me down too much, especially with my speedy Crusader tanks.

Resistance at the Settlement

Next turn I plan to attempt to consolidate my forces in the pass, and get my heavier Matilda tanks up to the front, where they can make short work of the Italian light tanks and German Panzer IIIs defending the settlement.

Next Post: Breaking out of the pass.

Valkyria Chronicles 2 Review

Good: Interesting execution of turn based gaming, rewards tactics, RPG elements.

Bad: Anime cut scenes can be off putting, it is only for PSP.

Verdict: The best tactical game available on a non-PC platform, including consoles.

Buy it?: Yes, if you own a PSP.

The portable game systems have a number of games that promise tactical play, but fail to deliver any meaningful challenge. I don’t want to name names, but I find that some of the tactical RPGs available for the handhelds leave me cold. They tend to be heavy on the RPG and light on the tactics, which doesn’t suit my grognard side. Any tactical game where maneuver is not important is not worth my time.

Valkyria Chronicles 2 is a breath of fresh air in the stale tactical RPG market. The original, released on the PS3, was excellent. This sequel may actually improve on the original, despite its move to the less powerful PSP. For those who are unfamiliar, the Valkyria Chronicles games tell the story of a war between nations in Europa. The war, with obvious parallels to the Second World War, embroils the small but feisty nation of Gallia. In Valkryia Chronicles 2 you play Avan Hardins, a young student at Gallia’s elite Lanseal Military Academy. As the game progresses, you engage in missions that occur both on the Academy’s training fields and in the larger outside world.

When you begin a mission in Valkyria Chonicles 2, you first select your squad. You can choose between fast and observant scouts, heavily armed shock troopers,  anti tank infantry (lancers), engineers (who serve as medics and repair vehicles), the shield carrying armored soldiers (who disarm mines), and your customizable tank (which can also function as an APC). Generally you take out a squad of six soldiers, and you can swap out squad members during the mission. You have one or more maps on which you can enter, and are generally required to capture points that allow your units to move to the other maps, where the enemy’s main strength is located. Missions vary in objective, but the most common appears to be capture a specific enemy point, followed by kill a specific enemy leader.

What is unique about Valkyria Chronicles is the way you move your units. Each mission opens with a command screen, where you units are displayed as icons on a map. You have a set number of command points each turn, which you can spend to activate a squad member. When you activate a unit, the view shifts to a third-person view of the unit, and you control their movement. When you want to fire at an enemy, the game pauses and you get to line up your shot. This is not a twitch issue – you just pick the location that you want to target. Headshots do more damage (and rear shots on tanks), but as far as I can tell there is no other directional damage. You can also take cover, hide in the grass, climb to higher ground, etc.

Tactics actually matter in Valkyria Chronicles 2, unlike some other “tactical” RPGs. Force composition is extremely important. Taking out a tank without using a lancer or your own tank is incredibly difficult. Waltzing into a minefield without any armored infantry to clear it can be deadly. Beyond force composition, cover and positioning are also very important. Cover dramatically reduces the number of times you will be hit by enemy fire, as one would expect, and is vital to survive in some encounters. Positioning is also important. Flanking enemies allows you to get a bonus to accuracy and damage. Having multiple squad members near each other allows them to pool their fire against enemies. Placing squad members intelligently along fire lanes allows them to have effective opportunity fire. All of these considerations go into planning a good turn.

Stringing together a good set of turns is important, because at the end of each mission you are graded on your performance. Speed and casualties seem to be the prime determinate of scoring. A good score gets you experience that you can distribute among your squad (on a by-class basis), money, and parts. The money and parts are used for R&D, to develop new weapons and armor for your squads and new components for your tanks. Defeating certain elite enemy units can get you schematics that you can use to create special weapons for your squads.

Valkyria Chronicles 2 is an enjoyable light tactical game. If (and this is a big if) you are a grognard who also happens to own a PSP, this can give you at least a little wargaming fix while on the go. I wouldn’t recommend buying a PSP for the purpose of playing Valkyria Chronicles 2, but if you have one already, it is definitely worth a purchase. If you have a PS3, you should also consider the original Valkyria Chronicles, which is an excellent game in its own right.

I purchased and downloaded my copy of Valkyria Chronicles 2 from the Playstation Store. I spent between 10 and 15 hours playing the game prior to this review. I have not completed the game at this time, but intend to do so. This review, as promised contained no terrible fruit similes or metaphors.