It is now only two months until the release of the Ambush Alley and Osprey Publishing edition of Force on Force, and we are starting to get a lot of questions from people from both within and without of the wargaming field. One of the common questions we get asked, “Can you play Force on Force with 28mm miniatures”. The answer is absolutely, YES. In fact, Empress Miniatures, who produce a beautiful range of modern 28mm figures have been big supporters of the Ambush Alley Games from the beginning. Recently, they challenged us with this ‘Force on Force’ mission.
OPERATION OSPREY
Somewhere in the dusty desert, an American and a Brit have been taken hostage. With time running short, the two countries decide to launch a daring joint-rescue operation. Intelligence suggested that the hostages were being held in the main compound in the centre of the board. The Allied commanders (Phil & I) decided to send our main assault force of 18 SBS in a quick assault on the compound. Mounted in two Land Rovers and a pair of quad bikes, they set out.
Immediately things began to go wrong. Garbled orders from HQ caused confusion among the force, delaying their movements, and giving the enemy time to set up a mortar. Just before the SBS reached the first building, shrapnel from a mortar round severely injured one trooper and shredded the tires of one Land Rover rendering it ineffective.
Coming under fire from a nearby building, the SBS dismounted, assaulted the building, and quickly eliminated opposition. Then, leaving a sniper team to provide cover fire, the team moved against the main compound. In a bloody exchange, the SBS seized the main compound, but at a cost of three more men down and wounded. Locked in a backroom of the compound, the team discovered one of the hostages.
Meanwhile, on another part of the board, a small unit of Delta Operators had been dropped in by Little Bird Helicopter and were fighting their own battle against a building on the far side of the compound. In a nail-biting exchange, they seized the building, and, more by luck than by design, found the other hostage.
With both hostages rescued, but four men down, the team decided it was time to leave. However, as they began to pull out, enemy troopers began to pour out of a small fort and a nearby swamp. Unsure if they would be able to make it out on their own, the team called for backup, and a platoon of US Airborne touched down near the fort and swamp.
This fight turned out to be the bloodiest of the entire engagement. Although the Airborne eliminated the enemy and cleared the way for the SBS, Delta, and hostages to clear the board, three soldiers were killed in the exchange.
It was a fantastic morning of gaming. The team at Empress were terrific hosts and their miniatures and terrain made the game a real joy to play. As with many games of Force on Force, it was tense, edge-of-the-seat affair, that could easily have gone resulted in a complete debacle for the allied side. As it was, we completed the mission, but suffered heavily for our success.
If you are looking for a game that rewards tactical thinking, but also throws up a lot of unforeseen obstacles, you definitely want to give Force on Force a try.