Battle of Kursk - Prokhorovka: The Biggest Tank Battle EVER? (Part 2 Gameplay)

[@samb2052]

Great set of rules and always great to see a game of this scale and ambition.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much. Indeed, after that Cherkasskoye game, I wanted something simpler for Prokhorovka. And yes, I was swingin' for the fences with one! 😅 Thanks again for the kind words.

[@WARdROBEPlaysWWII]

Simple homemade rules for mini battles. This is old school and really a great way to play with your toys! Great work.

[@MichaelCorryFilms]

I had fun and enjoyed getting teased about my dice rolls. I always joke about it and now there is recorded evidence. I don't get to their clubhouse very often and wish I could have gotten in on that Sicily game.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much! For the sheer NUMBER of units I wanted to have on the table, a rules set just above "rock-paper-scissors" was definitely what the doctor ordered. To have a game this size run to everyone's satisfaction, eight turns in just five hours . . . I was definitely happy with the result.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

@@MichaelCorryFilms I've seen a lot of players lament their dice rolling . . . usually they're actually pretty average and they're just forgetting or downplaying their good rolls. Not here, my friend. Especially in the beginning of the game, your dice luck was truly awful and yes, we have documented records. When T-70s and SU-76s are SURVIVING hits from Tigers . . . who only hit 30% of the time in the first place . . . Yeah, you and Lady Luck must've had a bad break up in a previouis life. 😅😅😅

[@MichaelCorryFilms]

I shall sprinkle holy water and Festbier on my dice next time. I'll save the Schnapps for when the dice still let me down. As for the game, I kept having to give my reserves (3 tank platoon, 2 Mk IVs, 1 Tiger and 1 Marder) up to Tom to shore up our right. I may have been able to start my attack earlier regardless but it gave me pause. The right played out very much how I expected. I would have liked to see what would have happened had Tom put those Mk IVs on over watch and if John had used his dismounts. I think it may have been worth it for Mark to just double move on me and close that range with maybe those T70s acting as a screen. The tank vs. tank gun power felt right.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

I would agree with what you say here. Mark's problem against you in the west, though, was all his heavy units were so freakin' slow (Churchills and KV-1s) and as thick-skinned as they were, they carried only 6-pounders and 76.2mms respectively. All the infantry and all the SU-85s and all the SU-152s were with John to the east, which is why poor Tom got hammered so badly and you had to keep sending him reserves. Great teamwork on the German side to keep Tom in the game long enough for you to pivots through Mikhailovka and Oktybriskiy State Farm and win the game. I could see the Soviets were TRYING the same basic play on their side (Mark holds you down in the west while John crushes Tom in the east and then executes a pivot) . . . and they KIND OF did it . . . but by then there were only three SU-152s left and it was just too little too late. Close game and a great result!

[@johnsowerby7182]

Yeah, were deliberately trying to grab that high ground and then roll the Germans up from that flank.

[@MichaelCorryFilms]

​@@johnsowerby7182I saw that from your deployment. I warned Tom but he wanted to take shots with the MK IVs. Kind of wanted him to put an extra platoon of Mk IIIs on the reverse slope to nullify the range advantage and stay out of sight until needed. That one platoon did hold you up a bit.