More Eastern Front WWI - The Road to Monasterzyska

Lisa stopped by this afternoon for a playtest of the next scenario in the adventures of the RNAS armoured car squadron on the eastern front in WWI.  In this scenario, the Russian army is in retreat, and the armoured cars are assisting Russian infantry and Finland Dragoons in escorting ambulances on the road to the town of Monasterzyska in Galicia (now part of Western Ukraine, but in 1917 this was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire).  As usual, my WWI Germans proxy in for the Austro-Hungarian KuK forces.

We rolled for leader traits before starting the game.  Amusingly, we ended up with negative or neutral traits for almost every unit.  Unfortunately for Arthur, the veteran Finland Dragoons ended up being led by a shirker, so these guys were prevented from charging anyone who hadn't already attacked them!  One of the KuK infantry units had the same trait, so there was a built-in resistance to action right from the very start.

Here is the table.  The Russian ambulances enter on the left and must exit by one of the two roads on the right.  The telegraph poles have no effect on the game, and are likely anachronistic for this part of the old A-H empire.

KuK infantry move up to cover the fork in the road.

Russians and RNAS move on to the table.

Finland Dragoons threaten the KuK infantry.

but then they decide to screen the ambulances from the other side of the road (as their leader unconvincingly tries to explain why he isn't attacking the enemy).  Meanwhile, their more enthusiastic infantry tovarischi engage in a firefight, inflicting shock as noted by the puff of smoke.

The ambulances move forward screened by the infantry and dragoons.  The tan truck is a proxy for the second ambulance.

The Austro-Hungarian artillery don't recognise the proxy ambulance and destroy it!  Meanwhile the KuK infantry in the crater are suppressed by the Russians and the armoured cars.

The field gun turns its deadly power on the RNAS Lanchester, destroying it.  The Rolls Royce uses the destroyed ambulance as cover.

The field gun plays an ace, a wild card, as a 6 which allows a free reload, and it destroys the Roller!

The game ended up a draw.  One of the two ambulances escaped.  The Anglo-Russian force lost both armoured cars, one of the ambulances and the dragoons but were able to destroy two of the KuK infantry teams and the A-H officer.  We'll be playtesting another of the scenarios next week.