According to Combat Mission: Afrika Korps’ unforgiving internal adjudicators, history’s first parallel PvE play-by-comment CM contest ended in ‘minor defeats’ for both teams. I need to turn to the less judgmental bespoke scoring system laid out in the launch article to determine which team gets the gold gong, and which the silver.
Under said system both teams earn 100 points for securing one VL, the villa.
Running totals – Team France: 100, Team GB: 100
Both teams bag 80 points for potting the Panzer III and PSW.
Running totals – Team France: 180, Team GB: 180
For successfully extricating the downed pilot, each team adds a further 25 points to its tally.
Running totals – Team France: 205, Team GB: 205
The loss of their Bren Gun Carrier during Turn 12 reduces the Brits’ score by 25. Although the French Carrier lost a crewman to autocannon fire in Turn 4, the vehicle survived the battle.
Running totals – Team France: 205, Team GB: 180
As five points are awarded for each enemy casualty caused, and the British felled 17 Rommelites, the French 14, Team France retain a slight lead going into the final stage of score calculation.
Running totals – Team France: 275, Team GB: 265
Roman, a drum roll please, while I calculate the impact of friendly casualties on the two scores.
There’s a five point penalty for every Allied soldier rendered hors de combat, which means the French butcher’s bill (13) translates into a 65 point malus, and the British one (5) saps just 25 points.
Final totals – Team France: 210, Team GB: 240
We have a winner! Hearty congratulations Oneknown, Clive, Fishbreath, and mverdo. Heartfelt commiserations, captaincabinets, Gobser, RadioactiveRat, and Remnant. It was devilishly close, but in the end the fact that Team GB achieved what they achieved at such a low cost to themselves, proved decisive.
The only Brit units to suffer casualties were the Carrier which was KOed by close-range anti-tank rifle fire while supporting an infantry push into the village, and Sergeant Johnson’s half squad which lost three men while attempting to apply pressure on the German left flank.
In the French arena, the patch of ‘scattered trees’ at H21/22 and the ‘open’ squares SE of them ended up strewn with around 24 dead and wounded warriors. The fact that seven of these belonged to one gallant Allied unit – Sergeant Vidalies’ squad overwhelmed by a counterattack in Turns 11 and 12 – and four to another – Corporal Gaubert’s half-squad ravaged by the HT’s MG 42 in Turn 9 – ultimately dealt a telling blow to French chances.
Unteroffizier’s Ruttowski’s unit, the DAK element that almost single-handedly eliminated Vidalies’ squad, probably deserves the Axis ‘Unit of the Unpleasantness’ award in the French arena (It caused five casualties compared to the HT’s four).
Although the French Crusader and ATR team both took important scalps, I reckon the Allied award in the Gallic game has to go to Sergeant Bredin’s band of frères. Rounds fired by its nine Springfield rifles and one FM24/29 LMG, felled ten foes during the course of the engagement.
In the British stadium, in terms of men/materiel eliminated, arguably the ATR rifle team was the most effective German unit, and either the Crusader or Corporal Baldrick’s half-squad, the most impactful British one. Fishbreath’s twenty-ton scorpion squasher finished up with one Panzer III, a PSW, and a single infantryman on its score sheet. The amazing Baldrick reduced German infantry numbers by eleven while spearheading the British assault.
Thank you, Comment Commanders! This game was more experimental than most of my play-by-comment CM ventures, but thanks to your enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and whimsy, and CMx1’s splendidly capable unscripted AI, I think the inaugural CM Olympics proved rather entertaining.
Dammit! I knew I should’ve backed the Germans in a big competition.
Congratulations to both teams for a close contest.
May I urge them to maintain decorum on the podium. Yes, you get a peck on both cheeks from the dollies – leave it at that! You also get a peck on both cheeks from a crusty général.
Congratulation to both team! And thank you Tim for yet another great CCM game!
Well fought all!
Thank you Tim for this 16 week endeavor and all the work it demands of you.
Some constructive feedback, to peruse at your leasure.
While the team vs team style was exciting, I think my preferred format is still the PvE match with rotating unit commanders. Nursing a squad for four turns through cover only to have a teammate throw them over the top in a mad dash it’s the most fun kind of chaos, and makes the whole thing feel less serious. That being said, I don’t know what the monthly readership is like these days that would enable a large event like those of the RPS days.
It did feel bad that the UC was worth a 35 point swing, given that I would happily have a 7 man squad over it, and the French one with only one crew member is pretty much useless.
I think the CMx2 engine is more fun, even though I do love games set in Africa.
While every 3 days is a fast pace for the game, I do miss when things moved more quickly. Weekly was just long enough for me to lose track and have to scramble to figure out where things were.
More labels over units would help, especially for things like split teams.
The number letter convention worked really nicely this time around.
Always a pleasure getting to participate, and looking forward to the next one.
A well deserved win, me British hearties. Despite our last-minute scrabble for points and glory making the finish rather close on the podium, it was very clear that turns 15+ were looking much rosier for your crew than ours.
And thank you so much, Tim, for the indefatigable coralling, brow-furrowing, button-dabbing, and colour-commentary-ing that made this (and every communal CM, let’s be honest) so much fun. There were wrinkles to the experiment, no doubt, as there always is. But your sheer enthusiasm and patience, and wonderful writing always make it such a success.
Well done, Team Great Britain! Delightful to stand on the top step with you gentlemen.
Well fought, to our Gallic counterparts! I was on the edge of my seat waiting for today’s final tally.
And, of course, well run and well written to Tim. Communal Combat Mission has always been one of my favorite FP/THC features every year, and the opportunity to participate during the last two has been a highlight among highlights.
To Tim, a wonderful exercise, and I wholeheartedly look forward to the next, even if I’m lacking the confidence to take command of a full unit of any real measure.
To my French comrades, I apologise from the bottom of my heart for being responsible for the single most significant points-factor in the round, the foolhardy charge with the infantry while under the watchful eye of an MG. Next time, if there is a next time, I will look to stick to my lane; we may have, on the balance of points, come out on top if the infantry commander’s absence meant inaction. In true wargame fashion, we went full WarGames: The only winning move was not to move.
And to our British victors… I must pull back my tiny fake pencil moustache and immediately pour beer into a shoe for consumption, for ah-ha! It is I, an Australian in disguise. You may have won this very important battle, but we have won the equally important Ashes, ODI World Cup, and soon to be World Test Championship victory, for we may have lost the battle (vicariously), but we shall win the cricket war! (vicariously)
Well played, old chaps.
Good game everyone!
Reading through the results got me biting my nails!
Completely deserved win for the team GB! Here is another proof that hutzpah in small team tactics being beneficial is more of a miracle than something to rely on.
I absolutely loved being pitted not only against the AI opposition but also against the results of our “Allies”. This format proved to be extremely engaging for me, even though I contributed to the train wreck a little.
Thank you, Tim!