We played What a Tanker! at the War Room on Wednesday 8 January. Alex brought down several 28mm tanks for a 1943 Eastern Front duel between the Soviets (Brian, Doug and me) and the Germans (Alex and Rob). Here are the highlights...
Rob drew first blood. His Panzer IV, skirt-clad behind a house, blew the trousers off Doug's T-34...
Doug promptly acquired a new KV-1S tank, and struck Rob's PzIV, causing 2 temporary damages. He missed with his second shot though...
I charged over a hill somewhat unwisely, and Rob now turned on me, inflicting 1 permanent and 2 temporary hits, but I saved three others... I then fired on Rob's tank but he saved both potential hits.
The initiative rolls at the start of each turn were adding a frisson of uncertainty to play, as each player rolled for their place in the order of proceedings...
As Alex's Panzer IV, also sporting a skirt, skulked in the woods, Brian fired on Rob but missed. I fired on Rob again, but missed. Rob fired on me, and I incurred one temporary hit.
Doug, however, soon got his revenge. His KV reduced Rob's Panzer IV - which had been sheltering in a wood - to a blazing wreck!
Doug proceeded to inflict a permanent hit on Alex's tank with his heavily armoured but allegedly under-gunned KV...
Rob, reincarnating as a Tiger tank (armour 10, gun 10), had come on at his table edge, and duly dispatched my ailing T-34 with two devastating strikes! Sadly I had not bailed out... so was now a charred cadaver!
As I got a new T-34, prodigiously flamboyant with unbuttoned turret, Brian and I ganged up on Alex's Panzer IV. Brian had already given him a hit, and I got in close but missed with both shots: not so classy!
Brian, despairing of the miserly blessings of the dice gods, elected to charge and ram Alex's tank. But he didn't roll enough to make contact... Blistering barnacles! (Other expressions were available.)
Doug tried to blast Alex again, but Alex saved both hits. Alex then shot at Brian but missed and so retreated into the wood: shoot n' scoot...
Brian's bad luck continued as he rammed Alex with his T-34 but implausibly failed to cause any damage! Yet Alex damaged Brian's tank twice (just by standing still)!
Tiring of incremental tactics, I rolled a 40" move and popped up behind Alex's tank, which I rapidly reduced to toast! Za rodinu!
Brian's tank had died of its wounds, and he now acquired a KV-2 (with a 152mm cannon!), which he deployed near the hulk of Doug's first tank...
Nevertheless, Alex now sneakily deployed his new vehicle, a Stug, near my victorious T-34...
And happily for the Germans, Rob's vicious Tiger was inflicting serious damage to Doug's KV-1S...
However, reacting to the treacherous Stug, I dived behind the wood, and evaded Alex's fire, before scoring two actual hits on the German assault gun... Za svobodu!
Soon enough I brewed this same Stug, and Alex brought on his third tank, another Panzer IV, near my unconquerable T-34. Luckily, I saved when it fired at me... Za Stalinaaaa!
Not gloating face...
Meanwhile, Brian and Doug stalked Rob's seemingly impervious Tiger tank behind a wood, circling like corpulent vultures sensing fresh meat...
Brian's KV-2 eventually fired but Rob saved. Rob then rounded the wood, wheels squeaking ominously (a panzerlied somewhere echoing), and blasted Doug's KV-1S tank. But Doug saved... thus ending the game!
Conclusion
Overall an enjoyable draw: 3 T-34s lost for 2 Panzer IVs and a Stug. What a Tanker! is a fun game for a small group of players over a few hours. While we took a few turns to reacquaint with the rules (which basically consist of rolling six dice to determine possible actions), we soon got into the swing of things. Starting cautiously, some of us (well, me) were resorting to massive moves to cause surprise, which is a Soviet advantage in the game given the extra dice for movement the T-34s enjoy. Thanks to Alex for bringing down his very good tanks, and to Rob for hosting. Western Front or North Africa next, says Alex!
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