Honeybadger don’t care….

(Editors note: due to the fog of war, this after-action will focus primarily on one table of play. From the other table, reports were: “Wonderful boards and a grand time! Thanks, Brett and Rick! We literally had a blast (4 out of 5 killed tanks were one-shot explosions!) at our table. "Brits on the Bar-B" or something like that.)

The Normandy beaches have been secured, but the task of forcing the Germans back had only just begun! Brett (with a big modeling and terrain assist from Rick!) ran a game of “What a Tanker!” last night. The scenario saw four British Cromwell IV tanks entering a ruined French village where a section of three German tanks and tank destroyers lay waiting to deliver a killing blow.

While three of the British players elected to go through the outskirts of the village, one brave British tank driver decided to truck down the road passing through the center of the town. The aptly named “Honeybadger” truly didn’t care, daring the Germans to fire at him. Which they did, repeatedly. To no effect, however, through some impresively (and unusually successful) rolled saving throws from Wade. On the right flank, Dane saw the danger imposed by Rene' and Rick’s vehicles and tried to rapidly advance while they were distracted by Honeybadger. On the left flank, Quinn and Rick slowly (due to some unfortunate command dice rolling limiting movement) plodded forward targeting Steve’s Panzer.

Dane, traversing some bocage, ended up being targeted by both Rick and Rene, whose attacks sent his cupola up into the French sky and his crew to an early grave. Having dispatched Dane, they then focused on Honeybadger, who had two consecutive disasters in command dice rolling and was left open to a combined assault. Honeybadger may not have cared, but it did get destroyed, forcing the crew to bail out. Meanwhile, Steve’s Panzer, although bravely taking on 3/4 of the British force, finally succumbed to Quinn and Rick’s repeated attacks.

That point-blank fire from Rick and Rene, which finally meant the end of Honeybadger, distracted them from Rick’s tank moving quickly in to avenge the loss. However, before he could acquire, aim, and shoot, the game was forced to end due to time.

This was a great preview of a scenario that will be run at Advance! 2022. So, if you missed last night, you’ll have another opportunity to embrace your inner Brad Pitt and drive a tank through the French countryside. Thanks to Brett for a well-designed scenario, some really awesome game aid enhancements like the tank control boards, and to Rick with his terrain and modeling assistance.