2nd Game of Black Ops

[bigjackmac]

All,

It is 0130 local time on 7 August 1990, and a team of Free Cuban commandos is on the move, conducting a clandestine snatch and grab in Lithuania.

As breakup the breakup of the Soviet Union grows nearer, its decay has weakened the government's control over its vast territory, particularly in the various republics, where an inability of the government to care for its people has begun to collapse the various societies, which inevitably leads to nefarious means of making money.  In this case, organized crime has been quick to step in, beginning with black market goods and services, which quickly progressed to gambling, drugs, prostitution, and has now graduated to facilitating transnational terrorism.

Several weeks ago Cuban intelligence became aware of a plot to strike a Cuban embassy in Europe.  Very quickly evidence mounted of the movement of personnel, money, and materials through Europe via Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) networks, but then it went dark.  Then gold was struck: three days ago the United Kingdom's intelligence service shared information regarding an IRGC courier tied to the plot surfacing in a rural area outside Taurege, Lithuania.  Section 20 immediately went to work and got a confirmed location.

Section 20 mounted out and went to work, establishing a base of operations at sea, then set about inserting the Direct Action Team, which HALO'ed into the location.


Overview, north is up.  There is a fordable river running north-south on the left side of the board, while the main road runs east west, before branching north-south at far right, where there is small farming compound consisting of three buildings.  Other than that there are a couple rocky outcroppings just west of the farming compound, a small stock pond north of the farming compound, some trees, hedges, and a ton of cultivated fields.  The mobsters are quite... influential in the area, and so have established two checkpoints on the road; one is just west of the bridge (bottom left), the other is just west of the crossroads (far right).


The farming compound, with the Courier sleeping in the Objective Building (far right), guarded by one mobster, and The Godfather  sleeping in the building at left).  The other house (top center) had its owners evicted and is now being used as a warehouse for the mobsters' illicit paraphernalia.


The commandos push across the river (center left, far left, bottom left), wary of enemy sentries (top right and top center).


An enemy sentry (right) stumbles right into the commandos, forcing them to open fire with unsuppressed weapons!


Which wakes the enemy commander up, who comes outside to see what's going on!


The commandos work around the back side (center bottom and far right) to get to the objective building (far left, with enemy commander at left).


The alarm is raised and a ferocious firefight breaks out in the objective area.


The Security Element (bottom left) lays down fire to keep enemy reinforcements in the west at bay.


Meanwhile, back at the Objective Building, Bravo 08 pulls out a flashbang and tosses it inside (blue bead)...


But the sentry kicks it over, into the corner, where it detonates harmlessly!


Then comes running out, into close combat with a very surprised Bravo 08!

To see how the fight turned out, please check the blog at:
https://cubalibrewargame.blogspot.com/2020/06/operation-vigilant-sentinel-2.html

So, a tremendous amount of fun again, I hope you enjoyed it.

V/R,
Jack

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Quite a fight, Nice looking  one too Jack

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Looking good !

[Steve J]

Lovely looking game as always Jack .

[bigjackmac]

Thanks, guys!

V/R,
Jack

[fred.]

Great looking table Jack. And looks a fun game, I'm amazed a how many photos you mange to take, then remember enough to write something up about all of them, and this while running the game for your lads too.

Also very good that you can keep their interest for that long, especially a 5 year old.

[paulr]

 

[mmcv]

Great games and you always put on such a great show in the table.

[Techno]

Cracking, Jack ! 

Cheers - Phil

[bigjackmac]

Fred - Thank you, and I might be minimizing the description of how difficult it is to keep the boys focused a bit.  Particularly the 5-year old   A flip of the activation card usually ends up with me having to find him, tell him to stop playing with other stuff lying around in Daddy's toy room, then get down to the business of moving some troops.  The 10-year old is much better (as expected), but he, too, can sometimes be found playing with other stuff while I'm taking photos, writing stuff down, or making rolls on charts.  But overall they're still my favorite gaming partners!

mmcv - You are far too kind!

Thanks Paul and Phil!

V/R,
Jack

[fred.]

Some of that doesen't sound too different from any gaming group - and most of my gaming group are much closer to the age of your lads multiplied together!

But overall they're still my favorite gaming partners!

And that is the best !

Hopefully they will keep their interest, and before too long be building their own armies.

My daughters showed a bit of gaming interest, but soon drifted away to more teenage girl activities. The eldest still likes a good board game but generally her schedule is so packed that finding a time when her and I are both available is a challenge - and this hasn't got that much better even in lockdown.

[paulr]

That all sounds very familiar

[bigjackmac]

Good point regarding the relative ages and attention spans of wargamers

I've tried with my daughter (now 13) and ran into the same thing...

V/R,
Jack

[Techno]

Well, Huzzah !!

At last I've got the perspective on the size of the table.....(Noticing the boys standing to one side of the board.)

I'd always pictured it as a smaller playing area......Perhaps being half the size it actually is......I'm ever more impressed, now.

Cheers - Phil

[FierceKitty]

Black ops matter!