Montelimar Memoir

 The inaugral hosting of the Thursday games group here last night, owing to my no longer being a car owner, and regular host Crabro having his own problems.

Most of the group had other pressing issues in fact, so initially the group consisted of just myself and The Professor.




After the obligatory cup of tea, we decided on Memoir '44 and chose a scenario by the scientific method of the Professor saying the first number that came into his head.  Accordingly we prepared to fight the battle for southern France around Montelimar (where I sampled some wonderful nougats in happier times). Coincidentally it was the 67th anniversary of the fighting in question.

Initally, The Professor's forces made a lot of ground, pressing forward in the centre with his panzers and elite infantry units in blitzkrieg style. He then found that the point of his advance was surrounded on three sides by my own, allied, infantry though. A couple of useful cards allowed me to double the use of my artillery, safely taking pot shots at range from behind woods and hills, and call in an air strike on his advancing infantry, including two of the elite units.

The Professor seemed to have acquired the skill of always rolling hand grenades (wild cards in effect) and with the score about 4 flags each of the six required, Crabro called to say he was on his way and he was a welcome sight as we broke for tea and a chat in the kitchen.

Returning to the fray. I spotted a winning move but it was the Axis turn and unknowingly he thwarted my initial plan. I had no specific cards allowing moves in the centre where his weakest troops were, but then acquired one allowing 2 units to be commanded in each sector. In the centre my remaining unit of Shermans had dashed to the North, ready to take the flag available for holding ground by the Rhone. It only remained to pick up one more flag by destroying an Axis unit. The plan was for the Shermans to fire from their position by the Rhone, at a unit which was down to one piece. In the event all they could do was force it to retreat and it was down to the intact artillary to wipe out what was left of a Panzer unit on the left flank for the winning flag.

Crabro then joined us for two games of Mensa Connections (perhaps better known as Reiner Knizia's Ingenious or even Einfach Genial).

The first went my way, with a not particularly impressive winning score of 8 or 9 and with the others within one or two points. In the second of the, quite agressively played, games I struggled to move orange  and was squeezed out by a rampaging Crabro who went on to win by a convincing margin.

I thought that the Professor and I had tied for second but he was at pains to point out that he had beaten me by virtue of his second lowest scoring colour being higher than mine. I was happy with two wins out of three though. :-)

No need for the new "Spieltisch" this week but I am inviting the group round again next week when I will perhaps be hosting something like a more normal turnout.