Publisher/Date:
Bounding Fire Productions (2022)
Product Type:
HASL/Historical Module
Country of Origin:
United States
Contents:
1 25" x 25" historical map on thick matte paper, 1 campaign game, 10 scenarios on color cardstock, 1 half-countersheet with 90 1/2" counters and 32 5/8" counters [for 122 counters total], 5 sheets of charts/dividers, 20 pages of rules.
Operation Neptune is a smallish historical module from Bounding Fire Productions (and designed by David Lamb) depicting the British seizure of a bridgehead across the Seine River in late August 1944 following the breakout from Normandy. This seizure allowed for the rapid advance of the 21st Army Group to the northwest, resulting in the subsequent seizure of Antwerp as well as setting the conditions for launching Operation Market-Garden in September. It’s an interesting historical situation, though also one most ASLers would not be too familiar with–though, a quarter-century ago, the battle was the subject of a previous ASL campaign game, using Critical Hit’s Platoon Leader rules, under the same name. This Operation Neptune, however, is a professional production, with better and more components and considerably more play value.
The centerpiece of Operation Neptune is its 25″ x 25″ historical map, printed on one sheet of thick matte paper. The map will fit on most gaming tables fairly easily, making it a more manageable HASL than some of its far larger cousins. The map depicts, in a simplified and stylized manner, the town of Vernon, the Seine River to its north, the village of Vernonnet on the other side of the river, and the mostly wooded heights that surrounded it and dominated the river. The terrain will be familiar to ASLers, though the module does introduce Mudflat hexes and railbridge hexes. One type of terrain appearing on the map that is all-too-familiar to HASL players is slope hexes; yes, they appear again to annoy gamers.
The artwork on the map is well-done and the tactical situation it offers is an interesting one: a contested river crossing. The ASL world recently saw another HASL featuring a contested river crossing in France, the Dinant 1940 HASL included as part of the 2nd edition of Croix de Guerre. However, Operation Neptune offers a smaller, simpler, and much more playable situation than the Dinant HASL does, which may make it attractive for players.
Operation Neptune does come with a half-sheet of counters, but almost all of them are markers for use with the included campaign game and are not in and of themselves very interesting. The product also comes with 20 pages of rules, almost all of which are devoted to the included campaign game, which is the heart of this product. The campaign consists of 6 CG scenarios, the second of which is a Night scenario, which depict the British combat crossing of the Seine, as well as a possible German counterattack. In terms of size and length, the campaign is very manageable. Both sides have a fair amount of variety in terms of their purchase options, including different squad types, and a variety of light and heavier AFVs. The British must also buy bridge and boat-related items for their river crossing. The Germans can even bring in a Tiger or two, which can buttress their not-very-high quality infantry units. Though I have not seen many AARs of the campaign to date, it looks very interesting and is worth a try, for ASLers who enjoy campaign games.
In addition to the campaign game, the product also comes with 10 scenarios. Of these, only 7 take place on the historical map; the other three use geoboards. This is a little frustrating, as when one purchases a historical module, one hopes to be able to play on the historical map. The scenarios tend tend towards the cozy in size: 4 are small or very small, while 2 can be considered medium in size and 4 large. None are very large (and even some of the larger scenarios feature some units that act primarily for fire support from across the river). Two scenarios feature OBA, one is a Night scenario, and one has Air Support. No scenario utilizes the whole map area; in fact, only one uses a significant portion of the map. This is a little disappointing. The British are on the attack in all of the historical map scenarios.
Of the three scenarios that don’t use the historical map at all, one uses geoboards 81 and 83 from the MMP’s Forgotten War Korean module, while the second uses boards 1b and 4b, and the third uses 7a. The Germans are on the attack in the geoboard scenarios–which may be one of the reasons why the geoboard scenarios are included.
The scenarios include:
- ON-1 (Freedom!). This is a very small scenario set a week before Operation Neptune, featuring 7 poorly armed French partisan squads attacking 5 conscript German squads with three ex-French tanks (who are trying to exit). This is the only scenario set in the town of Vernon (which otherwise is basically used as a setup area and fire platform by the British in their efforts to get across the river). While the tactical situation is interesting, the units involved are likely to turn off many players.
- ON-2 (Wet Feet). This is a small action on the east area of the map, featuring a British assault boat crossing of the Seine (with 8 boats) with the aim of capturing a building near the river’s edge and establishing a presence on a hill. British mortars, AFVs, and MMG/HMGs get to stay south of the river and whale on the hunkered-down Germans.
- ON-3 (Stuck Ducks). Another river-crossing action, this scenario takes place in the center of the map. Another 8 British squads must get across, using assault boats and DUKWs. Once more, they have fire support from a ton of other British units. To win, the British have to clear all Germans from an area near one of the bridges.
- ON-4 (Valiant Sacrifice). In this 3.5 turn Night scenario, which is tinier than a leprechaun’s baill ghiniúna, six 2nd-line German squads attack 3.5 1st-line British squads helped by a hero. The combination of Night rules and tiny size is likely to make this scenario unpopular (to date, there are no playings on ROAR).
- ON-5 (Sweeping East). This scenario features the British, having crossed the river, trying to secure their right flank by taking the high ground from which the Germans could observe and harass British bridge-building efforts. The attacking British have 15.5 elite and 1st-line squads, with 12 SW (!), a Gun, and a Bren gun carrier, as well as OBA and a pair of tanks across the river. They also have two squads that can cross the river on a DUKW. The Germans have a typical poor-quality force of 9 squads (1st-line, 2nd-line, and conscript), with 6 SW, 2 Guns, and scads of fortifications. They get reinforcements of two more 2nd-line squads and 2 open-topped AFVs. The British have to make sure the Germans can’t set eyes on the river.
- ON-6 (Sweeping West). You’ll never guess what this scenario entails. Oh, you did? Yes, this scenario features the British advance on their left flank. Here, 17.5 British squads (with a 10-2 and 14 SW) must secure the village of Vernonnet from the German defenders, who have 11 poor-quality squads with 6 SW, 3 Guns, and lots of fortifications. The British have a firebase south of the river (guns, tanks, OBA), and get a carrier towing an AT gun and 2 armored cars as reinforcements. The Germans don’t get reinforcements but they do get that great rarity: German Air Support in 1944.
- ON-7 (Sweeping North). This small scenario pits 10.5 British squads (led by a 9-2) against a HIP German force of 3 squads and 2 Guns (plus a platoon of reinforcements). The British have to control 5 specific hill hexes near the north map edge. This scenario features a German 7-1 leader, which is not part of the ASL countermix. Though BFP easily could have put this counter on the countersheet included with this product, it did not. The counter is found in the BFP module Poland in Flames and seems to be part of the general Bounding Fire Productions strategy of making all of their products dependent on other BFP products, to encourage people to buy more of them. It’s recommended that players simply substitute an 8-1 leader counter instead.
- ON-8 (A Blow Too Late). This geoboard scenario uses two of the big-ass mountain boards from Forgotten War, configured in “valley” formation. The 10-turn action features a meeting engagement (fairly rare in ASL) between a counter-attacking German force and British units sent to stop it. The Germans have two groups, the first of which enters the map on the east edge. It has 10 squads (elite and 1st-line), well led and possessing 5 SW, supported by a Tiger. The second group, very similar in composition, enters from the east on turn 5. From the west edge, the British enter, with 9 squads (1st-line and 2nd-line), 6 SW, and 4 carriers (one of them towing an AT gun). Turn 6 sees two platoons of British reinforcements show up for the party, while late in the game 3 British tanks (including a Sherman Firefly) decide to help out. To win, the Germans have to exit off the West edge or to control all level 4 hill hexes on board 81. It is a very interesting tactical situation, but the 10-turn length may be offputting to some; to date, it has no playings on ROAR.
- ON-9 (An Unexpected Complication). This geoboard scenario features another German counterattack. In it, 16 well-led German squads with 8 SW, 3 Guns, and 4 mostly back-of-the-counter-bin AFVs, need to break through a British defense line and exit. The defending British have 13 squads (with 8 SW), 1 Gun, and a platoon of carriers. They get reinforcements of 4 armored cars. As of this writing, this is one of the two most-played scenarios in the product, and seems balanced.
- ON-10 (Chateau of Death). This is a tournament-sized scenario playable on a single Gary-style geoboard, which may be the reason it is the most-played (to date) scenario in the module. As one might suspect, this features an attack on a chateau. The attacking Germans have 10 squads (elite and 2nd-line), assisted by a few vulnerable AFVs. The British defenders have 6.5 pretty well-armed squads. They are reinforced first by two carriers and later by two armored cars.
Operation Neptune features an attractive historical map and a manageable campaign game featuring an interesting tactical puzzle. The scenario content could have been a bit stronger, but it is still a product worth checking out.
Leave A Reply