Dusting off Trench Hammer

I did a few quick solo games of Trench Hammer this past week, with some house modifications to use ideas from Hammer of Democracy, particularly the damage rules.  I was looking for fewer swings in damage inflicted.  

This was also the debut of my 3d printed 10mm Trenches.  Not painted up, but some of them undercoated, you can get an idea of how they match up to my Pendraken 10mm figures, mounted on 3mm thick bases.  (Click to Enlarge)

You can download the trenches from Thingieverse here.

I set up a fairly simple scenario just to get back into the rules, a German daylight raid on a British strongpoint jutting into no man's land, garrisoned by:

• 1 Vickers Machine gun
• 1 Infantry platoon with 1 leader and
• 1 x Rifle section
• 1 x Bombing Section
• 1 x Rifle Bombing section (rifle grenades)
• 1 x Lewis Gun Section

The German raiders consisted of a picked force with a junior officer assited by an NCO and:

• 2 x MG 08/25 sections
• 4 x Bombing Sections

I played through it twice, and it was a nailbiter both times, with the first game seeing the Germans roll up the position with their bombers, but taking heavy casualties and the second time the Germans got into the position, but judicious counter-attacks by the British ejected the Huns.

Here is the initial British Defense, the Vickers is emplaced in the sap, while the officer and the bombing section are in the dugout. 

The whole setup, the Germans split their force in 2 with the intention of laying down covering fire with the MG 08/15's and enveloping the MG position in the sap and raining grenades down on it.  Follow that up with entering the trenches and bombing their way through

That worked fairly well, here is one game, the Vickers was eliminated, but the rest of the plan stalls outside of the trenches.  The British officer and bombing section left the trenches to counter-attack and are near the buildings.

The Germans managed to get a couple of footholds in the trench with close assaults.

But judicious counter attacks by the British kicked them out.  I rather like the mechanism where you take 1 point of damage even if you win, it forces attackers to stop and regroup or face continued disruption if they keep advancing.

Both games went rather well, I am off to paint up the trench sections now and write up all of my amendments.  Meanwhile, good gaming!