I pulled out my copy of "I Ain't Been Shot Mum" for a test run. This is part of three sets of rules that I intend to play a few times in a row to see what set I prefer. The other are Kampfgruppe Normandy and Flames of War. I know that Flames of War has a different style to it, but after playing a few games I'm finding myself missing something. So I have set up my kitchen table with some basic terrain and I intend to play IABSM, FOW and KGN with the same layout and debate with myself as too which one is best for me.

Here is the first game of IABSM. I've played this only once before so I was VERY unsure about the rules, but with the help of my wife (playing the Germans) we muddled through.

The self made scenario was a British/American attack on a small T-junction. The allies had a troop if Cromwell tanks with a Challenger backing them up and a full platoon of U.S 101st paratroops attacking a platoon of German infantry backed up by a PaK40 and 2 Panzer IV H's.

Click on the picture below to see the gallery:

Here is a badly taken photo of the PaK40's position. Hiding in the hedges with a clear shot of the road approaching the T-junction.

The first turn saw the British armour start down the main road and start to cross the bridge leading to the objective.

A shot of the German armour moving around. The stuck Panzer on the hedge is bogged down whilst trying to cross. The other is starting to look for targets.

A shot of German platoon two, defending the objective.

German platoon one in a trench line to the left of the junction and defending a ford that would give the allies another crossing point. The ford also has some barbed wire to its front.

The PaK40 spots the lead Cromwell crossing the bridge.

US Paratroops move up to lay some fire down on the Germans across the river in the trench.

More US Paratroops move up to support the British tanks crossing the bridge.

A nice shot of the first kill! A Mark IV takes out the lead Cromwell.

Paras tied up on the barbed wire. The Germans would pepper them with MG fire and force them back.

The PaK40 takes out the secondCromwell on a great shot.

One of the Cromwells heads for the barbed wire keeping the Paras from crossing the ford.

US Paras try to force the bridge by storm.

Although the same shot again...the German MG killed six men crossing the bridge.

Challenger starts to look for targets and spots the Panzer IV at the junction.

British Cromwell starts crossing the barbed wire whilst laying HE fire on the trench.

The Panzer IV survives the Challenger's shooting and rushes to the bridge to get a flank shot on the remaining Cromwell trying to cross the ford.

Challenger turns its attention to the second Panzer IV hiding behind the farmhouse.

And gets it! With a 17pdr gun you roll 12 dice against 6 German frontal armour dice. You compare how many 5's and 6's you both rolled. If the German rolls more, the shot bounces off. If you roll even, you roll another D6 and consult a chart. You also consult a chart if you only win by one or two. Winning by three means a killing shot, and winning by four is an automatic explosion!

The lone remaining Cromwell is destroyed crossing the ford by a German Panzerfaust from the trench. I did not think the Panzerfaust would be that deadly against my frontal armour. Rolling eleven dice versus seven.

The Paras try to avenge its loss. They cross the barbed wire and try and storm the trench.

The other group of Paras makes a run for the flank of the lone remaining Panzer IV.

Again German MG42 fire cuts them down. Losing a further six men.

The Americans reach the trench with 2:1 odds.

But have terrible rolls and are destroyed.

The British Challenger tries to end the game by shooting the Panzer IV from the side, but somehow only manages to knock its track off. The return fire forces the Challenger to admit defeat and move away. It beat my defence dice by one, and although I'm not badly hit, I back off.

German casualties: one Panzer IVH and sixteen infantry.

Allied casualties: three Cromwells and twenty-eight Paras (mostly to MG42 fire).

All-in-all a nice set of rules. I think I need some more allied infantry as the odds seem heavily on the German side, so next time I might add some more Allies (or take away some Germans). But it was fun, and the card system did add some tension as both me and my wife really needed cards badly that we could not seem to get :).

I did find it a generally better experience than FoW, but that's not a knock on FoW as I do appreciate it for everything it is doing to the hobby, but I liked the slower pace to the IABSM rules. I also liked the tank of tank fights in from this game a lot more than FoW somehow. The close combat was bloody !! Ten Paratroopers attack six Germans in a trench, the U.S get 14 dice and the Germans get 17...every 5 or 6 is a death.... that meant a lot of dead very fast.

I will re-read the rules and try again.

I am going to rate the game on 10 points that I think are important for me in a rules set. These are based on an incomplete experience so far and I will modify it as I play more. But I'd like to find a set of rules that handle the following things with a nice balance of fun mixed with historical accuracy.

First game ratings :- (only for this match, I will play again)

Fun :- 8/10 (did I enjoy the experience)
15mm scale fit :- 7/10 (was is easy to use my already based figures with it )
Handling of infantry :- 7/10 (were infantry handled easily, does morale bog the game down?)
Handling of Armour :- 8/10 (was damaged logged, or was it fire, save, kill based)
Handling of guns :- 8/10 (did AT guns act historically)
WW2 historical feel :- 9/10 (did I feel as though I was playing in WW2)
Speed of play :- 5/10 (did the game flow nicely from start to finish)
Quick grasp of rules :- 8/10 (does my sorry state of a brain understand the authors' intention)
Book layout :- 6/10 ( are the rules easy to follow, easy to read and are they laid out nicely)
New player friendly :- 9/10 ( can I teach my wife to play, plus does she understand what's happening)

Total is 75/100

Thanks for looking....

Bagration

BACK

AAR 1944 France: First Game & Review by Bagration