Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game

Firestorm: Lorraine

Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game
Playing the Firestorm Lorraine Campaign
by G. Jökull Gíslason

Firestorm is all about playing your Flames Of War battles and having them play a part in a wider context. Your success in a game may influence the outcome of another game and help you win greater glory by winning the campaign. But Firestorm games can be played as a standalone game under the General’s Game rules. In fact, to familiarise yourself with the game I strongly recommend you play a few General’s Games. This will make you more familiar with the rules and will help any subsequent campaign game run smoother. Firestorm Lorraine is designed to be played in three turns; each turn has been carefully constructed to match a specific part of the actual campaign fought in the Lorraine. This is another reason you might find it fun to play as it provides an overview of the actual events.

“You must do your damnedest and win.”

~ General George S. Patton Jr.

Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game
With all the map and counters redesigned by Sean Goodison, in house graphics designer at Battlefront who you may be familiar with from the Boot Camp videos, I had the opportunity to play the game over the weekend before it was released both for the fun of it and to check for any last minute glitches. I decided that it would be a good idea to write an After Action Report on the resulting game and share it with you.

Firestorm Lorraine starts when the Patton’s Third Army has reached the Moselle River after a run of successes spanning from Operation Cobra and the dash across France. By the time it reached the Moselle, lack of supplies was starting to affect the Allies and the Germans were finally able to some remnants of a defensive line after the blow at the Falaise pocket. Interestingly, the line for both sides ended here and presented flanking possibilities at least until the forces from Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France connected to the northern forces.

Download Firestorm Lorraine
Firestorm Lorraine covers the first battles of Lorraine using the Firestorm system. This campaign allows you to re-fight the battles of Lorraine on a grand scale. While the course and outcome of the real battles can’t be changed, the outcome of your campaign is up to you. Either side can win although the odds are in favour of the Allies then the Axis stand a chance if they can manage a breakthrough.

Download a PDF version of Firestorm Lorraine here...
Download a PDF version of the Firestorm Lorraine tokens here...
Download an A3 version of the Firestorm Lorranie campaign map here...
Firestorm Lorraine Tokens
Preparing to Play
I recommend you print out the counters and map, the last page of the PDF in colour and preferably in A3 / B3 scale. Don’t worry if you do not have such a printer as very few do, but there are a number of office printing firms that can do it and it won’t cost much. Then I recommend you buy 1.5mm cardboard from a hobby or stationary store and glue the printed material to it using a glue stick. Any effort you put into this will improve the look of the game and as with all visual games this will make the game more fun to play.

Initial Set Up
Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game
Turn One: Opening Moves
On page 13 of the Firestomr Lorraine PDF you'll find the outline for turn one. Units are listed for initial set up and underneath you will see that for this turn you should play four to six battles (3 + D3) and the Americans have a +1 advantage on their initiative and win any ties. This will give them a lead in Turn 1. We first roll for the number of battles and a 4 is rolled which is a 2 on a D3 and that gives us five battles for turn one.

At the start of the game the Germans have 310 Victory Points (VP) for areas controlled but the Americans only 120 VP giving the Germans a 190 VP lead, enough to win a Strategic Victory if the US doesn’t make any gains.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
One
6 (+1) / 6 C3 - C4
US: Inf +2, Air +2.
Ger: PG +2, River +1.
4 / 3
8 / 6
Attackers captures C4
Battle One Notes
Air is a variable in the game, resulting from a 0 to +3 bonuses depending on a dice roll. You must commit an Air unit before rolling the dice. In reality the weather in Lorraine in September was un-seasonally clouded and rainy.  When playing an actual firestorm game this counter represents a Confident Trained Panzergrenadier Platoon with four teams being Panzerfaust / MG teams and three MG teams but no transport as most of the transport had been lost at Falaise.
PG stands for Panzergrenadiers.
Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game
Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Two
1 (+1) / 3 A3 - B3 US: Inf +2, AT gun +2.
Ger: Panzer FHH +3.
4 / 3
7 / 7 Draw. FHH captured.
Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game Battle Two Notes
Germans win initiative but there is a rule, if they have a panzer unit available they must use this to attack. Panzer units must also fight alone so you only get one Firestorm unit as the Germans. The result is a draw with both sides having the same total score, but disaster, the American player rolls a 6 to destroy to the FHH Panzer unit; the panzer units unlike other Firestorm units are automatically captured if destroyed. This also gives the US player 10 points towards his VP total.
Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Three
4 (+1) / 4 A3 - A2 US: Inf +2, Art +3.
Ger: None.
3 / 5 8 / 5 Attackers captures A3.
Battle Three Notes
With no German Firestorm troops remaining in Luxembourg, the Americans attack with infantry and artillery. You still roll for these battles and you would fight a Flames Of War battle as well but the Germans get no bonuses. Unsurprisingly, the Americans wins and capture Luxembourg, a valuable location awarding them 50 VP.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Four
2 (+1) / 3 D3 - D5 US: Art +3, Inf +2.
Ger: PG +2, River +1.
2 / 4 7 / 7 Draw.
Battle Four Notes
Here the initiative roll is equal but the Americans wins on any ties so they continue but the battle results in a draw and no units are lost.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Five
2 (+1) / 4 B5 - C4
US: Inf +2, Air 0.
Ger: SS PG +3, Inf +1.
3 / 1 7 / 3 Attackers captures C4.
Battle Five Notes
Both German infantry and Air need to be rolled for and both rolls are low, resulting in the German infantry adding +1 and the Air not showing up at all (due to rain) or 0. In Firestorm Lorraine and Greece, air support is represented as air sorties and in Lorraine they are only available to the American player. This gives him a certain number of air sorties available for each turn and the American player can use them in any battle at any time as long as they have air sorties available. The only restriction is that in attack he must allocate a ground unit first and then an air sorties to accompany the attack as the second Firestorm unit.

Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game
Turn One Summary
A good turn for the Americans as they captured Luxembourg and a panzer unit; the Germans managed to hold the Moselle line and push back the toehold the American forces had gained. It was tempting for the Germans to attack C3 instead; making it possible to capture the American infantry unit in the next turn, but with the American advantage on initiative made this a risky proposition. Better to consolidate the defense. Starting with the Germans both players now relocate their units for the following turn, but it is clever at this point to see if you get new units and allow for this in your plan. The current Victory Points now stand at Allies 180 / Germans 260 giving the Germans an 80 VP lead.

Turn Two: Nancy and Dompaire
Page 14 of the Firestorm Lorraine PDF provides the outline for turn two. In addition to the units already deployed both players get new units and the area where they appear is listed in the text.  The American player still has the initiative roll bonuses and now has four air sorties available (Note: You always get a new allocation at the start of each turn and it is never affected by anything). For this turn we have 3+2D3 battles. Two dice are rolled, with both coming up as 5 giving us a total of nine battles.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
One
2 (+1) / 4 C4 - C3 US: 4th Div +3, Inf +2, River +1. Ger: SS PG +3, PG +3. 3 / 3
8 / 9 No result.
Battle One Notes
Too bad the Germans did not take C3 last turn. They have a new panzer unit at Épinal (E4) but since it has no American areas to attack into it the Germans must attack elsewhere and right now their strongest units are at C4. It is not a tempting task to attack the 4th US Combat Command across the Moselle but they are driven on by their commanders. The attack fails and the Americans win by 1 point, but in Firestorm Lorraine only the attacker can capture an area and after rolling for casualties no units are lost, so battle one ends with no result.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Two
4 (+1) /3 D2 - E3 US: GTL +3*, Inf +2.
Ger: Inf +2.
2 / 5 7 / 7 German infantry destroyed.
Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game Battle Two Notes
* = Groupment Tactique Langlade (Combat Command Langlade) or French Armour. A fairly sure attack against a single German infantry unit but as luck would have it the result is a draw with no area captured, but things brighten up when the American player rolls to destroy the German infantry. But since they are in supply they are not destroyed but returned to the reinforcement pool.
Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Three
1 (+1) / 3 C4 - C3 US: 4th Div +3, Inf +2, River +1. Ger: SS PG +3, PG +2. 6 / 3
11 / 9 German SS and US infantry units destroyed.
Battle Three Notes
Again the Germans are forced into an attack they don’t want but this time they win despite the odds and capture C3. When rolling to destroy, the American player destroys the SS-Panzergrenadiers, while the Germans destroy an American infantry unit. Both units are moved to the reinforcement pool, available again in turn three. The German player prudently decides not to advance any Firestorm units into the area captured.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Four
5 (+1) / 3 D2 - E3 US: GTL +3, Inf +2.
Ger: None.
5 / 1 10 / 1 Dompaire (E3) captured.
Battle Four Notes
With the German infantry gone the American attack captures Dompaire.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Five
1 (+1) / 5 E4 - E3 US: GTL +3, Inf +2.
Ger: Panzer Unit +5.
4 / 5 9 / 10 American infantry destroyed.
Battle Five Notes
This time when the Germans roll for initiative as they must attack with the panzer unit. They attack against E3 attempting to recapture Dompaire but the Americans hold off the attack. There is some excitement to see if history repeats and the panzer unit is destroyed but it is not; instead the American infantry is destroyed and returned to the reinforcement pool.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Six 6 (+1)  /2 D3 - D5 US: 4th Div +3, Art 3+.
Ger: PG +2, River +1
5 / 4 11 / 7 D5 captured by the Americans.
Battle Six Notes
The American must start to capture ground if they are to win and surrounding Nancy is the plan. Attacking across the Moselle the Americans capture D5 and the Panzergrenadiers withdraw to C4.
Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game
Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Seven
6 (+1) / 6 B4 - C3 US: 4th Div +3, AT +2.
Ger: None.
5 / 4 10 / 4 Attackers captures C4.
Battle Seven Notes
The Americans now send a strong attack to against C3 and recapture it. AT is Anti-tank gun.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Eight
5 (+1) / 2 C3 - C4
US: 4th Div +3, AT +2.
Ger: 2x PG +2 (+4), River +1.
3 / 6 8 /11 American AT unit destroyed.
Battle Eight Notes
The Americans attempt to follow up with an attack on C4 in the attempt to surround Nancy but are defeated and the AT unit is destroyed and moved to reserve.
Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Nine
6 (+1) / 6 D5 - C4
US: 4th Div +3, Art +3.
Ger: 2x PG +2 (+4), River +1.
2 / 5 8 / 10 German Panzergrenadier and American artillery units are destroyed.
Battle Nine Notes
Desperate to surround Nancy, the Americans attack using their forces at D4 but fail again. Luckily as the attacker, they do not lose ground.  But the Germans roll to destroy their artillery while the Allies destroy a Panzergenadier unit.
Turn Two Summary
Turn two saw some heavy fighting and during the course of the turn seven units were destroyed. Worse for the Americans, they failed to surround and capture Nancy and will continue to do so in the next turn as the Germans now take over the advantage in initiative. Victory Points are now more even, with the Allies having 200 VP and the Germans 240 VP. Which stands at a draw, see the Victory Point table page 12 of the Firestorm Lorraine PDF.

Turn Three: Clash of Tanks
On page 15 of the Firestorm Lorraine PDF provides the outline for turn three. In addition to the units already in place only the Germans get new units; two more panzer units, which the Germans decide to deploy both at D6 in order to push the Americans back. The Americans receive four air sorties again but now it is the Germans who have a +1 on their initiative roll and win on ties. Turn three has 4-6 battles and we roll a 6 giving us six battles.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
One
3 / 5 (+1) E4 - E3 US: GTL +3, Air +2.
Ger: Panzer Unit +5.
1 / 5 6 / 10 American win.
Battle One Notes
The Germans start with a strong attack with a powerful Panzer Unit against the solitary French Armour. But the Allies call in air support and win the battle by a good margin, but fail to roll to destroy the German Panzer Unit.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Two
4 / 2 (+1) C3 - C4
US: 4th Div +3, Art +3.
Ger: SS PG +3, PG +2 (+4), River +1.
1 / 4 7 / 10 American artillery unit destroyed.
Battle Two Notes
Once again the American attempts the dreaded Moselle crossing and this time they have no advantage in numbers and are turned back. The Germans rub salt into the wound; destroying the American artillery unit.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Three
1 / 5 (+1)
E4 - E3 US: GTL +3, Air +3.
Ger: Panzer Unit +5.
5 / 1 10 / 7 Germans capture Dompaire (E3).
Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game Battle Three Notes
The Germans attack Dompaire again and this time are more successful; pushing the French back to D2 and recapture Dompaire.
Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Four
6 / 1 (+1) D5 - C4
US: 4th Div +3, AT +2.
Ger: SS PG +3, PG +2, River +1.
4 / 2 9 / 8 Americans capture C4 and destroy the SS-Panzergrenadier unit.
Battle Four Notes
Finally success for the American; Nancy is surrounded. Weaken by their attempts; the American situation improves slightly by the destruction of the SS-Panzergrenadier unit. Nancy is now surrounded but the Germans have a strong presence in the areas nearby.

Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game
Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Five
5 / 3 (+1) C3 - D4
US: 4th Div +3, Inf +2.
Ger: 88 +3, Inf +1, River +1, Out of Supply -2.
2 / 3 7 / 6 Americans capture Nancy (D4) and capture both the German '88' and infantry units.
Battle Five Notes
If Nancy had not been surrounded the Germans would have held the Americans off, instead the American forces capture Nancy and since the city is surrounded German 88s and Infantry captured as they have nowhere to withdraw too.

Battle Number
Initative Roll:
Allies First
Area Attacked:
From - Into
Firestorm Unit & Bonuses
Dice Roll:
Attacker First
Total
Result
Six
3 / 2 (+1) D6 - C4
US: 4th Div +3, AT +2.
Ger: Panzer Unit +5.
2 / 4 7 / 9 Americans successful defend Arracourt.
Battle Six Notes
The final battle the Germans go all out in an attempt to score victory points and attempt to recapture Arracourt.  The American beat back to desperate German attempt to recapture the city as both sides suffer no causalities. The Campaign is now over.

Turn Three Summary
Surprisingly the Allies won initiative as often as the Germans; this enabled them to capture Nancy at last. If the Germans had won more often they might have managed to penetrate the American lines and win the bonus points for holding A2, B2, C1 or C2 and turned their fortunes around. Instead, the Americans tallied 260 VP to the German total of 190 VP and win by a margin of 70 points resulting in a Tactical Victory for the Americans, the same as the historical outcome. If Germans had won the last battle and capture Arracourt then the final score would have been 240 VP vs. 210 VP and a draw.

I have played a number of General's Games and the outcome is far from decided. We have seen the Germans win a Strategic Victory and the Allies reach Strasbourg – all in quick fun games.

Below: Firestorm Greece.
Firestorm Lorraine: The General's Game
If you enjoyed this read you should try the game for yourself and be sure to try Firestorm Greece which recreates the Battle for Greece in four turns, similar to what Firestorm Lorraine attempts to do.

Learn more about Firestorm: Greece here...

~ Jökull.


Last Updated On Friday, June 15, 2012 by Blake at Battlefront