TURN 10
I Double Timed the 2nd HMG Platoon, sending them southward with the hope of exiting them off the south map edge -- this to deny Crossroads the chance to kill them, thereby earning several more easy VPs. But in crossing the Escarpment hexside they consumed 65 APs. The Unit Handbook shows:
One more hex to reach the map edge. But not a clear hex, costing 34 APs to enter; rather, a Hammada hex, costing 50 APs to enter. When I attempt to move the HMG unit that one additional hex, the game engine reports "Insufficient Action Points". Drat! I can't even backtrack them to an adjacent IP hex. They are now out in the open, easy prey, sure to die next phase. Oh well.
Up north, you will recall where last phase Crossroads directed his long-range artillery (OBA?) to fire at the northeast corner of the map (large yellow circle to the north, following) in the hopes of destroying my MRL units there. To guard against a repeat of that, I dispersed said units (green circles). I also dispersed my units generally. Except for hidden armour and AT stacks, no more 3 units or greater soft target stacks.
I discovered a stack of Syrian engineers, loaded on APCs parked at the north center edge of the map. Oy! If I had known about them earlier, I could have set them right from Turn 1 to fortifying the Saasa Ridge front line. Too late for that now. Now all I can do is to move them closer to Saasa town, as a reserve in case Crossroads attempts an attack along the map's east edge. Highly unlikely, that.
Typical of me -- and something (like my general failure to Dig In and fortify) that keeps me from being a top-notch player -- I have again played the artillery game poorly. For the game's early turns, I was completely oblivious to the OBA at my disposal. When I had reasonably good intel around Tel Shams and even Dourine, I had a pretty good sense of where the Israeli soft targets were. Now I am down to my last unit -- the 2nd HMG Platoon -- in that area. Next phase, that spotter unit is sure to die, and with their demise I might lose sight of soft targets of opportunity (if Crossroads takes care to hide them from my LOS from Saasa). Down near Dourine, I spot two stacks of commander and HQ (large yellow circle to the south). I throw the full weight of my artillery against them -- the hexes they currently occupy, and the hexes they might retreat to with an earlier combat result. I also plot the road hexes several hexes northward, in case Crossroads -- anticipating possible artillery attack -- nudges them northward. I also order my artillery to lob a few shells at another stack of commander & HQ northeast of Tel Shams (small yellow circle).
I still have a couple of airstrikes I have been holding in reserve. If Crossroads doesn't move that line of tanks northeast of Tel Shams, I will have some stationary targets to bomb from the air. But let's wait and see if they stay put first.
Finally, I target hex 28,8 (white circle) for smoke. If Crossroads is going to blast any unit, I suspect he will do it there.
The situation at the end of Turn 10, Syrian Side B phase:
