Second Front

[jztemple2]

The developer just posted a couple of things over on Discord:

This is what I assume is the total count of guns and vehicles for the base game plus the DLC.

32 German Tanks
26 German Assault Guns
19 German Halftrack
11 German Armored Car
7 German Truck
15 German Gun
24 American Tanks
2 American Assault Guns
9 American Halftrack
3 American Armored Car
6 American Truck
7 American Gun
27 Russian Tanks
7 Russian Assault Guns
2 Russian Halftrack
3 Russian Armored Car
5 Russian Truck
10 Russian Gun
66 British Tanks
12 British Assault Guns
7 British Halftrack
21 British Armored Car
13 British Truck
19 British Gun
all: 299

66 British tanks??

Those numbers don't add up, but maybe it's not counting duplications (such as American designs in British and Russian service) in the final total.

66 does seem high, but I counted over forty from the image, so that's plenty. The list also shows 19 British guns but the image only shows nine. It doesn't really matter all that much to me, I'll be a day one (or is it day zero?) buyer of the DLC.

[jztemple2]

From the dev:

there was a mistake in counting vehicles and guns:
45 British Tanks
5 British Assault Guns
5 British Halftrack
18 British Armored Car
8 British Truck
9 British Gun
this are the right numbers

[jztemple2]

Posted over by the dev in the Discord playtest channel, a look at the current scenario display for the Commonwealth. Looks like it is coming along nicely.

[jztemple2]

Big news from the dev! Second Front Dev Update: Bully Beef to be free and The Roadmap

my italics

Thanks for rolling the dice with us so far on “Second Front”. So far you’ve been able to take on challenges as one of three different factions, the US, The Russians and The Germans. Soon, you will be able to enter the battlefield of Second Front with a new faction.

Bully Beef and Biscuits to become a Complimentary Update

As a show of thanks, we have decided to make the upcoming Commonwealth Forces DLC part of the main game. So if you will receive this update for free if you have purchased the game.

This update will include:
45 British Tanks
4 British Assault Guns
6 British Halftrack
18 British Armored Car
8 British Truck
9 British Gun
New Scenarios

And there is info on the roadmap for the game, plus a graphic!

The complimentary updates won’t stop at Bully Beef, we will also be building additional features, content and systems into the game. This process wil take between 1 and 2 years and once they are all finalised, we will be ready to bring the Multiplayer experience that many of our fans have wanted since the beginning.

Bully Beef and Biscuits:
Content Update
Disruption: Units that are disrupted will not be able to flee.
Berserk units: Units will have a chance to go berserk and no longer be under player control.
Tank commanders: Tank Commanders will improve the aiming of tanks.
Fortified buildings: Areas within buildings can be fortified to improve defenses, much like a bunker.
Partisans: Content Update, American Partisans, French and Italian Underground forces, and Soviet Partisans.
Human wave: Russian’s will be able to launch a wave of attackers that have a chance of not following orders.
Mines: Minefield Hexes will disrupt potential approaches.
Inner Factory walls: Walls in factories will block movement and fire
Overrun: Tanks can perform an Overrun attack once they move into an enemy hex with enemy infantry.
Night: Units will not be visible at night unless illuminated by starshells
Artillery: Artillery can be called in by leaders with a radio and spotting round in place.
Planes: Aircraft that will perform a strafing and bombing run
Prisoners, Interogation: Taking prisoners will gain you more victory points, but will become a burden to guard. You may also learn of hidden enemy positions via interrogation of prisoners.
Japanese, US Marine Corps and early US Philippines armies: Content Update
Pacific theatre with new terrain: Content Update
Multiplayer: 1v1 multiplayer scenarios.

[Holman]

That's great news!

And it definitely reflects the Advanced Squad Leader DNA behind Second Front. It almost feels like simply reading deeper into the big rules binder.

[jztemple2]

That's great news!

And it definitely reflects the Advanced Squad Leader DNA behind Second Front. It almost feels like simply reading deeper into the big rules binder.

I'm glad somebody is excited, beside me. I'm not sure why the dev decided to release Bully Beef for free. I mean, I just feel like he's got a very loyal audience out there who would be happy to contribute a few bucks his way for more content. I hope this isn't a bad sign.

[Smoove_B]

I hope this isn't a bad sign.

It's on my wishlist for Xmas - I've been following it since pre-release, just waiting for the right time to jump in.

[em2nought]

Second Front is 25% off at the moment on Steam until January 4th. $26.24

[em2nought]

First game I've bought since 2016. Went on a late late late night buying spree spurred on by an infomercial. Correction, I bought an AGEOD Civil War game at Goodwill about a month ago for $1.99.

[jztemple2]

A new image or two from the Discord playtest channel, along with this info:

this level one basements of buildings can be reached from trenches
they can be viewd only from adjacent hexes
so they are perfect rally locations
like Cellars in Stalingrad
I adjusted the movment rules for this

[jztemple2]

For those who might be interested, this is a replay of the scenario "In The Village" by SnuggleBunny who wins my approval by not injecting his image into the video and also for his low-key narration . This scenario is notable for the absence of any vehicles, it's a pure infantry fight.

[jztemple2]

MAJOR UPDATE: The Commonwealth Forces Have Arrived!

What can you expect to see?



45 British Tanks
4 British Assault Guns
6 British Halftracks
18 British Armored Cars
8 British Trucks
9 British Guns
16 New Scenarios
1 New Campaign

How are the British Forces Different?

The British forces won’t cower in the face of the enemy, so they will be a tough opponent. The infantry forces also have an advantage when aiming.

When engaging against German forces you will need to keep in mind the advantages that they have in the field. They have assault engineers in some scenarios which can be the strongest infantry opponent in the game. In the later years of the war they also have an advantage when it comes to their 88mm and 75mm guns.

New Terrain Types and Decorations:

Terrain types in the desert are unique.

When it comes to flora, the scrub tree is different to those seen in the European theater, and Cacti that can pin you like wire.

Movement across the sand takes more movement points. There is also the element of sun blindness that should be taken into account in the early morning and later afternoon, which will impact your visibility.

Vehicles leave a dust trail two hexes behind them that can provide visibility cover for infantry units.

There are new desert buildings that are weaker than wooden buildings, but you will be able to gain access to the rooftops which are an ideal location to set up mortars.

Map creators will now be able to make new maps and scenarios set in the desert. This will include:
New Desert Terrain types
10 new desert buildings
24 new desert decorations

[jztemple2]

Since the release of Bully Beef and Biscuits the dev has been posting hotfixes each day, so if you are playing you might be running into some bugs. If this bothers you it might be worthwhile to wait a few more days. I'll post any information I see.

[jztemple2]

[jztemple2]

I saw this over on the playtest channel, its a new symbol that will be added to indicate that a unit is cowering:



According to the dev:

added cowering indicator this will fly upwards to show the firers are cowering
the effects (reduced firepower) of cowering always were in the game, just it was not very visible.
Added when the firing group consists of heroes and, fanatics then they don't cower
British not green units don't cower
and firing stacks with a Leader don't cower
passengers and snipers don't cower
green units double cower

[em2nought]

I saw this over on the playtest channel, its a new symbol that will be added to indicate that a unit is cowering:



According to the dev:

added cowering indicator this will fly upwards to show the firers are cowering
the effects (reduced firepower) of cowering always were in the game, just it was not very visible.
Added when the firing group consists of heroes and, fanatics then they don't cower
British not green units don't cower
and firing stacks with a Leader don't cower
passengers and snipers don't cower
green units double cower

Double cower sounds silly, "cower & pee pants/kilt" sounds more realistic.

Are there kilts?

[jztemple2]

Beat the new Gazala skirmish scenario on first try, but it was pretty close. I could have gotten a better score but I sacrificed some units in order to win the scenario.

[jztemple2]

Just finished the workshop mission Mr Pavel's Farm. Good scenario with lots of infantry, no tanks and only three half-tracks for you to manage. Very enjoyable.

[jztemple2]

The dev has uploaded version 1.3 with a number of tweaks. There is also one rather funny change, when you are in the Garage and have one of the vehicles running (by rotating it), any garage worker will have on a gas mask

[em2nought]

Thanks for the updates! I want the French, Poles, and Belgians and I haven't even installed the game yet.

[jztemple2]

New patch, Disruption Update 1.313

New Systems:

Disruption -
When a unit is disrupted it will not be able to flee and instead will remain in place when broken. Disruption happens when a green unit gets a weakening result. This will be communicated to you via the new purple symbol seen in the screenshot below.



Cower -
When infantry units come under fire they have a chance to cower. This will dramatically reduce their firepower. The symbol to keep an eye out for is in the screenshot below.
This can NOT happen to:
- British units (not green)
- Crews
- Snipers
- Stacks with leaders



Scenario Editor:
QoL Improvement - When you open the preference window, the camera will move to make it easier to see the Wind Direction Arrow and the North Pointer. When the window is closed you will be returned to your previous location in the scenario editor.

Error Reporting:
The Error Recording Interface on the top right now has a close button.
Reminder, if you see any kind of error reporting please don't hesitate to send those messages to us.

Fixes:

• cliffs on the map edge are not shown in the top right hex description and the text is now a bit brighter
• displaying square symbol not open ground symbol for square terrain in hex description
• Sdkfz 251 16 is shown as AAMG in Main Armament. This one is still not implemented because of the two-side Flamethrowers.

[jztemple2]

Something of interest over on the Discord dev update channel:



Operation Chariot is the code name for the St Nazaire Raid during WW2

The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy (RN) and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headquarters on 28 March 1942. St Nazaire was targeted because the loss of its dry dock would force any large German warship in need of repairs, such as Tirpitz, sister ship of Bismarck, to return to home waters by running the gauntlet of the Home Fleet of the Royal Navy and other British forces, via the English Channel or the North Sea.

The obsolete destroyer HMS Campbeltown, accompanied by 18 smaller craft, crossed the English Channel to the Atlantic coast of France and rammed into the Normandie dry dock south gate. The ship had been packed with delayed-action explosives, well hidden within a steel and concrete case, that detonated later that day, putting the dock out of service until 1948.

A force of commandos landed to destroy machinery and other structures. German gunfire sank, set ablaze, or immobilized virtually all the small craft intended to transport the commandos back to England. The commandos fought their way through the town to escape overland but many surrendered when they ran out of ammunition or were surrounded by the Wehrmacht defending Saint-Nazaire.

Of the 612 men who undertook the raid, 228 returned to Britain, 169 were killed and 215 became prisoners of war. German casualties included over 360 dead, some of whom were killed after the raid when Campbeltown exploded. To recognise their bravery, 89 members of the raiding party were awarded decorations, including five Victoria Crosses. After the war, St Nazaire was one of 38 battle honours awarded to the commandos. The operation has been called "the greatest raid of all" in British military circles.

[Holman]

I'm really enjoying the game!

My impression is that the original release was almost a complete port of the original SQUAD LEADER in its final expanded form (even to the point of unit stats being identical).

Patches adding new features seem to be nudging it in the direction of ADVANCED SQUAD LEADER. I think this is mostly a good thing, although (as someone who has read all 500+ small-print double-column pages of the ASL rulebook), I don't think they need to include everything.

[em2nought]

Something of interest over on the Discord dev update channel:



Operation Chariot is the code name for the St Nazaire Raid during WW2

The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy (RN) and British Commandos under the auspices of Combined Operations Headquarters on 28 March 1942. St Nazaire was targeted because the loss of its dry dock would force any large German warship in need of repairs, such as Tirpitz, sister ship of Bismarck, to return to home waters by running the gauntlet of the Home Fleet of the Royal Navy and other British forces, via the English Channel or the North Sea.

The obsolete destroyer HMS Campbeltown, accompanied by 18 smaller craft, crossed the English Channel to the Atlantic coast of France and rammed into the Normandie dry dock south gate. The ship had been packed with delayed-action explosives, well hidden within a steel and concrete case, that detonated later that day, putting the dock out of service until 1948.

A force of commandos landed to destroy machinery and other structures. German gunfire sank, set ablaze, or immobilized virtually all the small craft intended to transport the commandos back to England. The commandos fought their way through the town to escape overland but many surrendered when they ran out of ammunition or were surrounded by the Wehrmacht defending Saint-Nazaire.

Of the 612 men who undertook the raid, 228 returned to Britain, 169 were killed and 215 became prisoners of war. German casualties included over 360 dead, some of whom were killed after the raid when Campbeltown exploded. To recognise their bravery, 89 members of the raiding party were awarded decorations, including five Victoria Crosses. After the war, St Nazaire was one of 38 battle honours awarded to the commandos. The operation has been called "the greatest raid of all" in British military circles.

I always thought I'd like that Avalon Hill game, not sure why I never bought it.