Red Phoenix Project - First outing

The first game of the year and the first out for Red Phoenix, using the rule set Seven Days to the Rhine. Red Phoenix is the 1980's invasion of South Korea by the North, based on the book by Larry Bond.

The book begins with student uprisings, which leads to a South Korean government clamp down and ultimately to US sanctions. Seizing the opportunity, the North invades the south. Plenty of scope for skirmishes and encounters with this backdrop.

Somewhere south of the DMZ the village of Buckchon a scratch force of South Korean's dig in holding a river line awaiting the oncoming vanguard of the North Korean Army.

We selected 500 points in this encounter battle, the T62's of the North Korean Army are cheaper than the M60A1's of the South, which enabled them to bolster their force with a platoon of BTR 60's and BDRM scout cars.

The forces of the North advance on either side of the monastery their armour rushes forwards looking to secure a foot hold before the Southern defenders can react.

Meanwhile the South Korean Infantry scrabble to defend the village, Infantry and Dragon Teams hide amongst the white washed houses as they await the enemy armour. M60's move forwards to bolster the defences.

The North Korean's hackers strike reducing the defenders command dice for the turn.

The card deck within the rules bring a very nice touch, with each card impacting the attackers of defenders in different ways, airstrikes, barrages and counter strikes.

North Korean recon units reach the outskirts of the village de-busing from their APC and taking up positions in the buildings, whilst their counterparts maintain a foothold on the Northern bank. 

A South Korean MBT advances towards the bridge but is destroyed by long range fire from the T62's before it can get into position.

The North Korean Armour skirts the river bank but is struck by off table artillery catching to of the advancing armour in the burst. The remaining armour rushes forwards but is caught in the cross fire by the defenders.

Meanwhile on the left flank the attackers begin to push further into the village but are unable to force the bridge crossing. The defenders cling on until night fall.

 

A great first game with plenty of twist and turns, you find yourself down at eye level grabbing any cover you can, tanks and AT weapons can hit anything on the table, so those little folds in the ground are crucial if you are to get the drop on the enemy.

Looking forward to getting some more games in, in the coming months.