Toulon is one of my favorite maps from the base game. It has a good mix of units - no artillery for the Allies - but no panzers for the Axis - which makes it important to constantly consider ways to take advantage of this.
The Axis have only 4 cards, so they are at a weaker position - but the 5 cards of the Allies isn't always enough to make long term planning possible.
Before we began, Wiking pointed out that this map in some ways resembles Saverne Gap - with the three "lanes" - though this is even better, IMO, because it is possible to "change lanes", and you rarely end up with an "empty" flank.
The 3/4 for victory of the Toulon town hexes is also another comparison to Saverne Gap, and like in that one - a difficult way to win the scenario.
Our two rounds were both close, but I made a blunder in the very first move as the Allies - forgetting to move 2 units on the Right in my PINCER MOVE... this, along with some good artillery fire from Wiking - really put me on the back foot, despite my hand of CENTER ASSAULT, INFANTRY ASSAULT, ARMOR ASSAULT, ATTACK RIGHT, PROBE RIGHT, after I had played the PINCER. I tried to get my units into position for a push through the center - but I spend so much time maneuvering that Wiking got further and further ahead. At 3-0 I got really nervous - but some lucky dice roll - and my picking up THEIR FINEST HOUR right after Wiking had played AMBUSH, and then picking up AMBUSH - from the newly reshuffled deck, saved me. Giving me that vital kill against a single infantry. 6-5 - probably not enough.
As it turned out - I had a pretty good starting hand for the Germans - INFANTRY ASSAULT, PROBE and ATTACK CENTER, and PROBE LEFT. I knew I had to shock my opponent - so I played INFANTRY ASSAULT from the get-go - followed by ATTACK and PROBE. But Wiking moved in from the sides, and contained my attack, leaving me ahead 3-2, but with seriously weakened units. After that he slowly ground me down. I tried one last trick - after I picked up AIR POWER - if only I could get his two wounded infantry on the back line to 1 figure each, I could put my trust in Goering's boys and turn defeat into a victory. But my trusted artillery couldn't get a hit in - so in the end, the Luftwaffe never got to fly.
2 good rounds on a good map. Thanks once again to Wiking44 for substituting.
