Battlegroup : NORTHAG – Making a list, checking it twice

April 13, 2020 | Tom Gall | Gaming

For our second article on Battlegroup NORTHAG we’re going to take a closer look at building your force for a game. NORTHAG uses a points-based scheme for force building your, which makes for a great scheme that you and a friend can agree to a number of points ahead of a game and show up at the tabletop with matched forces.

Game Size

There are 3 recommended sizes, 500 pts for a Platoon sized game on a 6×4, 750 pts for a Company sized game on a 6×6 or 6×8 and 1000 points for a Battalion sized game as a 6×10 or larger, but of course, you’re free to choose!

List Building Basics

When constructing a force you utilize the menu of options associated with the nation you’re building for. Currently, within this very first book, the options are limited to Soviet or British. We’ll see further books and unofficial lists via the Battlegroup: NORTHAG Facebook page in time.

There isn’t an online list-builder yet. You’ll have to get out your old fashioned pen and paper or build your own spreadsheet in the meantime.

Within a list, there are 5 categories of units based on their role. They are Forward Screen, Vanguard, Main Column, Additional Fire Support, and last the Reinforcement Request.

Within a list for a specific country, there will be minimums and maximums that you can field which model what they had. Further, there is the concept of restricted units that are those elements that were in limited supply or just not the type of hardware that would have been close to the front. As a function of the size of the game, the number of restricted units ranges from 2 for a platoon-sized game and 4 for a battalion sized game.

The units within a Forward Screen represent the force that is at the front. They are the scouts, the screens,  the dug in prepped positions, and so on. For a force, you must have at least one tho you are able to have as many as you and your point budget allows. If at the start of the game you have less Scouts as part of your Forward Screen units then your opponent, you have to draw two counters right from the start!

The Main Force is the main combat units comprised of your bread and butter units. The main force is subdivided into two parts the Vanguard unit and the Main Column. You must field one and only one Vanguard unit. While the choices for Vanguard units are very limited, with tanks or infantry, the Main Column has many choices.

Next is the Additional Fire Support which includes aircraft, off-board artillery, and the various types of units that are in the area but not under your direct command. They may (or may not) answer the call to bring it missions to support you on the battlefield. They are available to you when you have a unit on the table able to communicate with them. In the case of a timed artillery or strike aircraft attack, they land at the turn you specify. Pick well!

Last is the Reinforcement Request which is an optional element to the game. If you do include it, by default you receive 1 Reinforcement Request die roll. This, of course, implies you might not get it, after all with any battle, the front is a fluid place and while the modern army is a mobile one, the brass higher up might have other ideas where units should go.

When requesting a reinforcement in NORTHAG, as commander, you first decide what type of unit you’re trying to bring in. From this, you’ll have a die roll for that particular type. Some units are easier to acquire than others. You might have a unit on board that grants a re-roll depending on what you are requesting. If you make the roll, then you can to choose from the list of options available to that reinforcement type. This means you don’t have to carve up your, forces ahead of time and decide what constitutes reinforcements, instead it’s situational but also challenges you to have the models on hand.

The next thing to consider is generally in NorthAG the Forward Screen starts on table with Vanguard and Main Column coming on later. Vanguard arrives on turn 3. The Main column arrives on Turn 5 and 6. Turn 7 on is when you can request reinforcements. Fire support is available anytime provided you have someone that can talk to them. Forward observer arriving with the Main Column? Offboard artillery won’t be immediately available on Turn 1. Tough tacos. Embrace the suck.

Soviet Lists in NORTHAG

At an absolute minimum, you’ll have to select either a Tank Company or Motor Rifle Company as part of your Vanguard force. Within each of those options are many variables giving you a huge amount of flexibility depending on how you want to spend your points. A bog-standard Tank Company is 180 points and gets you 10 T-62s, but those shiny T-80Bs might be calling your name. Are they worth the extra 180s points? Choices choices.

You’re required to have at least one Forward Screen unit however you have complete freedom to select what that unit might be from the collection of options. A Tank Recce Patrol, an Air Def Battery, some Dismounted Motor Rifle Platoons, a Forward Observer, a Sniper, some Armored Car Patrols,  a BRM-1 Patrol, a Spetnatz Patrol,  some Armored Recon patrols, sMG dug-outs, ATGM dug out, Anti-Tank Gun Battery, Minefields, Bridge demolitions, Fortified Buildings…. so many choices, so little points.

Example Soviet List

The Russian force list in NORTHAG is an Armoured Battlegroup. It represents one of the many armor formations that would be streaming across the West German border.

499 pts

66 BR

Forward Screen

  • BRDM-2 Patrol (2) 24 pts  BR 2-c
  • Armoured Recon Platrol 1 Inf team + BTR-60  18 pts  BR 2-c
  • Dismounted Motor Rife Platoon 3 Inf 3 Antitank teams 30 pts 6-c
  • Forward Observer Officer 12 pts BR 2-c
  • sMG Dug out 1 Inf Weapons PKM team 9 pts 1-c

Main Force

Vanguard Unit

  • Tank Company 10 T-62 180pts 20-c

Main Column

  • Motor Rife Platoon 3Inf 3 Anti-tank teams 3 BTR-60 + 1 Spiggot team 58 pts BR 10-c
  • Motor Rife Platoon 3Inf 3 Anti-tank teams 3 BMP-1s + 1 PKM weapons team 84 pts BR 10-c
  • Battlegroup Commander – Senior officer BMP1K 24pts BR 4-c
  • Air Def Tank – Shilka – 12pts BR 1-c
  • 120mm Motar battery (off table) – 48 pts, BR 0

Notes:

At 500pts the Russians seem like they can field a reasonable balance of Armor and infantry. The arrival of the Vanguard should pack a powerful punch when it hits the table. Then with the Main Column arriving, that should help put the pressure on. Perhaps the interesting question is how effective will the Forward Screen be?

British Lists in NORTHAG

The British list in NorthAG represents the British Army of the Rhine. (BAOR) It’s built to counter a Soviet offensive. Quality over quantity right?

The choices and in some ways trade-offs are similar to what confronts the Soviet player, just different hardware. The same pickle of committing to a stronger Forward Screen only to starve the Main Column of points you’ll have to struggle with.

Example British List

499 pts

43 BR

Forward Screen

  • Dismounted Inf Platoon 7 Inf Fire teams 50 pts BR 7-p
  • Reece Tank Patrol 2 Scorpions 34 pts BR 2-p
  • Recce Tank Patrol 2 Scimitar lt tanks 34 pts 2-p
  • ATGM Dugout Inf Weapons Milan Team 28 pts BR 1-p
  • Forward Observer 12 pts 2-p

Main Force

Vanguard Unit

  • Chieftain Troop 4 Mk9 Chieftains 172 ptrs BR 12-p

Main Column

  • Battlegroup Commander Infantry Team 1 FV432 22 pts 4-p
  • Mechanised Inf Platoon 7 inf teams sGPMG Weaspons Team 4 FV432s  73 pts BR 12-p
  • 81mm Motar Battery (6 off board) 48 pts BR 0
  • Surface to Air Missile Launcher Tracked Rapier 16 pts 1-p

Additional Fire Support

  • 2 Counter-battery Fire Mission (4+) 10pts

The British Chieftains will be outnumbered in this game. Their Battle Rating is also lower. They’ll have to punch above their weight and have to try and keep minimal losses. The British counter-battery missions is an experiment and a slight gamble that will hopefully disrupt and keep the Soviet off-board artillery from being effective. The Forward Screen feels quite powerful and could potentially help make early gains blunting the Soviet attack.

Stay tuned for the next article when we’ll be playing an initial game with these forces.

Counters

In my earlier article I noted that Battlegroup: NORTHAG uses counters as a mechanism to deduct your Battle Rating (BR) which effectively lowers your morale as you take losses. Lose a unit, take a counter. Take an objective, your opponent takes somewhere between 1-3 counters depending on where the objective is. Included in the back of the book is a sheet which one can cut up to draw out of a bag. Another option you might have is if you have picked up a set of counters for Battlegroup the WWII version, you almost can use these.

For our local group I’d had several sets of counters made, by combining two sets, I’m able to make it work. You have to map a couple of counters, the air attacks are helicopters, ammo is the nuclear strike, mine strike is the gas attack, otherwise, it works!

Be sure the join the Facebook Battlegroup NorthAG group as there is a discussion to have some made. It’s also possible that PSC might step up and offer some up for sale. Time will tell!