In a game with imperfect information threats seem… extraordinarily threatening. Especially this game, we have no drones, our forward recon element is only about 100 meters ahead of some tanks, and an entire US armored column lurks on the other side of the treeline. We can hear them. Our recon dudes have taken some fire (Sorry DecoyBadger!). Our ElInt is picking up something…

Like monsters in the mist, there could be a company of Abrams tanks… Or just a couple of trucks.

But whatever it is, the tension is rising, the two sides are coming into contact. The CO, Curly, decided it was better to pull those tanks back and let the NATO forces come to us. If we’d been in this position five minute prior, well, then it’d be defensible. But as is, with no infantry support, it’s just asking to get ripped apart. In hindsight I wish I would have rushed this spot earlier, but oh well.

So for now we’re pulling back from the edge of the Ravaged Road position. Our tanks made it across the open ground relatively safely. But, my infantry on the Northeast corner of Mount Silver hit a contact. It’s still a sound contact, but someone is coming.

On the rest of the map units continue to move into position.

The obvious routes of movement are closing up. Anyone trying to rush open ground is going to eat a bunch of ATGM’s. So now everyone is sneaking in. It’s going to come down to a knife fight in the woods in a lot of spots. One thing I’ve learned from Black Sea is that squads die fast. Modern infantry is incredibly lethal.

So now we’ve got one definite group in the South, likely US Forces, and a second group pushing through the woods from the East. The forces in the east are likely Ukrainian, and hopefully tired from moving through those heavy woods. Unfortunately I can’t get much LOS with my BTR’s to lay down any heavy fire. We’ve got some HQ grenade launchers coming up but it’ll be tough to put them to good use.

It’s really going to be great to read through the Open Thread and see what’s really happening. It feels like two angry giants but swinging wildly in the dark, neither wanting to get hit.

But eventually a fist is gonna land, and it ain’t gonna be pretty.