By Jochen Kehoe

December 1944: Corporal Cecil Hannaford was not happy. As the assistant squad leader in the 3^rd Platoon, A Company, 110^th Infantry Regiment, he had just learned that his platoon had been ordered to leave the warm, safe shelter of their buildings in Heinerscheid to set up a roadblock nearly a mile away in Kalborn. Reluctantly, Hannaford and the others moved out into the cold night. “We ran a phone line to our outpost as our only communication with the company HQ” in Heinerscheid. When they got to their OP position, Hannaford was dismayed to see that it was “in plain view of the road on the next hill.” As he and his foxhole buddy dug in and set up their position, Corporal Hannaford could only think of the rest of the company, cozy and dry back in Heinerscheid. They finished digging in, and Hannaford took the first watch. Oh well, he thought, at least it’s quiet here.

Mission Objective: The mission ends if at the end of the game turn there are no American undisrupted combat units within two hexes and LOS of the Church, or either side exceeds their Casualty Differential Limit, or the Final Score is ≥ 46.

The Last Hundred Yards (LHY) Vassal Ladder is an ongoing monthly tournament in which players are matched up roughly by skill rating. As players win or lose, they move up and down on the ladder. There is nothing particularly “official” about the ratings and we welcome players of all skill levels. We currently have about 20 -22 regular participants. Players can join, leave, and re-enter the ladder each round as they have available time. The LHY Ladder players are located around the world in many different time zones. A small subset of the players competes by Play by Email only (PBEM). Everyone from the game’s designer to brand new players participate in the ladder. Players of all skill levels are welcome. The Ladder is a great place to learn the game and to improve your play.  A typical ladder mission should last between 90-120 minutes. Players should be familiar with the rules but can certainly discuss and help one another learn them better. A typical ladder round lasts for about four weeks so there should be plenty of time to schedule and play a match. Once the mission is completed, players are responsible for providing mission results and a short After-Action Report (AAR).

In addition to becoming more familiar with the game and improving your play, players can expect to meet a variety of friendly competitors from around the world! If you would like to participate in the LHY ladder, you contact Mark Buetow at buetowmt@gmail.com.

The following three AARs are from the most recent ladder mission played, Mission 1.0 Own Their Own.