First Dance ETO (id:#67231)
See Also: Polar Bear's First Dance by Lone Canuck Publishing
Southeast of Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium 1940-05-10 ()
48: Toujours L'Audace (ASL 6 - The Last Hurrah (2nd Edition))
49: Piercing the Peel (ASL 6 - The Last Hurrah (2nd Edition))
88: Art Nouveau (ASL 11 - Doomed Battalions (2nd Edition))
A 104: In Front of the Storm (AH:ASL Annual `96)
J39: Indeed! (ASL Journal # 3)
G07: Bring up the Guns (AH:The General # 25.3)
NEWS22: Tricks of War (ASL News # 14)
NEWS68: Art Nouveau (ASL News # 32)
CH133: Group Iron (Critical Hit # 6.2)
VHN1: Winged Devils (Critical Hit # 7.1)
VHN2: A Matter of Coordination (Critical Hit # 7.1)
FE 15: Contested Landing (Fanatic Pack 2)
FE 36: Wings of War (Fanatic Enterprises: Internet)
FE 87: Lightning War (Blitzkrieg Pack)
FF14: The Hunted (FireFights! #2)
NFNH 3: The Hatert Bridge (Waffen-SS III: Neither Fear Nor Hope)
: Eben-Emael (Journal du Stratège # 39)
GD 1: La Guerre Finie!! (Grossdeutschland Pack 1 - The Early Years)
GD 2: Operation NIWI (Grossdeutschland Pack 1 - The Early Years)
O88.2: The Cupola Smashers of Eben Emael (On All Fronts # 88)
TAC21: L'Infanterie Attaque (Tactiques # 3)
VV27: Pas Savoir (Vae Victis # 37)
SL 25: Resistance at Chabrehez (ASL Digest # 6.10)
: Taking the Bridge (Gamex `91)
GD 1: Vogt's Ritterkreuz (Gun Duel 2001)
SFS 9: Appointment With Royalty (Origins `93)
#7: Cracking Fortress Holland (To Battle By Air 2)
FE 152: Millwork (Dutch Pack)
FE 153: Battalion for Special Missions (Dutch Pack)
FE 154: The Hero Maduro (Dutch Pack)
FE 155: Moerdijk Massacre (Dutch Pack)
FE 156: Ypenburg Airfield (Dutch Pack)
FrF28: Luftlandekommando Hedderich (Friendly Fire Pack 4)
U17: Resistance at Chabrehez (Turning the Tide)
48: Toujours L'Audace (ASL 11 - Doomed Battalions (3rd Edition))
49: Piercing the Peel (ASL 11 - Doomed Battalions (3rd Edition))
88: Art Nouveau (ASL 11 - Doomed Battalions (3rd Edition))
OA26: Vogt's Ritterkreuz (Out of the Attic #2)
FrF46: Dutch Courage (Friendly Fire Pack 6)
VHN3: End of Command (Critical Hit # 7.1)
VHN4: Tentative (Critical Hit # 7.1)
VHN5: Wiped Out (Critical Hit # 7.1)
VHN1: Winged Devils (Facing the Blitz)
VHN2: A Matter of Coordination (Facing the Blitz)
VHN3: End of Command (Facing the Blitz)
VHN4: Tentative (Facing the Blitz)
VHN5: Wiped Out (Facing the Blitz)
VHN6: Battling for Belgium (Facing the Blitz)
CH133: Group Iron (A Few Rare Men)
VHN 1: Winged Devils (Facing the Blitz II)
VHN 2: A Matter of Coordination (Facing the Blitz II)
VHN 3: End of Command (Facing the Blitz II)
VHN 4: Tentative (Facing the Blitz II)
VHN 5: Wiped Out (Facing the Blitz II)
DB120: Start Fall Gelb (Dispatches from the Bunker #40)
BWN 1: Their Baptism of Fire (Blitzkrieg in the West - Northern Campaign)
S60: Operation NIWI (Special Ops # 7)
FrF85: Junkers Junkyard (Friendly Fire Pack 11)
RP 131: Boot's Scoot and Boogie (Rally Point #14)
RP 132: Probe Toward The Hague (Rally Point #14)
RP 133: The Recapture of Ockenburg (Rally Point #14)
RP 134: Von Sponeck's Woods (Rally Point #14)
PJ3.7: The Unexpected Ambush (OAF Playtester's Journal # 3)
RM-1: Wisembach Roadblock (Race For The Meuse)
RM-2: Prelude to Bodange (Race For The Meuse)
RM-3: Forcing The Sûre (Race For The Meuse)
RM-4: The Final Stand (Race For The Meuse)
RM-5: Battle For Bodange (Race For The Meuse)
#1: The Enemy's Behind Us (Sturmgruppe Eisen)
#2: Bridge Blown! (Sturmgruppe Eisen)
#3: Clearing A Flank (Sturmgruppe Eisen)
#4: Snafu! (Sturmgruppe Eisen)
#5: Enlarging The Bridgehead (Sturmgruppe Eisen)
#6: "Resistance Great" (Sturmgruppe Eisen)
#7: Group Eisen (Sturmgruppe Eisen)
231: In Front of the Storm (ASL 10a - Croix de Guerre)
BP1 BONUS #1: Code Name "Iron" (Battle of the Bulge I)
RM-TM: Race to the Meuse Tactical Mission (Race For The Meuse)
FRASL: Rebuff at the Paint Factory (Internet)
FRASL: Retaking Ypenburg Airfield (Internet)
CB4SL: Attaque à l'aube (tr: Dawn Attack) (Casus Belli #11)
BC33: Final Destination (Break Contact Issue No. 3)
ASLN22: Tricks Of War (Critical Hit #8.1)
ASLN68: Art Nouveau (Critical Hit #8.2)
48: Toujours L'Audace (ASL 11a - Doomed Battalions (4th Edition))
49: Piercing the Peel (ASL 11a - Doomed Battalions (4th Edition))
88: Art Nouveau (ASL 11a - Doomed Battalions (4th Edition))
311: Vogt's Ritterkreuz (ASL 11a - Doomed Battalions (4th Edition))
AP227: Disaster at Ypenburg (ASL Action Pack #21 Blitzkrieg to Paris)
AP229: Bastion Bodange (ASL Action Pack #21 Blitzkrieg to Paris)
FT342: Extra-Muros (Inor Players Guide)
FT343: Manu Militari (Inor Players Guide)
FT344: Ex Cathedra (Inor Players Guide)
FT345: Deus Ex Machina (Inor Players Guide)
DTF-21: Dutch Courage (DTF) (To the Lair of the Fascist Beast)
VV155: La Menace Fantôme (Vae Victis # 183)
Designer: Gary Fortenberry
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
GermanFrench
54.054054054054%

Overview:

In response to the German advance into the Low Countries, the Allies-following the doctrine laid out in the Dyle Plan-moved forward to engage German lead elements. Many clashes occurred during the first day's rush towards the opposing army. One such engagement between the French 4e Division Légère de Cavalerie, and German Panzer-Regiment 31, Panzer-Division 5's vanguard, occurred near the village of Marche-en-Famenne in Belgium.
Attacker: German (4e Régiment de Véhicules Blindés, 14e Brigade Légère Mécanisée, 4e Division Légère de Cavalerie, 9e Armée)
Defender: French (Panzer-Regiment 31 and Aufklärungs-Abteilung 8, Panzer-Division 5)  
5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: None     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:10.0 D:10.0
AFVs: A:13
PzKpfw IVA
PzKpfw 38(t) A x 5
PSW 231(8 rad) x 3
SPW 250/sMG
SPW 251/1 x 3
Buessing-NAG x 3

AFVs: D:10
S35 x 3
H35 x 3
AMD 35
AMD 35 x 3
Motorcycle w/Sidecar x 6
Motorcycle x 4

Guns: A:1
3.7cm PaK 35/36
PzB 39 ATR
D:0
Fusil Antichar Boys ATR x 2

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: Grain in Season, Hexes J9 and K10 have Ground and Level 1 location only.
Overlays: NONE
Errata (source)
Players wanting to play this game/Request a match:

Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentBal.ResultTimeComments
2026-03-26(A) Douglas Leslie vs Gregg Patrick German winVery interesting scenario played for FNF. Within the first three turns, two French ACs and three German tanks (!) malfunctioned their MAs. One French AC was recalled but while the other didn't attempt to repair. Two German AFVs managed to repair their guns, so my good luck in that regard retrieved the position. The critical moment occurred as early as turn two when the French were attempting to retain control of the vital three hex building in the centre of the board. A favourable CC result at superior odds would probably have done for the Germans but I rolled a 2 that allowed my units to infiltrate and surround the French defenders. The Germans then rolled forward to wipe out the French infantry in the south and Gregg conceded on the penultimate turn. Lots of interesting decisions for both sides here and highly recommend.
2026-03-21(A) Eric Partizan Eric vs Peter Catchpole French win

(VASL Log)		FNF - Sudden Death on game turn 3 - Use the German balance for a longer and tense game
2026-03-18(D) X von Marwitz vs Chuck Hammond French winThis is a typical Gary Fortenberry design - you need to be very careful about and aware of just about anything.

The VC need very careful scrunity. You need to differentiate between CVP and VP. You better make darn sure you understand SSR1 about the Grain. You'd better be aware of the implications of the vehicles carrying the Infantry to be recalled / removed from play once the footloggers disembark. Hex-Control and Building-Control, entry hexes, the working of Shellholes, which places can you reach with your MP/MF, and so on. Some might conclude unless you're one of the top-dogs, you better play this more than once to understand what's going on. Some love this type of Fortenberry riddles, others find them at times exasperating. A puzzle.

That said, the scenario itself is exciting. It is kind of hard to tell which side is actually attacking and defending - at times you'll be doing both at the same time. And in this lies certainly the attraction of this design.

I played the, well, defending (?) French in this one.

Despite being aware of the Fort-style designs and thus taking considerable time looking up stuff and pondering things, I did not catch all important things that were relevant. Luckily, this did not screw me up, but it could have. All in all, I got the French onto the board into reasonably good positions, I believe. Then luck was on my side: I managed to kill four German AFV by low odds shots beside other kills, which made a big difference, because it inflicted a lot of CVP to the Germans. Of course, the brittle French armored cars were under huge pressure when the German armored reinforcements came in, but two of them were lucky enough to escape the first German counter-attack weakened by my lucky kills. Ultimately, this is what broke the German's neck as the CVP gap was to high that it met the CVP-gap French win option in mid game.
2026-03-13(A) Simon Staniforth vs Ian Ainsworth German winAn enjoyable encounter scenario which is great for honing your armour skills. The Germans look outmatched by the Somua’s but somehow all 3 were KO for the loss of only 1 38(t) Immobilised. I certainly had the better of the DRs there including an IF CH vs a HD S-35. The battle for the central building took the whole scenario to resolve, with the Germans just edging it. They also had enough armour left to secure the 3VP double hex control victory locations in the final turn and thus secure the win
2026-03-08(D) Will Willow vs Kevin Hannan German winTotally misplayed it.
View all or balance report
ActionDate
Dougban Added a playing2026-03-26 23:01:39
Bongiovanni Added a playing2026-03-21 07:53:34
von Marwitz Added a playing2026-03-18 22:23:58
Simonstan Added a playing2026-03-14 15:16:00
Paul Legg Added a playing2026-03-13 23:19:12
FileDescriptionUserViews
AP228 Setup File 671 (AP228 Setup File.vsav)VASL SetupBongiovanni93
(AP228 First Dance v671 Scenario Archive.vsav)VASL Setupvon Marwitz36
(french-german.png)ImageHutch322
(AP228 First Dance Scenario Picture.jpg)Imagevon Marwitz35
VASL Log file (AP228 Log1.vlog)VASL Game LogBongiovanni13
Mapboard (VASLMap.png)Map ImageYarlis81
(bd23a.jpg)Map Imageaokigaryou59
(AP228 First Dance v671 Scenario Archive.jpg)Map Imagevon Marwitz30
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Heroes 2026Dave
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Statistics:
Avg Rating: 6.42Votes: 12
Views: 0
To-Play list count: 0
Estimated Play time: 7 hours
Recorded Games: 11
Archive recorded plays:
German7
French4
Drawn:0

ROAR Data: (as of today)
First Dance [Confirmed]
[A] German 13
[D] French 13
All Rights Reserved. (c)2022 Dave Ramsey.