This was my first deep dive into IA. It was much bloodier than I had expected. Unfortunately, most of that blood was Spanish.

The scenario opens with the Spanish defending a well, the scenario’s primary objective, on an exposed beach. At first glance, it appears the U.S. Marines advancing along the cost are about to hit a wall. The ace for the Marines is in the gunboat. The Dolphin itself doesn’t do much damage. What it does is give the Marines flank shots against Spanish positions.

The game played out with the marines focusing on successive positions of the Spanish defense. The Dolphin would fire on the position, the next activation had the Marines firing on it. This broke-up the defenses systematically, starting with the north and working their way down the east side. At two times the Spanish almost disrupted the attack. First by demoralizing a marine company before it emerged from the woods. The second time when a machine-gun section was disrupted, breaking up the fire team. Both times, the U.S. troops recovered and the plan moved forward.

Luck went against the Spanish, but not excessively. The butcher’s bill was quite lopsided at 9 to 0. The best plan for Spain is to try run the clock out. The advantage in the game lies with the U.S., the Dolphin tips the scale.