Korean War: Counter-Attack, scenario #15: Dust Clouds

Ok first this: For scenario #15: Dust Clouds, use the original victory conditions before AP changed them, for better balance: Victory Conditions: The North Korean Player wins if they eliminate 2 or more American steps, tanks count double. Anything else is an American Victory.

Even with this change, this is a very difficult scenario for the NKPA but a good introduction scenario for a new player to move small quantities of counters with both armor and infantry types.

I setup the Americans further back by the town hexes and decided to bring the North Koreans on the map in both the American’s right and left flanks to use the hills as cover and close with the Marines with at least a chance to get some kind of result. I also used the tank rider option rules. The North Koreans were able to engage the Americans at close range and managed to slip the T34/85 unit into the back side of an empty town hex but it was destroyed by both the adjacent M26 Pershing tanks and the 75RR guns. The best the NKPA units could do was disrupt one American Infantry unit but they were pretty much eliminated, demoralized or disrupted with little hope but survival.

I think this is one of the few scenarios I mentioned earlier where I dropped the ball on balancing it and victory condition. Who knows, maybe a lucky shot and the NKPA could have won. This one is totally on me for poor design but it is still fun to try and with only 12 turns and very few counters, it plays out very fast, to an American victory.

I played this with the revised Victory Conditions from the errata.

The USMC force set up east of the town along and beside the road where the river bends to the north making a good kill zone in front of them.

The NORKs entered from the west along the road, to a few pots shot from the Marines' 75 RCL and moved on. They occupied the town and prepared for the attack. Instead of doing a suicidal frontal attack, they opted to mauver through the covered terrain along the southern ridge line with the T-34/85 platoon in the lead. This drew the Marines out of position to come up onto the ridge with a and infantry platoon supported by bazookas and the Pershings. This almost proved fatal as the Pershings missed their shots on the T-34s but the T-34's fired was deadly knocking out a step of the M26s. The T-34s got the initiative as dusk was approaching but couldn't kill another step of the US tanks. The Pershings pulled back as all the infantry was drawn into the woods for a firefight. The t-34s plowed ahead along the southern board edge to try to get at the retreating Pershing's but got ambushed by Marines with bazookas. All the T-34s burned.

The Marine firepower was too much for the NORKs in the woods firefight and by 2015 Hours, all the North Koreans were demoralized and running for the town. A US victory that almost went early to the North Koreans.

I was really disappointed in this scenario. I chose it because it was small and would play fast. That was true. A small group of North Koreans (6 units, including 1 unit of T34-85s) get the joy of attacking a bunch of Marines with Pershings and recoilless rifles who also hold high ground and a town. To win, the North Koreans have to achieve 2 of 3 objectives. Causing 2 step losses, not taking 2x as many step losses as the US and taking a town hex. Yeah, good luck with that.

I moved the NorK infantry onto a hill overlooking the town, along with the tanks. The SMG platoons went on a flank march. Since history said the Americans charged the North Koreans with everything they had and eliminated the tanks, I did the same. Assaulting uphill, I rolled a 7 for the US and snake eyes for the North Koreans, who were able to get a 2 result out of it. Huzzah! One victory condition achieved. Literally all I had to do now was go and hide so that the US didn't kill 4 steps of North Koreans and I'd win. However, my US self wasn't having any of that, and after long range AT fire reduced the T-34s, they sent more troops up the hill. the NorKs were too slow to get away, and casualties mounted. Meanwhile, the flanking force was pretty much shredded by the WPN platoon in the northern town.

I stopped on turn 11 of 12 when it was obvious the North Koreans had no shot. And, frankly, I'm not sure how, in the absence of huge amounts of luck, they can win this scenario. They are outgunned and on the attack and have tough victory conditions. At 12 turns and only a dozen units, it plays very fast, so if you just want to beat up some North Koreans, you might enjoy it. I won't be revisiting it.