In this scenario the Marines are moving forward from Edson’s Ridge, and must capture two hexes from the Japanese while defending a hex closer to the ridge, probably their departure point from friendly lines. The Japanese must also control the two forward hexes or inflict four steps on the Marines.

Seriously, an outnumbered and outgunned force is attacking a superior enemy hiding in the jungle objective hexes, while having to defend their own departure hex, all in nine turns (with FOW after the first activations). Yes, the Japanese can’t move until the Marines are adjacent, but they are already in the objective hex with plenty of reinforcements, enough to heavily cover the objectives while advancing against the Marine departure hex. While the Marines have weak OBA, the Japanese have a mortar. The mortar can run out of ammo, and then, perish the thought, the Japanese player replaces it with another infantry unit! (Could I PLEASE start out without mortar ammo?)

So the Marines maneuver to hit one end of the line, but as they approach the target hex the Opfire kills three steps! Yes, very lucky rolling, but that is the end of good rolls for the scenario. The Marines assault one Japanese hex, while the Japanese assault the departure hex, and not one assault for the game rolls higher than a 3. No steps inflicted by either side. So the scenario ends (quickly) with one hex Japanese controlled, one contested, the Marine departure hex contested, and three Marine step losses to zero Japanese losses. A draw. Yes, only about 30 min to play, but 30 min that could be better spent doing something else.

This scenario is unwinnable for the Marines unless the rolls are miraculous in one direction, or the Japanese play incompetently. I looked at the three Marine “wins” listed, and one has no AAR, another (Jay’s) does not explain what happened to secure a Marine victory, and Joe’s write-up states the Marines failed to achieve their objective, so I suspect he clicked on the wrong winner button. It is not even a good training scenario since the attacker can’t win and the defender needs little competence to set up in the victory hexes and hunker down. The scenario is way past unbalanced, to the point of broken. I’d never play face to face as the Marines since a draw is the most you could hope for, and I’d never play face to face as the Japanese because it’d be embarrassing. Definitely a 1.

How do you repair this scenario? By not rolling FOW until the second activation, and doing one or more of the following: 1) Allow the Japanese to only set up within two hexes of 0410, not three. 2) Reduce the Japanese force. 3) Increase the Marine force.