This scenario is something of a race across the boards. A very small scenario by number of counters. Japanese trucks enter on the road from the west with 2 leaders. Japanese troops enter anywhere north, south or west on the other board. US sets upon the eastern board. I set up the Marines in small elements, with the best LT having 2 infantry platoons and 1 each for the others, the Sergeant bringing up the HMG single step. I spread them out along the eastern edge of the western board so that Japanese troops would have to come within the 2 hex spotting distanced wherever they came through, and the trucks entered from the west hoping to find some troops and take them back off the western edge. The Japanese split up, with a decent LT coming in on the south at the far western most hex so he didn't have to spend much time taking fire and the other Japanese infantry came in from the north, again using that westernmost hex, the Japanese Sergeant following with the two half-step Support units. The Marines were able to get in one shot at the southern element, demoralizing one Infantry platoon and disrupting the LT, but were afraid of closing for assault and facing the greater assault power as that force regrouped and regained their morale. Instead, the Sergeant brought up the HMGs, and another LT brought another infantry platoon, hoping to fire from 2 hexes and keep those troops pinned down. The Marines in the north took off on a failed foot race to try to catch the Japanese there, getting bogged down in heavy jungle while the Japanese stayed in light jungle or open terrain along the north board edges. The Japanese in the south managed to regain their composure quickly and moved toward where the Japanese trucks had parked in the village. As the Japanese infantry approached the town, so to did the Marines, and the Japanese trucks fell back one hex into the jungle road hex, which would still be within a regular move for the Japanese infantry to get there and board the trucks, while the Marines closed the distance ready to fire if they got the chance before the Japanese could move out. And indeed they did get the chance. 3 platoons with 2 LTs in adjacent hexes shredded the trucks and their passengers, eliminating the 2 top trucks, both loaded with troops now and carrying all the Japanese leaders, and demoralizing the last unloaded truck. Marines eliminated that last truck in the next turn as they moved through the hex. All this while the Japanese in the north had made great strides heading for the west board edge and the Marines following them fell farther and farther behind. In the end, and the end of only 9 turns, the last stacks of Japanese troops ran off the edge of the board. US won with 7 points of Japanese troops and trucks eliminated while the Japanese only got 4 steps off the table on foot. A very interesting little game with lots of replay value for me since this low number of troops moves very fast and makes for a good scenario to run when time is short.

Disclosure, I am the Designer and feel all my scenarios fall into the range of 4-5, 90-100% or I wouldn’t have created them, so take my ratings with a grain of salt! The only reason any are a 4, is because they are more difficult to make from design to development.

Saipan, scenario thirty one: The Unusual Situation

This was real chest-match and puzzle of a scenario all in one. A small scenario but one that took all 22 turns. The Japanese get two points each for exiting a truck loaded step of INF/SER and a one point for exiting a step by foot, trucks don’t count for the Japanese. The Americans get one point for every Japanese step that doesn’t exit, for any reason including Japanese trucks but the Japanese need these trucks to get two points per Infantry step but don’t want to lose them to give the American victory points either. The Marines setup on the eastern edge of map 83, so the Japanese who enter anywhere on map 83 don’t flank them and the Japanese trucks enter on the west edge of map 82 so you get the picture and in the dark.

The Japanese sent a few units down the road and a few through the jungle and the trucks entered on the far side trying to keep well away from any action but available if needed. The cat & mouse game went on through the night with the Japanese only able to exit one step of truck loaded SER unit for 2 points and none but foot while the Americans earned 4 points for a Minor American Victory. A fun scenario of maneuver and counter maneuver with terrain as a secondary enemy!