This 5-turn PTO scenario has a company of 6-6-6s from the 96th Infantry Division attacking to seize a bridge controlled by the Japanese 9th Infantry Regiment and to prevent the Japanese from retreating.
Attacker: American (Elements of the 381st Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division)
Defender: Japanese (Elements of the 9th Infantry Regiment, 16th Division)
5 turns
Players: 2 OBA: None Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:14.5 D:10.0
AFVs: A:0
AFVs: D:0
Guns: A:0
M2 60mm Mortar
D:0
Type 89 Heavy Grenade-Launcher
Misc Rules:
PTO (Exc: roads and bridge exist). No Quarter both sides
Very fun scenario with lots of replay value. The scenario is pro-American, but I would take the Japanese with the balance which would change the way the scenario is played. Even without the balance, I think a Japanese player with a deep bag of trick can win. In any case, I recommend this scenario for a quick, highly enjoyable game.
2018-03-01
(A) Eric Partizan Eric
vs
American win
2018-02-02
(D) X von Marwitz
vs
Michael Koch
American win
A short 5 Turn one-board PTO action pitting a mostly first line force of Americans vs a mostly first line Japanese force with two Trenches and two Pillboxes (with Tunnels). The objective is for the Japanese to win a certain number of VP which can be done by holding a bridge and two crossroads and by exiting units from the board.
What really sets this scenario apart from the usual fare are the remarkable victory- and entry instructions. The Americans must split their force within certain limits and will enter the first part in Turn 1 either on the north left, north right, south left or south right. Whereever this part of their force enters, determines where the rest has to enter in Turn 2 - it will be diagonally across the board, i.e. if the first part enters north left, the second part must enter south right. No less interesting are the conditions for the Japanese: on one hand, they are awarded VP for holding two crossroads and a bridge in the middle section of the map per game turn. But these will not suffice to win - they must also exit units either over the East or West edge.
So the Americans will close in from the sides while at the same time some Japanese have to avoid and get past them. The more units the Japanese try to move offboard the more they will be missed when defending the victory hexes. The terrain makes movement time consuming, the only few fast venues being mainly roads and paths.
Extremely careful consideration needs to be taken to guess how long the Japanese will likely be able to hold on to the VC locations. It is rather likely, that the US will be able to capture the bridge roughly around half throughout the game. If so, this means that a considerable number of Japanese units must additionally be assigned to leave the board. Likely, most of the Japanese units will be located near the center of the board with the US tightening the noose all around. If so, the Japanese assigned to exit need to get running during Turn 3 at the latest. Some others probably right from the start.
The US, despite superior numbers and firepower and having such gadgets as 2 DCs and a FT, are burdened by their morale of 6 for most units. If the Japanese prevent them from advancing ADJACENT concealed but rather force them non-assault move, the G.I.s are precariously brittle and breaking might cost them time they don't have. On the flipside, the Japanese do not have that much room to keep up this tactic throughout all the game. Eventually, things will become more dangerous for both sides.
The Japanese must very carefully prepare his setup: He has to consider by which path he might be able to move for the exit. If he sets up closer to the exit-edges, these units will become more endangered by the entering US. If he sets up more in the back, he needs more time and the US units might block their way out. By the way the Japanese sets up, he should furthermore attempt to discourage the Americans from using some of the entry options and to prefer others and embed this into his overall plan. At the same time, he will not know if the Americans will enter as he hopes, so the Japanese must also be able to redeploy quickly.
One is *very well* advised to read and understand the victory conditions thoroughly and to keep a close eye to one's timing and on how many VC by which means seem to be realistic to gain.
This scenario is not well suited for inexperienced players because some mistakes in this might preordain the outcome early. For more experienced players, this scenario might be a real gem. My opponent and me rated it 7.5 on a scale from 1 to 9 - it was a very interesting challenge.
We both agreed, too, that it appears to favor the Americans. While the VC require at least 16VP for the Japanese, my opponent felt that 15VP seem more appropriate and I would judge either 14VP or 15VP (which time might tell).
So in case this should be used as future tournament fare, one might want to have a look at ROAR and implement a suitable adjustment.
