AP86 Milling About - AAR

von Marwitz

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AP86 Milling About - AAR

17933
Scenario Overview:

This is a tournament size PTO action that has seen plenty of play with 43 Japanese wins vs. 46 British ones and received an exceptional Excitement Rating on ROAR of 7.14 by 83 players (as of May 2021). Almost perfectly balanced looking at the win/loss record and that fine rating, it seems to number among one of the quality designs of Gary Fortenberry. With this designer, you can also be pretty sure that you will have something to think about attempting to grok the fineries of what to do.

I played the defending British in this one.

Set in Burma in January 1942, this means that per G1.621 'No Quarter' is not yet automatically in effect. We have PTO terrain with Light Jungle, but Brush remains Brush. All Buildings are Huts and single story, the road exists as depicted in the above illustation. EC are Dry but Kindling is N/A. Hedges are Cactus Hedges (B9.7) and thus difficult to cross.

Some of the British are Gurkhas and only these have an ELR of 5. The Japanese may not use HIP. The Partisans are indigenous Burmese that may freely deploy at setup and they and those moving together in a stack with them can enter Jungle, Kunai and Brush at a reduced cost of 1.5 MF.

As an added twist, setup is simultaneous but out of view of the opponent and a dr decides which side moves first. If it turns out to be the Japanese, they may not Double Time in Turn 1 and in any case Banzai Charges are N/A in the first Turn. This will give you a lot to think about during your setup, especially, as the game is 5.5 Turns long which means that the side moving first will also be moving last.

The objective is for the Japanese to inflict a CVP Total exceeding that suffered by a certain number of points, while the Japanese/Burmese earn double Exit VP to add to their total. By erratum, it has been clarified that Prisoners count for neither CVP nor Exit VP purposes. By erratum furthermore, the side moving second may claim Wall Advantage first.


Preliminary Assessment:

The forces pitted against each other are similar in size: 11 squad equivalents, 3 Leaders, 3 MGs and a small MTR for the British vs. 12 squad equivalents and 2 crews, 3 Leaders, 3 MGs, 2 small MTR and a DC for the Japanese along with two Burmese Partisan squads and a Partisan Leader. Both sides may set up concealed.

There was quite a pile of things to consider - first and foremost the consequences of not knowing of whether one would move first or second along with the implication of having 6 half-turns if going first but only 5 if going second. Obviously, it was a good idea to prevent the Japanese from exiting the board across the North edge, as this was rewarded by double points. Looking at the size of the forces, the British are apparently well suited to fight a delaying battle as the Japanese do not enjoy a marked numerical advantage. But the Japanese being what they are, they have good chances to kill superior numbers in H-t-H combat which could allow them to overcome the required CVP gap. On the other hand, with more than half of the British being Gurkhas, this is literally a two edged sword that can cut both ways. The Japanese have Banzai Charges and the Partisans with their special ability with regard to movement into Jungle, Brush, and Kunai in their toolbox which hints at the Axis being able to 'outrun' their adversaries.

The 'fastest' way for the Japanese to reach the board edge is 21 MF, so they need some 4 turns out of possibly only 5 just to get there if the British would let them. Other routes take considerably longer due to the terrain, but for sure, the Partisans are there for a reason and the Japanese can Banzai Charge (which the Partisans cannot). So 'getting there' is not impossible but it is likely to be a challenge.

On the other hand, the Japanese can win without exiting any unit at all. The British cannot trade ground for time indefinitively as they would be running out of ground. Things are going to get close and personal. As 'No Quarter' is not yet in effect automatically, the Japanese could take Prisoners which might ease taking out some of the British. As Prisoners don't count for CVP nor Exit, you don't want to be these Prisoners at they will eventually meet a grisly fate by Massacre to 'make' them into CVP. Before that, however, the Japanese could (ab)use the Prisoners as human shields taking advantage of the A26.222 exception: [EXC: if a prisoner is eliminated due to an attack by its own side, the capturing side immediately receives double CVP for the elimination]. I do not believe that Gary Fortenberry has overlooked this rotten possibilities... So the British should better not let themselves be captured.

The fineries of H-t-H combat should also not be forgotten. The extra -1 CC DRM for Japanese/Gurkhas in HtH only applies if they are unpinned. Furthermore, while the Japanese will always go HtH (unless pinned or Ambushed), the Gurkhas have the option to make CC in HtH - or not. By that way, they may possibly drag out a CC a bit longer by making it less lethal if it fits their bill.

The challenge for both sides will be to find the best balance of aggressiveness and seeking a fight or delaying against avoiding it or maneuvering for the board edge.


Situation at Game Start - British Turn 1:

17934

The Battle Plan:

You have to consider when viewing the British setup, that I neither did know whether I would be moving first or second nor that I could see any of the Japanese dispositions as setup was simultaneous and out of view of the opponent.

What you do not want to happen to you as the British is being outflanked or overrun by the Japanese. The SSR forbidding Banzais in Turn 1 and forbidding the Japanese/Burmese Double Time in Turn 1 if they move first is a sure indicator that this is a very real threat. In a Fortenberry design, nothing is there without reason... The SSRs and the Cactus Hedge would help the British to avoid that threat if the Japanese moved first. Still, my great fear was a Japanese Push with Burmese 'guidance' (i.e. lessening of MF costs) along the western (left) flank. If they elected to do so, this would force my British to fall back quickly to slow them around the E10 area.

The Japanese could attempt a flanking move in the East (right) as well, but due to the depression and the Jungle switching to Brush and Kunai, this could cost more MF and provide less TEM while allowing me defensive Fire Lanes.

Of course, the Japanese could also make a central push across the Cactus Hedge into the Kunai enclosed by it or opt to blast me there, having Wall Advantage, during Prep Fire. Probably part of them would do one or both of this. The good thing was merely that crossing a Cactus Hedge would me a Minimum Move or Advance vs. Difficult Terrain, so they would not get far in their first Turn and present me with chances to take pot shots. Since Banzai Charges were NA during Turn 1, I could deny G14 during the MPh and could - provided I survived long enough - rout away before the Japanese APh. If I remained in Good Order, CC Modifiers might be favorable to me if the Japanese advanced in.

The British setup area is quite restricted. So in the end, I decided to place two sacrificial Gurkha half-squads up front with the intention of optimizing my Ambush odds and making CC as dangerous as possible for the Japanese as Gurkhas get the -1 modifier in HtH provided they are unpinned.

The central 'fast lane' road would have to be infested by fire if the Japanese would prove so audacious to dare that route. The British LMGs were placed to cover the center with Fire Lanes.

Most of my units would be placed towards the rear as to be able to counter-march any fast Japanese Turn 1 pushes. I would deploy, preferrably the Gurkhas, to have more units on hand to block paths or make the best of CC modifiers if the Japanese would push for Close Combat.

Provided that my British moved first, I would use the headstart to take up blocking positions in the E10 area and to set up shop with the dismantled MMG and MTR in a suitable spot. The Leaders would find positions where to rally any brokies falling back.

A tricky part would be to move the British back after being expelled from the central line of Light Jungle running from West to East.

That said, I was not confident (and I am still not after play) that I have grokked all the fineries and implications of the design. For example, it seems to me that the side moving first has quite a substantial advatage:

If it is the British, they can spread out, deploy and take up better positions. They can make it more difficult for the Japanese to reach them or to set up a Banzai Charge. Maybe most importantly, in this case they will move last, depriving the Japanese of an extra MPh they would otherwise have had.

If it is the Japanese, they can push up especially the western (right) flank with the British being absolutely unable to prevent this. To 'catch' the Japanese, the British will have to move/fall back quickly. But what the British want to do is to delay them, ceding ground as slowly as possible while avoiding casualties.

So far, I have failed to perceive the 'counterbalance' for moving second - if there is any. Which is likely, because usually Fortenberry won't grant an advantage to one side without providing a 'counterbalance' somewhere.


Situation at the End of British Turn 1:

17975

As the dice would have it, my British would be moving first and I was happy with it.

My British attempted to deploy where they could but were successful only in one of three instances. As explained before, 248 Gurkha half-squads would form most of the frontline according to my plan.

In general, I fell back, especially to plug the western (left) flank and to bring my heavy weapons (MMG and lt. MTR) back while still in the initial dismantled state. These units would also have the option to either stay in their new position or to shift quickly to the East or West as the situation would demand. The Cactus Hedge enclosing the Kunai would serve as a 'speed breaker' while the other approaches could be reasonably well kept under fire.

To my surprise and relief, my opponents had apparently not positioned the Burmese with other Japanese which would have lessened the MF cost of these squads for their initial turn.


Situation at the End of Japanese Turn 1:

17977

For Japanese Turn 1 I had expected a rather encompassing rush by the enemy especially as was possible for him to avoid most fire if he wanted to and it was in his interest to come to grips with me or to get close to the exit edge quickly. Instead, the first Japanese push was rather cautious. I would not complain.

Only my 248 half-squad that I had left a bit too exposed in I13 received effective fire and broke, routing back to G9 because the Schwerpunkt of the enemy seemed to develop on this flank.


To be continued in a subsequent post...

von Marwitz
 
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von Marwitz

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Situation at the End of British Turn 2:

17978

During my British Turn 2, I completed the preparation of the defensive line with concealed half-squads up front on the western (left) flank. In the East (right), unfortunately I did not manage to deploy once again which left me with three full juicy squads as targets there. The central road was well covered by my units in I7.

I was prepared for the action to start in earnest now...


Situation at the End of Japanese Turn 2:

17979

The Japanese began their Turn 2 by SMOKING H13 with their 50mm MTR in H16. This was followed by an ineffective Prep Fire shot of his 9-1 Asai, 447+LMG, 447+LMG from G15. I believe they could have used these units in a more favorable manner instead.

During the MPh, the Japanese conducted a Banzai Charge with their units in I14 and I15 consisting of a 9-1, 447+DC, 447, the target being my SMOKED 248 Gurkha in H11. My Defensive First Fire managed to stripe the squad entering H11 while the other ended its Banzai Charge in H12. On both flanks the Japanese and Burmese moved forward, but once again not as fast as they could have done.

One Banzai unit advanced from H12 into G12 across the Cactus Hedge ere the CC began. This went very much in my favor with my tactic of putting 'dangerous' Gurkha half-squads up front which are adept in H-t-H with their famed Kukri knives. In H11 everyone went down in mutual destruction with only the DC left behind. However, while I only lost a 248 Gurkha half-squad, the Japanese lost one of their 9-1 Leaders along with a 347 striped squad. The second CC went in my favor as well, partly because the Japanese were impeded in their DRMs after having crossed the Cactus Hedge. Here, the enemy lost a 447 with nothing to show for it. [Note: There is some inconsistency here, since G12 shows empty in the picture with a broken Gurkha HS escaped to E10, but my memory fails me on the details... In any case, I came out lucky.]

This left the CVP Tally at the End of Japanese Turn 2 at 1:5 in favor of the British, which was very nice for me. Furthermore, the Eastern (right) flank of the attacking Japanese had now become rather weak.


Situation at the End of British Turn 3:

17980

In the Rally Phase of my British Turn 3 I was unable to get the two broken Gurkha half-squads in E10 back into Good Order. On my Eastern (right) flank, finally I successfully deployed another Gurkha squad.

As the enemy on the eastern flank had become pretty weak after the thwarted Banzai Charge, I decided to shift some forces to the West. The 8-1 and a 248 Gurkha half-squad went to the center, an 8-0 from the West taking over the position of the former and the light MTR being tranferred to the latter, freeing a full squad for other purposes.

In the SMOKED hex, I felt like doing something cocky by moving in, picking up the unpossessed enemy DC and to later advance out again to G11. Hadn't a Japanese knee-mortar gone on a ROF tear, I would have made it - but as it happened, my 458 Gurkha+LMG trying to pull this off were Pinned on the 4th hit in this unenvious exposed position. Not being able to pull out of H11 weakened my defence against a push from the South.

I was hoping to be prepared to stand up to the increased momentum of the Japanese, whose stack in G15 was luckily out of place and could have posed a much bigger concern more up front.


Situation at the End of Japanese Turn 3:

17982

Japanese Turn 3 began quite well for me as I managed to rally both broken Gurkha half-squads in E10 and to create a very handy Hero on top of it. This was quite a relief as I based much of my delaying defence on those 248 Gurkha half-squads.

As most of my units were still concealed, maybe my opponent was partly not sure about my dispositions. In any case, he moved rather cautiously on the western (left) flank instead of pushing aggressively forward. As one of the main dangers in my eyes were the double VP granted for the exiting of his units, I was fine with it. The Japanese did push vs. my formerly pinned Gurkha 458+LMG squad still smoked in H11, which had recovered the Japanese DC, making the position untenable for this valuable unit. In F11, I striped a Japanese squad. On the eastern (right) flank, the Burmese moved forward along with a single Japanese half-squad, but this force was lacking punch in firepower. Unfortunately, I gacked a point-blank shot vs. a Burmese half-squad, malfing my LMG in L11. The greatest danger on that side was the possibility of the enemy attempting a push for the board edge.

To avoid having my retreat cut off, I voluntarily broke the 458+LMG+captured DC in H11 to rout back to saftety for the moment in the hope of preserving that unit. The Japanese advanced into E13 but failed to take out my 248 Gurkha half-squad there, surviving the return attack with the result of an ongoing H-t-H Melee.

The Japanese had built up some momentum in the G and H hexrows in the center and might aim for a flanking move along the M and N hexrows in the East. In the West, however, not much progress had been made. So I might be able to spend one more turn in delaying the advance in the central lateral jungle before having to pull out of there.

To be continued in a subsequent post.

von Marwitz
 
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Craig Benn

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I've played about half of Action Pack9 - very good overall. Probably one of the best action packs IMO - as much as you can tell without playing every scenario.
 

von Marwitz

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Situation at the End of British Turn 4:

18045

During the Rally Phase of my British Turn 4, unfortunately, I did not manage to bring back the voluntarily broken 458+LMG+caputured DC in H8. But then again that might have been asking too much.

Primarily, what I did this turn was to slink back into the jungle out of sight in order to deny the Japanese the option of a Banzai Charge for their coming turn. The eastern part of the lateral jungle was well held. If the Japanese would decide to switch more forces to the East, for which Asai (9-1) and company would be well suited, then the Japanese would receive considerable fire from I7, where a 458+MMG, a 248+MTR, and a 8-1 Leader lay in wait. On the eastern flank, I moved my sole full squad to N7 to create sort of a plug to prevent units just from sauntering by.

Depending on what the Japanese decided on doing next, things might get very bloody now.


Situation at the End of Japanese Turn 4:

18046


This time, during the Rally Phase of Japanese Turn 4, my no longer DM'ed 458+LMG+captured DC Gurkha in H8 was rallied by my 8-1 Leader there. Just in time...

It proved to be a wise decision to deny the Japanese the possibility for a Banzai Charge. They had to close in but they would not be able just to enter the British Locations during their MPh. When the enemy moved ADJACENT, I fired only some of my units as to partly retain Concealment to better my chances for Ambush should the Japanese advence in for CC. This defensive fire was not very effective, however.

Where it appeared that I would be doomed in CC due to unfavorable odds, I voluntarily broke, thus one squad just pulled out to D7 and a half-squad with Leader to K7. Since the Japanese had th numbers and were after some CVP, they sought CC and were alas quite successful: In F9, my Hero, a 247 and 248 Gurkha went down. In H9, however, I contrieved to ambush the Japanese and decided to go for non H-t-H CC because my odds seemded fair enough at 2:1 odds @ -1 vs. CX -1 Ambush. Alas, I could not kill the Japanese half-squad but on the bright side, my 447 was still alive and kind of in the way. Yet, the Japanese had managed to punch a hole into the defesive line of the western lateral jungle in the F and G row.

On the eastern flank, the enemy gained the lateral jungle there but he did not dare to cross the road hexes J7, K8, L8, M8 which were covered by serious firepower. Yet, in the East my 458 Gurkha squad which had repaired its LMG was basically all that stood in the way between the enemy and the board egde. The good thing was, that this board edge was still quite out of reach for the Japanese and their Burmese allies.

At this point, the CVP Tally was 6 VP for the Japanese vs. 9 VP for the British. Since the Japanese needed 6 or more VP than me, I still had quite a comfortable margin.


To be continued in a subsequent post...

von Marwitz
 
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Actionjick

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Pardon the kibitzing, but it seems like once you achieve Ambush, you should always go H-t-H or withdraw.
Would you care to elaborate on this?🤔

We see your answers to questions on a regular basis but not very often your view on tactics. 😊


Although the question of " Perry licks " is still unresolved. 🤣🤣🤣
 
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Eagle4ty

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Pardon the kibitzing, but it seems like once you achieve Ambush, you should always go H-t-H or withdraw.
I don't believe commenting upon an AAR is considered kibitzing as the basic premise of an AAR is to generate discussion predicated upon the critical points of an action/decision. If certain decisions could be called into question as to their validity or their appropriateness to a given situation this should be a good point for discussion and thus learning or at least understanding. (Nice to see one being polite however).

NOTE: Nice rule of thumb BTW.
 

Actionjick

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I don't believe commenting upon an AAR is considered kibitzing as the basic premise of an AAR is to generate discussion predicated upon the critical points of an action/decision. If certain decisions could be called into question as to their validity or their appropriateness to a given situation this should be a good point for discussion and thus learning or at least understanding. (Nice to see one being polite however).
It costs nothing to be polite. Why it is so uncommon these days is a question that will most likely go unanswered. Very much like Perry licks. 😉
 

von Marwitz

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In H9, however, I contrieved to ambush the Japanese and decided to go for non H-t-H CC because my odds seemded fair enough at 2:1 odds @ -1 vs. CX -1 Ambush. Alas, I could not kill the Japanese half-squad but on the bright side, my 447 was still alive and kind of in the way.
Pardon the kibitzing, but it seems like once you achieve Ambush, you should always go H-t-H or withdraw.
Looking at the described situation, you may be right: 2:1 in HtH has a Kill# of 9 @-1 CX -1 Ambush (and -1 armed/unpinned Gurkha in HtH) because with a 12, nothing can go wrong.

Indeed in the AAR, I must have remembered something wrong, because the 447 was no Gurkha and thus does not have option for going HtH.

Still, I wonder if in some cases not going HtH could be of advantage. Enemy units cannot pass through a hex with an ongoing Melee, so this could block the path of movement in a more favorable position than if it withdrew (provided, it survived the counter-attack). Or maybe it could increase the chances to delay the demise of involved units, which might serve a purpose in some circumstances.

"A25.43 GURKHA: Gurkha troops were feared in CC due to their handiwork with their famed Kukri knives (which were a combination knife-hatchet-sword). Whenever ≥ one unbroken Gurkha Infantry unit is the ATTACKER in CC/Melee or Ambushes the enemy in CC, that CC/Melee may become Hand-To-Hand (J2.31) at the option of the Gurkha player unless every such Gurkha unit participating in it was Ambushed in that phase and/or is withdrawing/pinned."

Looking at the rule, I surmise that this option is not limited to Deluxe ASL?

von Marwitz
 

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Start of British Turn 5:

18237

It was clear now, that the board edge, where the enemy could gain double exit VP was out of his reach, as the Japanese only had a single MPh left and my British would now be moving and moving last. Basically what I had to do now was to disengage to get out of reach, so that the Japanese could not cause sufficient VP to me to win. So now I had to do the math how many points I could just afford to lose for securing the win while moving my units in a way that would make it impossible or highly improbable for the Japanese to cause sufficient CVP to me.

In fact, the math looked quite good for the British. The current tally was 6 CVP gained by the Japanese vs. 9 gained by the British, which meant that I could afford to lose some 8 additional CVP and still win. So I wrote off all British brokies and Melee units as losses (11 CVP Japanese / 9 CVP British), which meant that the enemy would still need to inflict 4 more to win in case they did not take any further losses.

So my plan was to sacrifice three of my half-squads to make it impossible for the Japanese to reach more of my units, which would just bail out to the rear. If I got it right, I'd be on the safe side with 14 CVP Japanese / 9 CVP British, thus leaving the Japanese 1 CVP short of a win, except if...
... the enemy 237 in K9 would be able to Pin/Break my Gurkha 458+LMG pulling back from N7 through N6 with a 1FP @+1 shot or the enemy Sniper wreaking some kind of havoc. If this didn't happen, then only the Burmese Partisan 8-0, 337 in L9 would be able to move ADCACENT to my then CX Gurkha 458+LMG in P3 with a theoretical chance to take damage in Japanese Advancing Fire. Alternatively, the same Partisans could move/advance to H4, hoping for some Advancing Fire success against a stack of British in F4 - provided they'd survived the Defensive First Fire of the latter before.

To that effect, my planned British moves are shown with red arrows (short red arrows for Advances). The potential crucial Japanese Defensive First Fire in a broken blue arrow, and necessary Japanese moves with green arrows.


Situation at the End of British Turn 5:

18239

In my Rally Phase, my Gurkha half-squad in K7 came back. This alone would improve my already good chances for a win significantly as it now could move out without possiblity for the enemy to interfere thus highly likely tilting the CVP count another one in my favor. I transferred the MMG in I7 from the full squad to the half-squad which I intended to sacrifice.

There was no Prep Fire.

During my Movement Phase, I tried to goad the Japanese 237 in K9 to fire at my concealed 248+MMG assault moving into H7, but as was to be expected, the 'bait' of a 1FP @ +3 shot had no appeal. Instead the Japanese half-squad did fire when my Gurkha 458+LMG moved into N7 for a 1FP @ +1 shot which it gacked by cowering to nothing. With this 'most dangerous' moment passed, I could basically move all of my remaining units with out the possibility of enemy interference as planned.

In Defensive Fire, the Japanese fired into the ongoing Melee of a British 447 vs. a (still CX) Japanese 237 with a 20FP @ +1 Point Blank attack. It is the question, if this was beneficial or not. As I had written off the 447 anyway for my CVP calculations, it seemed only an extra chance for me for the Japanese to suffer casualties. On the other hand, the British odds in CC were favorable and if I survived while killing the Japanese, the enemy might fight himself facing an extra Good Order squad in the way. In the event, the Japanese attack broke my squad but the Japanese half-squad rolled boxcars for a fateful elimination and an extra CVP in my favor.

This even allowed my brokies to rout away, though I was convinced they would go down in the next Japanese Turn.

British half-squad Advances to E6, F6, and G8 in combination with British brokies in D7 and H8 presented the planned expendable blocking force to protect my remaining units from harm.

That done, only the kind of absurd catastrophe that seems to haunt us in ASL could prevent a British victory.


Situation at the End of Japanese Turn 5 - Game End:
18238

In the RPh of Japanese Turn 5, one enemy half-squad rallied, though it could have hardly any consequence on the game. None of the British brokies came back.

No Prep Fire occurred as I had moved all my units out of LOS of the enemy, thereby also denying him the possibility to make Banzai Charges.

During the last Japanese Movement Phase, the sacrificial Gurkha 248+MMG placed in G8 paid dividends. It put down a Firelane to D8 with which it could reduce an enemy squad to a half-squad and K/2 another. With this, my British basically had the game in the bag. The Japanese then moved in to corner my brokies.

Final Fire (and sustained fire for the MMG) by my same deadly half-squad vs. an ADJACENT enemy half-squad killed it off with snake eyes.

During the Rout Phase, the Japanese declared No Quarter because Prisoners would neither have counted double nor normally for CVP purposes. Dead, the British counted at least normally, so the Japanese gained some extra 4 CVP.

Advances could not reach my half-squads atop the hill but the one down in the open.

In the CCPh, the valorous Gurkha 248+MMG in G8 was overwhelmed by Japanese attacking at 5:1 led by a 9-1 Leader. The Japanese did roll the required 14 or less to kill it, but in a final blaze of glory, it took out yet another Japanese half-squad in the process, accounting for two entire enemy squad equivalents in this half-turn.

The final reckoning amounted to 11 CVP inflicted by the Japanese vs. 14 CVP inflicted by the British and thus the axis power being short 9 VP of victory.

British win.


Review:

18240

18241

An examination of the losses visualizes, that they were in majority due to close quarter fighting - in case of the British exclusively so. This underlines that the Gurkha -1 CC drm while armed and unpinned is very important for this scenario.

I think that my opponent could have put much more pressure and difficult decisions on me had he elected to stack his Japanese units with the Burmese Partisans to take advantage of the reduced MF-cost for Jungle, Kunai, and Brush. Free deployment of the Partisans at setup would have allowed for the creation of no less than five such stacks which would have been capable to outrun the British - especially if the Japanese had used more Banzai Charges. I did my best, though, to attempt depriving him of the opportunity to do so.

Still, I am not sure to have 'grokked' the scenario. I am still pondering what might counterbalance if the British roll to move first. This deprives the Japanese of one half-turn he could otherwise have used to attempt reaching the board edge to gain extra doubled CVP for exit. On the other hand, if the Japanese move first, I find it difficult to see how the British could prevent the former to outflank them in the West (right): The Japanese can reach B10 and B11 in force. If the British try to face these Japanese, they could counter with a Banzai Charge. If the British don't, the Japanese could break into their rear in Turn 2.

Maybe others that have played this can chime in.

Altogether, this is a good, tournament-size scenario.


von Marwitz
 
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