Kokoda Trip

[Gordon]

Need to scatter a few "Waffle Huts" along the trail.

 

[Westy]

Breathtaking place.

 

[21Z5M]

There is a lot of meat on the bone to create scenarios and possibly a couple of small HASLs.

 

[Vic Provost]

Thanks Vic….will get into it soon. What surprised me is the number of Aussie counter-attack situations when the aussies at a strategic level were conducting a delaying action.

Awesome man, I can't wait to see something come out of your trek ASL wise, I have read a couple accounts of that campaign, so much going on both with the initial Japanese advance and the eventual Anzac counter offensive, so many smaller, crucial battles where a few hundred men had the balance of the Pacific campaign in their own bloody hands. Great pic, please once you get any scenarios ready, contact me at aslbunker@aol.com We'll get them properly playtested for publication in the near term, can't imagine hauling everything up and down that unforgiving landscape. Thanks again for your efforts, hope to see something in 2023, Vic.

 

[Westy]

Awesome man, I can't wait to see something come out of your trek ASL wise, I have read a couple accounts of that campaign, so much going on both with the initial Japanese advance and the eventual Anzac counter offensive, so many smaller, crucial battles where a few hundred men had the balance of the Pacific campaign in their own bloody hands. Great pic, please once your get any scenarios ready, contact me at aslbunker@aol.com We'll get them properly playtested for publication in the near term, can't imagine hauling everything up and down that unforgiving landscape. Thanks again for your efforts, hope to see something in 2023, Vic.

Will do Vic

 

[Hutch]

Just about finished "The Battle of Kokada Plateau" by David W. Cameron.

There are three others in that Series: The Battle for Isurava, Retaking Kokada and Saving Port Moresby.

 

[21Z5M]

There are three others in that Series: The Battle for Isurava, Retaking Kokada and Saving Port Moresby.

I believe he speaks about it on YouTube’s WW2TV

 

[von Marwitz]

Breathtaking place.

In the double sense of the word, I suppose, given the steep inclines of those hills.

von Marwitz

 

[Westy]

In the double sense of the word, I suppose, given the steep inclines of those hills.

von Marwitz

Absolutely true

 

[PabloGS]

Great pics, thanks for sharing!

In "The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War" podcast and youtube channel there is a specific episode on the Kokoda trail, very interesting stuff.

 

[Tooz]

View attachment 25694

LOS/LOF nightmare!

 

[bprobst]

What Jamie didn't mention that at the same time he was there an Australian man died on his trip (heart failure I think). (He was not in the same group that Jamie was in.)

Australian man dies while hiking Kokoda Track

This is not unusual for those looking for a real life-or-death situation.

As I told Jamie before he left for his trip:

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">via GIPHY</a></p>

 

[Tuomo]

So what kind of product(s) would do this justice? A HASL? DASL? Regular scenario pack with some new boards? Somehow the closeness of the action implies DASL but IMO we can't do justice to the terrain with DASL boards. Maybe a double-wide, but it'd have to pack a lot into those hexes.

 

[Robin Reeve]

So what kind of product(s) would do this justice? A HASL? DASL? Regular scenario pack with some new boards? Somehow the closeness of the action implies DASL but IMO we can't do justice to the terrain with DASL boards. Maybe a double-wide, but it'd have to pack a lot into those hexes.

A Historical Study format would allow those different options.

 

[Westy]

So what kind of product(s) would do this justice? A HASL? DASL? Regular scenario pack with some new boards? Somehow the closeness of the action implies DASL but IMO we can't do justice to the terrain with DASL boards. Maybe a double-wide, but it'd have to pack a lot into those hexes.

I agree……the steepness of the ridges is something to behold. DASL might be the answer!

 

[Westy]

What Jamie didn't mention that at the same time he was there an Australian man died on his trip (heart failure I think). (He was not in the same group that Jamie was in.)

Australian man dies while hiking Kokoda Track

This is not unusual for those looking for a real life-or-death situation.

As I told Jamie before he left for his trip:

<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3o7aTFNF1r7ZNQ3Crm" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="

">via GIPHY</a></p>

You did indeed say that Bruce…..and night one of 8….it was ringing in my ears.

 

[Craig Benn]

So what kind of product(s) would do this justice? A HASL? DASL? Regular scenario pack with some new boards? Somehow the closeness of the action implies DASL but IMO we can't do justice to the terrain with DASL boards. Maybe a double-wide, but it'd have to pack a lot into those hexes.

Steep Hills a la Korea perhaps?
I remember reading (never played or owned) one of the break contact packs had rules for knife edged ridges.
Not sure what the rules would entail - presumably indirect fires would be ineffective on reverse slopes. Perhaps climbing required.
Dense Jungle 3MF or more.

DASL might be appropriate for some fights but there were many places where it was relatively open.

 

[Westy]

Good suggestions.
One of the dilemmas will be to adequately capture the ridiculousness of the terrain and still make an enjoyable game of it. Maybe…..maybe……….20 turn scenarios…cloaking counters climbing straight up 800m high ridges. Will require some serious creativity and play testing. No use creating something that is historically accurate if it’s boring as a game.

 

[Vic Provost]

Good suggestions.
One of the dilemmas will be to adequately capture the ridiculousness of the terrain and still make an enjoyable game of it. Maybe…..maybe……….20 turn scenarios…cloaking counters climbing straight up 800m high ridges. Will require some serious creativity and play testing. No use creating something that is historically accurate if it’s boring as a game.

If you stick with the main battles for the villages and ridges, you can focus on maybe 2 or 3 that you would need a HASL map for, with several scenarios at each one. You can probably get away with geomorphic for some smaller villages or the trail itself but the terrain is a PITA for both those who actually traverse it and for those trying to simulate what went on there in WW2. I sure wish you luck, I'm pausing my Kokoda research to see what comes out of this and maybe fill in with some smaller actions once I know what everyone else is doing with it. All I know is this was a great campaign for the Allies, both stopping the Japanese advance and then the long slog taking the trail back. It was just as big a turning point for the Anzacs as Guadalcanal was for the USA. It deserves a true HASL devoted to parts of it, we can get by with the other boards and/or overlays as needed for stuff that does not get the full HASL treatment. I look forward to what the ASL community comes up with, I know I'm all in on playing scenarios for it.

 

[21Z5M]

A great book for outlining the campaign is a Bastard of a Place.