Posting #1

*Looking at this on paper I am thinking the Americans have the advantage with a few more units, better morale against the Japanese Army units but not the Japanese Para units and more off board artillery 3 x 18 , though the Japanese do have a 1 x10 off board artillery for the first time in Nihon Silk. The only thing that will help the Japanese in this scenario is to close fast and charge to assault hexes.

*This is a crazy scenario in the fact that both sides start so close to the main objectives, the two airfield hexes. You have the Japanese Paratroops in the Jungle adjacent to the airfield north, you have the American starting units also adjacent to the airfield, you have the major Japanese Army units in the Jungle just to the west and the major American reinforcement coming on the board to the east, on turn one. The fighting starts right away, no time to relax!

*I feel the Japanese are hardest pressed in this scenario compared to all the rest but after three turns, the assault stacks are already forming the Japanese had to close the gap fast, before the American Artillery took too great of a toll. After three turns, both sides are already taking step losses, so who knows, it’s still any ones game! *It looked like a large Calvary charge from days of old!

Posting #2

*The Japanese were able to jump off right away in to assault hexes with the few Paratroopers they had left from the jungle hexes directly above the airfield hexes north. The Japanese Army units in the jungle west of the airfields ran into the reinforcing American Paratrooper units coming from the east, as the two walls collided. The Japanese Army units had a lower morale of 7/6 compared to their brothers in arms, the Japanese Para units at 8/7, so against Americans with their 8/7, they had to assault here as well, to get those assault hex column modifiers to stand a chance.

*The weaker morale of the Japanese Army units started to show, after many turn of assault combat and those that left the hexes got pummeled by American artillery. The two Japanese assault hexes on the airfields proved to be a major pain for the Americans however, in both time and casualties. Eventually they were eliminated but it took forever. This was a bloody battle at close range, with the Japanese losing 18 steps of units and two leaders and the Americans losing 17 steps and two leaders. It would have been a draw but the American received 10 points, if no Japanese units are able to put down direct fire on either of the two airfield markers, as the American had the Japanese in full retreat in the jungle to the West, out of range of DF. The Japanese received no points for airfields controlled, so the Americans win by 11 points, a Major victory by one point. For a while the Americans were really on the ropes, which really surprised me.

I think the only thing the Japanese could have differently was to retreat units to the jungle hexes to the north instead of to the east, where they could still put the American airfields in direct fire, even in disrupted states, denying the Americans the 10 point, forcing a draw. But still the off board artillery would make it difficult. A strategy to try next time!

I have never played a PzGren Scenario where both side were instantly face to face en mass on turn one. Shots were flying all over the place. The initial Axis surge was met and stopped but not without loss to both sides. Just within the first hour both side had lost 4 steps. Each also had many disruptions and demoralizations.

Although adjacent the Axis were not able to assault into an airfield hex, they were just too weak. Just north, in the light jungle, an Allied step with a 9-0-1 Lt. were able to escape an assault hex, where the Axis had a shot on the 24 col., with just a morale check, which it passed.

By 0915 the initial Axis rush had been repulsed with the loss of 11 steps to 4 for the Allies. In addition among the Axis losses were 3 leaders. Two of whom rolled 12 on recovery attempts! That's enough to give the Emperor the vapors!

But it was not everywhere that the Axis were thrown back. In the Northern Light Jungle the Axis were able to mount a dangerous attack with the high morale paras leading the way. Here the fighting became fierce. Both sides lost steps in repeated assault and counter assault. Because the Americans had made an ill advised assault they were getting the worse of it when the Axis suddenly just ran out of steps to feed into the inferno. The Allies then, with full strength platoons, were able to Assault the weakened Axis units and eliminate them.

By 1115 all the Axis forces in that northern jungle area were wiped out. Several lone leaders were on the run there also. The Axis attempts to recover the remnant of their forces and to consolidate those they could were hampered by the low morale of most of the units. This was compounded by the fact the so many were demoralized. Of the 12 steps that the Axis had left, one was the mortar and four others were demoralized. Only 3 platoons were at full strength.

At this point I thought it best to review the victory conditions and the current situation.

1. It was likely that the Axis could maintain a unit that could put direct fire on an airfield hex at game's end thus denying the Allies 10 points.
2. It would be nearly impossible for the Axis to capture one or both airfield hexes thus denying the Axis 3-6 points

3. So it would come down to step losses. At this point the Axis had lost 21 steps. The allies had lost 9 steps. 11 point difference = Allied major victory.

   Let us suppose that the Axis were able to capture both airfield hexes. That would give them an additional 6 points. That would still have the Allies winning a minor victory. Even if the Axis could have inflicted more step losses on the Allies it is not likely that it would be enough to change the outcome. They would be likely to loose steps also in the attempt. So at 1115 the Axis retire. Allied major victory.

Author	treadasaurusrex (United States)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	United States
Participants	ACav
Play Date	2024-03-31
Language	English
Scenario	NiSi006

This was a 3-session, fairly-wild play-through with the intrepid and cunning, ACav leading the attacking Japanese side. I played the defending American paras in what ended as a US victory. Both sides drew middling leaders. We played with the FOW and excess initiative optional rules.

As others have reported : "The only thing that will help the Japanese in this scenario is to close fast and charge to assault hexes."

There was no traditional movement to contact as both sides were under fire immediately and casualties rose very quickly. The Japanese owned our second session that included a US senior leader lost, but took a heck of a thrashing in the first and third, especially among their lower-morale regulars. The Japanese paras were much more resilient and nearly pulled off a draw if we had paused at the end of our second session. We lost track of the numbers of: adjacent-hex firefights, close assault waves, morale recovery failures, and combat 7-die rolls. There were 13 FOW-shorteneed game turns that truly played havoc with Japanese attack sequencing & materially benefited the American defense. US counter attacks eventually prevailed in the two airfields. The final step loss tally was: 21 steps and 3 leaders for the Japanese, and 8 steps and 3 leaders for the GIs.

This one got a 2 from both of us, only because it was fun to play with a challenging & entertaining opponent. Too unbalanced for shared play as published, save this one for SOLO play only, The victory conditions would benefit from a rewrite.