Clash of Lions, Battle of Jiradi Pass: 6th June, 1967

This review has been ongoing for a few months now. Different things keep jumping up and say "hey work on me now", so without any further excuses, on to this review.

Title:  Clash of Lions, Battle of Jiradi Pass: 6th June, 1967
Price:  $* plus shipping
Designer:  Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics Designer:  Bruce Yearian
Publisher:  High Flying Dice Games
Published Date:  2011

Subject:  The battle of Jiradi Pass at the beginning of the 6th Day War between Egypt and Israel on 6th June 1967 fought in the Sinai Desert between the remnants of the Egyptian 7th Infantry Division and Israel's Tal Armored Division.

Scale:  Each hex is 500 meters across with each unit representing either a company (Egyptian) or a platoon (Israeli).  Armor units are company in size (both sides).  Note that since the game is on the 3rd battle for the Pass, most of the Egyptians were possible at platoon size due to the attrition from the previous Israeli attacks. I would consider this to be tactical, maybe grand-tactical in scope.

Game Area:  The game map represents the desert terrain of the Jiradi Pass.

Player Supplied Components:
The only thing a player needs to supply is 2 dice, one for each player.  That's it. Unlike many of High Flying Dice Games, no cards are used for activating units for movement or combat. It took me a few tries to get use to this, as I like the card activation.

Components and Physical Quality:  Graphics are "old school", however, I like old school. It sure beats this avant garde, new way of using the NATO symbols a lot of game graphic designers are doing these days. Easier to see for one thing.  And for that reason, this game to me from the graphics to the game map, to the player's aid, and to the counters are top notch.

Everything is printed on stiff 11"x17" paper with the counters and player's aid on one side and the "8.5" x 11") game map on the other. 56 total counters that need to be mounted, cut out and the game map to be separate from the counters. You can leave the player's aid attached or cut it from the game map, your choice (I left mine attached).  And of course if you prefer, when you purchase the game, you can have HFDG mount your counters for a small charge.    

Counters:  As mentioned before, I like the way Bruce used tank silhouettes for the armor and NATO symbols for the others - Infantry, Heavy Weapons, AT guns, and Artillery. 

The colors used for the counters are very good with light green for the Egyptians and medium blue for the Israelis.  Each counter except for the Egyptian Artillery (1) and the Israeli Aircraft (3) markers have their unit number on the upper right side of their symbols with an attack factor (aka the "fire combat factor"), range, and movement allowance.  What's nice is the range factor is outline in white.

There are 17 Egyptian units and 19 Israeli units for play. Four infantry units of the 19 Israeli counters are for the "what if" scenario. One game turn counter and 19 "Disrupted" counters are also provided. All of the counters are single sided and .5" square in size.

Game Map:  Small at 8.5" x 11", it is compact, but highly functional.  Terrain is composed of sand, level 2 elevations, entrenchments (only Egyptians can use), crest hex-sides and roads.

Each different type of  terrain affects movement, fire combat, close assault combat, and sight if using the advance rules.  

Complexity (1 to 10):  "1-3" introductory rated, but normal for High Flying Dice Games, complexity can be added via the optional advance rules.  These optional rules can also be used to "even out" between the players different abilities. Very nice.

Gamer Versions/Scenarios:  Clash of Lions has two scenarios - the historical battle and a "what if" that adds more Israeli units, a different victory point/win and boosting the complexity level up to a "3". 

Setup Time:  With such a low density of counters, about 5 mins. Grabbing a beer out of the fridge would take longer.

Playing Time:  30 mins to 60 mins for basic game. With advance rules, add 30 mins. And with the "what if" scenario add about 30 mins to 1 hour. 

Solitaire Playability (Scale 1 to 10):   8. Due to the low amount of counters involve in the game,  no special rules are needed,  just common sense. I also tend to use the Egyptians as the non-player as they don't really need to move (everything was well dug in, including the IS-3M (JS-3M's.)).

Rules:  3 freaking pages!  That's right, just 3, not counting the cover. Actually it is 2.5 pages, but hey, who is counting! Well written. Everything is there, maybe not in a crazy bunny order, but they are there... 

Addenda:  Yes, we do have addenda...

Note: Though this is very moot, but to keep history correct the Israeli armor counters should be labled as M-48s, instead of M-60's as there were no M-60's used by Israel in the Six Day War.  All, but one company of M-48's, were armed with a 90mm gun. This company was armed with the British 105mm and had a better chance (though not great) at damaging the flank or rear of the IS-3M but not the front (122mm of armor).  For more information, please click here. It will take you to an excellent article written by a tanker, Major Warford, US Army, retired.

Description of Play (a.k.a 4.0 Sequence of Play): There are 10 turns to the game. Each turn is composed of the following- 

• Random Event Determination (see 4.1) - Both players roll 1D6 and add the numbers together to get the random event (see 9.0) number.  This is where UAR Artillery and Israeli Air Support comes into play (sorry, bad pun).
• Initiative Determination (see 4.2) - Both players roll 1D6 and add their morale number (see 6.0) to each roll. The player with the highest total wins the initiative and performs the first set of operations for the turn. (Note: On the 1st game turn, the Israeli player gets the initiative).
• Operations Phase (see 4.3) - Players move and fight their units by performing alternating sets of "impulses".  
• The player with the initiative rolls 1D6 and that is the number of units that can either move (see 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3) and perform "Close Assault Combat" (CAC) (see 7.2, 7.3, 7.4) since CAC is part of movement or  perform "Fire Combat" (see 7.0, 7.1, 7.3, 7.4) for the first impulse.  
• After the player has moved or attacked, then the second player rolls 1D6 and performs the same as above. If any player has any remaining units that have not moved or fired, the first player rolls 1D6 for the second impulse or next set of units to move or fire, etc. 
• The Operations Phase ends when both players have moved or fired their units or both pass.   
• To recap, a unit can either move or fire, not both unless it is performing a CAC as part of it's movement.
  
  
• End Phase (see 4.4) - Following the conclusion of the Operations Phase, 
• all units with a "Disrupted Marker" can attempt to "Rally" to recover to normal status (see 8.0). 
• If this is not the last turn of the game, advance the Game Turn marker one space and repeat Random Event Determination (see 4.1).
• If it is the last turn of the game, players calculate the number of Victory Points they have earned to determine who has won the game (see 10.0, 10.1).

Other Parts of the Rules:  There are Zones of Control (see 5.2) and stacking (see 5.3) is allowed.  Morale (see 6.0) plays a huge part in the game.  Units can become "Disrupted" (see 7.3) due to combat (highly important). Units can retreat (see 7.4) and don't forget about rally (8.0).

Combat (see 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 12.1, 12.2):  There are two types of combat, Fire Combat and Close Assault Combat that occurs during movement.

• Fire Combat (FC) (see 7.1 & 12.1): 
  
• If a unit is undistrupted, it may fire upon an enemy combat unit when activated. 
• Fire Combat can only be used by units that do not move. 
• Enemy units must be within range and have a clear "line of sight" (LOS). 
• The attacking player rolls 1D6 and modifies the roll for each of the following:
• +1 modifier if defending unit is on higher elevation.
• +1 if defending unit is behind a crest hex side.
• +1 if defending unit is in an entrenchment hex (Egyptian Only).
• -1 if defending unit is in an adjacent hex.
• If using optional rule 12.1: +1 if Israeli unit moved and fired (this optional rule supersedes 7.1).
• If using optional rule 12.2: -1 if firing unit qualifies for a flank shot. 
• If the modified DR is less than or equal ( < ) to the Attacking units Fire Combat Factor, the defending unit (target) is hit. A non-disrupted unit (i.e. normal status) becomes "Disrupted" and receives a Disruption marker.  A disrupted unit must make a Morale check (see 6.3. See I said that is important  :P  ).
  
  
• Close Assault Combat (CAC)(see 7.2, 7.4): 
• Friendly undisrupted units may enter an enemy-occupied to engage in Close Assault Combat. 
• Since this is part of movement, CAC can only be initiated by units that have not engaged in fire combat, earlier in the turn. 
• Disrupted units may defend in CAC, but at a disadvantage. 
• To resolve CAC, both players total the combat factor of their units in the hex and each roll 1D6 (note - Egyptian AT have a combat factor of 1 during CAC):
• The attacker modifies the DR for each of the following: 
• +1 if ALL of the attackers morale level is higher than the defenders.
• -1 if any of the attackers morale level is lower than the defender's.
• -1 if the attacking units moved from a level 1 hex to a level 2 (i.e. attacked uphill).
• The defender modifies their DR for each of the following:
• +1 if the defender's units morale level are higher than the attackers.
• -1 if any of the defender's morale level is lower than the attacker's.
• +1 if the defender is occupying an entrenchment hex.
• The player with the highest total wins and
• the losing side's units are retreated 1 hex (see 7.4) 
• and once a CAC is resolved, those activated units used for this are finished for the turn.

Whew, that's it for combat! 

Play-Balance:  This is a tricky question. Is the game a walk over for the Israeli's or not. In the actual battle, the training, knowledge of the land, knowing one's equipment, and one's belief in what one is doing, allowed the Israelis an edge to win a battle against a foe who had modern equipment, dug in and fortified, but poorly lead.  The game is close. It is not an easy walk over for Israel and a victory can be so easily snatched away.  When a game is like this, I would say that the play balance is spot on. 

Summary:  Highly recommended. Great for a fast playing game. I like this game. It isn't perfect, no game is, but it is very, very, good. It has a small game map, low amount of counters, sensible short rules. Graphics are in a style I like.

One will have to pay attention and not play haphazardly as the Israeli. The use of die rolls to see who and how many units can activate is different (for me) from using cards for activation and it did take me a few turns to get use to this new fangled approach to gaming (lol, just joking). The "what if" scenario adds more infantry to the Israeli side to show what would have happened if Israel had delayed their attack to wait for the  infantry.  Optional rules are common sense that can add to the game, while not increasing the time for play and the added complexity is just a little bit more. These optional rules are also good to handicap a veteran player against a less experience player.

Well, that's about it. Grab the game, it is a keeper! For such a small game I find  it is fun, heart stopping and made me think - I had to plan before the game started. As mentioned before, the game is not a snoozer and one has to pay attention to their game play. Otherwise, unlike Israel, you may lose this important battle to open up a supply line and the northern road, which in all likelihood, may lose the whole war.  Yes, that is how important this one battle was.

-ab out

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information.

A Five for Fighting Series Pocket Battle Games

Hopefully you took advantage of ATO's 75th Anniversary of D-Day commemoration and get all five of their latest Pocket Battle game set? I sure did and here's my take...

A few weeks ago, all the free world (except Google) celebrated the 75th anniversary of one of the most spectacular, largest, and important invasions in all of history, "Operation Overlord", the return of the European allies along with the Americans to the European continent 6th June 1944.  Notice, I didn't include the Soviet Union as they were on the other side of Germany and to be honest, doing just fine right where they were.

In honor of this, Against the Odds magazine released a new pocket battle game set (series) of where Operation Overlord began with the 5 beach landings code-named "Operation Neptune" (commonly known as D-Day) - Utah (#21), Omaha (#22), Gold (#23), Juno (#24), and Sword (#25).  This series is design by one of the most prolific game designers I have ever known, Paul Rohrbaugh. 

Title:  Five For Fighting Series Games and Campaign Rules to link all 5 together.

Price:  NEW - You can purchase all five PBGs from ATO for $21.95 (US), $31.95 (others).  Click here. Tell 'em that you saw this here. Also, the Five for Fighting PBGs is still being offered individually as freebie choices starting on from ATO. Good news as they are excellent.

Note: there is a now available the 2nd edition of these five pocket battle games. Corrects spelling on the game boards and the little bit of errata they had. 

Designer:  Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics Designer:  Mark Mahaffey
Developer:  Against The Odds (ATO) magazine
Publisher:   LPS, Inc
Published Date:   June 2019

Subject:   D-Day beach landings

Scale:  The game, time scale and unit size is not given. However, after asking the designer, I received the following: "The game's scale for a hex is a little less than a half mile across. Units are regiments/brigades (infantry) or battalions/KG/BG (armor and paratrooper). The games represent the first day, so a turn is about 2 hours of time".

Abbreviations used:  AF = Attack Factor, DF = Defense Factor,  MP = Movement Points, CD = Card Draw, ACT=Activations.

Map Area:   Each pocket game covers one of the five beaches from Utah to Sword. Utah and Omaha are separate while Gold, Juno, and Sword can be combined. Please see the campaign linking rules for more information.

Components and Physical Quality:   Each Pocket Battle game is 4"x 6" on very nice, coated cardboard, printed nicely on the front and back. Counters will need to be cut out unless one gets the die cut counters (hint- do it).

Player added Components:  Players will need for each game, 2D6 and a deck of cards. For the Campaign, only 1D6 and 1 deck of cards is used, not 5 decks. To be honest, I have not found where any dice is used in the separate beach landing pocket games, as movement and combat  is resolved by a card draw. I do know 1D6 is used as  the game turn indicator.  However, in the Campaign linked rules, a 1D6 is used in several places for random events, Duplex Drive tanks, etc, as a Game Turn track is provided.

Card Deck setup:   The card deck is setup with all 9's and 10's being removed and one Joker added to the deck. For the Campaign game, two Jokers are used. Germans use black cards and Allies use red cards.  An activation allows units or stacks to activate (1 for the German or 3 for the Allies with odd numbered card draw, 2 for both sides with an even card draw).  Face cards of the correct color allow either side to use their Artillery Support or Naval Support marker or flip a reduced unit back to full strength.  Yes, this will be mentioned several more times.

Note: High Flying Dice Games, has their own card set for this set of games (or each individual), Cost is $* plus postage. Contact HFDG for further information.   Click here to go to HFDG for more info

Complexity (1 to 10):   "1". This is not the end all of D-Day games, but a fun, small, and easy to play series of well thought out games and a campaign.

Game Versions/Scenarios:  There are no additional scenarios, however  there are the campaign linking rules which increase the play value by adding random events and a couple of optional rules such as Duplex Drive tanks and what I like to call "Hitler finally listen to Rommel" setup but officially known as the "Variable Free German Setup".

Under this optional rule there are variant units and reinforcements for both sides (airborne units for the Allies, Lehr Panzer and some other infantry for the Germans) that I found.   The variant counters have a "V" on the upper right side.  Nicely done as die-cut counters  make the pocket battle games that much better. 

Those folks at ATO are rascals! Here is the Five For Fighting extra rules, including the extra for the Allies. Click Here to go there.

Setup Time:   Subjective, 5 to 10 mins for one game, 15+ mins for the setup of the campaign game if game pieces are separated into a gaming tray (ATO sells some nice trays btw).

Playing Time:   Again, subjective, from 30 mins  to 45 mins per pocket game to 90+ mins, if playing the campaign game.

Solitaire Play-ability (Scale 1 to 10):  "5", as the game wasn't designed for solo play, but like anything else, one can play it that way.  Just don't cheat :}

Rules:  Are very well written. If anyone can write rules for these pocket games, it is ATO.

Play-Balance:  The game series is very balanced. Just like the real deal, the Allies could have lost and can do so in this game series. 

Errata:  Note the following please - The German AT and Infantry attack CD values are reversed in the rules.  They should be:

Infantry attacking a target in a non-adjacent hex: -1 CD
AT unit attacking an armor target in any hex: +1 CD

There might be more errata or not, however I don't believe there will be. The above will help keep those pesky nazi's at bay.

Description of Play:  Play is very easy as each game has the following (with the one exception being Sword Beach, noted below): 

Setup
Game Play
Combat
Combined Arms Bonus
Artillery and Naval Support Markers
Game Length
Victory Conditions
German Reinforcements (Only Sword Beach game has reinforcements, this being the 21st Panzer Division) (note - there is an optional rule and variant units for the Campaign game that allows even more reinforcements, but for the single game, this is it.)

Game Play: is based on what card is drawn with the color and type of the card (odd or even or face card) regulating what can be done - i.e., move, fire combat, used for flipping a reduce unit or using Artillery (German) / Naval (Allies) support.  For example if a Red 2 is drawn the Allies may activate up to two units.

Special 1st turn:  This needs to be mentioned. Before the first card is drawn and after setup, the Allies go first and get 2 activations. This simulates the actual beach landings.  After this event, the card deck is drawn from.

Activation allows a player to either move or have fire combat, but not both. A unit can only have one activation per CD. The exception to movement or fire combat is a "face card". A face card allows a player to either use their artillery/naval support OR flip one reduced unit back to full strength.  Eliminated units may never return to play.

There are no Zones of Control.

Movement points of all units on both sides is 1 hex per activation. Hexes occupied by enemy units cannot be entered, nor can stacking limits be violated.  A player can stack one infantry unit with either one armor or one anti-tank unit for a combine arms bonus.  All sea hexes cannot be entered.

The cost of movement for all terrain is 1 MP even across rivers.  The various terrain outside of all sea hexes doesn't affect movement, only combat. This terrain being "Clear", "Beach" (-1 DF), "Hill" (+1 DF), "River" (-1 AF), "Road", "Villages", and "Strongpoints" (+1 DF).

Combat:  is pretty easy and straight forward. No dice are rolled, but instead a card is drawn (color or suite of card has no bearing, except if a face card is drawn, it is always considered a miss). Units can fire into, but not through Hills, Villages, Strongpoints, or other units, friendly or not.  Attacking is voluntary and is done one to one, by a single attacking unit against a single defending unit. The only exception to this is a Combine Arms stack may combine their AF for attacking. However, a Combine Arms stack may not combine their DF for defending and each unit in a stack defends separately.  All terrain AF/DF modifiers and card draw modifiers are cumulative.

To resolve combat, the firing player performs a CD, don't worry about color or if the card is odd/even, unless the CD is a face card (a miss).  Add the AF of the single unit or combine arms stack to the card number, then add or subtract the terrain modifier for the hex the firing unit is in.

Besides the "terrain Modifiers" there are these additional modifiers, that are added or subtracted to the attacker's card draw -

• all infantry units have a -1 CD if firing at a non-adjacent hex.  
• Armor unit have a -1 CD if firing at an adjacent hex.
• German AT units have a +1 CD at all ranges when firing at Allied armor. 

These numbers get added or subtracted for the final Attacker's CD number.
  

Subtract the defending unit's DF and add/subtract it's terrain modifiers. If the final number is ">" (greater) than the modified defender's DF, the unit is "hit" and is flipped over, if it has two steps. If the defending unit has only one step, it is eliminated from the game.

However, if a unit has 2 steps and is already reduce, instead of being eliminated, it may retreat one hex, towards a beach hex for the Allies or away from the beach for the German. The retreating unit may not violate stacking limits. Other units in the hex are unaffected by any results suffered and must be separately attack (note - combine arms stacks). A few times using this system was required for me to get use to it but it became second nature.

Artillery or Naval Support:  is also easy, as any enemy unit on the map anywhere, can be attacked this way. When a correct color face card is drawn and the owning player decides to used their arty/naval support, the marker is placed on the game map on any enemy unit. Perform a CD, adding the +1 CD bonus on the marker, minus the target units DF and terrain modifiers. If the final modified CD value is ">" (greater than) the target's DF, then the target was hit. Either eliminate the enemy unit if it was a 1 step or flip it over if the target was full strength. It never came up, but if the target is already reduced, can it be retreated instead?  I say "yes", but I will ask this question and get back here with the answer..  

Game length:  5 turns or 5 shuffles of the card deck. And a game turn ends when the joker is turned up. Of course the joker is ignored if neither side has had an activation and play continues to the end of the deck.  Use a 1D6 to record the number of game turns, by placing the 5 spots up, then going down each time the deck is shuffled.

In the Campaign game, two Jokers are used. The first time a Joker is drawn, consult the Random Events Table. The second time a Joker is drawn, the game turn is over.

Victory conditions:  are primarily on the Allied Player. The Allies win the game if all German Strongpoints and all but one village hex were last occupied by the Allied player.  Also each Allied unit that exits the game map from the South edge before the last turn of the game, reduces the number of villages that need to be occupied. Of course they can't re-enter the game.

Any other result is a German win, where-by the Soviets after they steam rolled into Berlin, then liberate the rest of western Europe under Communism, there-by changing the cold war and world as we know it. A very grim future for Europe and the world.

Of course the Campaign has a slightly different version of the victory conditions based on winning the number of beaches (each card): The Allies:

Win 5 out of 5, Decisive Victory.
Win 4 out of 5, Major Victory.
Win 3 out of 5, Minor Victory
Win 2 out of 5, Minor Defeat
Win 1 out of 5, Major Defeat
Win 0 out of 5, Decisive Defeat

Evaluation:  The Pocket Battles series of games have matured thru-out the years, with this series being at present, IMHO, the pinnacle of these games. What started out as a challenge to use up a bunch of blank postcards has turned into a game craze that should have the big guys worried.  

Soapbox:  There are a lot of good ideas in this series of games. I am always impressed at how Paul comes up with new games while re-cycling the card draw system. 

I honestly believe that this is probably the best way to put the fog of war into a game.  I have heard that some don't care for this as the game moves too slow for them. But honestly, in war, does one side sit patiently waiting while the other side gets to move all of their troops and plan out to the perfect die roll with the right amount of combat factors for an over run to get the odds up to 7-1 for a sure kill? I think not. 

Outside of having some one take pot-shots at players, arty going off with aircraft screaming overhead, there is no way to simulate a war. But,  I believe the card draw system comes closest.

NOTE - As noted from an email from ATO, these PBGs are being offered, starting May 1 as  individual freebies. 

History:   Everyone knows of this invasion. It was that important. And if you don't know of it (like Google) then you need to read up on it.

Summary:   That's it, I have enjoyed not only playing all 5 beach landing games, but also the campaign. Omaha beach was the toughest for me, but I was able to pull 3 wins out of 5. I can blame it on the cards.  Utah Beach was the easiest as it was on 6th of June, 5 out of 5 wins. Gold and Juno were next easiest with 5 out of 5, though I did have a few moments of agony.  Sword Beach, I won 4 out of 5 as the 21st Panzer activated and it hurt. I don't see how the Brits managed to beat back that armor division.

Speaking of, High Flying Dice Games, does have a small game out called "Nemesis" and it is reviewed on this blog. Here is the link.

In this review, I wrote about having D-Day as 5 to 6 small games. I got my wish.  The 6th beach landing game would be Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France.  Not available, but hopefully, maybe....

The campaign game was tough, especially using the Duplex Drive tank rule.  Too many tanks sank to the bottom of the Channel with their crews.  The game is not an Allies walk-over. Just like the real landing, it is touch and go for the Allies, but we pulled it off.  Thank God, we pulled it off.

Addendum:   And to all the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians that perished that day, 75 years ago, it was not in vain and thank you.  And good-bye Vera.

-ab
updated: 25th June 2019 1 July 2019, April 2020, June 2020

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information. And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog. Long story, but it was Google who removed them.

Race for Manila, the Philippines Campaign, 1941 - 42

Title: Race for Manila
Price: $*
Designer: Yasushi Nakaguro (2012)
Publisher: War Drum Game, (2018)
US Seller: Quarterdeck International Games

Subject and Scale: 
A game about the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941. Scale looks to be grand operational scale as one doesn't worry about supply. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) units are Regimental in size while the U.S. Army Forces of Far East (units comprised of US Army and Filipino personal (Allies) are divisional in size, except two - the 45th Infantry Battalion and the most famous of all Filipino Regiments, the US 26th Cavalry (Horse) Regiment. This was the last of the US Army Horse Cavalry and actually the best trained and equipped military unit in the Philippines. (note - not my view, but that of the US Army and General Staff and the Philippine Government).

Map Area: Majority of the island of Luzon, Philippines.

Components and Physical Quality:   Components include some of the nicest mounted counters, I have ever seen. They must be laser cut, Jack pointed out to me that these counters are not laser cut, but very well die cut as the counters fall out of the the tree, very easy. They are 15mm in size, very good for those of us with large hands to grasp and move about. No clean up is needed. Counters are single-sided.

The counters include seven IJA units, nine Allied units, one game turn marker, seven "Fatigued" markers and three variable victory conditional markers for each side.

The game map is aprx 10 1/8" by 14 5/16" in size and very well done. Each hex is 20mm and not overly big.  Hexes are outline in white, with the IJA beachheads (where the IJA units can land as they are off map in the IJA Holding Box). The Allies setup hexes are printed directly on the game map. Ports, towns, Manila city, airfields, and of course Corregidor, are printed on the game map.

Included are the game rules and an errata 1.1 sheet. The top half of the sheet (for possible gluing to the game map) has the various game charts (such as terrain and CRT) in English. Be aware that this sheet is not the same size of the area to cover, so I just kept it separate. Also on this same sheet are a few lines of errata.

There is also either Hanzi or Kanji (Kanji is the Japanese name for the Chinese writing (Hanzi). Words may be written the same, but they are pronounce very differently) written on the game map and rather than distract, it adds to the game, imho. I don't know which as the game was originally from Japan and then picked up by a Chinese wargame company. I have to plead ignorance here as I am not a fluid speaker of Hanzi or Kanji.

Complexity (scale of 1 -10):  The game is rated as introductory. Once playing of the game has started, one will realized it is anything but introductory. I give this a "3" as the Allied player will be thinking and planning.

Gamer Versions/Scenarios:  There is only one version of the game, with no additional scenarios.

Setup Time:  About 10 minutes, if that long. One will take more time trying to open the beer than setting up.

Playing Time: My games ran anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours.

Solitaire Playability (Scale 1 to 10):  5 to 7.  Not very well suited for solo play due to the use of the three variable victory condition markers on both sides. One could always just blindly pick the other side's variable victory condition marker and play where the non-human side must move towards the nearest enemy unit, but what fun is that? This is one of those games where two players are needed.  But where there is a will, there is a way and I would be interested in hearing from you on how you solo this game. 

update - changed to a 7. I found a way to play solo. 😊

Rules:  The rules are four pages in length, in English, and are satisfactory. Since they are translated, they are a little rough in a few areas, but reading thru them a few times will make sense of what is being said. There are nine cases (i.e. "headings") from the "Intro" to "Combat" with good examples of play where needed.  And if you have a problem, Jack Greene is only an email away and he will cheerfully answer your questions.

Play-Balance:  The game, of course, highly favors the Japanese.  Out of my 10 games, the IJA player won 90% (yup, that's right, 9 out of 10 times).

Description of Play:  On Game Turn 1, only the IJA players has a turn (rule 5.3.1). From game turn 2 to the end, play is as follows:

• Allied Player
• Either Movement phase or Combat phase.  (yes, one or the other)
• Recovery Phase.
• IJA Player
• 1st Movement phase or Combat phase.
• 2nd Movement phase or Combat phase. Cannot conduct same phase two times in a row in a player's turn (ex - two movements in the same turn).
• Recovery Phase  
• Air Combat Phase (see rule 4.3)

That's it.  And yes, The IJA player has 2 movement/combat phases and a few other surprises, such as not being one hit kills (an IJA unit can take several hits before being removed from play). In addition, there is no stacking of units.

Other Games Possibly Available:  After much searching, I have a found a few other games on this same subject, where the 1941 Japanese campaign for the Philippines is the main subject and not an offshoot of a strategic Pacific War game. Here they are-

1. Bushido Denied is a wargame of the WWII campaign fought for the control of the Philippine Islands from January to May, 1942.  Bushido Denied is actually two games in one package, one game covers the Bataan Campaign and the other game on the battle for Corregidor. You can play them separately or combined to cover the entire campaign.  By High Flying Dice Games. Includes two 11"x17" game maps, 16 pages of rules, a Player's Aid Chart, 286 double sided counters. Cost is $20.95.  How did I miss this game, I do not know. Mea culpa.
2. The Damned Die Hard by HMS/GRD (European)  A game in the Glory series that covers the 1941-42 campaign for the Philippines. The new operational and tactical naval system will be used in the game. Includes separate smaller-scale Bataan scenario (on its own map) and several ‘what-if’ scenarios that explore possibilities of varied additional reinforcements for both sides. Includes 9 quarter-size maps, 3 counter sheets (840 counters).  Price: $65 Product #911 (and lots of $$$ for shipping from Europe, just warning ya)
3. The Battle for the Philippines: Bataan (1973) by Balboa Game Co (out of print and I don't believe Balboa is in business anymore).
4. Fall of the Philippines: MacArthur’s Defeat, 1941 by Minden Games (Panzer Digest #9, out of print).
5. Bataan! is an operational-level game of the 1942 battles on the Bataan peninsula of the Philippines in WWII. Uneven player turns and Special Events, determined by random chit-pulls, combine to create a tense, hard-fought campaign. By Compass Games (unfortunately. out of print).
6. MacArthur: The Road to Bataan covers the battle of Luzon Island during the winter of 1941-1942. Paper Wars Issue 90, still available. Thank you Jack for pointing this one out.

If there are any other games that cover the invasion of the Philippines 1941 and just not Corregidor, I would be happy to hear about them.

History of the Invasion:  I am not going to go into the history, as anybody who plays WWII games will have at least one or two if not more, books on this particular subject.   And if you don't, click on the link to the left, it will take you to the US Army Center of Military History Online where you can read up on the invasion and battle in CMH pub 72-3.  BTW, that is public domain and you can download the .pdf for free. Plus it is very well written.

Evaluation:  Though the game came out a few years ago, it is one of "those" type of games that just doesn't go out of style or play. And in this latest edition, I believe more people will have access to this game.  The graphics are well done.  The rules are good, as is the game's concept. I am giving this game an 8 out of 10. Beautiful graphics, game map, counter, etc. Rules that are good. Honestly, one can't go wrong with this little gem.

Summary:  The Allies will get walked over and beaten most of the time. Depending on how each side picks one of their victory condition markers will depend on the Allied victory or not. Historic, yeah, but not fun.  However, this is actually good, as it is not one of those games that is easily figured out. It will make one think.

There is a rule called "MacArthur takes Command" (rule 5.3) that allows the Allied player to have a secondary movement or combat just like the IJA player, except the Allied player can preform the same phase twice in a row (i.e. two movements or combats for example), but only once from turn 3 onward. And this takes the sting out of lack of movement and combat like the IJA player has. There is another rule that comes into possible play on game turn 5. This is the Allies declaring Manila as an "Open City" (rule 8.4). This allows the Allies one extra movement point and Allies can use the infiltration movement (rule 6.2.3) like the IJA player.   And I failed to mention that in case of a tie in victory points, the Allies still win.

About the only quibble spots I have is the weakness (both combat and movement) of the Allied units and the non-ability to move and have combat once, much less twice.

Of course, the non-ability to both move and have combat for the Allied player, could show the lack of equipment, whether transport or prime movers and/or the age of equipment and/or lack of training of the Allies in the Philippines and the training of the Japanese troops. Up to this point the Allies had not fought a major war for 23 years, while the Japanese units in the game are seasoned. And for this reason, I can understand why the rules and combat factors and movement allowances are the way they are.  

Though General MacArthur was making himself a pain in the butt to the Chiefs of Staff in the US with requests for more troops and equipment, including tanks, since he took over command in the summer of 41 and was getting them, there just wasn't enough time to receive the personnel or train them to a higher combat readiness. It was also believed that the Japanese would not invade until April or May of 1942.

But, I do disagree about the 26th Cav Regt's movement allowance, as this unit was the most trained, mobile, and professional of all the units (Filipino and US) in the U.S. Army Forces of Far East.  If the Japanese can have a movement allowance (ma) of 4 with bicycles, then the 26th should have a ma of 4 with horses, if not more and be able to both move and attack.

The die roll at the end of a game turn for Air Combat simulates in a very easy manner on whether the Japanese can move their aircraft out of this theater of war to another. Even though the Japanese totally destroyed the Allied air, they couldn't take a chance that they didn't.  To keep the IJA player on their toes, VP is awarded for remaining Allied airfields until they have all been captured.

Neither side can afford to be lazy. The Allied player must plan and make the IJA player pay for every hex they take. The "MacArthur takes Command" rule, as well as "Open City" for Manila can be a boon for the Allies and the bane of the IJA.  The IJA player must plan out his strategy and be willing to modify his/her plans when Turns 3 and 5 take place. Regardless, the capture of the Allied airfields will deny victory points to the Allied player. 

For it's price, and honestly, the lack of counters (I like very low counter games), and the simple but elegantly thought out rules, make this game a steal.

Yes, please do note this is a new format and one I will be using from now on.  Let me know if you enjoy it or not. 

Here is a graphic of additional units that I made for the game.  War Diary magazine put them in an issue!  WOW, an honor for me.  If you use, remember that they are copyrighted, not for sale, but you can give them away.

-ab out 

Note: updated Oct 3, 2019 to add an addition Philippine game. Keep them coming!!!!  Updated May7, 2019 for English and to clarify a couple of thoughts.

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information.  And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog. Long story, but it was Google who removed them.

Profile in Courage PT-109

High Flying Dice Games recently published a solitaire game on PT-109, designed by Rod Bauer, developed by Paul Rohrbaugh and with game graphics by one of my favorite gaming artists, Bruce Yearian. It is called "Profile in Courage PT-109 The Campaign of PT-109 in 1943". 

 

Whew, thats a long name. I will refer to it as "PT-109" thru out this review. It is a fun game to play. Pretty much everyone of my generation knows of PT-109 and the heroism of the young skipper, Lt (jg) John F. Kennedy, who became the 35th President of the United States of America, but for those young whipper-snappers (and you know who you are) here is a brief history... 

History...

Motor Torpedo Boat 109 was laid down 4 March 1942 by the Elco Works Naval Division of the Electric Boat Company in Bayonne, New Jersey. The seventh 40-ton, 80 foot long Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) built there, she was launched on 20 June, delivered to the Navy on 10 July 1942, and fitted out in the New York Naval Shipyard at Brooklyn.  

PT-109 joined MTB Squadron FIVE, which was sent to Panama, replacing the first eight PT boats that sailed on transports for the south Pacific in early September. On 26 October 1942, 6 of the Elco boats, PTs 109 through 114, were then transferred to MTB Squadron TWO  and prepared for deployment to the Solomon Islands.

The boats were loaded on cargo ships that sailed west, arriving at Sesapi, Tulagi harbor, Nggela Islands, at the end of November. Here is PT-109 stowed onboard the "Liberty Ship" Joseph Stanton for transportation to the Pacific. Heavy bracing at the PT boat's stern and on her deck, was to prevent movement as she was transported to the Pacific

These boats, once unloaded, joined the earlier boats - which had established the MTB base at Sesapi in October 42, to form Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla ONE, under the command of Commander Allen P. Calvert.

Lt Kennedy, took over command of PT-109 (he was the 3rd Skipper) on 24th April 1943.  Starting in late April, the PT boats were increasingly conducting patrols in the Russell Islands area and on 16 June, PT-109 along with other boats moved to a forward operating base on Rendova Island.

On 1 August, an air strike by 18 Japanese bombers attacked this base, damaging PT-117 and sinking PT-164. A strange side note - during this attack 2 torpedoes were blown off the 164 boat and ran erratically around the bay until they ran ashore without exploding.

Intelligence reports indicated five enemy destroyers were scheduled to run that night from Bougainville Island through Blackett Strait to Vila, on the southern tip of Kolombangara Island. Despite the loss of two boats, the flotilla sent out fifteen motor torpedo boats in four sections to meet the Japanese destroyers.

Lt Brantingham in PT-159 made radar contact at midnight with ships approaching from the north, close to Kolombangara. Soon after this, he sighted what he believed to be large landing craft and closed range for a strafing run only to run into heavy shellfire that revealed the "landing craft" to be destroyers. He fired four torpedoes and PT-157 launched two as well, before the two boats withdrew.

Lt Kennedy in PT-109 patrolled without incident until gunfire and searchlights were seen in the direction of the southern shore of Kolombangara. The location was undetermined, however, and PT-109 rendezvoused with PT-162 to determine the source of firing. PT-109 then intercepted a terse radio message (probably from PT-159) "I am being chased through Ferguson Passage. Have fired fish." At this time, PT-169 came alongside and reported an engine out of order. She lay to with PT-109 and PT-162 to await developments while instructions were requested from base. Orders were received to resume normal patrol station, and PT-162 being uncertain as to its position, requested Lt Kennedy to lead the way back to patrol station.

Lt Kennedy started his patrol on one engine ahead at idling speed. The three boats were due east of Gizo Island and headed south with PT-109 leading a right echelon formation. Unknown to them, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri was returning north after completing a supply mission to Kolobangara and had spotted the torpedo boats at a range of about 1,000 yards. Rather than open fire--and give away their position--the destroyer captain, Lieutenant Comander Kohei Hanami, turned to intercept and closed in the darkness at 30 knots.

Initially spotted by PT-109 at 200 to 300 yards, Lt Kennedy ordered the boat turned to starboard, preparatory to firing torpedoes. With one engine, the turn was too slow and the destroyer rammed the 109, splitting the boat apart. The Japanese destroyer was slightly damaged in the collision, smashing part of the bow and bending the propellers, yet, the warship still made 24-knots on the run home to Rabaul and arrived safely the following morning.

Meanwhile, the crew of PT-109 were thrown in the water as the Japanese destroyer sliced through the boat. Fire ignited spilled gasoline on the water some twenty yards around the wreckage, driving the crew in all directions. It quickly became clear that the forward half of the boat was still floating after the flames died down and Lt Kennedy, Ensign Thom, Ensign George Ross, QM3 Edman Mauer, RM2 John Maguire and S1 Raymond Albert all crawled back on board the hull. Shouting soon revealed three men were in the water some 100 yards to the southwest, while two others were an equal distance to the southeast. These were GM3 Charles Harris, MoMM2  William Johnston, MoMM1 Patrick McMahon, TM2  Ray Starkey and MoMM1 Gerald Zinser. Unfortunately 2 sailors, TM2 Andrew Kirksey and MoMM2 Harold Marney, were never seen and presumed killed in the collision with Amagiri.

Lt Kennedy swam to the group of three where he found one man helpless because of serious burns and another struggling to stay afloat owing to a water-logged Kapok life jacket. Trading his life belt to the latter sailor, he towed the injured man back to the wreckage of PT-109. Returning to the scene, he helped tow the exhausted crew member back to the boat. Meanwhile Ensigns Thom and Ross towed the other two survivors back to the floating section. 

Daylight on 2 August found all eleven survivors clinging to the wreckage of PT-109 about four miles north and slightly east of Gizo anchorage. When it became obvious the boat remnants would sink, Kennedy decided to abandon ship to a small island some four miles southeast of Gizo, hoping to avoid any Japanese garrisons that way. At 1400, the crew pushed off for land, towing the badly burned engineer and two non-swimmers on a float rigged from a wooden post which had been a part of the 37mm gun mount. Arriving on shore, the group took cover and set up a temporary camp.

That night, Lt Kennedy donned a life jacket and with a salvaged battle lantern, swam to a small island a half-mile to the southeast, then along the reef stretching into Ferguson Passage where he tried unsuccessfully to intercept patrolling motor torpedo boats. Returning in the morning, he turned the lantern over to Ensign Ross who swam the same route into Ferguson Passage that evening. He too had no luck and returned the next morning.

When the remaining rations and all the local coconuts had been consumed, the survivors investigated a small islet west of Cross Island and took cover in the heavy brush the next day. Undaunted by the sight of a New Zealand P-40 strafing Cross Island itself, Kennedy and Ross swam to that island in search of food, boats or anything which might prove useful to their party. At one point, the two men found a Japanese box with 30-40 bags of crackers and candy and, a little farther up the beach, a native lean-to with a one-man canoe and a barrel of water alongside. About this time a canoe with two natives was sighted but they paddled swiftly off despite all efforts to attract their attention.

During the night of 5 August, Lt Kennedy took the canoe into Ferguson Passage but found no PT boats. Returning home by way of Cross Island, he found the two natives there with the rest of the group. Ensign Thom, after telling them in as many ways as possible that he was an American and not a Japanese, finally convinced the natives to help the Americans. The natives were sent with messages to the coast watchers on Wana Wana, one was a pencilled note written the day before by Ensign Thom and the other message written on a green coconut husk by Lt Kennedy.

The next day, eight natives arrived with instructions from the coast watcher for the senior naval officer to go with the natives to Wana Wana. After the natives dropped off food and other supplies,  they hid Kennedy under ferns in a large war canoe and paddled to Wana Wana. The war canoe reached its destination about 1600 hrs and later that night Kennedy made rendezvous in Ferguson Passage with PT-157, piloted by Lt W. F. Liebenow. In company with PT-171, and guided by natives who knew passages through the reefs, the survivors were picked up by small boats later that evening. Everything went off smoothly and PT-157 returned the survivors to Rendova by morning.

Lt Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal "for extremely heroic conduct as Commanding Officer of Motor Torpedo Boat 109 following the collision and sinking of that vessel in the Pacific War Area on August 1-2, 1943. Unmindful of personal danger, Lieutenant (then Lieutenant, junior grade) Kennedy unhesitatingly braved the difficulties and hazards of darkness to direct rescue operations, swimming many hours to secure aid and food after he had succeeded in getting his crew ashore. His outstanding courage, endurance and leadership contributed to the saving of several lives and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.".

PT-109 earned two battle stars for the following operations:
1 Battle Star for the Capture and Defense of Guadalcanal, 7-8 December 1942, 13-15 January 1943 and 1-2 February 1943.
1 Battle Star for the New Georgia Group Operation: New Georgia-Rendova-Gangunu Occupation: 1-2 August1943.

And in-case you are wondering, President Kennedy stayed in the Pacific after recovering from his ordeal with the sinking of the 109. He became the skipper of PT-59, a PT converted to a gunboat. Far deadlier.

PT-109, the boat... 

PT-109 that night was manned by 3 officers and 10 enlisted men. For armament, PT-109 carried four 21-inch Mark 8 torpedoes and mounted four .50 caliber machine guns in two twin mounts. One 20-mm was mounted on the fantail aft. Besides the normal PT-Boat compliment of small arms, that day, Aug 1, a 37mm anti-tank gun was found and lashed to the bow.  Better firepower for barges.

Communication with other boats was with both a blinker tube having an eight-inch searchlight and by voice radio that had a range of 75 miles.

Propulsion was via a trio of Packard 4M-2500 supercharged gasoline-fueled, liquid-cooled marine engines. Fuel consumption  was exceptionally heavy with these engines (modified aircraft engines). A PT boat carried 3,000 US gallons of 100 octane aviation fuel, enough for a boat to conduct a maximum 12-hour patrol. Some 200 US gallons an hour were consumed at a cruising speed of 23 knots, increasing to 500 US gallons per hour at top speed. Hull fouling and engine wear could both decrease top speed and increase fuel consumption materially.

Max speed for a range of 358 miles was 35 knots (30 mph). A full-load patrol speed of nine knots would be usual in covering a 600-mile range. Under ideal conditions, and after torpedoes have been fired, a maximum speed of approximately 46-knots (roughly 40 mph) was possible.

The Bliss–Leavitt 21" Mark 8 torpedo was the bane of a PT Boat skipper and a torpedo-man's nightmare.  With many technical difficulties from just launching the torpedo to lack of precision depth setting and less than 500 lbs of TNT for a warhead,  50% to 75% failure rates were common.  The Mark 8 ran too deep for use against the Japanese barges with their shallow draft and with the small warhead, torpedoes that were used against DD's and hit, lacked the explosive power to damage and sink a DD.

With all this said, PT boats and their crews served admirably in all campaign areas during the war.  Whether preforming rescues of Coast Watchers, other military personal and downed airmen, or beach landing patrol coverage (protecting the rear of a landing force), getting in the destruction of a destroyer or the sinking of supply barges, the PT Boats and her crews were there preforming their job and mission to the best of their ability. These were truly the Knights of the Navy.   

The game...
Profile in Courage PT-109 is a grand little solitaire game. It can be ordered directly from High Flying Dice Games and costs $* and shipping.

Components...
The game comes with in a large zip lock bag with the following:

• one 11"x17" game map
• 24 playing cards
• 24 single sided un-mounted counters that are actually larger than usual for HFDGs.  :D
• and a four page set of rules (actually 3 pages of concise rules, as the 4th page is game charts.)

In addition, two D6 dice are needed.  That's it. Pretty sweet as far as I am concerned. Easy to mount the counters and the playing cards are easy to cut out. 

Game Map...
The game map is 11"x17" (ledger) in size with most of the map dedicate to ocean and islands, representing the areas where PT-109 patrol from April 1943, to August 1943 - Rendova Island, Blackett Strait and the various other islands, northwest of New Georgia. A reference grid is provided along the left side and top for placing units for play. Located on the bottom is both the Round Record Track and a Game Turn Record Track that also does double duty for Victory Point record keeping.

Instead of hexes or area movement, the game map is divided into squares. No diagonal movement can be made for either side, only left to right or up or down. There are a couple of areas that neither side can enter or move thru and these are marked on the game map with darker blue. The Japanese units move accordingly to the "Japanese Movement Table" requiring 2 D6s. 

 

PT-109 can move up to 3 squares if not damaged or 4 squares if carrying extra fuel (1 fuel marker is expended every time PT-109 moves an extra space). A maximum of 2 unit counters (ship type) can occupy a square. For example if 2 Japanese units are in a square, PT-109 can't enter that square.   I like this map and I believe Bruce did the game proud. 

 

Counters...
The game counters are single sided and need to be mounted. Of course, one can get these mounted for a small additional fee. If you order the counters mounted, see if you can purchase an extra copy of the counter sheet in-case you lose one.

These counters are 3/4" in size and one is aprx 6"x11" in size, this being the top down view of PT-109 for placement of the "Resource" markers and the various game charts/game tables needed.

There are 23  .75" (3/4") counters consisting of:
1) 5 "Resource" markers used for keeping track of what resources are available for the 109.
2) 1 "PT-109" boat movement counter for game map.
3) 5 "IJN DD" movement counters representing either IJN DDs or barges for the game map.
4) 5 "Flag" markers representing the IJ supplies or troops when called for in the game.
5) 2 US Victory Point markers.
6) 2 IJN Victory Point markers (used to subtract from US vp)
7) 1 Game Turn  marker and 1 Game Round marker.
8) 1 marker for either Coast Watcher rescue or landing party cover, when it is needed.

Though few in number, these counters and markers are very well designed. I like these counters.

Counter #24 the Players Aid Card...

Yes, that's right - there is a 24th counter and it is the players aid card. This shows a top down view of PT-109, along with various charts or tables. The top down view is used for keeping track of the resources available for the PT-109, such as extra fuel, ammo, medical kit, the 37mm AT gun, etc.

I also believe that this is the largest counter ever from High Flying Dice Games. 😀

Game Cards...

The game cards are the heart of the game. These cards are very informative and have the instructions for carrying out the Japanese actions on them.

Twenty-four cards need to be cut out, but only 23 are used. The 24th card is a content card showing the various card types, how they are used and the symbols used (a very important card indeed).

How to use the cards is very well explained in the rules.  I like these cards. Not only is there the "heat of action" combat cards, but also a little humor, such as my favorite "Time for a Sandwich and a cup of Coffee" card.  There is always time for coffee.

Again, Bruce outdid himself with the design of these cards.

The Rules...

The rules are not very long in length, but the story they have to tell can fill a room.  From the historical introduction on page 1 to the ending art on page 4, they are well written. Of particular note is the Play Sequence, which is important.

Play Sequence...

The game is played in four rounds of ten turns each with each round consisting of 8 phases that must be strictly adhered to in this sequential order:

Preliminary Phases 
1) Rendova Event
2) Mission Determination / Deployment of Japanese units
3) Create the card deck
4) Prepare for Mission

Operation Phases
5) Movement of Japanese units
6) Movement of PT-109
7) Resolve Contact (may result in combat)

End of Round Phase
8) Return to Rendova and score the round

The Preliminary Phases 1 to 4 are done only one time per Round (i.e. at the beginning of the Round)

The Operational Phases 5 to 7 are repeated in each of the 10 turns that make up a Round.

The End Phase 8 is done once at the end to complete the Round.

The game looks complicated, but after a couple of turns, all of this become second nature. I'm not going into a lot of the detail on the 8 phases, luckily for us players, there is a "Detailed Summary of Each Phase" section in the rules.  This section does a beautiful job of explaining all the phases, how many cards to draw, when to draw the cards, basically when/what/how to do everything.

Between this part of the rules and the instructions on the cards, one can play with history on those fateful few months of a young PT Skipper, his crew and his boat in the Solomon Islands during the months of July and August 1943.

I just received this an addenda file on PT-109. It is as follows:

Profile of Courage: PT-109 Addenda
February 2019

Page 1, Game Components (correction and clarification). There are 24 game pieces in the game. 23 are square markers/units. The 24th is the large top view/deck plan of the PT-109 that is used to record the various resources and status of the boat. Use the VP and Point markers to record the number of Victory Points and delivered Japanese supplies/troops on the Game Turn/Record track.

Page 1, Play Sequence (correction): There are 8 phases in each turn (not 9). The asterisk in the first line references the blue text area below the Sequence of play (the corresponding asterisk at the start of the first line in that area went missing).

Page 2, second blue box area on left side (correction): The second line should read “Is drawn, there will be no shuffle deck.”

Page 3, left column (correction and clarification): The third line should read “penalty in VPs will be deducted from your score.” Use the 1 through 10 spaces on the Turn Record Track to record the level of VP during the game.

Time for the buns ratings:
•  Complexity of the game = LOW
•  Solitaire =  LOL, now what do you think? HIGH of course
•  Enjoyment Level = VERY HIGH (imho)
•  Nail biting =  not knowing how the dice will come up or what cards, it can get a little nerve racking. I give it 5 fingers worth of chew.
•  Historical Level = there's the PT-109 and the IJN DD Amagiri in the game.  There is also air attacks, danger of crashing the 109 into the dock (that did happen) trying to be first in line for refueling.  And of course the failure of sinking a ship due to faulty torpedoes. I would have to peg this at HIGH  
•  Length of typical full game of 4 rounds with 10 turns each = about 1 to 2 hours.

Bibliographies:
PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II
by Robert J Donovan
ISBN-13: 978-0785105985
ISBN-10: 0785105980

PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy
by William Doyle
ISBN 978-0-06-234658-2

Both are fine books and good reads.

And of course the one media that most of us (well, my generation is probably most familiar with) the movie - PT-109 starring Cliff Robertson (President Kennedy's choice)and released in 1963. Below is a small clip from the movie. Guess who is playing the helmsman on the Amagiri, though not credited (Oh myyyyy)?

The movie is good and true, however, a few of the action scenes didn't happen with the 109, but instead with Lt Kennedy and PT-59, such as the rescue of the Marines and running out of fuel while doing so. But it is the first movie that covered part of the life of a living U.S. President.

After thoughts... 

Out of the 20+ games played since I received this game last week, I find it one of the ones I keep going back too. Why? To see if I can do better. Sure there is a lot of die rolling, but that's the fun of it. I have done a lot of research and cannot find another board game that was published only on those last few months of PT-109s life. 

 

This is the first non-computer wargame on PT-109's last days.

Rod really went all out when he designed this game. It's the little things that show up in the game, that makes this one stand out. From eating a sandwich to air attacks to sinking barges, it is pretty much all there in the cards.

Is the game a keeper? I would say yes. Is it fresh and fun? Again, I would say yes it is. Will it last out the years? Who knows. But, one can ask themselves after playing the game, did I learn something? Did I have fun? I believe the answer would be "yes".  It's not a detail simulation of a PT Boat, wasn't meant to be. But, it is a fun, quick game, with meat.

I am sure there are other games coming out from various publishers on the MTB's of War, whether WW1, WW2, or present day, as this area has been neglected too long. 

Actually, as my first game I ever received as a present from Santa, when I was a wee squirt, is this one called "P.T. Boat 109" by Ideal.  And that was Dec 1963. This was like Battleship. And beat Hasbro by 5 years before they brought out "Battleship". Fun, had lots of little plastic pegs used to record damage, had pt-boats, DD, Ca, BB, and CV's, and a screen to keep someone from looking at your setup.  B-4 "Miss".

And one more thing...

If you like the artwork "PT Attack" that Mike graciously allowed to be used in this review, it can be order directly from the artist, Mike Newcomer. Please contact him via email for ordering at newks1052@ptd.net.  Cost is $20 plus postage.  Size is 11"x17".

I don't believe you will find another piece of artwork like this with 2 IJN Rufes (Nakajima A6M2-N) attacking PT Boats.

Thanks for reading. And good gaming!

-ab

 
This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information.  And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog. Long story, but it was Google who removed them.

the Battle of Medjez-el-Bab, "One Helluva Fight"

Note - I rewrote the review today 24/06/2024, as it was horrible in regards to the html coding. Hopefully it still makes sense. If not, let me know!

and yes, it was... From the weather to the surprise roar of the Tiger...

The game up for review is High Flying Dice Games,"One Helluva Fight" covering the Battle of Medjez-el-Bab, 6th to 10th December, 1942,  the first major engagement fought by the Anglo-American forces in the Battle of North Africa.  Designed by Paul Rohrbaugh, with graphics by  Ilya Kudriashov. Published Nov 2018, this is one of High Flying Dice Games newest additions to a long list of the Blood and Steel series of games.

Rather than go into a great deal of history, I would like to use Paul's words in describing this battle... 

The first major engagement fought by the Anglo-American forces of the war occurred near the crossroads town of Medjez-el-Bab. A British and American battle group, named "Blade Force" and composed of units from the US First Armored and British 78th Infantry divisions, as well as some former Vichy French units,   initially took the town and then drove on to Terbourba to come within striking distance of Tunis. The Germans, however, cobbled together a battle group, centered on the newly arrived 5th Fallschirmjager Regiment (a unit initially detailed to attack Malta) and 10th Panzer Division. Supported by Luftwaffe and Italian Bersaglien units, a no-holds-barred tank and infantry fight was fought in the which the Allies were thrown back.  

The Game:

The game is based on High Flying Dice Games successful "Blood and Steel" series of games. It comes in a standard zip-lock bag with the components nicely done. For example various colors are used to delineate the various units. One has the full range of units from anti-tank to leg infantry to Tiger tanks.  Air units are represented abstractly as air support markers, as is artillery with it's own artillery support markers.  One needs to supply a container (i.e. cup) and a 1D6 (best to supply two, so both sides have a die).

The units have both an Armor Attack Factor (AF) for attacking armor type units, an Infantry Attack Factor (IF) for attacking infantry type units and a movement factor. The map is huge, being two 11"x17" sections. Printed on the two map sheets are the various tables and charts needed for play, along with the rules booklet having some of the tables and charts, too (pages 4, 8, and 9).

In the photo to the left one can see the game's armor counters being represented  by the French Char B, US M2 Stuart, and German Tiger with their AF/IF factors and movement. An US mechanized infantry unit, an Italian leg infantry unit and a German paratrooper unit are illustrated for the infantry.  

As mentioned before, the graphic design and colors used in the game are very well done.  A lot of companies art direction, when it comes to "sand", is that most of the time the color shade is too yellow.  Sand is anything but. When I first opened this game, it was like I went back thru time to when I was station in Saudi Arabia, during the First Gulf War. The shades of the various colors used for the map and counters was what was everywhere.  Ilya should be very proud of his work in this game.

There are several words that can and will be used interchangeably in this review of the game. For example "evening" and "night"; "markers" and "chits", etc.  

Game Components:
A nine page rule booklet (actually 8 as the 1st page is the cover), 

Two 11"x17" map sections (east and west),

Two 1/2" un-mounted single-sided counter sheets of 288 counters (actually 247 game counters) comprised of:
54 German and Italian unit counters.
63 Anglo-American (and some French) unit counters.
27 blank counters

52 hit markers.
8 arty markers.
42 disrupted markers.
24 entrenched (improved position) markers.
4 other counters (game turn, end of turn, random event, and foul weather).
14 blank counters

The counters should be mounted before cutting out for play. While you are at it, order a 2nd set of counter sheets in case you lose one or more counters. Worth it, as the extra sheet only costs a little. Note: High Flying Dice Games does offer a low cost mounting service for their games. Ask when purchasing for cost.

Where's the cards?
Ha - unlike a lot of the other HDFG, this series does not use cards. Instead "chits" are drawn!

Game Scale:
Each game turn equals 8 hours of real time with three game turns equaling a full 24 hour day. Each hex is aprx 1/2 mile across and each unit equals a company, except the Tiger 1's, which are equal to a platoon in size.

Sequence of Play:

There are three separate and distinct phases, starting with the Weather and Air support phase (5.1), the Operations Phase (5.2), and the End Phase (5.3).
 

Phase 1 - Weather and Air Support Determination (5.1 and 6.1)
Starting on turn 2, one player rolls 1D6 and consults the "Weather Determination" table on the game map to see what the weather will be like for the current turn. Turn 1, the weather is automatically "Clear". Foul Weather can have a "very" adverse effect on units (see the "Terrain Effects Chart" and "Foul Weather Effects" table on p8).

After determining the weather, both players roll 1D6 to see how many air units they will receive for that turn (6.1 to 6.1.3). Remember, no air support on night (Evening) turns. Artillery support is rolled for in Phase 2 Operations Phase, per each activation marker, each round.

Phase 2 - Operations Phase (5.2, 6.2, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0)
Each Operation Phase in a game turn is divided into two parts (one can call them rounds or operational phases 1 and 2 or whatever. Just remember there are 2 parts to it. 

At the beginning of each round when a friendly formation "Activation Marker" (AM or chit) is selected, that player rolls 1D6 for the number of "Artillery Support" markers (or chit) they can use. (6.2.1).

Rolled for each activation marker in use. Round 1 has all the active formation activation markers that are available for use (there can be up to 4) and the "Random Event " marker placed into the opaque container for selecting.

At the end of the 1st round, "Disrupted" markers are removed from any affected units by rolling a 1D6 and consulting the "Activation Interval Disruption Removal Chart". "Hit" markers are not removed (top of p8).

Round 2 - once all the chits have been selected and acted upon for the first round, the AM chits are placed back into the opaque container with the "End Turn" chit instead of the "Random Event" chit for the second round.

Note - there are several units that are not part of a formation, these are considered independent (3.0 Game Terms And Abbreviations under "Formations").  There are no activation markers for these units. Each unit may activate once per turn (can be activated in either operational phase 1 or 2) with some restrictions in regards to stacking with friendly formations (see 8.0 Stacking). One independent unit can stack with a four unit formation stack or two units from different friendly formations plus one independent unit can stack together. No Vichy French unit can stack with any British unit (Vino and Tea wars?).

Here is a listing of the independent units:

Allies: All the Vichy French (no one trusted the Vichy, but fight they did against Germany). Vichy can stack with the Americans and the 4 "1/18 US" Infantry units.
 

Axis: All the Italian units (these were some of the best Italian units in action during WW2) and the 4 Axis Flak units.

Phase 2 Operations Phase continues...

Players take turns selecting a chit from the container.

In the first round when the "Random Events" chit is selected, continue the selection until all chits are removed from the container.

After the end of the 1st Round, roll for removal of disrupted markers from units.

Remember: for the 1st Round, each player will have two arty support die rolls. And for the 2nd Round, a possibility of 2 more for each player unless the "End Turn" chit is selected.

In the 2nd Round when the "End Turn" chit is drawn (for example, the 1st draw), the game turn is over. No more draws. It is possible that no units activate for the 2nd round.

When an active formation chit is selected there are four possible actions it can perform:

Movement Only (7.1 and 7.4.3)

• Units may move a number of hexes up to the limit of their movement point (mp) allowance.
• Consult the Terrain Effects Chart (p8) to see the cost of each type of terrain.
• A unit may move 1 hex if it expends all of it's mp's.
• A unit may be forced marched (7.1.1) 
• Foul Weather can interfere with this action.

Close Assault Fire Combat.

• Movement and Fire (7.2)
• Units may moved half of their MP allowance (drop the fractions) and conduct an attack or vise-versa. NICE.
• There are two type of units that can't perform this action (see 7.2).
• Foul Weather can interfere with this action.
  

Fire Combat (7.3, 7.3.1, 7.4.2) (This is what can be considered normal combat between units.)

• A unit has 2 different attack factors depending on what is being attacked (armor (has a picture of armor on the counter) or infantry) -
• AF (armor attack factor) for attacking armor.
• IF (infantry attack factor) for attacking infantry.
  

There are 5 possible DR modifiers that can be used. (7.3.1)

Add or subtract the die roll modifiers to the die roll. If the modified die roll is less than or equal to the firing units AF/IF, a hit is scored

1st time a unit is hit, a disrupted marker is placed on it.  2nd time a unit is hit, a hit marker is placed on it.  3rd time it is hit, the unit is eliminated.

Remember, a unit can already have a disrupted marker or a hit marker on it from a previous Operations Phase 1 or 2 or Action/attack. If the unit only has a hit marker, it has to take a disrupted marker and then another hit to be eliminated. If already disrupted, then a hit marker has to be placed and needs a 3rd successful attack on it. If the unit already has a disrupted marker and a hit marker from before that wasn't removed, it is eliminated. 

 

Whew, sorry, this is more for me anyway to make sure I got it right.

There are no ranged Attack Factors, outside of Artillery.

Terrain Effects Chart lists possible DRMs.

Improved Positions are only +1 DRM.

Close Assault Fire Combat (7.4.3).
This is an interesting and important operation. A friendly unit can enter a hex with an enemy unit. Though part of "Fire Combat", it has a lot of paragraphs describing how to do this. Just be aware it is available, gives a very tactical feel to the game and provides options for the player to explore.

Construct an Improved Position (IP) (a.k.a. "Entrenchment" counter) (7.5) 

• IPs cannot be constructed in Towns or during Foul Weather.
• Unit cannot move when it constructs an IP.
• All units in a stack have to construct their own IP.
  

Once a unit that makes an IP moves or is eliminated, the IP marker is removed too.

Note - There are so much to these four actions, one really needs to read and pay attention to the rules. Rule sections are after the possible action. 

Also note  - This game, unlike a lot of other games, has no supply or zones of control.  Very nice.

Phase 3 - End Phase (5.3 and 10.0)
Players remove all "Disrupted" markers and roll for possible recovery (i.e. "Hit" marker removal) for units that have not moved or been fired upon that turn. (10.0). Both players calculate victory point awards that turn and adjust the VP Track on the game map. (13.0) If this is not the last turn of the game:  Advance the game turn track marker to the next turn.   Continue with Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3.  That's it. 

 

The entire game as it is played. Everything is in the rules.  Not everything may be together in one place, but it is all there.  When the Playing Aid Card is called for, everything is found on either game map sheets or in the rules (p4, 8, and 9).

There is a small addendum sheet, but unlike a lot of companies, High Flying Dice Games, due to how it conducts business (printing the game when it is ordered), has the ability to fix errors in rules. For example, the missing text on the game turn track for game turn 9 was fixed by the time the 10 or 12th game went out. Errata as I have found it (there are several spots) has been fixed as of today, Jan 1, 2019.   And if you have any questions, Paul will answer any and all questions, cheerfully I will add.

Here is what Paul sent to me in case you have ordered the game before Jan 1, 2019.

One Helluva Fight
Addenda, December, 2018
Map (correction): The text describing the Allied formations is switched. The British 78th Division units are on the top, the US 1st Armored Division units are on the bottom.

Note: The first 10 or 12 copies of the game went out with the text missing on the turn 9 space (Turn 9, 8/12/1942, Evening).

Rules (clarification): The terms Evening and Night are used interchangeably throughout.

7.4.3 Close Assault Fire Combat (correction). The note at the end should read “…+1 for Improved Positions” (not +2).

Whats next, oh yeah, my options or ratings. Without further adieu...

Time for the ratings:
•  Complexity of the game: Low-medium complexity. Adding the option rules increases the complexity, but this can be a boon to even out an experienced player's ability for a new player. 

•  Solitaire: Med HIGH (as always, a little work is needed)
•  Enjoyment Level: VERY HIGH (imho)
•  Nail biting: Eight to nine fingers worth. 
• Historical Level: VERY High. This game has a solid historical reference background and a very solid OOB (Orders of Battle) and game map.  Weather rules are pretty much right on, as the weather for the battle was horrible.  Dry areas were not to be found. Mud went deep, sinking both tracked and wheeled vehicles and men.  With the Tiger tank it was basically a movable pill box with armor that stopped anything the Allies had and also outgunned  the Allies. With this unit in the game, I feel sorry for the Allies who had much to learn in regards to armor warfare and designing armor (even the Sherman was a horrible match).  If there was one country who designed a tank (almost) correctly, it was the Soviets with the T-34.   
•  Length of typical full game: About 3 to 4 hours. Remember, optional rules, longer playing time.
• Out of the games played, (no optional rules used, as this is a more complex game than what I am use too), The Axis player won 75%. The Allies were able to squeak by with only winning 25% of the games.

I know that this win ratio is lower than what Paul designs for.  It could be that I am not ready for a game of this caliber of complexity.  But it is a very interesting game.  I can't think of another North Africa game that show cases Panzer III's and IV's, Stuart's, and Lee tanks with Tigers on the prowl.  And rain, bloody, bloody rain.  

Final Thoughts

This game is different for me in that instead of using a card activation system, this game uses a chit selection for activating certain formations for moving and combat, up to twice in an Operations phase and units that can activate only once in a game turn. Using the "Close Assault Fire Combat" (7.4.3) rules for attacking, can allow over-runs with armor break-thrus.  It pays to have ready reserve units in this game for exploiting these fortunes of war.

Having the Vichy French in the game is also different from most wargames.  One of the many units that fought on the Allied side after the Torch landings was the French Foreign Legion.  

 

Following their brief existence as the "Colonial Infantry and Foreign Legion Marching Demi-Brigade" for 10 days  (Dec 5, 1942),  Général Henri Giraud on December 15, 1942 created the "3rd Foreign Marching Infantry Regiment 3e REIM", from elements of the I (battalion) / 3e REI, the III (battalion) / 3e REI, and a third mixed battalion from the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment, 3e REI and 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment, 2e REI for fighting the Germans in Tunisia.

This unit proved it's self in combat, such as the destruction of the I (battalion) / 3e REIM. During combat, this regiment had the privilege of meeting the first German Tiger tanks and endured the loss of 35 officers and 1634 legionnaires. They gave their all during the Battle for Tunisia. What is very interesting is that this unit could trace it's history, not only back thru WW1, but all the way to receiving battle honors from "Camerone" Mexico, April 1863.

What gets me is how Paul thinks out and designs interesting features of in a game, such as the way he treats the Tiger tank. Not only can you use it as a combat unit, but you can apply a Tiger unit as a support unit for a die roll modifier (-1) to apply to another units attack.  Having both the AF (armor) attack factor and the IF (infantry) attack factor shows the two different types of ammo units had to be concern with.  It's the little things like this that can make or break a game, especially if the ideas are half thought-out.  One thing I can say is Paul never half-thinks a game out.  

I also believe that Paul out did himself this time with this game, possibly bringing the "Blood and Steel" series to it's pinnacle.  One needs to go back to see how many different games that Paul has designed in this series and judge for themselves. 

Here are other titles that are available in this series from High Flying Dice Games:
*A Test of Mettle: The Battles of Arracourt, Dompaire and Mairy, September 1944 (Professional).
*Black Lion’s Roar: The Battle of Catigny, May 27-31, 1918
*Blood, Steel and Sand: The Battle of First Alamein, June 1942
*But Not In Vain: The Battle for Calais, May 1940
Hot Blood, Cold Steel: The Battle of Chawinda, September 15-16, 1965
*Kings of the Hills: The Battle of Kap-Yong, April 1951
*L’Audace: The Battle of Abbeville, May 1940
Lightning and Steel: The Battle of Piotrków Trybunalski, September 1939
*One Helluva Fight: The Battle of Medjez-el-Bab, 1942(newest)
Slim to None: The Battle of Slim River, January 7, 1942
(*note- these I have bought :) )

In the Works:
Hell in the Holy Land: The First and Second Battles of Gaza, 1917
A Long, Hard Road: The Battle of Dubno, 1941
Kings of the Castle: The Battle of Imjin River, 1951
There is one more, but I am not privileged to mention it.

Each game in the Blood and Steel series is well researched and documented. Games are low to moderate in complexity with many optional rules that will increase the complexity for those so incline (yeah, you know who are, lol).  One to two game maps, with counters ranging from 80 to over 200 and rules that are usually 6 to 10 pages in length.   Movement is handled via activation markers (chit pull) instead of cards.

This series of games have been well-received in the gaming community thru-out the years, (Paul was telling me that his YSU students help play test this system starting in 1997).  The first game, "the Battle of Prokorovkha", was published in 2000 by Microgame Design Group.  

 

This game and two more were picked up by L2 Design Group in 2006. All are still available from L2 Designs and published as: 

Blood and Steel: Kursk, the Battle of Prokhorovka
Blood and Steel Expansion: The Battles of Oboyan Hills and Rzhavets
Blood and Steel: The Battle of Ponryi

*note - I am not sure if L2 Designs is still in business.  I don't even have a contact email or number for them anymore. Maybe Noble Knights may have some of their games?  If they are, please do grab the above 3 games. If not, I wish everyone connected with L2 the best and speedy recovery (that's you Lembit).

The bibliography Paul included is very good, honestly, one could not ask for a better selection.  Out of the three references, I would recommend, if you have the resources to purchase,  Rick Atkinson's An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 (his entire series on the US in WW2 is well worth the cost, too).

One of my favorite WW2 propaganda movies is "Sahara", made in 1943. It concerns a M3 Lee tank and crew who are skedaddling from the fall of El Alamein (first battle). The problem is there was no American M3 Lee crews at this battle, but with the Torch landings and some of the nastiest losses inflicted on the US when this movie was made (Battle of Medjez-el-Bab, Kasserine Pass, etc.), that for probably morale value, this movie was changed from Tunisia to Egypt.   Of course I could be pulling all this from my butt, but it makes sense on the mix-up story line.

The question that begs to be ask, "is there life left in this series"?  After 19+ years, if this particular game is any indication, there certainly is.  Well worth buying and the time needed to mount/cut out the counters.  I can't wait for his next games to come out.

It would be something to see a few other battles done in this series, such as around the Dunkirk area, such as the battle of Wytschaeteor, or maybe Operation Dragoon, the Dieppe Raid area (note - got my wish on this one!) or even individual battles from 1812 such as the Battle of New Orleans with pirate Jean Laffite and Choctaw warriors, oh boy (yeah some of those northeastern battles attacking Canada or the burning of Washington D.C. would be ok, if they really are needed... lol).

Well, that's it for now. Thank you for dropping by.   

-ab

This blog is considered to be a living blog. Changes will be made to it as needed to clarify, correct errors or update with new information. And I apologize, but this review may contain references to graphics that are no longer on this blog. Long story, but it was Google who removed them.