Scenario: Reinforce The Garrison!

Commissar_JPH · Scenario: Reinforce The Garrison!

A little homebrewed scenario me and my brother cooked up.

The Goal of the scenario is for the Japanese force to get at least one transport to an island set up in the American deployment zone. Any map can be used, just add an extra two-space island (pieces 1B and 2B) in the center of the 2nd row (B or J).

Each side gets 150 points of ships, the Japanese player gets an additional 4 transports free (use the Kinai Maru stats).

Transports set up on the 2nd turn.

Everything but Battleships and Carriers can be used....so nothing larger than a Heavy Cruiser (we actually put it as nothing over 20 points, but I guess one could use a Myoko)

The two forces we used were as follows:

Japan (148 points)
1x Tone
2x Jintsu
3x Yukikaze
6x Type 13 Subchaser
2x A6M2 Zeke
1x B5N2 Kate

Allied (150 points)
1x Baltimore
1x Canberra
1x Sydney
2x Fletcher
4x PT Boat
3x Barb
1x PBY Catalina
1x F4F Wildcat
1x SBD Dauntless

It's been about a 50/50 chance of winning for the Japanese

Okie

Who in the world has 6 subchaser's!!! rolling

I only have 4!!

Okie

Actually it look's to be a very interesting battle!! I'd like to try it!! Very Happy

Campbjj

ericjohn

Seems like a pretty hard battle for the Japanese (like "defend the convoy" missions always tend to be) -

here's my thinking for allies:

4x Dauntless
1x Wildcat
4x Barb
6x Fletcher

The aircraft should probably be able to take out the transports by themselves barring bad luck. But at a minimum it will force the Japanese to advance, pressure them to go to unnatural lengths to defend against air attack, and leave them with no spare bandwidth to run offensive air operations against subs or destroyers.

The subs should be hard for the Japanese to hunt and can finish off whatever transports make it that far.

The destroyers can swarm in to help out depending on the japanese force mix - kill Japanese destroyers and subchasers if they engage the Barbs, kill I-19 boats if they are used in an ASW capacity, or just make suicide runs against transports.

Commissar_JPH

We decided to limit ourselves on airpower in favor of a more surface-based conflict.

We tried one game where I went with a good amount of Dauntlesses & Wildcats and more Sammy B.'s and Fletchers.

The game was over within 3 turns because the Dauntlesses were always able to cut right through to the Transports and wipe out at least one a turn.

I kept going first as well, so that probably helped, as my Wildcats aborted or destroyed his Zekes.

But when you're rolling 10 attack die and only need a 4 to vital....it's not too hard.

What I may do is modify the scenario so that the island is in the exact middle, and have both sides trying to rush transports there.

For a transport to offload troops, it has to remain undamaged and adjacent to the island (and not move) for one full turn (ex: Arrives at Island Turn 3, Must remain at island and not move or suffer damage for Turn 4).

By say....turn 10, whoever has the most offloaded troops (1 division per transport, a damaged transport counts for only half a division) wins, or if the enemy has no more transports, you win.

Aquarius

I would take away the "not suffer damage" part. Probably should be "not be destroyed".

ericjohn

Imposed an additional limit that US could take no aircraft (Japan could take up to the airbase limit of 5 as normal)

Played it solitaire, ended up being a good match:
5x Barb
1x Baltimore
2x Boise
2x Fletcher
5x PT Boat

vs.
1x Kate
2x Val
2x Betty
1x Myoko
1x Yukikaze
3x I-19
7x Type-13 Subchaser

at the end there was 1 crippled Kinai Maru trying to evade 2 Barbs (1 crippled) long enough for the Japanese aircraft to sink the Barbs. Only remaining Japanese sea forces was 1 crippled I-19. Japanese couldn't pull it out. I think the US was moderately lucky to get the win

The_lucky_Y

Play it with Germans vs the US and the Baltimore would find its equal opponent.

Graf Spee
Nordmark
U 510´s
Stukas
Condors

Commissar_JPH

Well, played a couple of rounds at my LGS this past weekend using the suggested variance in the rules of the 2nd edition of the scenario from Aquarius (the take out the "without being damaged" part)...

To recap: Both teams build a fleet of 150 points with 4 free transports. Each tries to get transports to the central 2-piece island. At the end of 10 turns, the team with the most unloaded "divisions" (1 division for each undamaged transport, 1/2 for each damaged.....a division is unloaded if the transport spends 1 full turn at the island without moving or being sunk) wins. Alternatively, if the entire enemy fleet is sunk or all transports or sunk before they can offload their cargoes, you win.

I also restricted air-power to no more than 2 fighters and 2 dive/torpedo/patrol bombers....and no carriers, battleships, or battlecruisers. Essentially, no ships over 24 points (so the Japanese player could include the Myoko) and no carriers.

We played 3 rounds, each one was a close win except for one game where the US player got exceptionally lucky and got his two dauntlesses through on turns 1 and 3, sinking all 4 transports without being aborted.

All in all, it was 2 US wins and 1 Japanese win....Long Lance torpedoes proved to be exceptionally deadly as did the Barb's Audacious Attack.

drittal

I think I would have limited it to 1942 and Japanese could use destroyers as transports, ala Tokyo Express!