Gators! |
Copyright 2002 by Mike Fischer Last modified: 10/18/2004 |
I. Introduction
Player 1: Colonel, the friendly island nation of Unnarstan has been engulfed in revolution.
The surviving members of the government have asked for American intervention.
Your MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) is in the area, but there are no other forces available,
and speed is of the essence, so the Marines have the ball.
Your task is to fight your way into Unnarstan, occupy the capital, and bring the rightful
government back there before you run out of supplies, which will happen in 15 days.
You have advantages in numbers and quality, and you get to choose where your invasion will go in,
but time and terrain are against you. Semper fi!
Player 2: Liberation! At last, our fair nation is free of foreign influences!
Generalissimo, you have done well, but the imperialists are sure to react to our coup.
Our armed forces are equipped with American weapons, so if they try to intervene,
you can give them a taste of their own medicine. You must fight wisely, for we are outnumbered,
but we know our own land and can defend it well. All we require is that you delay the invaders
until their supplies run out, and then annihilate them at leisure. Death to the invaders!
Gators! is a 2-player wargame depicting a modern US Marines amphibious operation.
This is a complete game with counters and maps (you must download my M8 map system separately).
All you provide is a six-sided die.
II. The Units
II-a. Reading the Counters
Each counter has a row of numbers across the top.
The first three, separated by slashes, are the unit's attack strength against soft targets,
armored targets, and air targets. Tildes (wiggly lines) means this is an air unit
whose attacks depend on the Air Attack Markers it took off with.
The middle number is the unit's Defend rating. The last number is the unit's speed.
If there are two speed numbers separated by slashes, the unit is amphibious;
the first number is the unit's land speed, and the second is its speed in water.
In the middle of the counter is a picture of the unit. If the corners of the unit are
beveled instead of square, this means the unit is armored; all other units are soft targets
(or air targets if the unit is an air unit).
A "C" in the middle of the unit's picture means this is a command unit.
An "R" with a number in the upper-left corner of the picture means the unit has a combat range
equal to that number; all other units have a range of 1.
The background color of the picture tells you at a glance what kind of unit it is.
Color | Unit Type | Color | Unit Type |
Olive | Basic ground troops | Gray | Special Forces |
Orange | Heavy weapons | White | Non-combatants |
Red | Artillery | Cyan | Air units |
Green | Air defense | Turquoise | Landing craft |
Yellow | Armor/Cavalry | Blue | Ships |
At the bottom of the counter is the unit's designator. This helps you tell identical units apart.
Not all the units' capabilities are used in this scenario. For example,
there are no counters representing individuals, so there's no one for the Scout/Sniper team
to shoot at. Future scenarios will take advantage of everything these units can do.
II-b. The Marines
Player 1 gets almost all the combat units found in an actual Marine Expeditionary Unit.
My sources are the book Marine by Tom Clancy (Berkley Books, 1993), and the 15th
MEU's excellent site at www.15meu.usmc.mil/weappersonequip.htm
- Rifle Platoon is the heart of the MEU. It is made of 41 Marines with M16 rifles,
grenade launchers, and SAW machine guns.
- Squad is 1/3 of a Platoon. Many vehicles, like CH-46E helicopters and AAV7 armored
personnel carriers, can't carry an entire Platoon, so they carry 1-2 Squads into battle, and
three Squads form into one Platoon in the field.
On its own, a Squad is relatively weak.
- Recon Team is four Marines who are skilled in scouting and evasion.
The enemy can't attack them unless he can find them, which happens only if the enemy can roll
a 1, or a 1-2 if there is a Player-2 air unit next to the Recon Team and if the team is not
in a jungle or town hex.
Your Recon Teams can be useful by getting close to camouflaged enemy units and identifying them,
and for spotting the fall of artillery. Recon Teams, Scout/Sniper Teams, and SEAL Teams
together are referred to as "small teams."
- Scout/Sniper Team works like a Recon Team, with a bonus; they can attack individuals
from a distance. If the Scout/Sniper team gets within 2 hexes of a counter representing an
individual person, and if a die roll in the combat phase comes up 4-6
(or 3-6 if adjacent), that individual is dead.
- SEAL Team works like a Recon Team, but once per game, they can launch a potentially
devastating sneak attack. They can also remove booby-traps from Debris.
Because they are all well-trained with SCUBA equipment, SEAL's don't have to be brought
to the land; the can swim ashore from an LCU or Zodiac boats, or even from the LHD.
- Engineers can take up rifles and fight, just like any other Marines. But their real
value lies in their ability to remove beach obstacles and roadblocks.
- Heavy Weapons Platoon gives support to the infantry platoons. They carry machine
guns, light anti-tank missiles, and 60mm mortars.
- 81mm Mortar team serves as light artillery for the MEU. It consists of four
mortars with crew and ammunition.
- Javelin Team is two medium anti-tank missile launchers. Like the 81mm Mortar
Team, they move on foot, without vehicles.
- Hmmwv/TOW is a heavy antitank missile mounted on a HMMWV. Its speed and firepower
give a strong anti-armor punch.
- Hmmwv/Auto is a HMMWV with either a .50-cal machine gun or an automatic 40mm grenade
launcher mounted on the roof, to give fire support to the riflemen.
- Hmmwv/Cmd is a command vehicle, a HMMWV with radios to coordinate a battle.
Having such a vehicle nearby allows Squads to fight independently.
- Hmmwv/Stinger is an antiaircraft missile team that uses a HMMWV to get around.
- Avenger is a Hmmwv-based antiaircraft system with 8 reloadable Stinger missiles,
a .50-cal machine gun, and laser and IR aiming gear.
- FAV (Fast Attack Vehicle) is a hyped-up dune buggy that the small teams can use to
cover more territory. It cannot move or attack unless a small-team unit is stacked with it.
Such units forfeit their hard-to-find bonus while riding in a FAV.
- LAV-25 (Light Armored Vehicle) is a fast armored car that is fully amphibious.
The LAV is armed with a 25mm cannon and machine guns. It can also carry a squad or a small team.
- LAV-AT is a LAV that carries two TOW antitank missile launchers instead of a cannon.
It cannot carry soldiers.
- 155mm Howitzer is a towed artillery piece that gives the MEU some serious kick in the
supporting-fire department. It has a long range and a strong attack, but it can't move by itself.
- AAV is an amphibious armored troop carrier. An AAV can bring two Squads ashore.
It is armored against small-arms fire, and carries a .50-cal machine gun.
- AAV/Cmd is an AAV that carries extra radios for command staff instead of riflemen.
- M1A1 Abrams is a modern battle tank that is just about unstoppable.
The drawback to using them in an MEU is that they require frequent refueling, which taxes your
ship-to-shore transport ability.
- 5-ton Truck's main purpose is towing artillery.
If it isn't pulling a howitzer, a truck can carry one Squad or two small teams.
- LVS Truck is a heavy-duty transport system.
In this game, the LVS' role is to carry fuel for helicopters and/or M1A1 tanks.
- HERS Refuel, the Helicopter Expeditionary Refuel System, is a portable fuel depot.
Bringing one ashore, and keeping it full of fuel, can be a strain on your landing craft,
but it gives your transport helicopters greater freedom of action,
and it's the only way to keep the M1A1 tanks moving.
- ROWPU, the Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit, is not a combat unit.
But it can be valuable; if you set up a ROWPU next to a village to provide the locals with clean
drinking water, you'll win the hearts and minds of the common people,
and they'll be much less likely to become guerrilla fighters against you.
- Medical Team has no combat value, but it can be of great help in your invasion.
Setting up a Medical Team in a local village will impress the locals with your good intentions,
and this in turn may cause Militia units to lay down their arms and stop fighting you.
- LCU is a big, slow landing craft.
It carries no weapons, although the combat vehicles it carries can shoot at will.
It is the biggest transport you have; it can bring two M1A1 tanks and a Hmmwv ashore in one trip.
- LCAC is a high-speed hovercraft, the quickest way to bring heavy equipment to the
beach. It is unarmed and somewhat fragile.
- F470 Zodiac is a trio of small outboard boats.
An F470 can carry a small team or a Squad ashore.
They can launch from a ship's well deck, or they can ride an LCAC or LCU for part of the trip
and slide down its stern ramp into the water.
- CH-46E Helicopter is the Marines' airborne troop carrier.
Old and worn-out, they can still bring a Squad or a Hmmwv from ship to shore.
- CH-53E Helicopter is the Super Stallion heavy-lift chopper.
It can carry a full Platoon, or any equipment short of an M1A1 tank or AAV.
- AH-1W Helicopter is the HueyCobra gunship. Armed with a mix of TOW antitank missiles,
2.75" rocket pods, Sidewinder anti-air missiles, and a 20mm cannon, these birds pack a wallop.
- AV-8B Harrier, the famous "jump jet," can be equipped for ground support with
bombs and air-to-ground missiles, or for air defense with Sidewinder missiles.
- UH-1N Helicopter, an updated version of the famous "Huey," carries no weapons.
One of them is equipped with radios for command use.
You'll need two UH-1N's to bring the rightful government of Unnarstan ashore to win the game.
- LHD is the biggest ship in the invasion force. Like the other ships, the LHD is
specially equipped for handling helicopters and amphibious
vehicles simultaneously, moving men and supplies from ship to shore, as well as providing
command-and-control facilities. It has fair anti-air defenses, and is the only ship that
can operate AV-8B's.
- LSD is a less capable ship than the LHD, but is still vital to the MEU.
Helicopters can land on its decks, and amphibious vehicles can work from its well deck.
- LPD is roughly similar to the LSD, with differing cargo capacity.
It has its own command facilities, so it can operate independently of the other two ships.
II-c. The Defenders
Player 2 gets units based on older American technology. They are outclassed by the Marines'
equipment in most areas, but that doesn't make them harmless.
- Infantry Platoon is similar to the Marines' Rifle Platoon, but not so strong on defense.
- Militia is an enthusiastic but untrained gang of civilians with hunting rifles and
anything else they can wield against the enemy.
They can be useful in battle, augmenting the stronger units and plugging gaps in your defenses.
- Guerrillas aren't the strongest units on the battlefield.
But they can pop up seemingly out of nowhere, and they are hard to hit.
- Heavy-Weapons Platoon carries machine guns and LAW short-range antitank rockets.
- Dragon Team launches a medium-range antitank missile.
- Stinger Team can bring down aircraft with their man-portable antiaircraft missiles.
- Mortar Team allows you to engage soft targets from greater than point-blank range.
- Jeep/auto can serve as your cavalry, dashing around the battlefield at high speed
to bring its .50-cal machine gun to bear.
- Jeep/RCR carries a 106mm recoilless rifle that can hurt armored targets as well as
soft targets.
- Jeep/TOW enables you to quickly bring some long-range anti-armor firepower into the battle.
- M113 APC is an armored personnel carrier armed only with a machine gun.
But it serves as a mobile command post, and the officers' presence inspires the soldiers.
Player 2's foot units (anything with a Move of 1, except Guerrillas)
add 1 to their combat rolls if they are next to an M113.
- M48 Patton is a well-worn tank. It can't stand up to an M1A1, but its 90mm gun can
pierce the armor of anything else the Marines use.
- 75mm Howitzer is your artillery. Not as powerful as the Marines' 155mm guns,
it can still cause problems for the enemy.
- Hawk SAM is a long-range antiaircraft missile battery.
It is considered artillery in regard to movement, truck towing, and combat results.
- 5-ton truck is exactly the same as the Marines' trucks.
- UH-1B Helicopter, the famous Huey, carries machine guns and rocket pods for ground
attacks.
- F-5A Freedom Fighter is the pride of the Unnarstan air force, and the fastest unit in
the game. It is primarily an air-defense fighter, but it can carry bombs for ground strikes as well.
- A-4 Skyhawk is a strike plane that can drop quite a load of bombs on a target, and
can also defend itself against air attacks.
- Missile Boat, the pride of the Unnarstan navy, is a fast attack boat bought
second-hand from an unnamed European power. The "Victoria" carries a 76mm gun that can attack
land targets or ships, and a 40mm gun for anti-air use. The missile boat also gets an SSM
attack marker that represents one Exocet missile salvo. Its range is 2, it can be launched
only at a ship, it cannot be reused, and it really hurts if it hits.
This boat can move in shallow-water hexes as well as deep-water.
- Patrol Boat is a small, fast ship meant for intercepting smugglers. "Libertad" and
"Justicia" each carry a 20mm cannon and machine guns, and can move in shallow-water hexes and
rivers, as well as deep water. It cannot pass under a river bridge.
- Colonel is not used in this scenario.
- Major is not used in this scenario.
- Hostage is not used in this scenario.
- Anthrax is not used in this scenario.
III. Map Terrain
This game uses the following M8 maps, arranged with points up-and-down and flat sides to
the left and right:
- Top row:
#059 (hex 0202 up, with a 1-hex town in 0301);
#060 (hex 0003 up, with a 4-hex town in 0203, 0302, 0303, 0403);
#065 (hex 0202 up, with an airstrip in 0403; this hex is no longer a Hill).
To connect the island (#065) to the rest of the map, put the following bridges from #065
in map #060: a deep-water bridge in hex 0400, and shallow-water bridges in 0401 and 0402.
Hex 0402 becomes Shallow Water. Player 1's ships can move under the deep-water bridge
in hex 0104 of map #065, but not any of the new bridges in map #060.
Player 2's ships can pass under any of them. On map #060,
units cannot move from the town hex in 0302 to the bridge hex in 0402, and vice-versa.
- Middle row:
#060 (hex 0600 up, with a 4-hex town in 0203, 0302, 0303, 0403);
#046 (hex 0200 up, with a 7-hex town centered on hex 0403, and an airstrip in 0101);
#056 (hex 0003 up, with a 1-hex town in 0803 and an airstrip in 0606);
#061 (hex 0003 up, with a 3-hex town in 0502, 0503, 0603)
- Bottom row:
#059 (hex 0803 up);
#060 (hex 0606 up, with a 3-hex town in 0302, 0303, 0403);
#061 (hex 0606 up)
- Airstrips and extra towns are in Map #000.
- 14 copies of map #063 will surround the island with ocean, so Player 1's ships
will have room to move. If you wish, you can print fewer copies, and Player 1 can
place them into the map where he wants them when the game begins.
Movement rules:
- Deep-water hexes (medium blue) are the only hexes where ships can move.
- Shallow-water hexes (light blue) are off-limits to everything except amphibious units,
LCU's, Missile Boats, and Patrol Boats.
- Beaches (yellow) allow amphibious units to leave and enter the water at very little
movement penalty. Units moving on a Beach cannot exceed a speed of 3.
- Open Land (medium green) is ordinary terrain. An amphibious unit moving from
open land to water or vice-versa must spend an entire turn doing so.
Units moving in open land cannot exceed a speed of 2.
- Jungle (green with trees) slows down all land units to a speed of 1
and hides land units from air attack.
An air unit attacking a land unit in Jungle must first roll a 4 or better on a die,
or it failed to find its target through the trees and the attack did not occur.
Amphibious units cannot move from Water to Jungle or vice-versa.
LCAC's cannot enter a Jungle hex. Helicopters cannot load or unload units in Jungle.
TOW missiles fired from a Jungle hex have a maximum range of 1.
- Depression (green with dark-green lines) takes 2 move units to enter,
or 1 if the unit in question can move only one hex per turn anyway.
- Road (thick gray line) allows a unit to move its full movement rating, regardless
of the terrain it runs through, if the unit spends the entire move on the road.
- Town (gray w/ colored buildings) works like a Road for movement, but units in it gain
an advantage in defense. When attacking a unit in a town, adjust the combat odds 1 column
to the left. LCAC's cannot enter a Town hex.
Other amphibious units move from Town to water as though it were an open land hex.
- Airstrip (black runway) is Player 2's base for air units.
Treat it like Road for movement.
- Hills (beige with contour lines) let a unit see farther and aim better.
A unit on a hill, attacking a unit that is not on a hill and not in jungle, adds 1 to its
combat die roll. It takes 2 move units to enter a Hill hex. LCAC's can't go there.
- Bridge (a brown bar over water) is treated like a Road hex by land units,
except that if a unit ends its turn there, other units cannot pass through it as they move.
- Swamp (light blue with weeds) takes 2 move units to enter, or 1 if the unit in
question can move only one hex per turn anyway. This applies to all amphibious units
except LCAC's, which can move at full speed over swamp.
Several town hexes next to each other are considered one town.
The city in the center of the map is the object of the game; the Marines must clear it,
and its surroundings, of enemy units and bring a land unit and two UH-1N's there in order to win.
IV. Setting Up the Game
Set up the seven map sheets. Player 2, set up your counters anywhere on the land map.
(Units cannot start the game in bridge hexes.)
Your job at this point is to guess where the invasion will happen,
and deploy to defend against it.
You have 18 "?" (camouflage) markers that you can stack on top of any unit you wish,
to keep Player 1 from knowing what they are.
All air units must be stacked in one of the Airstrip hexes, unless you want to keep two
F-5A's in the air in anticipation of the Marines' arrival. If you do this, the F-5A's
must be within 3 hexes of an airstrip and must have their air-attack markers stacked with them
before the game begins. Missile Boats and Patrol Boats must be in water next to land.
Do not place any Guerrillas counters on the map at this time; these units have special rules
for placement, which are covered in the Movement section.
You may also place Debris markers on the land map at this time (not on roads or bridges).
Also, you need to find out which of your advanced weapons systems will work, and which ones
will be crippled by a lack of spare parts. Roll a die (Player 1 must not see this).
Interpret the results as follows:
1-2: the Missile Boat works; the Skyhawk planes and one of your Hawk SAM's doesn't.
3-4: the Skyhawk planes work; the Missile Boat and one of your Hawk SAM's doesn't.
5-6: both Hawk SAM's work; the Missile Boat and the Skyhawk planes don't.
Units that don't work, according to this die roll, can still be placed on the map and can
defend themselves normally. But they exert no ZOC and cannot move or attack in any way.
If one of your SAM batteries doesn't work, write down its map and hex number so you'll know
which one is good to go and which is out of commission.
While Player 2 is setting up, Player 1 must figure out his combat loadings.
Assign the units to the ships as follows:
- LHD gets all aircraft, unless you assign 1-2 helicopters to each of the other ships;
all LCAC's; all LAV's, artillery, 5-ton trucks, LVS trucks, the HERS, the ROWPU and
the Medical Team; 3 Rifle Platoons and a Heavy-Weapons Platoon; the Hmmwv/TOW's, Hmmwv/Auto's,
and Avengers; the Scout/Sniper and SEAL Teams.
- LPD can optionally take 1-2 helicopters, and must get the following: all 81mm Mortar
Teams, Javelin Teams, all the Recon Teams, three Rifle Platoons, one Heavy-Weapons
Platoon, one LCU, all F470 boats and FAV's, the Hmmwv/Cmd and the Hmmwv/Stingers.
- LSD can optionally take 1-2 helicopters, and must get the following: one LCU,
three Rifle Platoons, one Heavy-Weapons Platoon, the M1A1 tanks, and the AAV's.
- If you assign helicopters to the LPD or LSD, they must have their air-attack markers
(if any) stacked with them. You can't put extra air-attack markers on either ship;
your air units have to rearm on the LHD.
Now decide which land units will go ashore first, and how they'll get there.
See the Transport Table for details about each unit's transport ability, and the Units Table
for how many transport units a given combat unit requires.
(Transport units are a combination of weight and square footage.)
Thus, if you want to move a Rifle Platoon using CH-53E's, one helicopter will do the job.
To use CH-46E's or Zodiacs, you need to break the Rifle Platoon into three Squads, one Squad per carrying unit.
With AAV's, each can carry two Squads, so you can put two Squads in one AAV and one in a second
AAV, or you can send three AAV's with two Squads each; the six Squads can form two Platoons
once they're ashore. Place the appropriate Squads, if any, on the main grid of the
Combat Loading Sheet for the various ships, and put the unused Platoons in the
"Platoons Split Up Into Squads" section.
You cannot send Squads ashore unless you have a Platoon counter free for each three Squads.
Platoons that are destroyed cannot be reused. Only Rifle Platoons can be split up.
Once Player 2 has finished placing his counters, Player 1 puts his three ships on the map,
in deep water that is not adjacent to shallow water. The LSD cannot be more than 3 hexes away
from the LHD; the LPD can be any distance away.
Set the Turn counter on the Combat Loading Sheet to 1.
V. Playing the Game
Each turn represents half a day, and includes the following phases:
- Player-1 Launch Phase: player 1's ships can launch air and amphibious units, up to
the maximum launch capability of each ship. Any ship can launch up to 6 amphibious
and air units per turn, as long as they can find an empty hex adjacent to the ship.
Place the launched units next to the ship that launched them, with any carried units stacked
under them. If a ship is at the edge of the map, you can set the launched
units off the map, as though more hexes were there, as long as there are not more than six
launched units around each ship. Units off the map must move into an empty map hex
before making any other moves, and cannot end the turn off the map.
- Player-1 Recovery Phase: any of Player 1's air or amphibious units adjacent to a ship
can land on that ship, subject to the limits on how many units each ship can handle.
- Player-1 Movement Phase: Player 1 moves his units, according to their movement
limits and the terrain involved. Ships must move first, then other units in any order.
- Player-1 Combat Phase: resolve all combat by Player 1's units.
- Player 2 Guerrilla Phase: if Player 2 has lost any units, he can roll to try and
get a Guerrillas unit. Put it on the map at this time if the die roll succeeds.
- Player 2 Movement Phase: Player 2 moves his units, according to their movement
limits and the terrain involved, in any order.
- Player-2 Combat Phase: resolve all combat by Player 2's units.
- Turn Phase: advance the turn counter on the Combat Loading Sheet.
Determine if either player has won the game.
VI. Movement
VI-a. Basic Movement
A unit can move as many hexes as its Move rating, subject to terrain.
No unit has to move at any time. Units can pass through friendly units as they move.
The facing of the counters does not matter.
VI-b. Air Unit Movement
Air units can move anywhere on the map, ignoring terrain.
When a helicopter gunship or fixed-wing aircraft takes off, you must decide what kinds of
weapons it will carry. Depending on the aircraft, your choices may include anti-ground (soft
targets), anti-armor, or anti-air weapons. These Air-Attack Markers are stacked with the aircraft
as it moves, and are discarded each time the aircraft makes an attack of the appropriate type.
Once an air unit has used up its Air-Attack Markers, or has dropped off the unit it was
carrying, it must move back toward a ship or HERS (Player 1) or an Airstrip (Player 2).
It cannot attack or pick up another unit until it has returned to the ship, HERS, or Airstrip.
This represents the need for refueling and rearming.
Such a unit still defends itself at full strength if it gets attacked while in the air.
Air units can get new Air-Attack Markers at an LHD or Airstrip, but not at a HERS or other ships.
Exception: a unit that never moves more than 1 hex from its LHD or Airstrip
does not discard its Air-Attack Markers as it uses them. Such a unit can quickly land between
attacks and re-arm.
VI-c. Zones of Control
All units exercise a zone of control (ZOC) in the six hexes surrounding them.
If a unit moves next to an enemy unit that can attack it, that unit must stop moving,
no matter how many move units it may have.
For example, if an Infantry Platoon moves next to an AV-8B, it must stop, because the AV-8B can
attack a soft target (the Infantry can't tell if the AV-8B is loaded for ground or air attack).
But if the AV-8B moves next to the Infantry Platoon, it can keep moving, because the Platoon
can't attack an air target. A unit that starts a turn in an enemy unit's ZOC
cannot move into another hex in the same enemy's ZOC.
A camouflaged anti-air unit must give up its Camouflage in
order for its ZOC to stop a Player-1 aircraft from moving. Otherwise, the Player-1 air unit
can move right past the Player-2 unit as though it had no air attack, ignoring its ZOC.
Player 2 must say something like "Hold it" and remove the Camouflage marker while the Player-1
air unit is adjacent to the Player-2 air-attack unit in question.
VI-d. Stacking
Any unit moving on its own must end its move in an empty hex. The exceptions are:
- When a unit is carrying other units, the carried units are stacked under the carrying unit.
- Three Squads can move into the same hex so they can form a Platoon; see the section on
"Merging Squads into Platoons."
- A 5-Ton Truck can enter the hex of a friendly artillery piece (155mm, 75mm, or Hawk SAM)
to tow it; see the section on "Towing Artillery."
- Air units can stack without limit in a friendly Airstrip hex.
- A Player-1 small team can stack with a FAV and move with it.
- An Infantry Platoon can stack with a special-weapons unit.
This means Heavy-Weapons Platoons (both players), Javelin Teams (Player 1), Dragon Teams
(Player 2), and Stinger Teams (Player 2).
Such units can move together and attack normally, and can stack and unstack at will.
Only one Infantry Platoon and one weapons unit can be together in a hex.
VI-e. Amphibious Units
An amphibious unit moving from water to a Beach hex can begin moving on land at its normal
land-movement rate, minus 1 move if the amphibious unit moved in the water in the current turn.
When moving from Beach to water, the unit can move 1 unit in the water if it has at least 1
move unit left over from its land movement.
When moving from water to Open Land, the amphibious unit must move next to the land on one
turn and stop, move onto the land in the next turn and stop, and begin normal land
movement on the following turn. When going from Open Land to water, the unit must move next to
the water and stop in one turn, enter the water and stop on the next turn,
and move normally in water on the turn after that.
Town and Jungle hexes are considered Open Land for amphibious-movement purposes.
VI-f. Unloading Units
A unit that is carrying another unit can unload it at the end of the carrying unit's move.
Place the unloaded unit next to the unit that was carrying it.
The unloaded unit can take part in combat immediately, but cannot move until the next turn.
Helicopters cannot unload units onto anything except ships and empty map hexes.
An amphibious unit in water cannot unload land units; it must get onto the land first.
VI-g. Loading Units
A unit that wishes to be carried by another unit must move into the carrying unit's hex,
or the carrying unit can move into the carried unit's hex.
The carrying unit must have room in itself for the carried unit.
See the Transport Table for how many transport units a given unit can carry, and the Units Table
for how many units a carried unit takes up.
Place the carried unit's counter under the carrying unit.
The carried unit cannot take part in combat in the current turn, and the carrying unit cannot
move until next turn. Helicopters cannot load units from anywhere except ships and map hexes.
An amphibious unit in water cannot load land units; it must get onto the land first.
Compound loading (carrying a unit that is itself carrying a unit) is allowed.
When compound loading, figure only the transport units of the unit being carried, not for the
units inside that unit. In other words, if you put two Squads in an AAV, and then load the AAV
into an LCAC (maximum transport = 8), you aren't over the LCAC's limit because you're only
counting the 7 transport units of the AAV, not the 2 units used by the 2 Squads.
Firing from LCU's and LCAC's
Most units carried in an LCU or LCAC can fire their weapons while carried,
as long as they weren't loaded in the current turn. Units that cannot fire while carried are
Heavy-Weapons Platoons, Mortar Teams, and 155mm howitzers.
Javelin Teams, TOW-missile units, and antiair units can't fire from within an LCAC.
VI-h. Squads
Squads are the building-blocks of Rifle Platoons, but they aren't meant to be in battle by
themselves. A Squad can move at will, and defend itself normally.
But unless a Marine command unit is within three hexes of a Squad, the Squad cannot attack.
[This is not a realistic depiction of a USMC squad; it's a game-related decision to keep
Player 1 from flooding the map with individual squads and winning by sheer numbers.]
VI-i. Merging Squads Into Platoons
If three Squads end their turn in the same hex, you can immediately replace them
with one Rifle Platoon, as long as you have such a Platoon counter free.
The newly-formed Platoon cannot move in this turn, but can attack and defend normally.
Any three Squads can merge; they don't have to be from the same Platoon,
although it's better for morale and unit efficiency if they are.
VI-j. Splitting Up Platoons
You can split a Rifle Platoon into three Squads once it is ashore if you wish.
Two of the three Squads must move into adjacent empty hexes, or into the hexes of units
that can carry them, and cannot move closer to any of Player 2's units as they do so
(unless the Platoon is surrounded).
Such Squads cannot move any further by themselves during the current turn.
VI-k. Towing Artillery
Artillery units cannot move by themselves. A CH-53E can pick them up and move them, but the
usual way (and Player 2's only way) is by truck.
Move the truck into the artillery piece's hex, stacking it on top of the artillery.
The truck's move is done for this turn, and the artillery cannot attack in this turn.
On the next turn, the truck can move with the artillery piece, but it loses one
move unit for hitching up the gun, loading the ammo, etc. On subsequent turns,
the truck can move at its full speed. Artillery cannot fire while being towed.
Player 2 must stack 2 trucks with a Hawk SAM battery in order to move it, since the battery
actually consists of 2 main units, the missile launcher and the radar trailer.
To unload the artillery, move into the desired hex.
The gun cannot fire in this turn, and the truck's move is done.
On the next turn, the truck can move freely, and the artillery can fire normally.
VI-l. "?" Camouflaged Units
Player 2 can hide some of his units under camouflage.
Player 1 can see that something is there, but can't tell what it is.
If a camouflaged unit moves, it loses the "?" marker, but it can attack without losing it.
Units in Jungle hexes can move without losing their Camouflage, as long as they stay in Jungle.
If a Player-1 unit ends its move next to a camouflaged unit,
the unit has been scouted and the "?" marker must be removed.
If the camouflaged unit is in a Jungle hex, only a Recon Team, Scout/Sniper Team,
or the SEAL team can scout it.
Attacking a camouflaged unit does not remove its camouflage, unless it is forced to retreat.
Note that an anti-air unit that is Camouflaged does not exert a zone of control over enemy air
units, but such an anti-air unit can drop its Camouflage when an enemy air unit is next to it.
If you wish, once a unit has been scouted, you can put the "?" marker on some other unit.
Player 1 will already have seen what it is, but now he'll have to remember it, which will make
his job more difficult. The newly-camouflaged unit cannot be adjacent to any Player-1 unit.
VI-m. Guerrillas
Player 2 can create Guerrilla units on any turn after he loses his first unit(s).
During the Player-2 Guerrilla Phase, if he rolls 4 or higher on a die, he can place one
Guerrillas counter anywhere on the map, as long as it is not next to a Player-1 unit.
If Player 1 has a ROWPU next to any town hex, he is winning the hearts and minds
of the population, and Player 2 must roll a 6 (not 4 or higher) to form Guerrillas.
For Player 1 to attack Guerrillas, he must first roll 5-6 on a die. If the die roll fails,
the Guerrillas have blended into the population and can't be attacked. If a Guerrillas unit is
destroyed, its counter can be reused to form another Guerrillas unit.
VI-n. HERS Refuel
To use the HERS, you must bring it ashore in a CH-53E, which must land in open terrain
or a beach and stay with the HERS. An air unit that ends its move next to the CH-53E does not
need to return to a ship to refuel, but can begin another mission starting on the next turn.
You get six Refuel markers; discard one each time an air unit refuels.
When the Refuel counters are gone, the HERS has run dry and nothing can refuel from it.
To refill it, either bring an LVS truck from a ship to a hex next to the HERS (3 Refuel markers
per truck), or the CH-53E must return to a ship and end its turn there for all 6 Refuels.
If you want to use M1A1 tanks, you must have a HERS,
and you must keep an LVS truck next to the CH-53E to represent tank-refueling missions.
It doesn't actually have to move to where the tanks are, and the tanks don't have to come to the
HERS the way air units do. Keeping 1-2 M1A1's running for one turn uses one Refuel marker,
which is discarded at the start of the movement phase.
If these conditions aren't met, the tanks can't move that turn,
but can still attack and defend normally. The tanks can land and move normally for one turn
without refuelling, because they hit the beach with full gas tanks.
Because the HERS is basically a set of large gasoline tanks,
the explosion from destroying it (or the CH-53E carrying it) can damage nearby units;
all adjacent soft and air units (friend or foe) suffer an attack with combat odds of 2.
VI-o. Medical Team
If Player 1's Medical Team sets up shop in a town hex, they will profoundly influence the
hearts and minds of the locals, to the point where some of the fighters will stop fighting.
At the end of the Player-1 movement phase, roll a die. If it comes up 5-6, the closest Player-2
Militia unit to the Medical Team will lay down its arms; remove that unit from the game as
though it was destroyed. If two Militias are equally close, Player 2 chooses which one quits.
VI-p. Capturing an Airstrip
If Player 1 captures an Airstrip (a Marine land unit ends a turn in it,
with no Player-2 land units next to it), then he can use it to refuel his air units immediately,
and as soon as he brings an empty CH-53E to it, he can rearm air units there as well.
The land unit does not have to stay in the Airstrip once it has been captured.
Rules for stacking air units in an Airstrip are the same for Player 1 as for Player 2.
Player 2 can recapture an Airstrip by bringing a land unit to it, with no Marine land units
next to it. Now the Airstrip belongs to Player 2 again, working like it always did.
If Player 1 recaptures it, he has to repeat the whole process.
VI-q. Debris
Player 2 can place Debris markers in any land hex except roads or bridges while he is placing
his other units during game set-up, or any of his Infantry Platoons can leave a Debris marker
in the hex it has just left. Debris markers cannot be moved or reused.
They can serve as beach obstacles, roadblocks, or anything similar.
No vehicle can enter a hex with Debris. Player 1's foot units that enter such a hex risk
setting off the booby traps that Player 2 left in the debris. If Player 1 moves a unit into
a Debris hex and rolls a 1-2, that unit suffers an attack at combat odds of 2, ignoring any
result that does not affect the defender.
Debris in an Airstrip hex means aircraft cannot use that airstrip.
Player 1's Engineers can enter a Debris hex at no risk of a booby-trap attack, and they
remove the Debris if they spend an entire turn in that hex without attacking or being attacked.
The SEAL Team can also enter a Debris hex at no risk, and while they cannot remove Debris,
they can disarm the traps and render the hex safe for foot units
if they spend the entire turn in that hex.
Player 2's units will never set off the traps, and any Player-2 Infantry or Militia unit
can remove the Debris by meeting the same conditions as Player 1's Engineers.
Debris on a bridge means the bridge is wrecked, and it will take Player 1's
Engineers two entire turns, not one, to remove the Debris and fix the bridge.
VII. Combat
VII-a. Basic Rules
- Any unit with enemy units in range can take part in combat, but is not required to do so.
- Multiple units can attack a single foe
- A strong unit can spread its attack among several defenders,
as long as the defender(s) are adjacent to each other and in range of the attacker.
- A unit can attack an enemy unit only if the attacking unit has a non-zero Attack rating
for the kind of unit being attacked. In other words, a unit with an Attack rating of 0 for
air targets cannot attack an air unit.
- A unit carried by another unit cannot be attacked; only the carrying unit(s) can be attacked.
VII-b. Resolving Combat
First, if a particular unit (like Guerrillas or a unit in Jungle)
is hard to hit, make the die roll to see if your unit can attack that target.
If this die roll fails, the attacker cannot try to hit a different target in this turn.
Add up the Attack ratings for each unit attacking a particular enemy unit.
If the total Attack rating is greater than the defending unit's Defend rating, then divide
the total Attack rating by the Defend rating, dropping any fractions.
If the Defend rating is equal to or greater than the total Attack rating, then divide the
Defend rating by the total Attack rating, drop any fractions, and make the result a
negative number. This result is called the combat odds.
Now modify the combat odds, if any modification is required for terrain or other situations.
Roll one die, modify that roll if needed,
and find the number you rolled in the appropriate column of the Combat Results Table.
This tells you how the combat occurred, as follows:
- A X means the attacking units are destroyed.
- A R2 means the attackers must retreat 2 hexes away from the defender. If they cannot
do this because every possible retreat leaves the attacker off the map, in an occupied hex, or
in a hex the attacker can't enter, the attacker is destroyed.
- A R1 means the attackers must retreat 1 hex. Follow the same rules as for "A R2."
- n/r means no result. The battle rages, but nothing has changed on the map.
- D R1 means the defender must retreat 1 hex. Follow the same rules as for "A R2."
- D R2 means the defender must retreat 2 hexes. Follow the same rules as for "A R2."
- D X means the defender is destroyed.
If a unit has a Defend rating of 0, it is always destroyed if combat occurs.
If a unit's move is 0 and it is not being moved by another unit,
a result of "Defender retreat 2" becomes "Defender destroyed."
VII-c. Air Unit Attacks
Air units must take off from the LHD or Airstrip stacked with one or more Air-Attack Markers.
The Air-Attack Table tells how many of each type an air unit can carry.
These Air-Attack Markers determine what kinds of attacks the air unit can make.
Each combat phase, an air unit can use one or more Air-Attack Markers, which are then discarded,
or make a ground attack on a soft or air target, using its cannon or machine guns.
If you use an Air-Attack Marker, the three digits on top tell you how strong the attack is,
just like the three-digit Attack rating on unit counters.
When the air unit runs out of Air-Attack Markers, it cannot attack again at all
until it returns to the LHD/Airstrip and picks up another load of Markers.
Air-Attack Markers are reusable. When attacking with markers, treat as "no result"
any combat result that destroys the attacker or makes him retreat.
An air unit can use more than one Air-Attack Marker in a single combat, as long as all
markers used are the same type, and as long as they are aimed at the same target or at
targets that are adjacent to each other and to the attacking unit.
Thus, a plane with an Air marker and two Ground markers could use both Ground markers at once,
but could not use the Air marker in the same turn.
Example: Player 2's UH-1B has one Ground-type Air-Attack Marker.
On its first turn in the air, it attacks a Hmmwv/Auto, using its machine guns;
the combat odds are 1, because the UH-1B's normal Attack strength is 1 and the Hmmwv's
Defend is also 1. On its next turn, it attacks another Hmmwv, using its Air-Attack Marker,
which has a strength of 2 against a ground target; against the Hmmwv's Defend rating of 1,
this gives combat odds of 2. Now the UH-1B is out of Air-Attack Markers, so it must return
to an Airstrip; even its machine guns are assumed to be out of ammunition.
As long as it had at least one Air-Attack Marker left, it could have shot its machine guns
without limit.
Ships can be attacked with Ground markers at full marker strength,
or by Armor markers at half the marker's attack strength.
The "SSM Atk" marker for Player 2's Missile Boat works the same way, except that it is not
reusable.
VII-d. Attacking Different-Type Units
When a unit attacks a unit of differing type (such as an Air unit attacking a Land unit),
and if the defender cannot attack the attacker,
the attacker ignores any result of "Attacker Retreat" or "Attacker Destroyed."
Armored land units observe the same rule when attacking soft targets that have no attack
against armor. Amphibious units are considered land or water units,
depending on what kind of hex they're in when attacked.
VII-e. Attacking a Unit Carrying Other Units
If a unit that is carrying other units is destroyed, the unit(s) it is carrying are also
destroyed.
VII-f. Attacking Ships
Player 1's ships and Player 2's boats are considered soft targets.
If a ship is destroyed or forced to retreat off the map, all units on board are destroyed.
Player 1 is allowed to position Hmmvw/Stinger or Avenger units on his ships so they can shoot
at attacking aircraft, if those units are aboard the ship. Each unit so positioned reduces
the number of aircraft or landing craft that can leave or enter the ship that turn by one.
VII-g. Attacking Air Units In the Air
Aerial combat and surface-to-air combat works like a normal attack. If the defending air unit
is carrying any Ground or Armor air-attack markers, add 1 to the die roll for each such
marker; this simulates how hard it is to dodge and evade with a load of bombs.
(Air markers are light and streamlined enough to not handicap the air unit's performance.)
When the attack is announced, the defender can jettison one marker to try to improve his
aircraft's odds. Such a marker is lost and does no harm to the enemy, even if a valid target
is within range.
VII-h. Attacking Air Units On the Ground
If a Player-2 air unit is in an Airstrip hex, or if a Player-1 air unit is next to a
functioning HERS and is out of Air-Attack Markers and isn't carrying another unit,
that air unit is considered to be on the ground.
Air units on the ground are considered soft land units and cannot attack.
When attacking them, adjust the combat odds by +2, and treat results of "Defender Retreat"
as "Defender Destroyed." If multiple air units are stacked in an Airstrip hex, you can attack
only the top unit in the stack.
VII-i. Land Units Attacking Ships
Land units can attack ships if the ship is close enough. Resolve combat normally.
VII-j. Long-Range Attack
When units attack an enemy unit 2-3 hexes away, the attacker ignores any "Attacker
Retreat" or "Attacker Destroyed" result.
If the enemy is in an adjacent hex, and if the attacker is an artillery unit,
a result of "Attacker Retreat" means the artillery unit is destroyed.
Artillery Spotting: If an Artillery unit attacks an enemy unit that has a friendly
Recon Team, Scout/Sniper Team, SEAL Team or Guerrillas next to it,
modify the attack die roll by +1.
VII-j. SEAL Team Special Attack
Normally, a SEAL team has an attack of 0, and cannot attack anything. But once per game,
they can use their skill with explosives to launch one of the following attacks:
- Attack one adjacent Heavy-Weapons Platoon, [weapon] Team, Jeep,
or Artillery unit with combat odds of 4.
- Attack one adjacent tank or APC with combat odds of 3.
- Attack one adjacent Guerrillas unit, whether you roll a 5-6 or not, at combat odds of 2.
- Attack each air unit in one adjacent Airstrip hex with combat odds of 1,
subject to the special rules for "Attacking Air Units On the Ground."
Resolve the attacks for every air unit, even if the SEALs retreat.
Results of "Attacker destroyed" become "n/r" for this attack.
The SEALs must be on land to do this. Once they have made one of these attacks,
they can't attack anything else for the rest of the game.
VII-k. Replacements
The only unit counters that can be reused after they are destroyed are Player 2's Guerrillas.
All other units, once destroyed, are gone for good.
Air-Attack Markers, "?" markers and Refuel markers can be reused at will.
VII-l. Attacking the Medical Team
Because the Medical Team has a defense of zero, combat against them would always destroy them.
But these are doctors, and even the Unnarstan rebels respect the Geneva Convention.
Any attack on the Medical Team always gives a combat result of "Defender Retreat 1," unless the
Medical Team has no place to go, or unless the attackers include Guerrillas.
In those cases, the Medical Team is kidnapped, not killed, but they are still removed from
the game.
VII-m. Attacking Stacked Units
When attacking land units that are stacked together, use the highest Defend rating of all the
stacked units; don't add them up.
If stacked units get a "Retreat" combat result, they must retreat together.
If attacker or defender are destroyed, only the unit(s) in the stack that took part in the
attack are affected. That is, if Player 2 stacks a Stinger Team with a Platoon, and the
Platoon attacks a Marine Platoon and gets an "Attacker destroyed" result, the infantry
are destroyed but the Stinger Team is not affected.
VII-n. Repelling Attacks Against Amphibious Landings
If Player 1 brings an amphibious unit from water onto a land hex that has Player-2 land units
next to it, or if a just-landed Player-1 amphibious unit unloads a unit into a hex with Player-2
land units next to it, those Player-2 units can attack the Player-1 unit immediately, even
though it is still the Player-1 movement phase. This is called a repelling attack.
With a repelling attack, results of "Defender retreat 1" force the Player-1 unit back into
the water (if landing) or back into the unit that unloaded it (if unloading).
Results of "Defender retreat 2" are treated as "Defender destroyed."
Long-range units like artillery cannot make repelling attacks unless the Player-1 unit is
next to them. A unit must make its repelling attack as soon as the Player-1 unit moves next to
it; if it waits until Player 1 moves another unit, the chance for a repelling attack is lost,
although that unit could make a repelling attack on another Player-1 unit that moved next to it.
Each Player-2 unit can make only one repelling attack per turn; this has no impact on that
unit's movement and attacks during Player 2's portion of the turn.
VIII. Victory
Player 1 has thirty turns (fifteen days) to bring the Unnarstan government to the capital city
in the center of the map. This means that, at the end of a turn, Player 1 has at
least one land unit and two UH-1N helicopters in the city,
and none of Player 2's units are in or next to the city.
If Player 1 achieves this, he wins; otherwise, the Marines' supplies have run out,
they must return to their ships, and Player 2 wins.
IX. Game Tables
Player 1 Units |
Unit | Qty | Type | Attack | Atk Range | Defend | Move | Trans Space |
Rifle Platoon | 9 | Land | 2/0/0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Squad | 9x3 | Land | 1/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Recon Team | 3 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Scout/Sniper Team | 1 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
SEAL Team | 1 | Amphib | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 1/1 | 1 |
Engineers | 1 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Heavy Weapons Platoon | 3 | Land | 2/1/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
81mm Mortar Team | 2 | Land | 2/0/0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Javelin Team | 3 | Land | 0/2/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Hmmwv/TOW | 4 | Land | 0/2/0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Hmmwv/Auto | 4 | Land | 1/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Hmmwv/Cmd | 1 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Hmmwv/Stinger | 3 | Land | 0/0/1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Avenger | 2 | Land | 0/0/2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
FAV | 3 | Land | 1/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
LAV-25 | 4 | Amphib | 2/1/0 | 1 | 1A | 3/1 | 4 |
LAV-AT | 2 | Amphib | 1/2/0 | 1 | 1A | 3/1 | 4 |
155mm Howitzer | 6 | Land | 3/0/0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
AAV | 12 | Amphib | 1/0/0 | 1 | 2A | 2/1 | 7 |
AAV/Cmd | 1 | Amphib | 0/0/0 | 1 | 2A | 2/1 | 7 |
M1A1 | 4 | Land | 1/3/0 | 1 | 3A | 3 | 8 |
5-ton Truck | 8 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
LVS Truck | 3 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
HERS Refuel | 1 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
ROWPU | 1 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Medical Team | 1 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
F470 Zodiac | 6 | Water | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
LCU | 2 | Water | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1A | 2 | - |
LCAC | 3 | Amphib | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 3/3 | - |
CH46E Helicopter | 12 | Air | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - |
CH53E Helicopter | 8 | Air | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | - |
AH-1W Helicopter | 8 | Air | varies | 1 | 1 | 6 | - |
AV-8B Harrier | 6 | Air | varies | 1 | 2 | 8 | - |
UH-1N Helicopter | 3 | Air | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - |
LHD | 1 | Ship | 0/0/2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | - |
LPD | 1 | Ship | 0/0/1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - |
LSD | 1 | Ship | 0/0/1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - |
Player 2 Units |
Unit | Qty | Type | Attack | Atk Range | Defend | Move |
Infantry Platoon | 9 | Land | 2/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Militia | 4 | Land | 1/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Guerrillas | 4 | Land | 1/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Heavy Weapons Platoon | 3 | Land | 2/1/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Dragon Team | 4 | Land | 0/2/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Mortar Team | 4 | Land | 2/0/0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Stinger Team | 6 | Land | 0/0/1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Jeep/auto | 4 | Land | 1/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Jeep/RCR | 4 | Land | 1/2/0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Jeep/TOW | 4 | Land | 0/2/0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
M113 APC | 4 | Land | 1/0/0 | 1 | 2A | 3 |
M48 Tank | 4 | Land | 1/2/0 | 1 | 2A | 2 |
75mm Howitzer | 4 | Land | 2/0/0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Hawk SAM | 2 | Land | 0/0/2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
5-ton Truck | 6 | Land | 0/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
UH-1B Helicopter | 4 | Air | varies | 1 | 1 | 6 |
F-5A Jet | 4 | Air | varies | 1 | 1 | 10 |
A-4 Jet | 2 | Air | varies | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Missile Boat | 1 | Water | 1/0/1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Patrol Boat | 2 | Water | 1/0/0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
- The three numbers for "Attack" are anti-soft targets, anti-hard targets, and anti-air.
- In "Defend," an "A" means an armored target.
- If two numbers are given in "Move," the first is for land movement and the second is for
water movement. All other move limits are for the unit's normal medium of movement (land for
land units, air for air units, water for ships).
Transport Table | - |
Air/SSM-Attack Table |
Unit | Trans Capacity | | Air Unit | Air-Attack Markers |
AAV | 2 (men only) | | AH-1W | 4 any kind, in pairs |
LAV-25 | 1 (men only) | | AV-8B | 1 Air, 1 Ground, 1 Air or Ground |
5-Ton Truck | 1 | | UH-1B | 1 Ground, 1 Ground or Armor |
F470 Zodiac | 1 (small team) | | F-5A | 1 Air, 1 Air or Ground |
FAV | 1 (small team) | | A-4 | 2 Ground, 1 Air or Ground |
LCU | 18 | | Sea Unit | SSM-Attack Markers |
LCAC | 8 | | Missile Boat | 1 Ship (not reuseable) |
CH-46E | 1 |
CH-53E | 4 or 1 Platoon |
|
"In pairs" means you can have two of
one kind of marker and two of another, or four of one kind. |
UH-1N | 1 (small team) |
Combat Results Table |
Combat Odds | < -3 | -3 | -2 | -1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | > 5 |
Die Roll | -1- | A X | A X | A X | A X | A X | A R2 | A R1 | n/r | D R1 | D R2 |
-2- | A X | A X | A X | A X | A R2 | A R1 | n/r | D R1 | D R2 | D X |
-3- | A X | A X | A X | A R2 | A R1 | n/r | D R1 | D R2 | D X | D X |
-4- | A X | A X | A R2 | A R1 | n/r | D R1 | D R2 | D X | D X | D X |
-5- | A X | A R2 | A R1 | n/r | D R1 | D R2 | D X | D X | D X | D X |
-6- | A R2 | A R1 | n/r | D R1 | D R2 | D X | D X | D X | D X | D X |
X. Designer's Notes
When I started reading about the different kinds of equipment an MEU takes into battle, I was
intrigued. Would it be possible to write a game that encompasses all that fascinating stuff,
without getting bogged down in rules so minutely detailed that it would take an hour to play
one turn? This is far from my first game, but it's definitely the most complex (so far).
As always, my overall goal was fast-moving fun, not hair-splitting reality.
I also wanted to give the players the chance to control a great variety of weapons,
but not at the expense of the traditional Marine emphasis on the rifleman.
I did this by reducing the number of vehicle units on the Marine side --
for example, a real MEU has twice as many many LAV's and HMMWV's as I've provided.
Naturally, I wanted the game to be balanced so either player had a fair chance to win.
Rather than give each player identical weapons and set-ups, I gave the Marine player harder
victory conditions to offset his advantages in numbers and power.
The very nature of the Marines' task, unloading a few units at a time from his ships with
limited transportation, also makes the MEU's mission tougher.
On the other hand, the forces of Unnarstan can't concentrate in advance to repel the invasion
because they don't know where on the map the Marines will strike, so they must by necessity
scatter their forces. I think these are very realistic conditions.
To keep the rules from overwhelming the paper trays of most printers, I've taken some
shortcuts. Supply lines and mine fields just don't exist.
Fuel is an issue only for the Abrams tanks, and that was just a way to keep them from
dominating everything. Likewise, the Air-Attack Markers let air power
make a contribution without becoming the focus of the battle.
Other common gaming concepts, like command influence and hidden movement, get very simple and
limited rules. The emphasis is on the clash of arms, the variety of units, and whether the
Marines can get ashore faster than the rebels can mass to repel them.
Mike Fischer
mfischer@death.to.spam@naisp.net