Post by Registrar on Apr 29, 2014 13:02:17 GMT 8
I am not into wargames, but am nonetheless happy to announce that Legion Wargames are about to issue two full games based around Corregidor - Fall of a Fortress -1942 and Retaking the Rock -1945.
Corregidor: Fall of a Fortress 1942/1945, includes two games. The first game recreates the Japanese bombardment and invasion in 1942 and the second simulates the American airborne invasion and re-conquest in 1945.
John Heim, the author of the game, tells me he's close to having a new playtest map, and has the counters (unit pieces) near done as well. The simulation will go into blind testing over the summer and maybe into the fall, so he expects printing late this year or early next.
Interested parties may look into the project further and, if interested, pre-order a copy at a 27% discount.
John has supplied three links:
www.legionwargames.com/legion_corregidor.html
talk.consimworld.com/WebX/.1dd3a8ff/347
talk.consimworld.com/WebX/.1dd3a0e6/9535
talk.consimworld.com/WebX/.1dd3a8ff/347
talk.consimworld.com/WebX/.1dd3a0e6/9535
Corregidor Historic Society has cooperated with John, and wishes him well. No commercial relationship exists between CHS and Legion Wargames. We do this simply as part of our role to promote and encourage the study of history.
Registrar
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EXTENDED GAME DESCRIPTION:
CORREGIDOR is played in successive game turns composed of alternate player turns during which the phasing player maneuvers his units and resolves combat in sequence. Turns consist of the Administrative Phases (reinforcement arrival, disruption removal, Fired marker removal), the Air Attack Phase (which includes airborne assault), first Player Turn (AA fire, bombardment, invasion, ground movement, and combat), and then the second Player Turn.
Some detail features of the game are tracking Japanese landing craft losses, American communications disruption, U.S. air and naval support points, unit disruption levels, and which artillery units have fired.
The six hexes adjacent to an undisrupted land unit constitute that units Zone of Control. Disrupted land units DO NOT have ZOCs, and therefore judicious use of support to disrupt enemy units allows the attacker to infiltrate through weak positions and to launch flanking attacks against defending units. This is critical because defending units are doubled and sometimes tripled by the rugged terrain and the unique features on the maps, such as rough terrain, cliffs, elevation changes, tunnels, towns, and coast defense artillery emplacements.
In the 1942 scenarios, there is a cat-and-mouse game which develops between the Japanese artillery and air units versus the American artillery and anti-aircraft defenses. Aircraft need to designate the altitude at which they conduct bombing the lower the attack level the more accurate the bombing, but also the more accurate the AA fire. Similarly, artillery which fires is more vulnerable to counter-battery fire and so making a bombardment attack must be weighed against the possibility of return fire.
In 1945, in addition to banzai options, the Japanese have the option to make suicide demolitions, which destroy the attacking unit but also damage adjacent units. There is a mechanism to occasionally compel such attacks, which not only forces some historicity but it also models the uncoordinated local Japanese command structure in 1945.
Some optional rules included:
Spike Rule - U.S. Batteries must be spiked when Japanese units come within two hexes to prevent them from being captured in usable condition. They may not be voluntarily destroyed until after a Japanese unit has landed on their island. Flip the battery over after the following U.S. Bombardment Phase. The unit may then move and fight normally.
Restored Batteries - Roll one die on the turn of the American invasion in 1945 for the surviving former U.S. batteries:
1 - Battery may fire normally.
2 - Battery sabotaged by POWs, gun crew fights as infantry.
3-6 - Battery was never manned; remove from map.
Additional U.S. Batteries - Three 240mm howitzer batteries which were to be installed in 1922 actually arrive. One battery is deployed anywhere on Fort Frank, one on Fort Hughes, and one on Fort Mills (Corregidor).
Philippine Division Transferred - The 31st, 45th, and 57th Regiments are transferred to Corregidor prior to the fall of Bataan. Add them to the available U.S. forces in Scenario 11.1. Due to the effects of fighting on Bataan, plus short rations and disease, these units are deployed at reduced strength. As an additional option, they may be deployed at full strength to simulate these units being in better condition historically.
Itagaki Rule - Japanese defense commander Capt. Itagaki did not believe an airborne assault could be made on Corregidor. He was killed on Topside during the initial paradrop, while waiting to observe the amphibious assault for which he had prepared. Additionally, his central communications station was overrun very quickly by the paratroops. In this rule, he is killed and no Japanese unit may move until the first night turn.