The game is a blend of operational/tactical level combat and maneuver during the retaking of the islands of Saipan and Tinian from the Japanese during the Second World War. The game is played in turns, each one divided into phases for amphibious landing, maneuver, and combat. The game system uses many of the seven Battlefield Operating Systems (BOS) to simulate actual combat and maneuver that both the US and Japanese players must use to fight the battle. Of the seven BOS's, this simulation concentrates on Maneuver, Fire Support, Mobility and Survivability, Air Defense, and Command and Control. The Japanese defenses are sophisticated and well manned with fanatical soldiers willing to die for their emperor. They fight so hard in fact that an army general is sacked because of the toughness of the Japanese defenses. The fight is bloody and sharp. Victory in the game is measured against the time and casualties it took the US forces to actually accomplish the same mission.

The game features US Marine Corps, US Army, US Navy, and Imperial Japanese forces at the Battalion, Company, and Platoon level. Units are initially setup as Battalions and Companies, and can be broken down into their respective elements. The combat system utilizes a set of combat multipliers that players must use correctly to have the best effect. The Japanese player has the ability to conduct Banzai attacks at night and these cause considerable damage as the US player cannot fall back in front of these attacks and must take casualties.

The are a number of scenarios that simulate the The Recapture of Saipan, The Recapture of Tinian, Death Valley, and possibly others. There will be numerous options that can be used to even play between players and make the fight more interesting. These include additional Japanese forces that could have been there if they were not sunk by US submarines, and having more artillery available for the main battle in lieu of having shore batteries.

Key Features

4 11"x17" game maps of Saipan and Tinian
BOS representations (level of fidelity)
Maneuver (Medium)
Fire Support (Medium)
Air Defense (Low)
Mobility and Survivability (Medium)
Combat Service Support (Low)
Intelligence (Low)
Command and Control (Medium)
Approximately 900 unit counters and markers
Unit breakdowns (virtually all of them)
Easy to learn and play

Pacific Islands Campaign: Saipan/Tinian

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