Kawaguchi's Gamble PTO (id:#63915)
(ASL Starter Kit #4 ID: S64)   [next]   [previous]
Near Henderson Field, Guadalcanal 1942-09-13 ()
Designer: Ken Dunn
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
JapaneseAmerican (USMC)
47.058823529412%

Overview:

Colonel Merritt Edson's command, a composite battalion made up of U.S.M.C. Raiders and Paramarines, had just been ordered to occupy a "quiet area", an unnamed ridge overlooking the all-important Henderson Airfield. Much depleted from past operations, they were moved to give them a rest. The Japanese, however, had organized a series of complicated maneuvers designed to surprise the American defenders and to reach a point adjacent to the ridge through which they planned to assault the American lines and break through to Henderson Field -- the key to maintaining control of Guadalcanal. General Kawaguchi's gamble gained him an element of surprise, allowing him to bring 3,000 soldiers against the 800 Marines occupying the ridge. But these Marines were some of the best and toughest on the island and were determined not to retreat.
Attacker: Japanese (1st Battalion, 124th Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 4th Regiment)
Defender: American (USMC) (Raider Battalion and Paramarine Battalion)  
5.5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: None     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:13.0 D:8.0
AFVs: A:0
AFVs: D:0
Guns: A:0 D:1
M1A2 37mm AA Gun

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: PTO.
Overlays: NONE
Errata (source)
Players wanting to play this game/Request a match:

Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentBal.ResultTimeComments
2024-05-04(A) Ilyas Jalisi vs Anonymous Japanese winFirst time introducing the game to two new players who each took half of the USMC force. The game was an absolute blast with the advantage going back and forth between both sides as CCs were resolved in both players favours and rout paths were cut, reopened, then cut again.

The game ended on turn 4 with the USMC, with only 1 good order squad left on the hill itself, conceding defeat. It was still very close and, given the wounded and reduced disposition of the remaining Japanese forces, it is possible the USMC could have come out on top with one more turn played...
2023-12-10(A) Klara Kundzicz vs Benjamin Steinberg Draw

(VASL Log)		First time in PTO, I played as the Japanese, i thought i could score a win but a Gun eliminated my last leader and we agreed on a tie. Declared Banzai once and lost most of my units with it, ill say its quite an ok tactic but you have to know what you are doing because i dont!
2023-06-24(A) Bob McKenna vs Lou Padilla American (USMC) winAmerican take two BANZAI charges, lose AA gun, but hold the ridge. Close combat and hand to hand settled the day. So close, but so far for the IJA
2022-12-22(D) Jack Wilson vs Bob T. American (USMC) winBob and I have decided to play through the SK4 pack. This was the first time for him on this scenario. I had an advantage as I've played it three times now and, of course, picked up a few things with my three previous losses.

I got lucky on the 2nd Japanese turn when I KIA'd the 10-1 leader and one MMC. Bob rebounded to launch a strong effort in the middle, augmented with two bloody Banzai attacks.

It looked like it was going to come down to a last turn CC fest, but the Americans were able to keep their AA gun hidden on a level one hill and thus seal the victory.

A fun scenario that gives the player new to PTO a crash course in concealment, dense jungle, the peculiar Japanese abilities (especially the HtH CC!) and, yes, Banzai. This devious tactic is something the American player must always be alert to.

I see that according to ROAR, and the Archive, the scenario is tilted toward the Americans. Perhaps. But I think the Japanese have excellent chances.

One minor quibble I would have with the design (beside the quirky out-of-the-blue DR SSR 2 & 3 allow) is the VC condition that encourages the American player NOT to use his powerful AA gun, and therefore put it jeopardy of capture and destruction, at least early on. Losing the gun means he now has to have two MMC survive the carnage. However, it might be worth considering putting it on the front line where it might be able to reap sufficient carnage early before succumbing to the inevitable.

A personal milestone for me: after playing exclusively solo for nearly 2 years this was my 50th live scenario this year.
2022-11-16(D) Jack Wilson vs Ken Walsh Japanese winSecond time in three days playing this one, only now as Americans. Game ended on American turn 5 when my last MMC got pinned in the MPh. Even if it had survived, I would have had to win two Hail Mary CCs to pull off a win on the last turn.

Love the scenario for play balance, but I am not a fan of the quirky SSR that potentially can cause perfectly healthy and concealed Marine MMCs to suddenly break and lose concealment without the Japanese having to fire a shot.

Nevertheless, I made several tactical errors (which Ken capitalized on) which did not help the American cause,

Well-played game on Ken's part.
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ActionDate
Sampato Added a playing2024-05-10 09:23:36
Klara Added a playing2023-12-09 23:23:40
BobMcKenna1966 Added a playing2023-06-24 20:38:20
Jwil2020 Added a playing2022-12-23 21:16:05
TiltingAtCthulhu Modified the gps location2022-12-21 11:13:10
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Statistics:
Avg Rating: 7.76Votes: 42
Views: 8277
To-Play list count: 2
Estimated Play time: 2.8 hours
Recorded Games: 29
Archive recorded plays:
Japanese11
American (USMC)16
Drawn:2

ROAR Data: (as of today)
Kawaguchi's Gamble [Confirmed]
[A] American 13
[D] Japanese 11
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