TUTORIAL DOCUMENT Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 GAME OBJECTIVE 3.0 UNIT INFORMATION 4.0 CORE TURN BREAKDOWN 5.0 TURN DETAILS 5.1 AMERICAN MOVEMENT 5.2 US COMBAT 5.3 US MOBILE MOVEMENT 5.4 US MOBILE COMBAT 5.5 JAPANESE MOVEMENT 5.6 JAPANESE COMBAT 5.7 ADMINISTRATIVE 6.0 MOVEMENT DETAILS 6.1 SPECIAL CONDITIONS 6.2 ZONE OF CONTROL 7.0 COMBAT DETAILS 7.1 BOMBARDMENT 7.2 REGULAR COMBAT 8.0 COMBAT RESOLUTION TABLES 9.0 ADDITIONAL RULES & SYSTEMS 9.1 RESERVE UNITS 9.2 MOUNT SURIBACHI 9.3 STACKING 9.4 RETREATING 9.5 TANK OPERATIONS 9.6 TASK FORCE COLLINS (TF COLLINS) 9.7 BANZAI ATTACKS 9.8 JAPANESE FIRE SUPPORT 1.0 INTRODUCTION The island of Iwo Jima became of significant strategic importance to the United States during WWII, as it was situated halfway between the Japanese home islands and the Marianas, which the US had previously captured. With its airfields, Iwo Jima allowed the Japanese to launch fighters to attack the newly developed Boeing B-29 Superfortresses heading for Honshu, and also provided a base for Japanese bombers. With Iwo Jima in the hands of the Americans these threats would be removed from the equation, and the island would also provide a mid-way divert base, along with a home for American fighter escorts within suitable range of the Japanese home islands. The goal for the Japanese was attrition; to inflict as many casualties on the American forces as possible in the hope it would drive them into turning back. The resulting battle was 36 days of unrelenting, unimaginable hell; a true bloodbath in the Bonins. 2.0 GAME OBJECTIVE The Overall Objective of the game is to: First land on the Eastern or Western beach Take over Mount Suribachi in the South. Advance Northwards up the island eliminating all Japanese Units. The Main Campaign ends when one of the following is met: Every Japanese Unit has been eliminated. Turn 16 is completed. Victory is determined by the following: The Japanese will win if there is any Japanese Unit remaining on the map once the player completes Turn 16. If there are no Japanese units left on the map, victory is determined by the number of US Casualties. Once Turn 16 is completed: Count 2 points for each Marine battalion under the Eliminated Units tab. 1. Iwo Jima: Bloodbath in the Bonins
2.0 GAME OBJECTIVE CONT. Count 1 point for each depleted Marine battalion on the map, or under the Available for Landing tab. Count 0 points for eliminated support units. Count -2 points for each turn remaining to be played. Total up all points. IF the total points is less than or equal to 12, the US win. IF the total points is greater than or equal to 20, the Japanese win. IF the result is 12 < total points < 20, the game is a draw. 3.0 UNIT INFORMATION 4.0 CORE TURN BREAKDOWN 5.1 AMERICAN MOVEMENT If you are deploying for the first time (i.e. Your first turn), then land 8 units onto the beach. This completes your movement phase. For every turn after the first turn, Take 2 replacement steps by replenishing a depleted unit on the map to full strength (Only if the unit is greater than 4 hexes from an enemy), replenishing a depleted unit under the Available for Landing tab to full strength, or moving an eliminated unit back under the Available for Landing tab (remaining in its depleted state). Each constitutes one replacement step. Click on your Units and move them within their movement limits displayed by highlighted hexes. You can deploy another 8 Units onto the beach during every movement phase. --- Free Movement --- (A) = Attack Strength (B) = Defense Strength (C) = Movement Points 5.0 TURN DETAILS At the start of the game, all 13 Units of the 3rd Marine Division are located under the Reserves tab. All 26 Units of the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions are located under the Available for Landing tab. Turn one represents the 19th - 20th February, 1945. For any US Unit greater than 4 hexes from a Japanese Unit, you can move the Unit with Infinite Movement Points until it becomes 4 hexes away from a Japanese Unit. The Unit which undertakes free movement must stop once it becomes 4 hexes away from a Japanese Unit. The Unit which undertakes free movement cannot take part in American Movement Phase. 2. Iwo Jima: Bloodbath in the Bonins
5.1 AMERICAN MOVEMENT CONT. All minor additional rules, such as restrictions to movement due to Ravine, etc still apply and prevent movement. Note. Free movement will only become available once the player has relevantly positioned units on the map. 5.2 AMERICAN COMBAT --- Bombardment --- Identify a total of 9 Japanese targets for bombardment and then resolve the bombardment to determine whether a Japanese Unit is suppressed or not. A suppressed Unit will not inflict any damage on a US unit when it engages in combat (adjacent to enemies). --- Regular Combat --- For each of your US Units adjacent to Japanese Units, you can engage in combat. Once you ve engaged in combat, automatically the Japanese Defense Strength will subtract from the American Attack Strength. This value is used with the Terrain Type Combat Differential table. The terrain type determines the row, and the value obtained from the subtraction determines the column. Another virtual die roll will determine the next stage of the resolution. This value from the virtual die roll is used to identify the relevant numbered row (1-6), and with the previously identified column, the resolution result is obtained. The resolution result is (potentially) used in the Combat Result Modifications table to determine the relevant row. The relevant column for American Combat is Dug-in Japanese Defender This determines the result, which may then involve a further virtual die roll. 5.3 AMERICAN MOBILE MOVEMENT You can move the Units which did not move during the American Movement Phase, but their movement points are halved. You can also again deploy up to 8 units onto the beach. 5.4 AMERICAN MOBILE COMBAT After the American Movement Phase, if any of your units are now positioned adjacent to Japanese Units, you can engage in combat with the same system and rules used for the American Combat Phase. 5.5 JAPANESE COMBAT Japanese Combat consists of only bombardment, which will occur automatically using the method described below. Ten of your US Units will be identified as targets. Your US Units on the beach will automatically be attacked, and a virtual die roll will determine if the rest of your US Units are to be attacked. For each of your US Units being attacked; Three virtual dice will roll, and the total of all values will be taken. The defense strength of the US Unit being attacked will be subtracted from this total. The new value will be used with the Terrain Type Combat Differential table. The terrain type determines the row, and the value obtained from the subtraction determines the column. Another virtual die roll will determine the next stage of the resolution. This value from the virtual die roll is used to identify the relevant numbered row (1-6), and with the previously identified column, the resolution result is obtained. The resolution result is (potentially) used in the Combat Result Modifications table to determine the relevant row. The relevant column for Japanese Combat is Japanese Bombardment. This determines the result, which may then involve a further virtual die roll. 5.6 ADMINISTRATIVE During this phase the turn will complete and the game will move to the next turn, represented by the next set of days. i.e. Second turn is 21st - 22nd February. The turn progression marker will advance to signify this. A virtual die roll will occur to determine the weather for the next turn. 3. Iwo Jima: Bloodbath in the Bonins
5.6 ADMINISTRATIVE CONT. If weather is currently clear, and the virtual die roll generates between 1 and 5 inclusive then no storm occurs. If it generates 6 then a storm occurs. If weather is stormy, and the virtual die roll generates between 1 and 3 inclusive then weather becomes clear. If it generates between 4 and 6 inclusive then a storm occurs again. During a storm, Movement Points are halved, and your virtual die roll must land a 1 or 2 to suppress Japanese Units during American bombardment (during American Combat Phase) 6.0 MOVEMENT DETAILS Available movement is shown visually on the map. The following details the basic rules to which it adheres: American Units move through adjacent hexes. Each Unit has a number of Movement Points (MP). Each terrain tile has a Movement Point cost value. Moving onto a particular terrain tile will subtract the Movement Point cost value from the Movement Point value of the Unit. 6.1 SPECIAL CONDITIONS Landing on a beach uses up all movement points for a single turn. Moving onto a beach hex from another type of hex costs 1 MP, but the unit cannot move any further once it is moved onto the beach hex. No Unit can ever leave the hexes constituting the map. No Unit can ever enter a hex containing an enemy unit. A Unit is not required to spend all Movement Points during a movement phase. -Movement Point Cost Values- Beach = 1 Clear = 1 Broken = 2 Rough = 3 Ravine = 3 Mountain = 3 Mine = 3 Zone of Control (ZOC) The 6 hexes surrounding the hex occupied by a Unit constitute the Zone of Control (ZOC) of that Unit. Overlapping ZOCs do not interfere or reinforce each other in any way, and are individually specific to the units exerting them. ---Effects on Movement--- A Unit which enters an enemy ZOC must stop moving immediately regardless of the number of Movement Points it has remaining to be spent. Units retreating after combat cannot retreat into hexes that are ZOC. Units advancing after combat can enter hexes that are ZOC. 7.0 COMBAT DETAILS The combat system for American forces attacking Japanese defenders contains two distinct aspects: Bombardment & Regular Combat 7.1 BOMBARDMENT Bombardment constitutes up to 9 attacks on enemy units in total, with a single enemy unit able to be attacked twice. The result of bombardment is determined by a virtual die roll; 1-3 inclusive for bombardment to succeed, and enemy unit will be considered suppressed. A suppressed unit will not inflict any damage on a US Unit during subsequent regular combat. Once Movement Points of a Unit reach zero, or if the potential movement to a tile would cost more movement points than the number remaining for a unit, then the Unit cannot move further. All Units at all locations on the map exert a ZOC at all times within the game no matter what the phase. If all hexes containing any portion of Airfield No.1 are free of Japanese Units or ZOC, total available bombardments increases to 10. 4. Iwo Jima: Bloodbath in the Bonins
7.1 BOMBARDMENT CONT. If all hexes containing any portion of Airfields No.1 and No.2 are free of Japanese Units or ZOC, total available bombardments increases to 11. 7.2 REGULAR COMBAT For each US Unit adjacent to a Japanese Unit, you can engage in regular combat. In the background, a virtual die roll is combined with the terrain type the combat occurs on, and a result is generated from the Terrain Type Combat Differential table. This result is then used within the Combat Result Modifications table to determine the outcome of the combat. 8.0 COMBAT RESOLUTION TABLES See page 7 for full tables. 9.0 ADDITIONAL RULES & SYSTEMS 9.1 RESERVE UNITS The 13 Units of the 3rd Marine Division are placed under the Reserve Units tab. After turn 1, and during a US movement phase, these units may be moved to under the Available for Landing tab. All 4 units of a regiment must deploy together, and the divisional tank battalion may be deployed with any regiment. Once a regiment deploys, the total number of turns in the game is reduced by one. 9.2 MOUNT SURIBACHI Mount Suribachi forms its own sector in the South, and the capture of which is a core objective of the game. No Japanese Units may redeploy in Mount Suribachi. No Banzai Attacks can occur in Mount Suribachi. There are some slight alterations to the game rules after Mount Suribachi has fallen. Before Suribachi Falls: During Japanese Combat, US Units on the beach hexes automatically get targeted by Japanese Bombardment. During Japanese Combat, after the beach hexes have been targeted further US Units are targeted starting from hex 2812 and working North up the map (to lower numbered hexes). Three virtual die rolls to determine Japanese bombardment resolution. After Suribachi Falls: US Units on the beach hexes do not automatically get targeted by Japanese Bombardment. During Japanese Combat, US Units are targeted starting from hex 0106 and working South down the map (to higher numbered hexes). IF there is a Japanese occupied Hill hex in the same sector as the target, two virtual die rolls determine the Japanese bombardment resolution. IF there is no Japanese occupied Hill hex in the same sector as the target, one virtual die roll determines the Japanese bombardment resolution. Banzai Attacks Become Possible. See Banzai Attacks. Storms have no effect. 9.3 STACKING One US Support Unit may stack on a hex with one other US Support Unit, or with one other US Marine Battalion. The US Support Unit moving onto the already occupied hex is stacked underneath the existing Unit on the hex. For movement, the stacked units cannot move together once stacked and are treated as separate units for movement. For combat, the attack and defense values are combined for combat resolution. For retreating or advancing, the stacked units are moved together. During regular combat, only the top unit is attacked. During Japanese bombardment, the bombardment is resolved against each unit in the stack separately. This applies to all terrain excluding the Beaches. -For Stacking on the Beaches- Any number of the (up to 8) US Units may be stacked on a single landing beach hex. This only applies to the landing beach hexes. 5. Iwo Jima: Bloodbath in the Bonins
9.3 STACKING CONT. Each new unit added to the stack must be placed underneath the existing units. For a stack of units, only the top unit may attack. For a stack of units, only the top unit may be attacked in regular combat. If the top unit is forced to retreat, all units stacked underneath it must also retreat. i.e. The whole stack retreats. (Note that this is different from stacking on other terrain). occupied by an enemy unit, or a hex that is in the enemy zone of control. A retreating unit cannot retreat through any prohibited hex. This may or may not apply. For example, a tank cannot move through ravine hexes, so therefore cannot retreat through a ravine. A retreating unit must stop its retreat movement the number of hexes away as determined by the retreat number from combat result. The player can choose to turn any one of their Tank battalions into a TF Collins. Once this occurs, the other two tank battalions are removed permanently from the game. TF Collins behaves like a regular US Support Unit and can be replaced if eliminated, but has notably increased statistics. In effect, you are swapping three tank battalions for one high powered tank battalion. 9.4 RETREATING Retreating affects all US units involved in any combat engagement. If a US Unit must retreat, it must be retreated before any other action can happen. The retreat takes full priority. Movement Points do not apply to the retreating movement. No movement points are expended, and none are required. A retreating unit must move through a hex path further away from the enemy unit that caused the combat result. i.e. The complete hex path moved must be in the opposite direction. If possible, a retreating unit must retreat along a path of empty hexes. A retreating unit may retreat through a hex occupied by another US unit if no empty route is possible. A retreating unit cannot retreat through a hex which is The player may choose stiff resistance instead of retreating. In this case, the unit does not retreat at all, but must deplete in its current location. If any attacking unit cannot retreat the required distance, then stiff resistance automatically takes effect. 9.5 TANK OPERATIONS US tank units may not enter or attack into Ravine, Mountain or Mine hexes. IF a tank unit is attacking a Japanese Anti-Tank or Anti- Aircraft unit, then one virtual die roll occurs before moving onto combat resolution. IF the die roll is less than or equal to the attack strength of the Japanese unit, the tank unit s attack strength is not included in the combat resolution. 9.6 TASK FORCE COLLINS (TF COLLINS) At the beginning of a movement phase, the US player has the option to form Task Force Collins. 9.7 BANZAI ATTACKS Banzai Attacks are controlled with the use of 3 virtual die rolls, with each roll occurring in succession and controlling a distinct aspect of the attack. Die 1 - The first virtual die roll will determine whether the Banzai attack occurs. If the value is less than or equal to the number of cleared sectors of the terrain then a banzai attack occurs. i.e. The more terrain you control, the more likely a Banzai attack is to occur. No Banzai attacks can occur on Mount Suribachi. Die 2 - The second virtual die roll will determine the sector where the attack should take place. If there are no Japanese Units in that sector, then no attack takes place. Die 3 - The third virtual die roll will determine the number of Japanese units that must attack. If a Japanese Unit has an attack strength or movement point value of zero, it is redeployed in place. 6. Iwo Jima: Bloodbath in the Bonins
9.6 BANZAI ATTACKS CONT. All designated Japanese Units in the attack move towards the nearest US Unit (Measured by Movement Points). If a Japanese Unit cannot reach a US Unit, it is redeployed to its starting hex. Combat is handled in the same Regular Combat method defined in the American Combat Phase, this time using the Regular Combat column in the Combat Result Modifications table. Combat Result Modifications The result generated from the Terrain Type Combat Differential table above is used within this table to determine the outcome of combat. Additionally, consider 2 further rule modifications: 1.Japanese attacking Units are eliminated regardless of the combat result. 2.The US Units are not permitted to retreat. 9.8 JAPANESE FIRE SUPPORT The Japanese Fire Support is controlled automatically, and affects the strength of the Japanese Bombardment. For every Japanese Artillery or HQ Unit eliminated, the subsequent bombardment phase strength is altered accordingly. 8.0 COMBAT RESOLUTION TABLES Terrain Type Combat Differential The attack and defense values, combined with terrain type are used within this table to yield a result which is taken forward to the Combat Result Modifications table. (A) = Attacker Deplete One Unit (D) = Defender Deplete One Unit AA = Attacker may advance DR = Defender re-deploy DRIP = Defender re-deploy in place. NE = No effect Ex = One attacking unit and one defending unit must be flipped to their depleted state (or eliminated if already depleted). A1 = Attacker retreat 1 hex. A2 = Attacker retreat 2 hexes. A3 = Attacker retreat 3 hexes. Ae = Attacker eliminated. De = Defender eliminated. D2 = Defender retreat 2 hexes. D3 = Defender retreat 3 hexes. 7. Iwo Jima: Bloodbath in the Bonins