Take It Back PTO (id:#63916)
(ASL Starter Kit #4 ID: S65)   [next]   [previous]
West of Lunga Ridge, Guadalcanal 1942-09-13 ()
Designer: Adaptation by Perry Cocke
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
American (USMC)Japanese
42.857142857143%

Overview:

Colonel Edson had set up the 1st Paramarine Battalion on the east side of Lunga Ridge while he deployed his 1st Raider Battalion to the west. On the night of 12 September, leading elements of Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi's 35th Infantry Brigade attacked the Raiders, overrunning a platoon, forcing C Company back to the ridge, and bending the Raiders' front line from its east-west alignment to a north-south one. The next morning, two companies of Raiders were ordered to retake the lost positions in a daylight attack.
Attacker: American (USMC) (Companies A and D, 1st Raider Battalion and Company A, 1st Paramarine Battalion)
Defender: Japanese (3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment)  
4.5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: None     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:14.0 D:8.0
AFVs: A:0
AFVs: D:0
Guns: A:0 D:0

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: PTO, LJ, interior jungle hexes are Dense Jungle. Kunai is Jungle.
Overlays: NONE
Errata (source)
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Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentBal.ResultTimeComments
2025-03-11(A) Herve Duval vs In progress
2023-01-04(A) Jack Wilson vs Bob T. American (USMC) winGreat game that came down to the last CC on the last turn. The dice were kind. The Americans had to hustle as we did not play the extra turn balance. Bob played a solid defense. I benefitted from a setup oversight. We were halfway through the game when Bob realized he had not given himself one of the LMGs and the light mortar.

Turned out, I needed all the help I could get.
2022-10-25(A) Jack Wilson vs Ken Walsh American (USMC) winMy second time playing this as the Americans in as many days. Even though it was Ken's first time with a PTO skirmish, he graciously allowed me to have the balance. IMO, the Americans need it to have a 50-50 chance.

Slow, but steady, plodding through the jungle meant I began T5 with only one VC hex (of four) in control. The extra turn provided by the balance allowed me to capture the last three on the last turn, two of which came in CC.

Fun game. I definitely benefitted from some timely DRs down the stretch.

IMO, the keys to victory (or the hope thereof) for each side is:
American: overwhelm concealed units with many PB multi-hex FG where possible in the dense jungle and push hard and expect casualties.

Japanese: contest the three closest VC hexes, but don't get sucked into protracted battle. Conserve forces for defending the last two VC in the NE corner.
2022-10-19(D) Craig Renier vs Jack Wilson Japanese winThe Americans entered somewhat cautiously, but still suffered from Japanese DFF which were consistently low rolls. The Japanese executed a slow tactical withdrawal denying the Americans the ability to bring their superior firepower to bear. The Americans entered CC in two hexes, losing a full squad, 3 HSs and an 8-0 leader to a Japanese MMC and 2 HSs. The American Paramarines shifted their axis of attack, which cost another expensive turn. In the end, the Americans simply ran out of time.
2022-10-19(A) Jack Wilson vs Craig Renier Japanese winFirst time playing a PTO scenario. Quite impressed by the Japanese capability to step reduce instead of breaking in most MC situations. Craig used concealment and skulking masterfully so that I was not able to chisel a crack in his line.

Couple that with my halting advance and reaching those last two VC hexes in the NE corner was only possible by a last-turn-run-the-gauntlet gambit. Not surprisingly, the Americans came up short.

Fun scenario. I would play it again with the Americans but take the balance.
View all or balance report
ActionDate
strategos Added a playing2025-03-11 21:07:48
strategos Rated the scenario2025-03-11 21:07:26
Jwil2020 Added a playing2023-01-04 22:32:23
Jwil2020 Added a playing2022-10-25 02:50:48
Jwil2020 Added a playing2022-10-19 22:30:02
FileDescriptionUserViews
(us inf man jungle.png)Imagehoxson11038
(usmc-jap.png)Imagehoxson11024
VASL Log file (SK - S65 - Take It Back (MGT v Socks).vlog)VASL Game LogThompsonmg(MGT)1006
(take it back map.png)Map Imagehoxson11065
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Statistics:
Avg Rating: 7.45Votes: 33
Views: 6670
To-Play list count: 0
Estimated Play time: 2.5 hours
Recorded Games: 22
Archive recorded plays:
American (USMC)8
Japanese13
Drawn:0

ROAR Data: (as of today)
Take It Back [Confirmed]
[A] American 10
[D] Japanese 11
All Rights Reserved. (c)2022 Dave Ramsey.