The Luzon Campaign, 1945

The Luzon Campaign, 1945 Rulebook

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction
- 1.1 Scale
2.0 Components
3.0 How to Win
4.0 Scenarios, Set Up & Hex Control
5.0 Turn Sequence
6.0 Stacking
7.0 US Replacements & Reinforcements
8.0 US Movement
Examples of Play
9.0 Japanese Defending Force Generation
10.0 Combat
11.0 Shobu Group Counteroffensive

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Scale

The first turn represents one week. Each turn after that represents half a month. Each regular hexagon represents 6.75 miles (11 kilometers) from side to opposite side. There's one irregular and over-sized "mega hex" on the map: the "Shobu Group Base Area" in west-central Luzon. Also note that, in order to fit the whole island on one map sheet, the strategically remote Bicol peninsula has been spatially compressed (which is why it costs more Operations Points to move there).

2.0 Components

The components to a complete game of LC include these rules, the map-sheet and 228 die-cut counters (also called "units" and "unit-counters"). You must provide one or more standard (six-sided) dice to resolve combat and other probabilistic events that occur during play.

2.1 The Game Map

The map represents the militarily significant terrain found across Luzon during the time portrayed in the game at these time and space scales. A hexagonal ("hex") grid is printed over it to regulate unit placement and movement like the way squares are used in Chess and Checkers. A unit is always in only one hex at any one instant. Each hex contains natural and/or manmade terrain features that may affect movement and combat. The map's terrain representations have been altered slightly from their exact real-world configurations to make them conform to the hex-grid; however, their relationships from hex to hex are accurate to the degree necessary to present you with the same space/time dilemmas faced by your counterpart in the actual war.

Note: Rough terrain is indicated by the color of the hex.

2.2 Hex Grid

Each hex on the map has a unique four-digit number printed in it. They're provided to help you find specific locations referred to in the rules. The numbers also allow you to record unit positions if a match must be interrupted and taken down before it can be completed.

Example: The old (and heavily fortified) portion of Manila (Intramuros) is in hex 1537.

2.3 Counters

The counters with which you'll be most concerned represent combat units; others are provided as memory aids and informational markers. Carefully punch out all the counters. Trimming the "dog ears" from their corners with a fingernail clipper facilitates handling and stacking during play and enhances their appearance. Each combat unit-counter displays various types of information: nationality, organizational affiliation and size, type, combat dice rolled, step strength, and specific historic identifications.

2.4 Sample Unit

The Japanese Shobu Group's 2nd Tank Division is pictured below. It has a combat dice roll number (CDR) of 2. One side of the unit (front) is printed showing its full two-step strength, while the other side (back) of the counter is shown at its "reduced" one-step strength (with a lower CDR of 1).

[Counter diagram in source: labels Unit Size, Unit Type Symbol, Command, Combat Dice Roll Number (CDR), Unit Identification, Front, Back, Reduced Designator.]

2.5 Japanese Step Strengths

All Japanese combat units contain one or two "strength steps" (also referred to as "step strength" or simply "steps"). That's an arbitrary term used to express the ability of a unit to absorb a certain amount of combat losses before ceasing to be a combat-effective formation (a measure of its "robustness" in current US Army jargon). Those units with CDR on only one side of their counters are "one-step" units; those with CDR on both sides of their counters are "two-step" units. When a two-step unit takes a loss, it's flipped so its "reduced" side shows. If a one-step unit, or a two-stepper that had already been reduced, takes a loss, it's permanently removed from the map. No unit may ever give, loan or otherwise transfer a step to another unit.

2.6 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Manila Defense Force Units

This force consists of three units: The Manila Bay Entrance Group (MBEG) on Corregidor, the main force Manila Naval Defense Group (MNDG) in Manila, and the Northern Group (NG) in Intramuros. Instead of CDR, they have "1d6-1" or "2d6" or "3d6" printed on them, which serves as a reminder of the different combat procedure used when they fight. See 10.6 through 10.11 for those details.

[Source gap: sections 10.7 through 10.11 are not present in the source eRules v6F. See the Table of Contents note.]

2.7 US Units

US units do not have CDR on them; rather, their effective strength is gauged in terms of "Operations Points" (OP), which are not displayed on the counters themselves. The OP available to the various US units are shown by using the numbered tracks provided for each of them on the map sheet. OP will be expended for movement and because of combat. The numbers on the US units' fronts are their historic organizational identities.

2.8 Sides & Colors

Each unit's nationality is shown by its color scheme.

Japanese Units
- Shobu Group & IJN Manila Defense Force: White on red
- Thirty-Fifth Army: Black on red
- General Defense Units: Red on white
US Units
- US Divisions: White on olive drab
- US Sub-Divisional Units: Black on olive drab

Designer's Note: Unlike most wargames, there are no "movement factors" printed on any of the counters. Japanese units do not actually move across the map in the usual sense of that term, so no such factors are needed for them (see section 8.0 for details). US units all have variable movement and combat capabilities, depending on how you choose to expend their OP. See section 9.0 for details.

2.9 Unit Types

Due to the time/space scales used in this game, there is little operational or tactical differentiation among the various unit types. Where those distinctions do exist, they're noted in specific rules dealing with them. The types of units are:

Infantry or Combined Arms
Paratroop
Rangers
Tank
Static Garrison
Main US Beachhead

2.10 Unit Organizational Size

A unit's organizational size effect on operations is covered in later sections of the rules. If a unit's size symbol is bracketed, that means it was an ad hoc unit specifically put together for this campaign and was not a formation normally carried in its army's order of battle. The unit sizes are:

XXXX: Japanese "group" (roughly equivalent to a US Army)
XX: Division
X: Brigade
III: Regiment or regimental combat team or group
II: Battalion
[II]: Ad hoc battalion

2.11 Abbreviations

Abbreviations on the counters are defined as follows:

MBEG: Manila Bay Entrance Group
MNDG: Manila Naval Defense Group
NG: Northern Group (of the MNDG)
SG: Shobu ("Decisive Fighting") Group
TD: Tsuda Detachment

2.12 US & Japanese Hex-Control Markers

These markers are included as informational and memory aids. Their crucial function is explained in rules 4.8 and 4.9.

3.0 How to Win

In your role as commander of US Sixth Army, you are striving to defeat the Japanese by seizing some decisive mix of the strategically critical areas on the map prior to the end of March, when significant aero-naval resources need to be refocused toward other campaigns. Failure to do that results in your likely removal from command by Gen. MacArthur.

The victory conditions given below are the same for all scenarios and scenario variants. With experience, you'll find the Historical Scenario is the easiest to win, with the MacArthur Changes His Mind scenario the next hardest, followed by the Historical Scenario plus the Yamashita Transferred Earlier Variant, followed by the MacArthur Changes His Mind Scenario plus the Yamashita Transferred Earlier Variant. Select the scenario/variant you'll play based on your own evaluation of your skill as a commander.

3.1 Mandatory Objectives

To win, no later than the end of turn six you must control all the following hexes: Intramuros (1537), Manila (1538), Zig Zag Pass (0834 and 0934), all Manila Bay shoreline hexes (1139 north and east to 1436, and 1438 south and west to 1140, inclusive) and Clark Field (1132, 1031 and 1032).

Designer's Note: Strictly speaking, Clark Field is only located in 1132; however, for it to be operable by US aircraft you also need to take the two rough hexes adjacent to it.

3.2 Variable Objectives

In addition to the above, to win, no later than the end of turn six you must also accomplish two of the following objectives:

Control 20 or more cropland hexes.
Control territory such that no path of Japanese-controlled hexes can be traced from one or more cropland hexes to any hex(s) on the perimeter of the Shobu Group Base Area.
Control eight or more of the 11 towns including at least two adjacent to the SHOBU Group Base Area on the map.
Defeat the Shobu Group Counteroffensive.

Historical Note: In the actual campaign, Krueger chose number three above. To win, you must complete one more objective.

3.3 Japanese Sudden Death Victory

If the Shobu Group Counteroffensive is launched and then succeeds in reaching its objective (5.4 & 11.3), play stops at that instant and Gen. Yamashita is declared to have won the game for Japan. Similarly, failure to launch a rescue mission (5.5) also results in a sudden death Japanese victory.

3.4 Japanese Sudden Death Defeat

If the Shobu Group Counteroffensive is launched but fails to reach its objective, play stops at that instant and the US is declared to have won the game.

[Source gap: section 3.5 is cited in 4.10 and 11.6 but is not present in the source eRules v6F.]

4.0 Scenarios, Set Up & Hex Control

4.1 Historical Scenario

This is the core scenario of the game. In it, US forces come ashore where they did historically, and there are no changes to the Japanese order of battle. The main body of the rules is written with this scenario in mind.

4.2 Historical Scenario Japanese Set Up

Place the below units in the listed locations.

All SG units, as well as the Shobu combined force substitute unit, inside the Shobu Group Base Area (SGBA) shown on the middle of the island on the map. Just pile them inside that hex-less area; no specific stacking or order is necessary.
MBEG unit in hex 1140.
NG unit in 1537.
MNDG unit in 1538.

Important: Place all the above units with their printed sides showing.

Temporarily place aside all six of the red-on-white "general defense" battalions (2.9).
Set aside the black-on-red Japanese 35th Army units; they are included for a variant scenario (4.7).

4.3 Historical Scenario US Set Up

Place the below units in the listed locations.

Four beachhead markers into the hexes corresponding to the numbers printed on their reverse sides.
The US 6th, 37th, 40th and 43rd Infantry Divisions into the hexes corresponding to the numbers printed on their reverse sides. (That will put one division atop each of the beachhead hexes.)
Set the other three US divisions in the turn two box of the Turn Track.
Place the five sub-divisional units in the Offshore Reserve Holding Box.
Place a US control marker in the highest-numbered box (10 for divisions, five for the smaller units) in each of the US units' Operation Points Tracks on the map sheet.

Important: The 38th Division and its component units the 149th, 151st, 152nd and the attached 34th Regimental Combat Team do not have associated tracks on the map. Included with the counter sheet are two counters for each unit. Use one counter to show the unit in the game, and the other to track its available operations points on any available track.

Place a total of 10 Japanese control markers in the hexes immediately around the US beachhead: 0822, 0922, 1022, 1023, 1024, 0925, 0825, 0726, 0625 and 0624.
Put the turn marker in the turn one box of the Turn Track on the map sheet.

4.4 MacArthur Changes His Mind Scenario

Here the assumption is Gen. MacArthur turns against the idea of making the landing at Lingayen Gulf. You therefore must use the Landing Area Selection Table, printed on the map sheet, to determine where he will send ashore your army.

4.5 MacArthur Changes His Mind Scenario US Set Up

In this scenario, start the US set up by rolling two dice (one at a time) and consulting the Landing Selection Table to determine where you will come ashore.

If the dice-selected landing zone does not have four hexes, deploy only the number of beachhead markers that fit.
The same goes for number of the divisions deployed; put any extra(s) into the Offshore Reserve Holding Box.
If the selected zone has more than four hexes, pick any four contiguous ones and go ashore in them.
The Japanese set up remains unchanged from the Historical Scenario, and Japanese control markers would be placed around the US Beachhead markers as in the Historical set-up.

4.6 Yamashita Transferred Sooner Scenario Variant

After his 1942 triumph in Malaya and Singapore, Yamashita, despite demonstrably being one of the best generals in the Japanese Army, was sent to a backwater posting in China. (Premier Tojo didn't like him.) After Tojo's government fell, on 18 July 1944, Yamashita was still thoughtlessly left in China. He only got his new posting 10 days prior to the initial US landing on Leyte. In this scenario variant, the assumption is he was sent to the Philippines within a few days after the fall of Tojo. That would have given the general time to consolidate his defense solely on Luzon (his oft-stated preference) and abandon Leyte.

When Yamashita Transferred Sooner is in play, add +1 to all die rolls on the Japanese Hex Defense Table (9.2). This scenario must be combined into the play of the Historical or the Mind-Change scenarios above.

4.7 Japanese Thirty-Fifth Army

If you are playing the Yamashita Transferred Sooner scenario variant, you can add this variant to make the Shobu Group Counterattack a serious threat (11.8). Yamashita is assumed to have withdrawn this army from Leyte to bolster the defense of Luzon. In that case, include all eight of those units with the SG units inside the Shobu Group Base Area. Thirty-Fifth Army units are identified by having "35" printed to the left of their unit-type boxes. This variant can be played within either of the two scenarios given above. Also note the tactical effect this army's transfer will have on combat (8.2). Aside from the addition of the Thirty-Fifth Army units into the SGBA, there are no other set up changes for either side.

4.8 Hex Control

At the start of play the Japanese control all the hexes on the map other than those of the US beachhead. A hex's control status may only switch from the Japanese to the US as described below. Such control-switching cannot occur more than once in each hex on the map. Hex control is important for purposes of determining victory (3.0).

4.9 Front Line Maintenance

The first time a US unit moves in a turn, flip the marker under it to the Japanese control side. This is simply to mark the unit's starting point (alternatively place a coin, cube, pawn, or other marker that works to remind you of where the unit started).

Every time a moving US unit enters a hex beyond the current hexes with US control markers (or beachhead markers) temporarily halt that unit and roll one die.
Cross-index the result with the type of terrain to determine the Japanese Defense Force (the number of Japanese defenders in the hex).
Roll the number of dice equal to the defenders and cross-index on the Fire Table to determine hits.
If the terrain movement cost plus the hits are more than the remaining Op points of the US unit, the unit concludes its operational movement in the last controlled hex. The control status of the contested hex remains unchanged (at least for the time being).
If not, place the number of US control markers in the hex just achieved equal to the Op costs (e.g. a US unit takes one Hit in a Rough hex; place three US control markers).
This "snail trail" of markers will show at a glance how many OP points have been expended, and make it easy to move a unit, then move a different unit, then return to the first unit and now how many Op have been expended.
At the end of the US Operations Phase, remove the extra markers leaving one per hex, and flip the Japanese markers back to the US side.
See sections 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0 for more details on this aspect of play.

4.10 Japanese Operational Limits

There is only one possibility for Japanese movement and combat across their front line into US-controlled hexes. See 3.4, 3.5, 5.4 and 11.0 for details on that (potentially crucial) possibility.

Designer's Note: In game terms, viewed at these time and space scales, the Japanese never recaptured so much as one hex from the US. Regarding that historic overarch, you are not required to keep any kind of "solid front" of US units from hex-to-hex along any portion of the map. Further, there are US and Filipino constabulary and militia units, which are not represented in the counter-mix, but they are patrolling for you behind and along your front.

5.0 Turn Sequence

Every turn of LC is divided into phases, which are then each subdivided into individual checks and operations. You should conduct the various checks and operations, and complete the phases of each turn, in the sequence given in the outline below and as described in the rest of the rules that follow.

5.1 Turn Sequence Outline

Random Event Phase
- US Rescue Mission Check
- Shobu Group Counteroffensive Check (skip on turn one)
US Operations Phase
Administrative Phase

5.2 US Rescue Missions

Roll a die, if the result is:

1 or 2: Your intelligence staff, working in close cooperation with the Filipino resistance, has determined an opportunity exists for a daring rescue mission of POWs and/or civilian internees. Most of that will take place beneath the simulation threshold of this game; however, you must take one US sub-divisional unit out of play for this entire turn. The unit you select may be in the Offshore Reserve Holding Box or in any hex on the map. Remove the selected unit from the map and put it in the Rescue Mission Holding Box. Units on rescue missions are unavailable for any other use prior to that same turn's Administrative Phase. Rescue missions are not optional; refusal to run them results in your forfeiture of the game.
3 to 6: There is no rescue mission that turn.

5.3 Shobu Group Counteroffensive

Roll a die. On a result of one, Gen. Yamashita has decided to launch his counteroffensive. There can never be more than one such offensive per game, and its operational outcome (11.0) will end play and determine which side has won.

5.4 US Operations Phase

During each of these phases, you can move (and possibly fight) with each of your US units. All movement (and potentially combat) is paid for by the expenditure of "Operations Points" (OP) by each unit conducting operations on a hex-by-hex basis.

Important: There is no set order in which operations need be run; that's all up to you. See sections 8.0 and 10.0 for more details.

5.5 Administrative Phase

This is a "housecleaning phase" at the end of every turn. Move any sub-divisional unit in the Rescue Mission Box to the Offshore Holding Box. Reset all the US OP Tracks to their full settings. Then roll dice equal to the current turn number (one die on turn one, five dice on turn five); this is the total number of OP's that must be deducted from US units to reflect logistical problems and operational fatigue. OP may be deducted from any units in play as the player sees fit (thus they could be spread out across all units evenly or certain units could effectively be taken out of action for this turn). During turn 6's Administrative Phase, look over the map and make a final victory determination based on the criteria given in section 4.0.

5.6 Ending a Turn

After the resolution of the current turn's Administrative Phase, move the turn marker ahead one box on that track on the map sheet and start a new turn with Phase I. All six turns are identical in their phase structure.

Exception: The Shobu Group Counteroffensive Check is skipped during turn one in every scenario and scenario variant.

5.7 Ending Play

The game ends with the completion of turn six, or whenever you, in your role as US Sixth Army commander, become convinced you can no longer win and you thereby concede defeat, or a sudden death victory condition (failure to launch a Rescue Mission or Shobu Group Counteroffensive reaches its objective) has been triggered by events on the map, whichever comes first.

6.0 Stacking

Stacking is the term used to describe the piling of more than one unit of the same side in the same hex at the same time. The stacking rules given below are in effect all through play, in every phase of the turn sequence, from set up through to victory determination.

6.1 US Stacking Limit

There is effectively no stacking on the US side. US combat units may move into and through each other's hexes without penalty; however, at the end of every action there may be no more than one US unit (of any organizational size) in any hex on the map.

6.2 Japanese Stacking Limit

Japanese units appear in play via their defensive garrison die rolls (9.0) and the Shobu Group Counteroffensive rules (5.6 & 11.0). Within those strictures, it's impossible for the Japanese to over-stack.

6.3 Exclusivity of Units

Both sides' stacking limits are mutually exclusive. That is, the number of Japanese units in a hex in no way affects the stacking of US units in that hex and vice versa.

6.4 Free Stacking Markers

US Beachhead markers and US/Japanese hex control (flag) markers do not count for stacking purposes.

7.0 US Replacements & Reinforcements

7.1 Reinforcements

Reinforcements are units that enter play for the first time after a game has begun. Only the US side gets reinforcements. Those with a "1" on their back side are placed in the Offshore Holding Box at the beginning of turn one while those with a "2" on their back side are placed in the Box at the beginning of turn two.

7.2 US Reinforcements

Both divisions and sub-divisional units come from the Offshore Holding Box. That's done by paying the costs given on the Operations Point Cost Table starting with the very first land hex entered after removal from the holding box. Divisions may only move ashore via beach hexes; sub-divisional units may move ashore via beach or coastal clear hexes.

Example: a sub-divisional unit could enter at 0736, but not 0735 due to the town or 0635 due to rough terrain.

US reinforcements, once entered onto the map, have all normal movement and combat capabilities immediately and fully available to them. Also note that divisions coming ashore do not necessarily need to use the main beachhead hexes that were put down at the start of play; they may use any beach hexes you choose.

Designer's Note: The main beachhead hexes are marked as such to designate the initial lodgment area and its accompanying logistical support structures. That, in turn, is important because it may have a decisive effect if the Shobu Group Counteroffensive is launched. At the operational level, the US had dominance here to the point air and naval supply capacities allowed for the creation of subsidiary logistical support operations on what was effectively an as-needed basis.

7.3 Replacements

Replacements are increments of new troops and equipment, not represented by their own counters, which are used to replenish to full the OP capacity of US units. All US units automatically replace to their full OP each turn during the Administrative Phase of turns one through five.

7.4 Availability

The three US divisions with "2" printed on their reverse sides (1st Cavalry, 11th Airborne and 25th Infantry) all become available for commitment at the start of turn two. All five US sub-divisional units in the order of battle, with "1" printed on their reverse sides, are available from the start of turn one.

7.5 38th Infantry Division & 34th RCT

The 38th Infantry Division is a special case. It becomes available on turn three. It may be brought in as a division through a beachhead hex (use another division OP track to mark OP) or it may be brought as it was historically employed as three regiments (149th, 151st, 152nd) through any single clear or beach hex. Select any clear or beach hex and enter the regiments one at a time. All three regiments must enter through the same hex in the same turn (though if they are later removed to the offshore Holding Box (7.6), they are not restricted to the original hex. In either case, the 34th RCT must enter through the same hex (or beachhead hex) if the 38th Infantry enters as a division.

7.6 Offshore Hold Box Reentry

Once a division has come ashore, it may not move back into the offshore reserve Box. Sub-divisional units may move from the map back into the holding box, and vice versa, any number of times during the game if they are able to trace a series of US-controlled hexes to or from a beachhead hex. It costs one OP for a sub-divisional unit to be removed from any hex on the map back into the offshore Holding Box. It costs one OP for a sub-divisional unit to move from the Holding Box to any hex currently occupied by a division, after which it may conduct operations from that hex. Thus, for "2" OP a sub-divisional unit can be redeployed from one sector to another as needed.

8.0 US Movement

8.1 Concept

During US Operation Phase, each US unit moves and fights as a separate unit, though movement may shift between units. Once you've begun movement/combat with one US unit, you may not begin that of another unit until you've at least temporarily halted the actions of that first unit.

Exception: US prepared assaults (10.6).

Example: You may cease moving with "unit A" and then begin operations with "unit B," after which (presuming "unit A" still has some OP left on its track) you could again resume moving/fighting with it.

8.2 Movement Procedure

All US ground movement takes place from hex-to-hex within the strictures given on the Operations Points Cost Table printed on the map sheet. No unit may ever give or loan OP to another unit, nor may hexes generally be skipped over during movement (exception: 8.9). All ground movement and amphibious movement (8.10) is from hex to adjacent hex, with the moving force deducting the OP needed to pay all involved costs as it moves. No unit may ever move farther than allowed by its remaining OP, nor is any moving force guaranteed any minimum movement capability.

8.3 Movement & Combat

Combat is a function of movement. Each time a moving US unit enters a Japanese-controlled hex, combat may occur there (10.2). It costs nothing "extra" for you to initiate a battle in a newly entered hex; if your moving unit had the OP needed to enter that hex, in terms of paying all the involved hexside and in-hex terrain costs, combat may freely occur.

Important: If the unit enters a hex and has 0 OP left, any appearance of Japanese defense Force units will automatically cause a US tactical defeat (10.4) and force the US unit to retreat one hex.

8.4 Operations Phase Battle Rounds

Battles occurring during the Operations Phase are always just single-round affairs. See section 10.0 for more details.

8.5 Movement after Battle

If a battle ends with the involved US unit still having the requisite OP available to do so, that unit may resume its movement and combat, if that's what you want to do.

Note: It is not required that a US unit continue moving and fighting simply because it has the OP needed to do so.

8.6 Operation Points Tracks

To keep track of a moving unit's remaining OP, use the tracks printed on the map. Use the US hex-control markers provided in the counter-mix.

8.7 Unlimited Attacks

Within the strictures of rules sections 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0, any Japanese-controlled hex may potentially be attacked any number of times, by any number of US units, during each turn's Phase II.

Examples of Play

Starting at the beginning of Turn one. The US player considers the variable objectives and determines he will attempt to control the eight towns south of the SHOBU Group Base Area (historical objective), and to cut off the SGBA from the croplands to the west as the additional objective (should the game not end by a SHOBU Group Counteroffensive). This is in addition to the mandatory objectives of capturing Manila, Intramuros, and Corregidor as well as clearing Clark Field, Zig-Zag Pass, and the Manila Bay area. A lot to fulfill in only six turns!

The XIV Corps, composed of the 37th and the 40th Divisions race south to attempt to capture Tarlac and Clark Field. The 40th Division moves out first and has a difficult time, encountering Japanese defense battalions on both sides of the Arno River for a loss of one OP. Then, the 40th is stopped cold at Tarlac when two more Japanese units both get hits to bring the 40th down to 0 OP.

Next, the 37th Division moves out, taking Tarlac with one loss and stopping just outside Clark Field.

Turn One starts off with the US player designating the 43th and 6th Division, the 158th Infantry Regiment and the 13th Armor Group as the I Corps "shoulder" force. This force moves into defensive positions between the Beachheads and the SHOBU Group Base Area. In moving into position, the 6th Division encounters one Japanese defense battalion and takes one OP loss.

Turn Two. The 503rd Parachute Regiment takes the 3 OP deduction and remains in the holding box. No rescue mission or Counteroffensive.

Back at Lingayan Gulf, the 25th Division lands and joins I Corps, freeing up the 158th Infantry to return to the Holding Box for other missions. The 43rd and the 25th are set to attack Baguio while the 6th Infantry advance towards Bambung with no resistance and the 13th Armor takes Santa Fe.

The 1st Cavalry Division heads for Cabanatuan, losing one OP to Japanese defenders, and takes up a position north of the river across from the town.

The 112th Cavalry Regiment and the 6th Rangers move to the 1st Cavalry position and fan out east and west.

The 40th Division grinds its way south through the objectives west of Clark Field, encounter first four defense battalions and then three more Japanese units resulting in a 3 OP loss. With only one OP remaining, the 40th heads south towards Zig-Zag Pass.

The 37th Division continues the drive south clearing three Japanese units from Clark Field with one OP loss, then on to San Fernando to clear two more Japanese units with another OP loss. Then the 37th heads southwest and south to the first Manila Bay objective and then southeast along Manila Bay towards Intramuros and is stopped by a Japanese battalion at the Pampango River.

Turn Three. The 503rd Parachute takes the 5 OP deduction and sits out this turn. Rescue Mission! The 6th Rangers are assigned to this mission.

The 1st Cavalry, losing one OP taking Cabanatuan, advances and ends its move adjacent to Intramuros, ready for an all-out assault on Turn 4.

The 37th continues its drive and pulls up adjacent to the 1st Cavalry. The 112th moves to the 1st Cavalry position and advances one more hex to position itself to support the 1st Cavalry's upcoming assault.

The 11th Airborne conducts an amphibious assault at Batangas LZ and clears the southern side of Manila Bay and prepares to assault Manila from the south.

Elsewhere (not shown), the four regiments of the XI Corps (149th, 151st, 152nd Infantry regiments and the 34th RCT) land near Olongapo with two advancing into Olango and Zig-Zag Pass to meet the 40th Division advancing southwest, one heading across the Bataan Peninsula, and one heading down the peninsula towards Corregidor.

Turn 4. Back north, the 6th Division advances two hexes to make way for it and the 13th Armor to be adjacent to Bambang ready for an assault. The below moves are not shown.

Turn 5 and 6. 158th Inf Reg lands at Aparri and begins driving south along the Cagayan River while the 6th Division breaks into the Valley from the south and drives north. The two columns are posed to meet on Turn 6 and complete the cut-off to win the game.

The 1st Cav assaults Intramuros with the support of the 37th Div and 112th Cav Reg. The 11th Airborne assaults Manila from the south. The 503rd Parachute and the 34th RCT assault and take Corregidor. The 158th Inf Reg lands near Batangas and advances into the town. I Corps units assault and take Baguio and Bambang.

8.8 Operations Point Cost Table (OPCT)

All movement costs on the OPCT are paid on a per-hex basis based on terrain type. Each per-hex cost is defined by the natural or manmade terrain type as listed on the table.

US Operations Point Cost Table

Action	OP Cost
Enter a Japanese-Controlled Manila or Intramuros or Sierra Madre Hex	3
Enter a Japanese-Controlled Clark Field* Hex or any Bicol Peninsula Beach Hex	2
All Other Land & All-Sea Hexes	1
Cross a River or Lake Hexside	+1**
Launch a Prepared Assault into Manila or Intramuros	3
Support a Prepared Assault into Manila or Intramuros	4/2***

*For entry purposes, Clark Field is considered to be hexes 1031, 1032 & 1132. **Paid in addition to the cost for the hex being entered. Ignore this extra cost when crossing a river hexside while moving from an already US-controlled hex to a US-controlled hex. ***4 for Division units, 2 for sub-divisional units.

8.9 US Airborne Movement

The 11th Airborne Division and the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment are each capable of making one (separate) airborne (paradrop) move per game during Phase II of any turn. To make such a move, the unit in question must start the US Operations Phase in either the Offshore Reserve Holding Box or Clark Field (1132, provided 1031 and 1032 are also US-controlled at the time). The unit may move from there (at the cost of one OP) to any US- or Japanese-controlled hex on the map. (If the latter, check for combat normally as given in section 10.0.) Once on the ground, the unit may continue moving and fighting normally (in that and all subsequent turns). Corregidor may be moved onto using airborne movement.

8.10 US Amphibious Movement

All US units (including the two paratroop units) are capable of crossing one or more all-water hexes and/or hexsides during their moves, which is termed "amphibious movement." Each river or lake hexside crossed costs the moving unit one extra OP ("extra" meaning in addition to the cost for the terrain/water in the hex being entered). There is nothing extra paid for all-sea hex entries or hexside crossing beyond the one OP for the all-sea hex entry cost (and no Japanese Hex Defense roll). There's also no limit, beyond OP availability, on the number of amphibious moves any given US unit may make over the course of any US Operations Phase.

Important: A US unit may not end its move in an all-water hex. US divisions may only move into and/or out of all-sea hexes via beach hexes, whereas sub-divisional units may use beach or clear hexes for that purpose. Corregidor may be moved onto (and off) using divisional or sub-divisional amphibious movement.

8.11 No Pocket Breakouts

If you maneuver US units in such a way as to surround one or more Japanese-controlled hexes with US-controlled hexes, you have in that way formed a "pocket." Note, however, nothing special happens. That is, there are never any Japanese "breakout" attempts, and pocketed hexes remain Japanese-controlled until you decide to try to take them in the normal way.

8.12 Shobu Group Base Area

The Shobu Group Base Area may not be entered or attacked in any way by US units during the entire course of play. The Shobu Group Counteroffensive, if it occurs, will originate from that area. See section 11.0 for details.

9.0 Japanese Defending Force Generation

9.1 General

Japanese units don't move about the map in the manner of US units (8.0). Instead, each time a moving US unit enters a Japanese-controlled hex, you must temporarily pause its movement to "roll up" (via die roll) that hex's Japanese defending force (if any).

9.2 Japanese Hex Defense Table

The Japanese defense force for each type of hex is rolled up using the table printed on the map sheet.

Example: If a US unit were entering a Japanese-controlled cropland hex and the die roll was a three, four Japanese "general defense" units would participate in the fight for that hex (see 10.2 for combat resolution).

For hexes other than Manila, Intramuros, and Corregidor (2.7, 4.2, & 10.6-10.10), the Japanese defenders are always chosen from the six identical general defense units; all with only one step and CDR of "1" (2.6 & 2.9). General defense units are eliminated in every battle in which they fight, however they are immediately recycled into availability as soon as every battle is over. Each may be used again and again in that way in any number of individual battles throughout the course of the phase and the game.

Important: If you're playing a scenario in which Thirty-Fifth Army has been added to the Japanese order of battle, all rolls on the Hex Defense Table are increased by one.

[Source gap: sections 10.6-10.10 are cited here; 10.7 through 10.10 are absent from the source eRules v6F.]

9.3 Manila, Intramuros & Corregidor

Manila, Intramuros and Corregidor each have their own static Manila Defense Force (MDF) unit (respectively, the MNDG, NG, and MBG). The CDR is determined by a die or dice roll as per the notes under the Japanese Hex Defense Table (Manila/MNDG = 2d6, Intramuros/NG = 3d6, and Corregidor/MBEG = 1d6-1). This represents the total Japanese force in that hex and the number of dice to roll on the Japanese Fire table (third line). See 10.3 through 10.6 for more details.

Note: All combat takes place "in hex" rather than across hexsides.

Japanese Hex Defense Table

Die Roll	1	2	3	4	5	6-7
Hex Type	Number of Japanese Defending Units
Town Adjacent to SGBA* or Cropland	2	3	4	5	6	6
Clark Field or Zig Zag Pass	1	2	3	4	5	6
Other Towns

+1 to all the die rolls on table above if Yamashita Transferred Sooner is in play.

Manila = 2d6: roll 2-12 times
Intramuros = 3d6: roll 3-18 times
Corregidor = 1d6-1: roll 0-5 times
SGBA = Shobu Group Base Area

10.0 Combat

10.1 Combat Procedure

After you have determined the Japanese defense force in the hex into which you have just moved a US unit, go through the steps in the sequence below (in order) to resolve that battle.

[Source gap: the source says the steps are "given in the sequence below", but no numbered steps follow in the source eRules v6F. The sequence is therefore not included here.]

Important: When rolling on the Japanese Fire Table, one "hit" always equals one OP loss to the US unit receiving it.

Hits are implemented against (and take effect instantly) the involved US unit. Each hit causes the involved US unit to lose one OP. "Miss" means just that: no effect. After all those rolls and hits have been implemented, that combat is over. Set aside all the involved Japanese general defense units, within easy reach, for potential recycling into the next battle. For MDF units, see 10.7-10.9.

[Source gap: sections 10.7-10.9 are absent from the source eRules v6F. See the Table of Contents note.]

10.2 Combat vs. Japanese General Defense Units

Roll one die, using the Japanese Fire Table, for each CDR factor among the involved Japanese general defense units (or the total of the die or dice roll for MDF units). Whether those rolls are hits, or misses depends on the terrain in the hex where that fight is taking place.

Example: If the battle is taking place in a cropland hex, a hit would be scored on a roll of five or six.

Japanese Fire Table

Die Roll	1	2	3	4	5	6
Battle is in
Sierra Madre or a Town Adjacent to Shobu Group Base Area	Miss	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
Clark Field or Zig Zag Pass	Miss	Miss	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
Other Towns or Manila or Intramuros or Corregidor or Manila Bay objectives (stars)

10.3 US Tactical Victories

If a battle ends with the involved US unit still in possession of one or more OP, you may continue to move and fight with that unit, though that's not required. Hex control markers should be rearranged to show the new control status of the hex where the battle was just fought.

10.4 US Tactical Defeats

If the OP level of the US unit involved in a battle with Japanese units other than MDF units has been reduced to zero (by any combination of causes and expenditures), that US unit must be moved back into the hex from which it entered the battle hex and then remain in place there for the rest of the turn. It remains there, effectively out of play until that turn's Administrative Phase, at which time it's replenished with OP in the normal way. It is allowed for any given Japanese-controlled hex(s) to be entered and fought for any number of times during the same US Operations Phase by different US units each time. Each time that occurs, roll up a new Japanese defense force as given in 9.2 and 9.3. Involved Japanese units are still treated as described in 10.2.

Important: A US unit's OP level is never reduced to less than zero: stop the battle when it reaches zero.

10.5 US Tactical Defeats involving Manila Defense Force (MDF)

If the Japanese defense in Manila, Intramuros, or Corregidor defeats a US unit entering its hex (by reducing the advancing US unit to zero) return the defeated US unit to the Offshore Holding Box. That hex could potentially be attacked again by other US units that same phase or during later turns.

10.6 US Prepared Assaults

When attacking into Manila or Intramuros, the US player may (at an extra cost in OP) decide to launch a simultaneous multi-unit assault into the hex in question. Such operations are termed "prepared assaults." To launch one, pick one US unit adjacent to the hex in question to be the "spearhead," and deduct three OP for its move into the city hex. Then deduct four OP from every other adjacent US division or 2 OP from every other adjacent US sub-divisional unit you want to commit to that battle (adjacent to either the hex being assaulted or the assaulting unit). When the Japanese fire is resolved, you're free to apportion the total of OP losses among all your involved units as you like.

Note: If the player achieves a US Tactical Victory but some US units are reduced to zero, those that have 0 OP remain in place, and those that have remaining OP may continue operations.

11.0 Shobu Group Counteroffensive

11.1 In General

During each Shobu Group Counteroffensive Check of turns two through six, inclusive, the Shobu Group Counteroffensive may be triggered on a roll of one. There can be no more than one such offensive per game, because (if launched) the Japanese counteroffensive ends play one way or another (4.4 & 4.5). If a counteroffensive is triggered, resolve it using the following procedures, all of which is considered to take place during the same Shobu Group Counteroffensive Check as the triggering die roll.

Historical Note: In the actual campaign this counteroffensive was never launched, despite the fact it always remained Yamashita's intention to do so. As it was, his spotty command-control situation, combined with an abysmal logistical set up, kept him from ever getting the project rolling. Even so, MacArthur's intelligence people remained wary of the possibility of such a move all during this portion of the campaign, and Krueger had to run his operations while keeping one eye continually on the Japanese base area. This rules section therefore requires you to do the same.

11.2 Counteroffensive Final Objective

The final objective of the counteroffensive is always the nearest (by hex-count at one point per hex) US beachhead hex or US-controlled Manila or Intramuros (whichever is closest among the three hexes) without entering a beach or coastal hex (unless it contains the beachhead/final objective). If one or more potential final objective hexes are equidistant from the SG's starting location, resolve that choice with a die roll.

Example: Hex 0923 is the nearest objective in the Historical scenario.

Note: Because the game will be over after this counteroffensive, players may want to remove all of the control markers currently on the map and then use Japanese control markers to mark the shortest path.

11.3 LTG Kruger's "Shoulder"

The U.S. Command was greatly concerned with the possibility of a counter offensive given the proximity of the historical beachhead to the Japanese base, and that most of the American forces were advancing towards Manila and thus away from this area. To reflect this situation, the player must allocate a minimum of three divisions or two division and two sub-divisional units as a screening force (historically, this was I Corps).

In the Historical scenario, these units must stay with three hexes of the SHOBU Group Base Area (and presumably at least one of these units is on the Shobu Group's path to the final objective hex).
In the alternative scenarios, the US player must fulfill the above screening force requirement, or must maintain a line of units across the island such that the Shobu Group must move adjacent to and thus engage one or more US units to move to the closest objective hex.

If the screening force is not present and there is any (not just the closest) empty final objective hex Shobu Group can reach without moving onto or next to a US unit anywhere along the path, it will go to that hex no matter the length of that path and the game ends at that moment with a sudden death Japanese victory.

Note: This rule is meant to force the US player to "look over his shoulder" (as LTG Krueger phrased it) and defend the beachhead hexes either directly with units on or adjacent to them, or to set up a line of units across the island such that the SGBA must engage one or more US units to move to the closest objective hex. When the screening force is in play, it frees the other American forces to advance without concern about leaving gaps in their lines.

Note: The counteroffensive is conducted without regard to the expenditure of OP; there are no Japanese OP.

11.4 Shobu Group Counteroffensive without Thirty-Fifth Army

In scenarios in which Thirty-Fifth Army is not in play, take the total of seven Japanese Shobu Group divisions and brigades and line them up in front of you at some convenient location on the non-hex portion of the map sheet. Deploy the five division-sized units with their "1" CDR side showing upward. Then place the "Shobu" substitute unit (with the bracketed "XXXX" size symbol) adjacent to the initial hex where it will begin its drive toward its final objective.

11.5 Advance of the Shobu Group

Move the single Shobu substitute counter along the most direct overland hex path (no all-lake or all-sea hexes or hexsides may be used) toward its final objective. If it enters one or more US-controlled hexes that contain no US unit keep it moving forward. It's not necessary to readjust control markers. If, however, the Japanese force moves adjacent to a US unit, it must enter that US unit's hex and fight a battle. If the Shobu Group comes adjacent simultaneously to more than one US unit, it will fight the one that will take it closer to the counteroffensive's final objective (again, counting each hex as one point, no matter the terrain). If they're equidistant, Shobu Group will move against the weakest one (in terms of OP count). Resolve the situation via a die roll if the US units are equidistant and of equal OP strength.

Important: The Shobu Group never enters a beach or coastal hex unless it contains a US beachhead marker or Intramuros or Manila.

11.6 Successful Shobu Group Counteroffensive Advances

If any US unit is reduced to zero OP due to being attacked by the Shobu Group, that US unit is immediately and permanently removed from play and the Japanese counter offensive force then continues its course. A Shobu Group Counteroffensive, at its conclusion, and dependent on its operational outcome, will always end the game one way or another (3.4 & 3.5).

[Source gap: section 3.5 is absent from the source eRules v6F.]

11.7 Shobu Group Fire

Roll a die for each unit in the group one at a time using the Japanese Fire Table. As each Japanese unit fires, it is permanently eliminated and removed from play. If the involved US unit is reduced to zero OP (scoring hits and misses as given above in 10.2) and there are still one or more SG units that haven't fired, remove that US counter from the map; it is permanently eliminated. Then continue the advance toward the final objective with the surviving portion of the Shobu force (as represented on the map by the single substitute counter). Repeat that process until all Japanese units within the SG have been eliminated or they have reached their final objective hex, whichever comes first.

If Shobu Force reaches its final objective hex and there is no US unit present there, or there is a US unit present, but it has zero OP, the game ends in a Japanese victory. If Shobu Force reaches its final objective hex and there is a US unit present there with one or more OP, another battle is fought and resolved as described above. If that battle ends with the Japanese eliminating that final US defense, the game ends in a Japanese victory. If the US defense holds (with all SG divisions, brigades and detachments having fired themselves into elimination while the US defender still has one or more OP), the game ends in a Japanese defeat.

11.8 Shobu Group Counteroffensive with Thirty-Fifth Army

If you're playing a scenario in which Thirty-Fifth Army has been added to the Japanese order of battle, the procedure is the same as above except as follows. That is, the five SG divisions are this time deployed with their "2" CDR sides showing upward. All eight units of Thirty-Fifth Army are added to the SG starting force, and the six divisions within it are also deployed with their stronger CDR in use. When a Japanese division fires using its CDR of 2, afterward, rather than it being eliminated immediately, it's flipped over so its CDR of one is showing. That allows it to participate in another round of combat in that same hex (if necessary to try to get the defending US unit's OP down to zero) or in another hex farther along the path of the advance against a different US unit.