Awful offal to many. Assorted pieces to most. A Chinese delicacy with a storied history dating back centuries ain’t what I’m on about.1
Welcome to the eleventh post dealing with scenarios under development for my forthcoming scenario pack Close Combat. “Chop Suey!” is Chinese-on-Japanese combat where red lining is de rigueur. It unfolds at night. As unappealing as that may sound, it’s worth reading on.
There is, for example, no Straying (E1.53). I’ll explain why later. And with the exception of Japanese leaders, units may not place Starshells (E1.92), the ruin of many small scenarios set after dark. There’s no PTO Terrain (G.1) to fret over either.2 It’s good old guy-versus-guy in the gloom that illuminates key concepts of nocturnal engagements and Step Reduction (G1.11).
The Japanese campaign to seize Wuhan in Hubei Province had begun on 30 April. To protect the left flank of this offensive, a secondary front played out in the neighbouring province of Jiangxi. After numerous setbacks that summer, the Japanese 106th Infantry Division had attempted to flank Chinese defences at De’an—a key railway hub some 50 kilometres south of Jiujiang. The commander, Lieutenant-General Matsuura Junrokuro, was a reservist like most of the soldiers under him. On 22 September, Matsuura set off with over 12,000 men for the hill country of Wanjialing.
A lack of roads forced the 106th to leave its heavier equipment and weapons behind as it moved cross country. Inaccurate maps and unreliable compass bearings (due to the high iron content in the bedrock) combined with the rugged terrain to provide the Chinese with ample time to react. By the 28th Matsuura was trapped some 30 kilometres west of De’an (Tean), near the hamlet of Leiminggu-liu. Over the next ten days a dozen Chinese divisions encircled the 106th. As ammunition ran low, the 106th Division increasingly had to rely on air support to keep the enemy at bay, and for resupply. Matsuura’s men nonetheless made desperate attempts to break out. Such was the ferocity of the 113th Infantry Regiment’s efforts, for instance, that the Chinese 58th Division opposite them could muster only 500 men when the 51st Division relieved its comrades on 6 October.
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| Tean Operation China 1938 |
Battlefield
I haven’t unearthed any contemporary maps of the area. Instead I made do with the 1:250,000 scale map above (circa 1955), sketch maps with suspect geographic detail, and other secondary source material. The sketch above suggests that the Japanese occupied the eastern end of the Wutailing ridge. I‘ve been unable to locate this feature on a map.
The postwar topographical map tells a different story. Immediately south of Leiminggu-liu is an area of wetland that, had it existed in 1938, may have been unfavourable for conventional operations. However on the western edge of this lowland, the ground rises enough that it overlooks the village to the northeast. I’ve taken a punt and concluded that this rise was the setting for the knight fight described below.
Eager to destroy his weakened foe, the commander of the 153rd Infantry Brigade, Major-General Zhang Ling-fu, proposed a night attack. The objective was the high ground a kilometre south of Leiminggu-liu known as Zhanggu Hill. After dark on 7 October, Chinese soldiers used ropes and vines to scale a 50-metre cliff on the southern face of Zhanggu. Not expecting an attack from what I have taken to be the low ground at the base of this feature, the defenders soon found themselves engaged in close-quarter battle.
I have no way of knowing whether the hill was forested in 1938 or not. If it was, I suspect that weeks of artillery fire would have turned much of Zhanggu Hill into a hellscape. I wanted a broad hill with heaps of contours and a good mix of terrain. In theory, there are several boards to choose from. Most hills are relatively narrow, however. The high ground on boards 58 and 78, for example, is at best only seven to eight hexes wide. The massive hill on board 77 is wider, with many hexrows extending to nine or ten hexes. But even if I could live with all that yellow paint, the middle of the hill culminates in a five-hex choke point.
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| Comparison of ASL hill boards 58, 77, and 78 |
For reasons that will become increasingly clear, I selected board 5a from Action Pack 8 as the Chinese hill to die on. Although narrow at one end, the hill has a wide mid section and thus more room to manoeuvre. For instance, there are four hexrows that run to ten hexes. But what about all that “urban” terrain you might ask?
I initially went to some trouble to remove roads and bridges. In doing so, however, I created fresh problems. Consider the added headache of having to explain what the Sunken Roads (B4.1) in 5aG11 and 5aI9 become when the roads vanish.
I also wavered over swapping brush for woods. My fear was that a Japanese unit entrenched (B27.1) in brush would be tough to dislodge. When the +1 Night Low Visibility (LV) Dice Roll Modifier (DRM) is factored into a fire equation, a unit entrenched in brush (or Open Ground for that matter) is effectively afforded the same protection as a unit in a stone building! However, if “a target hex contains any terrain (inclusive of hills/higher ground level) whose topmost height is at least a full level higher than the firer,” the +1 Night LV DRM is not applicable (E1.7). In other words, a unit entrenched in woods is only entitled to the +2 Terrain Effects Modifier (TEM) DRM for the foxhole.
Turns out it’s better to leave well enough alone. Brush can’t be Bypassed. Woods can. Entering brush is expensive. Unless Cloaked (E1.4), Infantry must pay an extra3 Movement Factor (MF) at night when entering Concealment Terrain like brush (E1.51).
Terrain transformations were thus modest. Buildings had a +1 TEM, or huts (G5.1) without assigned reading.4 Graveyard, road and walls remained. The “rock piles” near 5aL7 can work in favour of either side, but don’t really alter the feeling that one is fighting in the countryside. For the longest time, however, I resisted leaving buildings as is, so concerned was I that the Japanese would use L7 as a strongpoint. My concern proved unfounded. In the end what you see is what you get, with one important caveat.
Early on I made a decision to confine the playing area to hill hexes. The creation of an artificial “cliff” around the hill simplified matters tremendously. Wide, ahistorical flanking moves were off the table. And a great deal of terrain could be ignored without recourse to lengthy Scenario Special Rules (SSR). Terrain not in play nevertheless remains in effect for setup and entry purposes, and critically for determining elevation levels.
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| Board 5a Action Pack 8 and impact of Starshells |
Dark times ahead
Night scenarios in non-urban areas can be a nightmare for the attacker. With few reference points such as roads, gullies, or Illuminated Locations (E1.9) to guide your men, Straying is a constant worry. Straying is particularily worrisome for units that aren’t Stealthy (A11.17), doubly so for those who are Lax (A11.18), which Nationalist Chinese usually are at night (G18.2). Because I wanted players to shed their inhibitions and engage in ASL after dark, Straying (E1.53) was a nonstarter.5
Some may view this as unrealistic. The alternative would have been to add an SSR to prevent Straying off a “cliff” edge. Still, In any case, I’d be surprised if the boundaries of Zhanggu Hill hadn’t guided soldiers to a certain degree. The marshland that I suspect lay to the east, for instance, would have been an obvious physical boundary. Indeed, it may have been visible from the hill wherever light from the half moon struck the water. More generally, the contours of the hill itself may have aided orientation. Even in pitch black one can sense upward or downward movement, and distinguish between a leftward or rightward slope. That said, I’ve patrolled over plenty of undulating terrain at night and will readily admit that it’s easy to become disoriented if you aren’t following a compass bearing or a known reference point. Whatever your opinion on the matter, I can live with the effect of my design.
Another deliberate departure from the core night rules was to limit Starshells to Japanese leaders. The limitation reflects shortages on the Japanese side and an assumed reluctance on the part of the Chinese to expose their own men to fire. The SSR also has a practical purpose. The hill on board 5a may be wide, but a single flare can still Illuminate almost its entire breadth at numerous points. Two well placed flares could bring movement of Cloaked (E1.4) units to a crawl. A couple turns of abundant artificial light could well stymie Chinese movement enough to ruin the scenario.6
For the longest time these were my only exceptions to the night rules. Prompted by a change in the scenario victory conditions a couple months ago, however, I added an important SSR. At a given point in the scenario, any Japanese units still on No Move counters automatically gain Freedom of Movement (E1.21). At the same time, any still-hidden units are placed on board concealed. My intention was to keep more of the board in play, while avoiding a bug hunt for Nipponese at night.
Fighting was fierce on 8 October; the hill highly contested. I reckon that at some point isolated groups of Japanese soldiers would have taken the initiative and headed toward the sounds of battle. Allowing this makes for a more dynamic and enjoyable game. Fortunately the change highlighted an unforeseen problem during the first test of the revised card.
Midgame the Night Visibility Range (E1.1), or NVR, dropped to zero (E1.13) and remained there for rest of the scenario. The NVR is the maximum range in hexes that, ignoring obstacles, units of either side can see. Zero NVR restricts vision to a unit’s own hex, or to Illuminated Locations (E1.9), as well as those marked by a Gunflash (E1.81). The net effect is that, barring any Illumination, units can sidestep known or suspected enemy Locations at will.7 The easiest solution was to limit the NVR to a minimum of one hex, which I subsequently did.
Seeing red
Two thirds of the Japanese order of battle (OB) is Reduced-Strength (G1.1) at start. The defender can therefore be forgiven for seeing red upon comparing forces.8 One strength of Japanese squads is that they don’t break. It’s also a weakness. Once lost, original Strength Factors such as Firepower (FP) and range (A1.21. -22) can’t be restored. When, for example, a Second Line Japanese squad suffers Step Reduction due to an attack break (G1.12), it Step Reduces, rather than break. For instance, when a Full Strength Second Line 3-4-7 squad fails a Morale Check (MC), it becomes a Reduced Strength 2-3-7 squad. Forty-five percent of the Japanese OB is composed of such squads.
The Japanese 113th Infantry Regiment had been cut off for almost six weeks, its ranks ravaged by relentless combat, increasing illness, and pervasive rationing. These reservists were barely hanging on. For this reason, I’ve chosen Second Line squads to represent the bulk of the Japanese force. The only elite units are leaders and a machine gun crew, all of which are Stealthy (G1.6). First Line units share the latter trait, but are in short supply. I’ve allotted the Japanese just three. All are Reduced Strength. I’d like to think of them as reservists who battle hardened after their junior leaders became casualties and others stepped up to replace them. Positioned with care, these stealthy souls occasionally punch above their weight.
Ammunition Shortages (A19.131) further reduce Japanese effectiveness. Taking a page from Pete Shelling’s play book, any Japanese Multi-Man Counter (MMC) that rolls doubles (not just an Original 12) on the Infantry Fire Table (IFT) while using its Inherent FP suffers Unit Replacement (A19.13). Those First Line squads I just mentioned can quickly become Second Line squads. Firing may therefore not be the best use of these units. But with so many Second Line MMC to begin with, one needs to accept the risk that one or more may be Replaced by Conscripts before long.
One final point related to Ammo Shortage concerns the Japanese light mortar. Whenever it “fires” Illuminating Rounds (IR), it must make a To Hit DR and check for malfunction or Sniper Activation (E1.931). And while we’re on the subject, the Sniper Activation Number (SAN) of each side is two greater than shown on the scenario card. According to the rules, the increase is designed to reflect “random mistaken fire” at night. What’s more, the actual SAN will never fall below the printed SAN (E1.76).
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| Japanese Sniper and Type 92 Machine Gun |
Dadao demo
Major-General Zhang’s parent formation, the 51st Division, was fresh, having been in the line for only a day. Zhang proposed to attack with all three of his German-trained regiments. A hundred of his most agile men, primarily from the 305th Infantry Regiment, would lead the assault on Zhanggu Hill. This hand-picked cadre was ostensibly an all-volunteer force. So too were the men of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army (CPVA) that fought in the Korean War, ostensibly.
As late as 1938, some Nationalist Chinese forces were still equipped with scimitars, or in some cases, sabres. These edged weapons were secondary to the rifles and grenades that most soldiers carried, but occasionally saw use in combat. Twelve years later, when the CPVA entered Korea, shortages of rifles left some troops armed only with grenades and edged weapons. Chapter W, the ASL chapter dedicated to the Korean War, has a section of rules that refers to these ill-equipped soldiers as Grenadiers (W7.121). Due to their lack of fire arms, these MMC have a conditional FP of 4 and a correspondingly conditional range of one hex!9
According to at least one account, Zhang’s heroic hundred included men armed solely with with dadaos (swords famously fashioned from recycled railway track, but not exclusivley so) and hand grenades, and the occasional pistol. This may strike the reader as somewhat fanciful given that the 51st Division was German trained and better equipped than the average Chinese formation. More likely, a percentage of soldiers deliberately left their rifles behind. Sound carries far at night. Stealth and a reliance on close-quarter weapons to surprise and overcome Japanese sentries is a more likely explanation. That ladies and gentlemen was all the rationale I needed to repurpose CPVA Grenadiers for my own ends.
My decision to adapt CPVA MMC to the Second Sino-Japanese War invariably led to the wholesale replacement of two-tone Guomindang (GMD) with two-tone CPVA. Under normal circumstances, Elite GMD 4‑4‑7 are used to represent reasonably well trained, equipped, and led Chinese formations like the German-trained 51st Division. The closest comparable CPVA squad is the First Line Initial Intervention 4-3-7 (W7.12). In one respect, the swap works exceedingly well. Just as a GMD 4-4-7 is Replaced with a First Line 3-3-7, the CPVA 4-3-7 is Replaced by a Second Line 3-3-7.10 Where the CPVA MMC really shine is in their similarity to the Japanese. They don’t break.
All right, all right, CPVA half-squads (HS) and leaders break, but not squads. That 4-3-7 I was talking about earlier is a Full Strength First Line squad. If it fails a MC, it flips to become a Reduced Strength First Line 3-3-7 squad. The same, incidentally, holds true for Grenadier MMC, which are also subject to Step Reduction. Expect to see both sides redlining before long.
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| "Big Swords" and Chinese People's Volunteer Army MMC in Forgotten War |
According to G18.2, Chinese forces are always Lax (A11.18) at night. To reflect the unusual nature of the fighting patrol portrayed in “Chop Suey!” the raiders aren’t Lax. And aside from a few rules unique to the CPVA that I’ll get to in a moment, the Chinese force remains GMD. In practical terms, GMD may launch Human Waves (G18.5), for example, but may not Deploy (G18.2). Another thing to keep in mind is that No Quarter (A20.3) is in effect due to the date (G18.7). Let’s not forget the coolest characters in the Chinese OB: Dare-Death Squads!
According to G18.6, ten percent of Chinese squads may be so designated prior to play. A Dare-Death Squad (or its surviving HS) is special in that, under the guidance of a friendly leader, it can go berserk “voluntarily.” Conditions apply. If he’s feeling lucky, the instigator may join in, but need not do so. This form of managed madness is different in that those who go berserk voluntarily automatically return to normal at the end of that Player Turn, with the proviso that they aren’t in locked in Melee (A11.15). The countermix includes a red-on-white Berserk counter for identifying a unit that’s gone berserk voluntarily. Mystery solved for those still clueless as to the purpose of this counter.
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| Chinese Dare-Death Squads, Heroes, and the CPVA |
Returning to the CPVA side of the ledger, there are a couple of things I’ve included in an SSR that you will want to remember when playing. The easiest to remember are CPVA leaders. There are two types. The Political Officer (W7.31) is a forgiving if somewhat less effective form of Commissar (A25.22).11 His red Strength Factor is hard to miss. But miss him you will, for he plays no role in my scenario.
Regular CPVA leaders have an irregular rank structure—the illegitimate offspring of Chinese and Japanese parents comes irresistibly to mind. These leaders are unusual in that when, unpinned and Good Order, they increase the Morale Level of all other non-berserk CPVA Infantry MMC (W7.3), not unlike what Japanese leaders do for men under their direct command. Other leaders and heroes stacked with a CPVA leader derive no such benefit. Aside from this special capability, regular CPVA leaders lack the darker trait Japanese leaders share with Russian Commissars (G1.41).
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| Chinese People's Volunteer Army (CPVA) Leaders in ASL Module Forgotten War |
The CPVA does share the Japanese predilection for Hand-to-Hand (J2.31) combat. I’ve retained this characteristic, beacuse it reinforces the kind of gung-ho soldiers selected for the operation in the same way Step Reduction does. And just as the Japanese are eligible to receive an extra -1 DRM when engaged in Hand-to-Hand Close Combat, so too are the CPVA (W7.97).12 Steel yourself for a take-no-prisoners slaughter atop Zhanggu Hill.
Night recap
The Chinese have two objectives. They must Control the northernmost hilltop by game end. They must also ensure that they Control more hilltops, measured in hexes, than the Japanese do. Even with eight turns, a delay can prove costly. The Chinese need to muster enough forces for the attack on the last hilltop without abandoning all of their previous gains to opportunistic Japanese counterattacks. There’s a lot to keep both players engaged, especially in the final turns.
“Chop Suey!” offers players a unique opportunity to become familiar with the Step Reduction process, heretofore the preserve of the Japanese, alomng with the basics of night combat. I don’t pretend to have designed an elaborate scenario. It’s nonetheless quick to set up and play. The Game Planner (GP) included with the scenario gives newbies and occasional players alike a leg up. The GP argaubly contains enough information to kickstart play. Having said that, if you see room for improvement, I’m all ears.
This concludes my previews of the ten scenarios slated for the inaugural issue of Close Combat. The work of testing and proofing nevertheless continues. I encourage you to get involved. Testing is both fun and enlightening, a learning opportunity as much as an entertaining distraction from daily life. Each game tells a different story. And it never ceases to amaze me what I and others have discovered about ASL along the way. Join the action today!
Notes
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| Lotus Chop Suey - San Francisco |
2. In other words, the scenario isn’t set in a tropical area of the Pacific Theatre of Operations (PTO) where jungle, for instance, prevails. No bamboo, huts, or Kunai for players to contend with.
3. The extra MF is added after any modification for entering a higher level, for example.
4. If you’ve got a nagging feeling you’ve seen this movie before, you have. In “Booty Call.”
5. Jitter Fire (E1.55) disappears too, triggered as it is by a Straying DR. With Straying no longer a factor, I could also dispense with the oft confusing SSR text concerning Majority Squad Type (E.4). Most night scenarios need to define whether a side’s Majority Squad Type is Stealthy, Normal, or Lax, because the Type influences a side’s likelihood of Straying. That’s all well and fine. However, I’ve witnessed some players confuse the Majority Squad Type with die roll modifiers (drm) associated with an Ambush dr (A11.4). Perry Cocke of MMP clarified the matter in response to a question on the subject, namely “Majority Squad Type does not impact Ambush.” In other words, Ambush drm are based on the actual contents of a stack—be they Stealthy, Lax or neither—not on the Majority Squad Type assigned for the scenario.
6. Those who’ve played OA23 “A Midnight Clear” may have firsthand experience of this. Fun fact. With the exception of Infantry crews, W7.7 states that CPVA MMC may not fire Starshells, nor are they subject to Jitter Fire (E1.55), unless Lax.
7. Zero NVR adds some nightime quirks. For example, this environmental condition allows a unit to enter a Location containing a concealed enemy unit without being “bumped” back as is normally the case under A12.15. Instead, the moving unit becomes vulnerable to a Triple Point Blank Fire (TPBF) attack. If attacked, the moving unit immediately ends it Movement Phase (MPh) and opposing units are thereafter marked with a CC counter. However, should the concealed unit decline fire, the moving unit may continue its MPh.
8. Consider, by way of contrast, the Full Strength Japanese force in “Tin Omen.”
9. Grenadiers lack Long Range Fire (A7.22). Moreover, their inherent FP is not doubled for Point Blank Fire (A7.21) and is only doubled for TPBF (W7.121).
10. There’s another difference between the two. The GMD 3-3-7 is Replaced by a 3-3-6 Conscipt, whereas the CPVA lack Conscripts altogether.
11. Although a CPVA Political Officer is treated like a Russian Commissar in most respects, broken units stacked with him are not immune to Desperation Morale (DM) status during a rally attempt. Rather, DM units incur a +2 DRM instead of the ususal +4 DRM (A10.62).
12. As always, conditions apply. “Whenever ≥ one unbroken CPVA Infantry/Cavalry unit is the ATTACKER in CC/Melee or Ambushes the enemy in CC, that CC/Melee automatically becomes Hand-to-Hand (J2.31) unless every such CPVA unit participating in it was Ambushed in that phase and/or is Withdrawing/pinned. Each CPVA Hand-to-Hand CC attack receives an extra -1 DRM unless every CPVA Infantry unit participating in that attack is pinned/Unarmed” (W7.97).
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