Those interested in creating scenarios can see how the data provided in the article on the 27th Division on Saipan was used as a basis for the scenario. Designing a scenario requires judgments about the forces involved, the portrayal of the terrain (keeping in mind that players must be able to recreate the terrain), and any special conditions necessary to simulate the basic conditions. In general, this does not mean the use of idiot rules. However, the suicide of the Japanese in the huts is an example of a limited rule that forces an event to happen within the game. The Japanese actually committed suicideno one knows why-and that is how Harakiri Gulch got its name. Since they did not actually fight, a situation can be created that follows what happened on the battlefield without limiting players' initiative.
This scenario lends itself to solitaire play, because the Japanese did not maneuver during the course of the battle, but simply shot at whatever they could see. In a multi-player game, the umpire could be responsible for handling the Japanese, or just one player could command the Japanese side. The real objective of the scenario is to see if the Americans can keep their forces intact while pushing the assault to a successful conclusion. The low morale of the units is not an indication of lack of courage, but of the difficulty units had maintaining their cohesion under intense fire in difficult terrain.
More Saipan, 6 July 1944 Harakiri Gulch: A Battalions In Crisis! Scenario
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© Copyright 1994 by Mike Vogell and Phoenix Military Simulations.
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