This article covers a semi-fictional campaign - the United States invasion of Haiti in September 1994. Most of what follows is well documented fact and could be played as a purely historical game. To spice things up a little, I've taken a few liberties and added some fictional elements to the campaign.

The Game. You are Lieutenant (fill in your name here) commanding a reconnaissance platoon of US Marines. Your unit comprises 2 LAV-25's (25mm chain gun, coaxial 7.62mm M240 machine gun and 2 banks of smoke grenade dischargers. Carries 3 crew & 6 soldiers) and 1 "Hummer" (High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle, 4 X 4, HMMWV).

Opposition forces - organisation and strength: The Armee Haitien consists of approximately 7,000 men, performing a variety of duties (soldiers, police, fire brigade and prison guards). The best of the army is the Presidential Guard and the Dessalines Battalion, along with the Leopards. According to latest intelligence sources, the Haitian armed forces comprise:

Based in the capital, Port-au-Prince: The Presidential Guard unit has 4 Infantry companies, and controls the majority of the heavy weapons (1 Heavy Weapons company), whilst the Dessalines Battalion has a strength of approximately 5-7 infantry companies. The Port-au-Prince Police comprises some 4-6 companies.

Based in the Regional Military Departments: Each of the six Regional Militant Departments [North, Northwest, Artibonite, Centre, South and West] is of roughly battalion strength. These troops also act as district police.

Other Military/Paramilitary Units: The "Leopards" are an elite Special Forces unit (3 companies), and are directly responsible to the Chief of Staff. There are also a number of (well armed) political militia organisations, who are expected to defend their nefarious interests.

Weaponry:

Tanks: 6 M3A1/M5A1 Stuart light tanks. Almost all are immobile, and are believed to be used as static pillboxes, defending the Presidential Palace.

APC's: 11/12 (6 V-150 Commando & 5/6 M113).

Artillery: 9/11 (5 M116 75mm Pack Howitzers & 4/6 M101 105mm Howitzers).

Anti-Tank: 10 (of each?) M3A1 37mm A/T gun & M1 57mm A/T gun.

Anti-Air: Includes 6 Israeli TCM-20 twin 20mm, 4/6 Bofors 40mm and possibly 4 (Soviet?) 57mm weapons.

Infantry: Galil, M16, G3 & Garand rifles; Uzi 9mm & .45 Thompson SMGs; M60 & .30 cal. Browning machine guns; US 60mm & 81 mm mortars; M-18 57mm & M40A1 106mm recoilless rifles.

Navy & Air Force. The Navy has half a dozen coastal patrol craft armed with .50 cal. Brownings and twin 7.62mm MG's. The Air Force has only counter insurgency aircraft (7-0-2) plus some transport aircraft.

Intelligence Briefing: Recently there have been mass levies of ill-armed civilians. The enemy have announced the formation of Zombie Defence Battalions, under the orders of the Houngans (Voodoo priests). They use "Koutie," a bottled zombie-making potion. they also have AIDS powder, made from the ground up bones of AIDS victims. AIDS, Yellow Fever and Tubetculosis are patticularly rife in Haiti. "We are talking zombification, poison darts, voodoo powder and poisoned waters" to quote one Haitian leader. There are numerous improvised road blocks (mainly oil drums and tree trunks) blocking important routes.

Communications are extremely poor. The Armee Haitien uses telephone & radio-telephone links from the communications unit (in Port-au-Prince) to the six Regional Military Departments. However, links to military district, sub-district and rural sections are heavily reliant on telephones. Uniforms are standard khaki fatigues, except that the Police wear similar versions in blue.

Additional, fictional briefing. The Cubans have sent a small expeditionary force (shades of Grenada!) to aid their "brave Haitian brothers in the struggle against Yankee Imperialism." Colombian drug barons use Haiti as a staging post. The DEA is particularly keen to snatch this opportunity to smash the efforts ofthe cartels.

Your mission is to proceed to La Branie (#12) where you are to neutralise the garrison, which is reported to be of platoon strength. It's believed US Special Forces may be operating in the area, but with all the confusion... Maybe Intelligence don't think you need-to-know.

Secondary objectives are:

(1) Gather intelligence about enemy strength and dispositions.

(2) "Fly the good ol' Stars 'n' Stripes." Show the locals that the hour of liberation is here. You have to travel from your units base camp at Port de Paix (#1) to La Branie by an appropriate route.

The campaign map can be split into a number of significant areas (each is a wargames table). How the gamer chooses to represent these will depend upon exactly what terrain is available. Feel free to change things around.

As the player arrives on each table he should read the background information below. This represents what can easily be seen/heard. Give the Lieutenant a "Character" and if he is unduly Gung-Ho or overly cautious, the soloist may vary this accordingly. To keep up the Fog of War, read only the section conceming the location you are at.

(1) Port-de-Paix. Base camp.

(2) The bridge. The dilapidated stone bridge across the river looks deserted. There's an old wooden shack at the far end. If you listen carefully you can hear the rumble of truck engines in the distance (they seem to be fading into the distance and getting fainter).

(3) The cross-roads. The cross-roads also appears deserted. So far there has been no evidence of the locals welcoming you as "brave liberators". Through binoculars you can observe the roads to the east and south have been blocked with improvised barriers (tree trunks, boulders and oil drums), whilst the road to the south west seems clear. Which route will you take?

(4) Renato village. Renato is a small shanty town, of typical poor construction. There's a road block outside the village, manned by 4 Haitian police armed with rifles. In what passes for the town square there appears to be some sort of meeting going on, with 30-40 machete wielding civilians, plus maybe half a dozen more police present. The mood appears heated.

(5) The gorge at Mobayard. The gorge is completely blocked by a landslide. Do you attempt the jungle tracks around the landslide on foot or retrace your tracks to the cross-roads (#3)?

(6) The road to Mobayard Plantation. As your column rounds a bend you see a tree has been felled, blocking the road. It will need to be moved if you are to proceed. As your vehicles start to slow down you come under fire from a couple of snipers hidden in the jungle, somewhere to the left of the road. What will you do?

(7) The saw mill. Manuel's Mill, as it's known locally, is a collection of large dilapidated tin and wood buildings used as a saw mill by Haitian loggers. A WW2 vintage truck has been abandoned in the Mill yard, and a Toyota pick-up truck is parked nearby. Your recon scouts, advancing ahead on foot, have reported sighting an Uzi toting Caucasian/Latin prowling around the mill complex.

(8) The plantation. The cane fields are thick around here. The road is muddy and narrow. Ahead is a small clearing containing a number of shanty huts. Over to the West there's smoke, from burning cane.

(9) The quarry. The abandoned quarry consists of one tin hut, a broken down truck and thousands of tons of stone. The jungle has begun to encroach upon the clear areas, whilst the ground is badly pitted with holes.

(10) The ford at Gros-Morne. The river is very shallow here. The road (more like a track) continues to a ford, some 20 yards wide and crosses the river. You can see that the road/track is blocked by a couple of fallen trees. You can observe no sign of activity on the opposite bank, although....

(11) The bridge near La Branie. The iron bridge across the river has been blown up. A party of Haitian soldiers are seen inspecting the damage. What will you do? There are at least 6 of them, all are rifle armed.

(12) La Branie. At the edge of town the main road has been blocked by an improvised barricade and defended by at least half a dozen enemy soldiers and militia. Inside the town there is frenzied building of defences.

Game Master information
This contains hidden forces and other information you need to start and complete the mission.