As I told in the previous posting, this solo scenario can be done with many variations. This night I added 3  Japanese snipers in foxholes. They were Veteran and could aim to individual figures (most likely flamethrowers and bazooka...). Sniper fire results only in Casualty (no Suppression). Each sniper was activated as one unit, with max. 1 Suppression (after that, the sniper is considered killed). 

This game went much differently; the snipers killed 2 US flamethrowers, their squads were compelled to attack the bunkers with hand grenades... and got several unlucky rolls (or lucky saving rolls for the Japanese). The bazooka team was not able to destroy a bunker at distance and even if the snipers were wiped out by BAR and M1 fire, aimed shooting from the bunkers caused heavy casualties to the US. With 12 men killed the platoon retired, after being able to destroy only one enemy bunker.

Now I must get a Sherman tank and see how it goes! 

I eventually found time to paint one box Airfix US Marines, supplemented by some ESCI US Figures... the uniforms are not representative of USMC so I painted them as US Army (olive drab and some helmets with brown camouflage).

This afternoon I arranged a quick solo game with FUBAR one-page rules (that I adopted as my favourite all-purposes skirmish set). Three US squads, each with one flamethrower attached, and one HQ with a bazooka team, are assaulting 3 Japanese bunkers.

I made these simple rules for this game:

- Bunkers are activated like single Units, but can take only two actions: On Guard & Aimed Fire.

- they are armed with one HMG, and have “Heavy” armour (save 4+)

- can be attacked by Bazooka and Flamethrower; or by one Infantry man within 1” from the  embrasure, launching Grenades inside.

- For each unsaved hit, roll 1D6:

1-3 = Crew Stunned, - 2 to the next activation

4-6 = Bunker destroyed, crew killed

US infantry came near the bunkers using a "Duck" action. Japanese fire caused some Suppression and the US advance was halted. The HQ squad walked into fire range and destroyed one bunker with a bazooka shot.

In FUBAR you can trade Suppression for Casualties, in order to avoid to a unit to be penalized in the following activation. So did I and one US squad was activated and fired with its flamethrower, even if loosing two men. Another Bunker is burning...

... and another squad uses the same tactic, loosing 3 men but avoiding Suppression and coming at close distance. One man is ready to throw a grenade inside the embrasure, in case the flamethrower misses.. but it will be not necessary.

The game was very fast and can be repeated two or three times in one session, with variations. For example add some Japanese snipers, aiming to the flamethrowers and the bazooka; or other Japanese forces.

I painted some resin earthworks and made a road for my WW2 jungle skirmish games. This is an after action report with FUBAR one-page rules... a Japanese force is advancing towards a fortified British position. The whole table is considered "jungle" = cover, except the area delimited by the green thread (= open) and of course, the road.

Japanese
1 HQ Squad = Officer, 2 x 50mm "knee" mortars, 1 LMG & 5 men with rifle
2 x Squad = 1 LMG & 11 men with rifle

British
1 HQ Squad = Officer, 4 x SMG
HMG team (3 men) in earthworks; attached to one Squad (1 LMG, 1 SMG and 9 men with rifle) partly in earthworks with some men in reserve

I hope that the photos I made with my cell phone  will give you an idea about the initial deployment of the forces... 

My son picked the British and the game started... one Japanese squad reached the edge of the Jungle area and attacked the trenches with hand grenades, blowing up half of the soldiers inside, including the HMG! Looking at the facial expression of my boy, I declared that the dead soldiers would had become "reinforcements" and they entered again the table from their side of the road...

In the meantime the Japanese HQ squad advanced along the road and encountered fire from the British HQ squad, and from the surviving British rifles in the earthworks... after 50% casualties and a failed activation, the Japanese officer withdrew... instead of committing harakiri!

In the meantime one Japanese squad moved in close combat with the British in the fortifications, that resisted to the assault and were joined by the "reinforcements" in the following turns. A third Japanese squad reached the edge of the Jungle and killed the British HQ squad with hand grenades. But with the poor Japanese officer still fleeing away and the trenches firmly hold by the defenders, we gave the victory to the British.

All at all, a fun game and my boy learned the simple rules almost immediately. I still think that the close combat rules need some fixing (see my previous post)... will see in the next games. I ordered a box of Airfix US Marines for further skirmish games!

In the last weeks I have been busy, painting some good old HO/00 Airfix (8th Army & Japanese) and making some jungle terrain features. I was starting to write down a simple set of skirmish rules for these, but then I found an excellent one-page ruleset called FUBAR for WW2/Modern/Sci-Fi skirmish, that can be downloaded here.

I tried the FUBAR rules in a first solo battle and the result was a fun, quick and simple game. To represent jungle warfare, I considered the table (120x80 cm) completely "soft cover", inside and out the palms and trees terrain feature. This meant that visibility and ranges were very short (6") and target always difficult to hit, unless with aimed fire or with SMG, LMG and grenades. I also did not allow "Run" (= 12") actions - the faster movements being Duck&Weave (=8") and Assault (=8").

For this first game I picked up my whole Japanese force (1 command squad, with one officer, 4 rifle and  2 x 50mm knee mortars; 3 squads with 11 rifle + 1 LMG), opposed by a weak British platoon (1 command squad made up of one officer and 3 x SMG, and two squads each of 1 SMG, 1 LMG and 8 rifles). 

The two forces deployed on the opposite short sides of the table and moved through the jungle, with the British arranging a defensive line and the Japanese attacking it... the most basic form of scenario.

FUBAR activation system is good and works well for solo game. For example,  one of the Japanese squad failed to activate for two or three turns and was left back, with the Japanese HQ being compelled to spearhead the attack. This kind of things make more interesting and challenging games, solo or with one opponent.

Another thing that I liked is the Suppression system. Basically a number of figures in each squad (1-4 depending on status) when hit are Suppressed (lean on one side) instead of become casualties. They can't fire and subtract a -1 to the next activation roll of that unit. I experimented that one unit with 2 suppressed figures become very difficult to activate (you need a "6").

For this first game, I found a bit difficult to make use of Grenades. Single figures should have a limited number of these, but how can you keep track of the number of Grenades for each one, avoiding dozens of counters or a roster sheet? I think one solutions is avoiding  one or two "Throw Grenades" action for each squad during the game, as alternative to firing.

A more major issue aroused with close combat. Rules says that combat continues at the beginning of each subsequent turns; units involved automatically activate; and cannot subsequently activate in that turn. I did not understood how long the combat goes on (until one unit reaches 50% casualties? but it is not written); if a unit can withdraw from close combat (seems not possible since cannot activate during that turn); if suppressed figures have some penalty.  Maybe it is just me (I am not native speaking English) but it looks the less clear section, of one otherwise clear and concise set of rules.

The game was a British defeat, with the whole command squad slaughtered in close combat, one squad fleeing away, reduced to only 3 men, and another squad near to 50% casualties. But the Japanese casualties were also heavy... I will do other FUBAR games and expand my terrain scenics with field fortifications, road etc, to make other scenarios.