From Moves#55 Okinawa Variables by James C. Gordon Historical Campaiqn Option. The American player has the option to land forces on another beach after the initial invasion. In the actual battle, the 2nd Marine Division was a floating reserve and staged a demonstration off the southern coast early in the campaign to draw attention. Disembarking one or two divisions on the southern Mlriatoga beaches can turn the entire game upside down by outflanking the main line of defense. If the Japanese have moved theirreserves north troops must be shifted to meet the new threat. However, dividing the American forces can also weaken of their collective effort and may leave them open to counterattack. Landing on the Yonabaru or Machinato beaches can support the offensive against the main Japanese defense line more directly. Alternate American Landinq. Prior to the start of the game, the American player secretly writes down his choice of invasion beaches and the forces designated to land on each stretch of sand. At least three divisions must he assigned to the primary invasion beach. A maximum of two divisions are assigned to the secondary beach. If the player chooses to land on three separate beaches, one division lands on the tertiary target. Example: the 7th, 27th, and 96th Infantry Divisions land on one beach, the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions on another, and the 77th Infantry Division on a third after capturing Ie Shima. Ie Shima. The island of Ie Shima was defended by a small force. After capturing the island, the Americans installed several heavy artillery batteries to support the campaign on Okinawa. As an option, the Japanese player can elect not to defend the island and redeploy all units to anywhere on Okinawa. The American player conquers the island without a combat assault and the 77th Division lands on Okinawa at full strength. A die roll determines the turn of deployment for the 77th Division: 1-2 = one turn ahead of schedule, 3-4 = two turns, 5-6 = three turns. Beach Defense. Japan decides to contest the American invasion instead of conceding the initial landings. One parent organization (24th or 62nd Division, 44th IMB, 2nd Infantry Unit) deploys all units north of the 62nd Division zone. All invasion beach hexes must he covered by units or ZM and all excess units deploy within ten hexes of the invasion beaches. If the 62nd Division defends the beaches, the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade plus any six small units are deployed in the 62nd Division zone. Free Setup Option. The Japanese player can choose to alter the strategic deployment of his forces and set different victory priorities. The important airfields, crests, and villages are spread across the full length of the island and the Japanese select eight of eleven objectives to defend. The player can change the area of deployment for the parent organizations to better defend certain areas. The drawback is that some defenders can quickly become isolated, particularly in the far north. The Americans may conquer some areas easily when they expected a tough fight and find strong defense where they were not expected. Hidden Deployment. Using the Free Setup option, the Japanese player determines his entire deployment and secretly writes down the placement of each unit. All village hexes and all objectives must be occupied by at least one unit. The American player announces which beach he will assault in the initial invasion and which divisions will make the first landing. Then the Japanese player reveals all units deployed within ten hexes of the invasion beaches. Other units are automatically revealed when they move or when the first American unit moves within five hexes. Naval-Air Game. The air war over Okinawa involved thousands of planes and tens of thousands of sorties but the impact on the ground campaign is abstracted in the game. The air component can be enhanced by increasing the maximum number of air strikes to eight American and ten Japanese. In addition, the Japanese are allowed to conduct one full air strike against the Allied naval Task Forces prior to the initial invasion. The total number of air factors available to each side is increased by rolling the die and multiplying the result by 20 to produce the augmentation. The Japanese air factor increase is divided evenly between escorts and Kamikazes. Alternatively, the die roll can be used to reduce the air factors available to decrease the impact on the air war on the game. Altered Timetable. Despite the best laid plans, there is no way of knowing how long it would take for the American forces to conquer the island. A random die roll is made on turn 14 of the campaign scenario which can lengthen or shorten the game. Use the following results: die roll 1 = +1 turn, 2 = +2, 3 = +3, 4 = -3, 5 = -2, 6 -1. Victory conditions remain the same which places more pressure on one side but neither player knows how the die will fall until the middle of the game. Variable American Order of Battle. Okinawa was the last major campaign before the invasion of Japan itself. 'Me strategic planners could have treated Okinawa as a less important target, or expected less resistance, or directed resources toward the invasion of Formosa instead. Roll a die to remove one division: die roll 1 = 7th Infantry, 2 = 27th Infantry, 3 = 77th Infantry, 4 = 96th Infantry, 5 = 1st Marine, 6 = 6th Marine. Any three divisions land in the initial invasion, plus a fourth on turn 5, and a fifth after the capture of Ie Shima. Variable Japanese Order of Battle. The Japanese might have given Okinawa a lesser defensive priority, or the Allied naval air campaign could have prevented some forces from reaching the island. Roll one die to remove one formation: die roll 1 = 24th Division, 2 = 62nd Division, 3 = 44th IMB, 4 = 2nd Infantry Unit, 5-6 = reroll until a 1-4 result is achieved and remove any two mortar, anti-tank, or machinegun units. NB submitted by John Kula (kula@telus.net) on behalf of the Strategy Gaming Society (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/~sgs), originally collected by Andrew Webber (gbm@wwwebbers.com)