PIC-Guam Progress 6/26/09

I'm continuing to test out the rules for PIC-Guam. Chris showed me a recent draft of the map and updated rules. I've been doing map exercises on the landing beaches. I've also been writing up design notes on an AI for a computer version of PIC-Guam. This has helped to generate rules questions on the board game.

I've been trying to min-max the Japanese side towards victory (for various definitions of victory). Chris has already had to change the setup rules for the "Recapture of Guam" main scenario, restricting the number of fortfication counters on beach hexes and reducing the number of free setup units. Chris wrote a good set of rules for PIC-Guam, but I'm really trying to explore the boundaries from the point of view of a programmer. My most recent questions include (in no particular order).

• Can an Engineer company build forts on the same turn it reshuffles from 3 platoons?

• Can a suppressed friendly unit be used to take a casualty resulting fromm a friendly assault?

• Can a unit build up/break down in a ZOC? Does this provoke defensive first fire?

• Does a retreating unit with no place to move take step losses instead/?

• Can a retreat path look like a "J", or an "L"? Must the retreat path be in a straight line, or be directly away from the FEBA?

• Does Banzai charge exploitation stop at ZOC's?

• Can 3 Engineer platoons build a fort, or must they reorg into a company first?

• Can arty, air, and naval units make attacks on their own? How? What limits? Just wonder if there is anything aside from interdiction.

• Is it permitted to allow the US player to allocate all his naval support in one combat? If not, what limits are there?

• Does the Japanese player get defensive first fire against units moving into adjacent lagoon hexes? (i.e. during Amphibious phase)

• Does a US unit suffer any adverse effects from retreating into a lagoon hex from a land hex? Is this even permitted?

• Can a US unit withdraw from a lagoon hex to a sea hex?

• If the stacking limits are exceeded on the beach, in the lagoon, or in the sea hex for a landing zone, do follow on waves stack up and ultimately (possibly) delay later waves?

• Can the US player voluntarily hold back some or all units in a wave to a later turn?

• Do the Division and PMB HQs trace supply back to IIIMAC HQ? Do they trace supply back to the beach before IIIMAC HQ lands? If so, can it be any beach? (I'm guessing that it has to be through friendly controlled hexes, which argues against a unit cut off from the southern beach being able to trace supply to the northern beach before link-up.) If a regimental HQ from one beach fights its way through to the other beach, can it get supply there?

• Can Engineer units be replaced? Can other units also be replaced? (I guess all non-armor units can be replaced, using the replacement pool...just making sure.)

• 3.6 How many units, of what size, can be replaced for one point? (I guess one company, but I'm not sure.)

• 2.12.1.1 Typo: replace the word "beach" with "LD/Sea". Refers to placement of the next landing wave on the map.

• In the optional reinforcements rules, does the reference to 9th Tank Regiment refer to the HQ unit?

• Can naval units support amphibious fire and assault? (I'm guessing per 11.3 that CL/DD ships can.))

• 11.9 Does shore battery fire apply only to units on the beaches, or can shore batteries target lagoon and LD/sea hexes, too?

• Do the artillery/HQ rules apply to Japanese units? If so, what about the short range artillery units integral to battalions?

• Does Supply count after exploitation? If I exploit out of supply range, do I suffer the effects of out of supply?