• Michael "6+3 Conklin

TRBH is a historical Campaign Game from Critical Hit covering the end of the Japanese retreat and the Australian pursuit after the attempt to take Port Morsby around November - December 1942. The package contains, a full colour map, 6 scenarios and a PL campaign. Also included is a sheet of "Unmounted counters".

The map is a bright wash of greens and yellows (well it is the jungle you know). Except for the beach there are no elevation changes and pretty much standard symbology in use. The exception is the use of small palm tree symbols instead of orchids. The trail is on the left hand side of the map, with the right side almost completely covered with dense jungle.

The only problem was with the SSR which gave hex O9 as an example of marsh when it is obviously dense jungle. Marsh would be the dark green areas, i.e., M9.

Note that all the scenarios included are played on the left hand side, so I was interested in whether the right side was of any use. The scenario in CH’s On Line magazine #2 has a seaborne landing by the Japanese on the beach on the right side, so I guess it is.

This is an intimate little war. The largest scenario uses about 16 Aussie MMC’s, most under 12. None provided use AFV’s at all (although scenario #7 from CH OnLine magazine #2 uses landing craft).

The Campaign Game looks like a quick 5 firefight CG, and like the scenarios, appears to be of small size. The Strike Bomber in the CG looks like it could be nasty, but a bad extent of error die roll, could be disastrous. I haven’t played PL, so not qualified to state whether its good or not.

TRBH comes with a sheet of unmounted counters for the CG. The Cleared Fire Zone Markers and CP Markers are use in the campaign game. The OBA markers look like they are just replacements for the standard OBA counters in the game but don’t have FFE:1, FFE:2 etc on them so as far as I can tell, they are worthless. The Bomber Strike markers is used with one of the Aussie RG’s, but it seems to me that it should have direction of error indicators like an OGA counter, so appears flawed. (Nice looking plane though, A20?).

The scenarios look fun and you probably could play a couple in a day, at least one in an evening. There are a few obvious errors with the provided counters, and SSR, but nothing that can’t be figure out. A couple are not marked as applying only to the CG, but obviously they do. EX: SSR 23: Australian Redeployment Range increase. I need this for the CG, for scenarios, who cares.

Worth it? I think so, a great why to learn the Pacific rules, No caves. The only sea borne landing is with the downloadable scenario. Just dug in Japs, holding off those ragged bloody heroes. (Sorry couldn’t resist).

Looks to be fun, the map is excellent and the unmounted counters this time are a minor irritation. No historical summary though; I know less about this action than I did about El Alamein, and have a shelf full of books before I get to TRBH.