[Blood & Sand: Pacific Variant is an adaptation of the Variant Design & could not scratch. The yearning for more material on the Pacific was not fulfilled. Development rules originally written by Wild Bill Wilder in 1982 prior to any There were promises, but no product. release of any Pacific theatre modules by The Avalon Hill Game Company for its Finally, after some years of rather impatient waiting, I began research and original Squad Leader or Advanced Squad Leader rules. He and his group of experimentation on the Pacific. Then I enlisted the aid of some other very capable players known as “Wild Bill’s Raiders” attempted to formulate rules for use and people from different parts of the U.S., and we went to work. in the last 18 create scenarios based in the Pacific theatre using the available counters found in months the product of our efforts is a Pacific variant based on the Squad Leader t he o rig inal Squad Leader and its expansion gamettes. It is to Wild Bill Wilder system called Blood and Sand. and his group that this new module is dedicated and below you will find hi s Many hours of correspondence, testing, and correction have gone into the original introduction for his Blood & Sand rules. However, the contents of this preparation of this variant. Of course, when Avalon Hill Game Co. does finally version of Blood & Sand, are actually the Chapter G: Pacific Theatre rules found produce its own version of the war in the Pacific, this effort will lose its in the ASL rulebook. The ASL rules from Chapter G have been modified (and in significance. I do believe, however, that much of what we have done will be some cases entirely rewritten) in some areas where it was necessary so as to reflected in that product. Perhaps it will even be adaptable to it. coincide with the rules already written and presented in Squad Leader thru GI: I n the meantime, this project stands as is. It has proven to be a valuable learning Anvil of Victory, and in some cases from the new VSQL module Hollow Legions: experience on the personal level. For other garners it offers the following North Africa. Even though the rules were originally written for ASL, every effort advantages. was made to reference rules originally presented in the earlier set of rules found 1. An introduction to the Allied participation against the Japanese on the in Squad Leader, Cross of Iron, Crescendo of Doom, or GI: Anvil of Victory, but tactical level. This is an area left practically untouched by gaming companies. in some cases there were so me ASL rules that were entirely new to the original SL Now you can leave behind for a while the hedgerows of France, the desert sands game and were required to be entirely rewritten so it could fall in line with the of North Africa, and the bitter cold of Russia for the sweltering jungle heat, original SL-GI rules (in effect, the rules written for ASL were stripped of tropical disease and coral reef. anything that was considered pertinent to the play of ASL and not in t h e O r i g inal 2. An insight into the uniqueness of this conflict. Many basic principles of SL game system). in any case, if a conflict of rules should arise, players may jungle warfare, invasion tactics, fluid defenses, new weaponry, and combined either except the highest rules number as taking precedence or with a simple roll military strategy were forged in the fires of the Pacific struggle. of the die. 3. An inspiration, as the gallantry of many nations involved is faithfully - Editor] portrayed on the playing board. With the implementation of a few new rules, one INTRO: (By Wild Bill Wilder) is able to “feel” the difference in the action, and perhaps even modify the outcome The military involvement of the United States in the Pacific during World War of the battle. II forms a dramatic and glorious part of our history. It cannot be ignored or The complete variant may be made available shortly as a magazine supplement. forgotten. From the “dastardly and unprovoked attack” on Pearl Harbor to the I n cluded in this will be more maps, more scenarios, and some counters. Wherever horrendous explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Western world, and in possible, however, players should use existing Squad Leader counters. For the particular the United States, became engulfed in an unparalleled struggle. Millions scenarios included in this issue of the magazine, for example, use German of soldiers, sailors and airmen were scattered like chaff across the vast expanses infantry counters and French support weapons for the Japanese. Any counters of the Pacific ocean and the enormous land masses of the Far East. you will need to make are illustrated. Names and places which had previously been unknown to the average The present scenarios (P1-P20) are a sampling of what is to come, and American became a familiar part of his vocabulary. Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Midway, depending upon your response to them, much more will be presented in t h e the Burma Road, Guadalcanal, and many others have been indelibly printed upon future. Other scenarios dealing with the French-I n dochinese struggle, Korea, the our history pages. “Banzai” is a more familiar term than “Blitzkrieg”; MacArthur, Near East, and Central America are also possibilities. Your reaction will W a inwright, Yamamoto, Tojo and Merrill are names we have heard before. determine just how far we go. in the meantime, I truly hope that this introduction Having long been a lover of military history, and with an almost inordinate to the Blood and Sand variant will be a pleasant, informative, and inspiring desire to recreate great military encounters through gaming, the Squad Leader change in your gaming diet. system has been a constant fountain of satisfaction for me. The trend of other Original Variant Design: Bill Wilder gaming companies toward the tactical aspects of warfare demonstrates the interest Original Playtest Group: “Wild Bill’s Raiders” Original Variant Development: B o b S a f i n , Ed Walker, Lee Skilhi n , Jeff Shaw, Ross Towle, Mike that exists there. For me, tactical situations are just what I enjoy the most. I find Fredericks, Rick Walton, Norm Benjami n, Chip Merton, Geff Hi n ds, Kurt Manglos and many others. that I am a much better sergeant or lieutenant than general. Still, I had an itch I BLOOD & SAND PACIFIC VARIANT RULES PV.1 PTO TERRAIN: Except as mentioned otherwise, the following apply whenever that Location. A unit forced back into a Wire Location is placed beneath the Wire "PTO Terrain" is stated as being in effect: counter. A unit forced back to a Depression Location is placed in it—not in Crest status. A unit forced back to an entrenchment/shellhole Location can derive no TEM benefit • All woods are Jungle; there from vs any ensuing Defensive Fire attacks, unless that unit(s) expended the MF’s • All brush is Bamboo; for that location prior to exiting the location and entering the DEFENDERS concealed hex location). A unit forced back to its previous Location is not subject to attack (even • All orchards are Palm Trees; by a minefield or FFE) during its brief period in the previously concealed unit's Location, but it is subject to other Defensive Fire attacks when being returned to its • All wooden Single Story Houses in hexes containing two separate buildings, but no partial building depiction, are Huts; previously occupied Location. Random Selection is used to determine which of multiple concealed units must lose their concealment, but all hidden Units in the • All grain is Kunai; Location must be placed on board beneath a "?" prior to that Random Selection. If the DEFENDER is unable to reveal a non-Dummy unit in that Location because there are • Each marsh hex adjacent to one Jungle hex is a Swamp hex; none, all of his "?" in the Location are removed and the moving unit may continue its • No roads exist (all woods-roads are Paths, with no Open Ground in the woods- move from that Location without ever having been forced out of it. If the only road portion of those hexes); concealed unit revealed is a SMC, the ATTACKER may, at his option, immediately attempt an I n fantry OVR (PV.4B) if possible, thereby forcing the DEFENDER to • All bridges are Fords; immediately reveal another non-Dummy unit in the Location (if he has one). • Stream "end-hexes" (whether overlay hexes or not) that are adjacent to each other PV.4B INFANTRY OVR: A n I n fantry MMC may enter in the MPh a Location but on different boards are assumed to represent a continuous stream; i.e., each hexside containing only one Known enemy SMC (unless that SMC occupies an AFV) at double common to two such hexes is treated as a stream hexside [EXC: for LOS/LOF purposes, the total MF cost of entry provided it has passed a NMC to enable it to enter the that hexside is considered a stream hexside only if the LOS/LOF begins in one of those Location [EXC: Berserk]. A leader may exempt all MMC he is stacked with and moves two stream hexes and ends in the other]. with from that NMC by passing it himself, but if he fails, no unit in his stack may further attempt a NMC individually nor may any of those units continue moving or take PV.1A ROAD/PATH: All references to roads apply only to playable roads (i.e., not any further action during that movement phase.