Map File:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q72HeU ... sp=sharing
Map Data Folder:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing
Scenario Description:
This scenario simulates the majority of the land war between Russian and Japanese forces in Southern Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War. During this conflict, the Japanese advanced from Korea and the Japanese home islands into the Liaodong Peninsula, in order to lay siege to Port Arthur and capture the key city and rail junction of Mukden (modern day Shenyang). Historically, the Russian forces were disorganized and unable to both break the siege of Port Arthur and prevent the Japanese from occupying Southern Manchuria. This was mainly due to a lack of coordination and agreement within Russian command, and the difficulty of logistically supporting their forces in Manchuria via the incomplete Trans-Siberian Railway. However, the Japanese also had the advantage of better morale and a more modernized army. In this scenario, neither the Japanese nor the Russia player are required to conduct their strategy in the same way as was done historically, although it is recommended that the Japanese do advance in a similar manner, and that the Russian player avoids major counter-offensives until they can mobilize a larger army than the Japanese, which can be possible due to their larger production as the scenario progresses.
I've done some playtesting of this scenario with my girlfriend for the last few days and I think it's the first one I've made that is really playable from a balanced perspective, and doesn't have any issues which break the game. A few notes not included in the gameplay description:
This scenario is intended for hotseat player-vs-player matches. Although it would not be that difficult to script the AI.
I faced several contradictions in sources on the initial course of the Japanese invasion of the Liaodong Peninsula. Ultimately, I believe that the Japanese 2nd and 3rd armies did not in fact land near Russian Port Arthur or Dalny, and in fact all advanced down the peninsula and occupied Dalny quickly after the Battle of Nanshan. In this scenario, it is totally feasible for the Japanese to land at Dalny and defeat the Russian garrison, with naval support. The Japanese can really do whatever they like, and neither side is forced to follow their historical route (the Russians really shouldn't...)
The Russians had both European divisions and Siberian rifle regiments/corps. Because it was not feasible to make unique unit sizes for each, the Russian East Siberian units are represented by 10-strength divisions, which can combine to make 30-strength "corps," a similar size to the eastern square divisions used by the Japanese player. Siberian units are winter experts (except for the one 30-strength 2. East Siberian Corps), but are of lower experience than other forces.
I did not find much info on which branches of the South Manchurian Railway were complete in 1904. I decided to allow the Japanese to build an extension to the line at Antung midway through the game, but the railway never historically extended to Port Arthur. The Russians can and will sabotage their own railway in the mountains, but this will be rebuilt by the Japanese as the scenario describes.
Since the defense of Port Arthur occurred in a small area compared to the general conflict, I decided to use an overstrength HQ as the garrison (see the below images). Historically, the garrison at Port Arthur was largely ad-hoc and, despite being very large, was not really capable of an operational breakout from the peninsula. Thus, it is represented as an HQ unit.
Notes on terrain:
Terrain penalties, including rivers, are less severe. They range between 0% to 45% defensive bonus. This is to ensure that both players are capable of engaging in combat in the mountainous regions, as was historical. The "depression" terrain is used as open area, which is neither marshland nor hills, and thus is not good for defense.
Prior to the siege of Port Arthur
Battle of the Yalu River
If anyone has any issues downloading or playing the scenario, or if you have any feedback or suggestions, let me know.
