Saipan: The Bloody Rock

About this board game

Saipan: The Bloody Rock is a 1-4 player World War II strategy game about the 1944 Battle of Saipan, with a listed play time of 2,100 minutes. Designed for the new Company Scale System by Adam Starkweather, it puts American and Japanese forces into a detailed campaign of invasion, defense, and desperate fighting.

The game recreates the American assault that began on 15 June 1944, when 71,000 Marines and infantry faced 32,000 dug-in Japanese defenders. Amtracs and DUKWs move toward emplaced positions as the battle unfolds across two maps. Each turn represents two hours, while every hex covers 500 meters and units are represented at company scale and below.

Four scenarios offer different views of the campaign, from the opening landings to major actions in the island’s interior and north. Two extended campaign games provide either the historical battle or a hypothetical test of alternative invasion and defense plans.

• Dog-Day: an 8-turn introduction covering the first day of the invasion.
• First Week in Hell: a 56-turn battle for the first week and the capture of Aslito airfield.
• Death Valley: an 8-turn fight for Mount Tapotchau and the area known as Death Valley.
• Shattered Jewels: a variable-length scenario centered on the large Japanese Banzai attack near Tanapag.
• The Battle for Saipan: the 224-turn historical campaign from 15 June to 9 July.
• Bloody Rock: a hypothetical campaign with 25 possible landing beaches and player-planned Japanese defenses.

With a stated complexity of 6 and solitaire suitability of 8, Saipan: The Bloody Rock is best with two players, while also supporting up to four players or solo play.