Task Force Olympia: Network Enabled Warfare in 2040

About

The unthinkable has happened...a Chinese invasion force has set foot on the US Pacific Northwest. Faced with a major thrust toward Seattle, the beleaguered defenders of Joint Base Lewis McChord must respond to a second landing near Aberdeen, Washington, by the Chinese 6th Marine Brigade. This landing is intended to threaten Olympia, Washington, from the west, and take control of the vital 101/I-5 road junction. Scrambling to address the growing number of threats, units from the 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, the 2/75th Ranger battalion, available armored training units (including the newly operational ULTOR unmanned light tactical vehicles), and local militia supported by 1st SFG(A), are hastily assembled to defend the vital flank of the US forces defending Seattle. Task Force Olympia is a company level (with specialist platoons) depiction of a meeting engagement between two "network enabled" forces, as envision in the ground breaking book "Next War" by John Antal. Units start out undetected, but once detected, can be subject to strikes from drones, aircraft, and artillery, as well as direct fire from any unit in range. The ability to detect enemy units depends on the strength of your network, as does your ability to call strikes and activate formations. However, each unit is a node in your network; mounting losses degrade the network quality, making each task more difficult. The balance between committing resources to destroy the enemy and take territorial objectives, and guarding your units to maintain the strength of your network is key to victory...but it may not be entirely up to you; the network covers the entire battlefield, and your opponent is hunting your units wherever they may hide. Can you wrest the highway junction and Olympia Regional Airport from your opponent? Or failing that, can you collapse the enemy network, rendering their forces essentially helpless? Task Force Olympia is a two-player (it can be enjoyed solitaire, but there is a large amount of hidden information) hex and counter simulation of this conflict. Features include unmanned vehicles, exo-frame infantry, drone swarms, hidden movement, ranged fires and assault, chit pull activation, and more. Optional rules cover helicopters, artillery smoke and mines, rain, North Korean infantry, and more.

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