Breaking Heartstrings is a full Tactical Mission that never came out as a boxed module. Instead, George Kelln of Lone Canuck Publishing gives it away free as part of his ASL for Fun series. It covers the Marine assault on Parry Island in February 1944, on a big historical map of the whole island. You can download every part of it, VASL map included, and I’ve embedded the PDF at the bottom of this article.
Getting It
Everything is on LCP’s Breaking Heartstrings page. It’s #25 in the ASL for Fun series. You get a 15-page PDF with the history, the Tactical Mission rules, the special rules and the orders of battle. There’s also the VASL map, VASLized by Brian Kemp, and a full image of the map.
It’s free, with a gentleman’s agreement attached. In other words, it’s for personal use only, and nobody gets to reproduce it for sale. George does ask for two things in return. Say a few words about it on social media, and consider a donation if you’d like to see more projects like this one.
Back in 2020, I managed to snag a copy of the printed map from LCP, too.
What Is ASL for Fun?
Some of George’s designs don’t fit a normal box. They’re too big for a scenario, too small for a Campaign Game, or they need a special map. He builds them for his local group, plays them once or twice, and then they go in the closet. Then someone on social media suggested he VASLize the maps and share them. So he did.
Keep in mind, though, that these are built for replay, not perfect balance. Variable setups and random reinforcement entries mean they seldom play out the same way twice. They’re also designed for teams, with several players on each side. George’s group finds that it builds camaraderie, spreads rules knowledge and brings new players into the game.
The History
Parry Island is a teardrop of sand at the south end of Eniwetok Atoll, in the Marshall Islands. It’s about two miles long and 600 yards wide at its widest point. A road runs around the shoreline, and the island was covered in palm trees and brush. Meanwhile, a coral reef rings most of the island.
The Japanese garrison was the 1st Amphibious Brigade, a fairly green outfit that arrived in early January 1944. Their defensive supplies came late, and the soft sand made digging hard. So they built strongpoints around machine gun bunkers and gun pits, linked by log-lined trenches and covered tunnels.
Delays on Eniwetok Island pushed the Parry assault back to February 22. However, the delay bought three more days of bombs and shells, which stripped the palms and left the ground buried in debris. The 22nd Marines landed at 09:00 on the lagoon side and ran straight into heavy machine gun and mortar fire. Amphibious tanks helped silence the guns near the pier, and the Marines fought their way through the dune line. By 19:30, the island was reported secured. According to the module’s notes, only 66 of the roughly 1,200 Japanese defenders were taken prisoner.
The Tactical Mission
The Tactical Mission is four Assault Periods of 8 to 10 turns each. The Japanese set up first, and the Marines move first in each period. The Marines win by Controlling every Hinterland hex, pier included, at the end of any Assault Period. If they take the island but lose more than 275 CVP doing it, it’s a draw.
There’s no full Refit Phase between periods. Instead, the Marines draw a perimeter around the ground they hold, and both sides set up again on their side of it. Broken units rally, Melees get fought out, and Encircled units have to pass a Task Check or die. Most of the terrain damage, burned piers and rubble, carries over.
The Forces
The Japanese defend in three sectors, north, central and south, each split into beach defenses. They get pillboxes, MG pillboxes with their own repair rules, a Command Bunker full of Fanatics, gun pits and trenches. There’s also a Type 95 Ha-Go that can set up Dug-In and a Type 88 75mm AA gun that can shoot at aircraft. On top of all that, booby traps cover the whole island.
The Marines bring three Battalion Landing Teams from the 22nd Marines, landing over the first three Assault Periods. They have Assault Engineers, amphibian tractors, Shermans, two modules of 127mm naval guns and 75mm and 105mm artillery with observation planes. In the first period, they also get fighter-bombers every turn.
My favorite touch is the beach choice. Historically, the Marines landed on the lagoon side. In the game, each landing team can come in on the Green Beaches in the west or the Blue Beaches on the ocean side. As a result, the Japanese can’t pile everything on one shore.
The Map
The map is big and historically accurate. It’s mostly beach, sand and palm trees, with the island’s road running around the shore. Palm Debris counters represent the blasted trees, and they’re nasty. They’re Concealment Terrain, they hinder LOS, and they’re nearly impassable to armor. On top of that, soft sand slows everybody down.
My printed copy is the real thing, and it’s a beauty. I look forward to wading (pun intended) into this one down the road.
Read It Here
Here’s the full Breaking Heartstrings PDF, courtesy of Lone Canuck Publishing. You can flip through it right here, or grab the original from LCP’s page.
Where to Get It
Lone Canuck Publishing: Breaking Heartstrings (the PDF, the VASL map and the map image)
Lone Canuck Publishing: ASL for Fun (the rest of the series)
Debriefing
Breaking Heartstrings is a lot of game for free. You get a full Tactical Mission, a historical map of the whole island and a stack of PTO special rules, all built for team play. The beach choice keeps the Japanese honest, and the Palm Debris makes every hex a fight.
It isn’t balanced to the last CVP, and it doesn’t try to be. It’s built to be fun with a group, played again and again. If you’ve got a few friends and a free weekend, give it a shot. Then go tell people about it, the way George asks.
Academy Out!
GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!! 
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Holy crap, that looks fantastic! It’s a shame this never got the attention to be fully developed and playtested. I bet its still worth playing. Thanks for posting this.
Does look good indeed!