“In this hour of trial the General Officer Commanding calls upon all ranks of Malaya Command for a determined and sustained effort to safeguard Malaya and the adjoining Allied territories. The eyes of the Empire are upon us. Our whole position in the Far East is at stake. The struggle may be long and grim, but let us resolve to stand fast, come what may, and prove ourselves worthy of the great trust which has been placed in us.”

– General Archibald Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya.

Background

The situation for the Allies in Malaya was getting worse almost with every hour in the opening days of the war with Japan. Japanese landings at the Kra Isthmus in the north went virtually unopposed and their ground troops advanced steadily southward. On December 10th the Allied battleships Repulse and Prince of Wales were sunk with great loss of life by Japanese torpedo bombers.

The first line of resistance for the Allies was at Jitra in the north of Malaya. Holding on here meant the major airbase at Alor Star would allow Allied fighters and bombers to restage and possibly launch attacks on the Japanese bases, thereby keeping the enemy at bay and away from Singapore. One of the main positions of the Allied defensive line was at the village of Nangka, just a couple of miles to the north of the town of Jitra. The first big battle in Malaya was about to be fought.

The Game

Game turns, each with many rounds as both players reveal top cards from their decks at the start of each round of play. The side with the highest card drawn wins the Round. If the winning player’s card is odd, that side can do 3 Activations or pass. If the winning card is even, that side can do up to 2 Activations or pass. On ties, the side that did not get to perform any Activations in the previous round can perform two.

The side drawing the first joker gets no Activations that Round and instead that player rolls a die to determine if a Random Event is in effect. When the second joker is drawn, the turn ends immediately.