Combat question

I certainly agree on the big gambles part. One of the fun things about this game is you can sort of just PLAY. That big series of gambles sort of takes the ‘pressure’ off. Just go for it.

I figure any time I can roll more dice than the other guy with a good number of escorts is as good as it gets.

Equal his planes with your fighters and you’re about as ahead as you can hope.

That is correct.

The two of you are getting pretty close to a tactical miniatures campaign game than a strategic game, with simplified combat.  You might want to take a look at some books on naval wargaming that cover running a campaign game.  I keep thinking of taking the Guadalcanal game resources and writing my own set of rules for the game, along with adding a PT Boat miniature and US APD fast transports.  I would not likely use the battle box, although it is a very interesting idea.

Actually, the base that JFK operated out of was located on Rendova, south of the island of New Georgia.  I have just gotten the game, and need to look at the rules a bit more covering PT boats.  I probably will be modifying it a bit, having been in the Solomons, and flown over most of the islands.  I did not make it to Rendova, but was on Kolumbangara, Gizo, and New Georgia, when landing at the Munda air strip on the way back to Henderson Field.  I have attached three pictures that I scanned in from the trip.  The first is of the Grayscout, the ship we used in searching for PT-109, under charter to National Geographic.  The second is of the Munda air strip, which is pretty much the way it was in WW2, except that the jungle has grown back around it.  The third is of me watching sonar screens, sorting out the targets on the bottom to determine which one might be the PT-109.  Note, we did find it.

Graysct1.jpg
Munda Airstrip-2002.jpg
Sonar Stare 72 Crop.jpg

@Croggyl:

@frimmel:

Ranged fire is cool!!!   :mrgreen:

Well, unless you are on the wrong side of it.  :cry:

No, it is not!
I’m always on the wrong side of it … and the enemy artillery always hits the wrong transport.
;-)

:lol: Stupid random casualty system.

@Shr3dZ:

Ok, one more question:

At the beginning of the game, Japan has at least 1 unit on each island. In the case of Choiseul or Santa Isabel, if you remove that single infantry, do you lose control? Do the reinforcement points suddenly go to the natives? Or is it still yours until someone else lands a unit on it, hence the Japanese flag icon indicating you have control in the box with the single unit?

If the US player has no ground units on that islands, than you keep control.

Second part:
If you have 1 AAA on and island, since it has no land attack value, can it keep control of an island for you?

If the other player has no units on that island: Yes.
If the other player has land units on that island, but your navy near that island has in summary more supporting points than your enemy with ground units and navy: Yes.

In short: You only lose control of an island if the enemy has ground units on it and the dice value of enemy force is bigger than yours. Naval units only count if there is at least one ground unit (can be an AA gun) on island. Air units not count in.

New Georgia was the most contested spot in this blowout game, US ground troops landed and were reinforced but were never able to secure the island and once the USN was pushed back away from the Island the US troops were wiped out. The IJN completed its destruction of the US fleet in this game and we called it off. No one reached VP points but with the IJN steaming off the New Caledonia waters it seemed pointless to continue.

In general I view this blowout game as that abnormality that won’t happen often, in fact I love this game for its balance and that its up to the players to make choices that change the battle.

In our games New Georgia is often the most contested Island.

Yes, I didn’t post about that part. I had that infantry and artillery move in the same turn, then Armor. But your way works as well. It does cut a step out.