I've been reading a few books on the Cactus Air Force and the Guadalcanal campaign in general and it's piqued my interest to play a game covering the naval and air aspects. Looking for something at a grand tactical or operational level that would hopefully include the use of search planes, supply & reinforcement, pilot skill & fatigue, Japanese naval superiority in night fighting & torpedo use, etc.
I'd like to find something similar to the old Tokyo Express or even Flat Top but more streamlined (and way less ugly). Any recommendations?
There are several scenarios in Order of Battle WW2 that cover Guadalcanal well, especially the ebb and flow of forces and the different levels of naval superiority held at different times. But they are not as complex as you would probably like.
One of my mythical front page AARs covered this extensively in the US Marines scenario. There is another good one in the core campaign US Pacific that I cannot remember if I did an AAR or not.
(oops, came from the front page and forgot to see what thread this was on. My only offering on a boardgame was the very old Avalon Hill game which was pretty good but certainly not great).
Yeah. Looking for a boardgame. I've got War in the Pacific: AE that I'd like to get going (but I still cannot get transports and assault landings figured out for the life of me).
I had a look at a folio game called Cactus Air Force but it looked a little too limited. I also toyed with picking up C3i Magazine #30 to get Mark Herman's South Seas game but that uses the Empire of the Sun system which is operational level and so a little too abstracted for what I'm hoping for.
I can't help with a boardgame suggestion but Uncommon Valor (http://www.matrixgames.com/products/216/details/Uncommon.Valor) from Matrix was actually the precursor game to WITP, though smaller scale and focusing primarily on the New Guinea/Solomons area.
Also not a boardgame but Strategic Command Classic: WW2 (https://store.steampowered.com/app/812930/Strategic_Command_Classic_WWII/) has a Guadalcanal scenario. It's not super detailed though.
I can only think of Conflict of Heroes: Guadalcanal (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/68076/conflict-heroes-guadalcanal-pacific-1942), which is tactical combat and nothing like what SDR is asking for. Though maybe that means we need to create something!
Yeah, I've already got CoH: Guadalcanal and buddies have LnL Heroes of the Pacific and The MMP one about Edson's Ridge (Kawaguchi's Gamble, I think?) so we've got the land stuff covered. I did find a listing in BGG for a game called Solomon Sea thank looks promising. Naturally it's hard to find and people want a mint for it.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/8333/solomon-sea (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/8333/solomon-sea)
VG's Pacific War would be my obvious suggestion or South Pacific (mini-game to Empire of the Rising Sun): https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/213648/south-pacific-breaking-bismarck-barrier-1942-1943
And we've talked a lot about Carrier and Tokyo Express but I'll mention those once again.
Quote from: GJK on May 22, 2018, 06:14:51 AM
And we've talked a lot about Carrier and Tokyo Express but I'll mention those once again.
Tokyo Express would be my suggestion as well. Also naval battles are covered well by "Iron Bottom Sound III"
http://stores.revolutiongames.us/iron-bottom-sound-iii/ (http://stores.revolutiongames.us/iron-bottom-sound-iii/)
Iron Bottom Sound III, covers the entire 42 - 43 time period in the South Pacific, including Guadalcanal scenarios...if cruiser and destroyer knife fights are your thing, IBS III is a good game for that.
Tokyo Express and IBIII are a down at the close tactical level which is cool but I'm really hoping to find something a bit more zoomed out. Honestly, Flat Top would be perfect if they streamlined it a bit so the play time went from 10+ hours down to 4-6. I played that one a couple of times back in high school and I loved the search mechanics. I remember finally spotting what I thought was an American carrier group (over eager scout mis ID'd then), then lost them in the clouds before I could get my strike group up. Spotted what I assumed to be them again a few turns later and launched a massive strike. Sneaky Yank buggers had managed to pull a fast one and send a much smaller group of ships out from the squall and I managed to beat the hell out of a light cruiser and a few destroyers while his main task force slipped past and launched his attack against my group as my poor buggers were on the way back and trying to land.
I think this is what you want
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1375/guadalcanal
That looks like it might fit the bill. Thanks!
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5768/matanikau-battles-matanikau-river-guadalcanal-1942
One of the three games that started me on wargaming in the 1960's:Avalon Hill's "Guadalcanal". All land based, some abstracted air and naval interaction. I still have it and used it to intrduce my son to the genre.
This may be the one.
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/8056/operation-shoestring-guadalcanal-campaign-1942
Looking for naval/air, not the ground campaign.
Op Shoestring has an Air/Naval variant: https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/3779/shoehenpdf