Postcard Solomons CVs 2024

A relatively fast and simple air, sea, and land battle game focusing on the 2 decisive aircraft carrier battles just east of Guadalcanal: Eastern Solomons (24-25Aug42) and Santa Cruz (Islands, 25-27Oct42).

For the Eastern Solomons scenario, 1,2, or all 3 U.S. carriers may instead be absent due to Admiral Fletcher's concern about refueling. And Japanese have a possible night surface battle advantage - lost thanks to radar by the time of Santa Cruz.

"Campaign game" possibility with Eastern Solomons carrier losses subtracted. Japanese submarines have a free (if low-chance) Torpedo Junction shot at each U.S. carrier in the interim.

U.S. "Magic" code-breaking can give a game-turn sequence advantage ... or not, if the Imperial Japanese Navy code cannot be broken in time for the battle.

5 day turns with 4 phases - Night, AM, Noon, PM - per day. Hexagonal grid: hexes 105 miles/169 kilometers wide. 3 U.S. and 4 Japanese task forces, plus a dummy or 2.

Individual carrier and squadron - scout bomber, divebomber, and torpedo bomber for U.S. - unit level for naval air assets, task forces for surface units, subs hiding in rules, and general U.S. Marine vs. Imperial Japanese Army strengths on turn track. Ground combat (at night) depends on how many of his units the attacker is willing to bet. Hidden movement vs. recon.

—description from the designer