Carrier Clashes

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This game used a map, counters, a few card decks, and rosters to simulate the great aircraft carrier clashes of World War II.  It is designed for two players, but with many features designed to produce the "fog of war" that was the predominant feature of those battles.  It is relatively large-scale, featuring 12 hour turns and 60 nautical mile hexes.  As such, it focuses in the operational aspects of these clashes -- the maneuvering and management of fleets -- rather than the detailed tactics of air strikes and surface warfare.

I've playtested the rules using four scenarios: a hypothetical clash between the USN and the IJN in 1940, the August 1942 Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the sprawling set of actions that culminated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, and a British versus Italian and German convoy action in the Mediterranean.  I've also posted, but not tested, scenarios for the Battle of Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and the climactic Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.  The Battle of Midway scenarios include hypothetical situations based on imperfect USN knowledge of the IJN's plans and on the IJN postponing its Port Moresby invasion attempt.  I'll post additional scenarios as I develop them.  

To play the game you will need paper and pencils, a twelve-sided die, a six-sided die, some blank game counters, and four decks of playing cards.  It will be helpful for two decks to have one backing color and the other two decks another, such as red and blue.  You will want to print out the maps on 12 (for the 20 hex by 30 hex map) or 20 (for the 30 hex by 30 hex map) sheets of 8 1/2 by 11 paper.  You will also need card stock or wooden blocks to mount the game's counters.  Below are the game rules, the game counters, the sheets that make up the map, the scenarios, and the ship and air unit counter for the scenarios.  You also find it helpful to make up some task force boxes to hold the cards, counters, and block associated with each task force in the game.  I include a template for making the boxes.

Rules

Examples of Searches Conducted under the Game Rules

Optional Rules for Using Excel Spreadsheets to Calculate Ship Fuel Use

Turn and Endurance Records

Game Markers for all Scenarios

Labels for IJN, USN, RN and Axis Task Force and Submarine Blocks

Probing the Perimeter Scenario          Probing the Perimeter Counters        Probing the Perimeter Excel Fuel Use Workbook

Coral Sea Scenarios                         Coral Sea Counters              Coral Sea Excel Fuel Use Workbook

Midway Scenarios                            Midway Counters

Eastern Solomons Scenarios              Eastern Solomons Counters

Santa Cruz Scenarios                       Santa Cruz Counters

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Scenarios       Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Counters

Harpoon Vigorous Scenarios               Harpoon Vigorous Counters

20 Hex by30 Hex Map  (For all Pacific scenarios except the Midway scenarios)

30 Hex by 30 Hex Map  (For Midway scenarios)

15 Hex by 35 Hex Map  (For Harpoon Vigorous scenarios)

Task Force Holding Box  (Template for building cardstock boxes to hold ships of a task force)

Complete Allied Counters for Pacific Scenarios

Complete IJN Counters for Pacific Scenarios

Note: these two counter sets are the definitive counters for the four Pacific War historical scenarios.