Is this the worse game?

[Dylan the Canadian]

It’s okay, but still. Like the 1st and 2nd edition are classics. Revised, a more realistic map, D-Day a good battle Battle of the bulge a better battle Pacific and Europe more advanced maps Spring 1942 a better version of the Revised, Don’t even question the 50AAE and Pacific 1940 is just awesome. This is like just taking islands, like if you prefer islands hopping you might like this better then D-Day and Bulge, but who prefers that other then your idiot friends who plays the US every game.

Nahh just kidding the US are pretty good, but still

[reloader-1]

Each game is different - out of the “battle” series of games, I prefer D-Day/Bulge/Guadalcanal, but that doesn’t mean Guadalcanal is the worst, it is just the 3rd place game in that lineup.

I honestly don’t get why AA50 is so revered - the pieces suck compared to AA42, the map is somewhat flimsy - but it has a HUGE box… yay.

What I did with my set of AA50 was buy 2 sets of AA42 at Target ($15 each, $30 total!) and was able to throw in LOTS of extra chips, and completely swapped out the US/UK/Germany/USSR/Japan pieces for the much better AA42 ones. The control markers and the charts are nice, but we buy Axis & Allies for the plastic pieces! Otherwise, we have warehouses full of thick, counter-based games to choose from.

Just my $0.02 - and in my opinion, the AAP40 and AAE40 games ROCK - I will buy 3 sets of AAE40 just for the pieces alone! (Finally - French & Italians!)

[kdfsjljklgjfg]

Personally, I like Guadalcanal more than Battle of the Bulge, but have yet to get D-Day.

[Variable]

Of the battle series, GC is my favorite because it still allows purchases as part of the strategy, keeping it open to your style. I’ve always loved historical simulations where the order of battle is used like BotB and D-Day, but I like the fact that GC allows for nearly any strategy you desire.

[Variable]

I’ve been the Japanese the last two times and won both times…

[allweneedislove]

this game is very fun. MUCH better than d-day. i have not played bulge so can not comment.

i find it as good as the global games, and a different play experience.

[frimmel]

GCNL is by no means the worst game if there was even such a thing as ‘worst A&A game.’

[Dylan the Canadian]

@frimmel:

GCNL is by no means the worst game if there was even such a thing as ‘worst A&A game.’

well i like your answer the best, but I still rather play Bulge or D-Day

[frimmel]

@Dylan:

@frimmel:

GCNL is by no means the worst game if there was even such a thing as ‘worst A&A game.’

well i like your answer the best, but I still rather play Bulge or D-Day

I’d rather play Bulge too but that doesn’t make any other game ‘the worst.’

[Commander JayVon]

I have this game bought it about a week ago, like the look of it, like the map, rules, etc. However, one thing is stopping me from playing it…

I have Green-Japanese cruisers and Orange-American cruisers.

[reloader-1]

JayVon,

Contact Wizards of the Coast and they will send you the replacement cruisers in the correct colors, free of charge.

[Krieghund]

Contact Wizards Customer Service either on their website or with the information on the back of the rulebook for replacement cruisers.

[Commander JayVon]

Thanks reloader-1 and Krieghund!

I’ll do just that.

[SunLiRen]

Ehhh, I’d prefer not to play it >>

I was so psyched about Guadalcanal because of its revered value (the fact that Larry Harris’ dad fought there got me excited for the emphasis he would put on the game). And all of a sudden I found the gameplay unappealing. It probably has to grow on me or something, but I need IPC money to play with!!!

…and Battleships to roll at 4, or bombers to roll at 4, or never to need a fuel token to get by. I mean comeon. Why make a game where you have to take a crap every turn?

Ahh, I’m being WAY too harsh. Guadalcanal is definitely an awesome game, but unconventional to the typical large scale A&A. I’m used to those types, AA1942, AAP40… If only tactical A&A games had similar attack values to their original counterparts…

[calvinhobbesliker]

@SunLiRen:

Ehhh, I’d prefer not to play it >>

I was so psyched about Guadalcanal because of its revered value (the fact that Larry Harris’ dad fought there got me excited for the emphasis he would put on the game). And all of a sudden I found the gameplay unappealing. It probably has to grow on me or something, but I need IPC money to play with!!!

…and Battleships to roll at 4, or bombers to roll at 4, or never to need a fuel token to get by. I mean comeon. Why make a game where you have to take a crap every turn?

Ahh, I’m being WAY too harsh. Guadalcanal is definitely an awesome game, but unconventional to the typical large scale A&A. I’m used to those types, AA1942, AAP40… If only tactical A&A games had similar attack values to their original counterparts…

This has a different combat system

[losttribe04]

I think that this has the most potential to have “the perfect balance”  of all of the A&A games.

To me D-Day and BOTB feel like the computer/consul games where your mission is to “survive for 30 minutes until reinforcements arrive.”  Europe, Pacific and the world versions simply can’t be balanced because of geography and have to compensate with units and production abilities.

After a few rounds GC could have an even 1:1 unit and island ratio.  It’s the closest to a perfect mirrored chess board that I think we could ever get with an A&A game.  Because of that it shouldn’t matter what side you play.

On another note I have recommended to players of the mainstream A&A games that were struggling with Japan or the US to play GC.  It really improved their game being forced to work with transports.

Long story short as an owner of A&A mini’s, classic, revised, pacific, Europe, BOTB and D-Day I prefer GC.

LT

[Dylan the Canadian]

@LT04:

I think that this has the most potential to have “the perfect balance”  of all of the A&A games.

To me D-Day and BOTB feel like the computer/consul games where your mission is to “survive for 30 minutes until reinforcements arrive.”  Europe, Pacific and the world versions simply can’t be balanced because of geography and have to compensate with units and production abilities.

After a few rounds GC could have an even 1:1 unit and island ratio.  It’s the closest to a perfect mirrored chess board that I think we could ever get with an A&A game.  Because of that it shouldn’t matter what side you play.

On another note I have recommended to players of the mainstream A&A games that were struggling with Japan or the US to play GC.  It really improved their game being forced to work with transports.

Long story short as an owner of A&A mini’s, classic, revised, pacific, Europe, BOTB and D-Day I prefer GC.

LT

Your so polite signing off  :-D

[losttribe04]

@Dylan:

Your so polite signing off  :-D

LOL, some habits die hard.

[Dylan the Canadian]

@LT04:

@Dylan:

Your so polite signing off  :-D

LOL, some habits die hard.

yes you grew up so fast now your going to college.

[lnmajor]

well put and researched, timeover51@Dylan:

@LT04:

@Dylan:

Your so polite signing off  :-D

LOL, some habits die hard.

yes you grew up so fast now your going to college.

@timerover51:

After having studied the entire Solomon Islands campaign for about 45 years, and after having been in the Solomon Islands in 2002, I view it as a poorly designed and researched game with nice components and a somewhat reasonable map that can be used as a starting point for totally reworking the rules and victory conditions, along with putting in some optional rules.  I have landed on the strips at Henderson Field and Munda, walked the strip at Vila, plus landed on strips on small, flat coral islands off of Gizo and Choiseul, and flown over the Slot.  The only islands that you could put airfields on in WW2 or even today are Guadalcanal, New Georgia at Munda and Segi Point, Vella Lavella, and Bougainville.  Malaita was and still is a disease nightmare that neither side got near during the war, and Choiseul and Santa isabel basically have no significant flat areas at all.  Vila on Kolombangara was never more than an emergency strip because while there was enough somewhat level land for the strip, there was no way to put in any taxiways because of the ravines surrounding the runway.

The game is much closer to a naval miniatures game than any of the other A&A games, and I have been playing naval miniature games since 1970, starting with Sea Power II by Alnavco.  I find the Battle Box concept just plain weird.  I have been experimenting with a modified A&A battle board, and letting the ships fight one round of combat, and then both sides have to retreat to an adjacent sea area.  That reflects the extremely short duration of the naval engagements during the campaign.  Callaghan’s action on the night of 13 November lasted all of 15 minutes.  Same with air combat, one round and done.  The Japanese were operating initially at the extreme limit of the range of the Zero, and could not engage in an extended air battle.  I have also added a limited number of tanks to the game, using ones from  the Pacific set, although ideally the US tanks should be M3 Stuarts and not M4 Shermans.  For the naval combat, you could also use straight naval miniature rules such as Sea Power, Command at Sea, Seekrieg, the Fletcher Pratt rules for real enthusiasts, or Paul Hague’s rules  in his book Naval War Games.  You could also use the War at Sea rules as well.

The idea of having bases to operate from is a good idea, although Rabaul was being hit by Kenney’s 5th Air Force whenever possible, with the attacks gradually getting heavier as the campaign went into 1943, with the Marines joining in from Bougainville and Munda by the fall of 1943 and early 1944.  The only way the Japanese could have launched strikes on New Caledonia was take Guadalcanal to attack from there.  Since for both sides, this was only one aspect of the Pacific War, and for the US, there was a constant struggle for priority with the European buildup, I much prefer a variable logistics rate, so that neither player is ever quite sure what the supply situation is going to be.

Since I should be back in the Solomons next year, I need to finish up the rule rewrite so that my crew can play the game while researching WW2 history in the same area.