How can airplanes on a carrier defend?

@panther Thanks, will need to be more careful with my transports then.

In most cases, you just want to lose in order from the least valuable unit to the most valuable.

Exception;

If you are the defender and you have 1 destroyer and 1 cruiser

The attacker has 2 subs and hits you 1 time

If you lose the destroyer, you are vulnerable to a surprise shot during the next round, and you would not get a reply, so losing the cruiser before the destroyer might be the smartest move.

Another example;

You have 3 bombers and 2 infantry.  Enemy attacks you with 2 fighters and 1 bomber and hits you 2 times.  You may want to lose one or more expensive bombers (defend;1) before infantry, in the hopes of keeping the better defenders alive now to drive off the enemy as the combat rounds go on.  Once all the bombers are dead, however, the enemy will probably just leave.

Another example;

AAA guns cost 5 but they can’t fight after they do their special shot, so lose them first no matter what.

…

Carriers are weak attackers, and expensive, but in some editions they do have 2 soak hits.  However, if you lose or damage a carrier first, they cannot collect planes after the battle, reducing your defensive posture and possibly giving your planes no where to land. While Battleships should always soak a hit first, carriers probably should not.  Note that losing carriers first keeps your combat power high (attack 1 or 0 lost vs losing a cruiser or fighter at 3).  It can be tempting to dump the carrier first, but you may regret this after combat is fully resolved…

I thought since a destroyer nullifies a subs specials that meant it could see the sub and would have to engage in battle since the sub would not have an option to submerge.

I guess it comes down to the choice of the destroyer.

Thanks again wittmann.

My friends and I games this weekend should go much more smoothly with all this additional “verified” info.

You can put units out in any “eligible spaces you have controlled since the start of your turn.” (Rules P 22) It doesn’t matter what original plans you had for the carrier.

Yes of course.

It can only hold if you are lucky dice. I myself seem to always roll below avgerage. And a friend of mine is always above average. So I tend not to play him head on. and we team up alot in 4 player games.

No. Only in the territory being attacked. Meant to say, sorry.

@MistuhJay:

@UrJohn:

It depends on your strategy.

–CV, AP & 3 INF

why would you need a third CV when you start with two already?

I don’t think you’d need a 3rd CV on J1. By the time its J1, you may be down to 1 CV. If the UK attacks your SZ 37 fleet and wins soundly, then Japan starts off on the defensive. You may want a 2nd CV.

If you don’t buy any navy/air force on J1, then the US can take the initiative in the Pacific. You will be hard pressed to do everything the IJN needs to do: protect Philippines, Borneo, East Indies, Japan, Kwangtung and Manchuria; chase off or destroy the USN; crush India; and pick up Australia, New Zealand and/or Africa.