Transport

Here is a second variant for adding Seaplanes to the game – this time without a bonus attack round. This variant can only be applied when playing with the optional rule of Hidden Movement.

Players secretly plan all sea movements (including freighters, destroyers and their cargo). Seaplanes are sent out - with the limit of maximum five sea zones and two seaplanes per sea zone. Submarines may be moved to scout ships. No attacks at this time! Dice are rolled separately for seaplanes and submarines: The result determines how many and which ships the opponent must reveal in that sea zone - i.e., he must reveal (= execute movement for) one ship of each category that either remains in or is moved to that sea zone. The following assignment applies: 1 = one freighter, 2 = one freighter + aircraft carrier each, 3 = one freighter + aircraft carrier + battleship each, 4 = one freighter + aircraft carrier + battleship + cruiser/destroyer each. On a roll of 5, the seaplane returns to base because it missed the enemy; on a roll of 6, it is destroyed. For submarines, a roll of 4, 5 or 6 means no enemy sighting. Thus they cannot sight cruisers and destroyers. Optional: for every die roll of 1, a seaplane may force a submarine that has remained in or moved to its sea zone at this point to submerge instead of having the enemy to reveal a freighter. Example 1: Japan rolls a “1” and a “3” for its two seaplanes in sea zone H. The US player must reveal the following units, if available: 2 freighters, 1 aircraft carrier, and 1 battleship. He does not have to reveal the planned movements of the other ships in sea zone H. Example 2: The US rolls a “2” and a “5” for a seaplane and a submarine in sea zone G. Japan must reveal one freighter and one aircraft carrier, if available. It does not have to reveal a second carrier or any other ships. Starting with the First Player, players move their bombers, tactical bombers and fighters. Only now the remaining naval movements are executed. Submarine attacks are also done in this step. This also applies to subs used for scouting in step 3 (unless they have been forced to submerge). Following the submarines, as usual, the battles take place in the order of air, sea and land combat.

Everyone is kindly asked to playtest and report on both variants. Depending on my gaming buddy, I will give both variants a try. Perhaps the first variant without using Hidden Movement, the second variant using this optional rule.

You should add sea planes to the game without using figs and tacs. But then as the war went on the normal planes can find the ships. For tac bombers if sea planes and or ( fig, tacs ) find ships and or subs, they get a first strike shot for first round only. Attacker picks the target.
So tacs FS hit surface subs @3 and ships @3. If the tac misses the sub, then it can dive now. If tac misses and sub dives then any destroyer in same sea zone gets a depth charge drop @2. On 2nd round or later all tacs attack and defend @2 since they dropped there payload.

I’ve been using this tac, sub and DD thing for years.

@krieghund
ok tks

This is good stuff. I really appreciate the color balance in your version.

-Midnight_Reaper

@krieghund

Brilliant ! Thank you so much

@SundownKid:

A&A Guadalcanal:

Combat Phase: Unload Transports/Destroyers- Must all units be unloaded, or can you maintain loaded ships?

You don’t have to unload them if you don’t want to.

@SundownKid:

Advantage Token: Quick Drop- Must all units in the sea zone be unloaded?

No.

@SundownKid:

Advantage Token: Command Decision- Applies to Airfield attacks too? Unattended transports? (2 attacks on stuff that can’t shoot back)

It applies to everything in the chosen step, including airfields.

@SundownKid:

Seems that rules allow for not all transports being unloaded. And I think this works for feints, allows for “oh sh*t” moments, so, interesting. And between rules and other Krieghund responses on forum, I kinda think attacking Airfields with CD is likely considered cricket as well. ? Viscious! Wonder your thoughts. Thanks!

btw, I love A&AGC. More props to Larry & co for this one. I see it getting plenty of flack (along with other beloved BotB) and just want to do my small part to tip scale the other way. Thanks for a great game, guys! And thanks to forum members too. I do extend victory points to minimum of 30 and then you gotta win by 5. It’s too much of a sprint for me to 15; it’s just getting meaty at that point! But otherwise OOB plays great for me (with advantage tokens!). But, then, I tend to love the drama of the dice! :-)

We’re glad you’re enjoying it!

@frimmel

Amen. You are absolutely right about that one. My first Guadalcanal game also took way longer than expected. But we were both rather unprepared and thus it was our fault. With a few games played I do like Guadalcanal a lot. It is different, but very balanced. Battles can be a nail-biting experience, especially when a lone enemy subs preys on your carriers or transports.

@Krieghund:

Actually, the rules don’t say you can unload onto different islands, but they don’t say you can’t either.  This is a designer clarification, and I am trying to get it added to the FAQ.  This is a perfect example of why it’s important not to let the rules from one A&A game color your interpretation of the rules of another.  We all tend to see things that aren’t there when we’re familiar with a similar subject.

It’s called Chaining and you can.  if your Japan, and you have a ship in F, you can move ART and INF from Bougainville and Choiseul to NewGeorgia without moving the transport.  Frankly the redeploy supply options will allow you to quickly drop land units off at Santa Isabel or Malita quickly.  But if both are focusing on New Georgia, than there will be some big battles there.

Remember, Japan starts with a supply chain, the Allies don’t.