Playing Guadalcanal

[wobbleguts]

Finished the Barbarossa scenario (which I won brilliantly) and have moved on to the Guadalcanal scenario.

I previously downloaded a scenario booklet (can't remember from where - probably these forums).

It says that after playing Barbarossa, give the Guadalcanal scenario a try (see 24.2.2). This gets you right into
the naval system. Most people think this is the hardest part of the game to master.

They are right. But it's not just hard, it's brain destroying impossible. Gave up after a few phases because I had no idea of what was going on.

I will consult the manuals etc but if anyone can give any ANY advice it would be much appreciated. I am lost in a fog of sea boxes, naval searches, aborts etc. Any help is welcome.

[Angeldust2]

I am willing to help. If you have specific questions, I will try to answer. Guadalcanal scenario is good to learn the basics of the naval game and to make yourself acquainted with the Pacific map in general (minus the China land war theater).

[brian brian]

I would try this: put all of the USA ships in Pearl Harbor. Put all of the Japanese ships in Truk. Same for the CW, but just have them take a Pass impulse when you start. Put the land based air all on hexes in the Marshalls Sea Zone. Start the game.

Have the side that moves first sail their whole fleet into the Marshalls zone; leave out the SUBs though. Then have the side moving 2nd do the same thing.

Then, choose to roll search dice and wade through the sea battle that could result. If neither side “finds” (i.e. both rolled higher than their sea box #), try again on the next impulse, until a combat finally starts. After each round of combat, have each side remain in the zone and roll search dice again, until one side runs out of ships.

Just skip the actual goals of playing the scenario, and just mash the counters into battle until you get the hang of the boxes, air vs. surface combat, etc.

[wobbleguts]

ORIGINAL: brian brian

Just skip the actual goals of playing the scenario, and just mash the counters into battle until you get the hang of the boxes, air vs. surface combat, etc.

That sounds like a good plan. I will do just that.

[rustysi]

Maybe there's a good AAR that could help you (us[:D]).

Any suggestions?

[rkr1958]

It's taken me 7-years and I'm still learning but I view the naval rules/model in (M)WiF as most elegant and one that plays and/or produces historically reasonably results. It also rightfully punishes a player who does things that aren't tactically sound such as sending out surface fleets without proper air cover into sea areas where their enemy has air.

I found out the hard way that you don't send invading and/or transport task forces into areas where you don't have adequate air protection. In fact, I've found that air superiority, better yet supremacy, is a prerequire to successful invasions and, as significantly, successful maintaining of beachheads once one gets ashore.

Though some of these lesson can be learned playing solo, I really learned them the hard way playing against a more experienced opponent.

Not really meaning too, but in my "By the Numbers" game I just finished a two round (or possibly two day) battle in the China Sea where a small 3 carrier USN task force opposed by a massive IJN carrier and battleship task force managed to sink 1.4 million tons of Japanese shipping, sink 3 IJN aircraft carriers and a NAV air flotilla. In exchange, the USN lost the CV Wasp and saw the CV Yorktown and a CA damaged. This battle took place in Jul/Aug 1942. While the details vary, does this naval battle sound remotely like anything that might have happened in 1942? Honestly, I didn't intend to recreate any historical type carrier battle. It just happened in my play. You'll be able to read about it when I post the combat logs in my AAR after this current turn ends (hopefully) in a few days.

One thing about the naval model in (M)WiF that use to bother me was sub warfare. Though while the mechanics aren't exactly correct (i.e., sending CAs and BBs out hunting for subs), the results of the sub encounters are (I believe). Throughout the course of a game you'll see scores of convoys sunk by subs and in return you'll see sub groups damaged/sunk and a hand full number of "escorting" CVs damaged/sunk and patrolling CAs damaged/sunk. The sub battle is where I feel the results make sense but the details of how one gets there takes some liberties.

[Centuur]

The naval system in MWIF is very good. It all comes back to one thing: will I find the enemy and under what circumstances.

An admiral can influence things by sending out small but very effective force. But even than: if he is unlucky, his ships will be sunk anyhow.

There are no good or bad admirals. There are only lucky and unlucky ones...

[wobbleguts]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Maybe there's a good AAR that could help you (us[:D]).

Any suggestions?

I checked and couldn't find one.

[Orm]

Maybe you can find some tips, or ideas, in this thread by Bo? May he rest in peace.

Guadalcanal Scenario
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.a ... age=1&key=

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Orm

Maybe you can find some tips, or ideas, in this thread by Bo? May he rest in peace.

Guadalcanal Scenario
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.a ... age=1&key=

Did Bo pass?

[Joseignacio]

ORIGINAL: rkr1958

ORIGINAL: Orm

Maybe you can find some tips, or ideas, in this thread by Bo? May he rest in peace.

Guadalcanal Scenario
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.a ... age=1&key=

Did Bo pass?

Alas, he did.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Joseignacio

ORIGINAL: rkr1958

ORIGINAL: Orm

Maybe you can find some tips, or ideas, in this thread by Bo? May he rest in peace.

Guadalcanal Scenario
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.a ... age=1&key=

Did Bo pass?

Alas, he did.

That's sad. May he rest in peace.

[juntoalmar]

That's very sad. Good guy. Rest in peace

[Centuur]

Sad indeed. He always hoped the game would be finished in time for him to really enjoy it. He only got a small amount of time to play it.

[gw15]

Very sorry to hear about Bo. We played a few times via netplay several years, maybe 5, ago but didn't get too far. He was a dedicated MWIF(WIF) player.