1st game & impression/questions

I personally like Guadalcanal most among all the Axis & Allies family of games.  The only down side for me is that it is a two-player game.

These are the things I like most about the game:
1. The game is balanced.  Unlike the rest of the family, it does not pigeon-hole the players into an Axis strategy or an Allies strategy which can be so predictable.
2. The game has a relatively fixed timeline.  Rarely will a game go long.  You could make the game long, but this would be extremely rare due to the awarding of victory points each round.
3. There is a more realistic application of damage to units.  The special dice box is an awesome concept.  (There is a better way to apply the randomness of the box by using colored dice, and a printout of the order given in the dice box.  This actually improves the roll outcomes to accurate randomness.  The box tends to hold the dice from rotating in all directions.)
4. The map allows for land-sea combat.  This is very unique to this game.
5. The game is fun, and this is the most important thing to me.

The supplies must be on the island on which you’re building the airfield.

Thanks Krieghund!

@geezadude999:

Japanese Advantage Tokens

Night Fighting- If there are more than one unit in a sea zone that is hit on a roll of 2 thus destroying it does the Axis player decide which unit is destroyed?

Yes.

@geezadude999:

Quick Drop- Decide 1 sea zone & drop units onto an adjacent Island Zone. Can Axis drop onto any Island Zones adjacent to the sea zone or just 1 island?

Just one.

@geezadude999:

Allies Advantage Tokens

Command Decision- “Use at the beginning of a combat phase before any attacks are made” Does this token have to be played before any combat takes place ie; at the Attack air units sequence or can it be played during the combat phase ie; When you reach the Attack land units sequence?

It must be played before any combat takes place anywhere.

@geezadude999:

Good Logistics- If i buy an artillery or supply do i get a second free for every single one bought or just the first artillery & supply? eg; 6 supply bought-6 free & 4 artillery bought- 4 free OR 6 supply bought-7 in total & 4 artillery bought-5 in total?

You get a free one for each one purchased.

@geezadude999:

PT Boats- This token stays in play until hit. If i move all sea units out of the zone without the PT boat being destroyed during combat does it move with the sea units or stay in that sea zone on its own?

Per the FAQ, PT boats move during the Load and Move Destroyers step of the Movement Sequence.

@geezadude999:

Coast Watchers- Does this token apply to air & land units or only sea units? (so far i’ve used it for fighters when i’m 1st player during a turn to see where my opponent places his fighters)

It may be used for any unit type.

Thank you sir, for the quick response, and the clarification!

Actually, the base that JFK operated out of was located on Rendova, south of the island of New Georgia.  I have just gotten the game, and need to look at the rules a bit more covering PT boats.  I probably will be modifying it a bit, having been in the Solomons, and flown over most of the islands.  I did not make it to Rendova, but was on Kolumbangara, Gizo, and New Georgia, when landing at the Munda air strip on the way back to Henderson Field.  I have attached three pictures that I scanned in from the trip.  The first is of the Grayscout, the ship we used in searching for PT-109, under charter to National Geographic.  The second is of the Munda air strip, which is pretty much the way it was in WW2, except that the jungle has grown back around it.  The third is of me watching sonar screens, sorting out the targets on the bottom to determine which one might be the PT-109.  Note, we did find it.

Graysct1.jpg
Munda Airstrip-2002.jpg
Sonar Stare 72 Crop.jpg

New Georgia was the most contested spot in this blowout game, US ground troops landed and were reinforced but were never able to secure the island and once the USN was pushed back away from the Island the US troops were wiped out. The IJN completed its destruction of the US fleet in this game and we called it off. No one reached VP points but with the IJN steaming off the New Caledonia waters it seemed pointless to continue.

In general I view this blowout game as that abnormality that won’t happen often, in fact I love this game for its balance and that its up to the players to make choices that change the battle.

In our games New Georgia is often the most contested Island.