'CA' Tactical Naval Warfare in the Pacific, 1941-45 (1973)

About this game

Tactical WW II combat game in the pacific, Strategy & Tactics magazine #38. Counters represent individual battleships, battlecruisers, heavy and light cruisers, and destroyers, with varying characteristics to recreate seven famous battles in the Pacific Theater, plus three other hypothetical scenarios that could have occured. All the essential elements of surface combat are recreated, including gunnery, torpedoes, varying types of damage, night sighting, and momentum. Battles include Savo Island, (2) Guadalcanal, Cape Esperance, Tassafaronga, Kolombangara, and Augusta Bay. The hypotheticals pit the Yamato, Nagato, and Hiei, with screening escorts, against the Iowa, North Carolina, and Maryland with similar fleet composition in one scenario, with the others equally interesting. There's a list of wartime ships available to the USN and IJN to keep you busy. Unlike other naval games of the time, the map is a single 22"x35" sheet and the various scenarios recognize certain land masses.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 2.5/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.