Japanese Player’s Briefing

Your mission is to evacuate the Japanese Army’s forces from Guadalcanal. Your ships will enter the table from the south, at the extreme western edge and steam to the north to escort the transports. The composition of the enemy forces is unknown but they may be expected to try to interfere with your activities.

You will have:
2 Heavy Cruisers
2 Transports
1 light cruiser
6 destroyers

Your ships need refitting and repair. Roll a D20 for each one : If the result is 15+ that ship is limited to 24 knots because of engine problems. If the result is 1, a main battery turret is out of action. These damages cannot be repaired during the game.

Note that on all destroyers, reload torpedoes have been left ashore. All you have are the torpedoes in the tubes.

The transports are limited to 18 knots. Speed. 14 above-water hit boxes, 12 below-water hit boxes, 2 engine rooms, 1 bridge, no armor.

Victory conditions are dependant on how many infantry companies are evacuated.

Each Cruiser can hold 2 companies
Each Transport can hold 8 companies
Destroyer can hold 1 company

28 companies evacuated = Outstanding victory. The Imperial navy will promote you.
24 companies evacuated = A victory. Your superior officers speak highly of you.
18 companies evacuated = Minor success. You worked hard but feel others could have done more.
12 companies evacuated = Draw. You feel that you should have worked harder.
8 companies evacuated = Defeat. You are ashamed of yourself. You ask for assignment to a naval infantry battalion, as you are not fit to command a ship.
Less than 8 companies evacuated = Abysmal You apologize to the emperor and commit Seppuku (ritual suicide by disemboweling yourself).

American Player’s Briefing

Your mission is to engage the Japanese forces escorting transports that are evacuating their forces from Guadalcanal. You will enter the table from the southeast and steam to the north-west to locate the enemy. The composition of the enemy forces is unknown.

You will have
2 Heavy Cruisers
2 Light Cruisers
4 destroyers

Your ships have been worked hard and minor damage has been accumulated by most of them. Roll a D20 and if the result is 11+ then each ship will take damage equal to one 8” shell at long range. Ignore Bridge hits. Do not use DC boxes to remove this damage.

The victory conditions will depend on how many or how few troops are evacuated by the Japanese. Sink all that you can - you know no more than that.

NOTE: The American Player had no idea that the Japanese aircraft were about to attack his ships.

Special Rules for this game

1. Infantry Ready to load

   Roll a D20 to see how many Japanese infantry companies are ready to load. Add 8 to the result. If your ships are not fully loaded, you can said with that many or try again next turn. On the second and subsequent turns do not add anything to the D20 result.

2. Aircraft in each raid The Japanese player rolls a D20 to see how many aircraft are available.

   1-5 Small numbers - roll again

   1,2,3 = 4 DB, 4TB
   4,5,6 = 5 DB, 4TB
   7,8,9 = 5 HB
   10,11,12 = 6TB
   13,14,15 = 6DB
   17,18,19 = 4DB, 5TB
   20 = 6 HB
   

   6-15 Average numbers - roll again

   1,2,3 = 5 DB, 4TB
   4,5,6 = 5 DB, 5TB
   7,8,9 = 5 HB, 4 DB
   10,11,12 = 4 DB, 6TB
   13,14,15 = 6DB, 4 B
   17,18,19 = 5DB, 5TB
   20 = 6 HB, 4DB

   16+ Large Raid - roll again

   1,2,3 = 5 DB, 5TB
   4,5,6 = 5 DB, 6TB
   7,8,9 = 5 HB, 6 DB 13,14,15 = 8DB, 6 B
   17,18,19 = 8DB, 7TB
   20 = 6 HB, 8DB

3. Escorting fighters

   Roll a D20 to see how many Type “0” fighters escort the raid. This is the number for the first raid. If this is an additional impulse - halve the number.

4. Raid Timing

   The first raid starts on turn 2 unless the game-master rolls a 16+ on a D20. If so, then he rolls again on turn 3, same numbers apply.

5. Aircraft Types

   1. Fighters

   Japanese Fighters are type 0. These are superior quality to American Wildcats but not to Corsairs which are of equal quality. American fighters entering the board roll a D20. On 1-10 they are Wildcats. 11+ they are corsairs.

   2. Dive bombers

   Japanese dive bombers are type 99 “Vals”. When they enter the board, each unit will roll a D20 to see what they are armed with. 1-13 = 250KG bomb. This has the effect of a 16” shell hit. On 14-20 they have a 500KG bomb. This has the effect of TWO 16” shell hits, one of which MUST be underwater.

   3. Torpedo bombers

   Roll a D20 for each unit as it enters the table. On 1-3 it is twin-engine “Betty” bombers each with 2 torpedoes. On 4-8 it is the same but with only one torpedo. On 9-19, it is “Kate” carrier based torpedo bombers with one torpedo each. On 20, the unit is “Kate” aircraft armed with two 250KG bombs and must attack as horizontal bombers.

   4. Horizontal bombers

   Roll a D20 for each unit as it enters the table. On 1 it is twin-engine “Betty” bombers each with 2 torpedoes and may attack as torpedo bombers. On 2-4 it is the same but with only one torpedo. On 5+ , it is “Betty” bombers armed with two 250KG bombs and must attack as horizontal bombers.

LEGEND:

DB = Dive bomber
TB = torpedo bomber
HB = Horizontal bomber