I’m not sure if this is where this goes, but I wanted to ask about airbases. I noticed on the posted after-action reports that you’ve created markers for airbases. Any chance of making a sheet of those as a PDF available for download?
I think I’m going to suggest we use these rules in our next game. I wondered though what your experience has been in playtest. It seems to me that this largely benefits the Allies, especially in the Pacific. Japan is usually pretty cash-strapped as it is, and forcing them to pay for airbases seems like it might unbalance things. Has this created any balance issues in the games in which you’ve tried it?
As a counter to this, if we use airbases, we may try an optional rule to help the Japanese if it proves to make things too tough for them. The idea is this:
Long Lance Torpedoes – Japan had the best torpedoes in the world at the outbreak of the war, and were able to score hits at ranges not thought possible for torpedoes. In addition, Japan was very highly skilled at making night attacks. To reflect this, Japanese destroyers can make Long-Lance torpedo attacks. After setting up the naval battle board, Japan designates any destroyers that are using Long Lance torpedoes. The Japanese player designates his targets the same way as is done with aircraft, and rolls their attacks before any other surface combatant. Torpedoes hit on a 2 as normal and any damage is scored immediately – any ship sunk by a Long Lance attack does not get to return fire. Japan may make these attacks in any battle taking place prior to 1943; after that the growing number of Allied ships using radar helped offset this advantage.
If this rule proves to make Japanese destroyers too powerful, then adjustments can be made to require that Japan can only use this rule if it is the attacker in a battle, and/or state that any Japanese destroyers making Long Lance attacks do not count as a destroyer in battles where a submarine is present.
Your comments, thoughts, suggestions, threats, etc. are welcome.
