Guadalcanal

[Hank]

I've tried finding more info on HPS's game "Guadalcanal" and can't find much anywhere on the web except the game description at HPS.

Is there a forum for this game anywhere?

Has anyone here played it and if so is it a good one?

It looks interesting. I've always loved reading about the numerous naval engagements around Guadalcanal. Some of the most heated surface ship engagement of WWII until the battles around the Phillipines at Surigao Straits, off the Island of Sumara, etc. occurred.

I know this may be off-topic for OPS but I couldn't figure out where to put it. Sorry in advance.

... and thanks in advance

[NACBAR2]

you shold get to Naval campaigns club

[Adam Parker]

Hi Hank, I bought it and have Jutland too.

IMO the Naval Campaigns series is one of John's best and of all the series he has, I wish he would expand it (and I was so disappointed when I saw he had seemingly called it off due to some provocative, anti-HPS criticism on the Usenet - it's interesting that with time some of these guys have now mellowed and would now kiss John's feet.

This game was the first in the series to include land as a tactical maneuver factor. It's as good as any other NC title and sees a very agressive Japanese AI.

Where John IMHO may need to improve the series to keep it afloat in WW2, is to include an air aspect. Pretty much as with Jutland, John takes advantage of this campaign, being predominately surface oriented, including the night-aspect of the Tokyo Express where air could play no part.

Now, if you've seen the new 2d top-down graphics included with SSG's new Carriers at War, I could only wish that SSG and John combine to give his art a facelift. I just LOVE watching those SSG torpedoes in the water!

All-in-all, Guadalcanal is a good game but just expect pure surface action here, an overly criticised lack of control over secondary gunnery and pure tactical decision making.

It is this latter element which is the biggest difference between it and Carriers at War. The whole maneuver aspect that makes a naval battle so immersive. I wish the two game systems would merge!

Cheers,
Adam.

[Liebchen]

All-in-all, Guadalcanal is a good game but just expect pure surface action here, an overly criticised lack of control over secondary gunnery and pure tactical decision making.t is this latter element which is the biggest difference between it and Carriers at War. The whole maneuver aspect that makes a naval battle so immersive. I wish the two game systems would merge!

Would you please care to elaborate? Are John Tiller's NC games too tactical or only tactical? Is some of the maneuver aspect missing in Guadalcanal? If so, what part?

[Gasbag]

Here's the address for the Naval Campaigns Club if you need it: Naval Campaigns Club. They've got "tons" of user made mods & scenarios for each game in the series.

[Adam Parker]

[Adam Parker]

Reading your post again Liebchen I think I see what you're asking - is there more maneuver in John's games? Yes, due to the tactical scale. That's why I would love such a system to be incorporated into a title like Carriers at War where you only get to order broad movements of entire Task Groups.

In fact Liebchen, if you've ever seen a text book on a naval battle with maps outlining the movements of the sides, using different sized tear drops representing individual ships of different class - that's JT's Naval Campaigns in a nutshell. You get to play that chart, right down to the tear drop graphics.

[Hank]

[Hank]

What a quandry? I've been reading up on CaW and Guadalcanal and I'm getting more apprehensive about which one to buy. They both sound good for different reasons. For carrier based ops CaW would be my choice. For ship to ship surface action Guadalcanal would be my choice.

Crap!! why such difficult decisions? I'll just suffer in silence and figure this out. Thanks for all the input !!

[Sgt Fury]