Solomons Campaign: Air, Land, and Sea Warfare, Pacific 1942
Solomons Campaign: Air, Land, and Sea Warfare, Pacific 1942 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. General Course of Play
- 3. Game Equipment
- 4. Sequence of Play
- 5. Initial Deployment
- 6. Summary of Missions
- 7. Land Unit Transport
- 8. Naval Unit Movement
- 9. Transport Unit Movement
- 10. Air Unit Movement
- 11. Special Slot Movement
- 12. Ground Combat
- 13. Japanese Submarine Attacks
- 14. Air Combat
- 15. Naval Surface Combat
- 16. Supply
- 17. Stacking Limitations
- 18. American Intelligence
- 19. Japanese Intelligence
- 20. Truk Sortie Limitations
- 21. Reinforcements
- 22. Victory Conditions
- 23. Designer's Notes
- 24. Design Credits
- 25. Questions & Answers
1. Introduction
Solomons Campaign is a historical simulation of the air–sea–land campaign waged on and around Guadalcanal in the summer and fall of 1942. The game begins with the American invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi, and portrays the subsequent Japanese attempts to retake this strategic area and the American effort to hold it.
At a glance. Two players command the American and Japanese forces through sixteen weekly turns. Secret naval plotting, simultaneous execution, air operations, supply, and the struggle for Henderson Field form the heart of the game.
2. General Course of Play
Solomons Campaign is a two-player game played in sequenced turns called Game-Turns. Each Game-Turn represents one week. During it, the players deploy their forces, fight, and attempt to achieve their objectives.
The Japanese player seeks to destroy the American beachhead on Guadalcanal and reduce American naval and air strength. The American player seeks to hold Guadalcanal, develop it as an airbase, and inflict unacceptable losses on Japanese naval and air forces.
Victory Points measure these achievements. They are awarded for enemy casualties and for seizing and holding Guadalcanal.
The game uses simultaneous movement to introduce surprise and uncertainty. Players plot naval movement secretly, then execute their plots together according to a rigid sequence. Air forces are also committed simultaneously, using a less formal procedure. Ground action involves combat but no movement on the island itself.
The system produces a fast-moving game with relatively little counter handling. Most playing time is spent planning, assessing capabilities, and anticipating the opponent.
3. Game Equipment
[3.1] The Game Map
The 22-by-28-inch mapsheet represents the area between Rabaul and Espiritu Santo. A hexagonal grid regulates movement and the position of playing pieces. Adjacent off-map bases are Rabaul and Truk for Japan, and Espiritu Santo and Australia–New Zealand–New Caledonia (Nouméa) for the United States. These bases regulate the entrance and exit of naval and air units. Guadalcanal and the Bougainville–Shortlands complex are the only islands shown on the operational map.
[3.2] Game Charts and Tables
The game provides the following visual aids:
- five Combat Results Tables: Bombardment, Surface, CAP/Anti-Aircraft, Aircraft–Naval, and Ground;
- one Simultaneous Movement Plotting Chart for each player;
- the Task Force Composition Board;
- the Guadalcanal Supply Status Chart;
- the Victory Point Chart;
- the Game-Turn Plot Chart; and
- the Turn Record/Reinforcement Chart.
The plotting charts preassign the courses and missions of opposing naval forces and reveal their positions during execution. The Task Force Composition Board records the ships in each Task Force. The supply, victory, turn, and reinforcement tracks record the corresponding game state.
[3.3] The Playing Pieces
Two differently colored sets of playing pieces represent the forces available to each side. Markers record game functions.
Air units. Air power is either land-based (LAC) or naval-based (NAC). LAC may operate only from a fixed land airbase. NAC may operate from a land airbase or a carrier. A counter's number is its Air Strength in points; one point represents the combat effect of roughly ten aircraft. Air counters are interchangeable denominations of a player's total air strength. Individual aircraft types are not distinguished.
Ground units. Infantry, marines, artillery, combat engineers, raiders, parachutists, and supporting troops are represented by Ground Strength Points. Counters are denominations of an aggregate pool and may be exchanged. One point represents approximately 1,000 combat troops.
Naval units. Capital-ship counters represent individual battleships, battlecruisers, and aircraft carriers. A cruiser counter represents two cruisers; a destroyer counter represents five destroyers. Naval units are discrete entities and may not be exchanged like air or ground points. Their counters show the values required for bombardment, surface attack, defense, anti-aircraft fire, and—on carriers—NAC capacity.
Transport units. A transport (TR) counter represents troop and cargo vessels. Its value is the number of Ground or Supply Points it can carry.
Supply units. Supply Points represent food, fuel, ammunition, and other material. They exist for transport and expenditure, and are tracked on Guadalcanal with the Supply Status Chart.
[3.4] Glossary and Abbreviations
- CAP — Combat Air Patrol.
- LAC — Land aircraft.
- NAC — Naval aircraft.
- CAG — Carrier air group.
- CV / CVL — Fleet carrier / auxiliary carrier.
- BB / BC / B — Modern battleship / battlecruiser / old battleship.
- CA / DD — Heavy cruiser / destroyer.
- APD — American high-speed transport.
- TR — Transport.
- CRT — Combat Results Table.
- Slot — The K–L–M route used by Japanese forces moving from Rabaul toward Guadalcanal.
- Henderson Field — The land airbase on Guadalcanal once operational.
[3.5] Game Equipment Inventory
The game includes the mapsheet, two sets of playing pieces, the charts and tables listed above, a Turn Record/Reinforcement display, a Task Force Composition display, a Guadalcanal Supply display, and pads of Simultaneous Movement Plotting Charts. Players also require one six-sided die and writing implements.
4. Sequence of Play
Each Game-Turn has five phases. The two Plot Execution Phases contain fourteen Execution Segments in all, each representing approximately twelve hours; day and night segments alternate.
[4.1] Plot Phase 1
Perform these segments in order:
- Preliminary Set-Up. Place units according to Section 5.
- Reinforcement. Integrate reinforcements with existing forces.
- Carrier Air Group Training. Allocate carriers and NAC for training.
- Japanese Truk Sortie Resolution. Roll for the availability of naval units at Truk (Section 20).
- American Intelligence. Japan announces its broad intentions for the turn (Section 18).
- Task Force Allocation. Both players secretly and simultaneously form Task Forces.
- Movement Plot. Both players secretly plot their Task Forces for the seven segments of Plot Execution Phase 1.
[4.2] Plot Execution Phase 1
Execute seven alternating day and night segments. Fundamental sections occur in every applicable segment; variable sections occur only when circumstances permit. Actions must occur in the order listed.
Day segment (1, 3, 5, or 7):
A. Japan reveals the locations and required composition information for its Task Forces at sea. B. The United States does the same under the Japanese Intelligence rules. C. Resolve eligible Japanese submarine attacks. D. Both sides simultaneously allocate air attacks and CAP. E. Resolve air attacks. F. Resolve carrier counterattacks. G. Resolve surface action between opposing Task Forces. H. Resolve naval bombardment of land bases. I. Land troops and supplies. J. Abort missions or reset Task Force plots. K. Transfer air units.
Night segment (2, 4, or 6):
A. Japan reveals whether it has Task Forces at Guadalcanal. B. The United States reveals whether it has Task Forces at Guadalcanal. C. Resolve surface action. D. Resolve bombardment. E. Land troops and supplies. F. Reset Task Force plots.
[4.3] Ground Combat Phase
Resolve Ground Combat according to Section 12.
[4.4] Plot Phase 2
Repeat the Japanese Intentions announcement, Task Force Allocation, and Movement Plot procedures for segments 8 through 14.
[4.5] Plot Execution Phase 2
Repeat the cycle of four day segments and three night segments used in Plot Execution Phase 1.
5. Initial Deployment
At the start of every Game-Turn, players set up as follows.
[5.1] Preliminary Deployment and Limitations
[5.11] Ground units. Ground units remain where they ended the previous Game-Turn.
[5.12] Land air units. LAC remain at the base occupied at the end of the previous Game-Turn.
[5.13] Naval air units. Land-based NAC remain at their base. Carrier-based NAC remain with that carrier.
[5.14] American naval and transport units. Available American naval and transport units may be placed at Espiritu Santo or Australia, at the American player's option.
[5.15] Japanese naval and transport units. Available Japanese naval and transport units may be placed at Rabaul or Truk, subject to 5.16. Cases 5.14 and 5.15 concern units available before reinforcements are deployed.
[5.16] Rabaul limit. Japan may deploy at Rabaul no more than ten non-transport naval units with a combined Bombardment Strength no greater than 100. Carriers may never be based there. Transport units at Rabaul are unlimited. These limits remain in force throughout the game, not only during initial deployment. All other Japanese naval units must be based at Truk.
[5.2] Task Force Composition Chart
[5.21] Forming Task Forces. Remove naval and transport units from their locations and group them in slots on the Task Force Composition Chart. Put the corresponding Task Force marker on the map. Only units at the same base may initially form a Task Force: Japan may not mix Truk and Rabaul units, and the United States may not mix Australian and Espiritu Santo units.
[5.22] Size. A Task Force may contain as many or as few naval units as desired, subject to 5.16.
[5.3] Task Force Reallocation
[5.31] Plot Phase 2. Once assigned, a Task Force's composition may not change during Plot Execution Phase 1. During Task Force Allocation in Plot Phase 2, Task Forces that ended Phase 1 in the same hex may be combined or divided into any number of new Task Forces. Rearrange the units on the Task Force Composition Chart and place the appropriate markers in their common hex.
[5.32] Execution restriction. Task Force composition may never change during an Execution Segment. Task Forces whose courses coincide remain separate Task Forces.
6. Summary of Missions
Units may perform only the missions allowed below. Naval and transport units may complete only one mission per Game-Turn.
[6.1] Ground Units
Ground units defeat enemy ground forces and occupy Guadalcanal. They have no inherent movement and travel only aboard naval, transport, or APD units. Ground units may fight once per Game-Turn, in the Ground Combat Phase (Section 12).
[6.2] Air Units
LAC operate only from land bases; NAC operate from land bases and carriers. Air units perform missions only during day Execution Segments.
[6.21] Training a carrier air group. During CAG Training, Japan removes the carrier to be equipped and assigns untrained NAC at Truk to it. Place both two Game-Turns ahead on the Reinforcement Chart. The United States follows the same procedure but places its carrier and NAC only one Game-Turn ahead.
[6.22] Combat Air Patrol. CAP may defend an entire hex (Area Defense) or a specific Naval Defensive Group (Point Defense). Area Defense may use LAC or NAC based in that hex; Point Defense may use only NAC from a carrier in that Task Force. Place CAP face down; blanks may conceal its actual strength. Double CAP strength when resolving anti-aircraft fire. CAP inflicts losses immediately and does not suffer return fire. CAP suffers loss only when its base is bombarded or it lacks surviving carriers on which to land. Unallocated air at Henderson Field automatically flies Area Defense; unallocated carrier air remains aboard. LAC and NAC combine for Area Defense.
[6.23] Bombardment of bases. Allocate LAC or NAC to a specific base. Resolve Area CAP first, then total surviving Bombardment Strength and consult the Bombardment CRT. Supply losses apply immediately; air losses apply at the end of the segment. Only the Guadalcanal airbase may be attacked this way.
[6.24] Bombardment of naval units. After the defender forms Naval Defensive Groups, allocate attacking LAC or NAC to groups. Resolve Area CAP, Point Defense, and anti-aircraft fire. The attacker then allocates survivors to individual revealed ships and compares Air Strength to each ship's Defense Strength on the Aircraft–Naval CRT.
[6.25] Carrier counterattacks. If a carrier that has already expended its offensive mission is attacked by enemy carrier air from carriers that have not, the defending carrier may allocate NAC to CAP or retain NAC aboard. If the carrier survives uncrippled, retained NAC may immediately counterattack the enemy carrier Task Force. NAC assigned to CAP may not counterattack.
[6.26] Air transfer. Air units that have performed no other mission during the Game-Turn may transfer during the appropriate variable section of a day segment from one friendly base or carrier to another. LAC may not transfer to a carrier. A transfer is the unit's mission for the turn.
[6.3] Naval and Transport Units
Capital ships are CV, BB, BC, and B; non-capital naval units are CA, DD, and APD. Transports carry troops and supply to Guadalcanal.
[6.31] Mission allocation limitations.
- A Task Force containing carriers must receive a Bombardment or Anti-Ship mission.
- A Task Force containing transports must receive a Transport mission.
- A Task Force may not contain both carriers and transports.
- A Task Force may not receive a mission it cannot conceivably execute.
[6.32] Anti-Ship mission. CV, BB, CA, and DD in an Anti-Ship Task Force engage enemy Task Forces encountered in hex M. Surface combat compares total Attack Strength with total Defense Strength. Carrier Task Forces never engage in surface combat; they attack through their integral CAG instead.
[6.33] Naval bombardment mission. B, BB, BC, CA, and DD assigned Bombardment missions may attack enemy Supply or Air Points on Guadalcanal. Total the Task Force's Bombardment Points and consult the Bombardment CRT. Supply losses are immediate; Air Point losses occur at the end of the segment. Multiple bombardments in the same segment are combined. Carrier Task Forces bombard only through their CAG.
[6.34] Transport, emergency transport, and escort missions. Each transport carries up to three Ground Points, three Supply Points, or a combination totaling three. Task Forces containing transports move one hex every two Execution Segments. Load during a Plot Phase at Espiritu Santo or Rabaul by placing cargo beneath the transports. Debark only at Guadalcanal after remaining in hex M for two consecutive Execution Segments. Japanese transports are repaired at Truk.
[6.35] Japanese emergency transport. One Japanese DD in each Plot Execution Phase may carry one Ground or Supply Point. Load normally, then conduct a Slot Run and unload on reaching the desired hex. If the DD is crippled or destroyed, so is its cargo. The DD may belong to a Bombardment or Anti-Ship Task Force.
[6.36] American APD. The American APD arrives fully loaded at Espiritu Santo on Game-Turn 2. It carries one Ground or Supply Point and unloads on entering Guadalcanal when announced. It may operate alone or in any Task Force. If crippled or destroyed, it and its cargo are removed, and one replacement APD arrives next Game-Turn. The APD has no Victory Point value; only one may be in play.
[6.37] The Slot and Anti-Slot. Hexes K, L, and M form the Slot. Only naval units based at Rabaul may run it. They proceed directly through K and L to M, may not spend more than one segment in a hex, and must return the same way to Rabaul by Game-Turn end. The United States may assign an Anti-Slot mission to any Espiritu Santo Anti-Ship Task Force; it automatically follows O–N–M and reaches M with the Japanese Slot force.
[6.38] Aborting missions. A player may abort during the reset-plot section of an Execution Segment. Rewrite the Task Force's plot by the shortest route to the nearest friendly naval base. It may not complete another mission that turn and must undergo normal refit. Because resetting follows combat sections, a force already entering M cannot evade combat in that segment.
[6.39] Japanese mission changes. Japan may change Transport or Bombardment missions to Anti-Ship at any time during execution. Japanese Anti-Ship forces and all American Task Forces may only abort, not change missions. A mission change does not itself alter movement.
[6.4] Supply Units
Supply Points represent the material required by ground and air forces. Once debarked at Guadalcanal, remove their counters and record them on the Guadalcanal Supply Status Chart.
7. Land Unit Transport
Ground units reach Guadalcanal aboard naval units, transports, or the American APD (Section 6.34–6.36). Once on Guadalcanal, they do not move in the conventional sense and have no Movement Allowance.
The game begins with American ground units already on Guadalcanal. Their precise positions are irrelevant. The American player controls Henderson Field once it is built and retains it while any American ground units remain on the island.
Enemy and friendly ground units share Guadalcanal; their relative positions on the island have no game effect. When transported to the island, place them anywhere in the Guadalcanal land area.
8. Naval Unit Movement
Air units, naval units, and transports carrying Ground or Supply Points move during the two Plot Execution Phases. Naval and transport movement is planned in advance during the Plot Phases.
[8.1] Simultaneous Movement Plotting Chart
In each Plot Phase, write each Task Force's mission in the numbered boxes at the top of the chart. Number the rows 1 through 14; clear rows are day segments and tinted rows are night segments. Plot hexes for segments 1–7 in Plot Phase 1 and segments 8–14 in Plot Phase 2.
Worked movement plot (Figure 1). Redrawn from the handwritten example. AS = anti-ship; BM = bombardment; TR = transport; DD = debarkation complete; LS = loading supplies.
| Segment | TF–1 | TF–2 | TF–3 | TF–4 | TF–5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission | AS | AS | BM | AS | TR |
| 1 | Truk | Truk | K | Rabaul | A |
| 2 | Truk | G | L | Rabaul | A |
| 3 | F | H | M | K | L |
| 4 |
[8.2] Movement Permitted per Segment
Naval-only Task Forces move one hex every Execution Segment. Task Forces containing transports move one hex every two Execution Segments. Task Forces may enter any lettered hex and any number may occupy the same hex. During each segment's revelation sections, place Task Force markers in the hexes called for by the plot and intelligence rules.
[8.3] Planning Movement
Each player lists Task Forces and plots their courses by the map's lettered hexes. Movement is voluntary; any, all, or none may receive a course.
Example. If Japanese Task Force 3 is assigned an Anti-Ship mission and is to travel from Rabaul to Guadalcanal on segment 3, its plot reads: Rabaul — K — 3 / AS M. Record the mission as [symbol not reproduced in the text layer].
[8.4] Changing a Movement Plot
A Task Force that completes its mission must retire to a friendly naval base as quickly as possible. Rewrite its plot when required.
[8.5] Map Entrance and Exit Hexes
Japanese Task Forces from Truk enter and leave through P, K, F, A, B, C, or D; those from Rabaul use K. American Task Forces from Espiritu Santo use O; those from Australia use R, S, O, J, or E.
[8.6] Truk and Intelligence Limitations on Japan
Japan may not plot a movement it did not disclose under Section 18. It may not plot a Truk sortie when the Truk Sortie die roll prohibits one.
[8.7] Night Movement in Hex M
Whenever a plot calls for a Task Force to be at Guadalcanal, place its marker in M—even at night and even if no enemy Task Force is present.
[8.8] Refitting
| Returning unit and base | Delay |
|---|---|
| Japanese naval unit to Truk | 2 turns |
| Japanese BB, BC, or TR to Rabaul | 1 turn |
| Japanese CA or DD to Rabaul | none |
| American naval unit to Australia | 1 turn |
| American BB or TR to Espiritu Santo | 1 turn |
| American CA or DD to Espiritu Santo | none |
Place a refitting unit on its base's Reinforcement track for the Game-Turn when it returns. Japanese carriers must return to Truk; American carriers must return to Australia.
[8.9] Base Limitations
Every naval and transport unit must end each Game-Turn in a friendly naval base. Leave the map through an authorized entrance/exit hex; entering the base consumes one Execution Segment. Refit delays then apply.
9. Transport Unit Movement
[9.1] Transport movement. Task Forces containing transports move one hex every two Execution Segments.
[9.2] Included in Task Forces. Every Task Force containing a transport must have a Transport mission and moves at the transport rate.
[9.3] Selection of cargo. Each transport carries no more than three Ground Points, three Supply Points, or a combination totaling three.
[9.4] Loading and unloading transports. Load transports during a Plot Phase. Allocate them to a Task Force at Espiritu Santo or Rabaul, then place the desired cargo counters face down beneath them. The opponent does not inspect cargo. Transport missions begin at Espiritu Santo or Rabaul; Japanese transports are repaired at Truk.
Japan has an unlimited supply of Supply Points at Rabaul, and the United States has an unlimited supply at Espiritu Santo. These points reach Guadalcanal only by transport under this case.
To debark cargo, move the Task Force into M and remain there for two consecutive Execution Segments—a full 24 hours. At the end of the second segment, place the cargo on Guadalcanal during the Landing of Troops and Supplies section.
If any transport is crippled, immediately eliminate every Ground or Supply Point it is carrying.
[9.5] Emergency transport limitations. Japan may make at most two Emergency Transport runs in a Game-Turn. Only one American APD may be in the game. It is replaced only after being crippled or destroyed; its cargo is lost with it.
10. Air Unit Movement
[10.1] Ranges of air units. American LAC and NAC have a radius of one hex. Japanese NAC also have a radius of one; Japanese LAC have a radius of two. A unit may attack its base hex or any hex within its radius. CAP flies only in the base hex of the units concerned and may not be flown in an adjacent hex. Japanese LAC at Rabaul alone may attack the Guadalcanal hex at the extended range of three hexes (see 14.64).
[10.2] Air unit post-resolution. After an air attack, return surviving air units to the base from which they came.
[10.3] Guadalcanal (Henderson Field) Special Rules
American air at Guadalcanal must expend Supply to attack or transfer, but may fly CAP without expenditure. During each day segment, all American air at Henderson Field automatically flies CAP unless allocated to an attack in that segment.
[10.4] Carrier air groups and training. A carrier may train or operate no more NAC Strength Points than its printed capacity. A carrier undergoing damage repair or refit may not train a CAG.
[10.5] Additional air bases.
Henderson Field. Beginning on Game-Turn 1, the American player rolls one die at the start of every Game-Turn before movement. On a 1 or 2, Henderson Field is complete and may hold unlimited American air. Continue rolling while American ground units remain and the field is incomplete. If Japan eliminates all American ground units before completion, Japan follows the same procedure to complete a Japanese field. A completed field is never captured intact; changing control destroys it.
Shortlands. At the beginning of Game-Turn 10, Japan receives an airbase in L with capacity 10. The Japanese Air Reconnaissance Zone expands at once to include C, R, N, and H. Rabaul and Shortlands together may base 30 Japanese LAC.
[10.6] Off-map bases and entry hexes. Japanese air from Rabaul enters through K. American air from Espiritu Santo enters through O.
[10.7] Land airbase strength limits. Rabaul holds at most 20 Air Points. Reinforcements exceeding this capacity are permanently removed to other theaters, but count as neither destroyed nor Victory Points. Henderson Field air expends one Supply Point per ten Air Points, or fraction thereof, allocated to attack an enemy Task Force. American air on Guadalcanal may not attack Shortlands.
11. Special Slot Movement
The historical "Tokyo Express" used darkness and high speed to enter Iron Bottom Sound, deliver limited troops and supplies, bombard Henderson Field, and withdraw beyond the range of the Cactus Air Force before daylight. These rules reproduce that narrow timetable.
[11.1] Benefits of a Slot Run. Japanese units making a Slot Run are immune to attack by aircraft from Henderson Field while the Task Force reaches M during a night segment. Japanese carriers, battleships, and transports may not make a Slot Run; battlecruisers may.
The American player may designate an eligible naval force at Espiritu Santo as Anti-Slot. It automatically arrives in M with the Japanese force, needs no formal movement plot, and is treated as an Anti-Ship mission. All other movement, mission, and combat restrictions of Sections 6 and 8 remain in effect.
12. Ground Combat
General rule. Ground combat occurs only during the Ground Combat Phase and only on Guadalcanal. The player with the larger number of attack-effective Ground Points has the initiative.
[12.1] Limitation to Guadalcanal. No ground combat occurs elsewhere.
[12.2] Definition of attack effectiveness. All Japanese Ground Points are attack-effective when Japan expends at least one Supply Point for the attack. Without one, Japan has no attack-effective Ground Points.
The United States must always commit at least ten Ground Points exclusively to defend Henderson Field; they may never attack. American Ground Points above ten are attack-effective if they are in supply and the American player expends at least one Supply Point for the attack. Newly landed American ground units are in supply for the turn of landing, whether or not units already on the island are supplied.
[12.3] Who may attack. The player with more attack-effective points may attack. If that player declines, no Ground Combat occurs. With equal attack-effective points, either player may attack; if both do, resolve both attacks and apply all results simultaneously.
[12.4] How to attack. The attacker expends one Supply Point but need not use the whole attack-effective force. Compare selected Attack Strength with total Defense Strength; halve unsupplied American defense and round fractions upward. Express the result as a ratio and round down to the nearest column on the Ground CRT. Roll and apply the result at the end of the phase. If Attack Strength is below Defense Strength, set aside enough defense to leave a 1:1 fight; the excess defense suffers no result.
Example. Japan has 9 Ground Points and no Supply. The United States has 15 supplied Ground Points and one Supply Point. Ten American points must defend Henderson Field, leaving 5 attack-effective points. The United States spends the Supply Point and attacks 5 Japanese points at 1:1.
Ground Combat Results Table
| Die | 1:1 | 1.5:1 | 2:1 | 2.5:1 | 3:1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5/2 | 2/2 | 1/2 | 2/10 | —/25 |
| 2 | 2/— | 2/10 | —/2 | —/2 | —/10 |
| 3 | 2/2 | 2/10 | —/10 | —/15 | —/15 |
| 4 | 1/2 | —/2 | —/10 | —/15 | —/20 |
| 5 |
Results left/right of the slash are Ground Points lost by attacker/defender and are deducted from the units involved.
[12.5] Possession of Henderson Field. The United States holds Henderson Field while at least one American Ground Point remains on Guadalcanal. Japan seizes it upon eliminating all American Ground Points; all American air based there is then eliminated.
13. Japanese Submarine Attacks
General rule. Only Japan has submarine units. They do not move during execution and attack only American capital ships.
[13.1] Submarine deployment procedure. During Movement Plot Segment 1, secretly note the hex of each available submarine on the Japanese plot. A submarine is a separate Task Force and is revealed in Fundamental Section A. Deploy no more than one per hex and only during Plot Phase 1. Truk Sortie limitations do not affect deployment.
Once deployed, a submarine may not move during that Game-Turn. It may occupy a different hex next turn, but may remain deployed no more than four consecutive Game-Turns.
[13.2] How attacks occur. When an American Task Force with capital ships enters a submarine's hex during a day segment, an unused submarine must attempt an attack. Before resolving it, Japan rolls one die. The attack occurs if, and only if, the result is 6. If it occurs, the American player places all capital ships in that force face down and mixes them. Japan randomly selects one and attacks it at 1:1 on the Surface CRT. Apply the result; any result directed against the attacker applies to the submarine.
[13.3] Limited use. A submarine attacks once per Game-Turn. Turn it face down after attacking; it becomes available again next turn.
[13.4] Withholding and refitting. Japan need not deploy submarines. Once deployed, they may remain for four complete turns, then must be removed for two Game-Turns of refit.
[13.5] Effect on movement. After a submarine attack the American player may only rewrite the affected movement plot by aborting the mission.
[13.6] Vulnerability. Submarines are never attacked directly. They suffer a combat result only when their own attack calls for a result against the attacker.
14. Air Combat
During Section D of every day segment, both players simultaneously allocate air units to a mission and, when required, a target. A notation such as "20 LAC (R) — TF 2" identifies 20 Rabaul LAC attacking American Task Force 2.
An Air Point normally performs no more than one offensive mission per Game-Turn: bombard Guadalcanal or attack enemy naval units. It may fly CAP during every day segment, but performs only one mission in a given segment.
[14.1] Air-to-air combat.
[14.11] Allocation. In each day segment, allocate Air Strength to bombard Guadalcanal, attack an enemy Task Force, or fly CAP.
[14.12] Area and Point Defense. Area CAP defends a whole hex. Point CAP augments a specific group of ships. CAP strength is doubled. Point CAP is involved only if its assigned group is attacked.
[14.13] Area Defense resolution. Compare doubled Area CAP to the Anti-Aircraft table, roll, and immediately remove the indicated Air Points from the attackers. CAP does not lose strength in an interception.
[14.14] Every attack intercepted. CAP intercepts every attack on its hex or target group in that segment. If several attacks occur, the attacker chooses their resolution order.
CAP / Anti-Aircraft Results Table
| Die | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
| 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Less than 10: no effect. More than 60: use 60.
[14.2] Air-to-ground attacks. CAP intercepts first. Total the surviving Air Strength on the Bombardment CRT. Supply losses are immediate. Air losses come from units based at Henderson Field at the time of attack, including units that flew CAP, but remove these only after all air-to-air combat in the segment.
[14.3] Air-to-ship attacks. Resolve in this order:
- Area CAP intercepts.
- The defender replaces the Task Force marker with its ships, face down in groups of no more than four. Assign unused Point CAP, then state which groups contain carriers, battleships, battlecruisers, or transports without identifying exact units.
- The attacker allocates Air Points among target groups.
- Each group fires anti-aircraft: total ship AA plus doubled Point CAP, roll on the Anti-Aircraft CRT, and remove losses immediately.
- Reveal ships in the attacked groups.
- Allocate surviving Air Points to individual ships. Compare Air Strength with Defense Strength, round down to a listed ratio, and roll on the Aircraft–Naval CRT for each ship. An Air Point may attack only one ship.
[14.32] Every attack separate. Each ship is attacked separately and may not combine Defense Strength with another ship.
[14.33] Combined point and target defense. Add doubled Point CAP directly to the group's total AA. A group with 24 AA and 3 NAC therefore resolves at 30.
Aircraft–Naval Results Table
| Die | 1:2 | 1:1 | 1.5:1 | 2:1 | 2.5:1 | 3:1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | — | C | C | C | C |
| 2 | — | C | C | C | C | D |
| 3 | — | C | C | C | D | D |
| 4 | C | C | C |
C = crippled; D = destroyed. Below 1:2 is prohibited; above 3:1 uses 3:1.
[14.4] Carrier group limitations. Only trained NAC may form a CAG. A CAG's carrier is its base.
[14.41] One offensive action. All CAG from one Task Force together may conduct only one offensive action per Game-Turn, regardless of the number of carriers or points used. Defensive CAP and counterattacks are unlimited.
[14.42] Loss of home carriers. If a carrier is crippled or destroyed while its CAG is away, those NAC may land on a friendly carrier or land base in the same or an adjacent hex, within capacity. Excess NAC are destroyed.
[14.43] Aircraft aboard a crippled carrier. If a carrier is crippled while its aircraft are aboard, eliminate all of those aircraft. If the cripple results from a submarine attack, however, the aircraft remain intact.
[14.5] Carrier counterattacks. When returning carriers that have spent their offensive action are attacked by unspent enemy carrier air, their CAG may fly CAP or remain aboard. If the carrier survives, retained NAC may counterattack; NAC used as CAP may not.
[14.6] Land air bases.
[14.61] Indestructibility. Bombardment never destroys Henderson Field itself. It destroys only Supply or Air Points. Air-bombardment Air losses are removed after CAP returns; ignore such losses if no Air Points were based there. Naval bombardment occurs after all air has returned.
[14.62] Air unit vulnerability. Air at a land base may be destroyed by air or naval bombardment.
[14.63] Mission limits. Rabaul and Shortlands air may attack an enemy base or naval units only once per Game-Turn. Air that transfers between bases may not attack that turn, including a CAG that lands ashore after losing its carrier.
[14.64] Japanese extended range. Rabaul LAC attacking Guadalcanal at extended range suffer each CAP and AA loss twice: once before and once after their attack.
[14.65] Land-based NAC. NAC launching from a land base may not return to a carrier, even in the same hex.
[14.7] Multiple attacks against one hex. Friendly carrier forces in one hex may combine CAG for an offensive mission or CAP, but not a counterattack. Forces in different hexes resolve separately. A defender does not regroup ships between multiple attacks in the same segment.
15. Naval Surface Combat
General rule. Surface combat occurs only in hex M and only when at least one opposing Task Force has an Anti-Ship mission.
[15.1] Mission limitations. Opposing forces meeting outside M ignore one another for surface combat, though carrier air may still operate. A Transport Task Force must remain in M for two segments to discharge cargo and can therefore face successive attacks. Carrier Task Forces never participate in surface combat and are ignored for that purpose. Slot forces—Bombardment or Anti-Ship—may fight surface combat but remain immune to Henderson Field air attack.
[15.2] Ship-to-ground combat. A Bombardment Task Force in M attacks Supply and Air Points at Henderson Field during the bombardment section of an Execution Segment. Combine all friendly bombardment in that segment, round total Bombardment Strength down to a listed column, and roll. A player may bombard once per segment. A force arriving in M must bombard at once and then withdraw by the shortest route; it may first survive surface combat as defender.
Bombardment Results Table
| Die | 10+ | 20+ | 30+ | 40+ | 50+ | 60+ | 70+ | 80+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2+S½ | 3+S½ |
| 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2+S½ | 2+S½ | 3+S½ |
| 3 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Number = Air Points lost; S½ = half of Supply (round down); S = all Supply.
[15.3] Ship-to-ship combat. After Task Forces in M are revealed, Japan may change an eligible Bombardment or Transport mission to Anti-Ship. Japan then announces whether it has an Anti-Ship force; the United States does likewise. If neither does, no surface combat occurs.
[15.31] One Anti-Ship force versus one Anti-Ship force. Both players reveal their units. Total Surface Attack Strength. The stronger force is attacker; the weaker is defender. Compare attacker Attack Strength with defender Defense Strength, round down to a listed odds column, roll, and apply the result.
[15.32] Anti-Ship versus non-Anti-Ship. The Anti-Ship force attacks. If its Attack Strength is below the defender's Defense Strength, the defender removes ships of choice from the combat until at least 1:1 is reached. Removed ships suffer no result.
[15.33] Multiple Task Forces. Merge friendly Task Forces sharing the same mission, leaving at most one Anti-Ship, one Bombardment, and one Transport force per side. If both sides have Anti-Ship forces, resolve their combat first. The attacker may shield whole ships, lowering—but never below 1:1—the odds against the enemy Anti-Ship force; shielded ships then attack one other enemy force of the attacker's choice.
[15.34] Resolution. Reduce the Attack-to-Defense comparison to an odds ratio and round down. The attacker rolls on the Surface CRT and applies both sides of the result.
[15.35] Shielding. Shielding diverts whole ships from the principal attack. It is prohibited if removing even one ship would lower that attack below 1:1.
Surface Combat Results Table
| Die | 1:1 | 1.5:1 | 2:1 | 2.5:1 | 3:1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ½D/½C | ½C/½C | ½D/½C | ½C/D | —/½C |
| 2 | ½C/— | ½C/½D | —/½C | —/½C | —/½D |
| 3 | ½C/½C | ½C/½D | —/½D | —/½CD | —/C |
| 4 | —/½C | —/½C | —/½D | —/½CD | —/D |
| 5 |
Left/right of the slash applies to attacker/defender. C = all crippled; D = all destroyed; ½C or ½D affects half, rounded down and selected randomly; ½CD cripples half and destroys half, with an odd unit crippled. A single unit receiving ½C or ½D is randomly crippled or destroyed. Below 1:1 is prohibited; above 3:1 uses 3:1. Crippled ships are removed for repair. Roll one die for each and double it to find repair duration, then add normal refit time. Repaired carriers return without NAC.
16. Supply
General rule. Unsupplied land and air units are penalized in movement and combat.
[16.1] Ground unit supply states.
[16.11] American supply. American ground units are either in supply or unsupplied. Units at Espiritu Santo are always supplied. During Plot Phase 1, before writing the American plot, expend one Supply Point to supply every American Ground Point on Guadalcanal for the turn. Newly landed units remain in supply for the remainder of the turn of landing.
[16.12] Japanese supply. Japanese ground units are either in Attack Supply or General Supply. Expend one Supply Point at the start of Ground Combat to attack. Japanese units are always in General Supply: supply never eliminates them, they defend at full strength, but without Attack Supply they may not attack.
[16.2] Effects of isolation.
[16.21] American ground units. American units unsupplied for three complete consecutive Game-Turns lose half their Strength, rounding surviving fractions upward, at the beginning of the fourth. An American force can fall to one point but cannot be eliminated solely by isolation. Delivery and expenditure of a Supply Point on the third turn prevents the loss. Unsupplied American units may not attack and defend at half strength, rounding upward. An American attack also requires the additional Supply Point specified in 12.2.
[16.22] American air units. At the start of the Air Allocation section of any day segment, expend one Supply Point for each ten Henderson Field Air Points, or fraction thereof, assigned an offensive mission.
[16.3] Consumption of Supply Points. American air consumes Supply under 16.22. Ground attacks consume Supply under 16.12 and 12.2. Remove expended points and adjust the Guadalcanal Supply Status Chart immediately.
[16.4] Forced supply. The American player may not voluntarily leave ground units unsupplied while Supply Points are present on Guadalcanal; at least one must be expended to supply them.
17. Stacking Limitations
General rule. Except as stated below, there is no limit to the number or type of units in a hex. This applies equally to units moving through hexes.
[17.1] NAC on carriers. Each carrier's printed capacity is the maximum number of NAC Strength Points it may base, train, or operate. It may never be exceeded.
[17.2] Airbase limits. Rabaul holds no more than 20 LAC or NAC. Shortlands holds no more than 10.
[17.3] Ground units. There is no limit to Ground Strength Points in a hex.
[17.4] Ships at sea. Any number of Task Forces may occupy or pass through the same hex. Enemy and friendly forces may coexist in the same or adjacent hexes without combat. Combat depends on mission, not proximity, except for Japanese submarine attacks.
[17.5] Ships in port. Truk, Espiritu Santo, and Australia have unlimited naval and air capacity.
[17.51] Carriers. Japanese carriers must return to Truk; American carriers must return to Australia.
[17.52] Rabaul. Rabaul may contain no more than ten naval units or 100 total Bombardment Points, whichever limit is reached first. Transports do not count.
18. American Intelligence
General rule. American code-breaking, interception, coastwatchers, and reconnaissance give the American player advance—but deliberately general—information about Japanese intentions.
[18.1] Japanese Slot missions. During the Japanese Intentions announcement, the American player asks whether a Task Force is coming down the Slot and whether it includes capital ships. Japan answers yes or no to each question. The American may also ask whether Japan plans a high-seas sortie and whether it includes capital ships; again Japan answers yes or no.
[18.2] Truk fleet intentions. The American player may ask whether Japan will sortie from Truk and whether that sortie uses capital ships or transports. Japan must answer yes or no.
[18.3] Transport missions. The American player asks whether Japan will use transports and, if so, whether they depart from Truk or Rabaul.
[18.4] Capital-ship usage. When announcing a sortie's origin, Japan must also state whether capital ships will be included and in which sortie or sorties.
[18.5] Day-segment intelligence. In Fundamental Section A of every day segment, Japan places each Task Force marker in its plotted hex and announces the total number of units, number of capital ships—but not their types—and number of transports.
Example. A Japanese force in B contains 6 DD, 3 CA, 3 BC, and 3 CV: 15 units including 6 capital ships.
[18.6] Night-segment intelligence. At night neither player reveals a Task Force unless it occupies hex M.
19. Japanese Intelligence
General rule. American forces become visible to Japan when they enter the Japanese Air Reconnaissance Zone during a day Execution Segment.
[19.1] Japanese Air Reconnaissance Zone. The zone initially consists of A, B, F, G, K, L, M, P, and Q. Beginning with Game-Turn 10, add C, N, R, and H. An American Task Force entering one of these hexes by day places its marker and reveals its total number of units, capital ships, and transports.
[19.2] Day intelligence. The American player also reveals any Task Force in the same or an adjacent hex to a Japanese Task Force during a day segment.
[19.3] Night intelligence. Use 18.6: reveal only forces in M.
20. Truk Sortie Limitations
General rule. During Truk Sortie Resolution, Japan rolls one die. On 1–4, naval units at Truk are available for missions. On 5–6, every naval unit at Truk must remain there for the entire Game-Turn.
[20.1] Required roll. A roll of 1, 2, 3, or 4 releases the Truk force.
[20.2] No other effect. The roll does not affect units at Rabaul, American forces, or units refitting at Truk.
[20.3] First-turn prohibition. No Japanese unit may sortie from Truk on Game-Turn 1.
21. Reinforcements
General rule. The Turn Record/Reinforcement Chart identifies air, naval, and ground reinforcements available at the start of each Game-Turn. Place counters on the chart before play, then deploy them during the Reinforcement Segment.
[21.1] Deployment. Japanese LAC and ground units arrive at Rabaul; Japanese NAC and naval units arrive at Truk; Japanese transports arrive at Rabaul. American LAC, ground units, and transports arrive at Espiritu Santo. American NAC may be placed at Espiritu Santo or Australia; American naval units arrive at Australia.
[21.2] Full NAC complement. Every carrier entering as a reinforcement arrives with its full trained NAC complement.
[21.3] Stacking and placement restrictions. Do not place a reinforcement if it would violate Section 17. Such a unit is not destroyed; it is considered sent to another front and does not enter the game.
[21.4] NAC must be trained. NAC not arriving with a carrier is untrained and must follow 10.4.
[21.5] When used. Reinforcements may be used in the Game-Turn they arrive. They arrive fully fueled and refitted, but all other restrictions apply.
[21.6] Refits as reinforcements. Units completing refit reappear at the base where they refitted and may be used without further delay.
[21.7] Cripples as reinforcements. Treat repaired crippled units as reinforcements. Japanese and American naval units return at Truk and Australia respectively; Japanese and American transports return at Rabaul and Espiritu Santo.
Initial placement — Game-Turn 1.
- United States. Guadalcanal: 15 Ground Points. Espiritu Santo: 3 Ground Points, 5 LAC. Hex M: CV-1, CV-2, CV-3 (Wasp, Enterprise, Saratoga) with 24 NAC; BB-1; CA-1 through CA-7; DD-1 through DD-5; TR-1 through TR-7 with 6 Supply Points, no more than one per transport.
- Japan. Rabaul: 2 Ground Points, 13 LAC, CA-1 through CA-3, DD-1, DD-2. Truk: CV-1 through CV-4 with 18 NAC; BC-5, BC-6; CA-4 through CA-7; DD-3 through DD-6; 1 untrained NAC.
American Reinforcement Schedule
| Turn | Australia | Espiritu Santo |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | — | 3 LAC, DD-6, APD-1 (APD-1 printed in blue, a correction) |
| 3 | 3 NAC | 2 LAC |
| 4 | 3 NAC | 3 Ground Points, 2 LAC |
| 5 | BB-2, 1 NAC | 1 LAC |
| 6 | CV-4 (Hornet), DD-7, 4 NAC | 3 Ground Points |
| 7 | BB-3 | 4 LAC |
| 8 | CA-8, 2 NAC | 2 LAC |
| 9 | 2 NAC | 2 LAC |
| 10 |
Japanese Reinforcement Schedule
| Turn | Rabaul | Truk |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 Ground Points, 2 LAC | CV-5, CV-6 with 10 NAC; B-3, B-4, BC-7, BC-8; DD-7 through DD-10; SS-1 |
| 3 | 1 Ground Point, 2 LAC | 2 NAC, DD-11 |
| 4 | 2 LAC | 1 NAC |
| 5 | 4 LAC | 2 NAC |
| 6 | 8 LAC | 2 NAC, SS-2 |
| 7 | 9 Ground Points, 6 LAC, TR-1 through TR-3 | 4 NAC |
| 8 | 6 LAC | 3 NAC, SS-3 |
| 9 | 6 LAC | 3 NAC |
[21.8] Turn record procedure. Place the Game-Turn marker in box 1 and advance it each turn. Before play, place all available reinforcement, refit, and repair counters in the proper base row and turn box. Counter shortages may require players to add pieces to the chart as losses free them.
[21.9] Japanese augmentation. As a historical option, add BB-1 Yamato to the initial Japanese force at Truk. A further hypothetical option adds BB-2 Musashi; when either option is used, increase the Japanese Truk placement accordingly.
22. Victory Conditions
General rule. Victory is determined after Game-Turn 16 by the accumulation of Victory Points for destroying enemy units and possessing Henderson Field.
Victory Point values
| Item destroyed or held | VP |
|---|---|
| CV | 50 |
| CVL | 40 |
| BB, BC, or B | 30 |
| CA | 20 |
| DD | 10 |
| Transport | 5 |
| Submarine | 1 |
| Supply Point | 0 |
| American Ground Point | 1 |
| Japanese Ground Point | 0 |
| LAC Point | 1 |
| NAC Point | 1 |
Result. Divide Japanese VP by American VP:
| Ratio | Result |
|---|---|
| 1:1 or less | American victory |
| More than 1:1 through 1.5:1 | Draw |
| More than 1.5:1, less than 2:1 | Marginal Japanese victory |
| At least 2:1, less than 3:1 | Substantive Japanese victory |
| 3:1 or more | Decisive Japanese victory |
Editorial clarification (from the presentation, not the printed chart): The original chart prints "1.5 to 1 = Draw," leaving the interval above 1:1 unstated. The continuous range shown here resolves that obvious gap while leaving every printed boundary intact.
23. Designer's Notes
The Pacific War was an oddity: at once a vast naval-air war, a bitter ground war, an engineer's war against nature, and a technician's war of machine against machine. The Solomons Campaign concentrated all these elements in one decisive theater and helped determine the course of the war.
SPI's 1971 game USN covered the first half of the Pacific War. Its broad scope required a complex treatment and a time scale spanning eighteen months of intermittent operations. Solomons Campaign applies lessons from that design to a smaller theater and a weekly scale, preserving the interplay of air, sea, land, intelligence, logistics, and command without covering the whole ocean war.
After Midway destroyed the core of Japanese carrier strength, Guadalcanal suddenly became vulnerable. Japan was building an airfield there as part of a drive southward to isolate Australia. In August 1942, American Marines swept aside unsupported construction troops and seized the nearly finished field. The campaign then became simple to state but difficult to conduct: Japan had to throw the Marines off Guadalcanal; the United States had to hold long enough to begin moving up the Solomons toward Japan's Pacific perimeter.
This was one of the rare campaigns in which the opposing forces remained closely matched and the outcome stayed uncertain nearly to the end. The design emphasizes the coordination problem. Japan could not merely land ground forces and fight a conventional battle; it first needed sustained control of the surrounding sea. It recognized too late that night battleship bombardment might neutralize the Marines and their land-based air. By the time battleships were committed, American surface forces had become strong enough to contest them.
Japanese operations repeatedly suffered from "too little, too late": ground strength never decisively exceeded the American force on the island, carrier efforts were not adequately coordinated with superior cruiser, battleship, and destroyer forces, and the separate combat arms were not combined effectively. The game therefore shows both how complex coordination was and why the Japanese lost the campaign as much as the Americans won it.
Although smaller in scope than USN, this remains a complex game until its simultaneous-planning system becomes familiar. After a few plays, that system reveals in detail the elements that proved decisive in the historical campaign.
24. Design Credits
Section 24 (Design Credits) is omitted here as attribution.
25. Questions & Answers
Source and notation. These official answers appeared in Frank Davis, "Game Errata: Question & Answer," Moves no. 12 (December/January 1974), p. 22. Material printed in blue is a correction or clarification incorporated into the main rules.
[25.1] When does the American APD arrive? The rules and the printed reinforcement chart disagree. Which controls?
The APD arrives fully loaded at Espiritu Santo on Game-Turn 2. It is not part of the initial American deployment.
[25.2] Where do additional Supply Points originate? The initial six American Supply Points are already aboard transports in M. How can either side obtain more?
Japan has unlimited Supply Points at Rabaul, and the United States has unlimited Supply Points at Espiritu Santo. They must be transported to Guadalcanal under 9.4.
[25.3] Does the Rabaul limit apply after deployment? Does 5.16 restrict only the Japanese units initially placed at Rabaul?
No. The Rabaul naval-unit and Bombardment Strength limits remain in effect throughout the game. All other Japanese naval units must be based at Truk.
[25.4] When does hex H enter the Reconnaissance Zone? Section 10.5 adds H on Game-Turn 10, while 19.1 includes it in the original zone.
Hex H joins the Japanese Air Reconnaissance Zone on Game-Turn 10 and remains in it thereafter.
[25.5] Is a die roll missing from submarine attacks? Section 13.2 proceeds directly from contact to resolution.
Yes. Before the attack is executed, Japan rolls one die. The submarine attacks if, and only if, the result is 6.
[25.6] What is lost when a carrier or transport is crippled? Aircraft aboard a carrier are eliminated when that carrier is crippled. If the crippling result came from a submarine attack, the aircraft remain intact. A crippled transport immediately loses all Ground and Supply Points it was carrying; those points are eliminated.
Section 25.7 (Related Magazine Articles) is a bibliography of outside references and is not reproduced.