Guadalcanal Demonstration Scenario


Timeframe:	August-October 1942

Location:	“Ironbottom Sound,” Solomon Islands

Situation:  IJN Eighth Fleet and Outer South Seas Force Commander ordered a Cruiser-Destroyer bombardment group down the Slot to bombard Henderson Field and other installations on Guadalcanal.  A USN submarine spotted and reported the Japanese sortie from Rabaul, and, following confirmation of the enemy’s course and speed through the Slot by an Australian Coastwatcher, COMSOPAC ordered a USN Cruiser-Destroyer Task Group to intercept.

Scenario Type: 	Modified Encounter Battle (Officer and Core Fleet only)

Conditions:	Daytime, fair weather, no squalls or fog banks

Battle Area:	One each small or large island placed in Table Quarters 2 and 3

Fleet Officer/Ship Point Total:  153

IJN Fleet:
* Officer:  Tai-Sa
* Cruiser Squadron:  1 x Aoba CA, 1 x Furutaka CA
* Destroyer Squadron:  1 x Yubari CL, 2 x Kagero DD
* Ship Victory Point Total:  15

USN Fleet:
* Officer:  Captain
* Cruiser Squadron:  1 x New Orleans CA, 1 x Northampton CA, 1 x Atlanta CL
* Destroyer Squadron:  3 x Bensen/Gleaves DD
* Ship Victory Point Total:  15

Deployment:  Use the “Encounter Battle” table configuration (Rulebook p. 25) for this scenario.  Both players roll a die.  The player who scores lowest must deploy his first squadron first.  Players alternate deploying their squadrons until there are no more to deploy.

Victory Conditions:  As soon as a fleet has lost 50 percent of its total ship victory points, the fleet must take a Command Check at the end of the turn.  If the Command Check is failed, the fleet breaks off contact and the game ends.  If the fleet passes the Command Check, the game continues for one more turn, at which time the fleet breaks off and the game ends.  If both fleets need to take a Command Check at the end of the turn, both fleets roll a Command Check and if both players fail the check the game is a draw.  Otherwise, the side with the most Game Victory Points wins.

Calculating Victory Points:  After the game ends, each side calculates its Game Victory Points as follows:
* Add up the ship victory points of all the remaining ships in the fleet, excluding those ships that have broken off when the game ends;
* Ships that have less than 50-percent of their hull points remaining generate only half their ship victory points (rounded down);
* Add 5 victory points for each table quarter that has a friendly ship in it and no enemy ships also present (ships that have broken off do not count as a friendly ship in the quarter if they have not exited the board by the game’s end);
* The side that broke off the action divides its total calculated game victory points in half (rounded down).

Scenario Variations:
* Virtually all of the August ’42-February ’43 Ironbottom sound engagements were fought at night.  Play the scenario using the Nighttime Engagements rules (p. 24):  Visibility, Searchlights, Star-Shells, Firing Weapons, and Fires.
* Detach one destroyer from each side’s Destroyer Squadron and deploy them separately as a single ship and/or “Encounter Battle” Pre-Game Movement rule (p.25).
* When setting up the battle area, use the Random Island Set-Up Table and/or the Weather Type Table to deploy variable islands, squalls and fog banks (p. 24).
* Increase the Fleet ship point totals per side and incorporate Close/Distant Cover Squadrons

Naval War
The World War II Naval Miniatures Game