S3 Series

Still trying to learn jabonese, so please forgive the silly questions?

Regarding Frame 3:

Per Jabo's post regarding the cv carrier routes for frame 3:

1) Only one CV in the south this frame, the same as the Japanese.

Q- would it be wrong to think that he has placed opposing carriers within striking distance of each other?


2) Clouds and low light conditions as there is a storm in the area.

Self explanatory I suppose?

3) Direction is northeast toward cover at the Russels

Q - direction of the carrier is toward cover at the Russels, or is this storm,wind direction?

4) but the CV group can be used to base up to 4 steps of a/c to cover the newly captured New Georgia fields.

Q1 - is the answer to question #3 contained here? "CV can be used to cover the newly captured New Georgia Fields".
This would "imply" that the CV location would be considerably more north than the potential most southern location as posted in DeWolf's "max range" map?

Q2 - 4steps of a/c at the carrier? Our plan currently has a minimum of 6 steps (I think?), and potentially up to 8(?). I don't completely understand the whole
stepping thing. Can you operate 8 steps (technically) by making sure that no more than 4 steps are actually on the carrier at any given point of time? If not, we
have some serious over stepping issues in our current plan it seems.


Final commentary - Still green, but in the previous S3's I've at least been able to understand the "big picture" of the campaigns. This one... not so much. Historically, when the allies captured an island in the Pacific, it was to allow basing of aircraft, and to shorten the reach of Allied operations toward Japan. This series, it seems that we can close bases, but in reality, we still have to base at the same locations as in frame 1. OK, we get 1 step of aircraft at Field 45, but that's almost a suicide mission to think the enemy can't strike it before Allies arrive "in force". In other words, it seems that the more we close, the longer our reach becomes. Should be the other way around shouldn't it? As we gain ground, our F4F-4's are tasked with having to engage further and further away from bases (or cv's), while the longer legged A6M's gain the ability to loiter over their area of coverage. Our captured fields seem nearly impossible to defend, while the Axis aircraft are easily within reach to "recapture" lost fields in the next frame. I can't stand a "defensive" game plan, but dog gone if doesn't seem like we'd be much better off spending our time scouting and destroying shipping or the enemy CV and forgetting about land bases.

thought it was 4 steps per cv we have two - will clarify and fix as needed.

This was discussed in length on Thursday night. everything you brought up are concerns by all involved.
This frame is very difficult given the range of the wildcat.. the japanese have targets everywhere to hit and we will be based multiple grids away. It's what it is........we gotta work with what we got.

It is up to Weiss to say & choose but the thought in the planning stages was "how do we get the most bang for our buck"

Dont take this the wrong way, all questions prior to the frame are very good. If you have an idea for something different or something that you would like to try....you are free to take frame 4 for me


Also... I agree with you, I think Jabo wants a Carrier Battle.

One Carrier = 90 planes 36 wildcat 36 Dauntless 18 Grumman TBF (we are stuck with devastators)
We have 2 carriers....180 airplanes.... yet we get only 2 steps (12 planes) each?

I know it's not historical, but it is impossible to mount a proper strike and defend the CVs and the local assets with the steps given.

just checked rules - 2 steps per cv so will adjust today

There are two carriers in the CV group so its a total of 4 steps. Route posted so you can see where it will start and go to.

Japanese have a huge advantage in range but pay for it in fragile a/c.
This is a hypothetical event with the US extending up the Solomons several months ahead of schedule historically.

12. CV Groups - each side has two possible CV groups, one in the south and one in the north. They can have 0-3 CVs and 0-12 DDs in each group and this changes from frame to frame depending on the force allocated by High Command. Each CV may base 2 steps of a/c for the frame. CV groups have a set course for each frame travelling at 30mph with little direction changes during a frame. They never get closer than 60 miles from enemy CVs but can approach quite close to enemy fields and are not limited to their side of the frontline.

Give yourself another 10 years to get anything other than "conversational" in Jabonese.

Each Series has some historical genesis. Following that, some are "fudged" for a fun event. Some are significantly different from the historical actual happenstance. Some are almost exactly like you may have read about it in books.

The ONLY thing that I, personally, have ever relied upon about each Event is that through some kind of magic that I have yet to figure out that almost all of the Series turn out with "scores" for each side that are very close.

I'll repeat a Wolf Maxim: "As long as the Janitors can keep both sides complaining vociferously that each is at a true disadvantage, that the Janitors must be doing something right".

Not ONLY no, but HECK no!!!!!! The whole stratamagizing stuff is a mystery to me. Unfortunately, it shows up in my combat maneuvering (or lack thereof) as well.

I think Dazed is our Frame 4 CO. No better time to start than the present!