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Eagle Day: The Battle of Britain
- 2 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
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Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons
2012
Rules assistance for Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
Rules assistant for Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons is a board game released in 2012 for 2 players and 60–120 minutes per game. It was designed by Joseph Miranda.
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About the game
From DecisionGames.com: Air War Over the Solomons The island of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific was the base for American aircraft squadrons that engaged Japanese Navy and Army air forces over the Solomons. Those squadrons became known as the “Cactus Air Force” (from the codename given to the island itself). Cactus Air Force is a two- player wargame covering the air campaign over the Solomon Islands during critical period late in 1942. Both the American and Japanese players move their bombers to attack critical targets while using fighters to struggle for air superiority. Each player controls units representing air groups. All of the famous aircraft are here: Japanese Zeroes, Bettys and Oscars, and Allied F4F Wildcats, P-40s, and B-17s. Each unit is rated for air superiority, bombing and speed. The game uses a new and unique system that facilitates aerial operations, dispensing with the usual record keeping. The map covers the entire Solomon Island chain centered on Guadalcanal. Cactus Air Force is part of the Air Wars mini-game series. Each player has a deck of Campaign Cards. They generate a range of events, including major naval battles such as Eastern Solomons, to which players can commit their air units. Certain cards can be played in combination to gain operational advantage, leading to tense decision making. There are special rules for Henderson Field, fighter-bombers, and the Tokyo Express.
Questions and answers
Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons is 60–120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons belongs to these categories: Wargame, World War II, and Aviation / Flight. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons are: Joseph Miranda. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Cactus Air Force: Air War Over the Solomons as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.