- BGG rank
- BGG #3,331
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Flat Top
- 2 players
- 360 min
- Complexity 4.2/5
- 1977
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,262
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal
1985
Rules assistance for Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 180 min
- 12+
- Complexity 4.2/5
Rules assistant for Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal is a board game released in 1985 for 2 players, 180 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jay Boyer and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
Carrier Battles includes the Basic, Advanced, and Optional rules for Carrier Battles, and Basic Game Rules for The Iron Samurai. "Carrier Battles, and its companion game, The Iron Samurai, are historical simulations of battles fought between air and surface forces of the Japanese and Allied fleets in the South Pacific during World War II. Carrier Battles covers the aircraft carrier operations in detail, while The Iron Samurai focuses on the surface actions . . . A selection of historical and hypothetical scenarios are included as well as a campaign game covering the series of surface and carrier battles which raged in the Solomons from August through November of 1942. In addition, guidelines for generating your own scenarios are included." Clarification: The Iron Samurai was planned as a separate game with advanced rules, but was never published.
Designers
Publishers
- RSS (Rising Sun Simulations)
Questions and answers
Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal 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 Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal is 180 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.
The catalogue lists Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal has a complexity rating of 4.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy 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.
Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal belongs to these categories: Wargame, Nautical, and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal are: Jay Boyer. 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 Carrier Battles: The Struggle for Guadalcanal 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.