http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6980 en-us Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:13:23 -0600 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:13:23 -0600 aldie@boardgamegeek.com BoardGameGeek features information related to the board gaming hobby I will keep an eye out. My local Goodwill store seems to have a nice selection of games, so it's a good site to bookmark. I would appreciate a Spock's Beard microbadge, if anyone's listening. <img src="http://files.boardgamegeek.com/images/laugh.gif" alt=":laugh:" border="0"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/2799990#2799990 2008-11-07T13:51:24+00:00 bigmac33070 <b>peacmyer wrote:</b><br><i>Wow! There's a Velvet Underground fan microbadge? <br></i> <br> <br>Yea, surprised the hell outta me too. <img src="http://files.boardgamegeek.com/images/smile.gif" alt=":)" border="0"> Sadly, it appears I'll have to make my own Widespread Panic fan microbadge though. <br> <br><b>bigmac33070 wrote:</b><br><i>Thank you so much, Justin!! Got them printed and we're going to play over the weekend. I really appreciate it!!</i> <br> <br>Happy to help man. If you thrift games with any regularity, you'll want to keep that Hasbro site bookmarked for easy access. Because they've acquired so many of the old brands [Parker Bros., Milton Bradley, etc.] over the years, it should be your first stop for replacing those oft-missing/mangled rules [though the collection there isn't 100% complete, you'd be surprised at how many rulebooks you can find for 30-odd year-old games.] <img src="http://files.boardgamegeek.com/images/ninja.gif" alt="ninja" border="0"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/2799546#2799546 2008-11-07T08:06:08+00:00 dogmatix Thank you so much, Justin!! Got them printed and we're going to play over the weekend. I really appreciate it!! http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/2797960#2797960 2008-11-06T21:20:33+00:00 bigmac33070 Wow! There's a Velvet Underground fan microbadge? <br> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/2796097#2796097 2008-11-06T13:45:18+00:00 peacmyer The rules can be found about half-way down the page here: <A target='_blank' href="http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=cs_instructions&letter=M" rel="nofollow">http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=cs_instructions&lette...</A> <br> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/2795664#2795664 2008-11-06T09:07:43+00:00 dogmatix Just picked this up at my local Goodwill store (for $1.91) and was wondering if anyone had the instructions that they could scan and post here. Me and my boy would appreciate it! It looks like alot of fun and we're dying to try it! Thank you. <img src="http://files.boardgamegeek.com/images/biggrin.gif" alt=":D" border="0"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/2795450#2795450 2008-11-06T06:25:12+00:00 bigmac33070 The rules indicate a Harpoon does not have to move in a straight line. The rules show a pictoral example of this where a harpoon can "hug" the shallows on its way to the target. That all makes sense to me. <br> <br>So what if the player wants to move the Harpoon <i>fewer</i> spaces than rolled? At first, I thought, "no way, you have to use up your movement" BUT since Harpoons don't have to move in a straight line, couldn't the player burn up some spaces by zig-zagging around, effectively reducing the distance travelled if desired? <br> <br>(The reason you might do this is because your roll would get you too close to the target - probably a destroyer - without being close enough to hit. Net result: your opponent shoots down the Harpoon on his next turn.) http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1206820#1206820 2006-12-05T05:19:41+00:00 songbird The carrier in Carrier Strike could move. In the original, the torpedoes were dropped and then moved in a straight line. The whole point of moving the carriers was to try to get them out of the way of the torpedo. In the new version there is no way to escape the modern guided missiles, so no need to move. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1171173#1171173 2006-11-13T15:56:29+00:00 Deinodon Carriers are as fast as Aegis cruisers. It's weird that they are immobilized. One of the big advantages of a carrier over a land air base is its mobility. <br> <br>That being said, the rules reflect the original "Carrier Strike" game on which this design is based. Carriers couldn't move in that one either, but there were no islands and no escort ships. This revision is a much more interesting game. <br> <br>Even so, I do like giving the carrier some mobility, though perhaps rather than a die roll I would allow a one- or two-hex move every other turn. Aircraft do move a whole lot faster than surface ships. <br> <br>While we're chatting, a hidden-plot submarine threat would be cool . . . http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1166475#1166475 2006-11-09T16:12:47+00:00 Barry Kendall I'd agree with your overall assessment. I just taught my 7-year-old son how to play over the weekend, and he really enjoyed the game. It's a very light game, but you can do some strategy and feints and whatnot to make things interesting. I too was surprised how quickly your air force gets decimated! It's a pretty brutal game with destroyers and dogfights all around... <br> <br>The real trick to the game is firing Harpoons far enough away so the Harpoon doesn't get shot down yet not so far away that it falls short of its target. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1053029#1053029 2006-08-28T18:37:21+00:00 songbird I've had this game on the shelf since I picked up a couple copies in a KB fire sale several months ago. Thinking my boys might be ready for it, I set it up and waited for one of the guys to happen by. I had my eight-year-old in mind, but my six-year-old showed up first, and he was eager to play. <br> <br>I keep underestimating my little guy -- he picked this one up fast. Before long we were mixing it up in a big aerial furball in the center of the map while our destroyers slowly closed ranged and swatted aircraft out of the sky. It's a pretty lethal environment in this game, and after a move or two most of our air forces had crashed and burned. I broke through with my last flight of jets and put a couple harpoons in the side of Jack's carrier ... which makes me a bit of a bully, I suppose, but war is hell, son. <br> <br>A good but not great game. Jack says it's better than "Battleship," because Battleship is just a guessing game, and here he gets to move the ships. A future admiral, maybe? http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/756688#756688 2006-01-07T23:17:24+00:00 goldenboat Game in progress, the view from AWACS <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic104359_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/104359 2005-11-29T15:37:44+00:00 The Maverick Game in progress, reverse angle <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic104358_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/104358 2005-11-29T15:37:44+00:00 The Maverick Game in progress, angle 1 <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic104357_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/104357 2005-11-29T15:37:44+00:00 The Maverick <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic88206_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/88206 2005-07-29T13:05:42+00:00 belial1134 <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic65854_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/65854 2005-02-01T14:05:16+00:00 manowarplayer Mission Command Sea planes. <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic65853_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/65853 2005-02-01T14:05:16+00:00 manowarplayer Mission Command Sea playing pieces. <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic65852_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/65852 2005-02-01T14:05:16+00:00 manowarplayer Mission Command Sea board. <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic65851_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/65851 2005-02-01T14:05:16+00:00 manowarplayer Mission Command Sea Insert (Missiles & Islands) <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic65850_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/65850 2005-02-01T14:05:16+00:00 manowarplayer Box cover back <br> <img src="http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic65849_mt.jpg"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/65849 2005-02-01T14:05:16+00:00 manowarplayer crusher100 (#80100), <br>I thought the point of set up was to protect the carrier so you had to use more strategy. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/80156#80156 2005-01-26T15:34:12+00:00 shenderson02 Our group use the following House Rules: <br> <br>1. No plane can take-off if the first square in front of the Carrier it is occupied. <br>2. Turn a Hexside it cost 1 movement point <br>3. We use Frontal Arc of Fire for missiles. A missile can turn freely. <br>4. We use in dogfighting Bonunes for Positions among Fighters. If it is attacking from rear Arc +2, Fron Sides +1, Frontal Attacks no Bonuses. <br>5. We use Ammo Shortage when starting the game. Each Carrier can Carry 8 of each. Once spent the ammo is out. <br>6. Planes must land on the carrier from the rear Hex of the carrier. <br> <br>We are also considering to use other rules: <br> <br>-Fuel Limitation: Every Plane has 3 points of fuel. To reload fuel on a <br> <br>Carrier and Ammo the plane must be one turn on the carrier. The fuel is <br> <br>spent by one point for each roll of a 6 when the scrambling a plane. <br>-Move a Carrier in the phase of Destroyers movement. Roll a die if it is <br> <br>a 1,2,3 the move the carrier 1 space. <br> <br> <br>Do you use any other House Rules? <br> <br>Thanks. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/80100#80100 2005-01-26T09:34:50+00:00 crusher100 them (#50884), <br>I'd guess the planes are about 1/600 scale. The carrier and destroyer appear to be in scale to one another and are very close to 1/2400. Given the many excellent metal 1/2400 modern ships available from GHQ and CinC, there are lots of options for expansion here . . . <img src="http://files.boardgamegeek.com/images/smile.gif" alt=":)" border="0"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/80015#80015 2005-01-25T22:38:01+00:00 Barry Kendall them (#52844), <br>Walt is right, you may have all eight planes in the air at once if you so choose. This is one strategy that minimizes losses if your carrier takes a hit. It also gives the player flexibility in tactics--you can station a couple of fighters on CAP (in proximity to your carrier, perhaps guarding a gap between islands) while conducting offensive air operations with a moving group. If circumstances demand it, you can move your CAP planes to intercept an incoming threat instead of moving all of your attack group. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/80013#80013 2005-01-25T22:35:39+00:00 Barry Kendall "Mission Command: Sea" by Milton Bradley is one of three boardgames on military themes released in late 2003. "MC: Sea" ia an update of the old "Carrier Strike" game from the "Command Decision" line. "Carrier Strike" featured four miniature WW II aircraft carriers, each with a four-plane air group, launching aircraft against one another in order to sink the enemy carriers and/or shoot down opposing aircraft. Victory was achieved by sinking the enemy carriers. <br> "Mission Command: Sea" reduces the carrier inventory to one miniature angled-deck CV per side (nicely done, a cross between the "Enterprise" and a "Nimitz," with white and yellow deck markings), but adds two "destroyers" (miniature Aegis cruisers, "Yorktown" class) per side. The carriers are placed at start anywhere on the friendly half of a 24 by 14-hex hardcard grid, and may not be moved during the game. The destroyers are also deployed at start, but may move. "Mission Command: Sea" also adds terrain in the form of four 3-D plastic islands with pegs that fit into heavy card bases ("shallows") covering ten hexes each. The islands are placed, two by each player, anywhere on their own half of the board. The islands and shallows are impassible to ships for both movement and destroyer fire, and also are impassible for Harpoon missiles and aircraft (enterprising players may, of course, modify this rule to allow aircraft overflight if desired, but the rules as written forbid overflight). <br> Each carrier has an air group of eight planes (F-14s with wings extended; one side is silver-tinged, the other blue-tinged). As in "Carrier Strike," the aircraft are mounted on blue plastic bases which raise them above the board, giving an impression of flight. The bases have an open circle in the center to accommodate a round counter, bearing the picture of either a "Sidewinder" air-to-air missile or a Harpoon SSM. The weapon load on each plane is kept concealed from the other player. Each miniature F-14 also has the number "2," "3" or "4" printed on the underside. This number represents a base air-to-air combat value (hot pilots and newbies?) which is augmented if the aircraft carries an air-to-air missile. The game also comes with eight dice (D6) and two square, mounted "Admiral cards," one corresponding to each carrier. These cards provide a sequence of play summary and a "missile depot" area for your aircraft weapon load counters (the supply of missiles, in game terms, is unlimited). The Admiral card also holds planes still aboard the carrier (those not yet launched, or, in game terms, "scrambled"). The reverse of the "Admiral card" represents the carrier in a damaged condition (after the first hit). <br> The sequence of play is as follows: (1) Move all of your own Harpoon missiles; (2) Scramble fighters; (3) Move OR fire destroyers; (4) OPPONENT fires destroyers; (5) Adjacent planes dogfight; (6) Launch Harpoon missiles. <br> The first action, moving Harpoons, occurs at the beginning of the player-turn because Harpoons have a two-turn flight endurance. They may be launched from a Harpoon-armed aircraft in one turn, remain in the air at turn's end, and may continue toward their target on the second turn. Harpoon range and accuracy is determined simply by rolling a die and moving the missile that number of spaces. If it reaches its target, it hits. If a Harpoon that is in flight at the beginning of the friendly turn cannot reach a ship target because of a low die roll, it crashes short and is removed. Harpoons may freely move through other Harpoons or aircraft in the same space. One Harpoon that reaches a destroyer will sink that vessel. The first Harpoon hit on a carrier causes the Admiral card to be turned over. In addition, the player owning the carrier rolls one die. The result is the number of aircraft still on board the carrier that are lost due to secondary explosions. <br> In the second phase, carrier aircraft are "scrambled," or launched, at a maximum of four per turn. One die is rolled for each aircraft scrambling; the result is the maximum distance, in hexes, that aircraft may move in the current turn. The aircraft will be carrying either a Harpoon SSM, if an anti-ship mission is anticipated, or a Sidewinder air-to-air missile if a defensive, escort, or air intercept mission is planned. <br> In Phase three, either or both escorting destroyers may be moved a maximum of two spaces (into a forward hex, ahead, left or right). Destroyers may not move into shallows, adjacent to another vessel, or into the same space as an aircraft. Instead of moving, either or both destroyers may elect to fire at another vessel, an aircraft, or an in-flight Harpoon missile. One die is rolled for a destroyer firing. If the die result is GREATER than the range from the destroyer to target, a hit is achieved. One hit by a destroyer hit shoots down an aircraft or Harpoon, and sinks a destroyer. A destroyer hit on a carrier is treated in the same manner as a Harpoon hit. <br> The fourth phase, after friendly destroyer movement or fire, is defensive fire by enemy destroyers, which may not move, only fire, in this phase. <br> In the fifth phase, if hostile aircraft are adjacent, one or more dogfights take place. The defender (non-phasing player) reveals his hidden fighter value (on the underside of the fighter). Then the attacker reveals his fighter's strength. At this point, neither player reveals the nature of his or her fighter's missile load. Next, the defender rolls the same number of dice as the number under his/her aircraft and keeps the highest roll. The defender may now elect to fire a Sidewinder, if loaded. Using the Sidewinder allows the owning player to either re-roll one die, or add "1" to his/her highest die roll. Now the attacker rolls the number of dice indicated under the wing, retaining the highest roll. The attacker may fire a Sidewinder, if available, with the same choice of benefit. The highest die wins. If the final modified rolls are tied, BOTH aircraft go down. If, after the first dogfight, a fighter is still adjacent to an enemy plane, another dogfight is conducted (minus any missiles already fired). Dogfights continue until no hostile aircraft are adjacent. <br> The sixth and final step in a turn involves aircraft launching Harpoons. One die is rolled, and the Harpoon moves that distance from its launching fighter. Harpoons MAY (and must) evade islands and shallows. If the Harpoon reaches its targed, damage is assessed immediately. If not, the Harpoon stays airborne until its next turn, unless it is shot down by destroyer fire in the opponent's turn. <br> The first player to sink the opposing carrier wins the game. If a player loses all of his/her fighters, and no Harpoons remain airborne that can reach the enemy carrier, that player loses. If both players run out of planes and threatening Harpoons, the player with the undamaged carrier wins. Any other result is a draw. <br> "Mission Command: Sea" is a simple, quick game, usually playing in thirty minutes to an hour. The components are pleasing and enhance the experience of play. While the game is highly abstract, it does offer several tactical choices of approach: whether to use screening vessels offensively or defensively, whether to launch massed air attacks or attack from multiple directions, whether to attempt a strategy of attrition against enemy aircraft or strive for early penetration and success against the enemy carrier. The presence of destroyers and terrain adds greatly to the game compared to its ancestor "Carrier Strike." One drawback is the immobility of the carrier itself, which may not move according to the rules. While "house rules" can easily alter this, an optional rule in the game as presented would have been welcome. <br> "Mission Command: Sea" does impart a sense of the lethality of modern naval/air combat, and there are suspenseful moments as Harpoons bore in and escorts frantically fire in defense, as attacking aircraft approach with unknown weapon loads and unknown intent, and as losses mount. The game works well as an introductory wargame (the box indicates, in classic MB style, "ages 8 & up")and is enjoyable even for grognards as a break from more mind-bending fare. The game is worth owning and invites the creation of variants. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/79690#79690 2005-01-25T13:39:06+00:00 Barry Kendall All of the Mission Command games are 4.99 at ALL KB Toys!!! Great bargain! Thanks for the heads up <img src="http://files.boardgamegeek.com/images/biggrin.gif" alt=":D" border="0"> <br> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/66146#66146 2004-11-18T00:47:20+00:00 joel_m_toppen Walt Mulder (#52423), <br> <br>So you can have more than four in flight, but just not MOVE more than four? Thanks! http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/52844#52844 2004-09-05T15:46:32+00:00 them them (#52323), <br><i>"You can scramble up to 4 fighters on each turn. These fighters may be on the deck of your carrier or already in flight.</i> <br> <br>Only 4 move regardless of how many are out or on deck. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/52423#52423 2004-09-02T18:15:17+00:00 Walt Mulder The rules state: <br>"You can scramble up to 4 fighters on each turn. These fighters may be on the deck of your carrier or already in flight. To scramble fighters, roll your four dice; choose which fighters you want to move; and move them up to the numbers rolled." (each die is applied to a fighter) <br> <br>Does it seem reasonable to parse this as meaning you can actually have more than 4 fighters in the air at a time - but only 4 can move each turn? http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/52323#52323 2004-09-02T05:56:28+00:00 them To answer my own question, the fighters are about 1 1/4 inches long, and stand about 1/12 inches tall on stands! Rather nice, actually. <br><img src="http://files.boardgamegeek.com/images/smile.gif" alt=":)" border="0"> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/52322#52322 2004-09-02T05:50:26+00:00 them I don't suppose anyone could tell me the size of the fighters/stands? <br> <br>TIA! http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/50884#50884 2004-08-25T23:28:51+00:00 them Heads up - I saw all three Mission Command boardgames selling for $4.99 each at KB Toys at the Arden Fair mall in Sacramento. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/50469#50469 2004-08-23T06:25:18+00:00 The Maverick Hasbro has recently released three re-tooled versions of older military games (Carrier Strike, Screaming Eagles and Tank Battle) under the umbrella title of Mission Command. The three games are not-so-creatively titled Sea Game, Air Game and Land Game. I’m not sure what the thinking was behind these incredibly bland and lifeless titles. In spite of the titles, however, I applaud the release of these games as they do offer quite a bit more than the usual faire offered by many American game companies. It would also be difficult to quibble with the components: really cool miniatures, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, fighters and islands. <br> <br>So how is the game play? Well, truth-be-told, fairly basic. The idea is to sink your opponent’s aircraft carrier, using your fighters and destroyers to accomplish the task. Fighters are launched from your aircraft carrier and each carry a missile – either a harpoon, which is launched into the water and seeks out a ship as a target, or a sidewinder, which is used in air-to-air combat with enemy fighters. Missiles are represented by round tokens, which are placed face-down in the “holder” of the fighter. So, your opponent does not know which type of missile each fighter is transporting. <br> <br>Each player has eight fighters, ranked in strength from 2 – 4. The player may “scramble” (move) from 0 – 4 fighters and rolls an equal number of dice. When a fighter is adjacent to an enemy fighter, a dogfight will occur. Each player rolls a number of dice equal to the strength of their fighter and compares the highest number rolled on one of their dice. The defender, followed by the attacker, may then commit a sidewinder missile if his fighter is armed with one. The missile can be used to either increase the highest number by one, or to re-roll one die. This is probably the most interesting decision to be made during the course of the game. High number wins the battle, with the defeated plane being destroyed and removed from the game. A tie results in both planes being downed. <br> <br>A plane carrying a harpoon missile may launch the missile. A die roll determines how far the missile is moved. If the missile fails to reach an enemy ship on the turn it is launched, it remains in the water and will move again on the following turn. If it still fails to reach a ship, it fails to detonate and is removed from the board. If it strikes a destroyer, the ship is sunk and removed. Striking an enemy carrier will damage the carrier and cause the loss of 1 – 6 planes that may still be on its deck. Two strikes on a carrier destroys it and earns the player the victory. <br> <br>Destroyers move slowly (up to 2 spaces per turn), but can shoot at any planes, ships or harpoon missiles with range (1 – 6 spaces). A die is rolled and if the result exceeds the distance of the target, the target is struck and either removed from play (destroyer, fighter or missile) or damaged if it is the first strike on an enemy carrier. <br> <br>Players alternate taking turns, moving their ships, fighters and possibly launching missiles. During each turn, there is a defensive fire phase wherein an opponent’s ships may fire in defense. This does give each player a chance to down fighters or detonate missiles that have moved within range. <br> <br>So how is the game? Well, don’t get the wrong impression – this isn’t a very deep or strategy-laden war game. It is very light with lots of dice rolling. While there are some elementary strategies and tactics to employ, the game is clearly designed to appeal to a younger (likely male) audience. If you’ve had any experience whatsoever with war games, you’ll likely find this one to be a bit too light to satisfy your “war game” desires. <br> <br>However, if you are looking for a quick game that you can play with your pre-teen or teen-age child (particularly if they enjoy military style games), then this may be just the ticket. Can adults enjoy the game in head-to-head competition? Sure … but only if you realize that you are in for a very light experience and don’t expect anything more. <br> <br>Michael Aucoin arrived early, so it was a good opportunity to give the game a try. I opted to pursue a strategy of attempting to sink his destroyers first, so I launched 2 of my 4 fighters carrying harpoon missiles. Michael, however, opted for an air war, launching all of his high valued planes early and arming them each with sidewinder missiles. I did manage to sink one destroyer, but fell victim to the sidewinder missiles and lost three of the four planes that made the initial strike. After that, it became an air-war of attrition, with Michael prevailing. He eventually shot all 8 of my fighters from the sky, leaving him with three remaining. My slow-moving destroyers were no match, so I surrendered my carrier to him. <br> <br>Ratings: Michael 7, Greg 5.5 <br> http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/19163#19163 2003-09-08T20:51:31+00:00 gschloesser Hasbro has recently released three re-tooled versions of older military games (Carrier Strike, Screaming Eagles and Tank Battle) under the umbrella title of Mission Command. The three games are not-so-creatively titled Sea Game, Air Game and Land Game. I’m not sure what the thinking was behind these incredibly bland and lifeless titles. In spite of the titles, however, I applaud the release of these games as they do offer quite a bit more than the usual faire offered by many American game companies. It would also be difficult to quibble with the components: really cool miniatures, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, fighters and islands. <br> <br>So how is the game play? Well, truth-be-told, fairly basic. The idea is to sink your opponent’s aircraft carrier, using your fighters and destroyers to accomplish the task. Fighters are launched from your aircraft carrier and each carry a missile – either a harpoon, which is launched into the water and seeks out a ship as a target, or a sidewinder, which is used in air-to-air combat with enemy fighters. Missiles are represented by round tokens, which are placed face-down in the “holder” of the fighter. So, your opponent does not know which type of missile each fighter is transporting. <br> <br>Each player has eight fighters, ranked in strength from 2 – 4. The player may “scramble” (move) from 0 – 4 fighters and rolls an equal number of dice. When a fighter is adjacent to an enemy fighter, a dogfight will occur. Each player rolls a number of dice equal to the strength of their fighter and compares the highest number rolled on one of their dice. The defender, followed by the attacker, may then commit a sidewinder missile if his fighter is armed with one. The missile can be used to either increase the highest number by one, or to re-roll one die. This is probably the most interesting decision to be made during the course of the game. High number wins the battle, with the defeated plane being destroyed and removed from the game. A tie results in both planes being downed. <br> <br>A plane carrying a harpoon missile may launch the missile. A die roll determines how far the missile is moved. If the missile fails to reach an enemy ship on the turn it is launched, it remains in the water and will move again on the following turn. If it still fails to reach a ship, it fails to detonate and is removed from the board. If it strikes a destroyer, the ship is sunk and removed. Striking an enemy carrier will damage the carrier and cause the loss of 1 – 6 planes that may still be on its deck. Two strikes on a carrier destroys it and earns the player the victory. <br> <br>Destroyers move slowly (up to 2 spaces per turn), but can shoot at any planes, ships or harpoon missiles with range (1 – 6 spaces). A die is rolled and if the result exceeds the distance of the target, the target is struck and either removed from play (destroyer, fighter or missile) or damaged if it is the first strike on an enemy carrier. <br> <br>Players alternate taking turns, moving their ships, fighters and possibly launching missiles. During each turn, there is a defensive fire phase wherein an opponent’s ships may fire in defense. This does give each player a chance to down fighters or detonate missiles that have moved within range. <br> <br>So how is the game? Well, don’t get the wrong impression – this isn’t a very deep or strategy-laden war game. It is very light with lots of dice rolling. While there are some elementary strategies and tactics to employ, the game is clearly designed to appeal to a younger (likely male) audience. If you’ve had any experience whatsoever with war games, you’ll likely find this one to be a bit too light to satisfy your “war game” desires. <br> <br>However, if you are looking for a quick game that you can play with your pre-teen or teen-age child (particularly if they enjoy military style games), then this may be just the ticket. Can adults enjoy the game in head-to-head competition? Sure … but only if you realize that you are in for a very light experience and don’t expect anything more. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/19164#19164 2003-09-08T20:44:19+00:00 gschloesser