Solomon Sea (2000)

(From the Simulation Workshop site) Designed by Markus Stumptner, Solomon Sea simulates the World War II carrier battles for control of the sea lanes around the Solomon Islands, from May to November 1942. One player commands the Allied (US and Australian) forces and the other the Japanese. Victory is obtained by destroying the opposing fleets, landing invasion forces, or bringing supplies to beleaguered beachheads. Solomon Sea is a double blind 2-player game, which means each player moves his task forces, air strikes, and search planes on his own map, and tells the other player about the hexes he searches. Combat is resolved by a series of dice rolls. Each hex represents a diameter of 100 nautical miles, with 3 hours per turn. Each counter represents 6 to 10 planes, individual carries, or groups of smaller ships. Four scenarios are included: Coral Sea, Eastern Solomons, Santa Cruz, and Guadalcanal. Solomon Sea won the 2000 Charles S. Roberts award for Best DTP-Produced Boardgame.