ffiHmffiH.:-^-rf,Itfrrr*riH?

Table of Contents3.0 Basic Game Rules

3.1 Sequence of Play3.2 Formations3.3 Movement Orders3.4Movement...3.5 Combat3.6 Torpedo Combat . . .

3.7 Gunnery Combat . .

3.8 Damage3.9 Basic Scenario

Historical AnalysisShipRosters.... .....Design Notes .

=:

3

HIIW TCI REAII THE RUTES

First, read Sections 1,.0 and 2.0of the Standard Rules Bookletto understand the main conceptsof the game. Then return to thisbooklet and read Section 3.0 forthe Basic Game Rules. Play theBasic Game Scenario (3.9) untilyou feel comfortable with thegame mechanics for formations,movement, and combat. Return tothe Standard Game Rules to readSections 4.0 through L4.A before play-irg the Standard Game Scenarios.

,...2....2....3....5...10...12. .,L2...16. ..19...20...21...23...24

q{e=;rEFH#rTililiffi

O 1988, Victory Games, New York 10001

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic Game Booh, Page 2

3.O Basic Gatne RulesThis booklet contains rules you will need to know to play

the Basic Scenario (see 3.91. After you have read these rulesand played this version of the game several times, return tothe Standard Rules Booklet and begin reading those rules.

3.1 Sequence of PlayTohyo Express is played in Game Turns, each of which

is composed of a specific number of Phases. A Phase mayin turn be composed of a number of Segments. When play-ingthe game, you must observe the order of the Phases andSegments in strict accordance.

In a Game Turn, you plan your moves and determinethe Japanese moves during the Preparation Stage. During theActivity Stage, you execute all moves one hex at a time. Ata randomly determined time in this Stage, torpedo andgunnery combat occur between sides. During the TerminalStage, you determine what ships are sunk and prepare allships for the next tulrl.

PREPARATION STAGE

A. Action Chit PhasePlace the Combat Action Chit and five blank Action Chits

into the cup or container.

B. US Formation PhaseGroup US ships into formations and assign Speed markers

to them.

C. US Movement Orders PhaseAssign an order to each US formation by choosing its

maneuver.

D. US Freedom of Action PhaseDetermine Freedom of Action for each US formation that

has no admiral. Change the order for the formation asrequired.

E. Japanese Formation PhaseGroup Japanese ships into formations and assign Speed

markers to them.

F. First Japanese Movement Orders PhaseAll headings for Japanese formations are assigned via the

Battle Movement Display and Order markers are assigned.A Japanese formation that makes a 180o turn because of thedisplay has its Speed marker reduced by 1.

ACTIVITY STAGE

G. First Movement Phase

1. US Movement Segmenf; Each US ship moves the numberof hexes (0, 1, or 2f indicated by the Movement Chart. Beforeor after (not bothl, a formation may make any turn permittedby its order.

2. Japanese Movement Segmenf; Each Japanese ship movesthe number of hexes (0, 1, or 2| indicated by the MovementChart. A formation with an About order makes a turn aftermoving. After a formation with a 60o Turn order has moved,make a die roll to determine whether or not it turns.

3. Action Chit Draw Segment; Draw 1 Action chit from thecontainer. If the chit is blank, proceed to the next phase. Ifthe Combat chit is drawn, the Combat Segment occurs.

H. Second Movement PhaseThis phase is identical to the First Movement Phase.

I. Third Movement PhaseIdentical to thb First Movement Phase.

J. Second Japanese Movement Orders PhaseJapanese formations again receive orders for Battle Move-

ment. Existing formation groupings remain in effect. AJapanese formation that makes a 180o turn because of theBattle Movement Display has its Speed marker reduced by 1.

K. Fourth Movement PhaseThis phase is identical to the First Movement Phase.

L. Fifth Movement PhaseIdentical to the First Movement Phase.

M. Sixth Movement PhaseIdentical to the First Movement Phase.

TERMINAL STAGE

N. Damage Effects PhaseRecord on each ship's log any Speed change caused by

damage. Remove sinking ships from play.

O. Counter Adjustment PhaseAll ships are flipped over to their Unfired sides. Remove

all Formation markers from the map.

P. End of T\rrn PhaseIf the game is now over, check Victory Conditions. If the

game continues, move the Game .Turn marker one spacealong the Game Turn Track and begin the next Game Turn.

AgfloN cHrTsAction chits determine when combat occurs during the

Activity Stage (and in the Standard and Advanced Gameswhen detection occurs|. There are 18 chits: one US Detec-tion, one Japanese Detection, one Combat, oDd 15 blank chits.

In the Basic Scenario, only 6 Action chits are used: theCombat and 5 blank chits. During the Action Chit Phase atthe beginning of the Preparation Stage, place these 6 chitsin the container.

Note: In the Standard and Advanced Games, all 18 Action chits areplaced in the container at this time (see 4.21.

In the Action Chit Draw Segment of each of the six Move-ment Phases, |ou draw one chit from the cup without look-ing. You draw this chit even if no ships moved in the phase.The chit is placed aside after being picked and is not returnedto the container until the Action Chit Phase in the Prepara-tion Stage of the next Game Turn.

When a blank chit is drawn, you do nothing. When theCombat chit is drawn, the Combat Segment occurs. In theBeginning Scenario, combat occurs only during this phase

- when the Combat chit is drawn. The procedure for resolv-ing combat is explained in sections 3.5 through 3.7. Damageis explained in section 3.8.

rcKYO EXPRESS Basic Game Book, page S

9.2 FormationsDESIGN NOTE: An admiral could not hope to give orders toeach ship individually amidst the fast, confused actionof a naval battle. lnstead, he grouped his shrps into afew formations and gave orders by formation. When aside's forces did break down into individual ships millingabout, disaster usually resulted. You will come to thinkof each side's ships as a few groups - "formafions" -rather than as a large number of individuals. You willissue orders to formations, move in formation, detectenemy formations, and so on.

The Japanese formation rules simulate the followingimportant principles;o The Japanese had two fypes of formafions; Destroyer

formations led by light cruisers would go in to maketorpedo attacks while formations of heavy cruisers andbatfleships pummeled the enemy with gunf ire. (After somemonths of combat experience, the US Navy saw the meritsof this sysfem and began to practice it,) ln the game, youarrange the Japanese in fhis method.

I Two hexes (3000 yards)is the maximum distance at whichshrps could hope to hold together in formation in the dark.(Remember, they used no running lighfs./ Usually, shipssteamed even closer together.

Ships of both sides move and are detected in groups,called formations. A formation can consist of one, two, orany number of ships. During each side's Formation Phase,you arrange its ships into formations. These formationsremain in effect until the next Game Turn.

HEADINGSThe direction in which its bow points determines a ship's

heading. A ship must always have its bow pointed towardsa hexside. Ships that point to the same hexside have the sameheading.

ExnTnLE oF HEADTNGS: ln the illustration Blue, Lardner, SouthDakota, Walke, and Chicago all have the same heading, sincethey all point to the same hexside. Likewise, Portland andCushing have the same heading.

JAPANESE FORMATION GROUPINGSIn the Japanese Formation Phase, you organizeJapanese

ships into formations, following these restrictions:

1. There are three possible compositions for formations:r BB's, CA's, and CL's togethero CL's and DD's togethero DD's only

You must group CL's with DD's whenever possible. If aCL cannot be grouped with DD's, it can then be grouped withheavier ships {BB's and CllJsf . DD's can never be grouped withBB's and CA's.

2. If aformation contains more than one ship, each ship mustbe within 2 hexes of some other ship in the group. Each shipin the formation does not have to be within 2 hexes of everyother ship in the group, just one ship.

3. Each formation must be as large as possible, subject tothe two restrictions above. (Thus, it is possible for twoseparate formations to move into close proximity during aGame Turn and then be combined into one larger formationin the next Game Turn.)

You begin creating formations by selecting anyJapaneseship and simply grouping as many ships as possible into for-mation with it, following the above guidelines. Then youselect another Japanese ship which is not in the first forma-tion and repeat the procedure. Continue forming formationsuntil every Japanese ship has been placed in some formation.

The headings of the ships (see above| are not taken intoaccount when forming formations. Only the types of shipsand proximity to one another are important.

Single ships can also be formations.Note: In the Standard Game, retiring ships can never belong to thesame formation as non-retiring ships {see ll.0}.Heavy and Light Shlp Formations

A Japanese formation that contains any BB's or CA's isa heavy ship formation. (This designation holds even if theformation contains a CL, which is a light ship|. A formationcomposed entirely of DD's and/or CL's is a lrght ship formation.This distinction is important when determining movement.

FORMATION MARKERSEach side has several sets of Formation markers which

can be used to distinguish formations. Japanese markers bearthe names of Japanese officers lAbe, Goto, Kimura, Kondo,Hashimoto|; US markers bear task force {Task Force 64f , taskgroup (Task Group 67.4, Task Group 64.21, and formation(Desron 12! designations.

To help you remember which ships belong to whichdesignations, place the same Formation markers on groupsof ships in the same formation. You do not have to place amarker on each ship, only on those ships which you mightotherwise confuse with other formations.

US FORMATION GROUPINGSYou have much more freedom in forming US formations.

Ships of any type may be grouped into the same formation.

Formlng US FormationsUS ships are grouped into formations during the US

Formation Phase of the Preparation Stage. US ships may beformed into formations any way you wish, provided that thefollowing two restrictions are met:o Ships grouped into the same formation must all have the

same heading.o If the formation contains more than one ship, each ship

must be within 2 hexes of some other ship in the sameformation. Each ship need not be within 2 hexes of everyother ship in the formation, just one other ship.

5, "*ttclt"** 6 g

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic

It is not mandatory to group all US ships within 2 hexes

of each other into the same formation. Indeed, you could formany number of formations from US ships within 2 hexes ofeach other, as long as the two restrictions given above are

obeyed.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JAPANESEAND US FORMATIONS

Note the following differences between Japanese and US

formation groupings:o Unlike the Japanese, US CA's and BB's can belong to the

same US formation with DD's and CL's.

o There is no requirement to make US formations as largeas possible. US ships within 2 hexes of one another do nothave to belong to the same formation.

o US ships can belong to the same formation only if they have

they same heading when the formation is formed.

FORMATION SPEEDTo keep formation, ships must move at a common speed,

called the "formation speed."During the Preparation Stage, each formation is assigned

a Speed, which is the number of hexes the ships in theformation can move during the six Movement Phases. Onceassigned, this Speed normally does not change for the restof the Game Turn, even if ships are damaged by combat. (Aformation making a 180" turn immediately has its Speedreduced by 1.1

Printed on each ship is its Speed value (4,5, 6, or 7l.Aship cannot be assigned a Speed higher than this printed

Game Book, Page 4

value .If. a ship becomes damaged from combat, its Speed isreduced at the end of the Game Turn (see 3.81.

Assigning SpeedsDuring the US Formation Phase, 1lou assign a Speed to

each US formation. You can assign any Speed up to, but notexceeding, the current maximum Speed of the slowesf shipin the formation.

During the Japanese Formation Phase, each Japaneseformationls assigned a Speed. The Speed is always equal tothe current maiimum Speed of the slowest ship in theformation.

Speed MarkersSpeed markers are used to record a formation's Speed.

Deteimine the lowest Speed of any ship in a formation andplace a Speed marker with the corresponding value on anystrip in the formation. The marker remains at this value forthe remainder of the Game Turn.

Speed markers are numbered from 1 to 6. If all sh_ipt ila formation have a Spee d of. 7, you do not place a Speed

marker on that formation.

Note: Once you become more familiar with the game, you do nothave to assign markers to all formations. If all ships in a formationhave the same maximum Speed, you do not have to place a markeron this group.

DISTANCES BETWEEN FORMATIONSLater rules will refer to "the distance from one forma-

tion to another" or "one formation moving closer to another."The distance from one formation to another is the sm allestnumber of hexes from any one ship in the first formation andany one ship in the second formation. A formation "movescloser to" or "moves toward" another if it moves So that thisdistance decreases.

YY)ffiAAmmll rsloliil-.,f<lfr, ll -LL- ll -Ls.rf-- |

"o *os ll"" **69=l,l c,. **?;

IYYY\A./\ I jL@'-

EXAMPLE OF JAPANESE FORMATIONS: IN thEillustration, the following ships can formone Japanese formation: Hiei(BB), Kako(CA), Aoba (CA), and Sendai (CL). Theyare all BB's, GA's, and GL's and arewithin two hexes of another ship in theformation. The destt'oyers Yunagi andKagero form a second formation,because they are both DD's and withintwo hexes of each other. The destroyerFubuki is a third formation because it ismore than two hexes from Kagero,'eventhough it is within two hexes of the for'mation containing Sendai and Aoba, ilcannot ioin that formation because DD'scan only form formations with GL's orother DD's

nmI ooo'***r;

I

\-/L3*llk-l"Jlt "*

nm14l

loo u**zs

IYI '*'l-l u l-r

EHMPLE oF FoRMATIoN sPEED: ln the illustration, the f ive USships are grouped into the same formation; none of theships is damaged. Gwin, Duncan, and Latfey have amaximum Speed of 7; Juneau has a maximum Speed of6; Wash ington has a maximum Speed of 5. The formationis assigned a Speed of 5, which is equal to the slowestship in the formation, Washington. Note that the forma'tion could also be assigned a lower Speed than 5 (to aminimum of 1).

mI -*ltr-

|

I oo *"*zs

IV

TDKYO EXPRESS Basic Game Book, Page 5

EHmpLE OF US FORMATTONS: ln the illUStratiOn,these US ships can belong to the same forma-tion: Blue (DD), Lardner(DD), Soufh Dakota (BB),and Walke (DD).They all have the same headingand are all within 2 hexes of another ship in theformation. Note that it is not mandatory for theseships to belong to the same formation.

Portland (CA), Cushing (DD), and Chicago(CA) must each be a separate formation. Eventhough Portland and Cushing have the sameheading, they are 3 hexes apart. Chicago doesnot have the same heading as Cushing and is3 hexes from Walke, so it must be its ownformation.

3.3 Movement OrdersDESIcN NOTE: Many people have the impression thatcommand control was not an issue in Pacif icnaval f ighting - that each ship neatly carried outorders broadcasf c/early over a radio. This impressionis far, far wrong. lt was f latly imposs ible, amidstthe sudden thunder and fasf action of a night battle,for an admiral to maneuver each of his ships individuallyin the exact way he wanted, lnstead, he controlled eachformation using a fairly restricfed set of standardizedmaneuvers: "port," "starboard," "countermarch," andso on. These orders did not always gef through, werenot always executed, and could rapidly becomeinappropriate to a fast-developing situation.

In Tohyo Express, you are restricted as to how you canmove US ships. You must issue orders to your formations,selecting from a predefined collection of possible'maneuvers."The formations then follow these maneuvers throughout theGame Turn. Thus, anticipation and advanced planning areessential. Japanese maneuvers are assigned by the BattleMovement Display.

US ORDERS AND MANEUVERSIn the US Movement Orders Phase of the Preparation

Stage, you issue an order to each formation. Each orderbroadly defines what the formation will do. However, eachorder still leaves you some freedom to choose the exact pathof movement during the six Movement Phases. Each US for-mation receives only one order per Game Tfurn, and that orderconstrains its movement throughout the turn.

When you issue an order to a US formation, you specifyboth the maneuver to execute (from the list belowl and thedirection (port or starboardl. All ships of a formation mustcarry out the same maneuver.

Note: In the Standard Gamer |ou also decide for formations incolumn whether they will execute their maneuver simultaneouslyor columnwise at this time (see 5.11.

There are five possible maneuvers you can select for USformations:o Aheado 60o Turno L20o Turno Countermarcho S-Turn

Each maneuver except Ahead can be executed either tostarboard (clockwisef or to port (counterclockwise). Note thatship counters have an "S" with an arrow and a "P" with anarrow at the front (bow| to indicate the direction of turns.

To give an order, place one Order marker on any shipin the formation. Each marker indicates the maneuver andthe direction (for example, "S-Turn Port") . If. a formation isassigned an Ahead order, it receives no marker; thus, aformation without an Order marker is assumed to have anAhead order.

Note: The Ahead markers provided in the countermix are used inthe two-player version of the game lsee 22.31.

Restrictions to US MovementThe choice of maneuver determines what turns, if any,

a formation may make during the Game Turn. Any forma-tion with an Order marker that requires one or more turnsmust make the appropriate turns sometime during the GameTurn. However, you have your choice as to the MovementPhases in which these turns are made. In a given MovementPhase, a required turn can be made either at the beginningor at the end of the phase. The descriptions below explainwhen a ship turns during the Movement Phases.

After all required turns have been executed by a forma-tion, remove the Order marker. The formation continues tomove straight ahead for the remainder of the Game Turn.

rcKYO EXPRESS Basic

Description of US ManeuYersShips are allowed to move-only during specific Movement

Phases, based on formation Speed (see 3.41. In the descrip-tion of maneuvers below, an "allowable" Movement Phaseis defined as one in which a ship can move.

Ahead: The formation must move ahead in a straight linefrom hex to adjacent hex during the Movement Phases inwhich it moves. No turns are permitted.

60o Turn: During one allowable Movement Phase, the shipsin the formation make a 60o turn in the direction ordered(port or starboardf . Each ship's counter is turned to face thenext adjacent hexside, depending on the direction of the turn.All ships in the formation must make the turn at the sametime.l20o Turn: During one allowable Movement Phase, the for-mation makes a L20o turn in the direction ordered (port orstarboard). Eacl-r ship's counter is turned to face a hexside twoaway from its original heading, depending on the directionof the turn. This maneuver is executed during a single Move-ment Phase, at the beginning or end. The ships cannot turn60o at the beginning of a phase and then 60o at the end. Allships in a formation must make the turn at the same time.Countermarch: The purpose of this order is to reverse aformation's heading. During each of three allowable Move-ment Phases, all ships in a formation make three 60" turnsin the direction ordered (port or starboard|. The three phasesin which the formation turn do not have to be consecutive;however, all ships must make the turns at the same time.The following restrictions apply to this maneuver:o A formation with a Speed of 1 cannot perform this

maneuver.o A formation with a Speed of,2 can perform this maneuver,

Game Booh, Page 6

but it makes only two 60o turns in two allowable Move-ment Phases. The third turn is ignored. In effect, it makesa L20" turn over two phases.

. A formation with a Speed of 3 or more cannot make a 60oturn in one phase and then a L20o furn in another phase.It must make three separate turns in three MovementPhases.

S-Turn: An S-Turn allows a formation steaming parallel tothe enemy to close the range while ending up with its broad-sides still bearing. During one allowable Movement Phase,the formation makes its first 60o turn in the direction ordered(port or starboardl; in a subsequent Movement Phase, itmakes a second 60o turn in the opposite direction. Thus, inan S-Turn Port maneuver, a formation would make its firstturn 60o to port (counterclockwise| and its second turn 60oto starboard (clockwise|; in an S-Turn Starboard maneuver,it would make its first turn 60o to starboard and its second

H:l.f;X.j" port. The following restrictions apply to this

o #:t#::t:"

with a Speed of 1 cannot perform this

o No LzC. turns are ever allowed.

Simultaneous ManeuYersIn the Basic Scenario, il maneuvers are performed at the

same time, or simultaneously, with each ship in the formationturning at the same instant. Each turn can be made beforeor after the formation moves in a Movement Phase, but theships must turn at the same time: either all before they moveor all after they move.

N*:"T.**ffi*3.T!;?:ll"oons in corumn can arso perrorm

ment Phase

4 10. 8?--&l*.-ffillS a .cA o;

ExlmpLEoFEocruRN: The US DD Ralph Talbot in hex 2635 (Speedof 7) is the only ship in a formation; it possesses a 60o Turn Star-board marker. lf it turns at the beginning of the First MovementPhase before moving, it would follow path A, ending in hex 2834;if it turns at the end of the phase after moving, it would followpath B, ending in hex 2633. (Note that it moves two hexes in theFirst Movement Phase because of its Speed of n. The illustra-tion also shows it turning at the beginning of the Third Move-ment Phase (path G), ending in hex 2732, and at the end of theptnse (pathD), ending in hex 2631; and turning at the beginningof the Fifth Movement Phase (path E), ending in hex 2730, andat the end of the phase (path F), ending in hex 2629.

EHmpLE oF 1200 ruRN: The US CA Minneapolis possesses a 120"Turn Port marker and performs its maneuver at the beginningof the current Movement Phase. lt must turn and move as shownin path A; it cannot turn as shown in path B because it mustmake the complete turn at the beginning or end of the phase.

TDKYO EXPRESS Basic Game Book, Page 7

ExAtrrpLE OF COUNTERMARCX: The Single and dOUble lineS indiCatetwo possible paths Barton could follow in carrying out a Counter-march order. ln the first path, Barton turns at the end of the First,Second, and Third Movement Phases. ln the second path, Bartonturns at the end of the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Movement Phases.

ot i"'t

t, J

t{oRttttx - -CA D;

8lEREff- -DD ';

US FREEDOM OF A TIONDEStcN NOTE: US ship s of ten passed radar contactinformation over the same radio circuits with tacticalorders, thus causing those circuifs fo iam up when theywere needed most, Even if the fBS (Talk Between Ships)radio worked properly, things were too confused andhappened too quickly for the admiral to control distantshrps as though he were on their bridges, He had to relyon his subordinates, The following rule simulates thelikelihood that your subordinates will not always do whatyou wish, The Admiral markers in the game represenfunusually skillful and reliable subordinates who can betrusted to act as intelligently as you would.

In the Basic Game, an admiral is assigned to a flagshipin one formation. The presence of the admiral gives you com-plete control over that formation; whatever order you assignthe formation is carried out with no problem.

A formation without the admiral might not carry out theorder assigned to it. After assigning orders to US formations,you must determine Freedom of Action for each formationwithout the admiral during the US Freedom of Action Phase.You roll for each of these formations on the US Freedom ofAction Table, and you may be required to change the Ordermarkers assigned to them.

Note: In the Standard Game, US admirals also aid in detection(see Lz.Ll.Japanese admirals are used only in the Advanced Game(see 20.01 and two-player version (see 22.L1.

ExAMPLE oF S-TURN: A US formation (Northampton andSterett) has a Speed of 6 and possesses a S-Turn Starboardmarker. ln the First Movement Phase, both ships moveforward one hex and turn starboard one hexside. ln theSecond and Third Movement Phases, they continue ahead.ln the Fourth Movement Phase, they both turn one hexsideto port and then move ahead. During the last two MovementPhases, they continue moving forward.

Determining Freedom ol OrdersFor each formation without the admiral, follow the proce-

dure outlined below:

1. Select the formation that must be checked.

2. Determine any modifier that applies to the formation (see

below). Roll the die and apply the modifier. The result is yourmodified die roll.3. Refer to the US Freedom of Action Table on Card #L.Cross-reference your modified die roll with the columncorresponding to the number of ships in the formation. Thetable indicates whether or not you must change the order youhave assigned to the formation.

4. If there is a change to orders, remove the Order markeron the formation and replace it, if necessary, with a newmarker.

Modifiers to the US Freedom of Action TableIf all ships in a formation are within 10 hexes of the

admiral's flagship (the range of the TBS radio used for tacticalcoordination|, there is no modifier for distance. If all shipsin a formation are 11 or more hexes away from the flagship,subtract 2 from the die roll. If some, but not all, of the shipsin the formation are 11 or more hexes away from the flag-ship, subtracf I from the die roll. Note that-only one modifierwitl apply per formation based on its distance from theflagship.

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic

Note: In the Standard Game, the US Cohesion Level may also modifyUS Freedom of Action die rolls {see 5.2l'.

Results of the US Freedom ol Action TableThe results of the table will have a formation either keep

its current order or change it.

-.' No effect. The formation retains its current order.

A: Ahead. Remove the current Order marker; the formationwill perform an Ahead order this Game Turn. If the forma-tion is already assigned an Ahead order, it receives a Counter-march order insteadi place a Countermarch marker on it. Youhave your choice as to the direction (port or starboard! it willturn.C: Countermarch. Remove the current Order marker, ifnecessary, and place a Countermarch marker on theformation. You have the choice as to the direction (port orstarboard| it will turn. If the formation currently possessesa Countermarch marker, it receives an Ahead order instead.

If the placement of the new Order marker would causethe formation to leave the map, ignore that order and treatthe die roll as no effect.

Note: In the Standard Game, there are additional results and otherrestrictions to the Freedom of Action Table (see 5.2l'.

Death of the US AdmiralIf the admiral's flagship sinks, he dies. Starting on the

Game Turn after the death of the US admiral, you must checkFreedom of Action for all US formations on the map. Sub-tract 2 f.rom all die rolls on the US Freedom of Action Table.

EXAMPLE oF us FREEDOM oF AcTtoN: A US formation consists of twoDD's, one 10 hexes away from the US flagship and the other 11hexes away. The formation was assigned an Countermarch orderto port. You must determine Freedom of Action for this forma-tion because it has no admiral. Since one of the DD's is within10 hexes of the flagship, one is subtracted from the die roll.

Assume that you roll the die and obtain a 6. The modifieddie roll is 5 (6 - 1 = 5). Checking the US Freedom of Action Tableunder the "2" heading (the number of ships in the formation),the result is "-" thus, there is no change to the formation's Aheadorder.

Now assume that you roll a 3. The modified die roll is 2.Checking the table, you find a result of "A." The formation'sCountermarch marker is removed and it is assigned an Aheadorder for the current Game Turn (the lack of a marker on theformation indicates an Ahead order). Note that if the formationhad been assigned an Ahead order, the order would be changedto a Countermarch order instead; you would decide the direc-tion for the formation (port or starboard) when you place theCountermarch marker on it.

WE FOUR ARE ON COURSE 325 CHASING THE ENEIIIYDON'T THROW ANYTHING AT US

I WOULDN'T DO IT FOR THE WORLDGO TO IT AND GET THE B-DSCOOD LUCK

7R;adlo exchange between two US captainsat the Battte of Xotombangara

JAPANESE MOVEMENT ORDERSDESIGN NOTE: A Japanese formation uses BattleMovement to make the best move against whicheverUS force it considers the most immediate threat. Lightships attempt to get into optimum position to f ire theirtorpedoes,' heavier sh4os, relying on guns, usuallyattempt to cross the American "7."

Orders for Japanese formations are determined twice ina Game Turn, during the First and Second Japanese Move-ment Orders Phases. In the Basic Game, Japanese formationsuse Battle Movement only (in the Standard Game, they alsouse Mission Movement; see 5.31. As with US formations,orders are assigned to the Japanese by formation. Each for-mation must receive an order.

Game Booh, Page 8

Japanese, orders, like US orders, specify three possiblemaneuvers that a formation will execule: A}ead, 60" Turn,and About. Unlike USorders, however, eachJapanese ordercompletely defines the formation's movement for the threesubsequent Movement Phases; you make no decisions as towhen the Japanese will turn.Note: TheJapanese Ahead, S-Turn, l20o Turn, and Countermarchmarkers are used only in the two-player version lsee 22.11.

BATTLE MOVEMENTThe position of the closest US formation determines the

Battle Movement the order assigned to a Japanese formation.You pick one ship from each side - the reference ships -to represent formations when assigning Japanese orders.

Procedure lor Ballle MovementTo assign an order to a formation using Battle Movement,

use the following procedure:

l. Determine Principal US Threat: The principal threat is theclosest US formation to the Japanese formation for which youare determining movement.o If several US formations are equally close, the formation

which has more ships in it is the principal threat. If thereis still a choice, the principal threat is the formation whichcontains the heaviest ship type in this order: BBs first, thenCA's, then CL's, then DD's. If there is still a choice, selectone of the US formations randomly.

o Disregard individual US DD's unless there is no other USformation within 10 hexes of any Japanese formation. Ifno other US formation is within 10 hexes, use the closestindividual DD as the principal threat.

Notes: In the Basic Game, this 10-hex range is the Japanese VisualTracking Range {see 3.5}; in the Standard Game, you use the VisualTracking Range to determine the principal US threat. It is very im-portant that the Japanese disregard individual DD's. Otherwise, youcould distract them in a highly unrealistic way by offering them singledestroyers as bait. You could still try to bait the Japanese with largerships or with two destroyers, but such a tactic will prove expensive.

2. Determine Reference Ships; For each Japanese formation,locate the ship which is closest to any US ship in the principalthreat formation. This is the Japanese reference ship. (If morethan one ship is eligible, select one randomly.f

The US reference ship is the one closest to the Japanesereference ship. (If more than one ship is eligible, select onerandomly). Place the US and Japanese Reference Shipmarkers on these ships to help you keep track of the tworeference ships.

Sinking ships can be used as reference ships by eitherside.

3. Refer to tlu kttle Movement Display: Turn the Battle Move-ment Display so that the US reference ship on it points inthe same heading as the ship on the map. Then locate theJapanese reference ship on the map in relation to the US ship.(For a complete description of the Battle Movement Display,see below.|4. Assign Headings and Orders: Roll the die and consult theBattle Movement Display. The display indicates the direc-tion in which the Japanese formation is immediately turnedand the order it receives. Every ship in the Japanese forma-tion turns to the indicated hexside. An Order marker is placedon the formation, if necessary, and the formation performsthis order during the subsequent three Movement Phases.

Follow the above procedure for each Japanese formationon the map.

Restrlcllon to Asslgnlng OrdersIn the event that an order will cause any ship of a

Japanese formation to leave the mapedge, ignoie the origi-nal result and roll the die again. Keep rolling until you obtaina result that allows the entire formation to remain on the map.

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic

THE BATTLE MOVEMENT DISPLAYThe ll-inch by 16-inch Battle Movement Display has a

ship's figure printed at the center corresponding to the USreference ship (see above|. The area around this figure isdivided into sectors, each sector corresponding to a particulargroup of hexes near the US reference ship.

Each sector contains the information needed to give head-ings to the Japanese formations. The numbers in the red colorband refer to "light ship" formations and the numbers in theblue color band refer to "heaqy ship" formations; thesenumbers are die roll ranges. Each sector contains red (lightshipl and blue (heavy ship) arrows pointing to different hex-sides; the arrows determine the direction in which Japaneseformations will turn. Also printed are the orders that the

Japanese formations will receive (Ah: Ahead, 60oP/S: 60oTurn Port/Starboard; AbP/S: About Port/Starboard).

Note: In the Basic Game, ignore the "1" in parentheses in sectorsL,2,3, 10, and 11. The "1" is used in the Standard Game (see 5.31.

Light and Heavy Ship FormationsOn the Battle Movement Display, the red numbers and

arrows are used by light ship formations and the bluenumbers and arrows by heaqy ship formations.

How to Use the Battle Movement Display

l. Orient the Battle Movement Display so that the USreference ship on the display points in the same heading asthe US reference ship on the map. Determine which hex onthe display corresponds to the hex on the map occupied bythe Japanese reference ship. Note the sector number for thisdisplay hex.

Note: It is important to stress that you use only the two referenceships when determining orders. Even though a given Japanese for-mation may contain a number of ships occupying different sectors(in relation to the US reference ship), only the Japanese referenceship counts when determining the heading and order for the wholeformation.

2. Roll the die. (In the Basic Game, if you roll a 1, roll the

Crame Book, Page 9

die again until you get any other result.) Check the Japanesereference ship's sector on the display and find the hex in thesector corresponding to the die roll result; use the red bandfor light ship formations and the blue band for heauy shipformations.

3. Determine the formation's new heading. The arrow in thesector hex points to one hexside; this is the direction in whichall ships in the formation will turn. Turn the Japanesereference ship on the map so that it points in this directionand remove the Reference Ship marker. As with the die rollranges, red arrows are used by light ship formations whileblue arrows are used by heavy ship formation.

Using the Japanese reference ship as a guide, )ou nowturn all ships in that formation so they face in the samedirection.4. Determine the formation's new order. In the sector hexwith the heading arrows is the order the formation receives.If the formation receives an Ahead order ("Ah"), no markeris placed on the formation. If the formation receives a 60oTurn ("60o P/S') or About ("AbP/S') order, place the appropriatemarker on it (either port or starboard according to the BattleMovement Display).

You repeat this procedure for each Japanese formationon the map. Remember that the US reference ship may bedifferent for each Japanese formation, and so you may haveto perform these procedure a number of times.

1800 TurnsIn Step 3 of the Battle Movement Display procedure,

Japanese formations may be required to make immediate180o turns (that is, being rotated to the opposite directionthrough three hexsides). If this turn occurs, the formation'sSpeed is reduced by 1. Remove the original Speed markeron the formation and replace it with a marker one less thanthe original marker. It i: possible for a formation to makea 180o turn in each Japanese Battle Orders Phase, in whichcase the Speed marker may be reduced twice. A formationcan never have a Speed less than 1.

Sector4

Sector5

EXAMPLE OF THE BATTLE MOVEMENT DISPLAY: IN thE f iTSt iIIUStTAtiON,the US reference ship and Japanese reference ship are indicatedby the Reference Ship markers. You orient the Battle MovementDisplay so'that its US reference ship points in the same direc-tion as the ship on the map.The Japanese reference ship is insector 2 on the display while the other ships in the Japaneseformation are in sectors 4 and 5. (Note that the sectors are shownin the example.) lt does not matter that most of the ships arein different sectors when determining the new heading and orderfor the whole formation; only the reference ship in sector 2 istaken into account.

The Japanese formation contains two CA's and a CL, soit is a heavy ship formation. You roll the die and get a6; check.

ing the blue band in sect or 2on the Battle Movement Display(for a heavy ship formation), you determine that all ships immedi-ately turn one hexside to the left (port); rotate the Japanesereference ship on the map to this hexside and remove the marker.The formation receives a 60" Turn to starboard (60S) order. Yourotate the rest of the ships in the formation to the same direc-tion as the reference ship and place a60'Turn Starboard markeron one of the ships, as shown in the second illo.

Now assume that the formation contains two DD's andone GL and is therefore a light ship formation; you use the redband. On a roll of 6, the formation immediately turns one hexsideto the left (port), but this time it receives an About Starboard(AbS) order.

jii

Iirii*+

{a

*"'%,',,fu

-o*\h--

r4. rnrdts "\,t

i srctorirrF, 1i

4 .s s?,lr*-

ce***f o j

I a 1??, - itil# n.,

cA t*oj10r l0r ?

-dt'lrJ-cL *nt'o g

* ,tl'"-'

t tcA* otot

o j

4 d.t:-r I il{ oRLNS - -cA 0\i

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic &me Booh, Page 10

JAPANESE ORDERSThe order assigned to a Japanese formation by means of

the Battle Movement Display applies during the next threeMovement Phases. A formation that possesses a 60o Turn orAbout order marker has its marker removed after it has com-pleted its required turns. No marker is placed on a forma-tion with an Ahead order.

Note: There are two Japanese Movement Orders Phases in a GameTurn, and new headings and orders are assigned via the Battle Move-ment Display in each Orders Phase.

Ahead: A ship in a formation with an Ahead order movesstraight ahead in the direction its bow faces. It moves aheadone hex in each of the next three Movement Phases in whichit is eligible to move.

60o Turns: During one of the ensuing three MovementPhases, all ships in the formation make a 60o turn in theindicated direction (port or starboard) at the same time. Todetermine when the formation turns, roll a die at the endof a Movement Phase. If you roll 4 or less, the formationimmediately makes its turn. If the formation does not turnduring the first two Movement Phases, it automatically turnsat the end of the third Movement Phase (you do not haveto roll the diel. A formation will make this turn even if it didnot move in the phase. Once the formation has made its turn,the Order marker is removed and it continues to movestraight ahead until it receives a new order.

EXAMILE: During the First Japanese Movement Orders Phase, aformation with a Speed of 4 has a 60o Turn (Port) marker placedon it. During the First Movement Phase, it moves one hex andyou roll the die; you roll a 2 so the formation makes its turn. Youremove the Order marker. ln the Second Movement Phase itmoves one hex ahead; in the Third Movement Phase, it does notmove or turn (because its Speed is 4).

Now assume that you roll a 5 after the First MovementPhase and a7 atler the Second Movement Phase. The forma'tion moves straight ahead in both phases and does not turn. lnthe Third Movement Phase, the formation does not move, butthe ships are turned 60'to port even though they did not move.

About: This maneuver Serves the same purpose as theCountermarch order for US formations: turning the forma-tion around to head in the reverse direction. The ships turnonly during those Movement Phases in which they actuallymove; if they do not move in a phase, they do not turn. Allships in the formation must turn in the direction indicatedby the marker (port or starboard).

If the formation is eligible to move in a Movement Phase,

it moves ahead one hex and then turns 60o in the correctdirection (port or starboard). If it does not move in the phase,it does not turn. Thus, depending on its Speed, the forma-tion may make one, two, or three turns when performing thismaneuver.

EXAMILE: A formation with a Speed of 4 receives an About Portorder during the First Japanese Battle Movement Phase. lt isallowed to move in the first two Movement Phases but not inthe third (because its Speed is 4). During each of the first twophases, it moves one hex ahead and turns 60'to port at the endof the phase. ln the Third Movement Phase, it does not moveand so does not turn.

9.4 MovementShips move during the six Movement Phases of the

Activity Stage. A formation's Speed marker determines thephases in which the ships will move. You use the MovementChart (on the Basic Game Charts and Tables Card #lf todetermine when ships move. Cross.reference the formation'scurrent Speed marker with the Movement Phase; the result-ing number is how many hexes all ships in the formationmove that phase.

All ships in a formation musf move in a Movement Phaseif the Movement Chart requires them to. You can nwer keepa ship from moving when it is required to by the chart. Note,however, that in the Basic Game US ships face restrictionswhen entering an occupied hex, which may limit theirmovement,

The Second Japanese Movement Orders Phase occursbetween the Third and Fourth Movement Phases' If a

Japanese formation makes a 180o turn in either JapaneseMbvement Orders Phase, its Speed marker is reduced by 1,

but never below 1 (see 3.31. The Speed reduction is in effectfor the remainder of the Game Turn.

EXAUPLE: A US formation has a Speed marker of 7. lt moves twohexes in th€ First Movement Phase and then one hex in the nextfive phases. A tormation wlth a Speed marker of 4 moves onehex each in the First and Second Movement Phases, does notmove in the Third Movement Phase, moves one hex each in theFourth and Fifth Movement Phase, and does not move in theSixth Movement Phase.

TERRAIN AND MAPEDGESIn the Basic Game, all hexes on the map are sea. Ignore

other terrain features, such as Savo Island and shoal hexes.If any ship reaches the edge of the map and is supposed tomove off, move cll the ships on the map a number of hexesin the same direction away from the mapedge; keeping thedistances between the ships constant.

MOVEMENT PROCEDUREo Ships in a formation with an Ahead order move directly

into the nort adjacent hex or hexes (towards which theirbows are pointed! during the Movement Phases in whichthey are allowed to move. They can make no turns duringtheir movement.

. Japanese formations with 60o Turn Order markers moveahead one hex in each Movement Phase in which they areallowed to move. You roll the die at the end of the firsttwo Movement Phases to determine if the formation makesits turn; it automatically turns at the end of the third phaseif it has not done so already. When the ships turn, theyare rotated to the next hexside. Note that port (Pf and star-board (Sl are indicated on each ship counter.

r Japanese formations with About Order markers moveahtad one hex in each eligible Movement Phase and thenturn 60o in the correct direction (port or starboardl at theend of the phase. If the formation does not move in a phase,it does not turn.

r US formations with Order markers requiring them to turn(60o Turn, 120o Turn, and Countermarch| can turn in anyMovement Phase that you wish, subject to the followingrestrictions:

1. A ship may be turned before or after it moves, but notboth.2. A ship can never make two turns in the same hex.

3. A ship can turn only if it is allowed to move in that phase,according to the Movement Chart.4. In the Basic Game, all ships in a forrration must turn atthe same time.

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic

EXAMPLE OF MOVEMENT: A US fOrmatiOn with a speed marker of 4has a Countermarch to Port order. ln the First Movement Phase,you decide to turn the ships in the formation 60o to port beforemoving it, and you then move the ships one hex. ln the SecondMovement Phase, you decide not to turn the formation, so itsimply moves one hex ahead. ln the Third Movement Phase, theformation cannot move, so you cannot turn it. You now have twoeligible Movement Phases remaining to complete the maneuver(the Fourth and Fifth). At the end of the Fourth Movement Phase,you move the ships one hex and then turn them 60'. You can-not make two turns in the same hex, so in the Fifth MovementPhase you move the ships fonruard one hex and then turn themthe final 60o. ln the Sixth Movement Phase, the formation doesnot move or turn.

ENTERING AN OCCUPIED HEXIn the Basic Game, both friendly and enemy ships can

occupy the same hex at the same time. There is no negativeeffect for ships of both sides occupying the same hex at thesame time. Any number of Japanese ships can occupy a hex.Note that a hex may contain a number of ships having dif-ferent headings.

kme Booh, Page 11

In the Basic Game, US ships f.ace one restriction, whichmay limit their movement. No more than two US ships canoccupy a hex at the end of. a Movement Phase. If. a numberof US ships €ue supposed to move into a hex and their move-ment would result in more than two ships occupying the hexat the end of the Movement Phase, then some or all of theships must wait. In this case, the ships that cannot enter thehex do not move in this Movement Phase. Select randomlyfrom those US ships which can enter the hex to determinewhich ones do. Note that those ships occupying the hex havepriority over those attempting to enter.

If. a ship is prevented from moving by this rule, otherships in its formation may still move normally. A ship thatcannot enter an occupied hex keeps its current order andmoves as a one-ship formation for the rest of the Game Turn.If the ship's maneuver requires it to turn in a phase it cannotmove, it is excused from that requirement. It is possible thata ship forced to wait in one hex may cause other shipsattempting to enter its hex to wait.

Note: In the Standard Game, multiple ships in the same hex maycause collisions (see 5.51.

EXAIUPLE oF Us MOVEMENT REsTRlcTloN: ln the Third MovementPhase, San Francisco and Quincy compose Task Group U.2andhave a Speed of 4. Two other destroyer formations (Walke andMcCalla in one hex and Aaron Ward in the other) have headingsthat would cause them to enter the occupied hex. All formationshave Ahead orders. Since the Task Group 64.2 does not movein the Third Movement Phase, the hex remains occupied. Thus,neither destroyer formation can enter the hex. They do not movei n th is phase.

Now assume that Task Grou p 64.2 has a Speed of 5 and canmove in the Third Movement Phase. They move fonruard one hex,vacating their hex. All three US destroyers are eligible to enterthe hex, but only two may do so since a maximum of 2 shipscan occupy a hex at the end of a Movement Phase. You deter-mine randomly that Walke and Aaron Ward enter the hex;McCalla cannot enter the hex and remains where it is. Note thatthe two destroyers in the hex maintain their current headingsas shown in the second illustration.

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic Game Book, Page 12

3.5 GombatThere are two t)?es of combat: torpedo and gunnery. In

the Basic Game, both forms of combat are simplified. Combatoccurs only when the Combat chit is drawn from thecontainer.

THE COMBAT SEGMENTWhen the Combat chit it drawn, you perform the Com-

bat Segment with all eligible ships in all formations. Japaneseships perform their attacks first, followed by US ships. Theseguence of the Combat Segment is as follows:l. Japanese ships make torpedo attacks. Eligible Japaneseships perform their first torpedo attack. After this first at0ack,eligibleJapanese ships which still have torpedo salvos remain-ing make a second torpedo attack.

2. Japanese ships make gunnery attacks. After a ship hasmade all its attacks, it is flipped over to its Fired side.3. US ships make torpedo attacks. Eligible US ships performtheir fust attack. After this first attack, eligible US $ips whichstill have salvos remaining can make a second torpedo attack.4. US ships make gunnery attacks. After a ship has madeall its attacks, it is flipped over to its Fired side.5. Place or adjust Damage markers on ships. Place Sinkingmarkers on ships. Damage inflicted during combat is appliedafter all combat has been resolved.

The procedure for resolving torpedo combat is describedin Section 3.6. Gunnery is described in 3.7. How damage isapplied is described in 3.8.

DETECflON AND FIRE DIRECNON RANGESA ship must be detected and within range before it can

be attacked. In the Basic Game, all ships of both sides aredetected at all times.

Each side has a Visual Fire Direction Range, which is thedistance in hexes that crews can direct fire by eyesight. Inthe Basic Game, a ship can fire its guns and torpedoes atenemy ships within Visual Fire Direction Range. TheJapanese have a better Visual Fire Direction Range than theUS because Japanese sailors were specially trained as look-outs. The Visual Fire Direction Ranges are:o Japanese Visual Fire Direction Range: 10 hexesr US ft'sucl Fire Direction Range:7 hexes

Unless the line of sight is blocked, a ship can fire at anyeligible enemy ship within Visual Fire Direction Range (see3.6 and 3.7 f.or more detailsl. You determine what enemyships are within each side's Visual Fire Direction Range whenthe Combat chit is drawn. It is possible that some ships inan enemy formation will be within the range while othersare outside it. Each ship can attack only those ships withinVisual Fire Direction Range.

Do not count the hex occupied by the sighting ship whenchecking the Visual Fire Direction Range.

Note: ln the Standard Game, the Visual Fire Direction Range is equalto the Visual Tracking Range (see 6.01. The Visual Fire-DirectiionRange depends on the Lighting condition of the scenario (see g.3|.Also, the US may use radar to direct gunnery fire lsee 9.4f .

EXATPLE: The Combat chit is drawn in the Third MovementPhase. A US and Japanese lormation are steaming parallel toeach other. You determlne the distances between ships on themap and find that two US CA's in hex 1518 are 7 hexes from theJapanese CL in hex 0818; other shlps in the Japanese forma-tion are beyond the 7 hexes of all US ships. The two US shlpscan attack the CL, but not any other shlps ln the Japaneseformation.

The Japanese, on the other hand, can attack all shlps ln theUS formatlon, sinc€ they are within 10 hexes.

3.6 Torpedo GombatDEslcN NoTE Few sounds in a night action were moreterrifying than the lookout's cry, "Totpedo!" To sighta torpedo at night was hard enough; to evade one wasan exacting fesf ol seamanship. The Japanese had muchbettet torpedoes than fhe US and generally used themmuch more skillfully. Prewar US training had beencarried out by day in the placid waters of Long lslandSound. The Japanese had trained by night and in winteron the higf seas ol the Nofth Pacific. Superior torpedowork was the single most impodant advantage in nightnaval battles.

As you will see, US torpedo values are low enoughthat US ships can easily inflict no damage even whenliring lrom an adiacent hex. This rellects the torpedoes'lailure to explode, rathet than missing the target.US torpedoes very often failed to explode even whenthey hit.

Although torpedoes could theoretically run lorlonger distatces than those given below, there is noknown instance in all the Solomons Datfres ol a torpedohitting a target at a range greater than those listed.Also, torpedoes had to run a certain distance belorearming themselves. Shrps tn the same hex mightsometimes be able to torpedo each otheL but it iscertain that they olten would not,

The basic idea behind Japanese toryedo combat issimple: lire the Desl possrb/e stots at as many shipsas poss,ble. An additional consideration is fo usetoryedoes economically. The ships carried a limitednumber; and iust a few, used properly, would usuallysink the target. The Japanese are careful in the gameto wait lor good slrots and not to waste torpedoes withoverkill.

The following rules say that an enemy ship is an eligibletarget if a ship can see it and can bring torpedoes to bear on it.

TARGETS OF TORPEDO ATTACKSAn enemy ship is an eligible target for torpedo attack if

the ship making the attack meets the following requirements:

1. The attacking ship must have an available torpedo salvowhich bears on the target.

2. The line of fire must be completely free of friendly shipsin all hexes between the attacker and the target. Enemy shipsdo not block line of fire.3. The target must be within the attacke/s Visual Fire Direc-tion Range as defined by the scenario.

4. A ship can never fire torpedoes against an enemy shipin the same hex.

If the above four requirements are met, the attacking shipcan perform a torpedo attack.

TORPEDO TUBESEach ship's torpedo capability is indicated by circles to

the right of the damage boxes on the Ship Log Roster. (See

sample log in 2.3.f Each circle is called a salvo, whichrepresents 3 to 5 torpedo tubes grouped together. In a torpedoattack a ship will fire one or more salvos. A ship can neverfire part of a salvo.

Note: Japanese ships frequently have one or more shaded circleswhich represent reloads. Ipore the shaded circles in the Basic Game,since ships cannot use reloads lsee 10.4|.

, The iumber to the left of the circles is the Torpedo valueof the salvo; this value represents both the number of tubeson the ship and the seamanship of the crew. To the right ofthe circles are three letters: P (portf, S (starboardf, and C(centerl; these letters represent the'torpedo Firing Arcs" andare explained below.

After a salvo is fired, its circle is crossed off. Each salvocan be fued only once. Torpedo salvos may be destroyedwhen a ship reaches Damage Letrel 2 or 3 (see 3.8f .

i

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic

TORPEDO FIRING ARCSDEStcN NOTE: Torpedoes were carried either in swivelingmounts along the ship's centerline ("center mounts") orlower down on the deck along one side ("starboardmounts" and "port mounts").

If the letter P or S appears beside salvo circles, the salvocan be fired only into the port or starboard broadside arc,as well as half the bow arc. (These are called port-side mountsand starboard-side mounts; the tubes are fixed on one sideof the ship.)

Port and starboard side mounts can be fired into the bowarc, but only into that half of the the bow arc on their sides.They can also fire directly through the hex column alongwhich the ship is heading. The example below shows thehexes into which each side mount can fire.

Port and starboard side mounts cannot both fire in thesame torpedo attack. One side motrnt (and center mount| canfire at a target in the first attack, and then the other sidemount can fire at a different target in the second attack. Thetargets of two torpedo attacks cannot be in the hex row alongwhich the ship is heading.

EXAMPLE oF FIRING ARCS:The f irst illustration shows the hexes intowhich Cushing's port salvo can be fired in its first torpedo attack:the port broadside arc, the portion of the bow arc labeled "portonly," and the hex row along the ship's heading. The target ofthis attack is the Japanese ship labeled'A." Both the port andcenter mounts are used in this attack.

The second illustration shows the hexes into whichCushing's starboard salvo can be fired in its second torpedoattack: the starboard broadside arc and the portion of the bowarc labeled "starboard onlyJ'it cannot fire at Japanese ship "8,"because the target is in the hex row along which Cushing is head.ing (only one broadside mount can fire into this hex row pertorpedo combat). Cushing can fire its starboard mount atJapanese ship "C" or "D."

Game Booh, Page 13

If the letter "C" appears after the torpedo salvo circles,these salvos are center mounts. Center mount salvos can befired into either broadside arc and into the bow arc. Centermounts can be used against any portion of the bow arc. Theillustration below shows the hexes into which a center mountsalvo can be fired.

Note: Torpedoes can be fired into the bow arc because a slight changeof course makes this possible. This slight change of course enablesthe ship to fire either port or starboard side mounts, but not bothat once hence that restriction.

TORPEDO RANGESThere are four categories for torpedo ranges:

. Short (1 to 3 hexes|

o Medium (4 to 7 hexes)

o Long (8 to 11 hexes!o Extreme lLZ to 14 hexes)

Japanese torpedoes can attack at any of these ranges (thatis, up to 14 hexes ma:rimuml. US torpedoes can attack onlyat Short or Medium range (that is, up to 7 hexes maximuml.

LINE OF FIREA ship must be able to trace a line of fire to the target

ship to make a torpedo attack. Lay a straightedge betweenthe center dot of the attacker's hex and the center dot of thetarget's hex. The line of fire is clear if it the straightedge doesnot pass through any hex containing a fnendly ship. If thestraightedge passes along a hexside, the line of fire is clearif a friendly ship occupies only one hex adjacent to the hex-side. Enemy ships do not block line of fire.

EXATPLE OF LrNE OF F|RE: AtagO OCCUpieS hex 23m and Nagaraoccupies hex 2226. Atago's line of fire is clear to Palte rson (hex2125) and Jarvis (hex 21261, but not lo Honolulu (hex 21271. Astraightedge between 2326 and 2127 enters 2226, containingNagara.

Torpedoes can never be fired into the stern arc.

oo'T^n 7 j

ATAGO ^ .cA bj

TOKYO EXPRESS tusic

JAPAN ESE TORPEDO ALLOCATIONIn each Combat Segment, any Japanese ship which has

an eligible target (as outlined above! will make one or moretorpedo attacks. A ship can make torpedo attacks against twotargets in the same Combat Segment, as long as it has salvosavailable. There is no reduction to the effectiveness oftorpedoes for multiple attacks (unlike gunnery; see 3.7|. Allfirst attacks are assigned and resolved before second attacksare assigned.

TARGET SELECTION PROCEDUREYou assign all Japanese torpedo attacks before resolving

any of them. All ships assigned to fire against the same targethave their Torpedo values added together. Target markersare used to record which ships are firing upon which targets.

The Basic Game uses a simplified procedure for torpedocombat that sacrifices some realism (restored in the StandardGame). Basically, you assign each ship to the closest targetnot already being attacked by two other ships. The Japanesenaturally would want their ships to attack at shorter ratherthan longer ranges. To achieve this, you assign ships in orderof their distance from US ships.

These restrictions must be kept in mind when assigningtargets for Japanese torpedo attacks in the Basic Game:o They never fire at Extreme range.

o They never fire at US DD's at Long range.. No more than two Japanese ships fire at each target. A ship

will hold its fire rather than attack a target which is beingattacked by two other Japanese ships.

Assignlng Targels for lhe First Torpedo AttacksYou assign targets forJapanese ships first torpedo attacks

according to this procedure:

1. Select the single eligible attacker closest to any US ship(whether that ship is an eligible target or not|.

2. Locate the closest US ship at which the selected Japaneseship can fire, subject to the restrictions listed above. The shipfires at that target. If there is no such target, the Japaneseship does not attack.

3. If several targets are equally close, the ship fires atwhichever target currently has fewer attackers assignedagainst it. In case of ties, choose targets randomly.

4. Place Fire Allocation markers on the ships involved. An"Attack" marker goes on the Japanese ship and a "Target"marker goes on the US ship that is being attacked. Themarkers should have the same letter (A through Q|.5. Repeat steps I through 4 until all possible torpedo attackshave been assigned. At each step, select the single,unassigned, eligible attacker closest to any US ship.

Asslgning Targels lor the Second Torpedo AilacksAfter the first torpedo attacks have been resolved,

Japanese ships with available salvos can make a second attackin the same eombat Segment. The procedure is similar to theone outlined above. The only change is in step 2. In thesecond torpedo attack, Japanese ships can fire only at thoseUS ships which were not targets in the first attack. Beforeremoving the Fire Allocation markers after resolving the firstround of combat, check the Japanese ships to see iflhere areany eligible US targets still available. If there are, the secondtorpedo attack occurs. If no targets are available, Japaneseships make no further attacks.

US TORPEDO ALLOCATIONYou assign torpedo attacks for US ships as you wish. Each

ship can fire any or all salvos which bear. Remember thatUS ships can attack only at Short or Medium range. Allocateall targets, using the Fire Allocation markers, before resolv-ing the attacks. As with Japanese ships, US ships can make

Game Book, Page 14

ExArpLE OF TARGET ALLOGAflON: AtagO iS ClOSeSt tO any US Ship(Pensacolal, and is assigned to fire first, against Pensacola,Samidare is next closest and could fire at either Lardner otPensaco/a. Since no ship has yet been assigned against Lardner,Samidare lires at that target.

a second torpedo attack if they have salvos available and thereare eligible Japanese targets that have not previously beenattacked.

RESOLVING TORPEDO COM BATTo resolve combat, you first determine the number of

salvos the attacking ship will fire and then check which salvoswill be fired. Japanese ships are restricted as to the numberof salvos they can fire in a round of torpedo combat, andwhich salvos they will fire.

Number ol Salvos Japanese Ships FireIf no other ship is participating in the attack, then a ship

fires two salvos if possible. If a Japanese ship has only onesalvo available, it fires that salvo.

A Japanese ship firing at Short range against a BB, CA,or CL fires fwo salvos if possible, even if a second ship isparticipating in the attack. Thus, it possible for a US BB, CA,or CL to be attacked by a maximum of four salvos in a roundof torpedo combat.

A Japanese ship will fue only one slvo if these conditionsare in effect:o The ship is firing at greater than Short range and some other

ship is participating, oro A second ship is participating and the target is a DD at any

range.

Which Salvos to Fireo Japanese: A ship will always use side mount salvos as much

as possible.o US; You select which salvos to fire. A US ship can fire any

or all salvos it can bring to bear on a target.

TORPEDO COMBAT PROCEDU REThe precedure given below is used to resolve torpedo

combats. In each attack you carry out steps 1 through 3

individually for each attacker and then you proceed to steps4 and 5.

1. Determine the number of salvos to be fired and whichsalvos to fire (see above).

2. Mark off in pencil the circles on each ship's log for thesalvos expended.

rcKYO EXPRESS fusic Game Booh, Page 15

+.tD'r

3. Read the Torpedo values from the ship's log and modifythe values of each salvo (see below).

4. Add the modified Torpedo values of the ships participatingin the attack and refer to the Torpedo Combat Table on Card#1. There are two rows at the top of the table; the row labeled"Japarl'is used to resolve Jap€rnese attacks and the row labeled"LIS' is used to resolve US attacks. Find the heading in therow that corresponds to the modified Torpedo value total.5. Roll the die, applylng modifiers (see belowf , and cross-reference the modified die roll with the column chosen instep 4. The results of the torpedo combat (see below) areapplied.

Continue this procedure until all torpedo attacks havebeen resolved.

Torpedo Value ModiliersThe Torpedo value of a salvo may be modified by the

range at which the attack occurs and by the position of theattacker. The following modifiers are applied to each salvoindividually.

MODIFIER TOTORPEDO VALUE REASON

- 1 Attacking ship is in the target's bow arc

- 1 Attacking ship is in the target's stern arc

+ 2 Japanese ship attacking at Short range{1-3 hexes}

0 Japanese ship attacking at Medium rangel4-7 hexes|

- 1 Japanese ship attacking at long range{8-11 hexesl

0 US ship attacking at Short range (1-3 hexes|

- 1 US ship attacking at Medium range l+7 hexesf

The above modifiers are cumulative. If the modifierscause a combined Japanese Torpedo value to fall below 1,

the attack is cancelled (that is, treat it as an "N" result; seebelow). If the modifiers cause a combined US Torpedo valueto fall below 2, the attack has an automatic "0" result; thetorpedo salvo has no effect, but the torpedo salvo circles usedfor the attack are still crossed off.

US ships cannot attack at greater than Medium range.Also, no ship can attack an enemy in the same hex. Note thatthe Japanese cannot fire at Extreme range in the Basic Game.

Note: The first two modifiers apply when the attacking ship is inthe target ship's bow or stern arc, not because the target is in theattacker's bow arc. A ship presenting its bow or stern to the attackeroffers a much narrower target. Admirals faced with torpedo attacksoften turned directly toward or away from the threat, so as to presenta narrower target. The ideal way to make a torpedo attack was fromtwo directions simultaneously say at 0 and 90 degrees on thecompass. Then whichever way the target turned, it would be broad-side to one firer.

TORPEDO COMBAT DIE ROLLMODIFIERS

In the Basic Game, only two modifiers may apply to the

ll:,t"tl, based upon the Speed of the target. These modifiers

DIE ROLL]IIODIFIER REASON

+ 3 Thrget's Speed is 1

+2 Thrget's Speed is 2

Note: Other modifiers to torpedo combat are explained in theStandard Rules (see L0.2l'.

EFFECTS OF TORPEDO COMBATThere are two results on the Torpedo Combat Table: a

number or the letter "N." A number result may be enhancedif the attacker fired into the target's stern arc.

The number (from 0 to L4l is the number of DamagePoints inflicted on the target. Mark off. a number of DamageBoxes equal to the number result on the ship's log. See

Damage (3.81 for the effects of these marks.If the attacking ship fired into the target's stern arc and

receives a number result greater than 0, it has damaged thetarget's screws or rudder. On any numbered result of 1 orgreater, you add I to the result. (Thus, if the result was a 2against the target's stern, the result would be a 3.) In addition,the targefs macimum Speed is reduced by 1 for the remainderof the game. Note down this Speed reduction on the targetship's log; make this mark in pencil, since the ship may con-tinue to lose Speed from other torpedo hits in the stern. {Shipswere less well protected in the stern than elsewhere.l A resultof 0 remains 0, and the ship's Speed is not affected.

An "N" result applies only to Japanese ships. It indicatesthat the attack has been cancelled. Erase the pencil marksfor the expended salvos on the log sheet. US ships treat aresult of "N" as "0."

II

E)(AMPLE OF TORPEDO ATTACX: JintSU and ASagUmO will make atorpedo attack against Chicago. Both Japanese ships are f iringinto their port broadsides at Short Range; Jintsu has one torpedosalvo (Torpedo value of 4) and Asagumo has two torpedo salvos(each with a Torpedo value of 4). These salvos are checked offon the ships'logs. Note that if the distance had been greaterthan Short, each would fire only one torpedo salvo.

Both ships are firing into Chicago's stern arc, so a - 1 modi'fier applies to each salvo. However, a +2 modifier applies toeach salvo for Japanese torpedo attacks at Short Range. Thefinal combined Torpedo value is 15 (4 - 1 + 2=5 for each of thethree salvos).

There are no die roll modifiers since Chicago has a currentSpeed of 6. You roll a 6. Cross-referencing this result with the"12-15" column on the Torpedo Gombat Table, you find a "4."Chicago receives 4 hits; since the attack was into Chicago'sstern arc, the result is increased by one. You cross off 5 DamageBoxes on its ship log. ln addition, Chicago's Speed is reducedby 1, so you note down a "5" on its log.

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic Game Book, Page 16

3.7 Gunnery GombatDESIGN NOTE: A// scenarios in the game take place atnight. Therefore, ships can lire only as lar as theyrecognize targets, which is a much shorter distance thantheir guns could range in daylight.

Japanese gunnery is one of the game's moredillicult parts to simulate. The difliculty lies in reducinghuman decisions to a few simple rules - rules thatmust hold good in an enormous variety of situations.The basic Japanese goal is to hit as many ships aspossible at the shortest range with the heaviestfirepower.

After all torpedo combat has been resolved by a side,ships may perform gunnery combat. Once a ship hascompleted all gunnery combat, it is flipped to its Fired side(the side with the starburstl. During the Counter AdjustmentPhase of the Terminal Stage, all ships are flipped over to theirUnfired sides.

CONCEPTS IMPORTANT TOGUNNERY COMBAT

Important factors to consider when performing combatare the calibers of the guns and their ranges, the requirementsfor a target to be attacked, the line of sight to the target, andthe armament and arcs of fire of the attacking ships.

Gun CallbersAll guns on counters are divided into four cdibers: Light,

CL, CA, and BB. These represent calibers of approximatelyS-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch, and 14- to 16-inch, respectively. Allships have primary guns at the stern and bow and some shipshave secondary guns amidships.o BB primaries are 'BB" guns.r CA primaries are'CA" guns.r CL's have "CL" guns, unless the letter "L" (in a color blockf

is printed next to their primary gunnery values in whichcase these guns are'Light." (For example, Atlantabpimaryguns are "Light."l

r DD's have "Light" guns.

Note: Most secondaries are "Light" guns, except for secondaries ofJapanese battleships which are "CL" guns. (These secondaries areindicated on their counters by the letters "CL"; their secondary gunswere 6-inch and similar calibers.) Secondaries are used only in theAdvanced Game (see 21.6).

RangesThere are three categories of ranges that affect gunnery

combat: distance, 8un range, and Visual Fire Direction Range.The closer a ship is to its target, the more damage it will

inflict with its guns. There are lhree distance ranges for guns:o Short (0 to 3 hexesf

r Medium (4 to 7 hexes)r Long (8 or more hexes!

For a ship to hit a target, its guns must be able to reachthe target. The maximum gunrange depends upon the caliberof the guns:

rAxttutOUN RANCE

CALTBEB 0r{ HEXES)

Light rzcL 15

cA 18

BB 24

A ship must also be able to see a ship to direct its fireat the enemy. A ship can fire at any enemy ship within itsVisual Fire Direction Range (see 3.5).

Note: In the Standard Game, US ships also use radar direction forgunnery, based on their Radar Fire Direction Range (see 9.41.

Armament and Flrlng ArcsEach ship has two primary batteries: bow and stern. BB's

and CA's also have secondary batteries on each side. TheGunnery values are printed on the counters (see 2.41.

Each type of battery is limited as to the arcs into whichit can fire:o Bow Primary; A ship's bow primary can fire into the bow

arc and into the two broadside arcs. It can never fire intothe stern arc.

o Stern himary: A ship's stern primary can fire into the sternarc and into the two broadside arcs. It can never fire intothe bow arc.

o Secondaries; A ship has two secondary batteries, one oneach side. Secondaries are used only in the Advanced Game(see 21.6!.

REQUIREMENTS TO BE A TARGETFor a ship to fire at a particular target, the following con-

ditions must be in effect:

l. The ship must be within gun range.

2. The ship must be within Visual Fire Direction Range.

3. The line of fire must be clear.

Llne ol FlreTo determine whether the line of fire is clear, lay a

straightedge from the center of the attacking ship's hex to thecenter of the target ship's hex. If no friendly ship blocks theline of fire, the line of fire is clear and the target can beattacked.

A friendly ship blocks the line of fire if both theseconditions are met:r The friendly ship occupies a hexthrough which the straight-

edge passes, ando The friendly ship is adjacent to {not stacked withf either

the attacking or the target ship.

If the line of fire passes exactly along a hexside, it isblocked only if friendly ships ladjacent to the either theattacking or target shipf occupy both adjoining hexes. Enemyships do not block line of fire. Ships stacked with the attackingor target ship do not block line of fire.Note: Shells travel on a high enough trajectory to pass over shipsin all but adjacent hexes. In the Standard Game, land also blocksline of fire {see 9.11.

StackingFriendly ships in the same hex never interfere with line

of fire. Enemy ships stacked together in a hex are separatetargets and do not affect line of fire. An enemy ship in thesame hex as a friendly ship can freely be attacked and doesnot interfere with line of fue. Only friendly ships in adjacent,intermediate hexes between the attacker and the target blockline of fire.

JAPAN ESE GU NNERY ALLOCATIONAfter performing all etigible torpedo attacks, Japanese

ships perform gunnery combat. If a Japanese ship is on itsUnfired side and has a target, it is eligible to attack. Usingthe target selection procedure below, you assign targets foras many eligible firing ships as possible, as long as the con-ditions for eligibility are met. The targeting procedure mayexclude certain ships from firing.Note: The procedure for selecting targets in the Standard Game ismore precise than the method in the Basic Game (see 9.2|.

Select any eligible Japanese attacking ship and follow thisprocedure:

1. Each Japanese ship fires at a non-sinking ship of the sameweight class if possible. Thus, a BB or CA must fire againsta hedvy ship if one is within range; a CL or DD must fire

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic Game Booh, Page 17

EHMPLEOF LTNEOF F|RE: The fOllOWing exampleshows blocked and unblocked lines of fire.All US ships have unblocked lines of f ire toall Japanese ships. The Japanese ships, onthe other hand, have some lines of fireblocked by adjacent ships.'Yr UNBLOCKEDLINES OF FIRE

BtoBtoBtoBtoBto

BLOCKEDLINES OF FIRE

F DtoF AtOHG DtoG Atol

DtoH AtOJF DtolG DtOJ CtOFH CtoGI EtoF CtoHJ EIOJ

EtoGI EtoHJ Etol

AtoAto

CtoGto

*I

mtm| __-rl-- lll L,r I

I cr-'u*"zJ lfl c^'*"oes

Iv\/

I to 8"--&gL--vlllcEflS - -CA D;

I a 12?--L..-CllOKAl - -cA o;

I

t

against a light ship if possible. If no target of the appropriateweight class is possible, a ship fires at the closest non-sinkingtarget.

2. Among ships of the appropriate weight class, a ship firesat the closest possible target (in hexes!.

3. If there are several targets of the same weight class equallyclose, select an enemy that has previously not been targeted.

4. If there is still a choice, decide randomly.

5. Place Fire Allocation markers on the attacking and targetships. Use any'Attack" marker for the attacking ship and thenplace a "Target" marker with the corresponding letter on thetarget ship.

A Japanese ship will fire both its primaries at a target thatis within either broadside arc. Otherwise, it will fire its bowprimary or stern primary at a target within its bow or sternarc, respectively. If. aJapanese ship fires at one target withits bow or stern battery, it will try to fire at another targetwith its other batt€ty, if possible. In this case, a row shiftapplies when resolving the attacks (see below). A Japaneseship cannot split up a primary Gunnery value to attack twoUS targets.

Once you have selected dl targets for aU eligible Japaneseships, resolve the gunnery attacks one by one (see below).

US GUNNERY ALLOCATIONThe Japanese target allocation restrictions for class weight

and distance do not apply to US ships. You select whichJapanese ships to attack. A US ship on its Unfired side andwith a target is eligible to attack. You must allocate all USgunnery, using the Fire Allocation markers, before resolv-ing any fire.

Division ol Primary Gun FireYou control how a US ship will fire its primaries. If you

split up the primaries to fire at more than one target, thereis a penalty involved. When firing at atarget, you may either:

l. Fire both primaries against one target (the target must bein one of the ship's broadside arcsf . In this case, |ou add thetwo Gunnery values together and resolve the fire as onecombat. You cannot attack the same target separately witheach primary.

2. Fire the bow primary against one target and the sternagainst another. The targets may be in the same arc or indifferent arcs, ?s long as each target is within an eligiblearmament arc. Each primary battery fires independently,

using the Gunnery values printed on the counter. The attacksare iesolved separately. A Gunnery Card row shift appliesto each attack (see below).

3. Fire one primary but not the other. No row shift appliesto the attack, unless you split this one battery's fire betweentwo targets.

Multiple AttacksIf option 2 or 3 is chosen, 1lou may split up the fire of

one primary (not both) to attack two targets. In this case, theappiopriate Gunnery value is divided by 2 (round fractionsdbwn to the next whole numberf and is applied to each target.

In opti on 2, you can split up one primary fire to attacktwo targ-ets and you c€rn also fire the other primary at a thirdtarget lihe second primary cannot be split up to attack twotargets!.

- You can never split up the combined sum of bothprimaries to attack two targets. If you wish to attack twoiargets, 1rou must use one primary against each target or one

primary against both targets.- A row shift applies if you attack two or three targets,whether you split up one battery's fire to attack two targetsor use the bow battery against one target and the stern bqtteryagainst another. Thele is no additional row shift for firingagainst three targets.

Note: Division of fire in most cases represents one turret's guns beingused against one target and another turret's used against a differenttarget. This method puts heaqy demands on the fire control systems,

hence the row shift penaltY.

RESOLVING GUNNERY COMBATEach ship s attacks are resolved individually. If a ship fires

against more than one target, each fire is resolved separatgly.After each combat is complete, remove the Fire Allocationmarkers from the attacking and target ships. Flip the attack-ing ship to its Fired side. Damage takes effect after both sides

have fired (see 3.81.

You use the Gunnery Cards to resolve the combat. Thereare four decks of cards, corresponding to the four calibersof guns. You use these cards to determine the outcomes ofgunnery attacks, ds follows:

1. Determine the Gunnery value applied to the attack. Ifboth primaries are attacking the same target, ygu add thevalues for the bow and stern primaries together. If a primaryis attacking only one target, 1lou use its printed value. If one

primary is firing against two targets, divide the appropriateGr.,trnery value 6y two and round down to the nearest wholenumber.

2 1 1

2 1 1

1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1

CA

3It2 2

3 2 22 2 22 2 1

2 1 1

2 1 1

2 1 1

1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1 1

CL

5t2 2

5 2 2

3 2 2

3 2 1

2 2 1

2 1 1

2 1 1

2 1 1

2 1 1

1 1 1

60 5 3 3

45 5 3 2

30 3 3 2

20 3 2 21 3 2 212 2 2 2

8 2 2 1

6 2 2 1

4 2 1 1

1 1 1

GUN: LIGHT ADMIRAL KILLED; FIRE

Sample Gunnery Card

CARDNUMBER

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic

OAMAGEPOINTS

2. Determine which Gururery Deck to use, based on the guncaliber of the ship.

3. Turn over the top card of the correct deck. In the left-most column, locate the number that corresponds to theGunnery value of the combat. (If the value does not exactlycorrespond to one of the numbers listed, use the next lowernumber.I

4. Determine if any row shifts apply (see belowf . The rowshifts may cause you to look at a row other than the initialone. You can never go higher or lower than the top or bottomrow on the card.

5. Determine the target's ship 4?e (BB, CA, CL, or DD|.There are four groups of columns. You use the group thatcorresponds to the target ship file, printed above the columngroup.

6. Determine the distance of the attacking ship to the targetship: Short, Medium, or tong. Under each ship 0?e listingare three columns with the initials S (Shortl, M (Medium),and L (Long). You use the correct column to determine theresult of the attack.

Game Booh, Page 18

7. Cross-reference the row you are using with the correctdistance column (S, M, Ll under the target's ship type (BB,CA, CL, DDl. There will either be a blank box (indicatingno result) or a box with a number, which is the Damage Pointsapplied to the target (see 3.81.

8. Set the used card aside on a discard pile or place it at thebottom of the correct deck.

9. Repeat this procedure for each gururery attack made byeach ship until all attacks have been resolved.

Note: Messages appear in the lower righthand corner on certain cards(see 9.61. These messages are ignored in the Basic Game.

ROW SHIFTSAfter locating the row corresponding to the attacking fire-

power on the Gunnery Card (step 3 in the procedurel,youcheck to see if any of the following row shifts apply. If youshift "down" a row, you go to the next line down (unless youare already on the lowest row); if you shift "up" a row, yougo to the next line up (unless you are already on the upper-most row). For example, from the 12 row to the 8 row wouldbe "down," and from the 8 row to the L2 row would be "up."A shift down reduces the effect of the attack and a shift upenhances the effect.

Row shifts are cumulative. Net cumulative shifts abovethe uppermost row or below the lowermost row have noeffect. The following row shifts apply in the Basic Game:

ROW SHIFT REASON

Down 1 A ship uses its primaries against more than onetarget. This shift applies to all attacks by theship's primaries in the combat.

Down 1 Attacking ship possesses a Damage 1 marker.Down 2 Attacking ship possesses a Damage 2 marker.Down 3 Attacking ship possesses a Damage 3 marker.

Up 1 The target ship is in the same hex as theattacking ship.

Up 1 lf.target

ship's current Speed marker is 1, 2,

Reshuffle CardsOne card in each deck reads "Reshuffle Cards." As soon

as this card is drawn, you immediately reshuffle the entiredeck. Then you turn up the top card to resolve the currentattack.

TARqETSHIP TYPE

GUNNERYVALUE

ATTACKERGUN CALIBER

SPECIAL COMBATRESULT (gee 9.6)

DDsrL , "*t ,-

rq-4-l

l3l#lt-frT1ffi

CAst L

JAP. tLLUrrr. (CO

,"rt..

ffiMBAT SEG)

r= Result of Boise's gunnery attacks

EHMPLE OF GUNNERY COMBAT: ThE US CL BO'SE AIIACKS tWO

Japanese DD's in her stern arc. Boise's stern Gunnery valueis 5. The Japanese ships are two hexes away, so the DistanceRange is Short. To attack two ships, Eoise's stern Gunnery valueis divided by two and rounded down, so each attack is worth2. Because the fire is being split between two targets, a row shiftdown applies to each attack.

You draw the top card from the 'rCL" Gunnery Deck toresolve the attack against the first Japanese DD (in this case,you draw card lf6). The lowest row on the card is a "2"; eventhough a row shift down should be applied to the attack becauseof the two attacks, yoU cannot go lower than this column. Younext check the leftmost column r'S" (for Short range) under theletter "DD" (for the target ship type). There is a 'r1" in this box,which means the first Japanese DD takes one Damage Point.You check off one Damage Box on the Japanese log. This cardis placed in the discard pile.

For the second attack you draw another "CL" card (#20).Again you use row "2," checking under the "S" heading for aDD target. ln this case, the box is blank, which means that theJapanese target was not hit.

Note that it Atlanfa had performed the attack, you wouldhave used the "Light" card deck to resolve the combat, sinceAtlanta has an "L" next to each primary battery value.

DD CL CA BB#2O smL sML slrl sxrL

ffiffiffiffi

rcKYO EXPRESS Basic Game Book, Page 19

,1>(

3.8 DamageDEStcN NOTE: lt may seem odd that torpedo hits affectships' guns, but torpedoes can cause all kinds ofinternal damage - flooded magazines, electrical fires,/oss of hydraulic or electric power, etc, which in turnaftect the tunefs.

Combat results are expressed in Damage Points, whichas they accumulate affect a ship's speed and combatcapability. As torpedo or gunnery combat is resolved, DamageBoxes on a target ship's log are crossed off if the combat resultis a number of "L" or greater. When the last box on the logis crossed off, the ship sinks.

DAMAGE LEVELSAll ships begin the game undamaged. As they accumulate

Damage Points, you cross off Damage Boxes on the ship's logcorresponding to the number of Damage Points taken incombat. You cross off starting with the leftmost box on thetop row and proceedittg across each row before moving downto the next row. Some boxes have numbers in them lL, 2, or3), which are the Damage Levels. A ship reaches a newDamage Level when the box corresponding to that numberis croised off. The last box has a iumbei in parentheses,which is the ship's maximum Speed (see below).

Damage to a ship can never be repaired.

EFFECTS OF DAMAGEWhen a ship's Damage Level increases, its Speed and

combat ability are affected.o Damage Level 1: The ship's ma:rimum Speed is reduced

by 1. In gunnery combat there is a shift of. one row down

applied to all attacks.. Damage Level 2: The ship's ma:rimum Speed is reduced

by 2. In gunnery combat there is a shift of fwo rows down

applied to all attacks. In addition, the ship loses one unfiredtorpedo salvo. If only one salvo remains, cross it off; if thereare two or more salvos, select one randomly and cross itoff. If no unfired salvos remain, ignore this result.

o Damage Level 3; The ship's maximum Speed is reducedby 3. In gunnery combat there is a shift of. three rows downapplied to all attacks. Also, the ship loses one unfiredtorpedo salvo; this salvo is in addition to the salvo lost at

Damage Level 2.If. no unfired salvos remain, ignore thisresult.

Some smaller ships (DD and CLI go directly from DamageLevel 1 to Damage Level 3. Such a ship loses its first unfiredtorpedo salvo, and only one, when it reaches Damage Level 3.

Note: In the Standard Game, you also cross off an available reloadfor each unfired torpedo salvo that is eliminated (see 8.4). In addition,a ship that reaches Damage Level 3 retires (see 11.1).

Ships with One Damage Box RemainingThe last Damage Box of each ship has the number 2 in

parentheses. When only this box remains for a ship, its ma:<-

imum Speed is 2.

Note: The US BB California has a 1 in parentheses in the last Damage

Box. This is its maximum Speed when its last Damage Box is left.This ship appears only if you are using ahistorical ships in a scenario.

WE HAVE JUST HAD ANSfHER CIOSE MISSHOPE YOU ARE NOT SHOOTING AT US

SORRY BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO EXCUSE THE NEXT FOUR

SALVOS THEY'RE ALREAI'Y ON THEIR WAY

-Radio exchange between two US com mandersat the Battle af Empress Augusta Bay

WHEN DAMAGE TAKES EFFECTAt the instant a ship reaches a new Damage Level, place

the corresponding Damage marker face-down on it. Thereverse side of. a Damage marker reads "Current Step" toindicate that the dam age has not yet taken effect. A ship isnot affected while it has a marker with the "Current Step"

side showing. After all combat by both sides in the CombatSegment haJbeen resolved, the markers are flipped over totheir Damage side. Refer to the Ship Log Rosters to verifythe correct Damage Levels for ships in play.

Note: In the Standard Game, there are two Attack Steps in a CombatSegment and damage taken in the first step may affect a ship's combat

capabilities in the second step (see 8.1).

If the last Damage Box is crossed off, the ship sinks 1nda Sinking marker is placed on it. A ship with a Sinking markeris not affected during the current Combat Segment; once thesegment is over, a sinking ship continues to move at itsnormal Speed, but it cannot perforrn any other actions in theGame Turn.

Damage and Sinking markers affect ships as follows:

o In the Basic Game, destroyed torpedo salvos are markedoff at the end of the Combat Segment. Note that onlyunused torpedo salvos are destroyed; if all torpedo salvoshave been used, there is no effect. Note that all combatoccurs simultaneously, s all ships fire their torpedo salvos

before damage is assessed against remaining salvos.

o The row shifts for gunnery combat take effect at the endof the Combat Segment.

o Reduction to a ship's Speed goes into effect during theDamage Effects Phase in the Terminal Stage. Note downon the ship's log in the space provided the new maximumSpeed of each ship as it is damaged. A damaged or sinkingship continues to move with its formation at the same

Speed as the other ships for the remainder of the currentGame Turn.

o Sinking ships are removed during the Damage EffectsPhase of the Terminal Stage. Until that time they continueto move with their formation at the same Speed as the otherships. They may still be used as reference ships during -th.Secbnd Japaneie Movement Orders Phase. At the end ofthe Combit Segment in which the Sinking marker is placed,

the ship loses all capabilities other than movement.

Note: In the Standard Game, damage from combat is assessed at

the end of each Attack Step in the Combat Segment (see 8.41.

Reduction to a ship's Speed does not take effect until the DamageEffects Phase of the Terminal Stage, however.

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic Crame Booh, Page 20

3.9 Basic ScenarioThe following scenario teaches you the basics of move-

ment and combat. Play this scenario a number times untilyou are familiar with the basic concepts of the game. Thenreturn to the other Rules Book to learn the rules of theStandard Game (Sections 4.0 through 14.01.

When setting up this scenario, you randomly draw theindicated ship tlpes for the US and Japanese and place themon the map in the hexes indicated. The scenario is playedin five Game Turns, using the Sequence of Play in 3.1. Specialrules that apply to this scenario are listed below. After thegame is completed, you determine the Victory Points for theUS and determine the winner of the game and the level ofvictory.

DEPLOYMENTUS Forces

SHIP PLACEMENTTYPE HEX

DD 2AA9cA 2109CA zTWcA 2208DD 23s9

l. The Admiral Callaghan counter is placed on one of theCA's in hex 2109. The CA is his flagship.

2. All US ships are headed north.3. The US Visual Fire Direction Range is 7 hexes.

Japanese ForcesSHIP PLACEMENTTYPE HEX

cA 0815cA 0815cL :0716CL O7L6

DD 0616

1. All Japanese ships are headed south.

2. The Japanese Visual Fire Direction Range is 10 hexes.

GAME LENGTHThe game is 5 Game Turns long.

SPECIAL RULES1. Only the Combat and 5 blank Action Chits are used. Theother Action Chits are set aside. Draw one Action Chit at theend of each Movement Phase.

2. All hexes are sea. Ignore all land and shoal. If. a shipreaches the mapedge, slide all ships a number of hexes inthe same direction towards the center of the mflp, keepingthe distances between ships constant.

3. Admiral Callaghan must remain stacked with the CAto which he is assigned throughout the game. His onlyfunction is to affect US Freedom of Action. If this CA is sunk,Callaghan is considered killed. In this case, all US formationsmust roll on the US Freedom of Action Table for the rest ofthe game, with 2 subtracted from each roll.

vrgroRY coNDtTtoNsAt the conclusion of the fifth Game Turn, consult the

schedule below to determine how many Victory Points (VPleach side receives. Each side receives VP for damaging andsinking enemy ships.

US Victory Points for Japanese Ships

Sunk

Japanese CA IJapanese CL 4

Japanese DD 3

Japanese Victory

SunkUSCA 6USDD 3

Damage Damage DamageLevel 3 Level 2 Level 1

2

1

0

42

1

6

3

2

Points for US ShipsDamage Damage DamageIevel 3 Level 2 level 1

4, :' 3 1,210

Admiral callaghan Killed z z YP for the Japanese.

Add up the total number of VP received by each side andsubtract the Japanese total from the US total (the result maybe a negative number|. Consult the schedule below to deter-mine the winning side and its level of victory.

TOTALUS VP

+ 11 or more+1 to +10

0

-1 to -10-11 or less

WINNER AND LEVEL OF VI TORY

US Substantial VictoryUS Marginat VictoryDraw

Japanese Marginal VictoryJapanese Substantial Victory

E)(IMPLE: Assume that at the end of the scenario, the US inflictedthe following damage on Japanese ships:. One Japanese CA sunk (8 VP)

o One Japanese CA with Damage 1 marker (2 VP). One Japanese CL with Damage 3 marker (3 VP)

o One Japanese DD sunk (3 VP)The US receives a total of 16 VP.

Now assume that the Japanese inflicted the followingdamage on US ships:o One US CA with Damage 2 marker (3 VP)

o Two us cA's with Damage 1 marker (2 vP, 1 per ship)o One US DD sunk (3 VP)

o One US DD with Damage 1 marker (0 VP)The Japanese receive a total of 8 VP.

The Japanese VP total is subtracted from the US total fora f inal US VP total of + I (16 - 8 = 8). checking the victoryschedule, you find that +8 results in a US Marginal Victory.

OPTIONAL RULEAfter playing this scenario a few times, you may wish

to experiment with the Standard Game rule for columns andcolumnwise maneuvers (see 5.11.

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic

Situation Analysisby Jon Southard

In the waters between Guadalcanal and Savo Island on a latenight in 1942, two columns of darkened ships race toward eachother at 30 knots. Aboard the US fleet, radar operators anxiouslywatch their scopes for the blips that will indicate the oncoming

Japanese - the feared 'Tokyo Express.'Aboard the Tokyo ExpressLai-eyed lookouts scan the moonlit ocean. When the fleets finallymeet, torpedo handlers, glad firtally to be relieved of the tensionof waiting, will spring into action and send dozens of "fish" racingthrough the water. Main batteries will crash forth with salvosof heavy shells. Smoke and searchlights will cover lronbottomSound. Before dawn, many ships will sink beneath the waves.

The Guadalacanal campaign was America's first counter-offensive in the Pacific. After six months of victory, Japan'sexpansion had halted with the crushing defeat at Midway (June

19421, in which four carriers were sunk. As a preliminary to a

planned invasion of Australia - plans abandoned after Midway- Japan had seized the small island of Guadalcanal, at thesouthern tip of the Solomons chain. When the Japanese beganwork on an airstrip there, the American command decided tolaunch a hasty operation to grab the island back. Neither sideanticipated that the struggle for this island would last six monthsand c-onstitute the second major turning point of the war.

Marines landed at Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942. Almostimmediately, a fierce naval and air campaign for control of thesea around Guadalcanal began. Control of the island dependedon control of the sea communications which supplied it.

Between August and November 1942,lhe Imperial Japaneseand US navies fought five night surface actions in the watersbetween Guadalcanal and neighboring Savo Island. So manyships were sunk that these waters acquired the name "IronbottomSound." During the upcoming year, in the central and upperSolomons, five more actions occurred. The Guadalcanal-Solomons campaign was by far the most intensive surface navalcampaign of the war.

Each side possessed some key technological advantage: the

Japanese their powerful, long-range torpedoes and the US itsradar. The Japanese, however, not only had a superior weapon,but also the doctrine and training to exploit the weapon fully.The US initially lacked both doctrine and training, but developedboth over the course of the campaign.

Weapons and ShipsFour types of ships - destroyer, light cruiser, heavy cruiser,

and battleship - fought the major surface actions off Guadal-canal. Their main weapons were guns and torpedoes.

By far the most numerous ships of both sides were thedestroyers: 1,500 to 3,000 tons, carrying torpedoes as their mainweapon, supplemented by light guns (about S-inch calibersl.Cruisers ranged from 6,000 to 13,000 tons and usually carried6- or 8-inch guns, although some cruisers carried S-inch guns.

Japanese cruisers also carried torpedoes, a significant advantage.Battleships (l2-inch guns and larger) appeared only rarely.

The single most powerful weapon on either side was the

Japanese torpedo. The "Long Lances," racing at a speed of 49knots, could reach 22,000 yards. This range was much greaterthan the distance of usual night detection, and in practice the

Japanese made most of their attacks at 8,000 to 10,000 yards.Driven by compressed air, the Long lances left virtually no wake;thus, there was little warning prior to the explosion of the225-powd warhead against a ship's side. One hit would usuallysink a destroyer, and two would suffice for a cruiser. MostJapanese ships carried a second set of torpedoes and the crewswere trained to reload them during battle.

American torpedoes, by contrast, were seldom effective atranges greater than about 3,000 yards. In fact, in the Guadal-canal campaign they were seldom effective at any range, sincethey often failed to detonate. American ships carried only oneset of torpedoes.

The Japanese developed a practical doctrine to exploit sucha powerful weapon. They would make the first attack and thenturn away to reload for a second attack, trying to avoid gunfireunless they were detected. By far, the surprise attack was best.

Game Booh, Page 21

An alert enemy could "comb" the oncoming torpedoes - thatis, turn bow or stern toward the torpedo tracks to present a muchsmaller target.

Before the war, the Japanese practiced torpedo tactics in allkinds of weather, by day and by night, on the high seas of theNorth Pacific. The US Navy trained only by day and on the calmwaters of Long Island Sound; torpedoes cost money and thus,in those prewar days of penurious military budgets, they hadto be recovered after each exercise. The war unfortunatelyvalidated the truth now enshrined as the motto of the NavyFighter Weapons School: "You fight like you train."

Detecting the EnemY FirstAs Captain Wayne P. Hughes points out in his book Fleet

Tacfrbs, the winner of a naval battle is usually the side that attackseffectively first. To attack first usually requires that a side detectfirst. In tlis area the marvelous new invention of radar shouldhave conferred a substantial advantage on the Americans. MostUS ships scanned the seas with some form of radar, which allthe Japanese lacked.

tfie elrly radar sets, however, were short'ranged, unreliableand impreciCe. The nearby land - Guadalcanal and Savo Island

- gave off strong returns, sometimes confusing the operatoraltdgether. Thus, while radar could inform the US admirals ve-ry

roulhly where the Japanese were, using it to track_ targets forgunnery was another matter' Often the Japanese, lookouts -Jpecially selected for their superior vision - would spot the US

fGet belore its guns could open fire under radar control.Most actions began at between 8,000 and 12,000 yards. In

one case, the fleets detected each other at a mere 3,000 yards.Detection in these battles remained highly chancy at best'

Quite apart from technical problems, the US Iacked a tacticaldoctrine tolxploit radar. Prewar US training had been orientedtoward long-range duels; confronted with night actions, the US

had to impiovise. Initially, US admirals believed it best to close

the range - to 5,000 or 6,000 yards - to maximize fire effect.Unfortunately, this tactic also maximized Long Lance effect, theexchange favoring the Japanese' Not until the Central Solomonscampaign did the US develop better tactics., exploiting radar tofire irolm longer ranges and thus reducing enemy torpedoaccuracy.

A second problem was that, without proper coordination,every ship of a fleet using radar control would fire on the same

targel - the biggest radar blip. The fire would wreck one

Japlnese ship - usually the closest - but leave the rest free tolaunch their torpedoes.

Detecting the enemy first was worthless if the detectingfleetdid not immediately exploit the advantage. At both Cape

Esperance and the First Battle of Guadalcanal, the US detectedfirlt but failed to open fire immediately. At Tassafaronga, theUS opened fire first but concentrated all their guns on one ship,leaving the rest free to launch a devastating counterattack.

Maneuvering the FleetDifficult as it was to determine the enemy position, the task

of tracking friendly vessels and giving them orders was just as

daunting. Ships sailed in formation, each ship keeping properposition with respect to those ahead of or beside it, eitheriollowing in a column or staying abreast. Keeping formation wasvery important, for an admiral could not possibly give ordersto e-ach individual ship simultaneously in the disorganized mess

that occurred once battle began.US fleets entered battle arranged in single, long columns:

destroyers in front (van| and behind {rear} with heavier shipsin the center. This arrangement prevented the destroyers fromfighting effectively; they had to stay back with the heavier ships,

with the enemy beyond range of their own weapons, and usuallyhad to present their broadsides to the enemy, thus making itdifficult to fire their torpedoes. The Japanese arrangement wasbetter; heavy ships fought in one group and destroyers inindependent squadrons led by light cruisers.

The Japanese also realized the importance of teamworkamong ships. Their ships trained in units and usually fought thesame way. The US had to commit whatever was available to meet

TOKYO EXPRESS Easic

emergencies as they arose. Thus, US fleets were usually "scratchteams," thus lacking coordination as shown in the early battleswhen US ships failed to communicate clearly and missed ordersor executed them incorrectly. On more than one occasion, a USadmiral, uncertain of a friendly ship's position and afraid thatfire might be hitting it, ordered cease fire at the height of action.

The Gampaign in OutlineThese, then, were the navies that joined battle off Guadal-

canal. Immediately after the US amphibious landing on 7 August,the Japanese counterattacked on the night of 8-9 August. Alliedair reconnaissance failed to pass on word of the approach ofAdmiral Gunichi Mikawa's column of five heavy cruisers /Clroftct',Aoba, Kaho, Kinugasa, and FvrutahaJ. Arriving at Guadalcanal,Mikawa found the Allied fleet split into four packets and unalert.In the ensuing Battle of Savo Island, Mikawa's ships devastatedthe "Southern Force" lCanberra, Chicago, Bagley, and Patterson)and then iri short order crushed the 't{orthern Force" (Vincennes,

Quincy, Astoria, HeIm, and, WiIsonJ. Mikawa stnk Vincennes,

Quincy, Astoria, and Canberra without suffering significantdamage, but then turned for home without destroying the trans-ports moored at Guadalcanal. Thus, the Japanese missed whatmay have been their one chance to turn a tactical naval victoryinto the strategic victory of the campaign.

Each side then attempted to build up its forces on Guadal-canal. The US rapidly brought Henderson Field into operation,and aircraft based there dominated the sea by day. On twooccasions the Japanese contested this dominance by sendingdown their carrier fleet; this provoked the carrier vs. carrierbattles of the Eastern Solomons (24 August) and Santa Cruz(26 October|.

Apart from these two carrier sorties, the Japanese relied onnight convoys. Japanese destroyers - and sometimes cruisersand battleships - would steam down to Guadalcanal to bombardthe airfield or Marine positions and to deliver supplies. TheMarines dubbed these night runs the'Tokyo Express." Occasion-ally, a US fleet would attempt to intercept the Express, causinga battle.

The first such battle - now called the Battle of CapeEsperance - occurred on 11-12 October. Four cruisers /SanFrancisco, Boue, Salt Lahe City, and Helenal and five destroyerslFarenholt, Duncan, Laffey, Buchanan, and McCaIIaJunder RearAdmiral Norman Scott intercepted three Japanese cruisers /Aoba,Furutaha, and Kinugasa/ and two destroyers lHatsuyuhi andFubuhil bent on bombarding Henderson Field. This time the

Japanese, under Admiral Aritomo Goto, were unaware of USforces and so were unready for action. The US bungled itsopportunity, however, since the first ship to detect the Japanesefailed to report the fact and later messages were ambiguouslyworded. In the middle of the action Scott suspended firetemporarily to avoid hitting friendly ships.

The US won a victory, but not the overwhelming victory thatthe advantage of surprise should have yielded. Furutaha andFubuki were sunk. On the US side, Duncanwas fatally damagedand Farenholt and Eorse heavily damaged. The Japanese con-tinued to control lronbottom Sound after night fell each day, andthe US supply position remained critical. The Japanese, however,were unable to build up sufficient strength to push the Marinesoff the island.

In mid-November, the Japanese made a major effort to rein-force their garrison and regain the island. This attempt provokedthree days of intense naval action - now called the Naval Battleof Guadalcanal - that turned the course of the campaign. The

Japanese committed a strong surface force to bombard the islandand to escort a large convoy of soldiers. Two large surface bat-tles were fought in three days, with air action in between.

The First Battle of Guadalcanal, on the night of 12-13 Novem-ber, was simply a disorganized slaughter. The Japanese force oftwo battleships lHiei and Kirishima), ahght cruiser /Nagaral, andeleven destroyers llhazuchi, Inaanma, Ahatsuhi, Yudachi,Harusme, Amatsuhaz.e, Teruzuhi, Yuhihaze, Asagumo, Murasame,and, Samidare)under the command of Admiral Hiroaki Abe onceagain approached to bombard the American positions; they werenot prepared for battle, theirs guns being loaded with high

Game Booh, Page 22

explosive ammunition, not armor-piercing shells. The US, againunder Admiral Scott, boldly opposed this heavy battleship fire-power with five cruisers /A tlanta, &n Flotcisco, Portland, Helena,and, JuneauJ and eight destroyers lCushing, Inffey, Sterett,O'Bannon, Aaron Ward, Monssen, and Fletcher)..

The Japanese detected the US first and frantically changedto armor-piercing ammunition while continuing to close range.Each side's ships finally opened fire - eight minutes after theinitial detection - at between 3,000 and 4,500 yards. At theseranges the cruisers and destroyers could quickly kill each otherand could maul a battleship despite its armor. Admiral Scott waskilled ead on, and Admiral Abe proved unable to exercise suffi-cient command over his ships to exploit the US disorder. Bothsides simply brawled independently, breaking off after less thanan hour of furious action. The Japanese lost the battleship Fliei(crippled, then sunk by US aircraft the next day| and thedestroyers lhazuchi and Ahatsuhi. The US lost Atlanta, Barton,Laffey, Cushing, and Monssen, wilh Portlanil being crippled.

The next day the Japanese landed troops from four trans-ports, six others having been sunk en route. On the followingnight (14-15 Novemberf , the fleets battled again, as theJapaneseagain attempted to bombard Guadalcanal. This time the Japanese,under Admiral Kondo, brought the battleship Kirishima, twoheavy and two light cruisers lAtago, Tahao, Nagara, and Sendai),and eleven destroyers lTeruzuhi, Inazuma, Asagumo, Oyashio,Shirayuhi, Hatsuyuhi, &midare, Kagero, Uranami, Shihanami, and,Ayanami), while the US fought with two battleships lWashingtonand Soutft Dahota, just arrived in the area| and four destroyers(Walke, funham, Gwin, and Preston). The US opened fire firstagainst the Japanese light ships, but ineffectively. Respondingwith Long Lances and gunfire, the Japanese quickly sank all thedestroyers except Gwin. In the battleship duel, however, Wash-ington and South Dahota sank the battleship Kirishima and thedestroyer Ayanami. The Japanese retired and failed to reinforceGuadalcanal significantly.

After the night Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Japan's positionon the island steadily declined. The Japanese Navy, tired of losingships in what seemed a hopeless struggle, proposed that the islandbe abandoned, but the dominant Army leaders insisted on furthereffort. Therefore, the Tokyo Express continued to run andachieved one more impressive tactical success.

On 30 November, five US cruisers /Minneapolis, New Orleans,Pensacola, Honolulu, and Northamptonl and six destroyers

lLamson, Inrdner, Fletcher, Drayton, Maury, and Perhinsl - underAdmiral Carleton H. Wright, who had held his command for justtwo days - collided with a Tokyo Express of eight destroyers

lKawahaze, Suzuhaze, Kagero, Tahanami, Kuroshio, Oyashio,Makinami, and Naganamilunder Admiral Raizo Tanaka, Japan'sfinest destroyer commander. The US ships at first delayed firingand then all fired at the same target, obliterating one destroyer.The remaining seven Japanese vessels launched Long Lances,which sank Northampton and crippled Minneapolis, New Orleans,and, Penscola.

This battle - now called the Battle of Tassafaronga - failedto change the basic strategic position: The US forces continuedto grow steadily more powerful and their sea Iines of communi-cation more secure. The Japanese garrison was reduced tostarvation, and its remnants untimately evacuated the island byearly February 1943.

Throughout the Guadalcanal battles the Japanese Navydemonstrated tactical superiority. The US failed to solve its basictactical problems during the Guadalcanal campaign, and not untilthe Central Solomons campaign did the US finally reach aneffective solution: longer-ranged, radar-controlled fire (usingbetter radar models|. US torpedoes likewise remained ineffec-tive. It was only in mid-1943 that American destroyers beganmaking effective, independent torpedo attacks.

Fortunately for America, Japan possessed no strategies orlogistic capabilities to match it tactical prowess. Thus, Japanfrittered away ship after ship in a battle of attrition, whichultimately only the United States could win. Japan continuedto win tactical victories in the central Solomons throughout 1943,

but the Solomons campaign ultimately resulted in decisive USvictory. The Japanese Imperial Navy was seriously depleted bylosses, and the US emerged with improved doctrine and newconfidence. Guadalcanal was the first step in a long, continuousAmerican advance to victory.

SHIP ROSTERAustraliaHeavy Cruiser (CA)NAME CLASS

Canberra Australia

United StatesBattleships (BB)NAME CLASS

California * CaliforniaIowa* IowaMissouri* IowaSouth Dakota South DakotaWashington North Carolina

Heavy Cruisers (CA)NAME CLASS

Astoria AstoriaBaltimore* BaltimoreChicago NorthamptonMinneapolis AstoriaNew Orleans AstoriaNorthampton NorthamptonPensacola PensacolaPittsburgb' BaltimorePortland PortlandQuincy AstoriaSalt Lake City AstoriaSan Francisco Astoria

Light Cruisers (CL)NAME CLASS

Atlanta AtlantaBoise BrooklynHelena BrooklynHonolulu BrooklynJuneau Atlanta

TOKYO EXPRESS Basic

FATE

Sunk 819142

FATE

Broken up 1960Still in serviceStill in serviceSold 1962Sold 1961

FATE

Sunk 819142Stricken L97LSunk LBA|43Broken up 1960Broken up 1959Sunk l2lLl42Sunk 1948Stricken 1973Broken up 1959Sunk 819142Sunk 1948Broken up 1961

FATE

Sunk LtlLsl42Sold 1951Sunk 716143Brokqn up 1960Sunk 11/13142

FATE

Sunk 417143Stricken L973Broken up L947Sunk 11/13142Sunk 11/15142Sunk 8122142Sold t949Broken up L947Sunk tLlL3l42Broken up L947Sunk LjlLZl42Broken up 1948Stricken L97lBroken up 1967Stricken 1973Sunk 7lL3l43Stricken 1969Broken up 1947Sunk 819142Sunk lLll3l42Expended 1946Broken up L947Sold 1949Broken up 1946Sold 1949Sunk 619144Sunk LIlI3l42Broken up 1970Broken up L947Sunk lll29l43Sunk IlL4l42Expended 1948Broken up 1947Broken up L947Sold 1969Sunk IIlI4l42Expended L948Sold 1951

Game Book, Page 23

Minesweeping Destroyer (DMS)NAME CLASS

Southard * Clemson

JapanBattleships (BB)NAME CLASS

Hiei KongoKirishima KongoMusashi * YamatoYamato* Yamato

Heavy Cruisers (CA)NAME CLASS

Aoba AobaAtago TakaoChokai TakaoFurutaka FurutakaHaguro MyokoKako FurutakaKinugasa AobaMyoko MyokoTakao Takao

Light Cruisers (CL)NAME CLASS

Jintsu NakaKitakami* KumaNagara NagaraSendai NakaTenryu TenryuYubari Yubari

Destroyers (DD)NAME CLASS

Akigumo YugomoAmagiri FubukiAmatsukaze KageroArashi KageroAsagumo AsashioAyanami FubukiFubuki FubukiHagikaze KageroHamakaze KageroHarusame ShiratsuyuHatsukaze KageroHatsuyuki FubukiIkazuchi AkatsukiInazuma AkatsukiIsokaze KageroKagero KageroKawakaze ShiratsuyuKazegumo YugumoKuroshio KageroMakinami YugumoMatsukaze KamikazeMikazuki MutsukiMinazuki MutsukiMurasame ShiratsuyuNaganami YugumoOyashio KageroSamidare ShiratsuyuShikinami FubukiShimak aze* ShimakazeShimotsuki * AkizukiShirayuki FubukiSuzukaze ShiratsuyuTeruzuki AkizukiUranami FubukiYudachi ShiratsuyuYukikaze KageroYunagi Kamikaze

FATE

Lost 1945

Destroyers (DD)NAME

Aaron WardAllen M. Sumner'BagleyBartonBenhamBlueBuchananCravenCushingDraytonDuncanDunlapFarenholtFletcherGearing *

GwinGyatt*HelmJarvisLaffeyLamsonLangLardnerMauryMcCallaMeredith*MonssenO'BannonPattersonPerkinsPrestonRalph TalbotSelfridgeSterettTaylorWalkeWilsonWoodworth

CLASS

LivermoreAllen M. SumnerBagleyBensonBagleyBagleyLivermoreBagleyMahanMahanLivermoreMahanBensonFletcherGearingLivermoreGearingBagleyBagleyBensonMahanBagleyLivermoreBagleyLivermoreAllen M. SumnerLivermoreFletcherBagleyMahanMahanBagleyPorterBagleyFletcherSimsBagleyBenson

FATE

Sunk Llltgl4zSunk Ltll5l42Sunk 10124144Sunk 417145

FATE

Sunk 7128145Sunk tOlnleSunk 10125144Sunk 10/1Ll42Sunk 5lt6l45Sunk 8ll0l42Sunk Llll4l42Scuttled 1946Sunk 7l3Ll45

FATE

Sunk 7ll3l43Broken up 1946Sunk 817144Sunk LIlzl43Sunk LZlL8l42Sunk 4128144

FATE

Sunk 4ltllMSunk 4l23lMSunk 416145

Sunk 817143

Sunk L0125144Sunk 11/15142Sunk 10/11142Sunk 817143Sunk 417145

Sunk 618144Sunk IIl2l43Sunk 7lL7l43Sunk 4lt4l44Sunk 5ll4l44Sunk 417145

Sunk 518143

Sunk 816143

Sunk 618144Sunk 517143Sunk lrl25l43Sunk 617144Sunk 7128143Sunk 616144

Sunk 316143

Sunk LllLLl44Sunk 518143Sunk 8125144Sunk 9lLZl44Sunk 1 1/1 Il44Sunk LLlzsl44Sunk 313143Snnk tl26l44Sunk tZlLZl4zSunk 10126144Sunk 11/13142Sold L947Sunk 8l25l$

The ships marked with asterisks appeared late in the warafter the Guadalcanal battles portrayed in the game. They areincluded for historical interest.

Notes:l. California was one of the more modern prewar "slow" battleships, sunkat Pearl Harbor, and later reconstructed.

rcKYO EXPRESS Basic

2. USS Southard, named after Andrew Jackson's Secretary of the Naqy,fought throughout the Guadalcanal campaign though not in fleetactions. She was lost on October 9, 1945. Her most famous crew memberwas undoubtedly Herman Wouk, author of. The Caine Mutiny.

3. Shimahaze, the only one of its class, was constructed later in the war

Game Booh, Page 24

as an "experimental destroyer." It approached a light cruiser in size andpower.

Sources: Conway's All the World's FightingShips; 1922-1946. Paul H. Dull'sBattle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Hansgeorg Jentschura'sWarships of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Design Notesby Jon Southard

The intent of. Tohyo Express is to have a player experiencesome of the suspense, uncertainty and confusion of commandin a night surface action. A scenario divides into two parts: theinitial period when the Japanese are emerging frorn the dark-ness, and then the main battle with both sides revealed and slug-ging it out. During the initial period, the emphasis is on suspense.Where will the Japanese come from, how many, and when willthe firing start? During the main battle, the emphasis is on con-fusion. Where will the Japanese move, when will they fire, andhow will the US react? In meeting these goals, the most impor-tant design elements were creating the hidden force rules, mak-ing the occurrence of combat and detection in the Game Turnunpredictable, controlling formations, and generating Japaneseorders.

The special challenges of solitaire game design are sub-stantially different from - and more difficult than those oftwo-player games. A solitaire design must include cooperativeand responsive play on the non-player side, variation andunpredictability, and consistency over time. These ends mustbe accomplished with a minimum workload for the lone playerand with a minimum complexity of rules.

The complexity in Tokyo Express grew during the designprocess and is more than I first wished it to be. Serious effortwas made to hold down player workload, as exemplified in theabstractions of hidden forces, the use of Gunnery Cards in placeof three or four tables, and the relative simplicity of the BattleMovement Display.

Movement for both sides has been reduced to a choice amonga few maneuvers. The intent was to show how fleets were reallycommanded in combat. Giving the player total command of shipmovement is simply not historical. The Tohyo Express system,in which the player has limited control over his formations viaorders, is more true to life. This movement by formation alsomakes it simpler and faster to generate Japanese orders, ratherthan to have each ships given orders individually.

Formations were also needed, of course, to make theJapanese Cooperate properly with each other. An importantproblem in all solitaire games is to coordinate actions by thegame-controlled units in a reasonably intelligent manner; theyshould not all fire at the same target, for instance. The targetingrules achieve this coordination - in most cases - for Japanesecombat. An attempt to simplify targeting resulted in stupidJapanese actions; the quirks that remain are tolerated so as notto complicate the rules further.

A problem related to cooperation is making units respondproperly to existing tactical situations. The difficulty lies in tryingto describe simple game situations so that the player can readilyevaluate and translate them into orders for the game-controlledside. The Japanese target priorities are designed to allow themto make the optimum attacks in each situation. Mission Move-ment guarantees that, when unopposed, they will steam towardtheir goal. Battle Movement causes them to maneuver foradvantage when US ships threaten.

orders generated by Battle Movement are not alwaysoptimum, since only the positions of the two reference ships aietaken into account. Depending on the positions of the rest of theformations, the Battle Movement orders may - or may notmake good sense. Most of the time the display works well.Besides, the Japanese occasionally made the wrong decisions inselecting maneuvers. A very important feature of Battle Move-ment is that it is unpredictable. The many variations of Japanesemovement should keep the player constantly guessing.

c-2533 7l8Ii 19201.1

The Action Chits and hidden forces also provide elementsof surprise. There is some frustration in not being to fire at willat enemy forces just a few hexes away, but the historical battlesprovide many examples of fleets holding their fire, or not beingready to fire, or failing to detect in such situations.

Providing consistency over time was done by structuringhidden forceJ so that theii early actions in the ga-. make sense

- usually - by the time their contents are revealed. A hiddenforce with a Force Size marker of 1 or 2 will always be com-posed of light ships, so it maneuvers like a light ship. Also, a

hidden force is not allowed to fire more torpedoes at a time thanits component ships could. The wide range of possible makeupsof each hidden force adds more uncertainty to the game, andmore enjoyment. Good or bad luck here makes a big difference.

Luck is important in many ways: the luck of the Action Chitdraw, of the Gunnery Cards, and of surprise torpedo attacks thatcan quickly reduce a proud flagship to a waterlogged hulk. Luckis a major component of naval warfare, much more so thancombat on land. However, luck cannot be relied on to outdo skill.Historically, the Imperial Japanese Navy showed a considerableand enduring superiority in these night naval battles. Their tough,realistic pre-war training, their vastly superior torpedoes, andthe good night vision of their lookouts were decisive advantages.In most of the battles, the Japanese used tactics which exploitedthese advantages to the hilt.

In your initial encounter with Tohyo Express, you will, I hope,feel some of the frustration and awe the American admirals did.The objective throughout the design process was to give you theirbridge-eye view. You may be defeated often at first, but youshould find your own solutions, as the US admirals finally did.

My special thanks to Mark Herman for suggesting the gameand for giving me suggestions throughout the design process.Also, thanks to Dave Marchesi, Warren L. Greene, and DentonStam for their particularly fine playtest efforts.

BibliographyCoggins, Jack. The Campaign for Guadalcanal Garden City: Doubleday,1972.

Dull, Paul S. A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1941-45.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, I978.Hodges, Peter, and Normal Friedman. Destroyer Weapons of World War//. Greenwich, London: Conway Maritime Press, t979.Hough, Richard. Dreadnought. New York: Macmillan, L964.

Isby, David C. "CA: Tactical Naval Warfare in the Pacific,"' Strategy &Tactics nr. 38. New York: Simulations Publications, Inc.

Jane's Fighting Ships, 1939.

Jentschura, Hansgeorg, et al. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy,1869-1945. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, L982.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of the UnitedStafes Nava/ Oryration in WorldWar //. Boston: Little, Brown, 1950.o Volume V: The Struggle for Guadalcanal. Volume VI: Breahing the Bismarch Barrier

Roscoe, Theodore. United States Destroyer Operations in World War II.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1953.

Silverstone, Paul H. U.S. Warships of World War I/. Garden City: Double-day, 1965.

U.S. Naval Institute. Naval Ordnance. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press,1 939.

Watts, Anthony J. and Brian G. Gordon. The Imperial Japanese Navy.Garden City: Doubleday, L97L.

3002872