Avalanche Press calls this their âUltimate World War II Naval Gameâ - a claim with some merit, it would seem, as this game is ENORMOUS. âLeyte Gulfâ is a âSecond World War at Seaâ-series game based on the final struggles of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The largest naval battles in history are included here â the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In addition, the Battles of Cape Engaño, Surigao Strait, and Okinawa are covered by the game. The American fleet is enormous in this product, while the whittled-down Japanese fleet is not much larger than the âSOPACâ and âMidwayâ games. To âbalanceâ that side in hypothetical scenarios, some projected but never completed, or sometimes built, units are available as options to the Japanese â such as the third Yamato-class battleship, all six Unryu-class carriers, the âB64â-type Battlecruiser (one of the two named by AP âSagamiâ), as well as squadrons of hypothetical âsecond generationâ Japanese aircraft. Itâs a âworst case scenarioâ plan for American military staff.
The Americans get some new toys, too, including the first appearance in the series of the F4U Corsair, the Iowa-class battleships (and a special guest appearance by the Montana-class), Baltimore-class heavy cruisers, Cleveland-class light cruisers, Independence-class escort carriers, Essex-class fleet carriers, and the fabulous Alaska-class battlecruisersâŠerrrâŠâlarge cruisersâ, that is. The Royal Navy, Australian Navy, and New Zealand Navy all make appearances as well, driving this product up to simply ludicrous counter numbers!
Leyte Gulf includes:
24âx18â tactical map Three 34âx22â operational maps Nearly 2,000 game pieces 24-page series rule book 24-page scenario book 2-player aid cards 6-organizational cards