"Two-person Midway Suggestions" Topic

With the deck decals for GHQ available again, I wanted to look into doing a 2-person Midway game.

FWIW, my only exposure to WW II Naval is playing the old Yaquinto CV boardgame a few times.

I read the double-blind convention game posts, and really like the idea of using Axis and Allies or a something similar(although I've never played it).

I'm also wanting this to be a two-player game.

Some questions:

1. I know that the OOBs for the double-blind convention game are not strictly historical. I'm fine with that – Midway-esque is close enough, as long as it is fun and sort of balanced. But my question is whether the convention Midway scenario has too many ships for a two-person game to finish in 3-4 hours.

2. I can make the playing surface anywhere from 6'x 4' to 9'x5'. How big was the convention playing area? How big were the hexes?

3. Having a referee is problematic. Knowing that my opponent is someone that won't cheat, is there an alternate hidden movement/search mechanic that you guys might suggest?

4. As previously stated, I'm not a naval gamer. Any other turn-key Midway solutions that you guys can think of?

Lucius Avalon Hill when they did their Midway boardgame back in the 60's had a play by mail system for that game and many others.

They had a search map where you could plot your forces movement and the other player could do the same.

Now the ship counters you got were Carriers,Battleships and Cruisers so you never got the DD's although you could make up your own I believe.

If I were you I would look for the Avalon Hill Midway game on eBay it should not be too pricey so that's my suggestion.

Michael

They did a later one called Midway in the Smithsonian game line. Also a good choice. But once you have either game there is no real need for miniatures – the games come with all the counters you need, the miniatures for an air attack would be placed on the table and then removed after a die roll or two with no chance for maneuver.

Here is one that is free. Although it is for Coral Sea, there is a Midway Variant towards the bottom of the rules with 2 hyperlinks. The one has really nice top down ship counters.
The rules are similar to AH's Midway game
link

Great suggestions – thanks.

Yea, I know that this is really a boardgame with $20 USD GHQ counters.

But they are going to be really cool counters . . .

Perhaps some sort of card-driven, random, or not so random events, depending upon choices made by each player.

Might need several playing decks/stacks of cards to accomplish that, but should be doable.

Pre-planning several operational turns in advance in writing, or using hidden cardboard chits would work too, e.g. where to send search patrols and when, when to launch CAPS and to what altitudes, when to launch airstrikes, when to rearm and refuel aircraft, etc., etc..

Avalanche press Midway would work, too. Basically, you can do hidden movement by having a number of fake task force markers moving around the board. Again, like the Avalon Hill game, you get all the counters you need (very nice counters at that). I think I prefer the Avalon Hill air search idea in practice, but it has issues. The Avalanche press one definitely makes it harder to cheat and the game system handles potential surface battles a bit better.