Carrier Strike!

About this board game

Carrier Strike! is a fast-playing tactical simulation for 2–4 players, with games lasting around 45 minutes. Released in 1977, it pits aircraft carrier task forces against one another in a contest of movement, timing, torpedo attacks, and aerial combat.

Each player has two carriers loaded with six torpedoes and four aircraft. Pilots are represented by ratings, and those ratings are embarked on aircraft when they launch. Carriers use a special die: each roll gives a 50–50 chance of moving forward one space or turning 60 degrees, creating a distinctive challenge in positioning your fleet.

Aircraft move with a normal d6. Reach torpedo run distance, six hexes from an enemy carrier, and an aircraft can launch its attack. Once dropped, torpedoes move inexorably one space per turn, leaving manoeuvring as the only defence. Reading the battlefield and anticipating an opponent’s route are essential to survival.

• Dogfights: Aircraft within four hexes may engage using cards.
• Pilot ratings: Better pilots receive extra cards during dogfights.
• Risky tactics: A dogfight forces torpedoes to be dropped, making sacrifice attacks a viable option.
• Desperate measures: If torpedoes run out, aircraft may be used in kamikaze attacks.

These compact rules produce an amusing tactical experience with plenty of meaningful choices. You can pursue a carrier, evade incoming torpedoes, commit aircraft to a dogfight, or turn a doomed attack into a final strike. Carrier Strike! was later remade as Mission Command Sea.