What are some common practices used in creating fleets? Do people go all one nation (Italian, Japanese etc.) Or load to their point total (say 100 or 150, 250 etc.). Does anyone use any restrictions?
I have been often playing with a 1942 or earlier year, and if playing no BB or CV limit it to 3 cruiser, 3 sub and 3 plane maximums around a 100 pt quick game. I find post 1942 the AA is over weighted to allies. Maybe it is just me but both my fleet air strength is older early war planss mostly. I like the Italian ships but they are certainly early war... Esp the destroyers. Their AA doesn't hold up well.... I prefer the IJN destroyers but they are costly for so few HP and Armor.
Overall I have had some really fair battles with my daughter and friends. But some how my daughter sneaks a win from a defeat. She won with a crippled Haida last night and would have lost if not for a lucky shot the turn earlier into smoke on my ascari destroyer stopping me from getting the cap and 150 pts. The worst was it was her last gunnery attack too of the round.
I play at a local game club, so those builds are to the scenario. Other than building to win, a lot of the time I will try to make a fleet nation pure if I can.
Playing for fun, I like to play early war as well. 1939 is a fun exercise but I wouldn’t want to do it more than every once in a while. There are still some obvious holes in builds despite there being so many official and unofficial cards these days.