Guns in the Pacific

Base game includes support for two to five; Japanese and Indonesian Imperial players versus American, Australian, and British Allied players. Plan your advances across thirteen sea zones to control twenty pivotal bases in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Win conflicts to gain more materiel. Battleships, carriers, and heavy cruisers represented. Choose whether to respond to each conflict depending on the stakes; close forces must fight to the bitter end. Adjust your task force before battle with intelligence and supplement more ships using oil. Cruisers allow early disengagement and protection from submarines; battleships are best if the battle occurs at night; carriers are best in daylight. Each ship card is unique with different amounts of armor, ammunition, anti-aircraft guns, command capability, damage control, engine speed, and fuel consumption. Hits to ships knock out individual features depending on hit location. Land-based air can join battle, and fleets can bombard bases. Damaged ships return home for repairs, operational ships may port at bases for more response options.

Once the basic game is familiar, advanced modules include rules for torpedoes, fire damage, side-specific and nation-specific alternate victory conditions, long range bomber bases, starting the game with colonial bases, separate battle locales in conflicts with location checks for air strikes, and unique base bonuses for control.