War Plan Pacific

Release Date: December 15, 2008

Strategy, turn-based, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet

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The title offers the opportunity to take on the role of commander of the American or Japanese fleet during the conflict in the Pacific in 1941-1945. The authors decided to combine a realistic approach to the subject with mechanics modelled on a board game.

Turn based grand strategy wargame of the war in the Pacific from 1941 until 1945, influenced partially by the classic Avalon Hill board game, Victory in the Pacific.

♦ Playable by one or two players. Multiplayer is supported via Internet play.

♦ An emphasis on playability allows a complete game to be played in under three hours. That's right, from Pearl to Nagaski in three hours.

♦ The theater of operation ranges from Singapore in the east to San Francisco in the west and the Aleutians in the north and Brisbane in the south. Point-to-point based movement. One month turns.

♦ Twenty nine bases of strategic and historical importance.

♦ Eye-catching digital counters of individual historical ships of light cruiser or larger size, amphibious transport groups, convoys and air groups representing the forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy, United States Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and Royal Netherlands Navy.

♦ Three scenarios. One purely historical, two with alternate set ups.

♦ Two victory conditions for each side: one a quick win while the other a slower win. As the Japanese isolate Australia or survive until the American public loses its taste for war. As the Allies strangle Japan's oil supply or force them to the surrender table through a massive bombing campaign.

♦ Scenario files are XML text files that can be edited, which also allows the OOB and ship capabilities to also be modified. Likewise, base information, sea distances, and relevance to victory conditions can also be changed.

♦ Turns consist of forming and disbanding task forces and assigning them to either patrol, raid, or invade. Patrol defends friendly bases, raids assault enemy bases and their defending forces while invasions attempt to capture and control enemy bases. Additional turn elements include designating ships for repair, supply efforts, and land based air location.

♦ Combat is fast paced and uses a virtual 'Battle Board' with players choosing to engage their foe in gunnery duels or over the horizon with the use of air power. Air strikes must face CAP and flak, while in surface battles the Long Lance torpedo can be an Allied vessel's worst nightmare. Invasions involve transport groups attempting to overwhelm a base's defenders, softening up targets with pre-landing aerial and surface bombardments.

♦ Plenty of tough choices! With never enough forces to cover the vast Pacific, and with the need to be both offensive and defensive, each turn is one of exciting choices. Historical advantages, disadvantages, and doctrine have been built into the game without the need of cumbersome rules or mechanics, allowing War Plan Pacific to model the war but keep the game playable in a single session.

♦ Each side offers a unique playing experience, keeping gamers constantly engaged in the strategic cat and mouse game that marked the war in the Pacific.

Last updated on August 14, 2015

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