Hampstead, NC, 02 April 2008

Subscribe Today

• Subscribe to Armchair General Magazine
• Subscribe online and save nearly 40%!
 

It should have been just another December Sunday morning.  It wasn’t.  Scores of aircraft dropped from the sky, blood red suns adorning their wings, unleashing a Hell borne from bullet, bomb, and torpedo.  Body and hull shattered, blood and oil staining the Hawaiian waters as most of the United States’ Pacific Fleet was transformed into a mangled wreck of flesh and steel within hours.  As bad as the carnage was it was but a sign of the days to come, as the greatest naval conflict the world had ever seen– or would see– erupted upon that infamous day.  Forged in the flames of Pearl Harbor this conflict would only end in the atomic flames of Nagasaki.

Shrapnel Games is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of War Plan Pacific, developed by KE Studios, a new development house based in the Puget Sound region.  Currently about to enter beta War Plan Pacific will be available for the Windows operating system, price to be decided.

War Plan Pacific is a turn-based computer wargame for one or two players (IP based multiplayer capability) covering the entire war in the Pacific from 1941 until 1945.  Focusing on power projection through the use of a strong navy, players will assume the role of the heads of either the Imperial Japanese Navy or the United States Navy (along with allied British, Australian, and Dutch forces), commanding a historical force mix in a total war aimed at achieving nothing less than an unconditional surrender of the enemy.  Individual ships of light cruiser size and larger are represented, and each turn represents one month of real world time. 

The Japanese player faces a challenging road to victory, although victory is possible through either a quick win or a slow win.  He can cut the vital US to Australia sea lines, isolating Australia and thus denying the US its important forward and submarine bases necessary to march steadily towards Japan.  If denied for six months the Japanese will win.  This is the quick win for the IJN.  The slow win involves staving off total defeat until 1946.  To do so the Japanese has to do more than hold onto a few ships and bases though, as both the loss of oil or a successful strategic bombing campaign (which also abstractly culminates in the atomic bombings of the mainland) will spell defeat for the Japanese.

Long time wargamers who are familiar with Avalon Hill’s classic Victory In The Pacific will feel right at home with War Plan Pacific.  This is not a game that seeks to track every single widget, bullet, and drop of sweat in the Pacific theater, but rather one that allows the entire war to be fought in a single session.  As lead designer and KE Studios’ founder John Hawkins says, "Put the kids to bed, play a full game, be in bed yourself by midnight."  Eschewing hexes, War Plan Pacific uses a system of twenty-nine important bases.  Your naval forces are either found around the bases or in transit.  The speed of your task force determines transit time, something to keep in mind when planning an assault involving task forces from all over the Pacific.

War Plan Pacific is a game of naval conflict, with land combat represented by the taking of bases through the successful use of sea power.  And while the game abstracts several elements to make it playable in a few hours, its heart beats a historical reality.  Naval forces arrive on a historical timetable.  The Japanese long lance torpedo is a thorn in the USN’s side.  Players can attempt to recreate the Doolittle raid, tying up Japanese coastal forces for months, or as the IJN scare the Hell out of the American public by shelling the West Coast.  Try out historical strategies, or try out your own.  What will be your turning point?  Coral Sea?  Midway?  Guadalcanal?

Keep an eye on Shrapnel Games at www.shrapnelgames.com for more information as development progresses, and while there be sure to check out our complete line up of award-winning strategy titles for the discriminating gamer.  With titles spanning such genres as fantasy, sci-fi, World War II, Age of Sail, and modern there’s something for everyone.

Help Armchair General by bookmarking to