War Plan Pacific.
Designer: John Hawkins. Developer: KE Studios. Publisher: Shrapnel Games. $39.95 (physical).

Passed Inspection: Great concepts, simple mechanics, superior play, fine editor.

Failed Inspection: Pedestrian graphics, some historical quirks.

Well-documented, the interface and basic gameplay reflect a simple, clever approach to the conflict.

Strategic level games of the Pacific Theater have been few and far between because of the enormous scale of the conflict. The most successful attempt has been Gary Grigsby’s War in the Pacific, a game criticized for its complexity. Shrapnel Games and KE Studios with designer John Hawkins have drilled down to basics with an elegant grand strategy game of this conflict.

Subscribe Today

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

Simple Yet to the Point
Well-documented, the interface and basic gameplay reflect a simple, clever approach to the conflict. The main screen stretches across both sides of the Pacific Rim. Major bases are marked and can be entered with a single click, providing the mouse is maneuvered carefully.

Bases show 2D, named images of capital ships, from carriers to light cruisers, in port with health bars indicating each ship’s damage. Convoys and invasion ships are shown, as well as the number of planes on hand. Boxes on the left show task forces, with the total number of each ship class within them imposed on appropriate silhouettes; clicking on the boxes brings up a display of the ships. New task forces can be formed by dragging the images to a new box. Task forces composed of only war ships patrol friendly bases or raid enemy bases; some bases require that a set amount of power remain on patrol. Those forces with troop ships invade enemy areas, while those with convoys expand friendly bases to handle more planes and improve repair facilities. Submarines and smaller vessels are noticeably absent.

The default mission for a task force is to patrol its base. Clicking on its box activates the “Set Mission” button, which brings up the campaign map. Task forces are sent to friendly bases to patrol or dispatched to raid or invade enemy bases, as noted above. Missions are defined by force composition, with range determined by the proximity of the starting base and the slowest vessel. Acceptable missions are noted by a revolving symbol over the objective. Once all missions are set, players click “Go” to activate the month-long simultaneous moves.

Luck and a Little Control
When an objective is reached or when enemy units meet, one of two battle screens, surface or air, appears. Both are similar, with friendly units at the bottom and enemy on top. The 2D vessels are shown along with any land and carrier-based aircraft. Aircraft are divided into fighters or level, torpedo and dive bombers that can be moved from strike to CAP (Combat Air Patrol) boxes. The info bar between the two sides shows the relative distance between the fleets, a small diagram of the objective, and the passing days of the battle. Players have the choice of using air power, which takes ships out of gun range, or of closing with the enemy using surface power. There is also an option to withdraw.

Battle usually begins with the stronger force’s planes nipping at enemy CAP, allowing bombers to strike targets. Floating numbers for air and anti-aircraft hits shows aerial losses, while the number of vessel hits is described by type and is measured by health bars. If no enemy forces are around, damage to ground installations is shown in the island image.

Surface battles are spiced up by random Japanese surface torpedo attacks. Battle continues for five days unless one force withdraws or is annihilated. Sounds are the usual engine roars and bomb or shell bursts. Players have no control over target selection, but the AI usually pinpoints priority targets, while still allowing for some confusion by excited pilots and gunners. No ground combat is shown; invasions either succeed or are postponed. Improvement in Allied equipment becomes apparent as the game progresses.

Help Armchair General by bookmarking to