After acquiring 2 good wargame titles (Europe Engulfed and Rommel in the Desert), the next wargame in my favorite Pacific Theatre arrived from eBay yesterday. It was the classic Victory in the Pacific (VITP) game from Avalon Hill (1977). Took me some time to find one from eBay that's unpunched and yet going for a reasonable price (I got it for USD30).
| VITP uses the same system as its sister game War At Sea (also from AH). While War at Sea covers the Battle of the Atlantic, VITP covers the Battle in the Pacific Ocean. Almost all the ships from the Japanese and Allied navies are represented in this game (in little square counters, not miniatures)!
The game is a strategic fight for POC (Points-of-Control) over 13 sea areas. Like all historical wargames, there is the Turn of Appearance (ToA) chart which dictates what units each Commander gets at each turn therefore you need to base your game plan based on this TOA.
You fight for control of POCs via two types of ships - Patrollers and Raiders. Patrollers help you keep control of the sea areas you are in (for POC) while Raiders are used to invade another sea area in an attempt to wrestle the POC from your opponent. The Allied player also gets Marine forces which you can send to invade island bases. |
This classic game is still being played competitively as one of the entries in the World Boardgaming Championship held yearly.
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A more comprehensive treatment of the Pacific Theatre can be found in the another game from Victory Games - Pacific War. This game is not for the faint-hearted having more than 2,000+ tokens! A buddy of mine has this awesome game but has yet to play it. So still hopefully one fine day he gets fed up of this game and sells it to me? (Dave, you reading this ar? keke)
For those who prefer a more modern approach to the Pacific Theatre, you may also want to check out the recent MMP release Fire in the Sky by renown Japanese wargame designer, Tetsuya Nakamura.
Will post a review and/or session report when I manage to get a game of VITP.
btw if wargames are your "poison", you are most welcome to come and game with
us. Check out the KL Meetup Wargames SIG.
Okie, anyone willing to fight with me over Midway?