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OT: Board game Pacific War - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 10:57 pm
by Cheeks
I've owned WitP:AE for a decade and have played only against the AI only because of limited time.
I'm thinking of getting Pacific War- Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945 for..., well no reason. I wondering if anyone here owns the game and their impressions.
Cheeks
Edit: Jeezzz, sorry - I just saw where I missed labled the subject title. It should read Pacific War.
I'm also a "counter-moving guy". I hope there is a decent VASSAL module for it.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:03 pm
by btd64
ORIGINAL: Cheeks
I've owned WitP:AE for a decade and have played only against the AI only because of limited time.
I'm thinking of getting War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945 for..., well no reason. I wondering if anyone here owns the game and their impressions.
Cheeks
I use to have it. It was destroyed during a move to Massachusetts. It was great fun. Big game, lots of fun....GP
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:04 pm
by Jorge_Stanbury
I have it, but I have never played it...
problem with wargames is it is hard to find enough players, unless you go online, but then what is the point or a boardgame?
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:08 pm
by Canoerebel
I have it. It's been in my closet for about 25-30 years. The most I ever did was read a few pages of rule and admire the counters and map. It's a lovely looking game, but too cumbersome to play. I doubt it would be nearly as much fun as playing AE against a live opponent.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:35 pm
by Malevolence
I have a stack of 'big-board" games. Everyone has different feelings about different designers and their work I guess. Like many, I read and gaze more than playthrough.
Pacific War, I don't have it, but it's on my wish list.
Empire of the Sun, have it. It's actually playable and we did run it. I enjoyed it.
War in the Pacific, have it. The ultimate hanger queen. I'm pretty sure it's unplayable. I've never totally set it out.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:36 pm
by Nomad
I used to have it, played about 2 years into the game a long time ago. It was lost in a flood, along with about 25 other titles.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:40 pm
by Knavey
Feinder and I set it up a few times over the years. Never finished it...well, actually, not sure we ever started it.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 11:40 pm
by Shellshock
I tried setting it up once. Overnight Catzilla moved in on Tokyo. Haven't tried to play it since. It's my understanding that it was a fantastic design for the time.

RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 12:08 am
by Shellshock
If you're curious this is how to read the information on the counters for the game. It came with a lot of charts and tables. If any board game came close to the intricate detail of Witp AE this was it. It even covered float planes on warships.

RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 12:41 am
by Will_L
Had it and played it maybe two dozen times and liked it a lot.
Need space to keep it set up though since it'll take a while to do most of the campaign games.
Different flavors also, Malaya Campaign with a lot of ground units and other scenarios that are mostly naval.
Sadly it was destroyed in a basement flood when some idiot closed a valve in the sewer system during heavy rains.
Could have been worse, neighbor two houses down had six feet of water in his basement only 18 inches in mine but
bottom shelf misery.
Definitely not the game to set up if you have a cat, those counter stacks are very enticing to them.
SWAT! purrrrrrrrr.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 1:31 am
by bush
Still have it, but never even started a game. It's BIG.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 5:36 am
by Reg
ORIGINAL: Malevolence
Pacific War, I don't have it, but it's on my wish list.
Then you'll be glad to know GMT Games have launched a P500 reprint.... [:)]
Edit: I read that an improved Vassal module was part of the package.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 7:17 am
by Trugrit
I have it.
Very intense. You will need some large tables to set it up on.
I bought several large sheets of plexiglass to cover over, flatten and protect
The paper maps and charts.
Interesting game design. It is worth having for a Pacific war fan.
I’ve not set it up in years because I have a cat that lives with us named
Commodore Beauregard Perry who loves to wreck puzzles and board games.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:51 am
by eastwindrain
Sorry for intruding, I have had TLD for decades, hardly used. the rule book is in poor condition well read over time, but hey the 2nd edition rules are available for download, still have SOS un-used 1st edition punched but in mint condition.
What I would suggest is Vassel however I cannot confirm if it is listed as one of the thousands of games available just to save yourself a lotta cash, also you require a secure space to play the monster.
Have several monster games on Vassel, all free but again never played anyone of them.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 11:47 am
by Torplexed
Looks like there is a Vassal module for it.

RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 6:17 pm
by floydg
Here is a picture of CoachZuck and I about to start a game many years ago. We started a few times, but never finished.
I remember when I was in High School, my mother was going into NYC for the day and I asked her to go to SPI and buy the game for me. She said that when she asked for it, they told her that it was a very complicated game and she replied that her son is very smart. Not sure who was right in this case...

RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 7:11 pm
by MBF
I think 2 different board games are being discussed here

SPI's War in the Pacific and Victory Games Pacific War - both great games that I played a lot of solitaire due to lack of rural opponents
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 7:55 pm
by Reg
Check out this image from BGG on a SPI WITP boardgame set up... [X(] [X(] [8D]
If we all could only have such a control centre. [:'(]
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/4051798/war-pacific-second-edition
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 8:04 pm
by dr.hal
I played it once with a human and we had it set up in an unused dorm room at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland for 13 months and we played until September 1942 during that time. We had to dismantle it as we moved on but before we did we wrote out where each piece was located on the board as we were sure we would pick the game up again at some point. That was in 1989, it has yet to be set back up (it currently resides in a box in a shed). My old opponent is still alive living in Finland somewhere.... such is the movement of time.
RE: OT: Board game War In The Pacific - Struggle Against Japan 1941 - 1945
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 8:24 pm
by Shellshock
ORIGINAL: MBF
I think 2 different board games are being discussed here

SPI's War in the Pacific and Victory Games Pacific War - both great games that I played a lot of solitaire due to lack of rural opponents
Yeah, we are certainly discussing two monster games at once here. I think the OP edited his post to indicate he meant the title on the left.
