Relive the fury of air and sea combat in the Pacific during World War II. Direct each plane in multiple fighter and bomber squadrons to lead attacks on the enemy’s carriers and island bases. No dice, no rulers, only dozens of planes and ships! A fast-paced and streamlined game mechanic that plunges you in the heart of the battle. Move each plane individually on a hex grid. When you maneuver to get an enemy plane in your sights, it must try to dodge or else take damage. Some planes can use torpedoes and bombs to destroy ships and ground installations. Stay in formation to keep the initiative and dominate your opponent. Each plane has its own attributes in terms of speed, armor, and special abilities. Each piece is illustrated as close as possible to its historical model to maximize your immersion!
The Fighters of the Pacific series includes a CORE GAME, and TWO EXPANSIONS. The CORE GAME contains everything you need to play hours of battle over the Pacific Ocean: a huge modular board, 4 aircraft carriers, 4 destroyers, 94 aircraft tokens, 91 game tokens and 8 reference cards. The complete rules and 10 scenarios are also included of course. The carrier and aircraft tokens represent the forces of 4 real aircraft carriers fighting in 1942, with a ratio of 1 token to 3 aircraft. For the Japanese, the AKAGI and KAGA form the 1st aircraft division that participated in the attack of Pearl Harbor and the battle of Midway. For the Americans, the USS HORNET and USS YORKTOWN were participating in the Doolittle Raid and the Battle of Midway too.
The first expansion, Battle of Midway contains enough tokens to complete the base game to have all the forces present in this battle, including the aircraft at the base on Midway Island. This includes 3 new American aircraft models, the old F2A Buffalo fighter, the B-26 Mitchell bomber that launched the very first counterattack on the Japanese forces, and some brand new TBF Avengers. Most importantly, this expansion includes 5 scenarios to relive one of the most unpredictable and decisive battles of the war as if you were there. The tokens are laid down, the story is in your hands!
One month before the Battle of Midway, the first ever naval air battle took place. It is known as the Battle of the Coral Sea. Relive this battle with this expansion pack that provides 3 new Japanese aircraft carriers, the SHOKAKU, ZUIKAKU and SHOHO, the USS LEXINGTON forces and 4 exciting scenarios. Will you manage to save the SHOHO and the USS LEXINGTON?
—description from the publisher
- Light and approachable wargame with an engaging air combat puzzle
- Beautiful artwork and detailed components
- Campaigns add depth and variety
- Fits in core box with no need for extra storage
- Box packaging may be bulky; the larger outer boxes are not ideal
- Air combat and carrier engagements
- World War II Pacific Theater
- Array
- Fighters of Europe
- Memoir 44
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- campaign-based scenarios — Two historical campaigns (Coral Sea and Midway) comprised of multiple raids.
- Elevation and positioning — Two elevation levels (high and low) affect maneuver choices and engagement outcomes.
- Maneuver templates and air wing management — Movement and combat resolution guided by pre-defined templates; planes with varying sizes and speeds.
- Token and counter management — Aircraft, carriers, damage, and other state trackers use tokens to represent in-game status.
- Turn sequence and two-sided scenario sheets — Turns are laid out with double-sided sheets for setup, missions, and objectives.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Fighters of the Pacific is a fantastic, phenomenal game. It is just a simple light war game.
- I absolutely loved that game; it was so fun.
- This campaign sounds super fun and interesting to me.
- I can't wait to give these a try.
- Memoir 44 is a light war game; Fighters of the Pacific has a similar approachable vibe.
References (from this video)
- immersive air-combat experience
- tight integration of deck-building with theme
- air combat abstraction may omit some historical nuances
- air combat between American and Japanese naval aviators
- Pacific theater, WWII air supremacy
- deck-building aerial warfare
- Undaunted Battle of Britain
- Guadal Canal
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- air superiority objective — control of airspace drives success
- Deck Building — cards govern actions and events for aerial combat
- deck-building — cards govern actions and events for aerial combat
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- great history to learn about and great way to learn about history through gaming.
- what do you think? what are some of the games you would have played for some of these iconic battles?
- I couldn't fit every operation scenario. I couldn't fit every game in this.