This are some of the house rules that I have found useful in running A&A Pacific games in my summer gaming class. The kids playing are 6th through 10th graders, and not experienced wargamers for the most part.
J1 Disasters and How to Recover From Them
In the world of the warrior, seppuku was a deed of bravery that was admirable in a samurai who knew he was defeated, disgraced, or mortally wounded.
Don't worry. While Maverick's captain may have threatened him with cargo plane duty, no such penalty awaits you if you make a mistake while using CAP and by the time you've finished this essay you should be well on your way to using CAP as one of the tools for victory in AAPacific.
A defensive war is apt to betray us into too frequent detachment. Those generals who have had but little experience attempt to protect every point, while those who are better acquainted with their profession, having only the capital object in view, guard against a decisive blow, and acquiesce in small misfortunes to avoid greater.
Frederick the Great
Purchasing for All Occasions
Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war,
where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots,
as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand
mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them
a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front,
including entertainment of guests, small items such as
glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor,
will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day.
There are roads which must not be followed,
armies which must be not attacked, towns which must
not be besieged, positions which must not be contested,
commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.
Sun Tzu – The Art of War
One of the challenging things about playing Axis and Allies generally is the relatively complex rule systems when compared to other board games. While A&A is much simpler to learn and play than many classic hex-based war games such as Third Reich, Squad Leader or Gettysburg, it is much more complicated then a typical board game.
Sun Tzu said:
Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.
The Australia Capture – The Invasion that Wasn't
In February of 1942, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto proposed an invasion of Australia. The invasion plan, calling for landings in both the north and south of Australia, required the use of 10 Japanese Army divisions and because resources where stretched thin, the plan was rejected by Tojo and the Imperial General Staff.
The Anti-Crush
In April of 1942, a task force centred around six Japanese carriers and commanded by Admiral Cuichi Nagumo sailed into the India Ocean with the intention of destroying British Naval forces and supporting the invasion of Burma.
AAPacific is a great game and, in my opinion, an underappreciated member of the A&A family. I have played many games of AAPacific against what I believe to be some of the best players in the world – but interest in the game appears to be waning.
I got this one from the history books. The only way it’s different is that the Japanese are successful. They just couldnt implement their strategy to its fullest. Some people look at China in the beginning and laugh at how worthless it is and how it would be a nice addition to the Japanese empire. So, they begin mobilization into China…