"Pacific Victory Up On Kickstarter" Topic

"Pacific Victory is an exciting, fast-paced game simulating the Pacific Theater of WWII. Help bring this great game back into print…."

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Amicalement
Armand

I'm in!

Looks great

Glad you like it my friends!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Funded!

Not a very good game of the Pacific War. It was a very promising approach, but missed the mark on a lot of counts. For instance: there was no way to have a multi-turn contest over Guadalcanal, with both sides feeding in reinforcements to try to tip the scales – a hex is always wholly owned by one side at the end of the turn.

I'm generally a fan of Columbia Games, but I sold off this one.

I guess a Kickstarter is a good way to guarantee that the second print run pays for itself.

- Ix

I disagree: game turns are 3 months long. A turn is a 'campaign' not a battle. I think as a 'light' strategic game that can be played in a single sitting it does an outstanding job.

It's also a matter of game type: if I want a detailed strategic simulation I would play 'Empire Of The Sun'.

R'/Joe

I disagree: game turns are 3 months long. A turn is a 'campaign' not a battle.

A lot of the campaigns for areas contained within a Pacific Victory hex took 6+ months of activity, with both sides feeding in forces and fighting peripheral naval battles to interdict or support the reinforcement operations. The Guadalcanal hex is the most famous (and evenly matched) example, and in game terms took 4-5 turns (2-3 turns fighting on Guadalcanal, a lull of a turn, then the 1-turn conquest of the New Georgia group), during its course spawning 2 of the great carrier battles, a long and costly air campaign, and a slew of minor naval battles in that hex and nearby hexes. The hexes containing Rabaul, the Philippines, Burma, parts of New Guinea, etc. historically saw similar see-saw contests, and some campaigns didn't end until Japan surrendered. The real-life fight for the hex with Rabaul would start on the Sep 44 or Dec 44 turn (with the invasion of Bougainville) and continue as a contested hex until the end of the game, and during the 1945 turns, the US player would feed in minimal reinforcements (just enough to avoid losing the hex) and instead work to keep the supply lines cut (thus "bypassing Rabaul"). Nothing about the game gave me the feel of feeding reinforcements into a simmering cauldron to try to tip the balance; every battle ended in outright victory for someone.

It's also a matter of game type: if I want a detailed strategic simulation I would play 'Empire Of The Sun'.

And I disagree that a more detailed simulation is needed to address the problem I referenced above, or any others I found. I still think the basic Victory game system is a great foundation for a Pacific War game that can be played in a single sitting, I just felt that Pacific Victory missed the mark. I experimented with solutions to some of my issues, but decided it was too much work and sold the game instead.

I'm still happy to see the Kickstarter boosting the appeal of the game. The larger map is a great idea.

- Ix

YA: understood. I take your point regarding 'feel' and for me the 'feel' of the game is strategic and personally I'm not looking to replay specific campaigns through a game system like this.

That said, I think designing a strategic game of the Pacific War is extremely difficult. In fact, I haven't found a game that truly satisfies me and I started playing 'USN' in the late 70's.

My point regarding 'Empire of The Sun' is that it's system would provide the 'back and forth' that you originally referred to regarding the Guadalcanal Campaign.

R'/Joe