Brief Description | Players each command one or more aircraft,
with rules covering combat, bombing (level, dive, and torpedo), and anti-aircraft fire. Advanced rules add clouds,
experience levels, and a new movement sequence. Played on a hexagonal gridded surface, with 24 altitude levels.
Rulebook includes a discussion of tactics, designer's notes, bibliography, and a primer on painting.
Set includes 12 scenarios (3 solitaire, 9 standard):
- Caught! (December 10, 1941)
- In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, two SBD Dauntlesses from Scouting Six attack the
I-70, a Japanese submarine tracking an American task force. Solitaire scenario.
- Butch O'Hare's Flight Into Glory (February 20, 1942)
- One F4F-3 Wildcat with an "ace" pilot intercepts eight G4M1 Betty bombers. Solitaire scenario.
- The Master Teaches (May 24, 1942)
- Saburo Sakai leads eleven A6M2 Zeros in an interception of six B-25C's over the Owen
Stanley Mountains. Solitaire scenario.
- Tigers Over Burma (January 29, 1942)
- Claire Chennault ambushes a Japanese fighter sweep. Twenty Ki-27 Nates vs. eight P-40C's
and two Hurricane II's.
- Cat and Mouse (April 9, 1942)
- Claire Chennault ambushes the Japanese as they attack an Allied airbase. Eleven Ki-43 Oscars
vs. eight P-40C's.
- Doom in the Gloom (May 7, 1942)
- Four F4F-3 Wildcats from Lexington's CAP intercept nine B5N2 Kates at the
Battle of the Coral Sea.
- Buffalo Wings (June 4th, 1942)
- Four F2A-3 Buffalos from Marine Corps VMF-221 intercept five B5N2 Kates with three
A6M2 Zero escorts in defense of Midway Island.
- Only One Will Survive (June 4, 1942)
- Eight TBD Devastator torpedo planes of Torpedo Eight attack the Japanese fleet at
Midway, fighting off eighteen A6M2 Zero interceptors.
- Lightning Strikes! (August 15, 1942)
- The P-38 Lightning debuts in the Pacific, with six P-38F's meeting nine A6M2 Zeros
during a fighter sweep.
- Nagumo's Gambit (August 24, 1942)
- Lt. Bruce Harwood of VT-8 leads his division of five TBF Avengers on a strike against
the Japanese carrier Ryujo, defended by two A6M2 Zeros.
- The 'Blue Goose' To The Rescue (October 15, 1942)
- The Japanese have worn down the Marine Air Wing on Guadalcanal sufficiently to dare
to unload transports in broad daylight. The Marines attack with their final reserves -
twelve SBD Dauntlesses, six P-400 Airacobras, and a lone PBY Catalina (the Blue Goose)
carrying torpedoes. Their escort of four F4F-4 Wildcats must fend off nine A6M2 Zeros.
- Cactus Stings the Hiei (November 14, 1942)
- The "Cactus Air Force" out of Guadalcanal must sink the disabled Japanese battleship
Hiei; the Japanese CAP must protect the ship. Five TBF Avengers with seven
F4F-4 Wildcat escorts vs. three A6M2 Zeros.
There are also 3 mini-campaigns:
- Scratch One Flattop! (May 7, 1942)
- This extra-long scenario recreates the strikes on the Shoho at Coral Sea,
involving multiple strikes over many hours. Ten F4F-3 Wildcats, twenty-eight SBD Dauntlesses,
and twelve TDB Devastators fight against seven A6M2 Zeros and two A5M4 Claudes.
- America Strikes Back! (June 4, 1942)
- Four scenarios recreate key events at the Battle of Midway from an American perspective.
Some scenarios affect the following scenario. The last scenario can be
played by multiple players, but all must be on the American side.
- Retribution! (June 4, 1942)
- Six linked scenarios follow the Japanese attempts to sink the Yorktown, following
the destruction of their own carriers. Most scenarios affect the following scenarios.
Data is provided for 23 Allied and 13 Japanese aircraft, and for 96 ships.
Japanese Aircraft |
Fighters | Bombers |
A5M4 Claude | B5N2 Kate |
A6M2 Zero | D3A1 Val |
A6M2-N Rufe | G3M2 Nell |
Ki-27 Nate | G4M1 Betty |
Ki-43 Oscar | H6K5 Mavis |
Ki-45 Nick | H8K1 Emily |
| Ki-21 IIb Sally |
Alled Aircraft |
Fighters | Bombers |
CA-12 Boomerang | Albacore |
Hurricane II | Blenheim I |
Fulmar | Swordfish |
F-2A Buffalo | A-20C Havoc |
F4F-3 Wildcat | A-29 Hudson |
F4F-4 Wildcat | A-31 Vengeance |
P-26 Peashooter | B-25C Mitchell |
P-36 Mohawk | B-26A Marauder |
P-38F Lightning | SBD Dauntless |
P-40C Tomahawk | TBD Devastator |
P-400 Airacobra | TBF Avenger |
| PBY Catalina |
|