First off, this series is being done as a bit of a lark as wargaming has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas so if anyone is offended, please just stop reading now.

On the 6th day of Christmas War Gaming, my true love gave to me…

6 Zeroes Patrolling

Fighters of the Pacific from Capsicum Games is a simple introductory wargame that covers the major battles that occurred in the Pacific between the Empire of Japan and the United States. But instead of being focused on overproduction, including tons and tons of plastic miniatures, the game is focused on the game play and that really sets this one apart from many such miniatures based aerial combat games that we have played over the years. I think this game is very good and will most likely end up on my top 10 list for 2023. (Hint because airplanes and ships!)

In the Core game there are 6 different types of planes with 3 types provided for each nation. The planes chosen were the 3 typical aircraft types that were utilized on the Aircraft Carriers in the Pacific Theater of Operations including Fighters, Dive Bombers and Torpedo Bombers. The Americans have the F4F Wildcat (Fighter), the SBD Dauntless (Dive Bomber) and the TBD Devastator (Torpedo Bomber) while the Japanese had the A6M Zero (Fighter), the D3A Vale (Dive Bomber) and the B5N Kate (Torpedo Bomber). These are the most iconic planes of the war and are found in droves as each side has plenty of counters of each type and the scenarios differ in what planes are available as well as the number for each side.

In the picture above, you can see that the Japanese player has a formidable defense set up centered on their Aircraft Carrier Akagi which is flanked by 2 escort vessels in the Urakaze Destroyer and Akigumo Destroyer as well as a net of flack and 6 A6M Zeroes performing Combat Air Patrol (CAP) operations. The great thing about this game is if a plane has an enemy plane in its Fire Zone at the end of its movement, the plane can take a shot and the target plane has an opportunity to dodge only if it has not yet activated in the turn. If it can’t dodge due to already having been activated this turn, it takes damage automatically. There is no dice rolling. No CRT’s to consult. This game is about positioning and maneuver and not about the luck of the dice.

I wrote a fairly detailed and in-depth First Impression post for Fighters of the Pacific and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/05/09/first-impressions-fighters-of-the-pacific-from-capsicum-games/

Here is our video review of Fighters of the Pacific:

If you are interested in Fighters of the Pacific, you can order a copy for $50.00 from the Don’t Panic/Capsicum Games website at the following link: https://www.dontpanicgames.com/en/shop/boardgames/fighters-of-the-pacific/

You can catch up on the posts in this series to date at the following links:

A Patriot Militia Caught in the Open – Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection from GMT Games

2 Barrages Exploding – SCS Ardennes II from Multi-Man Publishing

3 Columns Shifting – The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition from GMT Games

4 Relief Convoys Incoming – The Mog: Mogadishu 1993 from White Dog Games

5 Dug-In German Soldiers – Imperial Tide: The Great War, 1914-1918 from Compass Games

-Grant