Axis and Allies: Pacific
Encyclopedia
Axis & Allies: Pacific is a strategy board game
produced by Hasbro
under the Avalon Hill
name brand. Released in July 31, 2001
and designed by Larry Harris
, the designer of the original Axis & Allies
game, Axis & Allies: Pacific allows its players to recreate the Pacific Theater of World War II
.
While it is a strategic board game with a historical setting, it is not designed to be a historical simulation. Instead, it is designed for a stream-lined ease of play and a balancing of the two powers rather than for historical accuracy.
In 2002 Axis & Allies: Pacific won the Origins Award
for Best Historical Board Game of 2001.
December 7, 1941
Japan is about to launch one of the most infamous preemptive strikes in military history. Their target, the American Pacific Fleet moored in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. In the weeks to come, other battles will add to the sting of Allied defeats - Hong Kong, Malaya, the Philippines, Java.
Axis & Allies: Pacific invites you and your opponent to determine the future of the Pacific! How will the Americans counterattack after Japan's initial onslaught? Will Japan succeed in gaining the right resources of the East Indies? Can these be held long enough for the Allies to grow weary of the war? How will British forces fare in the embattled jungles of Burma? You will decide.
Naval strategy, as well as prudent economic moves, is critical in building and sustaining your naval forces. Warships, transports, ground forces and air power will all be needed if you are to control the Pacific. Good Luck. The fate of the world is in your hands!
For two or three players, aged 12 and up. Contains a Gameboard Map, 345 Plastic Playing Pieces, National Control Markers, National Production Charts, a Battle Board Chart, Industrial Production Certificates (IPCs), 12 Dice, Plastic Chips (Gray and Red), and a Gameplay Manual. Rated at a Challenging Complexity Level by Hasbro.
The overall goal for winning the game differs for each player. The Allies (the British and America players) must either conquer and occupy the territory of Japan for a turn, or they must reduce Japan's IPC income to 9 or less by conquering other territories to win the game. The Japan player's goals are more open-ended: Japan must conquer and occupy any of the Allied capitals on the gameboard (the territories of India, New South Wales, or USA), or Japan must accumulate 22 victory points (Japan scores one point for every 10 IPCs collected at the end of its turn).
Each player starts out with a slightly different arsenal of units to deploy.
Industrial Complex:Constructs units. Can only be built by the United States. All capitals and Hawaii start with an Industrial Complex. Cannot be destroyed.
Infantry:Available to all players, these units are cheap but weak. Better at defending than attacking under normal circumstances, these units may still be used to good advantage (as more than Cannon-fodder) by a tactical player. Their movement is the most limited of any in the expansion. The U.S. can build special infantry called "Marines". Marines are better in amphibious assaults.
Marines:US specific troops. Specialized in amphibious assaults, it has 2 attack instead of 1 attack when attacking.
Artillery:Available to all players, artillery units are slightly more effective than infantry, but their greatest benefit comes when used in concert with infantry: for every matching artillery, each matching infantry's attack roll is doubled, equalling the attack roll of artillery.
Armor:Available to all players, armor units are typically rare, but are the most effective and costly land unit, with a good attack roll and a moderate defensive roll. They have the added advantage of being able to cross two land territories, by blitzing, as compared to the infantry and artillery's movement of one land territory.
Anti-aircraft:Available to all players, antiaircraft units costs as much as a tank, but are marginally useful only when defending against enemy air attacks. Each player starts with one in their capital territory.
Bombers: Available to all players, bomber units are rare but are the best in land offenses. They also have the ability to force a player to surrender IPCs to the bank by a Strategic Bombing Raid (SBR).
Fighters: Available to all players, fighters play an important role in the game. Strong in both offense and defense and with the ability to be used as cannon fodder for SBRs.
Battleships: Strongest ship available. Takes two hits to destroy.
Aircraft Carriers: Capital ship able to hold two fighters. Strong defense but weak attack.
Destroyers: Available to all players, destroyers are used for disabling submarine advantages. For the Japanese player, they can be used as transports.
Submarine: Ship with a special first strike rule that lets it sink ships without being fired back at.
Transports: Ship used to transport units. No attack and weak defense.
German-style board game
German-style board games, frequently referred to in gaming circles as Euro Games or Euro-style, are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, indirect player interaction and abstract physical components...
produced by Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
under the Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
name brand. Released in July 31, 2001
2001 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 2001. For video and console games, see 2001 in video gaming....
and designed by Larry Harris
Larry Harris (game designer)
Larry Harris, Jr., is a game designer most famous for creating the board game Axis & Allies, as well as all of its sequels. His other significant games include Conquest of the Empire, Broadsides and Boarding Parties, LionHeart and more. He has also assisted in the further development of Trivial...
, the designer of the original Axis & Allies
Axis and Allies
Axis & Allies is a popular series of World War II strategy board games, with nearly two million copies printed. Originally designed by Larry Harris and published by Nova Game Designs in 1981, the game was republished by the Milton Bradley Company in 1984 as part of the Gamemaster Series of board...
game, Axis & Allies: Pacific allows its players to recreate the Pacific Theater of World War II
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
.
While it is a strategic board game with a historical setting, it is not designed to be a historical simulation. Instead, it is designed for a stream-lined ease of play and a balancing of the two powers rather than for historical accuracy.
In 2002 Axis & Allies: Pacific won the Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Historical Board Game of 2001.
Setting
(content from the outside bottom panel of the Axis & Allies: Pacific gamebox)December 7, 1941
Japan is about to launch one of the most infamous preemptive strikes in military history. Their target, the American Pacific Fleet moored in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. In the weeks to come, other battles will add to the sting of Allied defeats - Hong Kong, Malaya, the Philippines, Java.
Axis & Allies: Pacific invites you and your opponent to determine the future of the Pacific! How will the Americans counterattack after Japan's initial onslaught? Will Japan succeed in gaining the right resources of the East Indies? Can these be held long enough for the Allies to grow weary of the war? How will British forces fare in the embattled jungles of Burma? You will decide.
Naval strategy, as well as prudent economic moves, is critical in building and sustaining your naval forces. Warships, transports, ground forces and air power will all be needed if you are to control the Pacific. Good Luck. The fate of the world is in your hands!
For two or three players, aged 12 and up. Contains a Gameboard Map, 345 Plastic Playing Pieces, National Control Markers, National Production Charts, a Battle Board Chart, Industrial Production Certificates (IPCs), 12 Dice, Plastic Chips (Gray and Red), and a Gameplay Manual. Rated at a Challenging Complexity Level by Hasbro.
Game play
The game is designed to be played by 2-3 players, representing the nation-economies of Japan, the U.S, China, ANZAC, and India (Great Britain) respectively, with the latter two groups composing the Allied forces. Both sides compete with units for control of territories producing IPCs (Industrial Production Certificates) good toward the purchase of most units.The overall goal for winning the game differs for each player. The Allies (the British and America players) must either conquer and occupy the territory of Japan for a turn, or they must reduce Japan's IPC income to 9 or less by conquering other territories to win the game. The Japan player's goals are more open-ended: Japan must conquer and occupy any of the Allied capitals on the gameboard (the territories of India, New South Wales, or USA), or Japan must accumulate 22 victory points (Japan scores one point for every 10 IPCs collected at the end of its turn).
Each player starts out with a slightly different arsenal of units to deploy.
Industrial Complex:Constructs units. Can only be built by the United States. All capitals and Hawaii start with an Industrial Complex. Cannot be destroyed.
Infantry:Available to all players, these units are cheap but weak. Better at defending than attacking under normal circumstances, these units may still be used to good advantage (as more than Cannon-fodder) by a tactical player. Their movement is the most limited of any in the expansion. The U.S. can build special infantry called "Marines". Marines are better in amphibious assaults.
Marines:US specific troops. Specialized in amphibious assaults, it has 2 attack instead of 1 attack when attacking.
Artillery:Available to all players, artillery units are slightly more effective than infantry, but their greatest benefit comes when used in concert with infantry: for every matching artillery, each matching infantry's attack roll is doubled, equalling the attack roll of artillery.
Armor:Available to all players, armor units are typically rare, but are the most effective and costly land unit, with a good attack roll and a moderate defensive roll. They have the added advantage of being able to cross two land territories, by blitzing, as compared to the infantry and artillery's movement of one land territory.
Anti-aircraft:Available to all players, antiaircraft units costs as much as a tank, but are marginally useful only when defending against enemy air attacks. Each player starts with one in their capital territory.
Bombers: Available to all players, bomber units are rare but are the best in land offenses. They also have the ability to force a player to surrender IPCs to the bank by a Strategic Bombing Raid (SBR).
Fighters: Available to all players, fighters play an important role in the game. Strong in both offense and defense and with the ability to be used as cannon fodder for SBRs.
Battleships: Strongest ship available. Takes two hits to destroy.
Aircraft Carriers: Capital ship able to hold two fighters. Strong defense but weak attack.
Destroyers: Available to all players, destroyers are used for disabling submarine advantages. For the Japanese player, they can be used as transports.
Submarine: Ship with a special first strike rule that lets it sink ships without being fired back at.
Transports: Ship used to transport units. No attack and weak defense.
External links
- Axis & Allies: Pacific at axisandallies.org