Pacific Crossroads: A Preview
By Mike Bennighof, Ph.D.
June 2010

"I think you could make some money off that game," my girlfriend said to me one day. "You know, the one with the fleets moving on the map."

And a lot of years later, the girlfriend is my wife and I'm still making a living from that game with the fleets moving on the map. The latest installment in the Great War at Sea is getting ready for launch, and Pacific Crossroads will finally add the low-priced introductory game that the series has always needed.

At just $19.99, the price is in impulse-buy territory and should let us put the game in front of thousands of potential new fans. But there's plenty for the old-line Great War at Sea player, too.

The map covers a piece of the Central Pacific Ocean, from the Northern Marianas on the north and west to Ponape on the east and New Guinea with Rabaul on the south edge. It's another beautiful piece of work by Christopher West, who did the maps for August 1914 and Coral Sea and it comes mounted on the same heavy cardstock we used in those games. Just like the other games in the series, the playing area's divided into squares, called "sea zones," each representing an area 32 miles across. Players plot the movement of their fleets beforehand, the number of turns between plot and execution depending on the mission given that particular fleet. When the fleets make contact, play moves to the tactical map where judgment is rendered with gunfire and torpedoes.

There are 12 scenarios, or separate game situations, included in the game. The American player is usually attempting to move reinforcements or supply convoys across the map to aid in the relief or re-conquest of the Philippines. The Japanese are trying to stop this. There are also raids of one side against the other, bombardments, and amphibious invasions. As this is intended as an introductory game, some of the more complex missions like minelaying are not included in any of the scenarios and there are no aircraft or submarines present. We might include these in a supplement later, as we know out hard-core fans will want them, but this game is supposed to wet some newbie toes and get them hooked on this addictive game system.

The Japanese have a major base at Truk in the middle-eastern part of the map, and a minor one at Saipan in the northwestern corner. In some scenarios they also have access to the Australian base at Rabaul. The Americans have to make do with just one minor port at Guam.

Both sides have battleships and battle cruisers, with small contingents of cruisers. The Japanese have much better battle cruisers with three of their awesome Kongo-class ships, but the Americans have more battleships (though they're slower) and the powerful torpedo batteries of their famed flush-decked destroyers. We took a much more in-depth look at the counter mix here.

All told, it's an impressive package and at just $19.99, offers an incredible amount of play value. I designed it because our marketing genius, Lys Fulda, said we needed to do it. And she was right. But it did feel good to work on another Great War at Sea game. Just like the girlfriend, the game's still here and it's still really hot.

It's hot — and it's almost here! Order Pacific Crossroads today!