2005 · World War II

Empire of the Sun: The Pacific War 1941-1945

A strategic-level simulation of the Pacific War from Pearl Harbor to Japan’s surrender, covering the theater from India and Burma to Hawaii, the Aleutians, and Australia on a single hex map. Players command Allied and Japanese forces, directing naval task forces, air units, and land corps across major offensive axes while managing a shared card-driven economy of 165 event and operation cards. Combat uses a two-tier system—air-naval engagement followed by ground combat—with variable combat efficiency modifiers that scale unit hits. Campaign play models political will, China as an abstracted pressure track, and regional outcomes such as India, Australia, and the Pacific island campaigns; turns represent four months and units range from brigade/division to capital ships.

groupPlayers

1–2 best 2

schedulePlaying time

360 min

cakeAge

12+

psychologyComplexity

4.4 / 5