THE SUN ALSO RISES An Introduction to RISING SUN Dave Casper (d.casper@cern.ch) The Pacific theater of World War Two conjures up many images: Marines in desperate island assaults, suicidal kamikaze attacks, submarines stalking their prey, the why's and what-if's of Pearl Harbor, the ominous final horror of the atomic bomb, and above all, the hide-and-seek, nail-biting drama of aircraft carriers trading blows across a seemingly endless expanse of ocean - this is RISING SUN. Before the Dawn RISING SUN is the long-awaited adaption of the THIRD REICH/ADVANCED THIRD REICH system to the Pacific theater of WWII. It is far from an exaggeration to say "long-awaited", since the first edition of THIRD REICH was released some twenty years ago yet past attempts at a Pacific version were either unsuccessful, or cancelled altogether. In many ways, the THIRD REICH system itself was to blame for these disappointments, and had to change before there could be a workable Pacific version. Development of ADVANCED THIRD REICH brought a more sophisticated air and naval interaction, paving the way for RISING SUN, while also rekindling interest in the game and revitalizing the system as a whole. Barely pausing to enjoy the fruits of their labors after producing ADVANCED THIRD REICH, the design team launched into development of the Pacific companion, an early prototype of which had, in fact, already been tested alongside the European game. I joined the effort in the Fall of 1992. Having been a neophyte game designer since junior high school and a THIRD REICH player since the dark days of the First Edition, I was impressed by the newly-released ADVANCED THIRD REICH, and the promise of a Pacific game on page 61 of the rulebook grabbed my attention. A large collection of nearly every Pacific theater game ever published was gathering dust, unplayed, at the back of one of my closet shelves, so I was eager for the opportunity to help RISING SUN avoid the same fate. As the saying goes, "If you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself," or more accurately in this case, you have to do your share. Strategic games of the Pacific theater have, in general, fared rather poorly. Apart from the very simple yet popular VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC, no such game has yet gained acceptance as a "classic": playable in a reasonable amount of time but having a satisfying level of detail, with clear rules, genuine strategic challenges, and above all, fun to play. A tall order to be sure, and with the growing prevalence of computer games, RISING SUN may be one of the last boardgames with an opportunity to fill this long-empty niche in the hobby. This article is an introduction to RISING SUN, written mainly from the perspective of a player of ADVANCED THIRD REICH. It is not possible, realistically, to exhaustively survey the entire THIRD REICH/ADVANCED THIRD REICH/RISING SUN system, assuming no prior knowledge on the part of the reader. Those familiar with only THIRD REICH should follow the discussion with little difficulty. Players completely new to the system should still find this piece aids their understanding of the game. The carrier rules are, after all, new to everyone, and the corresponding sections below are written with this fact in mind. Sadly, this article must largely restrict itself to RISING SUN, and neither the accompanying Research and Intelligence system nor the Global War scenario can really be given their proper due. Anything more than a superficial discussion of strategy must likewise await future articles. But without further ado, let's see if RISING SUN has been worth the wait... Something New Under the Sun RISING SUN covers the war in the Pacific from December 1941 to Japan's surrender (or the end of 1946). The Campaign Game runs through this entire period, while two other scenarios pick up the action in mid-1942, at the height of Japan's expansion, and 1944, at the start of the US carrier-led counter-offensive. Four smaller scenarios focusing on individual battles are also provided. Turns are seasonal. Ground units generally represent corps or more often, divisions. Army air factors represent some 100 planes each. Individual aircraft carriers are represented, with the smallest increment of naval aviation being about 30 planes. Other naval assets are represented as the usual fleet factors. Strategic warfare forces (submarines, strategic bombers, ASW and interceptors) are the ones familiar from ADVANCED THIRD REICH. RISING SUN is a strategic game, but faces the usual dilemma of the Pacific theater: the course of the war was strongly influenced, if not decided, by a small number of brief engagements during carrier battles. Hence it is inevitable that the system must reach down into the operational, and even tactical scales when appropriate. Play of RISING SUN differs considerably in feel from that of ADVANCED THIRD REICH: most of those who have played both games agree that RISING SUN is more of a tactical contest, while ADVANCED THIRD REICH is a strategian's game. If victory in ADVANCED THIRD REICH often results from sneaking up on the opponent and then bludgeoning him to death, RISING SUN is more like a fencing match. Despite the tactical element the big picture is hardly given short shrift, especially in a Global War game. The Global War Appendix provides the necessary linkage with ADVANCED THIRD REICH, along with three Global scenarios starting at 1939, Pearl Harbor, or 1944. An additional Appendix presents the new Research and Intelligence rules, primarily intended for use with Global War. In many ways, the Research and Intelligence system is to Global War what the diplomatic tables were to ADVANCED THIRD REICH: in the words of Joe Brophy ("Making the Transition", _The General_ vol. 22, no.3), "the crowning achievement of the design ... the new game cannot be fully appreciated without understanding and using them". Research replaces random variant draw and broadens the scope of the game, allowing the players to choose not only the type of war they wish to fight, but the tools with which they will fight it. An additional counter-sheet provides extra units for use with the research system. Terra Incognita RISING SUN has been designed with three fundamental goals in mind: compatibility, realism, and playability. Because there are already many players familiar with ADVANCED THIRD REICH, and because RISING SUN is intended to be playable together with that game, every effort has been made to keep the two systems compatible with each other. The core rules have the same organization and numbering, and in most cases, the same wording, as their predecessor's. Experienced players of ADVANCED THIRD REICH should find it easy to begin play almost immediately, and it is hoped that this article will help them cruise effortlessly into the Pacific at flank speed. RISING SUN is intended to be a historical and flavorful study of the theater. Realism in RISING SUN does not mean modelling the minute differences between a menagerie of airplanes, ships, or divisions, but rather creating a system which behaves plausibly as whole, and gives the players many of the same decisions and trade-offs faced by their historical counterparts. Playability is ultimately the most important design goal, since a game only works if it can and will be played. RISING SUN could have been a "monster game", but it is not. Large carrier battles should be playable in less than 15 minutes. With fewer units to move and fewer turns, the game should take considerably less time to complete than ADVANCED THIRD REICH. Compatibility contributes to playability, since ADVANCED THIRD REICH forms a solid, well-tested foundation for the game. Realism also contributes to playability, since if the game system responds to the players' decisions in the expected way, a degree of suspension of disbelief is achieved. When the players can approach decisions with the attitude "What would Halsey do in this situation?" rather than "Can I improve my chances infinitesimally by dividing my factors differently?", the game flows more smoothly and more enjoyably. Despite it's kinship with ADVANCED THIRD REICH, RISING SUN is, in the final analysis, a new game, featuring many new ideas and mechanics - _terra incognita_ for both players and designers. Players will have to invent their strategies from scratch and improvise their tactics when they begin to play. It will take a long time before there is the "comfort level" of familiarity which ADVANCED THIRD REICH inherited from almost twenty years of THIRD REICH. When combined with the European game and the new Research and Intelligence system in a Global War scenario, the undiscovered possibilities multiply almost beyond imagination. The same uncertainties also present themselves to the designers. The thousands of playings of THIRD REICH exposed numerous problems, many of which were addressed by ADVANCED THIRD REICH. RISING SUN has no such base of experience, and despite the best efforts of designers and playtesters, it would be miraculous indeed if RISING SUN proved to be flawless, if no problematic rules or unbalancing strategies emerged from a game so complex. Venturing into the unknown always requires a bit of fortitude, but RISING SUN should not disappoint those willing to take on the challenge. New Worlds to Conquer The RISING SUN map covers the Pacific and Asian theaters of World War II, stretching from Hawaii to central India and from the Aleutians to central Australia. Because of the greater area to be covered, the scale of the Pacific map is almost double that of the European game. RISING SUN's unit counters have movement and range factors appropriate to the Pacific map (e.g. RISING SUN infantry counters have a movement factor of two instead of three or four), so players may largely ignore the difference in scale. Units transferring between maps in a Global War scenario are exchanged for the appropriate substitute counters, which are provided. The map is divided into three fronts (Asian, South-east Asian, and Pacific) for purposes of option declaration, but since the Pacific does not contain the natural choke-points which govern naval movement in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, RISING SUN front boundaries do not obstruct naval operations. RISING SUN features several new terrain types, and apart from the wide-open oceans, is considerably more terrain-intensive than ADVANCED THIRD REICH. Terrain also has more pronounced effects on movement, combat, and ZOCs, due to the less-developed transportation network in Asia. Naturally, there are plenty of jungle hexes in addition to mountains and swamp. There are also combination jungle/mountain hexes in the most remote areas. Besides the expected +1 (cumulative) defense multiplier (DM) to defenders, rugged terrain also affects movement. Units must stop upon moving into any of these types of hexes, with the exception that partisans and Japanese units may move through jungle. Armored units in rough terrain (or on the South-east Asian front during the Summer Monsoon season) instantly lose their mechanized component, preventing exploitation or overrun. ZOCs do not extend into rough terrain, nor may it be occupied by attrition advance. The same ZOC and advance restrictions apply across rivers. Jungle/mountain hexes are so inhospitable that airbase counters may not be placed in them. During Summer turns, hexes on the South-east Asian front which contain jungle experience Monsoon conditions, and may not be entered during movement or combat. Australian outback and Himalayan hexes round out the list of new terrain types, and are always impassible to land (but not air) units. Obviously the net effect of these terrain rules is to slow overland advance to a crawl in all but a few areas of clear terrain. In marked contrast to the congested jungles of south-east Asia, the Pacific Ocean is a vast, mostly empty space, broken only by the occasional archipelago or lonely island outpost. The larger chains of Pacific islands (e.g. the Marshall Islands, the Hawaiian Islands, etc.) are tied together into island groups. Capture of an island group does not require occupation of every island hex in the group - to gain control it is sufficient to drive out all enemy forces while having at least one friendly unit there at the end of the combat phase. Island groups also simplify tracing of sea supply, since supply need only be traced to a single island in the group to supply all other islands. Allied bases off the map edges - the US West Coast, southern Australia, New Zealand, western India, and Russia - are represented by off-map boxes. In rare cases, the Japanese may actually be able to invade the India or Australia boxes. In that event, combat is resolved abstractly using the attrition table. If the Japanese can overwhelm the Allied garrison, the box may even be conquered, however in most cases off-map boxes fulfill the more mundane roles of way-stations for Allied reinforcements coming onto the map. American units must initially deploy from the US Box to Hawaii, or may reach the South Pacific box (in effect, New Zealand) with a one-turn delay (flexible deployment capability, whether gained by variant or research, removes this one turn delay). Allied ground units may be broken down or recombined in some boxes, and the South Pacific box serves as an important staging point should the Japanese cut the on-map sea lanes between America and Australia. A notable difference from ADVANCED THIRD REICH is that naval units in the US box may not conduct interceptions on map (units in the India and Australia boxes, which represent areas closer to the map edge, may operate on map with an appropriate reduction in range, however). On the Ground The fundamentals of RISING SUN, including the land system, are nearly identical to those of ADVANCED THIRD REICH. Over the course of a game-turn, a player declares his option on each of the three fronts, moves his air, sea, and land units, conducts combat, constructs new units, and then repositions a limited number of pieces using strategic redeployment. BRPs (Basic Resource Points) are expended for offensive activities and unit construction. The opponent then takes his turn by following the same sequence. After both sides have moved, strategic warfare is conducted and a new turn begins. A Year-Start Sequence (YSS) is conducted before every Spring turn, at which time each side receives its BRP allotment for the coming year and may construct new strategic warfare forces. One major simplification in RISING SUN concerns the order of movement, or initiative: in a Global War game, the overall world-wide Axis and Allied BRP totals (of which the Japanese and American Pacific war-efforts are but a small part) determine the initiative. When RISING SUN is played alone, the effect of the European economies on the order of movement is abstracted out. Japan opens the game with a Winter 1941/Spring 1942 double-move against the Western Allies (but not China), and then continues to move first through the Winter 1942 game-turn. In the 1943 YSS, BRP totals in Europe are assumed to give the Allies the initiative, granting them a Winter 1942/Spring 1943 double move. The Allies, by virtue of events in Europe, then hold the initiative for the remainder of the game. Thus, BRP totals never affect the order of movement when RISING SUN is played alone. (An optional rule allows the Allies to attempt to seize the initiative earlier by conducting a "Doolittle Raid" on Japan, however). Offensive movement and combat have changed little, apart from the terrain effects noted above, and limited offensive operations, as in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, grant some flexibility for attacks during an attrition option. The Japanese are always granted a free offensive option against Allied units in the Japanese Isles. Armor is heavily constrained by the lack of open terrain. Movement out of a ZOC costs only one extra movement point instead of two. Overrun, breakthrough and exploitation are allowed in those theaters where terrain permits, but due to the larger hexes a chain of exploiting armor must consist of units on consecutive hexes, rather than every other hex. Attrition combat, mainly conducted in China, uses a modified Attrition Combat Table which reflects the larger scale of RISING SUN: all results granting gain of hexes have been halved, rounded down. Together with the restrictions on attrition advance into rough terrain and across rivers, the effect is that offensive attacks are usually necessary to gain ground (a fact amply borne out by the stalemated situation in China from 1939-1944). Japanese unit construction is permitted in Japan or Korea - this represents the effects of light coastal shipping in the Sea of Japan, not mobilization of Korean collaborators! Britain may construct up to three factors of British infantry in India (in addition to actual Indian units themselves); these are the same three factors which may be constructed in Suez or Basra in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, not an additional three factors. Other British units must be constructed in Britain and arrive in the India box at the end of the following turn. The Chinese Communists may construct one infantry unit and one partisan per turn at no cost. The supply rules closely follow those of ADVANCED THIRD REICH. Tokyo, Truk, and Brunei (once controlled) are unlimited supply sources for Japan, while Allied supply originates from Pearl Harbor or the various map-edges. Minor country capitals provide limited supply. Because so many units depend on sea supply, the penalties for isolation have been eased somewhat - ground units in ports or on one-hex islands, Japanese units in jungle or jungle/mountain hexes, and Chinese units in China are not eliminated due to lack of supply, although they suffer all other penalties of isolation. This change allows bypassed garrisons to survive for the duration of the war, as many of them did. Partisans play a role in RISING SUN, although they are likely to be fewer than in Europe. Both Nationalist and Communist China may construct partisans in China (but not Manchuria). The US may construct two partisans in the Philippines and one in French Indochina. Britain may construct one partisan in Burma. Variants allow Japan to build partisans in India, or Britain to employ a special para-partisan unit ("Chindits" and/or "Merrill's Marauders") in Burma. Due to the remoteness of many locations where partisans are apt to appear, the 1 BRP/turn economic effect of partisans from ADVANCED THIRD REICH has been softened: only partisans in or adjacent to a capital or Chinese objective hex inflict a BRP loss. Leathernecks and Banzai Charges Two new types of ground units make their appearance: With plenty of islands around, RISING SUN naturally provides marines to help storm them. Marines share some characteristics familiar from airborne units: they may overstack, cost three BRPs/factor, and may not be rebuilt on the same turn they are eliminated. Unlike airborne units, marines may overstack even when making a seaborne invasion, allowing more than two invading units to attack. More importantly, if at least half the ground factors attacking in an invasion are marines, the +1 DM normally received by the defenders is negated. The price of glory is high, however, since exchange losses in a marine-assisted invasion must first be taken by marines. The US force pool contains six 1-2 marine divisions, but they are only added gradually over the course of the war. Hence, the US ability to conduct opposed invasions slowly grows from almost insignificant to substantial. Japan's force pool includes three 1-2 marines, which are also useful for defense of key islands, again thanks to the ability to overstack. The fanatical resistance and elaborate island defenses of the Japanese are another element of Pacific legend. The Japanese may fortify a single one-hex island, jungle or jungle/mountain hex each turn by paying five BRPs to construct a fortification in the hex. A fortification has no inherent combat strength, but adds a +1 DM to any units which defend in the hex. No more than a single fortification may be constructed in a given hex. The key islands around Japan are out of land-based air range of other island chains, so assaulting, for instance, Iwo Jima (a mountain hex) garrisoned by two 3-2 infantry, a 1-2 marine, and a fortification is a grim task indeed, requiring some 35 attack factors from the sea to reach a 1-1, or 28 if sufficient marines could be mustered to nullify the +1 DM for invasion. Massive carrier air support and unchallenged naval superiority are pre-requisites for such an operation. Faced with such a defense, an American player lacking the nerves of a John Wayne (and the tactical sense of a Custer...) might well look for a more lightly-defended target. The War at Sea As ADVANCED THIRD REICH revolves around armor and airpower, RISING SUN is first and foremost a naval game - the war will most likely be won or lost in the Pacific, not in China or South-east Asia. While the sinews of the naval system are unchanged from ADVANCED THIRD REICH, there are some important modifications to adapt to the new theater as well as entirely new mechanics to deal with aircraft carriers. Even so, naval missions are essentially identical to ADVANCED THIRD REICH, with the exception of the new (and extremely important) patrol mission, described below. The struggle to gain or hold naval bases is key to RISING SUN. Naval basing is identical to ADVANCED THIRD REICH with one exception: up to 9 naval factors may base at a one-hex island without a port. Another profound change is the limited intelligence aspect of the game - each side has six task force markers, which may be used to hide the composition of naval forces from the opponent. "Dummy" task forces are not allowed, and in fact, a task force must consist of at least 9 naval factors. In practice, the rough disposition of enemy naval forces can usually be tracked from previous activity, but some uncertainty will always remain. To represent the US ability to develop forward bases, the US receives one artificial port in 1944, and two in 1945. These are similar to the artificial ports of the ADVANCED THIRD REICH variant, but no invasion is necessary to place them: they may be placed on any US-controlled port, one-hex island or bridgehead. Once placed, artificial ports may not be relocated. An artificial port acts as a port in all respects, augmenting the naval basing capacity in its hex. As there are only four double ports in the game (Pearl Harbor, Tokyo, Osaka, and Truk) and plenty of naval units to base, the placement of these units may prove crucial to the success of the US counter-offensive. In Global War, artificial port capability must be acquired through research. The importance of forward naval bases becomes clear in light of the range limits on various naval activities. In ADVANCED THIRD REICH, the front boundaries are the sole limits on the range of naval activities. In practice, this leads to some rather absurd situations, as naval units criss-cross back and forth across a front with complete freedom, while shorter range missions across a front boundary are prohibited. Even so, this time-tested system works well in Europe. In the Pacific, there are no natural boundaries like Gibraltar and Istanbul, so a more realistic system based on range is required. In RISING SUN, most naval activities are restricted in one way or another by a maximum range: naval movement and most offensive naval missions (20 hexes), interception (15 hexes), and patrols (10 hexes). Naval SRs and sea supply are not explicitly restricted by a maximum range. Apart from maximum range restrictions, some naval activities are also restricted to within a certain radius of supplied friendly bases. The destination of sea transport or seaborne invasion missions may not be more than 10 hexes from a supplied port or one-hex island. A sea supply line or naval SR (including sea escort) may not cross more than 10 hexes without touching a supplied port or one-hex island. Although these range requirements may seem somewhat foreign at first, they prevent unrealistic penetration of naval activities into enemy rear areas. Pacific Panzers The most distinctive feature of warfare in the Pacific was the predominance of the aircraft carrier. With the vast distances and paucity of land air bases, aircraft carriers were THE weapon by which military power could be projected across the Pacific. The failure of the Japanese to destroy any American carriers in their attack on Pearl Harbor, the crippling of the Japanese carrier strength at Midway, and the eventually overwhelming American numerical advantage in the final years of the war were arguably the decisive strategic ingredients of the Pacific war. It was clear from the beginning that RISING SUN would sink or swim with its carrier system. Aircraft carriers have never been represented in the THIRD REICH/ADVANCED THIRD REICH system. This is hardly surprising since THIRD REICH has always been first and foremost a land-oriented system. The air/naval system of the first edition of THIRD REICH was, frankly, trivial (if still brilliant, compared to its contemporaries), but each successive revision, through ADVANCED THIRD REICH, has improved it until at last the air/naval interaction has become as challenging and realistic as the rest of the game (see Conrad Struckman's article "Terrible Swift Swordfish" in _The General_, vol. 26, no. 6). Although ADVANCED THIRD REICH maintained undifferentiated fleet and air factors, it set the stage for RISING SUN, and a major design goal was to build on, but not fundamentally alter, the ADVANCED THIRD REICH naval system. The sweeping armored drives which make the European theater so exciting are absent in the Pacific; instead, the drama focuses on carrier battles wherein a single ship, or indeed even a single plane, might in the space of a few minutes radically affect the course of the entire war. Representing this tactical dimension within the scope of a strategic game (with three month game-turns!) is a serious challenge. It was clear that if RISING SUN were to be a success, carriers had to become "panzers of the Pacific": to recreate the tension and excitement of these all-important engagements (and allow the players to make the decisions which would decide them) while not bogging down the strategic flow of the game. My own criterion was that a major, Midway-esque carrier battle should take no more time than a mid-war German armored offensive on the Eastern Front. In the end, I think we have done considerably better, as such an engagement should normally take a maximum of 15 minutes for experienced players to resolve; substantially more, and carrier battles would become a drag on the game; substantially less, and players would feel robbed of an important decision-making opportunity. Getting Here From There RISING SUN began, as one might expect, by representing carriers as an air factor based on a fleet factor. Carrier battles were then fought more or less as in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, with fleet combat deferred until after two rounds of air strikes. Naval factors (fleet factors and carriers) were hidden by task force markers, to simulate limited intelligence. From this starting point, three fundamental changes (and countless smaller ones) were required to reach the final system used in RISING SUN. First, a given naval force, which in ADVANCED THIRD REICH would fight as a single, monolithic entity, was divided into several combat groups. The trade-off between concentration and dispersal of forces is a complex one, and players will find themselves torn between attempting intricate, Yamamoto-style plans to surprise their opponents, and more conservative, concentrated deployments which maximize defense but concede the initiative to the enemy. The decision of how much to concentrate or disperse one's forces, is, significantly, made at the very beginning of a battle, before anything is known of the enemy's forces or dispositions, and may not be changed. It affects all aspects of what follows: search, CAP, air defense, air attack, and fleet combat, as well as the safety of any transported units or supplies. Second, the unit of naval air power was broken down from ADVANCED THIRD REICH air factors (which are now called army air factors, or AAFs) into smaller units of naval air factors (NAFs). One AAF is equivalent in size and cost to three NAFs. This change of scale opens many possibilities; an AAF represents approximately 100 planes, whereas a NAF is only about 30. By giving a carrier more than one "unit" of airpower (3 NAFs, as opposed to a single AAF), it becomes possible to divide its air between different offensive and defensive roles, and to take losses over the course of a battle without a single loss rendering the carrier impotent. Having two different types of air units in the game may be slightly confusing at first, but it allows the effects of carrier and land-based air against naval and land targets to be properly adjusted based on their respective training and equipment. One AAF and one NAF are equivalent in combat strength when attacking ships or when engaged in air combat "over water", despite their disparate sizes, to represent the increased lethality of torpedo planes and dive bombers, and the ability of CAP to loiter over its own carrier base. On the other hand, one AAF is equivalent to three NAF when attacking land targets or when engaged in air combat "over land", as carrier aircraft are not specially suited for ground attacks and land-based air would profit from its greater numbers over its own base. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the elements of search and surprise were added, introducing the tactical element, and much of the flavor, to carrier battles. Each round, both sides make a search die roll, reflecting the level of information about enemy dispositions gleaned from air and naval search. The search level determines how many enemy combat groups are located, whether the composition of any groups is revealed, and which friendly combat groups are in position to attack. Search is influenced primarily by the number of air units searching from nearby bases and the number of friendly combat groups converging on the battle area. If one side achieves a much higher level of information than the other, the disadvantaged side may be surprised. In game terms, this means the two sides' search levels are subtracted to determine the surprise level. Surprise effects act as exceptions to the normal rules of combat and range from the relatively benign (CAP out of position and deprived of its +1 air combat DRM) to the catastrophic (planes refueling on deck and ships unprepared for attack - damaged carriers and fleet factors are sunk), depending on the difference in search levels. As historically, a battle between relatively even forces may well be decided by which side finds the other first - in other words, luck can be a significant factor (but the same is also true in ground combat). Nevertheless, since the surprise level is based on the roll of two dice, extreme results are rare and the players' decisions concerning where and how (and whether...) to fight a particular battle should usually play the decisive role. In Harm's Way Carrier battles may arise out of any naval interception, and indeed, since both sides' forces may be hidden by task force markers, neither side may know at the start of a battle whether the other side possesses aircraft carriers. This fact alone may have a profound impact on both sides' deployment and conduct of the battle. The following sections survey, with occasional digressions, the typical course of a carrier battle, and illustrate how real-life capabilities and decisions are mirrored in RISING SUN. A battle begins with both sides secretly dividing their naval force into combat groups. This decision is critical, since the composition of combat groups may not change between rounds, although groups may be renumbered for tactical reasons. When formed, each combat group must consist of between 9 and 36 naval factors, although losses may reduce a group below 9 factors after combat begins. Each unit transported by a force must be assigned to a combat group with sufficient fleet factors to carry it. Although there are no special naval factors or counters, the representation of naval transport is somewhat more detailed in RISING SUN, as befits a naval-oriented game. Fleet factors carrying any type of unit or protecting sea supply are, in effect, transports. No unit may be split between several combat groups or transferred between groups during battle - if the combat group carrying a unit is reduced below the necessary size, the unit must be lost. Transports are slow and easier to find and track, hence each transporting combat group grants the enemy a +1 DRM to his search die roll; for this reason it is usually a good idea to concentrate all transported units in a single group to minimize the advantage to the enemy. Each friendly combat group consisting of at least 9 naval factors modifies the friendly search die roll by +1. (Although all combat groups begin with at least 9 naval factors, some may take losses over the course of a battle). This DRM represents the accumulated searching of carrier planes, float-planes, and picket ships, as well as the effect of having multiple forces converging on the battle area from different directions, effectively reducing the amount of ocean which must be searched for the enemy. Having many combat groups increases search capabilities and may help confuse the enemy as to the location of the best targets, but it also disperses friendly offensive and defensive strength and increases the possibility of being defeated in detail. Once both sides have grouped their naval forces, the first round of naval combat begins. Land-based air units providing air cover are assigned to protection of a particular combat group at this time and each side secretly allocates its carrier air units to one of three roles: attacking naval targets, attacking land bases, or combat air patrol (CAP). No more than half the NAFs in a combat group may be assigned to CAP, but all may be assigned to attack. The combat tables and procedures create a carefully- tuned balance between attack and defense. Search and surprise conditions (which are not known at the moment of air allocation) may tilt this balance one way or another, for instance poor search by one side or the other may result in some combat groups with CAP not being attacked, or some combat groups being unable to attack, or surprise may reduce the effectiveness of CAP or raise that of attacking NAFs. A rigid battle-plan which ignores these variables, such as "always fly maximum CAP" or "always attack with everything", is unlikely to be the most effective. Each side makes its search roll, and announces the modified search result. Depending on the search result, a player may locate a number of enemy groups, perhaps also learning something of their composition. If the search result is poor, the enemy may be able to hide one or more of his groups from detection altogether. The difference in search results reflects the degree of surprise achieved by the player with the better search roll. As discussed above, surprise may affect the defender's CAP, air defense, or the damage done by the attacker's airstrikes. Allied radar capabilities are reflected by lowering any Japanese surprise by one level (a variant gives Japan this potentially life-saving technology in the later years of the war). The side with the higher search level then announces his airstrikes (although all combat is considered simultaneous, except at the highest surprise level). He may choose to attack enemy bases and/or located combat groups, but a poor search roll might place some of his groups out of position to attack the enemy task force for the round. This represents groups arriving late or in the wrong place, and also groups which launch strikes which get lost en route to the enemy - a negative offensive consequence of dispersing one's forces. (Note that all combat groups are considered in position to attack enemy bases, since these have known positions). The lowest-numbered combat groups, starting with group #1, are the most likely to be in position to attack, so a player might choose to place his main strike force in group #1, in effect deploying it in an advanced position. A more wily player, or one with enough search assets to guarantee a better search result, might instead place a picket force (perhaps a lone 9-factor fleet) in group #1, and hold his main strike force further back. Any located combat group may be attacked, but unless the composition of some enemy groups is revealed by search, a player may have to infer the enemy dispositions. He may guess that his opponent has placed his carriers in group #1 (to maximize their chances of attack), but he may, of course, be wrong. The ideal situation, naturally, is to locate the enemy's main body and have your carriers in position to attack but hidden due to a poor enemy search result. The airstrike procedure is quite similar to that of ADVANCED THIRD REICH. The defender's CAP (including air cover) may engage all or part of an incoming airstrike in air combat. Following air combat, assuming any attackers remain and do not abort, the composition of the target combat group is revealed and the incoming attackers undergo a fleet air defense roll. Fleet factors (but not carriers) in the combat group are totalled to determine the fleet air defense level, as in ADVANCED THIRD REICH. To represent the interception and screening capabilities of CAP, surviving CAP factors which engaged the strike are added to the fleet air defense level. Attackers which survive the fleet air defense and do not abort their attack may then be assigned to attack fleet factors or individual carriers in the targeted combat group. Flat-tops Having begun with merely generic carrier factors, the system eventually grew to include several types of aircraft carriers. The "fast" (i.e. normal) carriers are indivisible units of either two or three carrier factors, carrying either two or three NAFs, and representing individual light (CVL) or fleet (CV) carriers respectively. Hypothetical four-factor "super-carriers" (CVBs) (carrying four NAFs) are also available via variant or research. Fast carriers are named, for historical flavor. Unlike generic fleet factors, fast carriers are attacked individually, with the attacker allocating his NAFs between targets as he chooses. He may decide to concentrate on a single ship, to increase the chances of sinking it, or spread his attackers out in an attempt to damage several carriers. Carriers are not included in the fleet air defense roll, but each carrier makes it's own (one-factor) air defense dice roll against its attackers. Surviving attackers finally get to make their air attack dice rolls. As a multi-factor unit, a fast carrier is more difficult to sink or damage than a single fleet factor. All of a fast carrier's factors must be sunk in order to sink the carrier; as with attacks in port, excess damage results may result in elimination. For example, suppose a three-factor CV receives a 2/3 result on the Air Attack Table. The "2" sinks two of it's three factors, and "3" damage are enough to damage and then sink the last factor: the CV is sunk. By contrast, if the CV received a 1/3 result, the "1" would sink one factor, but the "3" would only be sufficient to sink one of the remaining two factors, leaving the other one merely damaged. All the carrier's factors are not sunk, so the carrier is not sunk. All the CV's factors are, however, at least damaged, so the carrier itself is damaged. Finally, suppose the CV received merely a 1/1 result. It would still have one undamaged factor, and thus the damage represented by the 1/1 result would be insufficient to put the carrier out of action - in effect, such damage is repaired at sea. Barring surprise of some kind, fast carriers are relatively robust and may be knocked out of battle by damage, but are difficult to sink. This is good, since it requires one year to rebuild a CVL and two years to rebuild a CV! Due to the high level of training required for carrier operations, naval aviators are also difficult to replace. Only a limited number of NAFs may be rebuilt in a single turn. The US replacement ability grows over the course of the war, from three NAFs per turn to five NAFs per turn, while Japan, which faced chronic pilot shortages, is always limited to rebuilding only three per turn. On the other hand, Japan's carrier pilots begin the war with "elite" status (+1 nationality DRM). Once eliminated, however, they are replaced by normal NAFs. When Japan's situation worsens to the point of panic, they may initiate Kamikaze attacks. Declaring Kamikazes triples the Japanese NAF replacement rate (to 9), but newly-built NAFs are no longer carrier-trained but are instead suicide units. Kamikazes suffer a -2 DRM and never eliminate US air factors in air combat, but should they penetrate US air defenses, their air attack strength is doubled. Further, Kamikazes never abort their attacks due to air defense. Obviously, they never get more than one chance to attack either. There is a fourth kind of carrier unit in the game, the escort carrier (CVE), available only to the US. Escort carriers can be thought of as one-factor carriers, but there are several important differences between CVE's and fast carriers. Escort carriers are slow, and hence may not intercept or undertake patrol missions. They grant the same bonus to enemy search as transports. The naval air component of a CVE is not represented by a NAF unit, but is instead considered intrinsic to the CVE itself. CVE's are limited to flying ground support missions and CAP, and may not attack enemy naval units (CVEs are treated as FF in fleet combat though, to represent airstrikes in emergency situations like the Battle off Samar). Should a CVE's notional NAF be eliminated in air combat, the CVE itself is returned to port and the NAF is replaced at no cost (CVE air losses do not count against training limits, as CVE pilots were, in effect, pilots in training). CVEs are, not surprisingly, most useful for supporting invasions and escorting supply lines, SRs, etc. Carriers are not allowed in Europe. After careful consideration, it seemed that their effects on naval operations in Europe would be too unpredictable. Only one side (the British) would have carriers, barring Axis research, so use of the more involved RISING SUN naval combat procedures would rarely be worth the effort. The effects on play-balance could not be assessed while the carrier rules themselves were frequently changing during the development process. Of course, players are always free to experiment if they wish. Washing-Machine Charley Land-based air, despite its new-found lethality vs. naval forces in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, proves rather less fearsome in RISING SUN for a number of reasons. First, it is often dispersed in small packets for search purposes (large, isolated stacks being vulnerable to attack by carrier patrols). Second, most moderate or larger naval forces will have carriers of some kind available to provide CAP. Third, there is just less of it around due to smaller force pools and fewer bases. Even so, land-based air (which usually means AAF) is extremely important in RS. If land-based air tends to cause fewer naval casualties directly, it is usually because it has better things to do. In addition to its familiar roles, including assisting naval interception, land-based air has the ability to search in naval combat, and this is typically its most effective use in naval situations. Any air unit eligible to attack naval forces may also search. The friendly search roll in naval combat is modified by +1 for each air base containing a searching AF in range of a naval combat. This is slightly subtle - a single city containing 5 AAF yields only a +1 DRM (since there is only one airbase involved). However, a double port with an airbase counter and 5 AAF yields a +3 DRM (since there are three air bases in the hex). Hence, from the point of view of searching, it is better to create a web of air bases with interlocking search zones than to rely on a single, isolated base. Fighting inside such an enemy search web virtually guarantees that you will be surprised for at least one round of naval combat. It's also worth noting that searching is a passive activity which neither causes an air factor to become inverted nor exposes it directly to loss (although the enemy may well launch an airstrikes against searching bases in the course of naval combat or patrol). By contrast, small land-based air detachments which directly attack large naval forces tend to be destroyed after accomplishing little. Basing for AAF is identical to ADVANCED THIRD REICH, but air base counters may not be placed in jungle/mountain hexes. A single NAF may base at a one-hex island, without need for a city or airbase counter. Carrier air assigned to attack land targets may attack land-bases during a round of naval combat, possibly achieving surprise. To surprise a land base, the attacker must roll greater than the number of searching air bases in range of his carrier's hex (with the usual bonuses for radar, if applicable). Thus it is easy to surprise isolated outposts, and difficult to sneak up on ones surrounded by supporting (search-capable) bases. Land-based air may defend its airspace with CAP, and the base itself makes an air defense dice roll. Carrier air factors do not attack air bases via the counter-air procedure, but by using the Air Attack Table. Losses are expressed as squadrons destroyed or damaged (inverted). AAF are converted to squadrons (i.e. multiplied by three) prior to taking losses and then survivors are recombined. Given the choice it is usually preferable to counter-air enemy land-based air with your own land-based air rather than using more valuable carrier-based assets. Land-based air may naturally attack naval targets, however the procedure differs depending on whether or not the naval force is actually engaged in naval combat at the time of the attack. If so, land-based air attacks occur after carrier airstrikes and before fleet combat. The land-based air may choose any located combat group to attack. If land-based air attacks occur outside naval combat, for instance if a naval force sails past a base without naval interception taking place, the entire naval force, and its CAP, is attacked as a whole. AAFs may not target fast carriers, but instead attack only FF (and CVE) as in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, with damage to fast carriers possible only if all FF and CVE are sunk or damaged first. Land-based NAFs follow the same attack procedure as carrier-based NAFs - they may target and damage carriers directly if they survive CAP combat, fleet and carrier air defense. Under no circumstances do land-based air attacks ever benefit from the effects of surprise. Fire When Ready The addition of carriers has not made fleet combat a thing of the past. Normally, fleet combat begins in the third round of a naval battle, following that round's air strikes. Unlike ADVANCED THIRD REICH, both sides' entire forces do not engage immediately. Instead, barring surprise, each side engages one additional combat group (their first combat group) with each passing round. Thus, a side which has dispersed will enter fleet combat more slowly than a side which has concentrated, and will be at a corresponding disadvantage. Surprise, as usual, may alter the standard procedure, since a moderate surprise level allows an unwilling side to avoid fleet combat or disengage from it, and higher surprise levels allow a side to engage their first two groups, or engage in fleet combat during one of the first two rounds, when it wouldn't ordinarily occur. Hence, a side which has concentrated heavily may be unable to pin down the enemy for a surface battle, or may find itself cornered by the enemy (if he wishes) as early as the first round. Fleet combat itself is resolved identically to ADVANCED THIRD REICH. As mentioned, CVE factors are treated like FF in fleet combat, but other carriers do not take part directly. A force with carriers of any kind which becomes involved in fleet combat incurs the +/- 1 DRM for reduced combat effectiveness, to simulate the need to screen the carriers from enemy gunfire. No battle may end before there is some contact between opposing forces, otherwise voluntary withdrawal from combat is always allowed. Damaged forces (including carriers) escape automatically, as in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, but a given combat group may only voluntarily withdraw from combat in its entirety. Staying power likewise follows ADVANCED THIRD REICH, however losses to carrier-based air attack are considered as well as losses in fleet combat, and carrier losses are compared before fleet factor losses to determine the winner of a round. If both sides remain, another round of naval combat begins, with both sides free to rearrange the numbering of their combat groups (without changing their compositions) and change the allocation of their air assets. Patrols The standard naval missions of ADVANCED THIRD REICH fit well into the Pacific with hardly any modifications. Carriers combine air and naval missions - they may use their air to provide ground support, intercept defensive air support, and attack naval units in port or air units (using the Air Attack Table, as described above). Defensive air support from carriers is not allowed. A carrier-based air factor may conduct one and only one of these offensive missions in addition to any offensive or defensive activities which occur during the course of naval combat. Hence, a carrier air unit may defend its carrier against any number of enemy air strikes, conduct any number of airstrikes against enemy naval units which have intercepted its carrier, and attack any enemy air bases in range during naval combat, and still perform one (and only one) offensive mission as well. To reflect the ability of naval forces to go "on station", and the use of carrier sweeps to soften up enemy air defenses prior to a major operation, a new mission, the patrol, has been added. Patrol missions are conducted during the movement phase. They are declared simultaneously and then resolved sequentially. In essence, the patrol mission allows naval units to "change base" to a sea hex within 10 hexes of their original base. From this new base, the "patrol hex", carriers may launch air strikes against any enemy air bases in range (thus exhausting their one allowed offensive mission for the turn). During the combat phase, naval forces on patrol may counter-intercept from their patrol hex. Finally, any patrolling carrier's air which has not yet conducted an offensive mission may fly ground support or intercept defensive air support from its patrol hex. The patrol is a powerful tool for the attacker, but it is not without risk. The patrol may be intercepted normally prior to reaching its patrol hex. If intercepted in the patrol hex itself (the patrol hex typically being at the edge of enemy land-based air range), a special procedure is followed. The patrol allocates its air to CAP, attacks on enemy land bases, or attacks on naval units (in case it is intercepted). After any interception attempts are announced, a surprise roll is made to determine whether the patrol has achieved surprise. If so, the patrol's airstrikes are resolved prior to interception; air power eliminated by the airstrikes does not modify interception rolls and will not be available to search in any naval battle resulting from interception. If surprise is not achieved, interception is resolved immediately; if successful, the patrol's airstrikes do not take place until the first round of the resulting naval battle, after land-based air has modified the interception and search die rolls normally. Left unmolested, a patrol may conduct multiple rounds of air attack on ports or air bases in range until a round passes with no damage inflicted or the owner voluntarily discontinues his attacks. Interception in the patrol hex is tense for both sides. The attacker may be caught unprepared for a naval battle, with his air committed to attacking land bases. In addition, an intercepting force which defeats a patrol is *itself* placed on station in the patrol hex, and may conduct additional interception from that hex during the combat phase. In effect, by defeating the patrol, it has won control of the disputed seas for itself. The defender must decide whether to intercept prior to knowing the nature of the patrol - it may consist of only a diversionary force. He may choose to defer interception for one or more rounds of airstrikes (although obviously his land-based air may suffer as a result). Should he attempt interception only to be surprised, he may lose his land-based air before the battle begins and suddenly be forced to fight on unfavorable terms. In summary, patrols are a double-edged sword, ideally reserved for circumstances where the attacker has a large naval superiority. Whatever the situation, they add to the players' options as well as the excitement level and simulate an important element of carrier warfare. A Kind Of Magic Even the most casual student of the Pacific theater is familiar with the role of the US codebreaking operations (code-named "Magic") in the decisive victory at Midway. Codebreaking was also important in thwarting the Japanese at Coral Sea, and in many other smaller operations throughout the course of the war. While cryptanalysis played an important role in the European theater as well (ULTRA), its direct contribution to reversing the initial Japanese offensive and the greater tactical/operational flavor of RISING SUN make it particularly important to include this element in the Pacific. The design constraints on the implementation of codebreaking are fairly heavy. It must be included in way which does not artificially guarantee that the Japanese cannot win; the victory gained by the US at the Battle of Midway (and other places) was the result of skillful and judicious use of this advantage, as well as some amount of luck. The system should also prevent the Japanese player from circumventing the US advantage with the benefit of hindsight. Finally, codebreaking should not make excessive demands (such as pre-plotting of naval activities) on the players, and should mesh as naturally as possible with the other elements of the naval system. Since the quantity and quality of information available to the US fluctuated considerably over the course of the war, the codebreaking capability is variable. The US player secretly draws four chits at the start of each turn. Half the chits in the pool of eight grant a codebreaking (Magic) point, while the other half do not; hence the US may receive between zero and four Magic points in a given turn, with two points being the most likely value. (Variants of both sides may affect the number of chits drawn.) The Japanese player does not know in advance how many points have been received, but the number drawn is easily verified by revealing the chits as points are used. Magic points may be invoked by the US at various times during the turn: to improve a US interception roll by one, to decrease a Japanese search roll or increase a US search roll by one during naval combat, and to improve a US submarine SW roll by one or decrease a Japanese submarine SW roll by one. Several points may be used together to achieve a larger effect (if available), but all must be declared before the die roll they are to modify is made. Use of a number of Magic points during a single round of naval combat, typically to decrease the Japanese search roll, may create a Midway-type situation by hiding the US force and subjecting the Japanese to the unpleasant combat effects of the correspondingly greater surprise difference. Luck, overwhelming Japanese superiority, or American mistakes may neutralize the advantage in any given situation. In addition to these tactical effects, Magic also simulates strategic intelligence by allowing the US to shift forces over long distances in reaction to Japanese operations. One Magic point allows up to 9 naval factors to be SRed anywhere on the Pacific front (without risk of interception) during the Japanese combat phase, as long as they do not pass within range of a Japanese land-based air unit. Redeployed forces may then attempt interception of Japanese naval missions from their new base, and gain tactical surprise benefits as above. Putting It All Together Although necessarily complex, the carrier system flows quite smoothly with a bit of experience. To allow the players to gain familiarity with it in a more controlled and familiar setting than the Campaign Game, four historical battle scenarios are included: Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, Midway, and Leyte Gulf. Players should try one or more of these small scenarios before attempting the Campaign Game. The scenarios run roughly in order of difficulty, with Pearl Harbor introducing the basic mechanics of air attack, Coral Sea providing a balanced situation wherein search plays a key role, Midway having larger forces and an emphasis on Magic and surprise, and Leyte Gulf being every bit the massive free-for-all that it was historically. Although appropriate for learning, these scenarios have also been made as competitive as possible, with options to secretly vary the initial conditions for greater uncertainty. Strategic Warfare Strategic warfare can, in many ways, be viewed as the decisive factor in the defeat of Japan, since Japan surrendered before a single Allied soldier had landed in the Japanese Isles. Players of ADVANCED THIRD REICH will notice a number of changes in this area of the game, some necessitated by Japan's greater vulnerability to strategic warfare, and others by the greater feedback between strategic warfare and the other elements of the game. The situation is complicated a bit further by the fact that both Japan and the United States used submarines, but often with radically different doctrines. Submarines proved the more difficult weapon system to adapt to the Pacific. In contrast to the absolute priority German U-boats attached to merchant shipping, Japanese doctrine viewed combat ships as the only worthy targets. As a result, Japanese submarines were used as tactical rather than strategic weapons and produced a few notable successes (sinking the Yorktown and Wasp, and damaging Saratoga several times) but little else. US tactics fell somewhere in between, as (in the absence of any serious Japanese ASW effort) US boats happily decimated the Japanese merchant fleet while also deep-sixing numerous aircraft carriers (almost half the Japanese aircraft carriers, and a third of the combat ships sunk during the war fell prey to US submarines). Further, the US made a special effort against oil tankers, correctly surmising the crippling effect this would have on the Japanese war effort. By the end of the war, US submarines effectively ran out of targets, as there were simply no more ships left to sink. All these effects must be built onto the simple (by comparison) system originally designed for German U-boats. The Strategic Warfare Effects Table is unchanged. Submarine effectiveness is directly related to the amount of time spent on patrol as opposed to time spent in transit: as in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, the bases available determine the maximum number of BRPs each submarine factor may eliminate, ranging from zero to four BRPs/sub factor (two BRPs/factor is typical for both sides). Allied ASW modifiers increase annually, as in the Atlantic, but the legendary effectiveness of Japanese "Long Lance" torpedoes is added as a +1 DRM. US torpedoes, on the other hand, suffered grave technical defects which were gradually remedied over the course of the war, hence they begin with a -1 DRM, and increase by one each year, starting in 1943. The Japanese gain no increase in ASW effectiveness over time. Carriers may be used in the SW box, with each three NAF being equivalent to a 9 factor fleet. (In Global War, American SW units are constructed based on the overall, global US BRP total. US SW units may be allocated between theaters as the US player wishes, as long as at least 1/3 of the total SW factors are placed on each map; this prevents unrealistic concentration on a single theater). Use of submarines against combat ships proved to be a particularly knotty problem. Originally, submarines were allowed on the map, akin to British submarines at Malta. This generated too many nuisance interceptions of supply lines and SRs, and after several attempted fixes, was ditched. Instead, BRP losses may be exchanged for a submarine attack on the fleet combat table, at the rate of 1 BRP = 1 FF. Such attacks, made during SW resolution, abstractly represent submarine activity against naval units at sea during the turn, and hence may only be made against inverted naval units. Naval units in the SW box may likewise be attacked. Carriers or fleet factors may be sunk outright by submarine attack, or if damaged, remain inverted for the duration of the *next* turn. Players who find it annoying to lose carriers in this way may at least take solace in the knowledge that their historical counterparts probably did too! Destruction of the Japanese tanker fleet is reflecting by imposing an additional oil effect on Japan each turn in which submarines or raiders inflict 15 or more BRPs of damage. An oil effect is reversed if less than 5 BRPs are inflicted in a turn. BRP losses to subs and raiders are limited to a maximum of 25% of the Japanese overseas conquests in any given turn. No doubt many a British player in ADVANCED THIRD REICH has wished for some similar ceiling on German BRP damage, but here the game effect is the correct one: the Allies may cut off Japan off from its oil and its empire, but ultimately submarines alone cannot completely starve the home islands into submission. Both sides may employ surface raiders, if they control certain key bases. Japanese raiders may operate from Ceylon or Hawaii, while Allied raiders must sail from bases astride the Japanese oil lifeline. In either case, the effects are similar to those of German raiders. Strategic bombing also presented some difficulties during design. In contrast to Europe, the range between US bomber bases and their targets had an important impact on bombing effectiveness, and bomber range increased substantially over the course of the war as B-29's were deployed. The possibility (and difficulty) of a bombing campaign from China also had to be considered. Japanese cities, built mainly of wood and paper and densely populated, were more vulnerable to fire-bombing than European cities. Therefore, each SAC factor may eliminate a maximum of four BRPs. Bombing range increases over the course of the war, and along with it, the US SAC DRM. Unlike ADVANCED THIRD REICH, a negative modifier applies with increasing range, so strategic bombing effectiveness increases over time, and also improves as the US gains bases closer to Japan. Bombing from China is allowed, but only if a supply line can be traced to the base from a Western Allied source outside China itself. Japanese bombing of India, Australia, and Chinese cities with air factors is allowed, and is handled almost identically to German bombing of Britain. A maximum of five air factors may bomb a particular target in a given turn, however. Naturally the atomic bomb makes its appearance in 1945. Compared with the A-bomb rules in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, the effects on combat units have been softened somewhat (only one ground unit in the target hex is automatically destroyed, while naval and air units undergo attack and other ground units incur a negative DM), but the surrender effects remain. Atomic attacks cause an immediate "shock" effect to enemy resistance, as well as a smaller but lasting effect beyond the turn of attack. Development of atomic bombs are one of the major options allowed under the Research and Intelligence system of Global War, although in RISING SUN, the success of the US program is assumed. Co-Prosperity Even more than the European war, the war in the Pacific was driven by economic factors. Chief among these was the Japanese objective of securing oil and other strategic resources. By Winter 1941, when the game begins, Japan is under the effects of an oil embargo and already subject to one oil effect. Oil effects, similar to those incurred by Germany for loss of Ploesti, gradually degrade the effectiveness of Japanese air and naval forces, reduce SR capacity, and eventually even eat away at the Japanese BRP base. To escape the effects of the embargo, Japan must take and hold one of the two oil resources located at Palembang (Dutch East Indies) and Brunei (British Borneo). As already noted, Allied submarines and raiders may eventually re-impose oil effects by attriting the Japanese tanker fleet. In addition to oil, south-east Asia is rich in BRPs which Japan needs in order to hold her own against the growing economic strength of the US. US economic expansion is handled in a manner similar to Europe, although the US BRP base grows by only 10 BRPs/turn for the first year of the war. The US economy typically surpasses Japan's in mid-1943 and never looks back, but the costs of constructing America's enormous naval and air force pools, as well as supporting the Chinese and British war efforts leave little surplus. (In Global War, the US economy is treated as a single unit once the US is at war with both Germany and Japan. Thus US BRPs, forces, SRs, and initial deployments may be freely allocated between theaters as the US player sees fit.) China is an economic cripple, with four of her five key economic areas occupied by Japan, a starting BRP total of merely 20 BRPs, and a zero growth rate. US grants to China will prove indispensible to maintaining organized resistance, but the Chinese spending limit of 10 BRPs/turn (which can only increase in the unlikely event that China recaptures one of its objective cities) ultimately limits what can be done. Once the Japanese cut land access to China through Burma, BRP grants must be flown into China using air factors, which is both costly and inconvenient. The situation for Britain is little better. In RISING SUN, Britain is granted a base of 20 BRPs, reflecting the part of her European war effort redirected to Asia. Loss of colonies (-40 BRPs) nearly offsets the gain from activation of Australia and India as minor allies (+25 BRPs each) upon Japanese attack. Britain's low spending limit and distance from the action curtail operations, although US grants may eventually increase the British base and spending limit. (In Global War, Britain receives no extra BRP "base" and must fund any operations in Asia using her European BRPs and the net gain of 10 BRPs after lost colonies are subtracted and minor allies are added). BRP grants to China and Britain are instantaneous and may not be intercepted (like US grants to Britain in ADVANCED THIRD REICH). Pacific Politics In contrast with Europe, there are no truly neutral minor countries in Asia, and hence no diplomacy in RISING SUN: all minor countries begin aligned with one side or the other. Apart from numerous colonies, there are a small number of associated minor countries: Thailand (Japan), the Philippines (US), and the Dutch East Indies (Britain). Australia and India are treated as British minor allies. Any number of Australian units may be lent to the US, in the same manner as lent Italians, but Britain must always pay the cost of their reconstruction. The peculiar political and military problems of China, riven by civil war, corruption, and incompetence, are brought out in the game. Chinese units suffer many of the prohibitions imposed on French units in ADVANCED THIRD REICH (no low-odds attacks or voluntary destruction). In addition, Chinese Communists and Nationalists do not cooperate and may not enter each other's respective areas of influence. The level of Chinese morale is tracked by the Chinese Resistance Table, and although China never surrenders per se, the central authority may dissolve to the point of utter impotence. When morale is sufficiently high, Chinese units may be lent to the British and such lent Chinese may operate outside the country. In the best of circumstances, Nationalist and Communist cooperation restrictions may be lifted. Normally, China will prove a frustrating theater which neither side may ignore or win decisively. Global War broadens the scope of politics in Asia by introducing the US/Japan Tension Index. Modelled on it's European counterpart (which is itself somewhat modified to reflect the now separate role of Asia), this table punishes Japanese pre-war naval construction and aggressions in China, Vichy Indochina, and elsewhere. Rising tension allows the US to support China and to gradually prepare for war. The US has the option of placing its Pacific fleet in the exposed base at Pearl Harbor or leaving it in the safety of the West Coast, although the latter course grants Japan a much freer hand. Ultimately tension will rise to the point where an oil embargo is imposed, confronting Japan with the decision to attack or face economic strangulation. As in ADVANCED THIRD REICH, European and American DPs may influence Japan in the crucial year of 1941, and may affect the timing of Siberian transfer, among other things. Japan's pre-war options are not limited to waiting passively for an oil embargo, as she may lash out at Britain or Russia, or attempt to resolve the "China Incident" conclusively. Russia, in turn, may attack Japanese Manchuria, if the Japanese garrison falls below the level required by the Russian diplomatic result. Day of Infamy ... The RISING SUN Campaign Game opens with the Japanese surprise attack, including the notorious raid on Pearl Harbor. Countless pages have been written on this great tragedy, and conspiracy theories aside, the causes of American unpreparedness appear to come down to bad luck combined with a heavy dose of complacency. A long chain of seemingly improbable events led to total surprise, any one of which, arguably, might have occurred differently, providing some minutes or even hours of warning to the doomed sailors and airmen. At the same time, while the Japanese did achieve total surprise, they did not achieve total victory, since none of the Pacific Fleet's three aircraft carriers were in port at the time of the attack - this too could have turned out differently. One or more carriers might have been in port - or might have been in a position to react quickly to the Japanese attack. The latter fear led to the much (and perhaps wrongly) criticized decision of the Japanese to withdraw after sending only two attack waves. Thus the range of possibilities at Pearl Harbor was wide indeed. In RISING SUN, neither player can be sure of how the Japanese gamble will turn out. The disposition of each US carrier - either in port, on the West Coast, on a mission, or on patrol - is determined by secret dice roll. The level of surprise achieved against the port is likewise variable. (The spectrum of outcomes has been tuned to make it unlikely for one side to lose the game on the first turn, but players may agree to implement the historical result instead). Should the Japanese elect to stay beyond the first round of attacks, one or more American carrier groups might engage them in carrier battle, perhaps delivering a surprise of their own (such a decision to engage is obviously risky for the US too). In Global War, the possibilities are further expanded, as the US/Japan Tension level affects the likelihood of surprise and also the American carrier deployment (two of the three US carriers were away on missions ferrying planes to outlying bases: missions clearly related to the perceived approach of war). Hence an earlier Japanese attack is more likely to find carriers in port, while a later attack will face a more alert defense. In addition to the Pearl Harbor raid, Japan achieved strategic surprise across the Pacific. This is reflected by their opening double turn, and also by rules granting special advantages on the Winter 1941 turn. Allied air units are inverted, and Allied infantry and replacements (but not the marines at Wake Island!) suffer a -1 DM. Japanese units may land at ports without paying a movement point to debark, and may even move off beach hexes as if they were ports after landing. These effects are contingent on Allied unpreparedness; if US/Japanese Tensions rise high enough before Japan attacks, Allied forces are put on alert and Japan's surprise advantages are lost. There is a genuine sense of time running out on the Japanese, and their attack appears as the desperate, all-or-nothing gamble it really was. ... to Tokyo Bay Ultimately, RISING SUN becomes a Japanese struggle for survival against the snowballing might of the United States. The Japanese Surrender Table reflects Japan's will to continue the fight and rewards a balanced attack on Japan - recapturing her overseas empire, cutting her overseas commerce, and destroying her economy. Even if several atomic bombs are dropped successfully, the need for an invasion of the Home Islands cannot be ruled out. If Japan has husbanded her forces or defeated the Chinese in time to parry Russia's Summer 1945 attack on Manchuria, or if the Allies have advanced on a narrow front across the Pacific leaving considerable territory still Japanese controlled, it will be difficult to force a timely Japanese surrender. The challenge of playing Japan is to parlay the initial offensive into a solid defensive position, weakening the Allies sufficiently to delay their counter- attack without becoming over-extended, and then fighting a slow, skillful retreat in the face of mounting pressure. For the Allies, loss of even a single turn can be a severe blow. Tomorrow the World Global War is the ultimate challenge for a player of ADVANCED THIRD REICH/RISING SUN, combining all the military, economic, diplomatic, research, and intelligence aspects of the game. In playtesting, it is fair to say that no two games have been even remotely the same, and how the Pacific theater best fits into a winning global strategy for either side is far from evident. It is likely (indeed, it would be a shame otherwise) that there is no single best plan. The Axis win Global War either by knocking all their enemies out of the war, or by surviving until Fall 1946. The Allies win by conquering both Germany and Italy by Spring 1946. Japan allows the Axis to put additional pressure on either of their two early foes, Britain or Russia, but typically this correspondingly damages Japan's position vis-a-vis the US. The "historical" path of attacking the US immediately before or after her entry into the European war aims to divert American resources away from the war on Germany by creating a crisis in the Pacific. Since victory depends on conquering the Axis on both boards, even if Japan does not directly assist Germany, a defensive strategy may yet win the game if the Allies leave Japan to her own devices for too long. A Japanese "peace option" may also have its merits, as delaying US entry effectively shortens the war. Further, should the Allies gain the initiative while Japan remains neutral, Japanese entry may well tip the BRP scales back to the Axis and initiate a world-wide Axis double-turn! Finally, the US Election Table must be considered. Historically, American disengagement from the war was not a serious possibility, in part due to the outrage over Japan's attack, and also thanks to Allied military success. Yet it could have been otherwise. A 1944 presidential election fought on the issue of war and peace might have resulted from a belief that the war was unwinnable, a perception that the war was unjust, or perhaps even German nuclear attacks on American cities. The US Election Table is consulted during the 1945 YSS to determine whether a peace candidate is elected and America withdraws, either partially or completely, from an unpopular or unsuccessful war. It is also consulted anytime US cities are A-bombed. Given America's almost unlimited potential power, ultimate Axis victory depends on dissuading the United States from further hostility. A Japanese attack, while strengthening US resolve, may yet contribute to Axis victory by achieving overwhelming military success, although German conquest of her potential allies, Britain and Russia, will be even more persuasive. "These Proceedings Are Closed" This article has been an incomplete survey of RISING SUN. Strategies and tactics have been glossed over, Research and Intelligence have been mentioned only in passing, and we have barely scratched the surface of the Global War scenario. Even so, perhaps the best thing about RISING SUN is that there is still so much more to discover about it, and there will be for a long time. For the designers, it has been an often frustrating, yet always fascinating labor of love. Now that our work is done, put your helm a-weather and prepare to launch all planes: there's something out there over the horizon.