REPLAY DIVINE WIND By Paul A Breslin Aug 2002 A solitaire play through of a few turns of this grand strategy sim. In his notes, designer Steve Newberg states frankly that is possibly their most complex game. Even so it is not the most complex treatment of this complex theatre....look at Pacfic War or The Eagle and the Sun for that...and it is quite playable. Some features: strong focus on economic imperatives behind the JP strategy; monthly turns (45 of them), 250 nautical miles per hex; corps and division sized land units, air wings or naval squadrons; a igo-ugo movement but done by each of 12 areas in turn which cleverly simulates the US intelligence advantage as they tend to move after the JP have shown their hand. The game starts with the US fleet already bombed out at Pearl and the JP carriers on their way back to Japan. US = American, JP = Japanese, CW = Commonwealth 1.DEC 41 The JP attacks on Malaya and The Phillipinnes get going but don't achieve much 2.JAN 42 JP fleet rendezvous at Truk to form an impressive strike force. 3.FEB 42 Manila falls 4. MAR 42 JP expansion continues with the capture of Singapore, an assault landing at Port Moresby (can't see how to oppose the latter what with no US or Aus ground units on the map) and the build up of a large air fleet at Rabaul. The US move their CVs into the South Pacific (Area 11) while the CW build up in Burma ready for the JP offensive. 5. Apr 42 US raid the Marshalls destroying the JP air wing based there. The first US infantry unit (marines actually) is tactically loaded and steaming hard for the Solomons (Area 7). 6. May 42 Yo, Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Rival carrier groups strike at each other with the surprised JP coming off worse but both sides land troops in the Solomons; the JP occupy Guadalcanal while the US marines grab San Cristobal. Far off in Burma the Battle of Rangoon Bay rages with air battles over the JP and CW ground troops. In the ensueing air strikes the CW carriers are badly beaten up but at least their pilots got some licks into the JP CV and covering heavy cruisers. Despite all this destruction the land battle is inconclusive. 7. Jun 42 The South Pacific is quiet while both sides regroup but the US now have five strong CV units in the area. In Burma the renewed JP offensive is overwhelming with 2 army corps and 1 division, 4 air groups and 7 naval units assaulting Rangoon. The 2d British division is overrun and the 18th Indian pushed back towards India. 8. July 42 In Burma there are more major air and naval encounters around Rangoon. The JP air cops are slowly grinding down the CW air cover. At sea the CW battleships escape the JP searches and, surprising a JP destroyer unit, blast it to pieces although it does get a Long Lance strike at Force Z before succumbing to the waves. South Pacific: Quiet again with a base building race in the Solomons although another US CV raid on the Marshalls trashes the JP air based there (...an isolated air unit like that just gives the US an easy kill). China: no action but two Chinese armies move to try and divert the JP invasion of Burma (Stilwell obviously pulling some strings with Peanut) 9. Aug 42 Asia: The RAF are further ground down in Burma. A JP surface fleet sails for Ceylon to hunt down the Royal Navy but fails to find it! South Pacific: A large CV battle over the US Marines on San Cristobal results in the JP being surprised and taking heavy damage to two CV units. This leaves the US with local CV superiority but there are large numbers of land based JP air units streaming towards the Solomons 10. Sep 42 Asia: The RAF couldn't escape and the CW are bereft of air cover in Burma. South Pacific: The JP onslaught continues with an all-arms assault on San Cristobal in an attempt to dominate the region...3 divisions, land air units, a powerful surface fleet (for shore bombardment) but only a single CV unit. The US counter with all available land air and their only available CV on station (the remaining CVs were still refitting after the previous month's battles). Also the US surface squadron sorties from Noumea in an attempt to divert the JP naval units. It is all to no avail, the air and naval fights are inconclusive leaving the JP ground troops to storm in and with the support of a big shore bombardment overrun the Marines and capture San Cristobal. Banzai! COMMENTARY Well that was quite enough to get on top of the game systems. The JP are in a good position: well prepared for a slog through Burma with air supremacy and enough naval units to face off the Royal Navy. In the South Pacific they own the Solomons with 3 divisions, 4 major air bases and incoming land air units to try and strap down any US opposition. So what next...Australia, Fiji or Samao? The CW are well on the defensive in Burma and looking for some diversionary help from the Chinese. The US are smarting from the loss of a valuable land unit, they are probably too valuable to place in danger early on. Another division is just arriving and their strong CV units should form the core of a comeback. Missing elements are land air units (which always seem plentiful in other games of the war eg. John Prados' Pearl Harbour where the US 10-5 units carry all before them) and heavy surface units (all those battleships repairing in Hawaii). I completely ignored the economics rules apart from a nod towards garrisoning China and allocating JP land units to move through the resource hexes in Indonesia. So this replay favoured the side with more units to deploy...initially the JP, as they are not limited in how much of their armed forces they can activate. Anyway any this replay and comments should bear this omission in mind as there are never enough resource points to go round. The mechanics are relatively clean and play is straightforward so the turns can be bashed through...ten months of the war in a few hours play time. I feel the rules nicely combine the air/sea/land operations and highlight their mutual strengths and weaknesses. There are enough wrinkles in the move order (which is done by area) to allow for some subtle maneuvering. Battles are tense with an element of unpredictability due to the search rules. 'Find it. Buy it. Play it' WHY ARE THER ONLY 3 CORPS IN CHINA NO US UNITS FOR 5 TURNS MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP JP EXPANSION SEEMS V EASY TO LAND UNITS WHERE THERE IS NO INTRINSIC DEFENCE "Find it. Buy it. Play it"