Overview

Pacific Victory is a two-player block wargame simulating the entire Pacific Theater of World War II from 1941-1945. One player controls Japan while the other controls the Allied forces (USA, Britain, India, ANZAC, and China). The game uses the Columbia Block System where blocks stand upright facing their owner, creating fog of war. Players manage land, naval, and air forces across the Pacific while pursuing strategic objectives.

Components

• 1 large map board (Pacific Theater)
• Wooden blocks with unit stickers (Japanese and Allied forces)
• Cards (for strategic events and combat)
• Dice
• Rules booklet

Setup

1. Place the map board between players.
2. Apply stickers to blocks (first game only).
3. Deploy blocks according to the scenario setup chart (standard is the historical December 1941 start).
4. Each block stands upright facing its owner, hiding its identity and strength from the opponent.

Turn Structure

The game plays over multiple yearly turns (1941-1945). Each year consists of multiple action rounds:

1. Initiative: Determine who acts first.
2. Strategic movement: Move forces across the map.
3. Combat: Resolve battles where opposing forces meet.
4. Production: Build new units and reinforce existing ones.
5. Supply check: Verify supply lines; unsupplied units may be eliminated.

Actions

• Move land units: Advance armies across connected land areas
• Move naval units: Sail fleets across sea zones
• Move air units: Deploy aircraft to support land and naval operations
• Amphibious assault: Land forces from sea onto enemy-held territory
• Strategic bombing: Attack enemy production and infrastructure
• Build/reinforce units: Spend production points to create or strengthen forces
• Supply: Maintain supply lines from home bases

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Victory is determined by controlling key objectives:

• Japan wins by holding enough victory point locations after a certain number of turns.
• Allies win by liberating objectives and/or conquering Japanese home islands.
• Automatic victory can occur if one side captures critical locations (e.g., Japan takes India or Australia; Allies take Tokyo).

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Fog of war: The Columbia Block System means opponents cannot see which units are which or how strong they are until combat.
• Block strength: Each block rotates to show current strength (4 → 3 → 2 → 1). Damaged blocks lose steps.
• Naval dominance: Control of sea zones is critical for supply and amphibious operations.
• China theater: Simplified rules for the China-Burma-India theater.
• Kamikazes: Available to Japan in late war years.
• Atomic bomb: May be available to Allies in 1945 under certain conditions.
• Leaders: Special leader blocks provide combat bonuses.
• Production: Each side has a set production capacity modified by territory control.

Player Reference

Turn structure: Initiative → Movement → Combat → Production → Supply

Block system: Units hidden from opponent; strength shown by rotation (4/3/2/1)

Key theaters: Central Pacific, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, China-Burma-India

Japan wins: Hold VP locations

Allies win: Liberate objectives / take Japan