I was 12 years old when I got this game in 1980. I thought the game was great, but didnt know to play it. Made up my own rules. I wish I still had it.. great game.
My younger brother, and I, were playing this game back in 1984 It was one of my favorite Avalon Hill games, at the time. We also played another Avalon Hill game, named Submarine! around the same time. YMMV.
This is a game my dad would play against me 30 years ago! I just picked it up on eBay for $45 including shipping, and it had only 3 chits that were replaced with cardboard, so I'm really pleased with it. Thanks for the video, it helped to work this out!
One of the few AH games I still have on the shelf & one of my all-time favorites. At one time I had about 50 AH titles, but when I moved across country in 1999 I let most of them go. VITP and the old Russian Campaign took up a lot of my early years LOL. First game I can remember playing was the 1964 version of Battle of the Bulge, which I got in 1971.
Nice overview of the game. I bought this when it first came out and had a lot of fun with it. I gave it away some years ago. I have just repurchased it via E Bay. Happy to have it back again.
I used to love this game back in the 70s and 80s. I still have it and intend to dust it off in the next month or so when I want a lighter rules game. Sometimes, after a monster, you want something simpler.
Agreed. This is a 'gem' of a game and is concerned with winning the entire war in the Pacific not fighting out individual campaigns. I'm sure I'm going to have hours of enjoyment with this one.
Hi Gilbert, I always enjoy your intelligent reviews...this one is no different. This was a nice trip down memory lane. I owned this game in the 80s. My 1st wife had a dim view of my war gaming interests & this went and came down in a hurry plus I loved learning for the first time all the capital ships in the IJN. Now I'm married to a native Vietnamese and even though she doesn't understand the hobby, If I have a game of let's say Vietnam 65-75 on the table it's a nice reminder of home so no issues 😎😂
Keep in mind that there are NO silent letters in English versions of Japanese words. There is never a silent "e" at the end of a word. So the name of the Japanese battleship Ise is not pronounced "ice", it is pronounced "Eee-say". 2 syllables. And the battleship Hiei is not pronounced "high", it is pronounced "Hee-ay-ee" . 3 syllables. Combat factors that are circled (as on the Japanese carriers) get an "add" of 1 to the die roll...so a die roll of 5 becomes a 6! And a die roll of 6 is still a 6. You'd have scored a lot more hits in those Pearl Harbor attack waves with the adds to the die rolls, because every roll of either 5 or 6 would have been a hit.
I loved War at Sea and Victory in the Pacific for that ability to quickly and simply play out the entire war. They were great for when I didn't feel like playing something more complicated. I think they are great for getting new people into war games. I love Avalon Hill games, but many, like this, definitely feel like the 70's, The ugly colors, however, are functional! Sometimes games have beautiful maps that make it very hard to identify separate areas.
I have a copy of this game up in the loft, not seen the light of day for 25 years or so. Guess I will just have to dig it out and have a go. Thanks for the video.
I don't have VitP, but I do have War at Sea and I just gave it another play recently, and had a grand old time with it. Very fun battle for area control.
I too started wargaming back in 1969, and have played most of the games you have on video. Although my main interest was Diplomacy (I say "was" as I don't play much these days). Your videos and reviews bring back many happy hours I spent in wargaming. I hope to view more of your videos in the future.
Thank you for the excellent video. I just repurchased online. First had it in the late 70s. Looking forward to many hours on my game table. FedEx can’t come soon enough.
VITP is a fun game and pretty easy to play. Most players believe the Japanese have a slight advantage which is why at most tournaments you bid POC to choose sides. There's also game boxes for Cyberboard and Vassal to PBEM if finding an opponent in your area is difficult.
Only eleven years late for my comment, but this is the first time I found this video. And what a good video it is, you really did this gem of a game proud. War at Sea is also an excellent game, although there's more details in this one, and I love it too. And you're so right, Richard Hamblen made a superb start to this game, with the US carriers being "at sea" and the Japanese player not knowing if or where they're gonna suddenly appear. Do you stay in Hawaiian Waters for another go at Battleship Row, or do you get the hell outta dodge before running into a whole load of trouble? And I must say Gilbert, I was really impressed by you pointing out that, while most people flippantly say the IJN should have launched another strike, they really did have other things on their mind and couldn't afford to lose those carriers, as was proven six months later. All in all, excellent video, thoroughly enjoyable!
Glad you enjoyed it. You may want to check out my new game "The Kaiser's High Seas Fleet" which is a World War I game (based on the 'War at Sea' system) and will be coming out during the first quarter of 2024 from Compass Games. I 'tweaked' the combat system a bit but wanted to stay true to the original design. I think it is actually a better combat system with the absence of tons of ships sinking every turn. Thanks for the comments.
@@XLEGION1 LOL... I'm fully aware of your new game, I'm really excited about it and watching it like a hawk. I really can't wait to get a copy, I know it's going to be brilliant.
Thanks for the support. The nice thing is, that if you like the combat system it can easily be retro fitted to the other games, making them a bit more historical. It might change the balance though, I haven't play tested them with the new system.@@Warriorking.1963
a fun game from childhood, too easy to master in a short time, though... I traded it with a friend for 'Panzer Leader'. But will say 'Victory in the Pacific" was imaginative and fun
This game came too late for me in my War gaming Odyssey or else I would have kept it. As a result of the timing, once I had tried Mark Herman's 'Empire of the Sun' I couldn't go back to this one.
I played both games. But we used ghq ships.it was a great game. You need to make your own map. When you use all this ships from both games. Its crazy. It took 4 of us a long time to get all the ships. But it was worth it. Great game.
Just to clarify: The BoardGame Geek 2nd edition rules are the same as the VITP 2nd edition rules. It looks like you have the 1st edition in this review, which is fine as hardly anything was changed, mostly things were just rewritten to be explained better. Also, it does slightly matter who rolls first - Japan does and sometimes it's an advantage for for the Allied player to see the results of the Japanese attacks before having to allocate his own shot.
Great video. I own both this and War at Sea and think I'm going to play them again - it's been a long while. Just one thing - I couldn't see if you were rolling fives or not on your rolls during the Pearl Harbor raid. I think you forgot that the Japanese carriers get a bonus (+1) to their die rolls - the circle behind their air number indicates this. Since you said a roll of 5 disables, that made it sound like you got a 5, which would of course caused the US more headaches, there.
I saw Worthington Publishing does a very nice print of Holdfast Pacific, that looks and feels very much like this... wondering if that's just similarity or if they really are the same game.
Hi James, I will check it is still up in the loft in the next few days. If it is, and it should be, you can have the game for free, you would only need to pay postage. Regards Ian
This was one of my favorites but once I learned the "standard" overwhelming initial three turn Japanese moves, they pretty much roll over the Allies and establish such a commanding position they can rarely be beaten.
You can always use some fairly simple variants and/or bid a few POC to balance this. So long as you get through turn 1 without the USA rolling CVs into the Central Pacific and having them sunk there without the player choosing to move them. I'll take this as a challenge if you don't mind a game over email....
Thanks for sharing this, Gilbert:) I remember playing this one in my youth and enjoying it. That map, though, would never pass muster by today's standards. I just preordered the 2nd printing of "Empire of the Sun." Curious to see how it measures up.
Could you do a video on Avalon hills UP FRONT. Its a card based we 2 squad based game. We used 1/ 35 modeled instead of cards . it was a wonder full game. I play pirate's of the cursed seas now. The ships are wonderful. And there are even flame ships. And great vid. Do more.
Gilbert, I thought I saw someone basically doing a reprint of this game. A 5 minute search didnt turn up anything but I thought I saw this map on a publisher site. I you have seen it can you point me in the correct direction?
I just returned from WBC where "Worthington Games" has a game that looks almost exactly like "Victory in the Pacific". Even the board is similar. They also have an "Atlantic War" game that again looks just like "War at Sea". They are called "Hold Fast: Atlantic" and "Hold Fast: Pacific". They are on Board Game Geek.
I played this game dozens of times and that was the weakest Turn 1 Pearl Harbor attack I ever witnessed. And he didn't even attack the Air Force unit. If I ever rolled like that on Turn 1, I'll just concede the game and start over. That will be a lot to overcome. One tactic, for the Japanese player, at Pearl Harbor, is to go after the US heavy cruisers. You only need one hit and two points of damage to eliminate it and weaken the US ability to escort carriers. Those old "3" speed battleships are only good for patrolling, not raiding.
I used to play this solitaire long, long ago. I recently purchased the worthington version. I was never ok with land based air units not being confined to a specific base and that every land based air could be allocated to any battle if you had one base. I was surprised worthington did not change this. Does anyone have any house rules on this?
Hello Robert. I have since got rid of this game preferring the more advanced "Empire of the Sun". This is a masterpiece of a game, in a different category entirely than "Victory in the Pacific"
Lots of die-rolling of course, but enjoyable game. I guess computers are the in thing these days; pushing pieces of cardboard around a map might seem pre-historic for the younger generarion. But as I am somewhat computer-illiterate, give me the old board game of play.
ok, that is what I thought. You said in the video (now five years old?) that you were looking forward to it, but when I could not find a review I grew uneasy about it. The prices are very different for WAS and VIP on ebay. Also, not a good sign. I am seeing prices of $75 for VIP which are too high for me. But thanks for the review.
Hi James, I have been up in the loft today, and I have found the board game 'Victory in the Pacific' I am sorry it took so long, I just completely forgot about it. If you can send me your postal address, I will put it in the mail for you. I tried to send you a PM but as I am not allowed to. Ian
Used to love this game. Still have my copy. Because of all the dice rolls, this and War at Sea were nicknamed "Yahtzee at Sea".
I was 12 years old when I got this game in 1980. I thought the game was great, but didnt know to play it. Made up my own rules. I wish I still had it.. great game.
Billy Anderson Same here. I didn’t know how to play either, but spent hours looking over ship tokens and imagining fantastical battles.
My younger brother, and I, were playing this game back in 1984 It was one of my favorite Avalon Hill games, at the time. We also played another Avalon Hill game, named Submarine! around the same time. YMMV.
This video has succeeded in peeking my interest in this game I've owned for over 40 years and never played. Thanks for making it!
This is a game my dad would play against me 30 years ago! I just picked it up on eBay for $45 including shipping, and it had only 3 chits that were replaced with cardboard, so I'm really pleased with it. Thanks for the video, it helped to work this out!
thank you for looking at an old friend!
One of my personal favorite games. Great two player game
One of the few AH games I still have on the shelf & one of my all-time favorites. At one time I had about 50 AH titles, but when I moved across country in 1999 I let most of them go. VITP and the old Russian Campaign took up a lot of my early years LOL. First game I can remember playing was the 1964 version of Battle of the Bulge, which I got in 1971.
I so agree! I had about 60 AH games and sadly got rid of them. Im rebuilding my board game collection now, and there are so many great new ones
I played this and War at Sea, was just recalling them and did a search.
All those Avalon Hill games would be awesome to port to PC.
Nice overview of the game. I bought this when it first came out and had a lot of fun with it. I gave it away some years ago. I have just repurchased it via E Bay. Happy to have it back again.
In my humble opinion, the best game AH ever made.
I used to love this game back in the 70s and 80s. I still have it and intend to dust it off in the next month or so when I want a lighter rules game. Sometimes, after a monster, you want something simpler.
Agreed. This is a 'gem' of a game and is concerned with winning the entire war in the Pacific not fighting out individual campaigns. I'm sure I'm going to have hours of enjoyment with this one.
Hi Gilbert, I always enjoy your intelligent reviews...this one is no different.
This was a nice trip down memory lane. I owned this game in the 80s. My 1st wife had a dim view of my war gaming interests & this went and came down in a hurry plus I loved learning for the first time all the capital ships in the IJN.
Now I'm married to a native Vietnamese and even though she doesn't understand the hobby, If I have a game of let's say Vietnam 65-75 on the table it's a nice reminder of home so no issues 😎😂
Keep in mind that there are NO silent letters in English versions of Japanese words. There is never a silent "e" at the end of a word. So the name of the Japanese battleship Ise is not pronounced "ice", it is pronounced "Eee-say". 2 syllables. And the battleship Hiei is not pronounced "high", it is pronounced "Hee-ay-ee" . 3 syllables. Combat factors that are circled (as on the Japanese carriers) get an "add" of 1 to the die roll...so a die roll of 5 becomes a 6! And a die roll of 6 is still a 6. You'd have scored a lot more hits in those Pearl Harbor attack waves with the adds to the die rolls, because every roll of either 5 or 6 would have been a hit.
I loved War at Sea and Victory in the Pacific for that ability to quickly and simply play out the entire war. They were great for when I didn't feel like playing something more complicated. I think they are great for getting new people into war games.
I love Avalon Hill games, but many, like this, definitely feel like the 70's, The ugly colors, however, are functional! Sometimes games have beautiful maps that make it very hard to identify separate areas.
my fav was Midway! played it over and over with school buddy in the 60's...keep up the great vids!
I have a copy of this game up in the loft, not seen the light of day for 25 years or so. Guess I will just have to dig it out and have a go. Thanks for the video.
I don't have VitP, but I do have War at Sea and I just gave it another play recently, and had a grand old time with it. Very fun battle for area control.
I too started wargaming back in 1969, and have played most of the games you have on video. Although my main interest was Diplomacy (I say "was" as I don't play much these days). Your videos and reviews bring back many happy hours I spent in wargaming. I hope to view more of your videos in the future.
If the attack value his within a circle you need a 5 or 6 for a hit.
This represents trained pilots for carriers and radar for capital ships
Thanks for pointing this out. I was yelling at the screen for the whole Pearl Harbor raid.
My favorite board game of all time! Haven't played since the 80s..
Thank you for the excellent video. I just repurchased online. First had it in the late 70s. Looking forward to many hours on my game table. FedEx can’t come soon enough.
Another brilliant review of a "classic" game! Thanks!
VITP is a fun game and pretty easy to play. Most players believe the Japanese have a slight advantage which is why at most tournaments you bid POC to choose sides. There's also game boxes for Cyberboard and Vassal to PBEM if finding an opponent in your area is difficult.
Only eleven years late for my comment, but this is the first time I found this video. And what a good video it is, you really did this gem of a game proud.
War at Sea is also an excellent game, although there's more details in this one, and I love it too.
And you're so right, Richard Hamblen made a superb start to this game, with the US carriers being "at sea" and the Japanese player not knowing if or where they're gonna suddenly appear. Do you stay in Hawaiian Waters for another go at Battleship Row, or do you get the hell outta dodge before running into a whole load of trouble?
And I must say Gilbert, I was really impressed by you pointing out that, while most people flippantly say the IJN should have launched another strike, they really did have other things on their mind and couldn't afford to lose those carriers, as was proven six months later.
All in all, excellent video, thoroughly enjoyable!
Glad you enjoyed it. You may want to check out my new game "The Kaiser's High Seas Fleet" which is a World War I game (based on the 'War at Sea' system) and will be coming out during the first quarter of 2024 from Compass Games. I 'tweaked' the combat system a bit but wanted to stay true to the original design. I think it is actually a better combat system with the absence of tons of ships sinking every turn. Thanks for the comments.
@@XLEGION1 LOL... I'm fully aware of your new game, I'm really excited about it and watching it like a hawk. I really can't wait to get a copy, I know it's going to be brilliant.
Thanks for the support. The nice thing is, that if you like the combat system it can easily be retro fitted to the other games, making them a bit more historical. It might change the balance though, I haven't play tested them with the new system.@@Warriorking.1963
a fun game from childhood, too easy to master in a short time, though... I traded it with a friend for 'Panzer Leader'. But will say 'Victory in the Pacific" was imaginative and fun
This game came too late for me in my War gaming Odyssey or else I would have kept it. As a result of the timing, once I had tried Mark Herman's 'Empire of the Sun' I couldn't go back to this one.
Good review of a quality old game--thank you for posting it.
That is a very nice gesture on your part and will gladly take you up on your offer.
thanks a great old game I do have!
Another great game and review. I have one of those also.
I played both games. But we used ghq ships.it was a great game. You need to make your own map. When you use all this ships from both games. Its crazy. It took 4 of us a long time to get all the ships. But it was worth it. Great game.
That was actually a very good game
dropping a comment to remember i've seen this when youtube suggests it and yeah VITP is an amazing game.
WAS is ok.
Just put a bid on this game. Waiting for the bid to close.
Used to play with my 8th grade history teacher Mr Kalan at Orville Wright jr high after school..great game
I really want to attend that Heat of Battle - there's a similar deal in Houston (might even be run by the same guys) played on board the BB Texas.
Just to clarify: The BoardGame Geek 2nd edition rules are the same as the VITP 2nd edition rules. It looks like you have the 1st edition in this review, which is fine as hardly anything was changed, mostly things were just rewritten to be explained better.
Also, it does slightly matter who rolls first - Japan does and sometimes it's an advantage for for the Allied player to see the results of the Japanese attacks before having to allocate his own shot.
Great video. I own both this and War at Sea and think I'm going to play them again - it's been a long while.
Just one thing - I couldn't see if you were rolling fives or not on your rolls during the Pearl Harbor raid. I think you forgot that the Japanese carriers get a bonus (+1) to their die rolls - the circle behind their air number indicates this. Since you said a roll of 5 disables, that made it sound like you got a 5, which would of course caused the US more headaches, there.
I discovered a computer game recently called War Plan Pacific that is virtually a copy of the VITP game system.
Interesting, where did you find this?
A company called Shrapnel Games makes it.
I saw Worthington Publishing does a very nice print of Holdfast Pacific, that looks and feels very much like this... wondering if that's just similarity or if they really are the same game.
Yes, I would like to do a short video on the L2 version of 'War at Sea' soon.
Hi James, I will check it is still up in the loft in the next few days. If it is, and it should be, you can have the game for free, you would only need to pay postage.
Regards
Ian
This was one of my favorites but once I learned the "standard" overwhelming initial three turn Japanese moves, they pretty much roll over the Allies and establish such a commanding position they can rarely be beaten.
You can always use some fairly simple variants and/or bid a few POC to balance this. So long as you get through turn 1 without the USA rolling CVs into the Central Pacific and having them sunk there without the player choosing to move them. I'll take this as a challenge if you don't mind a game over email....
Thanks for sharing this, Gilbert:) I remember playing this one in my youth and enjoying it. That map, though, would never pass muster by today's standards. I just preordered the 2nd printing of "Empire of the Sun." Curious to see how it measures up.
Could you do a video on Avalon hills UP FRONT. Its a card based we 2 squad based game. We used 1/ 35 modeled instead of cards . it was a wonder full game. I play pirate's of the cursed seas now. The ships are wonderful. And there are even flame ships. And great vid. Do more.
Would really enjoy your future take on "War at Sea". Thanx!
Gilbert, I thought I saw someone basically doing a reprint of this game. A 5 minute search didnt turn up anything but I thought I saw this map on a publisher site. I you have seen it can you point me in the correct direction?
I just returned from WBC where "Worthington Games" has a game that looks almost exactly like "Victory in the Pacific". Even the board is similar. They also have an "Atlantic War" game that again looks just like "War at Sea". They are called "Hold Fast: Atlantic" and "Hold Fast: Pacific". They are on Board Game Geek.
BLOOD RED MAP BECAUSE WE TURNED THAT OCEAN RED
I played this game dozens of times and that was the weakest Turn 1 Pearl Harbor attack I ever witnessed. And he didn't even attack the Air Force unit. If I ever rolled like that on Turn 1, I'll just concede the game and start over. That will be a lot to overcome. One tactic, for the Japanese player, at Pearl Harbor, is to go after the US heavy cruisers. You only need one hit and two points of damage to eliminate it and weaken the US ability to escort carriers. Those old "3" speed battleships are only good for patrolling, not raiding.
He forgot to add the plus one for white circled carrier values, so of course it was a damp squib.
I used to play this solitaire long, long ago. I recently purchased the worthington version. I was never ok with land based air units not being confined to a specific base and that every land based air could be allocated to any battle if you had one base. I was surprised worthington did not change this. Does anyone have any house rules on this?
Hello Robert. I have since got rid of this game preferring the more advanced "Empire of the Sun". This is a masterpiece of a game, in a different category entirely than "Victory in the Pacific"
Lots of die-rolling of course, but enjoyable game. I guess computers are the in thing these days; pushing pieces of cardboard around a map might seem pre-historic for the younger generarion. But as I am somewhat computer-illiterate, give me the old board game of play.
Your didn't account for bonus on carriers
Gilbert, did you even do a review on War at Sea? Any thoughts about it? Do you like it as much as VIP? THX
No, I have not done a review of that one. I had owned it at one time but I didn't like it all that much.
ok, that is what I thought. You said in the video (now five years old?) that you were looking forward to it, but when I could not find a review I grew uneasy about it. The prices are very different for WAS and VIP on ebay. Also, not a good sign. I am seeing prices of $75 for VIP which are too high for me. But thanks for the review.
Sorry Sandy, I don't own that game and I don't usually purchase WWII tactical games.
Hi James,
I have been up in the loft today, and I have found the board game 'Victory in the Pacific' I am sorry it took so long, I just completely forgot about it.
If you can send me your postal address, I will put it in the mail for you.
I tried to send you a PM but as I am not allowed to.
Ian
If u are interested in selling the game please let me know. I have kids now and would like to replay it with them
...eeeee-say
A juvenile game with a simplistic sequence of play. Not my favorite by any stretch of the imagination.