Empire of the Rising Sun
Encyclopedia
Empire of The Rising Sun (RSN-1995) is a board wargame
published originally by Avalon Hill
. This is the companion game to Advanced Third Reich
(A3R) and utilizes the same rule book to bring the Pacific War to life. Simulating the economic, political, and technical aspects involved in the Axis
' grab for empire, the whole war can be recreated when played together with A3R (the Global War rules). It is a complete game in itself and can be played out to a fulfilling conclusion over the course of "20 hours" or a good weekend.
The "huge map" (Charlie Kibler, et al.) is made up of two 31" x 22" colorful sheets with 1" hex for greater comfort and depicts the whole of the Pacific Ocean including parts of Australia
, India
, China
, Russia
& Japan
. The Aleutian Islands (Alaska
) join the Hawaiian Islands
and the U.S. Box to represent the United States
. Project Director Bruce Harper was instrumental in the game design. Dave Casper worked out a carrier
combat system that reflects the sudden fleet actions, catching enemy planes on the deck, missing enemy targets, and the effects of American radar
. The trick was keeping the fleet composition secret right through the first few rounds of combat. Decoy fleets could draw away the critical units needed later on in the turn when the incidental action to the north is the true major engagement.
New rules for Research replace the need for Variants and keep the gameplay fresh. There is no 'perfect formula' for success. What worked on one occasion, may not the next. Creating armor-exploitation is the key to ground war success. Marine units need to create strong bridgeheads to hold ground during an invasion. Naval air units protect their Aircraft carrier
s from nearly unstoppable kamikaze
attacks. Submarine
warfare drains the economy
; atomic weapons can make the difference, but at what price?
The game includes the instructions for the Grand Campaign, as well as a 1942 scenario or a 1944 start. There are four Battle scenarios that introduce the new players to ever increasing amounts of complexity. The game is complex, but that only makes for a better game and a possible solitaire
play where a single player plays both sides. Forum
s can be found online where play-by-email exists. New innovations can be found in the forums to keep the game fresh.
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
published originally by Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
. This is the companion game to Advanced Third Reich
Advanced Third Reich
Advanced Third Reich is a board wargame originally designed by Bruce Harper and published by Avalon Hill, who then sold the license to Hasbro. The game was marketed as "the ultimate World War II strategy game". A3R, a rewrite of Rise and Decline of the Third Reich is a simulation of the European...
(A3R) and utilizes the same rule book to bring the Pacific War to life. Simulating the economic, political, and technical aspects involved in the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
' grab for empire, the whole war can be recreated when played together with A3R (the Global War rules). It is a complete game in itself and can be played out to a fulfilling conclusion over the course of "20 hours" or a good weekend.
The "huge map" (Charlie Kibler, et al.) is made up of two 31" x 22" colorful sheets with 1" hex for greater comfort and depicts the whole of the Pacific Ocean including parts of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
& Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Aleutian Islands (Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
) join the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
and the U.S. Box to represent the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Project Director Bruce Harper was instrumental in the game design. Dave Casper worked out a carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
combat system that reflects the sudden fleet actions, catching enemy planes on the deck, missing enemy targets, and the effects of American radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. The trick was keeping the fleet composition secret right through the first few rounds of combat. Decoy fleets could draw away the critical units needed later on in the turn when the incidental action to the north is the true major engagement.
New rules for Research replace the need for Variants and keep the gameplay fresh. There is no 'perfect formula' for success. What worked on one occasion, may not the next. Creating armor-exploitation is the key to ground war success. Marine units need to create strong bridgeheads to hold ground during an invasion. Naval air units protect their Aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s from nearly unstoppable kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attacks. Submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
warfare drains the economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
; atomic weapons can make the difference, but at what price?
The game includes the instructions for the Grand Campaign, as well as a 1942 scenario or a 1944 start. There are four Battle scenarios that introduce the new players to ever increasing amounts of complexity. The game is complex, but that only makes for a better game and a possible solitaire
Solitaire
Solitaire is any tabletop game which one can play by oneself or with other people. The solitaire card game Klondike is often known as simply Solitaire....
play where a single player plays both sides. Forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
s can be found online where play-by-email exists. New innovations can be found in the forums to keep the game fresh.