Midway (1964 game)
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 Cover art for Midway | |
| Players | 2+ |
|---|---|
| Setup time | 15 minutes |
| Playing time | 2 to 4 hours |
| Random chance | Medium |
| Age range | 10 and up |
| Skills required | Planning, Intuition, Surprise |
Midway is a wargame by Avalon Hill which simulates the Battle of Midway, during World War II. The game is designed for 2 or more players and simulates the battle at the individual ship and squadron level.
Initiative in the game rests on the shoulders of the Japanese player, who must successfully invade the island of Midway with the heavy cruiser Atago within the time frame of the game. The Atago represents accompanying landing craft carrying Japanese ground troops for the invasion of Midway Island. The United States player seeks to prevent the Japanese player from successfully invading Midway. Both players also score points toward victory by sinking their opponent's ships.
Components[]
The game is played with two playing boards representing the area of the South Pacific in which the battle transpired, and counters representing the naval fleets and air forces of the two combatants.
Counters[]
Counters represent individual ships and squadrons of planes. Each ship has two counters, one fitted for the 1/2 inch squares of the search board and a larger one for the rectangular grid of the battle board. The 1/2 inch plane counters represent three types of aircraft: dive bombers, torpedo bombers, and fighters.
Boards[]
The two boards used are the search board and the battle board. The bulk of the game takes place on the search board with battles being resolved on the battle board. The search board consists of two identical boards separated by a divider allowing the players to see own fleet's location and movements, while the opponent's operations remain hidden.
The search board is divided into large square areas which are each further divided into nine smaller square zones. The battle board consists of long rectangular spaces to fit the large ship counters provided for the battle phases of the game.
Gameplay[]
Gameplay in Midway has two distinct segments, corresponding to the two boards: a search segment and a battle segment.
Search[]
In the search segment, players send out search planes (these are abstract planes and not represented by any counters) to search areas of the sea for the enemy fleet. If the areas searched contain enemy ships, the ships' owner must inform his opponent of the exact zone within the area and types of ships found there.
After the search has been conducted, players can now send out combat squadrons to attack enemy ships. For each zone in which ships and enemy planes are present, a battle is conducted on the battle board.
After all battles are resolved, the squadrons return to their carriers to undergo a turn of refitting.
Battle[]
When planes locate and attack an enemy fleet, the air-sea battle is resolved on the battle board. The owner of the ships first places his ships on the battle board as desired within rule-driven requirements for spacing between ships. The attacker then places his planes around the ships to indicate which squadrons are attacking which ships. Dive bombers must be placed on top of the ship being attacked, and torpedo bombers must be placed in the space either to port or starboard of the ship being attacked.
The defender then indicates which ships will direct their fire against which squadrons(known as "screening"). Each ship may screen against any squadron within a two space range and is not limited to screening against squadrons attacking itself. Then through comparison of various factors printed on the counters, and the roll of the die, hits are recorded, and losses are taken against the ships and attacking squadrons.
After one round of battle the ships and planes are removed from the board, and additional battles in other zones are resolved as required.
Reviews[]
- Casus Belli #14 (April 1983)[1]
References[]
- "Midway Battle Manual". Boardgame Geek. Avalon Hill Game Company. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
External links[]
- American board games
- Avalon Hill games
- Board games introduced in 1964
- Naval games
- World War II board wargames