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Description
Dreadnoughts in the Pacific 1922-1930
World War II Arrives Early in the Pacific!
War Plan Orange: Dreadnoughts in the Pacific 1922-1930 transports wargamers to an entirely different timeline, where the conflict that naval planners feared would happen during the 1920s actually did. While this is a hypothetical conflict, the history and the forces involved have been researched with exacting detail to bring this "what if" to life as only the War in the Pacific engine can.
The 1920s, the era of the boom and the depression, the radio, gangsters, prohibition and women’s suffrage. World War I was over, but tensions in the Pacific were growing. War Plan Orange assumes that the historical Washington Naval Treaty was rejected by the Japanese. The decisive arm of the Navy
remains the surface fleet of Battleships and Battlecruisers, with Aircraft Carriers seen as expensive experiments. This war in the
Pacific will not be decided by airpower, but by massive gun and torpedo battles on the seas and invasions on the shores.
Japan is not yet committed to China, but plans for it as a strategic goal. France, The Netherlands, Britan and the United States all have colonies or interests in the area and substantial surface forces with which to counter any aggression. War Plan Orange was a set of three plans covering a potential war with
Japan. The second of the plans stipulated that the US Pacific Fleet, either by itself of bolstered by the Atlantic Fleet, would sail to the Philippines and force Japan into a battle. If Japan did not run the blockade or force a battle, it would starve and
surrender. If a battle was fought, it was assumed the larger American fleet would win.
As the commander in charge of executing War Plan Orange, choose from a 1922-1926 campaign or a later 1926-1930 Campaign, as well as many other scenarios, including a “Pacific Jutland” which pits the bulk of the British Fleet against Japan.
In the first campaign covering the years 1922-1926, battleships are still the dominant naval weapons, with the aircraft carrier being only a military toy still very much in its infancy. The airplane, which had proved a potent factor in land warfare in Europe during World War I, had yet to prove its viability to impact naval affairs.
In the second campaign, covering a war during 1926-1930, the World War I era battleships are rebuilt into forms that would historically be famous in World War II. The Aircraft carrier, while no longer just an experiment, has still not found its niche in naval warfare. Larger, stronger, better armed aircraft now begin to replace the frail planes that had been veterans of World War I.
War Plan Orange, while using the War in the Pacific engine developed by 2by3 Games, is in itself an entirely different game. Some various changes in the engine from War in the Pacific:
Line of Departure: The War in the Pacific engine proves a terrific means of exploring alternate paths for history. The system works extremely well for simulating the real war... With this game, such expectations are supported by the results. The machine works.
Gamershall:85% “Silver Award!”
Game Features Include:
- Brand new in War Plan Orange:
- Eight Scenarios, 2 campaigns with three variants each, and two smaller scenarios.
- A Historically accurate Air OOB, with over 74 different aircraft types, including wheel and float variants of several different aircraft.
- A historically accurate Naval OOB, with over 311 historic Japanese, American, British, French, Canadian, Australian, Dutch, Chinese, and even Siamese ship classes.
- A Full ship OOB, including every ship of every class modeled that existed in the 1920’s, regardless of whether or not the ships are in any of the scenarios.
- A Comprehensive Land OOB, from French forces in Indo China to the activation order ofUS Infantry Divisions.
- Every army weapon used by any of the armies of the time are modeled, from the US Army 4 inch Mortar Mark I to the British 60 pound Gun Mk II, to the Japanese 24cm Type 45 Field Gun.
- Early and experimental tank models are available, from the French built FT-17 to the US M1921 Medium tank.
- Historically accurate graphic depictions of ships, including refits and modernizations.
- A challenging AI that provides a tough, fun game.
- An even better PBEM game, accurately reflecting problems faced by 1920’s War Planners.
- No Production System! While War in the Pacific’s production system is retained, it is not used by any of the default scenarios, allowing new players to jump right in playing as the Japanese.
- Accurate Aircraft squadrons, based on World War I and 1920’s documents depicting probable deployments and strengths, as well as historic deployments where possible.
- War Plan Orange provides an accurate representation of the problems facing naval planners in the 1920’s, and is a good representation of the forces available to each nation.
- Open campaigns! In the PBEM variants of the large campaigns, victory points are equal starting out, allowing various scenarios to be played. China, Indo China, the Philippines, anything is possible, with no bottlenecks to restrict players. The AI campaigns do simulate a war based on the real plan; in PBEM players can “Go Wild”.
- “Never were ships!” War Plan Orange features several classes of ships that never saw the light of day, including the Tosa, Kii, and South Dakota class battleships (both a sixteen inch gun and a Tillman inspired 18 inch gun version), and Amagi, Lexington, and G3 class battle cruisers.
- In addition, pre-dreadnought battleships, victims of mass scrapings in the 1920’s, may now have the chance to do what was never granted them and fight for the title of “Kings of the Sea”
- Improvements from War in the Pacific:
- Battleships now incur large amounts of damage when upgrading, and hence need more yard time.
- New Ship Experience routines, particularly with regard to aircraft carriers.
- New Ship day and night experience routines, to account for lack of training and battle experience.
- New random leader experience routines, to account again for little training and practical experience for fighting a Pacific War.
- New Submarine contact and combat routines, including a larger emphasis on surface actions.
- New ASW routines, with significantly reduced hit chances for depth charges *Some, but not all, of this is now found in War in the Pacific*
- New Surface Combat routines.
- Removal of all traces of Radar and 1940’s era equipment (such as Norden Bombsight).
- Minelayers, Cruisers, and Aircraft carriers are no longer replaced when sunk.
- Instead of Minelayer Tenders and Seaplane Tenders, players may now upgrade large Cargo AKs to Commerce Raiders/Auxiliary Cruisers and Q ships.
- Allied Damage Control has now been removed, and Allied ships are just as vulnerable as Japanese ships.
- All Date related restrictions have been removed from the game.
- The Manchukuo Garrison has been lowered to 500, so that Soviets can be activated on purpose, but not accidentally.
- As China and Indo China are now Allied Controlled, Vietnamese units are no longer created for Allied units in these areas.
- Reduced Japanese ASW effectiveness, to account for lack of any home grown ability.
- ALCAN Highway In Alaska-Canada has now been removed. The only way to keep a guaranteed supply flow to Alaska is by sea.
- France is now a fully independent nation, with any base that is French displaying a French Flag.
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