Memoir ’44 Pacific Theater expansion review

When it’s time for a good 2-player board game, there are numerous choices – many abstract strategy games (Chess, Hive, YINSH, Othello), a wide variety of themed board games (LOTR the Confrontation, Confusion), and plenty of 4 players games are also great for 2 players.

But when given the chance, the one that I, dad, love to play most is Memoir ’44.

In fact, Memoir ’44 tops my favorite board games list.

First, a Little Background

And it’s actually kind of surprising considering that it’s a ‘war game’. In all of my years of playing board games, I had never been interested in playing any war games. The theme as well as the involved mechanics didn’t have any appeal to me.

But a few years ago I found myself reading a number of books about World War II and getting interested in the lives of those who were on the front lines.

Then I heard about Memoir ’44.
It’s a board game released in 2004 where players face-off in stylized battles of some of the most famous historic battles of World War II. Besides being a game about WWII, what caught my attention was the simplified way in which the game operates.

According to Memoir ’44 designer, Richard Borg, “By design, the game is not overly complex. The game mechanics, although simple, still require strategic card play, timely dice rolling and an aggressive yet flexible battle plan to achieve victory.”

So I decided I’d give it a try.
I bought a copy in 2011, And I was immediately hooked.

 

What’s the draw of the Pacific Theater expansion?

It wasn’t long after I began playing Memoir ’44 that I had a thirst for more scenarios to play. It’s not that the 15 contained in the base game grow old. To the contrary, I still enjoy playing them. But the battles of WWII extended to many different parts of the world, not just France and Germany.

By the time I stepped into the Memoir ’44 board game world, there were already a number of expansions available and I put them all on my wish list. I knew it would be best to pace myself so I had to decide which one I’d want first.

The year after first playing Memoir ’44, I also read 2 fantastic books that centered on the battles in the Pacific – Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, and Flyboys: A True Story of Courage. With those fresh in mind, the first Memoir ’44 expansion I bought was Memoir ’44 Pacific Theater.

It was released in 2006 and as the name implies, it covers major battle locations in the Pacific including Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Guam, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. It includes 8 battle scenarios and introduces figurines for Japanese infantry, artillery, and armor. In addition, 14 new terrain tiles, various new medals, and a few new obstacles are introduced to the game – each with their unique effects.

 

New Rules

One of the biggest additions and differences in the Pacific Theater expansion that makes it unique are the new rules related to the Imperial Japanese Army. These new rules are patterned after the way the imperial Japanese would operate in battle. The rulebook does a good job explaining both the historical background as well as the way these elements translate into gameplay.

• Yamato Damashi Concept – Japanese infantry always ignore the 1st flag rolled.
• Seishin Kyoiku Doctrine – Japanese infantry at full strength in close assault battle with 1 additional die.
• Banzai War Cry – Japanese infantry may move 2 hexes and still battle when carrying out a close assault.

In addition to the Imperial Japanese infantry rules, the US Marine Corps gets some rules of their own.

• Gung-Ho! – US Marines may activate an additional unit when a section card is played. And when counter-attacking they may also order an additional unit than the Japanese counterpart did.

With the Memoir ’44 Pacific Theater expansion, Night Attacks are also introduced. In some of the scenarios, combat occurs at night under low-visibility conditions. The Night Visibility chart is used which dictates how far units can see to attack. At the beginning of the game, units can only see 1 hex away. On each US turn, dice are rolled that may improve the visibility until full visibility is eventually attained. Very interesting mechanic to simulate the situations in battle.

There are a few more additions in the game – some included from previous expansions (minefields, big guns) and others first introduced in the Pacific Theater expansion (war ships, flame throwers) – but I won’t take more space diving into those details. Just know that they’re pretty cool too.

 

Final Thoughts

Memoir ’44 Pacific Theater is a great addition to the Memoir ’44 base game and we’re happy to have it with our set. The battles in the Pacific were very different from those on the European continent and Richard Borg and Days of Wonder did a great job capturing those differences in the gameplay.