Midway is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1964 that simulates the Battle of Midway during World War II.

Background

Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan looked to extend its defensive perimeter by attacking and occupying the U.S. base on Midway Atoll. To do this, the Japanese navy sent a strong fleet of four aircraft carriers, two battleships and a variety of smaller craft, hoping to lure the American fleet into a trap. Unbeknownst to the Japanese, cryptographers had broken their fleet code and knew about the attack. Both forces sent aircraft to scout for the enemy fleet's position, but it was American airplanes that found the Japanese fleet first. In a series of devastating torpedo and dive bomb attacks, American airplanes sunk all four aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser, suffering a loss of one aircraft carrier themselves. It was a pivotal battle in the Pacific war, causing losses Japan would not be able to replace, and giving momentum and confidence to the Americans.

Description

Midway is a board wargame for 2 players (or more than 2 players divided into teams) that 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 American 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 box includes:

Reception

In Issue 8 of Games & Puzzles, Don Turnbull noted "What little surface action there is can best be summed up in the word 'imprecise'. Which is a polite way of saying unsatisfactory from the naval point of view." Turnbull concluded, "For players who like a reasonably simple naval/air game, Midway is quite a good buy, but don't expect too much from it."

In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer felt that the game, already 12 years old at the time he was writing, was "still played by people interested in the context." He noted, "The game is often tense and exciting, although realism is limited and the Japanese have a definite edge in the usual game (this an be corrected by varying search capacities.)

Bill Thompson, writing for the Wargame Academy, felt the game's "greatest strength is its simplicity and is ideal for introducing wargaming to new players." Thompson didn't feel that the 1991 Smithsonian edition was an improvement, saying, "Despite up to date graphics, standardized rulebook format and inclusion of much historical material as a modern introductory game, [the 1991 edition] seems more complex and not an actual improvement over the original."

In The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training, Martin Campion noted, "This is a very realistic game except perhaps for the excessively large number of casualties suffered by attacking aircraft." In terms of using the game as an educational aid, Campion wrote, "In a classroom situation, the awkward search board rules could be replaced by the activities of an umpire."

Other reviews and commentary

  • Battleplan #3, #6 & #7
  • Boardgamer #3
  • Fire & Movement #12, #65 & #67
  • Strategy & Tactics #29, #38 & #65
  • The Wargamer Vol 1 #9 & Vol 1 #12
  • Casus Belli #14 (April 1983)
  • 1982 Games 100 in Games

References

  • Web-Grognard entry on Midway