Islands of the Damned: Wake Island and Peleliu

About this board game

Islands of the Damned: Wake Island and Peleliu is a two-game solitaire wargame for one player, with an advertised play time of 180 minutes. You command American forces in two very different Pacific campaigns and attempt to achieve better results than their historical outcomes.

The first game, Given Up for Dead, covers the defense of Wake Island during the early weeks of World War II. Known in those dark days as “the Alamo of the Pacific,” Wake’s defenders inspired a nation shocked by the losses at Pearl Harbor, even though the island ultimately fell.

The second game, Utmost Savagery, examines the Battle of Peleliu, a costly invasion that was expected to be easy. Japanese fortifications and determined resistance turned the operation into a battle lasting more than two months, with the highest U.S. casualty rate of any battle in the Pacific war.

Across both games, Steven Cunliffe’s innovative systems challenge you to combine boldness with sound tactics. You must gain objectives while minimizing casualties, reflecting the difficult choices faced by historical commanders.

• Two separate solitaire games: Given Up for Dead and Utmost Savagery
• Campaigns focused on Wake Island and Peleliu
• American forces commanded by the player
• More than 175 large, full-color 5/8-inch die-cut counters
• Two separate 17-by-22-inch full-color mapsheets

Published as Against the Odds Magazine issue #43, Islands of the Damned invites you to revisit two Pacific battles marked by fierce resistance and heavy losses. Can you secure the objectives while saving most of your troops from the islands of the damned?