Pacific Theatre Via Midway

About this expansion

Pacific Theatre Via Midway is a two-player naval wargame variant and expansion for a 120-minute play session, set across the South Pacific and released in 1979. It adapts the 1975 Avalon Hill game Midway for a hidden-map search and attack game.

Each player has a separate map concealed behind a screen. Players send search planes to hexes and announce the hex numbers they investigate, attempting to locate the opposing fleet. Once a fleet is found, bombers can be dispatched to attack it.

When combat begins, the action moves to a separate battle board. Ships are placed on hexes, while attacking aircraft are positioned to show which ship each plane is targeting. This straightforward core system can be expanded with additional rules that add realism and complexity.

• Hidden-map searches: Fly search planes to locate the enemy fleet.
• Air attacks: Send bombers against discovered ships.
• Expanded options: Add CAP fighters, surface actions, bases, and inaccurate search reports.
• Double-blind play: A neutral referee is recommended for the strongest hidden-information experience.

The rules and maps for the Coral Sea variant were published in The GENERAL, Vol. 15, No. 5, dated January–February 1979. Counters for that variant were available separately through Avalon Hill by order.

With its simple basic rules and optional layers of detail, Pacific Theatre Via Midway can provide either an accessible fleet-hunting game or a more complex recreation of searching, finding, and attacking an opposing naval force.