Second World War at Sea: Midway

About this board game

Second World War at Sea: Midway is a two-player naval campaign game with an approximate playing time of 240 minutes, covering the pivotal early-war clashes of the central Pacific.

Set around Hawaiʻi, Midway Island, and Wake Island, the game includes 11 scenarios portraying distinct historical situations. Players can recreate the Battle of Midway, the Raid on Pearl Harbor, the invasion and potential relief of Wake Island, and other operations from the opening years of the Pacific War.

The United States fields its early-war Pacific Fleet, including the ships of Battleship Row and the aircraft carriers that fought at Midway. Japan brings its battle line, the super-battleship Yamato, and the First Carrier Fleet’s six modern flattops, supported by aircraft such as the Zero, Val, and Kate.

• 210 long counters depict major fleet units, including battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, and fleet destroyers.
• 280 square counters represent mostly aircraft, along with smaller warships and markers.
• A strategic map handles operations, while a generic hexagonal tactical map resolves surface combat.

Surface battles use ship gunnery and torpedo factors, with players rolling dice and scoring hits on a result of 6. Gunnery and torpedo damage tables show whether ships suffer damage to their engines, hulls, or armament. Air attacks use a similar system, producing rapid resolutions designed to balance playability with historical insight.

Optional rules allow Japan to use forces historically assigned to the Aleutian Islands campaign instead of Midway, while the United States can bring in its available battleship force. As the third game in Avalanche Press’s Second World War at Sea series, Second World War at Sea: Midway focuses on the campaign surrounding a decisive turning point in the Pacific War.