Empire of The Rising Sun (RSN-1995) is a board wargame published originally by Avalon Hill. This is the companion game to Advanced Third Reich (A3R) and utilizes the same rule book to bring the Pacific War to life. Simulating the economic, political, and technical aspects involved in the Axis' grab for empire, the whole war can be recreated when played together with A3R (the Global War rules). It is a complete game in itself and can be played out to a fulfilling conclusion over the course of "20 hours" or a good weekend.
The "huge map" (Charlie Kibler, et al.) is made up of two 31" x 22" colorful sheets with 1" hex for greater comfort and depicts the whole of the Pacific Ocean including parts of Australia, India, China, Russia & Japan. The Aleutian Islands (Alaska) join the Hawaiian Islands and the U.S. Box to represent the United States. Project Director Bruce Harper was instrumental in the game design. Dave Casper worked out a carrier combat system that reflects the sudden fleet actions, catching enemy planes on the deck, missing enemy targets, and the effects of American radar. The trick was keeping the fleet composition secret right through the first few rounds of combat. Decoy fleets could draw away the critical units needed later on in the turn when the incidental action to the north is the true major engagement.
New rules for Research replace the need for Variants and keep the gameplay fresh. There is no 'perfect formula' for success. What worked on one occasion, may not the next. Creating armor-exploitation is the key to ground war success. Marine units need to create strong bridgeheads to hold ground during an invasion. Naval air units protect their Aircraft carriers from nearly unstoppable kamikaze attacks. Submarine warfare drains the economy; atomic weapons can make the difference, but at what price?
The game includes the instructions for the Grand Campaign, as well as a 1942 scenario or a 1944 start. There are four Battle scenarios that introduce the new players to ever increasing amounts of complexity. The game is complex, but that only makes for a better game and a possible solitaire play where a single player plays both sides. Forums can be found online where play-by-email exists. New innovations can be found in the forums to keep the game fresh.