Irregular F:AT Wargame Review: Asia Engulfed

Today I’m turning my attention, having heavily praised Here I Stand, to a game I got more recently of the wargame persuasion, Asia Engulfed.  I must say I would not recommend it to my AT friends here, and only lukewarmly to my wargame friends.  I’m not nearly as high on Asia Engulfed as HIS. 

It is the sequel to Europe Engulfed, unplayed by me, which many gamers feel is one of the better high level games of the European theatre. By contrast, I find Asia Engulfed relatively boring strategically and occasionally frustrating mechanically. I have yet to determine whether this is because of faults in the game or they are simply problems I have with gaming the overall conflict being simulated, the Pacific theatre of WWII. 

I’ll preface all my remarks by saying I haven’t played this game all that many times, perhaps 5-6 full games with a couple of those being small scenarios. So if you want to accuse my review of being uninformed, perhaps it is in terms of my experience, but I have had enough experience not to be terribly excited to play too often but it is a long game and I feel 4 full campaigns is probably enough.