Earlier this year I visited the Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Although I was in an Air Force museum, I purchased a naval wargame. Battle of Midway: The board game is from COBI Toys; you know, the makers of LEGO-like COBI Blocks. Given that I am “RockyMountainNavy” I just had to have this cute wargame. Yes, I said “cute” because Battle of Midway is very much a toy…with a boardgame thrown in.
Battle of Midway is a low-complexity boardgame. The game’s main appeal almost certainly is the LEGO-like aircraft. As far as a historical teaching tool; well, I think we can all agree that there are airplanes, an island named Midway in the middle of the board, and two aircraft carriers. Any other semblance to reality is…well…there is no other semblance to reality.
Technically speaking, there are two modes of play for Battle of Midway. The first mode, named “Aircraft Carrier Hunt,” gives each player two bombers and two fighters that start off near their own aircraft carrier. In Aircraft Carrier Hunt, “The game is won by the player who will manage to get one of their Bombers onto the enemy Aircraft Carrier (thereby bombing the Aircraft Carrier) or by the player who will manage to destroy all the enemy Bombers” (2.1 Goal). The second mode, called “Domination,” gives each player two fighters and two Aces and is a race to a Victory Point goal.
Design-wise, Battle of Midway has some (mildly) interesting elements. The board—a set of tiles—can be arranged in various ways. Game play is dice-less. The sequence of play for a turn is pretty direct:
- Place Activation Markers next to aircraft
- Fight for Initiative
- Spend 0-3 Command Points
- Winner gets Initiative card and will act first
- Aircraft Activations; legal actions are FLIGHT or COMBAT
- Flight – Fighters get 3-4 Maneuvers (forward 1 space then 1 hex turn if desired) and Bombers get 2 Maneuvers; Initiative Card is passed after each Flight
- Combat – Starting at a range of no more then “5 Maneuvers” players secretly place 2 Maneuver Tokens which are executed; play of Order Cards is allowed followed by consulting the Aircraft Range diagrams to determine number of Firing Cards drawn where highest value is winner and destroyed aircraft are removed
- Once all Aircraft Activations are done, players move to the Order Purchase Phase
- Order Cards have costs that are paid for in Command Points
Battle of Midway is recommended for players ages 8 and up. Frankly speaking, Battle of Midway is a kid’s or family game. I can see using Battle of Midway for teaching aspiring wargamers or as the centerpiece of a one-vs.-one family night. If I have a concern it is the projected playing time; the Aircraft Carrier Hunt supposedly plays in 30-40 minutes whereas Domination is rated at 45 minutes for “Short Gameplay (around 45 minutes)” and as much as around 75 minutes for “Long Gameplay.”
Face it, the “toy factor” of Battle of Midway likely is what will bring this game to the table. I am not sure it will make many appearances because, at ~45 minutes expected play time, it just seems slow and thematically not that engaging. As a true old grognard I recognize I am not the target audience but still, I am the one expected to purchase games like these and bring them to the gaming table for the kids and family.
If you are a family gamer with elementary-school aged kids—and want to have a bit of a historical game on the table—then Battle of Midway: The board game is not a bad choice…
…just make sure the planes don’t get lost in the LEGO box!
Feature image courtesy RMN
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