So you'd have to do some serious kitbashing to make them serviceable for WWII...in which case they'd end up being more expensive than just buying metal models from Warlord/Artizan.

I haven't really found any cheap/good-looking 28mm Japanese, some of the 1/72 stuff looks better. I don't understand why Japan isn't a bit more popular.

Doh! You want WWII era japanese! Brain cramp there.....

Just lol. I wondered why you recommended samurai

I agree. I found a box of these on ebay and thats my Japanese army:

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=88

It's 1/72 but is a good set. This is what they looked like when I painted them:

Those look excellent. 1/72 is my go-to scale. It's as usually as cheap as it gets and there are some high quality sets out there. Plastic Soldier Company's 1/72 Russians and Germans look great too.

I also use Plastic Soldier Review all the time. Very helpful site.

There are some 28mm Japanese around, but not huge amounts. Warlord Games do them (http://www.warlordgames.com/store/bolt- ... -army.html) and also The Assault Group (http://www.theassaultgroup.co.uk/store/home.php?cat=16). Plus Company B do some Japanese armour in 1:56 scale (http://035f399.netsolhost.com/companyB_ ... japan.html). Also Foundry make some Chindits, but no one for them to fight against.

But you're right, 99.9% of WWII stuff seems to be for the European/African/Russian theatres. There's a business opportunity waiting to be exploited!

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Dagster

Probably because the Japanese make a very hard army to play. No real tanks, no real anti-tank, very few guns, just infantry and aircraft, basically. Most people who play WWII won't find that much fun, I suppose.

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

I disagree, Japanese weaponry was nowhere near as advanced as the allies but they were all there, they were just less superior. I believe its the lack of concentration on the pacific theatre in most western school systems that focus far more on Europe (and the fact that the majority of films on WW2 are about europe) which just makes the eastern theatres less known.

Tanks (and especially 15mm armor) are very attractive features in WWII gaming, but there's something to be said for the type of war that was waged in the Pacific. In fact, it really seems suited to Bolt Action. I wouldn't call it unappealing by any stretch, but I could understand why there would be a lack of gaming interest in the theatre; it would be difficult to replicate what makes FoW so currently appealing in the Pacific.

I would agree with Sticky Fingersss about Western WWII historiography; even in the U.S., we tend to focus on Europe, even though we do spend a significant amount of time on Japan. What I've found interesting is how much we claim the war as ours; reading through some articles recently, I've only just noticed how much the role of the Soviets is downplayed.

Sorry Jamros, I have no wish to offend you, but that's what the US do all the time. Just like the Europeans totally ignore Asian history.

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"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

No offense taken--I agree with you!

I expect that the Pacific War is not as popular due to the very limited forces available compared to the Europe theatre as well as the terrain to fight in, you are a bit limited having to fight (and make the terrain) in jungles all the time.

That's a fair critique hithero, but I'd like to challenge it. I think any section of the war taken on its own is limited. It's just that often Eastern and Western Europe and North Africa are grouped together, and form the "WWII setting." Asia and the Pacific should be included to, as it only adds to the diversity.

The Pacific, to my knowledge, is not limited to jungle terrain and USMC squaring off against Imperial Japan. The reason I asked about a WWII rules set in the first place was because of my interest in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in 1945 (ie, Soviets vs Japanese on the Asian continent). Many US engagements in the Pacific Theatre involved securing beaches, not just combing jungles; furthermore, this is also a chance to introduce China and explore several key pre-war conflicts. There's a lot to explore here, much more than I've previewed.

I honestly think the reality is that there's just a lack of interest in Imperial Japan as opposed to Nazi Germany; Western historiography kind of centers the war around the Third Reich. And I guess based on what Telchar said, Europeans apparently just don't have much interest in Asia to begin with (would you agree with that?).

I would agree that it is not due to the fact that it is limited to geography and nations. There were skirmishes in the deserts of China and Mongolia with forces of the USSR, China and Mongolia against Japan. There were plenty of cities to fight in. There were the vast mountains of Manchuria and Korea that were fought in ice and cold as well as the Atu islands. There was just as many nations involved in the pacific as well in Europe.

This has been a game I have been eye-balling for a while. I like 15mm FOW for larger battles but for skirmishes, this is 28mm and a very different set of rule mechanics. And the best way of finding out about a game is to either play it yourself, or watch others play it with one of the co-creators (Alessio Cavatore) sitting in on the act. So, here are 2 BeastsofWar videos, both over an hour long covering the one battle. Judge for yourselves:
http://www.beastsofwar.com/warlord-game ... me-part-1/
http://www.beastsofwar.com/warlord-game ... me-part-2/

For my part, I really enjoyed this. The order dice draw is a real element of chaos and adds to the tension. No wonder Warren needed to unwind afterwards!

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Published ebooks:
Instrument of the Empire
A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
More to come!

might like this
http://www.playunplugged.com/2013/07/hi ... ord-games/

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

Those games are incredibly fun to watch. It inspires me to use some aspects of those to incorporate that in my own rules. I especially like the chaos idea.

I in a group that plays every other Sunday.


Group game of four.
The chaos idea has been around for a long time. There are lots of playing card based initiative games. The colored dice is something you have to buy. I do like the orders on the dice markers. But you will need more than one color of dice in case your adversary's dice are the same as yours. The game system can easily handle group games as long as you have a different color dice for each player.



Road moment will allow the scout car to exit the table next turn for three points. The sambuca team has missed it's shot. The German spotter has ranged in. Friendly fire is about to eliminate a whole squad of infantry at the beginning of the next turn because I have made the worst possible die role.



The pin markers are a nice addition to the game. My greyhound's 37mm and .50MG supported by .50 and a flame thrower have downed or immobilized the German vehicles by the last turn. The desperate assault by the infantry has failed to finish off the tank. So it was a very enjoyable loss for me.

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

I'd like to read more battle reports like that!

Nice one OW. Loving the camo pattern on the Panzer!

I've almost finished painting a Hanomag SdKfz 251/1 Ausf C for a friend. It's coming out so nice, I want one for myself, but I'll paint it desert colours to match my DAK figures.



The vehicle is from Die Waffenkammer in Canada (http://www.diewaffenkammer.com/) and the Afrika Korps troops are from Artizan Designs (apart from the greatcoat figure - I have no idea who makes that one).

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Dagster