Did you just say 1922? Didn’t World War I end in 1918? How can this be? Well, to be honest we never went to war with the Japanese till World War II, but back then our administration had different war plans each labeled different colors depending on “what if” scenarios. There was even one for invading Canada, which caused some hard feelings when these plans were finally declassified. We really know how to hurt our allies feelings don’t we?

The game is based on a war plan that had the Japanese empire waging war against the U.S. and our allies, the French, British, and Dutch, just to mention a few in this hypothetical war. During this time frame, the battleship rained supreme. Aircraft carriers were just beginning to come into their own, but wouldn’t realize the full potential until World War II. At this point in time they would be more of a support role.

Battleships were actually called dreadnaughts back during 1914 - 1918. We had pocket dreadnaughts which were more of an oversized cruiser, but the queen of the seas were the various battleships that each side fielded. Most of these battleships had complements of 15" - 16" guns, bristled with 5" guns, and supporting antiaircraft guns. They carried torpedoes to use against their opponents, and usually had a sea plane to help scout for the enemy.

Most actions were fought in line of battle where each side traded shots and launched their torpedoes in hopes of heavily damaging or destroying the opposing side. At this time planes were just coming into their own after World War I had ended. Most were land based, though with the range of operations dependent on control of airfields so they could support the ships with scouting and combat missions.

Other supporting ships were submarines, Q-ships, cruisers, destroyers, and oilers, troop transports, not to mention a few of the many different ships that played a part in forming Task Forces. One thing of note are the submarines. Back then they played a small role in over all battles since the current era torpedoes failed numerous times, making it a risky business to attack warships. Also of interest were Q-ships, a type of ship that bristled with guns hidden until a likely victim showed up. They would look like a transport type ship, but would drop their sides revealing various guns. These were used during WW II in antisubmarine warfare and to attack transports.

The game represents all of these, plus troops needed to take and hold ports, airfields and various important objectives. For those of you just new to war gaming, I would recommend holding off on playing War Plan Orange, as I would call the this a Mega war game. The manual alone is 165 pages of rules, data, and menus. It took me four days of on and off reading just to get an idea on how to play this game.

All movement and combat is resolved as a task force. This includes one or a multitude of different types that would make up a task force. Each task force has a range, indicated by circles that show the regular and maximum you can move to. What’s amazing is the detail that went into making this game. We have supply rules, such as minimum and maximum supplies that make bases functional, or ships need to ply the seas, and ammunition rules for combat, where too little will cause you to automatically break off contact in the middle of an engagement.

What’s bad about this game is the extensive use of data sheets, at times I would get confused. There were ones for troops, docking and launching ships, plane launching, and air combat just to name a short list. This game is for the diehard war gamer who will spend large amounts of time playing. It was never meant for the casual gamer. I ran it in computer mode just to see what the game could do. Commands can be given do to individual pieces, but all must be adhere to the task force rules.

The short of it is if you can get through the manual the first time and understand what needs to be done to play, then you will be a wonderful candidate for Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Otherwise be advised that a second reading may be necessary so you have some idea of what to do. On the long side, there is so much to do that you need to really stick with it, to get an understanding of the mechanics of game play that War Plan Orange brings to the war gaming community.