Midway (1964)

The basic idea is each player has his or her own map of the area (in this case the Midway Island) behind a screen. Each player "searches" for the enemy fleet by flying search planes to the various zones on the map and calling the zone coordinates. Once found, bombers can be sent in to sink the enemy fleet. The actual attack is fought on a separate battle board where the ships are first placed on a rectangular grid and the attacking planes are placed in adjacent rectangles or on top of the ships themselves to indicate which ship they are attacking.

The basic game is very simple. But there are a number of additional rules, which add realism and complexity: CAP fighters, surface actions, bases, inaccurate search reports, etc.

The game is superior with a neutral referee for true double blind play.

Avalon Hill Complexity Rating: 3

Expanded by

• Midway (Coral Sea and the Pacific Theatre Variant/Expansion).
• Midway Island (unofficial expansion published on Panzerfaust 53).

Microbadge:

from The Avalon Hill Company History, 1980

Midway (1964)
Designed by Lindsley Schutz & Larry Pinsky

Despite state-of-the-art advancements in naval game design, MIDWAY remains a favorite of many due to the exciting nature of the hidden move/search system which has not been greatly improved upon since. MIDWAY was almost discontinued in 1972 when Tom Shaw was looking for candidates to ax to pare the line down. Only pleas by Don Greenwood redirected the ax to 1914 and enabled MIDWAY to survive to climb into the all time best seller list where it remains a reasonably good seller.

Magazine References:

The GENERAL Index Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.1,No.3
  • Midway – “MIDWAY'- NEWEST BATTLE GAME!” (Commentary)
• The GENERAL Vol.1,No.5
  • Midway – “Naval Affairs” (Commentary) Walter Green
  • Midway, D-Day, Tactics II, Stalingrad – “Midway, D-Day, Tactics II, Stalingrad Re-worked” (Variant Discussion) Victor Madeja
  • Midway – “CONTEST NO. 5” (Strategy)
  • The Question Box - Midway, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Baseball Strategy, Stalingrad, Tactics II
• The GENERAL Vol.1,No.6
  • Midway – “The Japs Have the Best of it In Midway” (Commentary) John E. Curtis
  • The Question Box - Afrika Korps, Midway, Stalingrad
  • Midway – “Contest #5 Ends in 11-Way Tie” (Strategy)
  • Midway – “Amerc Have it Made in Midway” (Strategy) Lou Zocchi
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.1
  • The Question Box - Afrika Korps, Midway, The Battle of the Bulge, D-Day, Gettysburg
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.2
  • Midway – “Midway-Solitaire” (Variant Discussion) Robert Olson
  • Midway – “Midway's Hidden American Power” (Strategy) S/Sgt. Lou Zocchi
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.3
  • Midway – “Thoughts on Midway” (Discussion) Carl F. Knabe II
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.4
  • Midway – “Definite Edge to the Japs” (Strategy) Victorio Gervol
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.5
  • Midway – “Midway for the Cautious Jap” (Strategy) Jack Donovan
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.6
  • Midway – “Midway, Bismarck Style” (Variant Discussion) Peter Harlem
• The GENERAL Vol.3,No.1
  • Midway – “Midway's C. Wade McClusky - Avalon Hill's Man of the Year” (Historical)
  • Midway – “Operation Atsui” (Strategy) Bill Stone
  • Midway – “Midway by Mail” (Variant Discussion) Dr. Earl Hodin
• The GENERAL Vol.3,No.3
  • Midway – “Midway - the First Day” (Strategy) John Michalski
• The GENERAL Vol.3,No.4
  • Midway – “Submarines at Midway” (Variant Discussion) Richard Gutenkunst
• The GENERAL Vol.3,No.5
  • Midway – “Gross Injustice to Submarines” (Variant Discussion) Richard Gutenkunst
  • Midway – “Midway - Play-by-Mail” (Variant Discussion) Richard C. Giberson
• The GENERAL Vol.3,No.6
  • Midway – “How to Change a Dull Jap Victory into a Heartless American Win” (Strategy) Richard A. Shagrin
• The GENERAL Vol.4,No.2
  • Midway – “Midway - Unstereotyped” (Variant Discussion) Mark Saviet
• The GENERAL Vol.4,No.3
  • Midway – “Mastery of Midway” (Strategy) Jared Johnson
• The GENERAL Vol.4,No.4
  • Midway – “What Next? Destroyers at Midway” (Variant Discussion) Steve Marston
• The GENERAL Vol.4,No.5
  • Midway – “Midway-Equilibrated” (Variant Discussion) Carl G. Nelson
• The GENERAL Vol.5,No.1
  • The Question Box - The Battle of the Bulge, Midway, D-Day, Afrika Korps, Blitzkrieg, Stalingrad
• The GENERAL Vol.5,No.5
  • Midway – “Surprise at Midway” (Variant Discussion) Chris Meagher
• The GENERAL Vol.5,No.6
  • Midway – “Five Fickle Factors” (Variant Discussion) Doug Hallet
• The GENERAL Vol.6,No.2
  • Midway – “COVER STORY: Midway Revisited” (Commentary)
• The GENERAL Vol.6,No.3
  • Midway – “One Ship Invasion Fleet?” (Variant Discussion) Charles B. Pelto
• The GENERAL Vol.6,No.6
  • Midway – “Chicken Yamamoto” (Strategy) Lincoln Clark
• The GENERAL Vol.7,No.1
  • The Question Box - 1914, Gettysburg, Anzio, Midway, The Battle of the Bulge
• The GENERAL Vol.7,No.4
  • Midway – “Midway in Focus” (Variant Discussion) Kevin Slimak
  • The Question Box - Afrika Korps, Kriegspiel, D-Day, Midway, Anzio, The Stock Market Game
• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.6
  • Midway – “Midway and the British Home Fleet” (Variant Discussion) Richard D. Thurston
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.2
  • The Question Box - Blitzkrieg, Bismarck, Kriegspiel, D-Day, France, 1940, Midway, Anzio, 1914, Luftwaffe, Jutland
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.3
  • Midway – “Mass or Maneuver: American Plans for Midway” (Strategy) Monte Gray
  • The Question Box - France, 1940, Luftwaffe, Jutland, PanzerBlitz, 1914, Midway
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.4
  • Midway – “The Midway Thesis” (Strategy) Harold Totten and Don Greenwood
  • Midway – “CONTEST NO. 52” (Strategy)
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.5
  • The Question Box - France, 1940, PanzerBlitz, Midway, Blitzkrieg, Luftwaffe, Origins of World War II, Stalingrad
• The GENERAL Vol.10,No.1
  • Midway – “The Rest Of The Alphabet” (Strategy) Lloyd Berger
• The GENERAL Vol.10,No.2
  • Series Replay - Midway Bill Barr, Don Greenwood, Harold Totten
  • The Question Box - OOPS!, Midway, D-Day, Afrika Korps, Kriegspiel, Luftwaffe
• The GENERAL Vol.10,No.3
  • The Avalon Hill Philosophy - Part 40: A complete game in the GENERAL - Midway Variant
  • Midway – “Leyte Gulf” (Variant Discussion) Robert D. Harmon
  • Midway – “Leyte Gulf Counters” (Insert)
• The GENERAL Vol.10,No.4
  • Midway – “Reader Buyer's Guide Submission Form” (Insert)
• The GENERAL Vol.10,No.5
  • Reader Buyer's Guide - Midway
• The GENERAL Vol.11,No.3
  • Series Replay - Midway Mick (Mike) Uhl, Don Greenwood, Harold Totten
• The GENERAL Vol.11,No.6
  • The Question Box - Alexander the Great, Afrika Korps, France, 1940, Midway, D-Day
• The GENERAL Vol.12,No.4
  • Midway – “Back to Nuts and Bolts” (Strategy) Harold Totten
• The GENERAL Vol.13,No.3
  • Series Replay - Midway Mick (Mike) Uhl, Don Greenwood, Thomas Hilton
• The GENERAL Vol.13,No.6
  • Midway – “Midway by Mail” (Variant Discussion) Tom Cragg
• The GENERAL Vol.14,No.5
  • Midway – “Away From the Combined Fleet - New Concepts and Tactics for Midway” (Strategy) William B. Searight
• The GENERAL Vol.15,No.5
  • Midway – “Pacific Theatre Via Midway - Coral Sea, Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz Variants” by Alan R. Moon
• The GENERAL Vol.16,No.3
  • Midway – “Advanced Level Midway” (Variant/Discussion) Mark Dumdei
• The GENERAL Vol.17,No.1
  • Midway – “Where Did He Come From? - Deep-Sixing Step Seventeen in Midway” (Variant) L. "Dooner" Ross, Scott Tyrer, Kennedy Self
• The GENERAL Vol.17,No.4
  • Midway – “Dirty Weather Cruising - Weather Rules for AH's Midway” (Variant) L. "Dooner" Ross, Scott Tyrer and Kennedy Self
  • The Question Box - Midway, Errata for The Wargamer's Guide to Midway
  • Midway – “Pre-Emption - Naval Aviation Tactics in Midway” (Variant) Captain Roberd D. Harmon
  • The Question Box - Midway

Panzerfaust Article List:

• Number 53 May-Jun '72
  • Midway - "Midway Island" (History / Variant), R. W. Garbisch

Battleplan Article List:

• Battleplan,No.4 Sept/Oct 1987
  • "The Relief of Wake Island - Scenario for AH's Midway", James E. Meldrum
• Battleplan,No.6 - June/July 1988
  • "Midway Random Events", George Sauer
• Battleplan,No.7 August-September 1988
  • Midway "Midway Japanese Style" - Yamamoto's perceived course of events, James E. Meldrum

Microbadges

Midway Fan

Online Play:

• VASSAL, http://www.vassalengine.org (real-time, PBEM)