Learning Empire of the Sun (With a Lot of Help)

I’ll be honest.

Without other gamers, I might still be staring at Empire of the Sun from across the room. It seems like it’s some kind of advanced math textbook disguised as a wargame.

I’ve owned this thing for over ten years. Ten. Years. It survived multiple shelf reorganizations. It watched me learn other games. It probably judged me quietly.

And now that I’ve finally committed to learning it in 2026, I’ve come to a very humbling realization:

I could not have done this alone.

Enter: BoardGameGeek (a.k.a. The Real MVP)

If you’ve ever learned a heavy wargame, you know the drill. You hit a wall. You google something. You find a BGG thread from 2013. Three guys are politely arguing about Air ZOIs for four pages. Somehow, you come away smarter.

The Empire of the Sun page on BGG is packed with player aids, clarifications, and walkthroughs. The page includes thoughtful breakdowns from people who clearly spent the time to figure this thing out.

And thankfully, they didn’t keep that knowledge to themselves.

Because of them, instead of feeling like I’m deciphering ancient runes, I feel like I’m following a well-marked trail.

The Quick Learning Guide (A Lifeline)

One of the biggest game-changers for me has been the Quick Learning Guide EotS_Quick_Learning_Guide_v2.

Whoever compiled that deserves a handshake.

It boils the system down to the core flow of an offensive:

• Activate units through an HQ
• Move
• Declare battle hexes
• Determine intelligence condition
• Resolve air/naval combat
• Then ground combat
• Then post-battle movement

When you see it laid out like that, it suddenly feels manageable.

Not easy. Not simple. But manageable.

Instead of flipping between 40 pages of rules trying to remember what comes next, I can follow a structure. And structure is my friend.

VASSAL: Saving My Eyes and My Sanity

I’ve also been walking through the tutorial on VASSAL, and that has helped more than I expected.

For one thing, I can zoom in. Which is a gift to my not-20-anymore eyes.

For another, I can move units. I can rewind mistakes and replay steps. I do this without the emotional weight of, “Well… I guess I broke the entire Pacific War.”

There’s something about physically (or digitally) moving pieces that makes the sequence stick. Reading about Air/Naval combat is one thing. Actually calculating strengths and rolling through it? That’s where it starts to click.

The Big Realization

The more I work through this game, the more I realize something:

Empire of the Sun isn’t hard because it’s chaotic.

It’s hard because it’s layered.

Once you understand the rhythm of an offensive, the rest builds on that. It’s a system. A repeatable one. And once you see that pattern, it stops feeling like a monster and starts feeling like a machine.

I’m still slow. I still double-check things. I still reread the Amphibious Assault section more than I’d like to admit.

But I’m not intimidated anymore.

And that’s progress.

Empire of the Sun didn’t get easier because I got smarter — it got easier because I finally stopped trying to learn it alone

Gratitude (Because It’s Earned)

There are players out there who:

• Built learning guides
• Created player aids
• Designed the training VASSAL files
• Answered rule questions
• Wrote long forum posts so the rest of us wouldn’t have to suffer

Because of that, someone like me let this game sit for a decade. Now I can finally push past the fear of complexity.

That’s one of the best parts of this hobby.

We don’t just buy games. We build communities around them.

Where I’m At Now

I’m still learning. Still squinting at counters. Still pausing mid-offensive to make sure I didn’t just violate three supply rules and international law.

But I’m moving forward.

And I genuinely don’t think I would be here without the player aids and the gamers who shared their knowledge.

So if you’re one of those people — thank you.

And if you’re someone staring at your copy of Empire of the Sun thinking, “Maybe someday…”

Trust me.

Someday is a lot easier when you’ve got help.

Let’s keep pushing cardboard.

Why This Isn’t a Video (At Least Not Yet)

A few people have asked if I’m going to film this learning process.

Short answer? Not right now.
And here’s why.

It would be really hard to do this game justice on video. I’m still fumbling around. I stop every few minutes to check a player aid, reread a rule, or scroll through a BGG thread. I do this to make sure I didn’t just accidentally violate supply across half the Pacific.

That kind of learning is productive… but it’s not exactly compelling viewing.

What you’d get is a three-hour video of me saying things like:

“Hold on…”
“Wait, can I do that?”
“Let me check something…”
“Okay… no… that’s not right…”

And I don’t think any of you signed up for that level of chaos. 😄

Sure, I could edit it down. But that would be a massive project in itself. Right now, I’m taking a ton of time looking up rules, researching edge cases, and cross-referencing player aids. Turning that into a polished, video would mean hours of cutting, trimming, and restructuring.

And honestly? I’d rather spend that time actually learning the game.

Once I can move through a turn without stopping every five minutes, then maybe it makes sense to hit record. I won’t need to consult three different documents.

For now, this blog format feels right. It lets me be honest about the process without pretending I’m further along than I am.

And I think that’s better for everyone.

Time to Actually Play

Instead of diving back into the Comprehensive Example of Play, I’m going to do something slightly more dangerous.

I’m setting the game up… and I’m going to start playing.

Specifically, I’m going to use the solo system designed by Stuka Joe and just start running turns. Not perfectly. Not optimally. Just honestly.

At some point, you have to stop reading and start rolling dice.

The solo system feels like the right bridge. It is structured enough to guide me. It is also flexible enough to let me make mistakes without feeling like I’ve ruined a four-hour masterpiece.

It’s time to push cardboard for real.

References & Helpful Resources

If you’re learning Empire of the Sun alongside me, these links are absolutely worth bookmarking:

• 📁 Files & Player Aids (BoardGameGeek)
  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11825/empire-of-the-sun-the-pacific-war-1941-1945/files
  
• 🎲 Main Game Page (BoardGameGeek)
  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11825/empire-of-the-sun-the-pacific-war-1941-1945
  
• 💬 Rules Discussions & Forums (BoardGameGeek)
  https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11825/empire-of-the-sun-the-pacific-war-1941-1945/forums/0

There’s a ton of experience packed into those threads and files. If you get stuck (and you probably will), chances are someone else asked the same question years ago —