Land combat in Pacific theater strategic games is often a sideshow, as most players are fond of the clash of mighty fleets. Axis & Allies: Pacific is no exception. Trying to spice up the war in China was an idea I tried out in my last game and here is the approach taken. How to try and account for a difference in the KMT and the Chinese Communists, and why bother? Simple, just to have fun but also to give rightful credit. Cold War myth has Mao Zedong and his followers skulking in the rear, building up strength, while Chiang and his armies were bled by Japan. The truth of the matter is somewhat different, as the only really effective resistance against the invader was offered by the Red Army (later the PLA). It was the great General Lin Piao (of Korean War fame) who, as a divisional commander, gave the Japanese their first defeat of the war. Take some USSR infantry units from A&A: Europe (I can hardly imagine someone not owning both!) to represent Mao's Red Army. These infantry attack at 2 and defend at 1, the reverse of normal infantry. The American player can substitute any one "At Start" Chinese infantry for a single Red Army unit, if desired. One per turn can be recruited in place of a normal (KMT) infantry as desired. This build is only allowed if a resource area in China is controlled....i.e. the Burma Road cannot be used to build a Red Army unit. Results? It gives the American player an interesting choice in the land war against Japan. The Reds will attack better, but defend less well than a KMT unit. It’s a balanced trade off that proved fun when I tried it. Not that it helped China survive......... William Sariego