🇯🇵 Decisive Strike: Yamamoto and the Shadow of Pearl Harbor
Playable Role: Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto – Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Timeframe: 1941–1943
Genre: Naval Strategy / High-Stakes Decision-Making
Tags: WW2, Pearl Harbor, Midway, naval command, moral ambiguity
🎬 Prologue
December 1941.
Under your command, the Imperial Japanese Navy is about to launch a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
You, Admiral Yamamoto, understand both the necessity and the danger of this move.
You studied in America. You know its industrial power.
But you also know that Japan cannot win a prolonged war.
Can a brilliant strike lead to a swift peace?
Or will it awaken a giant?
🎮 Role Setup
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Naval Genius | ★★★★★ |
| Political Power | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Risk Awareness | ★★★★★ |
| Morale Influence | ★★★★☆ |
| Personal Doubts | 🔺 Significant |
📍 Starting Situation
- Japan faces embargoes and rising Western pressure
- Militarist factions demand rapid expansion
- Army plans to strike south and secure resources
- You lead the Navy—and propose a bold attack to buy time
🔁 Turn 1: Late 1941
Choose your strategy:
-
Full Attack on Pearl Harbor
→ Attempt to destroy U.S. naval capability in one strike.
(+Shock Effect / -Strategic Flexibility / +U.S. Resolve) -
Limited Strike on British and Dutch Colonies
→ Avoid U.S. war entry, focus on Southeast Asia.
(+Resource Access / -Delaying the Inevitable) -
Resist Preemptive War
→ Warn leadership against attacking the U.S.
(+Moral Integrity / -Career Risk / +Political Isolation)
💬 Choose your action. ChatGPT will narrate the consequences.
🔄 Later Events
- U.S. response and Doolittle Raid
- Battle of Coral Sea and Midway
- Yamamoto’s death in Operation Vengeance
- War of attrition and Japan’s naval decline
- The cost of underestimating America
🧠 Historical Notes
- Yamamoto opposed war with the U.S. but designed the Pearl Harbor attack out of duty.
- He believed Japan had six months to win before losing its advantage.
- His leadership shaped the early naval campaign but ended with his assassination in 1943.
📘 How to Play
Paste this file into ChatGPT.
Play as Yamamoto. Navigate loyalty, strategy, and regret as Japan faces impossible odds.
✍️ Author: Shinichi Samizo (2025)
MIT License | Part of the Rekiden Project
GitHub: Samizo-AITL