
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,805
- BGG rating
- 7.4
The Rising Sun: Command at Sea Volume I
- 2–12 players
- 150 min
- Complexity 4.3/5
- 1994

Expansion for Command at Sea: 4th Edition – War at Sea 1926-1955
2013
Rules assistance for Emperor's Fleet: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (2012 Standard)
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Emperor's Fleet: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (2012 Standard) is an expansion for Command at Sea: 4th Edition – War at Sea 1926-1955 released in 2013 for 2–8 players and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Larry Bond and its main mechanics are Simulation.
The Emperor’s Fleet provides statistics for the Japanese ships and aircraft, and all their weapons and sensors, extant in the Second World War. Over 200 ship classes and over 130 aircraft are included, many of which have not appeared in Trilogy products before. All earlier listings for these ships and aircraft have been updated to include information from newly available references, and great strides have been made in reconciling conflicting or incorrect sources. Damage data and other game-related information has also been updated to Command At Sea 4th Edition standard. More than making the information compatible with Command At Sea, the data is now in the same format and uses the same standards as Harpoon and Fear God & Dread Nought, the other core games in the Admiralty Trilogy. All Japanese ships and aircraft extant from 1939 to late 1945, including several projected and/or hypothetical platforms are also here, such as the Tosa class battleship, cancelled after the Washington Treaty. A detailed listing of Japanese merchant ships is included. Late or post-war platforms include the Ibuki and B64 and B65 classes, as well as the A7M Reppu and the Ki.94 interceptor. The Emperor’s Fleet has been updated to use the 2012 Standard, an improved formula to calculate a ship’s damage points. Please make sure that all ships on both sides in a scenario are using either the older 2006 Standard, or the new 2012 Standard. —description from the publisher
Emperor's Fleet: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (2012 Standard) supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The catalogue lists Emperor's Fleet: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (2012 Standard) for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Emperor's Fleet: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (2012 Standard) has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Emperor's Fleet: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (2012 Standard) belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Nautical. Its main mechanics are Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Emperor's Fleet: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (2012 Standard) are: Larry Bond. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Emperor's Fleet: The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (2012 Standard) as an expansion for Command at Sea: 4th Edition – War at Sea 1926-1955. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Command at Sea: 4th Edition – War at Sea 1926-1955 to use it. Check that your edition of Command at Sea: 4th Edition – War at Sea 1926-1955 is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.