Coming Soon to iOS
A Strategic Crisis Simulation

First Island Chain

What happens when the world's most dangerous flashpoint finally erupts — and you're the one who has to respond?

The Western Pacific is the theater that keeps defense planners and world leaders awake at night — the flashpoint where great power competition could tip into something far worse. In First Island Chain, that crisis has arrived. You are the US President, and every decision you make has consequences.

App Store — Coming Soon
Six Scenarios. Six Different Crises.
Taiwan Strait Crisis. The invasion has already begun. PLA forces are on the beaches and your allies are taking casualties — but the US hasn't been attacked directly. Commit everything and you risk nuclear escalation. Hold back and Taiwan falls.
South China Sea Flashpoint. China seized a shoal and is daring you to take it back. It's not worth a war — but if you don't act, every alliance commitment America has made becomes negotiable.
Northern Escalation. China encircles the Senkakus while North Korea launches missiles into the Sea of Japan. Help Japan and you expose Korea. Help Korea and you abandon Japan. You don't have the forces for both, and you don't know if they're coordinating.
Blockade. PLA warships and submarines are strangling Taiwan's commerce. You can fight your way through — but breaking a blockade means sinking ships and losing ships, and every casualty makes it harder to explain why America is at war over someone else's shipping lanes.
The Quarantine. Eighty coast guard vessels — white hulls, not warships — enforce "safety inspections" around Taiwan. There is nothing to shoot at. Use force and you're the aggressor who started a war. Do nothing and Taiwan suffocates while the world watches.
First Strike. A coordinated missile barrage has already hit your bases across the Pacific. Your air forces are at half strength and warhead type is uncertain. Retaliate in kind and the next exchange could be nuclear. Show restraint and you invite a second salvo.
You are the President, and there are no good choices.
About

The Pentagon and war colleges run crisis simulations about a great power conflict in the Western Pacific. I wanted to explore what those scenarios actually feel like when you're the one making the decisions. That game didn't exist — so I built one, using AI to help develop the simulation.

First Island Chain is a solo indie project. It is not a AAA production and doesn't pretend to be. It's an attempt to capture the weight and complexity of these decisions in a way that's genuinely engaging to play — and it's still evolving. I'm actively developing based on player feedback, especially on finding the right balance between realism and fun. If something doesn't work right or doesn't feel right, I want to hear about it.

Camp Clipper Games is named after a WWII training camp in the Mojave Desert, part of General Patton's Desert Training Center. We aspire to make strategy games that take complex systems seriously.

Questions or feedback? hello@campclippergames.com