How a Hospital Week Led Me Back to Fighting Flattops

I set a goal for our site earlier this year. I wanted a new blog post once a week. Someone on the team would write it, often inspired by games like Fighting Flattops. The idea felt simple. Share stories from the hobby and talk about games. Keep the conversation going with our community. Reality stepped in. The last two weeks passed without a post. Work piles up. Life moves in different directions. So I decided to write this entry based on something from the past week. Gaming found its way into the middle of it.

Many years ago, I followed a site called Gone Gold. Some longtime PC gamers will remember it. The site tracked new games as they went gold and prepared for release. The news helped players keep track of upcoming titles. The part that stayed with me for decades was the writing style. The blogger rarely started with game news. He often opened with something from everyday life. A story from work. A moment with family. Something unexpected during the week. Somehow, the story always returned to gaming and hobbies. Those posts felt personal and relaxed. Reading them felt like sitting across the table from another gamer.

I hold no illusion of matching that style, yet the idea stayed with me.

This past week tested our family. My oldest son went through stomach surgery. I will skip the medical details, yet the recovery demanded more attention than we expected. We moved back and forth between home, the hospital, the emergency room, and follow up visits with his surgeon. Anyone who has spent time in a hospital knows the rhythm. Long stretches of waiting fill the day. Updates arrive from nurses or doctors when information becomes available. The time between those updates feels slow.

During those waiting periods, I sat in hospital rooms and waiting areas with only my phone and iPad. Streaming games or live multiplayer titles rarely work well in that environment. Hospital internet connections struggle with speed and stability. That situation led me toward something different. Instead of large downloads or real-time games, I started searching for browser games. More specifically, browser-based wargames.

That search brought me back to an old favorite.

Fighting Flattops

I spent several hours with this game during the week. I quickly remembered why it stayed with me for so long. Fighting Flattops draws inspiration from the classic board game Flat Top. The design comes from Ken Stuart. It focuses on World War II aircraft carrier warfare in the South Pacific. The experience captures the feel of traditional board wargaming. It runs entirely through a web browser.

One feature stood out right away. Players do not need to sit online at the same time. Each side submits orders during a turn, and the system processes them in sequence. That structure fits perfectly for busy schedules. A player checks in, enters orders, and waits for the next turn notification. The pace feels similar to play-by-email board gaming from earlier decades.

The game unfolds hour by hour. Each turn represents a single game hour and progresses through several phases. Aircraft preparation comes first. Carriers and land bases ready reconnaissance flights, fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. Once ready, the aircraft launch and begin their search across the Pacific. Ships and aircraft scan the sea for enemy forces. When contact occurs, players assign targets and prepare strikes.

Combat carries the same tension found in classic naval wargames. Reconnaissance aircraft search wide areas, hoping to locate enemy task forces. Once a carrier group is detected on radar or by visual spotting, strike packages launch. Dive bombers, torpedo bombers, and fighter escorts head toward the target. If the strike reaches its objective, the result may reshape the entire battle.

Surface ships also take part in the action. Cruisers and destroyers engage when fleets close the distance. Submarines wait below the waves and strike when opportunity appears. Land bases provide support through aircraft operations and shore bombardment. Some scenarios even allow land bases to change hands through capture.

One aspect impressed me. This title has existed online since 1997. The original version launched on September 9 of that year under the CINCPAC.com domain. That date places the game online before Google's launch. A few years later, the FightingFlattops.com domain appeared, and the community continued to grow from there. More than twenty-five years later, players still run games across that system.

The base version of Fighting Flattops remains free. A player signs up with an email address and begins playing right away. The free version supports a limited number of active matches. Players who choose to support the project through a small yearly donation gain access to an enhanced version.

The enhanced version removes limits on simultaneous games. It also introduces additional features, including waypoint planning for surface ships. Other additions include automated combat air patrol management and engagement-tracking tools. Players can also design and publish custom scenarios. Supporting players gain access to tournaments and leaderboard rankings. They also receive opponent ratings. The system even allows players to vote on future development ideas.

Another strength lies in the scenario library. The community offers more than 180 scenarios created by players. These range from historical battles to alternate history operations. The library also includes fictional engagements. Some games last only a short time. Others develop into long campaigns with fleets maneuvering across large areas of the Pacific.

For anyone who enjoys classic naval wargames, the design feels familiar. Fans of titles such as Flat Top, Midway, Carrier War, Pacific War, or Incredible Victory will recognize the structure almost immediately. Reconnaissance drives the battle. Intelligence determines success. Finding the enemy first often decides the outcome.

For readers who want to see the game in action, a strong introductory video on YouTube walks through the basics of Fighting Flattops and explains how the system works. The video serves as a helpful starting point for new players. It gives a clear overview of how carrier operations unfold during play. The video also covers reconnaissance and strikes during play.

For me, the game served a different role this week. It filled the quiet hours between medical updates. I opened my browser, reviewed fleet positions, launched reconnaissance aircraft, and planned the next strike. A few minutes later, the turn ended, and I returned to waiting. Later in the day, another notification arrived, and the process repeated.

That rhythm matched the environment perfectly.

Sometimes the hobby appears in unexpected places. A hospital waiting room rarely connects with aircraft carrier battles in the South Pacific. Yet for a few minutes at a time, the mind shifts away from stress. It turns instead toward strategy, planning, and the familiar comfort of a good wargame.

Moments like this remind me why the hobby matters. Games offer more than competition or entertainment. They offer a mental break during difficult days and help keep your mind steady while you wait.

My son continues his recovery and, God willing, the doctors will provide clearer answers this week. I also want to close with sincere gratitude for the doctors and nurses who have cared for him. Their dedication, patience, and willingness to go above and beyond mean more to our family than words can fully express. Please keep the prayers coming.