Littoral Commander is a 2-6 player boardgame about current and future potential military conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, a hybrid of standard wargames and card-driven games as players spend action points during their turn to activate cards or move units on the game board. Action points activate stacks (formations) or single units. Ground units have ground and anti-air capabilities, naval units have missile and anti-air capabilities, while air units have strike and anti-air capabilities. LC also features logistics units which are critical for supply since modern forces will run out of ammunition quickly on a battlefield.

In addition to the 'usual' means of battlefield victory, the game also requires players to pay attention to an Influence track which monitors public opinion and can lead to extra resources from home or allied nations. Influence fluctuates through the play of cards/outside events, but also from where combat takes place--fight in urban areas where there will be civilian casualties, and your influence will decrease. The game comes with standard scenarios but also has a 'living community' which regularly creates other scenarios and situations to play out as well. The commercial edition includes four different maps covering the presumed hot spots of the western Pacific for the next two decades.