Seas of Thunder: Global Naval Warfare, 1939-45 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Terms and Abbreviations
• 1.0 Introduction
  • 1.1 The Opposing Sides
• 2.0 Components
  • Playing Pieces
  • Game Components
• 3.0 Setup
• 4.0 Sequence Of Play
• 5.0 Rules of Play
  • 5.1 Reinforcements & Repaired Ships
  • 5.2 Convoys
  • 5.3 Naval Movement Phase
  • 5.3.1 Violating Neutrality
  • 5.4 Land-Based Air Placement Phase
  • 5.5 Combat
    • 5.5.1 Japanese-Soviet non-Belligerency
    • 5.5.2 Damage
    • 5.5.3 Setting the Combat Sequence Mats
    • 5.5.4 Combat Mat Details
      • 5.5.4.1 Air Superiority Box
      • 5.5.4.2 Air Strike Box
• 6.0 Control of Sea Zones
  • 6.1 Controlled
  • 6.2 Contested
  • 6.3 Uncontested
  • 6.4 Japanese-Soviet Sea Zone Control
• 7.0 Inspection
• 8.0 Scoring
• 9.0 Return To Base
• 10.0 The Repair Track
• 11.0 Winning
• 12.0 Variants
• 13.0 Scenarios
  • Scenario 1: Raider Warfare
  • Scenario 2: Struggle for the Middle Sea
  • Scenario 3: Drumbeat
  • Scenario 4: Red Sun Rising
  • Scenario 5: Shattered Sword
  • Scenario 6: Neptune's Inferno
  • Scenario 7: Red Sun Setting
  • Scenario 8: World War II at Sea - Campaign Game
  • Combined Scenarios: Linking Two or More Scenarios
• 14.0 SoT Examples of Play
  • Combat Phase Example
  • Side Transition Example
• 15.0 Seas of Thunder Designer Notes
  • Combat Sequence in Seas of Thunder
  • The Combat Sequence Mat
  • Scenario 1: A Strategic Look at the Allies
  • Scenario 2: A Strategic Look at the Allies
  • Allied Concerns in Scenario 3

Game Terms and Abbreviations

AC − Armored Cruiser

Air − Air capable units with an Air rating that can be used in specific combat boxes.

ASW − Antisubmarine warfare units that combat submarine (Sub) units.

AV − Seaplane Tender

Base − A named port on the map, which can be used as a base for Ship Units and LBA Units.

BB − Battleship

BC − Battlecruiser

CA − Cruiser

Class − A particular type of ship, for example: Battleship, Cruiser, Submarine.

Convoy − Tokens representing each side's merchant marine and transport fleet

CV − Aircraft Carrier

CX − Auxiliary Cruiser or Raider

DD − Destroyer - flotilla of 5-11 ships

LBA − Land-Based Air

Mine − Mine warfare units that engage as either minelayers or minesweepers.

ML − Minelayer

MS − Minesweeper - flotilla of 5-11 ships. Units that combat Minelayer units

RTB − Return to Base (on Port Mat)

Ships/Warships − all non-Convoy vessels (including submarines).

SS − Submarine - flotilla of 5-11 boats

SSAV − Submarine with aircraft capacity

Sub − Submarine units possessing unique targeting and fighting capabilities.

Surface Units − All non-Convoy vessels, excluding submarines.

Unit − Any non-Convoy Ship or LBA counter

VP − Victory Points

1.0 Introduction

World War 2 was the largest and most violent extended naval war in history. From September 1939 until the surrender of Japan, the high seas were a global battle zone filled with mighty battleships, nimble cruisers, silent hunters, and flat-tops bristling with planes. Right before our eyes, we witnessed the changing of warfare on the high seas as the thunderous old guard fell to air power and submarines. Raiders prowled the open waters and the carrier showed its true diversity and adaptability.

Seas of Thunder allows players to re-create not just the Atlantic or Pacific theaters of the war but to see how challenging the entire picture was for their leaders. How do you protect a globe from German raiders? How desperate was it for Britain when France fell and they were left to fight Germany and Italy alone on the high seas? What is the right balance for the Soviet fleet split between four distinct fronts (Baltic, Black Sea, Arctic, and Pacific)? If the Mediterranean force weakens for the Allies, where do they draw ships from? Does Japan strike quickly or play for attrition when they arrive at the halfway point? Will America fight on two fronts, three, four?

In Seas of Thunder, players get to feel the tension of too much sea to cover with too few ships. They can sense the frustration at being caught unprepared, or making a vital stand that contests a high-value sea area. Victory is not sudden and is always far from a sure thing. In each and every battle, a flight of Catalinas, or the lack of ASW, the improper distribution of air power, or even a missing minesweeper flotilla can be the difference between success and failure in a battle.

1.1 The Opposing Sides

Seas of Thunder pits two sides against each other over the course of seven different scenarios. The two sides are always the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers, referred to from here on as the Allies and the Axis.

Allies: Upon entering play, the United Kingdom (UK/Commonwealth [Australia, New Zealand, Canada]), the Soviet Union (USSR), the United States of America (USA), the Netherlands (Dutch), Greece, Brazil, Cuba, and Peru are controlled by the player or players in control of the Allied Side [EXC: Variants (12.0)].

Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan, Romania, and Finland are always controlled by the Axis player or players.

Conquered countries: France, Norway and Yugoslavia will change sides during play, and their allegiance for each scenario is noted in the individual scenario rules.

Neutral Countries: Turkey begins the game in play as a neutral nation. It will only become active if it is triggered by the "Violating Neutrality" rule (5.3.1) below. Sweden, Spain and Argentina always remain neutral throughout the game, unless they join the Axis via Variant Rule 12.0.

2.0 Components

Playing Pieces

Ships. Each ship counter shows: Ship Class; Ship Name; Special Capability; Ship Silhouette; Historic Loss indicator (color coded to scenario of exclusion); Gunnery Rating; Survivability Value; Special Capability Value; and Range.

Some counters have large colored boxes on the interior of their counters. These are ships that served with two navies during the war. The outer color is the nation that they originally served with and the interior color is the nation that they joined when the original nation left the war. The slashed turn of entry indicator shows the turn they joined the war originally (left of the slash) and the number to the right of the slash indicates the turn they switched to a different navy. Otherwise they are just like any other ship.

Land-Based Air (LBA). Each LBA counter shows: LBA Classification; LBA Name; Turn of Entry; LBA Silhouette; Special Capability; Land-Based Air Value; Turns in Play; Axis/Allies Designation; Front; Minefield Strength; Back; and Sea Area of use.

Tokens. Convoy tokens (Convoy Classification, Turn of Entry, Turns in Play, and Axis/Allies Designation, as shown on the token) and minefield tokens.

Port Mats (on double-sided cards). Each scenario's Port Mat shows port boxes. Each port box shows: the Port Name, matching the port on the map; the Nationality of Ship Units that may be legally based in this port; the Nationality of LBA Units that may be legally based in this port; the Maximum number of ship units that can be based in this port (U = Unlimited ship units; N = Neutral port). A Dark gray border indicates the port was captured and has a different original controller. A Yellow border indicates a Neutral Port. Only one ship of each Axis nation noted may be based here.

National Flag determines basing of new ships of that country.

The Port Mats for each scenario show what ports are available to which nation. These will change throughout the game and players need to be careful that even though the ports on the map may show the flag of a nation that is part of their faction, it may indeed be an enemy port during some scenarios. For example, Amsterdam is Dutch and begins as Allied on Turn 4. On Turn 5 it switches and becomes Axis and is unusable for the remainder of play by the Dutch. This will be made clear since there is no Amsterdam port box on the Allied Port Mat for most scenarios and it does appear on the Axis scenario Port Mats.

Map. Each map sea zone shows: Sea Zone Number; Sea Zone Name; Axis Point Value; Allies Point Value; a Minefield Box; a Special Flag used to show this Sea Zone has unique scoring timing or rules; and a Restricted Canal/Straits Port. Half-diamonds on the left and right map edges are used to quickly identify which Sea Zones are adjacent when moving from one map edge to the other.

Game Components

• 1 Rules Book
• 12 Six-sided dice (small)
• 1 Double-sided Game Map (Early War/Late War)
• 2 Combat Sequence Mats - used to resolve combats. Explained in rule 5.5.3 below.
• 14 Port Mats (on double-sided cards) - used to hold ships in port. Explained in rule 3.0 below.
• 1400 Playing Pieces

3.0 Setup

1. Choose your start and end scenario.
   • If you only wish to play one scenario, then it is both the start and end of your game.
   • Check the scenario listing for any special setup rules. Those will override conflicts with the game rules.
2. Lay out the Board matching the scenario you wish to start with, either Early War (Scenarios 1-3) or Late War (Scenarios 4-7).
3. Locate the Axis & Allied Port Mat matching the scenario number with which you will be starting play. Give the Axis Port Mat to the Axis Player and the Allied Port Mat to the Allied player.
4. Sort out the ship and air units used at the start of the scenario and at the turns of entry involved in the scenario to be covered. Use all ships and air that have a Turn of Entry equal to or prior to your starting scenario's first turn. (Example: the CA Cuba enters the game on Turn 11.)
5. Remove all ships that have a Historic Loss prior to the start of your scenario. (Example: the purple stripe on the CV Shokaku indicates that this ship was removed from combat duty, sunk or retired, prior to Scenario 7 (Turn 22).)
6. Place ships with future Turns of Entry in the reinforcement spaces of the Turn Track.
7. Place the Turn Marker on the first turn of your chosen scenario.
8. Deploy all ships and air units.
   • Ships are placed in any legal base as instructed in that scenario's detailed description by being placed in the corresponding Port box on the scenario Port Mat.
   • Many of the Port boxes on the Port Mat have numbers in them representing the maximum number of ship units that can be based in that port on a given turn. If more ships end up based at a port than the maximum would allow, see rule 9.0 for the resulting penalty.
   • Axis players may also base ships in neutral ports. These available ports change throughout the course of the game and are designated with a yellow border and a "N" in the Port box to denote its capacity. This is a reminder that only one ship from each Axis Nation may be placed in that port. That is, there can be at most one German, one Italian and one Japanese ship in a single neutral port.

EXAMPLE: The Allied player wants to deploy the CA Edinburgh in Plymouth. Instead of placing it on the map, it is placed in the Plymouth box on the Allied Port Mat.

4.0 Sequence Of Play

A typical Sequence of play for each turn looks like the list below. Check each scenario's Sequence of Play chart located on the Port Mat for variations in this order.

1. Add Reinforcements & Refits
2. Place Convoys
3. Move French Ships
4. Move Allied Ships
5. Move Axis Ships
6. Place Allied Air
7. Place Axis & Vichy Air
8. Resolve Combats
9. Score VPs
10. Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker

5.0 Rules of Play

5.1 Reinforcements & Repaired Ships

Check the Turn Track and repair track and bring the following units into play:

1. Ships with the current turn listed as its Turn of Entry. These must be placed in any Port space of the matching nation that shares the large National Flag on the back of the unit.

The Token above is an Allied Convoy. It must be placed somewhere in the Mediterranean in Sea Zones 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 or 35 during Turns 1-25.

EXAMPLE: For Scenario 2, German Reinforcements and Repaired ships must be placed on Kiel, Hamburg or Königsberg (indicated by the Large German Flag on the Port). Even though Germany Controls Bergen, Brest, Le Havre, Amsterdam, Oslo, Trondheim, and Copenhagen, these ships may not be placed directly into those ports, though they may re-base to them later.

Convoys never move once placed. They are only removed from the board when eliminated.

2. Ships that had previously been damaged but which have been repaired and were progressed off the repair track during the previous Advance Turn Marker Phase. These must be placed in any Port of the nation that shares the large National Flag on the back of the unit.
3. Ships of countries that will enter the war on the current turn. These may be freely placed on any port of the matching nation or in neutral ports (if Axis).

Each ship has a range value indicated on their counters. This is the number of Sea Zones the ship may enter during the relevant Allied or Axis Movement Phase.

5.2 Convoys

Convoy tokens represent the key merchant and military shipping that crossed the high seas during the conflict. The control of Sea Zones somewhat represents the control of shipping in the area and Convoys are the more visible indications of this. Convoy tokens are a very strategic part of the game and can be the difference between victory and defeat. Convoys are placed at the beginning of a scenario as instructed below. Note that each scenario also covers these details and occasionally they may be slightly different.

In the Place Convoys Phase of each turn, all convoys sunk on the previous turn are sorted into Axis and Allied groups, then split and half of each group given to the Allied Player and the other half given to the Axis Player. If there are an odd number of convoy tokens to be distributed from a group, the extra is given to the opposing Player.

EXAMPLE: If there are 8 sunk Axis convoys, give 4 to each player. If there are 5 Allied convoys sunk, give 3 to the Axis and 2 to the Allies.

Convoys do not get repaired; they return to play the next turn after they are eliminated.

Previously sunk Convoys are then returned to the map following the rules for placing convoys.

Convoy Placement Rules

• The Axis Player must place the convoys they are responsible for first; both the Allied and Axis ones.
• Only one Convoy per side (Allied or Axis) may be in any Sea Zone. Both sides may have a Convoy in the same Sea Zone.
• Convoys are placed with the front side of the token facing up.
• Convoys may be placed in any Sea Zone within the Area(s) listed on the back side of the token.

5.3 Naval Movement Phase

Each Ship Unit may move across a number of Sea Zones equal to their Range Value. The first movement is always out from the port they are based in to one of the Sea Zones connected to that port.

EXAMPLE: The CA Australia may move 5 Sea Zones during the Movement Phase.

Ships that are moved are taken from the port box matching the port they are currently in and placed face down on the map board and moved within their allowed range. No ship is ever required to leave a base on a turn. They may stay in port and not move.

A ship must stop upon reaching the limit of its Range Value and can move no further that turn. Movement may not be shared among ships; each ship has its own value that may not be increased nor transferred from turn to turn.

The presence of friendly or enemy ships does not affect the potential movement of ships that have not yet moved. Ships of a side may freely move through Sea Zones containing ships of the opposing side.

Some Sea Zone connections are considered Constricted Connections. Connections through constricted ports or through very tight straits have adverse effects on the side that does not control that connection. The following Sea Zone connections have special rules:

• Baltic Sea: All Allied ships that traverse between the North Sea (Zone 9) and the Baltic Sea (Zone 10) in either direction must suffer a minefield attack (see 5.5.4.6(2)) of a value indicated in the Danish Minefield Box against each ship. This attack occurs during movement and before they are placed in their new Sea Zone.
• Suez Canal: Only Allied Ships may transit either direction between the Levantine Basin (Zone 34) and the Red Sea (Zone 73).
• Panama Canal: Only Allied Ships may transit either direction between the Caribbean Sea (Zone 23) and the Gulf of Panama (Zone 50).
• Gibraltar: Allied ships may freely transit between the Western Med (Zone 28) and the Med Approaches (Zone 27). The Axis player may move through in either direction between the Western Med and Med Approaches. If they do, they suffer a minefield attack (see 5.5.4.6(2)) of a value indicated in the Gibraltar Minefield Box against each ship. This attack occurs during movement and before they are placed in their new Sea Zone.
• Bosporus: The Aegean Sea connection to the West Black Sea is blocked by Turkey and is impassible without 'Violating the Bosporus' (see 5.3.1).

5.3.1 Violating Neutrality

There is only one instance where violation of the neutrality of a historically uninvolved nation can occur. Note this is considered an optional rule and players may elect to simply not allow the inciting action to occur.

• Standard Rule: In a Standard Game, the Turkish neutrality violation triggering event is simply not allowed and no units are allowed to pass between Sea Zones 35 and 36.
• Optional Rule: Starting on Turn 8, players may violate the neutrality of Turkey with the resulting consequences noted in "Violating the Bosporus" below.

Violating the Bosporus: Moving between Sea Zones 35 (Aegean Sea) and 36 (West Black Sea) in either direction immediately introduces Turkey into the war on the opposing side.

On the turn of violation, all Turkish ships are placed in the Istanbul port box.

On the turn of activation, Turkish ships are moved at the end of the ship Movement Phase after all other players are done. After that, they move in conjunction with their newly-attached side and are considered a Minor nation of that side.

This attack on Turkey will penalize the aggressors 10 VP. These points are awarded as a one-time addition to the opposing side's VP total.

From this point on, all enemy units that pass between Sea Zones 35 and 36 are immediately subject to a Constricted Sea Zone attack as they pass by:

• SS-Class units (all ships whose class begins with SS) = 1 die ASW Attack
• All other ships = 2 dice Surface Attack

5.4 Land-Based Air Placement Phase

(Note: the Table of Contents lists this section as "Land-Based Air Movement Phase"; the heading above is as printed in the body of the rulebook.)

Land-Based Air may be placed in Sea Zones adjacent to ports shown on the Port Mats. Where a counter was in the previous turn is not important in determining where it can fly from on the next turn. In 3 months, planes can fly a long way.

EXAMPLE: Although Tianjin can base Italian or German ships, no one can fly LBA from there.

EXAMPLE: Crete can be used to base Greek or British ships. Only British Land-Based Aircraft can fly from Crete.

Only one LBA of a side (Axis or Allies) may fly from each Port. If multiple nations could fly from a base, only 1 may do so each turn.

LBA have a range of 1. They may only enter Zones connected to the port they fly from.

5.5 Combat

If a Sea Zone holds ships of opposing sides, combat will occur during the Combat Phase. The Combat Phase consists of 9 combat sequence segments executed in the following order:

1. Air Superiority
2. Air Strikes
3. Antisubmarine Warfare
4. Raiders
5. Submarine Attacks
6. Mine Warfare
7. Surface Line
8. Surface Reserve
9. Convoy Attacks

Combat is resolved in order from Sea Zone 1 to Sea Zone 121 on the map. If you have enough players, combat can also start at 121 and work backwards allowing the turn to progress faster. If you have even more players, feel free to divvy up the combats as you see fit.

All units in a contested area are secretly placed (face up) on their Combat Sequence Mat (5.5.3) behind a screen or screens. Players simultaneously reveal once both are set.

Once the mats are revealed, execute each box on the chart, in order, following the arrows.

When the Combat Phase is completed in a Sea Zone, return all ships in the Surface Reserve box and any uneliminated Convoys in the Convoy Attacks box to the map in the contested Sea Zone with their front side up.

5.5.1 Japanese-Soviet non-Belligerency

Beginning on Turn 11, it is possible and probable that Japanese and Soviet units will occupy the same Sea Zones. On the first occurrence of this each turn, when the players would normally go through combat resolution, the Soviet player must either declare Belligerency or non-Belligerency. This choice is now in play for the remainder of the turn in all instances where they share a Sea Zone.

Non-Belligerency: The units generally cannot fight each other and usually will not target each other if a combat occurs.

• If there are only Japanese and Soviet units in a Sea Zone = No Combat; control goes to the Axis unless the Sea Zone contains a red score value and the Soviet flag, in which case it is Allied controlled;
• Soviets with Japanese and other Axis units = Only Soviets and non-Japanese units are placed on the Combat Sequence Mat. Combat is then resolved normally. For the status of the Sea Zone at the end of the Combat Phase:
  • Soviets & Japanese remain: see above;
  • Japanese & other Axis remain: Axis control;
  • Japanese, Soviet & other Axis remain: Contested;
• Soviets and other Allied units with Japanese units = Only non-Soviet units and Japanese units are placed on the Combat Sequence Mat. Combat is then resolved normally.
• Soviet with other Allied units and Japanese with other Axis units = All Units are placed and can be targeted (fog of war). Any damage inflicted either way does not cause belligerency;

Belligerency: The Soviets have fully joined the Allies and will fight from this point on in the game against the Japanese as a normal Allied force. Once Belligerency is established, it cannot be cancelled for the remainder of the game.

5.5.2 Damage

All hits scored generally require the roll of a D6 for each hit to determine the amount of damage inflicted. Multiple hits result in multiple damage rolls which are summed to determine the total damage inflicted.

The exceptions to this rule are ASW damage which is always 1 damage point per hit with no damage roll and LBA which are never damaged but are cancelled out either by Air Superiority or Anti-Aircraft fire.

Sunk: If the total amount of damage rolled is equal to or greater than the Survivability Value of the target, that ship is considered sunk at the end of the current combat sequence segment. That ship is removed from the game and is not available for the remainder of the current Combat Phase as either a target or an attacker.

EXAMPLE: If a ship was sunk in the Air Strike Segment it would not be available in the ASW Segment or Surface Line Segment.

Damaged: If a ship receives an amount of damage that is less than its Survivability Value, it is removed to the Repair Track for Repairs (10.0) at the end of the current combat sequence segment and is not available for the remainder of the current Combat Phase as either a target or an attacker.

When a ship is placed on the Repair Track, the player causing the damage rolls one die. Place the unit on the Repair Track based on the results of the die roll as outlined below:

• 1-2 = 1 turn, the ship will return in the very next turn as a reinforcement.
• 3-4 = 2 turns, the ship will sit out the next turn and return to play in the following turn as a reinforcement.
• 5-6 = 3 turns, the ship will be out of play for the next two turns before returning to play as a reinforcement.

5.5.3 Setting the Combat Sequence Mats

Players must place all units (LBA and Warships) and Convoy tokens in boxes on the Combat Sequence Mat. Each unit must be placed in one box and assigned that task. The Combat Sequence Mat directs how units in that box are used, what units are allowed in the box, what is required to hit targets and what targets may be hit. Within many of the boxes after that sequence segment is completed, units in that box are required to be moved to another box.

Regarding Surface Line combat only, units on the mat create a tactical setup from left to right, as if reading. Units at the left must fire first and must target units of the opposition from the opponent's left to right. Any number of units may target one opposing unit, but they must be targeted left to right. (If the unit you really want to fire at is in the third spot of the enemy line, your first two units must fire at the first two enemy units before you can target the third unit in line with everything else you have).

Unit vs Unit Combat

• One unit may only attack one other unit. Its Combat Value (i.e., Gunnery Rating, Special Capability Value or LBA Value) may not be split among multiple targets. So one unit, no matter how large its relative combat value, cannot target multiple units.
• It is legal for multiple units to attack a single unit.

5.5.4 Combat Mat Details

5.5.4.1 Air Superiority Box

Units that may be placed in this Box include all units with an Air value including:

• Land-Based Air (LBA)
• Aircraft Carriers (CV)
• Seaplane Tenders (AV)
• Submarine Carriers (SSAV)

Ship units use only their parenthesized Air special value for this attack.

1. Both sides total all of the Air values for all of their units.
2. The side with the lowest total Air value relocates all of their Air units:
   • LBA units are returned to the LBA holding box on the map board in the Used LBA box;
   • CV, AV and SSAV units are moved to the Surface Reserve box.
3. The side with the larger Air value loses an amount of Air equal to that lost by the smaller side. Smallest units must be removed first. Note a partial loss to a unit with a die or some other method to show that the unit is weakened for this turn only.

If the sides are equal, both sides remove all of their Air units as indicated above.

Air points cancel each other out at a 1:1 ratio. If the Allies have 5 points of AIR Units and the Axis 3, the Axis loses all 3 points and the Allies also lose 3 points of AIR. The Allies then have 2 remaining points of AIR to cancel out other Axis air units engaged in Air Strike and/or Anti-Submarine Warfare missions.

Surplus Air Superiority: If either side has left-over Air after this is resolved, these leftover points immediately attack other Air units in the Air Strike and/or ASW boxes; continuing to cancel them out at a 1:1 ratio.

EXAMPLE: All cancellations must be done from the smallest sized unit to the largest. If 5 points could cancel out an attack against units that had a value of 1, 3 and 7; the 1 and 3 would be cancelled and the 7 would be temporarily dropped to a 6 for its attack.

5.5.4.2 Air Strike Box

Units that may be placed in this Box include all units with an Air value including:

• Land-Based Air (LBA)
• Aircraft Carriers (CV)
• Seaplane Tenders (AV)
• Submarine Carriers (SSAV)

Ship units use only their parenthesized Air special value for this attack.

1. Units in the Air Strike box may target any ship(s) in the opponent's Surface Line, Surface Reserve, Air Strike (CV, or AV, not LBA), ASW, Raider or Mine Warfare boxes. No SS units, regardless of their mission, may be targeted. All attacks must be declared before any die rolling commences.
2. After the target is declared the defending unit may roll on the AA Die Rolls chart in an attempt to nullify all or a portion of the attacking unit(s). Roll a number of dice based on the unit's AA Value on the AA Die Rolls chart. Each die roll of "1" rolled reduces the value of the attack by 1 die. It is possible that AA fire could completely negate any attack roll by the attacking unit if as many or more 1's are rolled for AA than the Air value of the attacking unit(s).
3. Roll one die for each Air value of the unit(s). Air units hit on a roll of a "1" or "2" against non-Raiders. Air units hit on only a "1" against Raiders. Each hit results in a Damage Roll. For example, if 3 hits were made, 3 Damage die rolls would be made and the sum of the Damage rolls would be the total damage inflicted.
4. At the conclusion of the Air Strike Phase, each unit is removed to the following location:
   • LBA: Moved to the Convoy Attacks box
   • CV, AV: Moved to the Surface Reserve box
   • SSAV: Moved to the Surface Reserve or Convoy Attacks boxes

5.5.4.3 Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Box

Only units that have either an Air value, an ASW value or a Mine value may be placed in the ASW box:

• Land-Based Air (LBA)
• Aircraft Carriers (CV)
• Seaplane Tenders (AV)
• Submarine Carriers (SSAV)
• Any Surface Ship with an ASW Special Ability
• Any Surface Ship with a Mine Special Ability (MS, ML, DD, CA, CX)

LBA and Air units use their Air value for this attack.

1. Minelayer units use their Mine value to attack. A minesweeper (MS) in the ASW box may be used to counter a Mine attack without rolling. Note that this is not one point of value but the entire Mine unit which is nullified.
2. Units in the ASW box may only target SS units in whatever box they currently reside. Most SS units will be in the Submarine Attacks box, but some specialized ships may be in the Mine Warfare box or the Surface Reserve box. It is also possible but unlikely that these units may be in the Surface Line box. All attacks must be declared before die rolling commences.
3. All attacks roll one die per utilized value and hit on each die roll of a "1".
4. Each hit then inflicts one damage on the target submarine; no damage die is rolled.
5. At the conclusion of the ASW Phase, each attacking unit is removed to the following location:
   • LBA: Relocated from the mat to the Used LBA box
   • All other units are moved to the Surface Reserve box

5.5.4.4 Raider Box

Units that may be placed in the Raider box:

• Auxiliary Cruisers (CX)
• Cruisers (CA, AC)

There is no actual combat resolved in this box. Instead, it acts as a decision point for the units placed here. Each unit's status is determined individually based on the conditions below:

1. Are there convoys of the opposing side in the Sea Zone with no Warships of that side?
   • Yes = Ships here may Raid, be placed at the end of the Surface Line box or in the Surface Reserve box;
   • No = Check the next step.
2. Is this unit a CX, or does this CA or AC have a greater Range Value than all enemy ships in this Sea Zone?
   • Yes = This ship may Raid, be placed at the end of the Surface Line box or in the Surface Reserve box;
   • No = This ship must be placed at the end of the Surface Line box or in the Surface Reserve boxes.
3. If a ship qualifies to Raid, it may still be placed at the end of the Surface Line box or the Surface Reserve box at the discretion of the ship's controller. This may be desirable to allow those ships to contest for control of the Sea Zone.
4. All ships that meet the above requirements and still wish to Raid are moved directly to the Convoy Attacks boxes.

5.5.4.5 Submarine Attacks Box

Units that may be placed in the Submarine Attacks box:

• Submarine units with a Sub value (SS)

Sub units may elect to attack any unit in the opposing player's Mine Warfare, Surface Line or Surface Reserve boxes.

1. Sub units roll 1 die per Sub value to determine hits. All Sub units inflict 1 hit per target on each die roll of a "1". Each hit inflicted requires the roll of a Damage die to determine how much damage is inflicted.
2. At the conclusion of this sequence segment, Sub units may be moved to either the Surface Reserve box (to contest or control the Sea Zone) or to the Convoy Attacks box:
   • If they go to the Surface Reserve box they may be targeted as other surface ships in that box;
   • If they go to the Convoy Attacks box, they may not be targeted but also may not contest that Sea Zone.

5.5.4.6 Mine Warfare Box

(The printed text reads "Mine Warefare" in one place; it is transcribed here as "Mine Warfare".)

Units that may be placed in the Mine Warfare box:

• Any ship with a number for a Mine Specialty Value, these include ML, CA, CX, DD, SS;
• Any ship with a (-) for a Mine Specialty Value, these are denoted as MS when in this box.

There are two distinct steps for units in this box:

1. First each minesweeper (MS) unit cancels out 1 minelayer (ML) unit on the opposite side. The MS player decides which ship is countered by their minesweeper. Note that this is not one point of Mine value but the entire ML unit which is nullified.
   • ML ships countered in this manner are sent to the Surface Reserve box or the Convoy Attacks box at the owner's choice.
2. Then all remaining ships possessing a Mine value attack units in the Surface Line or the Surface Reserve boxes, or opposing Mine Warfare box.
   • All attacks must be declared before dice are rolled;
   • Mine units roll 1 die per Mine value;
   • Each roll of a "1" results in 1 Hit. Each hit then requires a damage roll to determine damage.

At the conclusion of this sequence segment, all MS units and Mine units that attacked may be moved to the Surface Reserve or the Convoy Attacks boxes, at the owner's choice:

• If they go to the Surface Reserve box they may be targeted as other surface ships in that box, but can contest the Sea Zone.
• If they go to the Convoy Attacks box, they may not be targeted, but also may not contest that Sea Zone.

5.5.4.7 Surface Line Box

Units that may be placed in the Surface Line box:

• Any ship may be placed into the Surface Line box

1. Units are lined up left to right in order of both who is firing and who is taking fire. Firing must be done in order.

   All attacks must be declared before die rolling commences.

2. Each ship rolls dice equal to their Gunnery Rating. Each "1" rolled is a hit. Each pair of "2"s against a single ship is a hit. Each hit then requires a roll of the dice for damage to assess the total damage inflicted on the target ship.

   It is possible to target ships in the opposing Surface Reserve box, but only if every ship in the opposing surface line is first engaged with ships in your surface line.

   Both sides will have the opportunity to fire in this segment, so even if a ship was sunk or damaged by the first roller, it will still get to return fire before losses take effect.

   We recommend rotating damaged ships 90 degrees off and sunk ships 180 degrees as they are affected. This has the benefit of keeping their position in line when firing back. You may decide to use markers or other methods.

3. At the conclusion of this segment, move all remaining ships to the Surface Reserve box.

5.5.4.8 Surface Reserve Box

1. Any ship in the Surface Reserve box is unable to fire once placed in this box. Ships in this box may be targeted under the following circumstances:
   • Air strikes may be made against targets in the Surface Reserve box;
   • SS units in the Surface Reserve box may be targeted by ASW units or Air units on ASW missions;
   • Sub attacks may be made against units in the Surface Reserve box;
   • Mine attacks may be made against units in the Surface Reserve box;
   • Surface attacks may only be initiated against units in the Surface Reserve box if all ships in the target's Surface Line box have already been engaged with other friendly Surface units.
2. After all combat, all ships in the Surface Reserve box may attack opposing convoys, if there are any in the Sea Zone:
   • Each non-Sub unit remaining rolls 1 die. Each Sub unit remaining rolls 2 dice;
   • Convoys are eliminated on any die roll of "1", "2", or "3".
3. Return all ships in this box face up to the Sea Zone that was being resolved. These ships may control or contest that Sea Zone.

5.5.4.9 Convoy Attacks Box

The only ships to be placed in this box at the beginning of combat are:

• Convoy tokens belonging to the side of this chart.

As boxes are resolved various units may be placed into this box without stopping in the Surface Reserve box. These include:

• LBA Units on Air Strike missions;
• Raiders may bypass the Surface Reserve box and move directly to the Convoy Attacks box;
• Sub Units from the Submarine Attacks box may bypass the Surface Reserve box and move directly to the Convoy Attacks box;
• Mine Units may bypass the Surface Reserve box and move directly to the Convoy Attacks box.

Convoys do not attack and roll no dice in combat.

1. Each non-Sub unit remaining rolls 1 die. Each remaining Sub unit rolls 2 dice. Enemy Convoys are eliminated on any die roll of "1", "2", or "3".
2. Surviving Convoys are returned face up to the Sea Zone being resolved, but cannot contest or control that Sea Zone.
3. After combat, return all other units remaining to a legal base (per the restrictions in 9.0) or the LBA Available box. These units do not move back to the Sea Zone and cannot contest that Sea Zone.

6.0 Control of Sea Zones

After combat has been completed in all Sea Zones, review each Sea Zone to determine control of that Sea Zone for the turn. A Sea Zone may be in one of three possible states: Controlled, Contested, or Uncontested.

6.1 Controlled

A Sea Zone is Controlled if at the end of a turn only one side's combat ships are in that Sea Zone. Convoys do not count in this determination and are ignored. Having a Convoy in an otherwise empty Sea Zone does not award that side Control. Having a Convoy in a Sea Zone with enemy Warships does not Contest that Sea Zone.

A Controlled Sea Zone scores VP for the Side that has Warships in the Zone.

6.2 Contested

If both sides have Warships in that zone it is Contested. Neither side scores VP for a Contested Sea Zone.

6.3 Uncontested

A Sea Zone with no Warships from either side is considered empty and Uncontested. The presence of Convoys in a Sea Zone does not change this result and their presence alone still deems the area as Uncontested. Neither side scores VP for an Uncontested Sea Zone.

6.4 Japanese-Soviet Sea Zone Control

If Japanese and Soviet ships are both in a Sea Zone when it comes time to score, and they are not yet belligerent, the Sea Zone is scored for the Axis player, unless the Sea Zone has a Soviet indicator (a Soviet Flag and red scoring box). If it does have such an indication, the Sea Zone score goes to the Allies.

7.0 Inspection

Players may always count the units from either side in a Sea Zone and on a Port Mat.

8.0 Scoring

Basic scoring is completed at the end of each turn, based on the following four criteria:

• Area Scoring where one side has Warships and the other side does not. If only the Axis have Warships in a Sea Zone, they score the value to the left of the slash. If only the Allies have Warships in the Sea Zone, they score the value to the right of the slash. Neither side scores if they both have Warships in a Sea Zone. Convoys do not count toward Controlling Sea Zones. Some Sea Zones may have multiple scoring values shown; use the scoring value that applies to the scenario being played.
• Each enemy Warship sunk, not damaged, is worth 1 VP.
• Each enemy Convoy sunk is worth 1 VP.
• Each LBA unit that is available, but not placed, is worth 1 VP to the side that did not use it.

Any change or addition to what is listed above will be found in the individual scenario rules.

(Sidebar, Sea Zone 95, South China Sea: the Axis player scores 2 VP for control (number left of the slash), the Allies score only 1 VP for control (right of the slash). Note that many Sea Zones result in the Allies scoring 0 points.)

9.0 Return To Base

Ships utilize their Range Value to get back to a friendly, legal base. Every ship must return to a base at the end of a turn. It does not take a movement point to go from the Sea Zone into a Port connected to that Sea Zone; you only need enough movement to reach the Sea Zone bordering the port.

Before rebasing, reveal all units for rebasing checks. Your opponent may examine any and all stacks to be sure your ships can legally rebase. Any ships scheduled to be removed next turn are removed at this time.

If a ship ends up too far away from a base to return, that ship is placed on the reinforcement track 2 turns away. If a base is overstacked at the beginning of a turn, any ships in excess of the base's capacity (controlling player's choice) are placed on the repair track to return the next turn as a reinforcement.

Global Presence Rule. In many scenarios, the United Kingdom fleet and/or the French Fleet is required to maintain a Global Presence after rebasing. This requires that they have a certain number of ships in every port of that nationality. Failure to do so results in VP for the Axis player. The details of this scoring are explained in detail in the specific scenario rules.

(Sidebar, Zone 113: Gulf of Okhotsk is in the Soviet sphere of influence as indicated by the Soviet flag and red scoring box. If only Soviet and Japanese ships are here, control goes to the Allied forces.)

10.0 The Repair Track

Any time a ship is damaged but not sunk, it is placed in a box of that side's Repair Track on the map board. The box it is placed in is dependent on a die roll (5.5.2) as shown on the track.

In the final phase of a turn (Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker) slide all ships one repair box in the direction of the arrows.

Yes, it is possible for a ship to be damaged in a turn, roll a 1 or 2 for repair and end up coming back into play on the next game turn.

11.0 Winning

The side with the most accumulated Victory Points at the end of the scenario(s) wins the game. If both sides have equal points, that game has been fought to a draw.

12.0 Variants

It is very possible that players may want some extra variety in their games. One of the methods we have provided for this is the inclusion of some minor nations that were not historic players in the war but could have been if a few things had changed diplomatically or militarily.

The following nations can be added to the game based on the mechanics below*:

• Sweden
• Spain
• Argentina
• Peru (prior to Game Turn 11)
• Chile (prior to Game Turn 18)
• Turkey

*Sweden, Spain, and Argentina will only join the Axis or remain neutral. Peru entering on the Axis side supercedes their entry on the Allied side on Turn 11 and also makes their ships immediately available to the Axis player. In this case, El Callao cannot accept based US LBA for the remainder of the game. Chile entering on the Axis side supercedes their entry on the Allied side on Turn 18 and also makes their ships immediately available to the Axis player. If Turkey enters, it will join the side that provides the highest bid as a minor ally (see 5.3.1 for combat implications).

At the beginning of any scenario, the Axis player may request that from one to four of the above minor nations join the Axis side. The Allied player must then list a VP value for each individual nation to keep them from joining the Axis. The Axis player may accept the Allies offer and gain those VP thereby keeping the nation from joining the Axis side for the remainder of the game, or the Allied player may gain the VP offered plus one more, to have them enter play on the Axis side for the remainder of the game. Note the side in question is simply awarded the points; the opponent does not "pay" the VPs.

The Axis player only has one shot at bringing a nation into play and if they accept the Allied bid to keep them out of the war, that particular nation cannot be requested again. If they join the war, they become a minor nation on the Axis side [EXC: see Turkey above].

If a nation joins the war, treat their home ports as having an unlimited (U) capacity in respect to that nation's ships. All other friendly Axis nations treat them as still being a neutral (N) capacity port.

EXAMPLE: So if Argentina joins the war, Buenos Aires has unlimited capacity for Argentine ships, but is still treated as a neutral port for German, Italian and Japanese ships and therefore is still limited to basing only one ship from each of those nations.

13.0 Scenarios

For each scenario, we will try to layout the concepts that we noted in our research and how we tried to integrate some of these real-world challenges into the game.

Scenario 1: Raider Warfare

Scenario Length. This scenario covers 3 game turns. The scenario starts on Game Turn 1. The scenario ends at the conclusion of Game Turn 3.

Board. Use the Early War side of the Map. Use only the blue scoring values in each Sea Zone.

At-Start Forces. Use all British, French, and German units that have a Turn 1 Turn of Entry.

Reinforcements. Set British, French, and German units with a 2 or 3 Turn of Entry in their reinforcement box next to the Turn Track.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Scenario 1 Port Mats.

Convoys. Split convoys by side (Axis & Allied). Shuffle the two groups of convoys separately with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side creating pools of tokens. You will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

Set aside the Allied convoys marked Turn 8-25. They are not used.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 17 Allied (marked Turns 1-25) drawn at random

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 17 Allied (marked Turns 1-25)

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to 0.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to 0.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value on each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

Scoring. Score the following for both sides during the Scoring Phase:

• Sea Zone scoring by side as shown on the map. Axis on the left side of the "/" and Allied scoring on the right.
• Each Convoy of the opposing side sunk is worth 1 VP.
• Each Warship from the opposing side that is sunk is worth 1 VP. Damaged ships score no points.
• Each LBA unit not used scores its controller 1 VP each.
• After Rebasing each turn, check all UK/Commonwealth and French Ports for the following:
  • Each UK/Commonwealth port that does not contain at least 3 ships = 1 VP for the German player.
  • Each French port that does not contain at least 1 ship = 1 VP for the German player.

Special Rules.

1. Allied non-cooperation: British and French units in the same Sea Zone may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both British and French units, the German player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the Convoy Attacks box.
2. Allied fleets must maintain a global presence. The UK must have 3 ships in each UK/Commonwealth port after rebasing. Each port with fewer than 3 ships result in a Victory Point for the Axis player. The French fleet must have at least 1 ship in each French port after rebasing. Each port with no ships results in a Victory Point for the Axis player.
3. Use the turn order shown on the Port Mat.

National Notes (Scenario 1).

Germany. The Axis player is severely outnumbered in this scenario and the German big guns are not yet in play. At first glance the German player appears to have no chance. If you try to go toe-to-toe with the Allies, you will indeed suffer an egregious loss. However, I stress that head-on fighting is not how the scenario was designed. Germany has fast cruisers, auxiliary cruisers, and some submarines (not as many as you would think or hope at this point). Germany also gets to move last (after both of the Allies have moved) and can reflexively be strong where the French and British are weak. Therefore key German targets are not the big point Sea Zones, but the wide array of 1/0 Sea Zones and convoys. Raid the convoys and strike where the Allies are not, and you can keep the scores close and very often pull out a win.

United Kingdom. You appear to be in control of this chess match and to a degree you are. You have more ships, often better ships, and bases across the globe. Truly, the sun never sets on the Royal Navy. But your great strengths are also your undoing. Yes, you have a large fleet, but you have practically the entire globe to patrol. Concentrating your fleet to destroy the German fleet is like grabbing smoke, they are never where you want them and you cannot force an engagement. The Germans may choose to come to you, but they won't come if the trap is too big. Additionally, the scenario requires you to maintain ships in every port around the world as Japan and Italy are making noise. To play well, you need to do the obvious; lure the German surface fleet into a stand-up fight where you manage to attrit them severely, protect your convoys, allow the Germans no easy Sea Zones, and inflict damage on their convoys. Easy peasy.

France. France, allied with Britain, is also tasked with the same situation and responsibilities. France is also strung out world-wide, but with fewer ships (although some of them are quite powerful). France also has the issue of being under a different command structure than the British, thus precluding them from cooperating in battles (see Special Rules below). Do not create mixed forces in Sea Zones! Otherwise, they have the same demands as their British allies.

Scenario 2: Struggle for the Middle Sea

National Notes. Scenario 2 is the most unusual scenario of the game. It starts out with Germany and Italy taking on the UK, France, Norway, and the Netherlands. But at the conclusion of Turn 4 (the first turn of the scenario), France and Norway surrender, leaving the British and Dutch in the worst situation the Allies will face in any scenario.

Germany. The real crux of the problem for Germany is Turn 4. You will be tempted to strike out at the Allies on Turn 4. Avoid this impulse. Only chase the most exposed points and convoys. The tide will turn quickly as you gain control of the Norwegian fleet and the French flip sides and become your allies. One strong tactic to engage in on Turn 4 is to seek out and sink as many Norwegian and French ships as you can. Each of these ships sunk on that turn essentially counts as 2 VP, 1 for the sinking of the ship itself and 1 point denied to the Allies for the Turn 4/5 transfer of forces.

After Turn 4, the UK will be at a severe disadvantage. The British will be forced to keep a global presence but will only have themselves and the Dutch fleet to work with. It is possible to take the Brits on head-first at this point and make the war a die-rolling crap shoot. But my preferred strategy is to continue to feast on weak stacks for small points. Using this strategy, it is very difficult for the British to maintain the points lead they built up on Turn 4 and they should expect to have the margin eaten away as the scenario progresses.

United Kingdom. Life is good on Turn 4 and between your fleet, the French fleet and the Dutch fleet, you can concentrate forces on the high value locations. This allows you to use the Dutch to patrol lower-value areas in the Pacific while you concentrate more on the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean theaters. It is KEY that you build a solid lead on this turn. At the end of that first turn, you lose the Norwegians and French and all of your momentum. At that point you are essentially on equal footing with the Axis but are forced to make your moves first for the remainder of the scenario, putting you at a disadvantage.

Once the tide turns, you must consolidate your forces into larger fleets on higher value areas. This may mean ceding low-value areas to the Axis altogether. If the Axis commander is competent, the math will not work in your favor and Turns 5, 6, and 7 will see the enemy eat away at your lead. One extra method of gaining points is to sink French and Norwegian ships as often as possible. Each ship sunk is one less ship the Axis will score bonus VP's for at the end of the scenario.

France. On Turn 4, the French should be stacked in large groups for protection. After all, each ship that survives this turn is worth a VP to the Allies. Once the French become Axis, on Turn 5 and beyond, they become very vulnerable. France is forced to move first each turn and, therefore, needs to remain in strong groups to deter British attack or not even sail at all on a turn. Each ship that survives to the end of Turn 7 is a bonus VP for the Axis and spending those VP's uselessly is just wasteful. Remember that the Vichy ships do not work well with the other Axis ships (see below) and need to stake out their own Sea Zones without Italian or German support.

Italy. Italy joins the war with a formidable fleet. Again, care needs to be taken with the fleet on Turn 4. Once the French join the Axis, there will be opportunities to be more aggressive. If you are playing the Italians correctly, each turn during rebasing, the Med should look like the center of a funnel as more British ships are drawn toward the Med to counter the Italian navy, denuding the rest of the globe of protection, and allowing Germany and France to act in far-flung seas with fewer and fewer obstacles. The key to successful Italian play is the opening setup. The Italians have three separate port focuses other than the Neutral ports scattered across the globe. The majority of the Italian forces will be in the Mediterranean, some will be at Massawa on the Red Sea and some will be at Tianjin in China. Do not overlook the value of these ports as they are the only way to get ships easily out of the Med once the fighting starts. Anything started in the Med will probably stay in the Med.

Scenario Length. This scenario covers 4 game turns. The scenario starts on Game Turn 4. The scenario ends at the conclusion of Game Turn 7.

Board. Use the Early War side of the Map. Use only the Blue Scoring values except in areas with the Italian flag; in those cases, use the Green Scoring values, not the Blue.

At-Start Forces.

• All Fleets: Start with all ships and LBA that have a 1 through 8 Turn of Entry. If not playing a Continuous Game: Remove from the above group the ships with a Red stripe behind their stats line.
• German (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 4 Turn of Entry.
• British (Allied): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 4 Turn of Entry.
• French (Allied): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 4 Turn of Entry.
• Italian (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 4 Turn of Entry.
• Dutch (Allied): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 4 Turn of Entry.
• Norwegian (Allied): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 4 Turn of Entry.

Reinforcements. Place British, Italian, and German units with a 5, 6 or 7 Turn of Entry in their reinforcement box next to the Turn Track. Place Greek units with the Turn 6 reinforcements. Place the Yugoslavian unit with the Turn 7 reinforcements.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Scenario 2 Port Mats.

Convoys. Set aside Allied Convoys marked Turn 8-25. They are not used.

Split convoys by side (Axis & Allied). Shuffle the two groups of convoys separately with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side creating two pools of tokens; you will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 17 Allied (marked Turns 1-25) drawn at random

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 17 Allied (marked Turns 1-25)

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to 2.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to 1.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value on each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

Scoring. Score the following for both sides:

• Sea Zone scoring by side as shown on the map. Axis on the left side of the "/" and Allied scoring on the right. Use only the Blue Scoring values except in areas with the Italian flag; in those cases, use the Green Scoring values, not the Blue.
• Each Convoy of the opposing side sunk is worth 1 VP.
• Each Warship from the opposing side that is sunk is worth 1 VP. Damaged ships score no points.
• Each LBA unit not used scores its controller 1 VP each.
• After Rebasing each turn, check all UK/Commonwealth Ports for the following:
  • Each UK/Commonwealth port that does not contain at least 3 ships = 1 VP for the German player.

Special Scoring. The Allied player scores:

• 1 VP for each French ship that is transferred to the Axis side at the conclusion of Turn 4.
• 1 VP for each Norwegian ship that is transferred to the Axis side at the conclusion of Turn 4.

If only playing Scenario 2, at the conclusion of Turn 7, the Axis player scores:

• 1 VP for each French ship still in the game. Damaged ships count toward this score, ships that were sunk do not.
• 1 VP for each Norwegian ship still in the game. Damaged ships count toward this score, ships that were sunk do not.

Special Rules.

Use the turn order shown on the Port Mat.

French non-Cooperation. French units in the same Sea Zone as other Allied ships (Turn 4) or other Axis ships (Turns 5 through 7) may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both French units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the Convoy Attacks box.

UK Global Presence. The UK must have 3 ships in each UK/Commonwealth port after rebasing. Each port with fewer than 3 ships results in a Victory Point for the Axis player.

French Special Rules. Before the Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker Phase of Turn 4, remove from play all French units that do not have a gray square dominating the interior of the piece. These will return to play on Turn 15 if you are playing a game going that long, otherwise just remove them from play.

Count the number of French ships still in play and add 1 VP per ship to the Allied Score.

The French left on the board are now considered Vichy and are based by the Axis player in legal ports shown on the Axis player's Port Mat.

Norwegian Special Rules. Before the Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker Phase of Turn 4, the surviving Norwegian ships are considered Axis captured and join the Axis side. The Axis player will return them to base in legal ports shown on the Axis player's Port Map.

Count the number of Norwegian ships still in play and add 1 VP per ship to the Allied Score.

Dutch Special Rules. The Allied player controls Amsterdam only at the start of the game for the first deployment. From then on, the port is Axis. Dutch ships may base only in overseas Dutch ports or indicated British ports for the remainder of the scenario/game.

Greek Special Rules. The Greek units enter the game on Turn 6 on the Allied side.

Yugoslavian Special Rules. The Yugoslavian unit enters play on the Allied side on Turn 7. At the end of the turn, if playing the next scenario, it joins the Axis and is rebased by the Axis player.

Scenario 3: Drumbeat

National Notes. This scenario begins to tilt the balance of power more directly in favor of the Allies, once again placing the Axis nations on the reactive. The addition of the Soviet fleet is not a massive force enhancer, but the opening of more fronts and the influx of opposing ships into seas where they were less likely to be encountered will result in a massive change in the strategy of both sides. With the inclusion of Russia into the war, the Allies gain more convoys to protect at the same time they gain more ships to work with.

Soviet Union. With Germany's land invasion of the Soviet Union comes an increased opposition on the high seas. The Soviet fleet, not an inconsequential thing, now enters the war on the Allied side, providing the British fleet with much needed cover in vital areas. The key issue for the Soviets is how to deploy at the start of the scenario as, once that initial setup is created, those forces are essentially isolated from each other and will be forced to succeed or fail without much help from other fronts.

In the Baltic, Leningrad can hold nine ships. These ships are essentially locked into the Baltic Sea for the entire game by the Danish Minefields. Too few ships and there will be no opposition to the Germans and Finns in the area. Too many and you may win the battle only to be short ships elsewhere. Keep short-range ships here as they have no need for long-range missions here.

The Black Sea is a similar situation for the Soviets. The area to cover is a bit bigger but Istanbul keeps the Soviet forces bottled up and unable to sail into the Med. Forcing their way out and allowing the Turkish fleet to ally with the Axis is a poor proposition. So again, the Soviets must be very careful of how much to deploy to this region. Enough ships are needed to offset the Romanians as well as potential German and Italian submarines and land-based air. But too many strong ships here will end up being useless after initial victories and you may soon wish those ships were available elsewhere.

The Arctic will be your most active front. From your northern bases you will be able to sally into the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. It is tempting to concentrate your units here, especially with Murmansk being an unlimited port. Remember that reinforcing the Black Sea is impossible without triggering Turkey's release and reinforcing the Baltic requires forcing the Danish minefields. These barriers will keep your Arctic fleet isolated and unable to assist those other regions.

The Pacific fleet seems like the perfect place for a large fleet... except that at this point there is no Japanese fleet to fight and all you can expect to encounter in the area are possibly a few German raiders, an Italian vessel or two out of Tianjin, and perhaps some Vichy ships out of Saigon. Nothing worth a large fleet presence. If a threat materializes, you can siphon off ships from the Arctic to aid in the fight.

Germany. U-boat production is beginning to step up, though not to where it will be in the next scenario, and the Americans are still out of the war. You now must face three new prospects. There is a porcupine threat in the Baltic now that the Soviet fleet at Leningrad is a possible opponent. It is likely that on any given turn you will lose to it in combat, but attrition will eventually favor your side. The Soviet northern fleet will be able to support the British fleet in some of the most valuable Atlantic Sea Zones. And you have the same difficulties in the Black Sea as the Soviets. You have the option of railroading in submarine units (1 per turn) and spending the Luftwaffe in the Black Sea, but a devastating victory will leave you with too many forces in the area for what it's worth. Too few, and you will be giving up points in a small but steady stream each turn. Finally, your U-boats can wreak devastation across the Atlantic, but remember as your subs get better, so does the Allied ASW capability.

United Kingdom. The arrival of the Soviets should cause a relaxing of your situation in the home waters. Soviet ships in the north should help out your situation there and with that you can funnel more ships into the Med to fight and destroy Italy and Vichy France. Don't lose sight of the fact that your new small carriers are being created for a specific purpose, fighting subs. Treat them as additional ASW or else suffer the sting of Germany's increasing U-boat strength.

Scenario Length. This scenario covers 3 game turns. The scenario starts on Game Turn 8. The scenario ends at the conclusion of Game Turn 10.

Board. Use the Early War side of the Map. Use the Green and Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use the Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones.

At-Start Forces.

• All Fleets: Start with all ships and LBA that have a 1 through 8 Turn of Entry. If not playing a Continuous Game: Remove from the above group the ships with a Red stripe or White stripe behind their stats line.
• German (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 8 Turn of Entry.
• British (Allied): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 8 Turn of Entry.
• French (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 8 Turn of Entry. Remove all Free French Interned ships (those units without a grey square dominating the interior of the piece). These may be placed in with the Turn 15 reinforcements or out of the game depending on your scenario choice.
  • Free French Interned ships: BB Lorraine; CA Suffren, CA Duguay-Trouin, CA Duquesne, CA Tourville, CA E. Bertin, CA Jeanne d'Arc; DD Aigle.
• Italian (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 4 through 8 Turn of Entry.
• Soviet Union (Allies): Use all ships and LBA that have an 8 Turn of Entry.
• Allied Minors (Greece, Netherlands): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 4 through 8 Turn of Entry.
• Axis Minors (Norway, Finland, Romania, Yugoslavia): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 4 through 8 Turn of Entry.
  • The Yugoslavian CA Dalmacija is controlled by Italy and may be treated as an Italian ship for placement.

Reinforcements. Place the Soviet, British, Italian, and German units with a 9 or 10 Turn of Entry in their reinforcement box next to the Turn Track.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Scenario 3 Port Mats.

Convoys. Use all convoys included in the game (30 Axis and 40 Allied).

Split convoys by side (Axis & Allied). Shuffle the two groups of convoys separately with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side creating pools of tokens. You will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 20 Allied drawn at random

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 20 Allied

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to 3.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to 2.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value on each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

Scoring. Score the following for both sides:

• Sea Zone scoring by side as shown on the map. Axis on the left side of the "/" and Allied scoring on the right. Use the Green and Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use the Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones.
• Each Convoy of the opposing side sunk is worth 1 VP.
• Each Warship from the opposing side that is sunk is worth 1 VP. Damaged ships score no points.
• Each LBA unit not used scores its controller 1 VP each.
• If the opposing side violated Turkish Neutrality, the new Turkish ally scores 10 VP (See Rule 5.3.1).
• After Rebasing each turn, check all UK/Commonwealth Ports for the following:
  • Each UK/Commonwealth port that does not contain at least 3 ships = 1 VP for the German player.

Special Scoring. If only playing this scenario linked from Scenario 2, but NOT continuing to Scenario 4, score for the Axis:

• 1 VP for each French ship still in the game. Damaged ships count toward this score, ships that were sunk do not.

If the scenario is not part of a linked chain of scenarios IGNORE this scoring.

Special Rules.

French non-Cooperation. French units in the same Sea Zone as other Axis ships may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both French units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight, and the other is immediately placed in the convoy box.

Soviet non-Cooperation. Soviet units in the same Sea Zone as other Allied ships may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both Soviet units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the convoy box.

UK Global Presence. The UK must have 3 ships in each UK/Commonwealth port after rebasing. Each port with fewer than 3 ships results in a Victory Point for the Axis player.

Greek Special Rules. The Greek ports are Axis controlled. The Greek ships are still Allied and can operate from a limited number of British and Free French ports as indicated on the Allied Port Mat.

Scenario 4: Red Sun Rising

National Notes. This is it, the big one. Every fleet is in play and each is at or near its strongest point. The war will rage across four oceans and every accessible sea on the globe. The balance of this scenario teeters on the brink but at the same time is very steady. It seems as if either side could falter just once and the tide will shift, yet there are so many fulcrum points that an Allied win in the Med could easily be offset by a strong Japanese showing in the South Pacific. For the entire duration of the scenario, it should feel that things are on the edge of going south for both sides.

Pearl Harbor. This scenario starts immediately in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. We elected to have that attack take place "off camera" between the end of Scenario 3 and the start of Scenario 4. The truth is that it was kind of boring, took a long time to resolve, and using our system was wildly inaccurate. So we instead took the historical results of the attack and plugged that into the ship setup and turn of arrival. Some ships that were attacked were not included in the game (USS Arizona and Oklahoma) and others had their turn of entry pushed back to the point where the repairs from the attack were made. This method was by far the best and most satisfying method, as the combat system for this game is a poor method for replaying the attack with any integrity.

Japan. Japan has the benefit of moving after the USA and thus being able to react to American advances and counter where they see fit. The Japanese fleet feels so impressive, their commander will feel heavy pressure to match up with the Americans in numerous battles across the Pacific. I won't dissuade you from doing so, but be aware that wherever you fight you need to win and preferably win handily. The American industrial system will soon outstrip your production and each loss you take will hurt in the long run more than each loss you inflict. But it must be said that where the Germans and Italians will probably score poorly, it will be up to Japan to catch up the points their Axis associates drop.

USA. The USA is on the defensive in this scenario. They move very early among the major fleets and therefore will need to choose their locations to fight and go there with vigor. Small groups spread across the globe will be picked off by German and Japanese combat groups. The American ships are capable and will inflict damage, but they will likely be outnumbered in every combat. One trick that I use as the Americans in this scenario is to use most, if not all, of my Air units in Air Superiority when facing the Japanese. The Japanese have many carriers and can inflict massive amounts of damage on you if they get through. Since you are strategically on the defensive anyway, nullify the Japanese air capability with your own. This scenario only puts you on even footing and in a bad turn order position. Trading ships in high volume works against you. In the long run (campaign game or multiple scenarios), the attrition favors you, but if you are just playing Scenario 4, it will bite you... hard.

UK. You are finally able to draw back from the Pacific and concentrate more in the Atlantic and the Med with a perimeter reaching out to the Indian Ocean. This allows you to focus on two points of vulnerability: the Italian and Vichy fleets in the Mediterranean and German U-boats in the Atlantic. Sail in force into the Med and seek to engage and destroy the Italian fleet there. In the Atlantic, protect convoys and groups of surface ships with those ASW carriers you are now seeing swelling your ranks. Yep, all of those 2 Air CV's are not meant to hunt ships, they are meant to hunt subs. Failure to focus on fighting subs will doom you to a long, slow death at the hands of the German U-boat arm. Of course you still need to patrol the home waters and the mouth of the Med, but your top priorities need to be subs and Italians.

Italy. Things are getting challenging for you real fast. Just when you thought that the arrival of the Japanese might thin out your enemies, a huge new enemy appeared on the western horizon. Your days are numbered now and the requirement to move before the British puts you on the defensive. Your freedom is now limited to choosing where to stand and fight and cause the most pain to the Allied forces as you slip into decline.

Germany. Moving last actually puts you in the best spot of the scenario. You choose where, when, and if to fight. Your submarines can cause great issues, but competent Allied commanders will be on the lookout with those pesky escort carriers. You still have numerous raiders and a small but strong surface contingent. The notion of striking where they aren't becomes a key mantra for the German player. You will not win the scenario with your dashing heroics, but you can keep your half of the board in turmoil with small victories where the Allied player isn't. Make use of your raiders and subs to hunt convoys. Look for poorly defended points here and there (and I do mean 'points'... those out of the way 1/0 Sea Zones that have one or no ships in them). Each point scored can be the difference between victory and defeat.

USSR. While nothing is too different from Scenario 3, the addition of Japan in the Pacific allows you to become a full participant in the war or declare non-belligerency against the Japanese. Each turn, on the first encounter between the fleets, you can either join in against Japan or stay out for another turn. Declaring war on Japan may be a thorn in their side, but your small fleet in the Pacific should be easily manhandled by the Japanese, providing the points for sinking ships as well as otherwise unattainable points in the northwestern Pacific and Arctic that they could not claim with a non-aggressive Soviet Union. If you stay on friendly terms with Japan, you make things harder on your Allies but force the Germans and Italians to fight for your Soviet Sea Zones. My favorite tactic is to sail in force into a zone in the Japanese influence and force them to make a decision. Overcommit ships in case you break the peace treaty or undercommit and allow you to score cheap points. Turn 14, the last turn of this scenario, is usually the optimal time to stab the Japanese in the back... except of course that it is the turn they will be most expecting it.

Scenario Length. This scenario covers 4 game turns. The scenario starts on Game Turn 11. The scenario ends at the conclusion of Game Turn 14.

Board. Use the Late War side of the Map. Use the Green and Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use the Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones.

At-Start Forces.

• All Fleets: Start with all ships and LBA that have a 1 through 11 Turn of Entry. If not playing a Continuous Game: Remove from the above group the ships with a Red stripe, White stripe or Yellow stripe behind their stats line.
• German (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 11 Turn of Entry.
• British (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 11 Turn of Entry.
• French (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 11 Turn of Entry. French ships have their movement range reduced to 2 MP's. Remove all Free French Interned ships (those units without a grey square dominating the interior of the piece). These may be placed in with the Turn 15 reinforcements or out of the game depending on your scenario choice.
  • Free French Interned ships: BB Lorraine; CA Suffren, CA Duguay-Trouin, CA Duquesne, CA Tourville, CA E. Bertin, CA Jeanne d'Arc; DD Aigle.
• Italian (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 4 through 11 Turn of Entry. The Yugoslavian CA Dalmacija is controlled by Italy.
• Soviet Union (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have an 8 through 11 Turn of Entry.
• Allied Minors (Greece, Netherlands, Cuba): Use all remaining ships that have a 4 through 11 Turn of Entry.
• Axis Minors (Norway, Finland, Romania, Yugoslavia): Use all remaining ships that have a 4 through 11 Turn of Entry. The Yugoslavian CA Dalmacija is controlled by Italy and may be treated as an Italian ship for placement.
• USA (Allies): Use all ships that have an 11 Turn of Entry.
• Japan (Axis): Use all ships that have an 11 Turn of Entry.

Reinforcements. Set all units of active nations with a 12, 13 or 14 Turn of Entry in their reinforcement box next to the Turn Track.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Scenario 4 Port Mat.

Convoys. Use all convoys included in the game (30 Axis and 40 Allied).

Split convoys by side (Axis & Allied). Shuffle the two groups of convoys separately with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side creating pools of tokens. You will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 20 Allied drawn at random

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 20 Allied

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to 4.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to 3.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value on each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

• USA may start ships in Wake Island, Guam and Manila at the start of Turn 11 but may not re-base to them.
• UK may start ships in Rabaul, Lae, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Rangoon but may not re-base to them.
• Dutch ships may start in Banda Aceh, Morotai and Batavia but may not re-base to them.
• French ships may base in Saigon.
• Japanese ships may not start in Saigon, Tarawa or Guadalcanal, but may re-base there.

Scoring. Score the following for both sides:

• Sea Zone scoring by side as shown on the map. Axis on the left side of the "/" and Allied scoring on the right. Use the Green and Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use the Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones.
• Each Convoy of the opposing side sunk is worth 1 VP.
• Each Warship from the opposing side that is sunk is worth 1 VP. Damaged ships score no points.
• Each LBA unit not used scores its controller 1 VP each.
• If the opposing side violated Turkish Neutrality, the new Turkish ally scores 10 VP (See Rule 5.3.1).
• After Rebasing each turn, check all UK/Commonwealth Ports for the following:
  • Each UK/Commonwealth port that does not contain at least 1 UK ship = 1 VP for the Axis player.

Special Scoring. If only playing this scenario linked from Scenario 2, or the campaign game, at the conclusion of Turn 14 add to the Axis score:

• 1 VP for each Vichy French ship still in the game. Damaged ships count toward this score, ships that were sunk do not. These points are awarded before any Vichy ships are removed from play.

If the scenario is not part of a linked chain of scenarios or the campaign game, IGNORE this scoring.

Special Rules.

French Reduced Capabilities. French units ALL have a range of 2 regardless of the value printed on the unit.

French non-Cooperation. French units in the same Sea Zone as other Axis ships may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both French units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the convoy box.

Soviet non-Cooperation. Soviet units in the same Sea Zone as other Allied ships may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both Soviet units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the convoy box.

UK Global Presence. The UK must have 1 ship in each UK/Commonwealth port after rebasing. Each port with no ships results in a Victory Point for the Axis player.

Use the turn order shown on the Port Mat.

Note Rule 5.5.1 (Japanese-Soviet non-Belligerency) when Japanese and Soviet units share a Sea Zone.

Greek & Dutch Special Rules. The Greek ports are Axis controlled. The ships are Allied controlled and can operate from a number of British and Free French ports indicated on the Port Mat. Many Dutch ports become Axis controlled before the Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker Phase of Turn 11. Take this influx into account during setup.

Scenario 5: Shattered Sword

National Notes. This scenario is very similar to Scenario 4. The biggest difference is the scuttling of the Vichy fleet and the return of the Free French ships to the Allied side albeit at reduced efficiency. Other than that, war still rages fiercely over the globe. The demise of the Vichy fleet has pressed Italy into an even more dire situation in the Mediterranean and removed any sideshow that might have caused a diversion for the Germans in the Atlantic. All in all, though, the scenario is still very balanced and both sides have an excellent chance of pulling out a victory. We will only address the changes in the game caused by French realignment below.

France. With the return of the Free French ships (those interned on Turn 4) and the removal of the Vichy French fleet, the balance of power in the Mediterranean teeters towards the Allies. The French ships are a capable force, but still are unable to team up with other friendly nations and must patrol Sea Zones alone. Their reduced range and early movement will make them a completely defensive force wherever they venture.

Italy. The Italian fleet is now at an extreme disadvantage in the Med. They move early and have no help in the Middle Sea. Expect to be attrited heavily and see your forces diminish on each turn. Perhaps the best way to offset this is to use the neutral and Axis ports outside of the Med from the start. You still have to fight for the Med but expect to suffer heavy losses and disappointment. Do not be afraid to rail a submarine or two to the Black Sea (using the Special Rule below) if you can turn the tide on that front. Also take note, that this is the last gasp of the Italian fleet. At the end of this scenario, Italy surrenders, so feel free to fight the good fight while you can.

UK/USA forces in the Atlantic. At this point, expect every enemy unit you encounter in the Atlantic to be a submarine class unit. Everything you have should be geared towards sinking subs and therefore attacking that Sub box on the Combat Sequence Mat. Yes, you will occasionally come across an armed merchantman or cruiser. Perhaps even get entangled with a battleship. Trying to guess which enemy stack is a surface fleet versus a wolfpack can make you crazy. Just assume that everything is below the surface and act accordingly.

Scenario Length. This scenario covers 3 game turns. The scenario starts on Game Turn 15. The scenario ends at the conclusion of Game Turn 17.

Board. Use the Late War side of the Map. Use the Green and Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use the Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones.

At-Start Forces.

• All Fleets: Start with all ships and LBA that have a 1 through 15 Turn of Entry. If not playing a Continuous Game: Remove from the above group the ships with a Red stripe, White stripe, Yellow stripe or Brown stripe behind their stats line.
• German (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 15 Turn of Entry.
• British (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 15 Turn of Entry.
• French (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 15 Turn of Entry.
• Italian (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 4 through 15 Turn of Entry. The Yugoslavian CA Dalmacija is controlled by Italy.
• Soviet Union (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have an 8 through 15 Turn of Entry.
• Allied Minors (Greece, Netherlands, Brazil, Cuba): Use all remaining ships that have a 4 through 15 Turn of Entry.
• Axis Minors (Norway, Finland, Romania, Yugoslavia): Use all remaining ships that have a 4 through 15 Turn of Entry.
• USA (Allies): Use all remaining ships that have an 11 through 15 Turn of Entry.
• Japan (Axis): Use all remaining ships that have an 11 through 15 Turn of Entry.

Reinforcements. Set all units of active nations with a 16 or 17 Turn of Entry in their reinforcement box next to the Turn Track.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Scenario 5 Port Mat.

Convoys. Use all convoys included in the game (30 Axis and 40 Allied).

Split the convoys by side (Axis & Allied). Shuffle the two groups of convoys separately with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side creating pools of tokens. You will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 20 Allied drawn at random

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 20 Allied

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to 4.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to 2.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value on each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

Scoring. Score the following for both sides:

• Sea Zone scoring by side as shown on the map. Axis on the left side of the "/" and Allied scoring on the right. Use the Green and Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use the Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones.
• Each Convoy of the opposing side sunk is worth 1 VP.
• Each Warship from the opposing side that is sunk is worth 1 VP. Damaged ships score no points.
• Each LBA unit not used scores its controller 1 VP each.
• If the opposing side violated Turkish Neutrality, the new Turkish ally scores 10 VP (See Rule 5.3.1).
• After Rebasing each turn, check all UK/Commonwealth Ports for the following:
  • Each UK/Commonwealth port that does not contain at least 1 UK ship = 1 VP for the Axis player.

Special Rules.

French non-Cooperation. French units in the same Sea Zone as other Allied ships may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both French units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the convoy box.

Soviet non-Cooperation. Soviet units in the same Sea Zone as other Allied ships may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both Soviet units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the convoy box.

UK Global Presence. The UK must have 1 ship in each UK/Commonwealth port after rebasing. Each port with no ships results in a Victory Point for the Axis player.

Axis Rail-Transported Subs. Each turn, a single Italian or German Reinforcement Submarine with a Sub attack value of 3 or less may be placed into Constanta. This may also be done at setup as well.

Use the turn order shown on the Port Mat.

Note Rule 5.5.1 (Japanese-Soviet non-Belligerency) when Japanese and Soviet units share a Sea Zone.

Scenario 6: Neptune's Inferno

National Notes. This is the first scenario that highlights the 'decline' of the war. By this time the Allied industrial might was clearly weighing the naval war in favor of the Western powers. The surrender of Italy at the conclusion of Scenario 5 means that the Axis war effort is now down to a severely reduced German fleet made up almost entirely of U-boats and the slowly deteriorating Japanese navy taking on the full brunt of a geared-up United States and United Kingdom force augmented by capable French and Soviet secondary fleets. At this point, the tide is turning, but has yet to slip completely in the favor of the Allies. This is the last stand of the Axis before they buckle under the weight of the West's incredible manufacturing capacity.

Once again, the fleets are segmented into just Axis and Allied camps. There is no alternating movement here and the Allies will set the tone by moving first and the Axis will call the shots by deciding where to fight. Because of the integration and blockishness of the two sides, their strategy is no longer nation-specific, but side-specific.

Allies. The Allied forces are strong and getting stronger. They are required to move first in this scenario, but this time that movement should not be done defensively but in an aggressive manner. Fighting a score of battles of attrition across the globe is perfect for the Allied nations. They can suffer the losses and replenish even faster. More carriers, more cruisers, more subs, and more destroyers are being launched than it seems can be lost. The Mediterranean will become quiet and, where in previous scenarios a great number of ships would be tied down there fighting the Italians, those ships are now released to hunt down the last remaining German surface ships as well as shift to the Pacific. The constraints against working together are lifted and task forces made up of French, British, Dutch, and American vessels are possible.

Axis. Things are not looking bright for the Axis powers at this point. The fall of Italy has unleashed the full might of the Allied forces from the Middle Sea. Additionally, your industrial output is no match for the Allied forces anymore and you are losing the building race. But the scenario is still quite winnable. When you fight, fight with overwhelming force. Do not fight just to fight, make sure the possible outcome is worth the losses you will take. Maybe more than any other scenario, DO THE MATH! I keep a list of the number of Sea Zones that I will need to gain the edge. Of course, you cannot know for sure how the convoy and ship-sinking math will work out, but if you keep your forces husbanded into just enough areas to outscore the Allies, the ship math and the convoy math should fall into line with the strategy. It's not often I recommend counting points to that degree, but one slip of hubris in this scenario can cost you dearly.

Scenario Length. This scenario covers 4 game turns. The scenario starts on Game Turn 18. The scenario ends at the conclusion of Game Turn 21.

Board. Use the Late War side of the Map. Use Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones. Ignore the Green scoring values.

At-Start Forces.

• All Fleets: Start with all ships and LBA that have a 1 through 18 Turn of Entry. If not playing a Continuous Game: Remove from the above group the ships with a Red stripe, White stripe, Yellow stripe, Brown stripe or Green stripe behind their stats line.
• German (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 18 Turn of Entry. The Yugoslavian CA Dalmacija is controlled by Germany.
• Italy (Axis): Remove all ships and LBA.
• British (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 18 Turn of Entry.
• French (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 18 Turn of Entry.
• Soviet Union (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have an 8 through 18 Turn of Entry.
• Allied Minors (Greece, Netherlands, Brazil, Cuba, Chile): Use all remaining ships that have a 4 through 18 Turn of Entry.
• Axis Minors (Norway, Finland, Romania, Yugoslavia): Use all remaining ships that have a 4 through 18 Turn of Entry.
• USA (Allies): Use all remaining ships that have an 11 through 18 Turn of Entry.
• Japan (Axis): Use all remaining ships that have an 11 through 18 Turn of Entry.

Reinforcements. Set all units of active nations with a 19, 20 or 21 Turn of Entry in their reinforcement box next to the Turn Track.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Scenario 6 Port Mat.

Convoys. Use all convoys included in the game (30 Axis and 40 Allied).

Split the convoys by side (Axis & Allied). Shuffle the two groups of convoys separately with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side creating pools of tokens. You will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 20 Allied drawn at random

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 20 Allied

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to 4.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to 1.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value on each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

Scoring. Score the following for both sides:

• Sea Zone scoring by side as shown on the map. Axis on the left side of the "/" and Allied scoring on the right. Use Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones. Ignore the Green scoring values.
• Each Convoy of the opposing side sunk is worth 1 VP.
• Each Warship from the opposing side that is sunk is worth 1 VP. Damaged ships score no points.
• Each LBA unit not used scores its controller 1 VP each.
• If the opposing side violated Turkish Neutrality, the new Turkish ally scores 10 VP (See Rule 5.3.1).

Special Rules.

Soviet non-Cooperation. Soviet units in the same Sea Zone as other Allied ships may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both Soviet units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the convoy box.

Use the turn order shown on the Port Mat.

Note Rule 5.5.1 (Japanese-Soviet non-Belligerency) when Japanese and Soviet units share a Sea Zone.

Scenario 7: Red Sun Setting

National Notes. This is the single most "unbalanced" scenario in the game. The Axis powers are at an all-time low and to make the scenario more competitive we started it on the eve of Leyte Gulf, otherwise it would be an even more mismatched competition. The Allies can do almost whatever they want, go in whatever force they want, and lose all of the ships they feel necessary to succeed. The Axis are reduced to almost exclusively hunting convoys and fighting for a small number of Sea Zones, usually doing both at a heavy cost.

Allies. As the Allies, you feel invincible. You have so many ships that you can't seem to figure out where to put them all. Here's the problem, you start each turn in a 25-point hole, so you must cover everything that could score the Axis a point. You need to cover all of your convoys or else allow the Axis to have a free VP shot. You must cover every Sea Zone, including the tiny 1/0 zones. You must hunt for every Axis convoy on the board. Oh yeah, and remember you score nothing for sinking Axis ships; they know the end is coming and they have no incentive to be frugal with their fleet. So while you are more able to suffer the losses, the Axis will be looking to trade ships for ships in the hope of contesting Sea Zones. Avoid frustration and be happy each turn you score higher than the Axis, even if it is just a handful of points. Each turn it will get harder, not easier.

Axis. It seems bleak out there for you. The Japanese fleet is still a force to be reckoned with, but their American and British opposition is so strong. The German shell of a fleet is almost exclusively some coastal ships and a whole lot of submarines. You can't really compete for points in most Sea Zones. Things seem impossible. Then you look at the victory point table and realize some things are in your favor. Each turn, the Allies start 25 points in the hole and these points can only be scored by sinking your convoys. That means whatever out of the way backwater puddle you put those ships in will require at least one and probably two Allied ships to hunt them. That can alleviate some pressure. You can still use your subs to hunt their convoys, so that will tie up more of their assets on protective duties. Then you realize that the Japanese are still a capable force that can challenge for some prime terrain. Finally, you notice the last note - that your opponents score no points for sinking your ships.

It is the last thing that needs to be focused on and how it plays out over the course of the scenario. On each successive turn, your ships become a bit more expendable. On Turn 22, try to preserve them as much as possible. But each time a new turn arrives, you have less future need for the ships. In a strategic sense, were the war going to last for another year or two, you would need to preserve your fleet as a fleet in being. But we are under no such illusions here. The clock is set and you only have four turns before you surrender. If you surrender with a harbor full of undamaged ships, you have failed. Turns 24 and 25 should be the most pyrrhic of victories for the Allies that you can imagine. Why, because no matter the losses you inflict, there is no benefit for ending the war with ships not contesting for Sea Zones. In addition, your losses are inconsequential, scoring the Allies zero points, while you are still scoring points for sinking their ships.

Axis Minor Options. This is also the scenario to really consider trying to bid some minors into the fray. The scoring is usually very close and you might end up getting a minor or two on your side for good value. An experienced Allied player will not give up too many points for the inclusion of a minor that they can probably easily crush anyway. But they may think twice if that minor can contest a moderate Sea Zone AND sink some Allied ships in the process. But if they pay too much to keep them out, then their hole just got a good bit deeper.

A note on the turn's scoring. We did think about and test a scoring system where the Axis scored points for ships remaining at surrender. While that may be a more realistic end state, it made this scenario almost unplayable. Japan would just pile every ship into one or two Sea Zones (if they even put out to sea) while Germany would only send out U-Boats in massive packs to hunt the weakest defended convoys. It was literally the Allied player spending all of the necessary time to carefully cover all of the key points and deciding on where to hunt convoys and how much force to use for each mission and Sea Zone. Then the Axis player would spend 1 minute dumping everything into one massive stack and a few wolfpacks. There was no incentive to attack because the ships were precious. Each ship lost was a 2-point swing (1 for the Allies VP and one that would be lost at the end) and there was no incentive to contest anything even remotely defended. The narrative and history were much better but the game really suffered. So, we flipped the script and encouraged the Japanese to come fight and to do so more and more as the scenario progressed. We like it better this way and we think you will as well.

Scenario Length. This scenario covers 4 game turns. The scenario starts on Game Turn 22. The scenario ends at the conclusion of Game Turn 25.

Board. Use the Late War side of the Map. Use Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones.

At-Start Forces.

• All Fleets: Start with all ships and LBA that have a 1 through 22 Turn of Entry. If not playing a Continuous Game: Remove from the above group the ships with a Red stripe, White stripe, Yellow stripe, Brown stripe, Green stripe or Purple stripe behind their stats line.
• German (Axis): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 22 Turn of Entry. The Yugoslavian CA Dalmacija is controlled by Germany.
• British (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 22 Turn of Entry.
• French (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have a 1 through 22 Turn of Entry.
• Soviet Union (Allies): Use all remaining ships and LBA that have an 8 through 22 Turn of Entry.
• Allied Minors (Greece, Netherlands, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Peru): Use all remaining ships that have a 4 through 22 Turn of Entry.
• Axis Minors (Norway, Finland, Romania, Yugoslavia): Use all remaining ships that have a 4 through 22 Turn of Entry.
• USA (Allies): Use all remaining ships that have an 11 through 22 Turn of Entry.
• Japan (Axis): Use all remaining ships that have an 11 through 22 Turn of Entry.

Reinforcements. Set all units of active nations with a 23, 24 or 25 Turn of Entry in their reinforcement box next to the Turn Track.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Scenario 7 Port Mat.

Convoys. Use all convoys included in the game (30 Axis and 40 Allied).

Split the convoys by side (Axis & Allied). Shuffle the two groups of convoys separately with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side creating pools of tokens. You will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 20 Allied drawn at random

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 20 Allied

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to 4.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to 0.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value on each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

Soviet Black Sea Requirements. The Soviets must place at least 3 ships in each of the Black Sea ports. These are trapped in the Black Sea unless Turkey's neutrality is violated.

Scoring Rules. Sea Zone scoring by side as shown on the map. Axis on the left side of the "/" and Allied scoring on the right. Use Red Scoring Values in Sea Zones where they appear. Use Blue scoring values in all other Sea Zones.

• Axis:
  • 1 VP per unused LBA
  • Sea Zone values
  • Allied Ships Sunk
  • Allied Convoys Sunk
• Allies:
  • Initial penalty of -25 points at the beginning of the scenario
  • 1 VP per unused LBA
  • Sea Zone values
  • Axis Convoys Sunk

Note: It is correct that the Allies score no points for sinking Axis ships in this scenario.

If the opposing side violated Turkish Neutrality, the new Turkish ally scores 10 VP (See Rule 5.3.1).

Special Rules.

Soviet non-Cooperation. Soviet units in the same Sea Zone as other Allied ships may not cooperate in the same combats. If a combat were to occur in a Sea Zone that includes both Soviet units and other units from the same side, the opposing player chooses before the beginning of the battle which navy to fight and the other is immediately placed in the Convoy Attacks box.

Finnish Surrender. Remove Finnish units prior to rebasing at the end of Game Turn 24.

German Surrender. On Turn 25, before deploying, roll a single die for each German naval unit in play. On a die roll of 1-3, that ship surrenders in port and is removed from play. On a die roll of 4-6, deploy that ship as normal.

Use the turn order shown on the Port Mat.

Note Rule 5.5.1 (Japanese-Soviet non-Belligerency) when Japanese and Soviet units share a Sea Zone.

Scenario 8: World War II at Sea - Campaign Game

Game Information. This scenario covers the full war and will take many hours to play; at least 60, but maybe more if you proceed at a leisurely pace.

Play begins exactly like the Scenario 1 setup, which is reiterated below.

On the concluding turn of each scenario, i.e., Turns 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 21, when players rebase, the next scenario's Port Mats should be used for the return to port from the board. Some nations may leave play at this point. For example, on Turn 17 Italy and its ships will leave play and not be available on Turn 18 onward.

On the first turn of each new scenario, all new rules, nations, and ships come into play and the next stretch of turns are governed by those rules. For example, on Turn 11, the turn order for moving ships changes. Where it had been Vichy-Allied-Axis, it becomes an alternating nation system. Later in the game it will return to an Allied-Axis combination.

Scenario Length. The campaign game covers 25 game turns. The campaign game starts on Game Turn 1. The campaign game ends at the conclusion of Game Turn 25.

Board. Use the Early War side of the Map. At the end of Turn 10, flip the map over to the Late War side.

At-Start Forces. Use all British, French and German units that have a Turn 1 Turn of Entry.

Reinforcements. Set the British, French and German units with a 2 or 3 Turn of Entry in their reinforcement box next to the Turn Track. Set all other national units off to the side, they will begin to come into play on Turn 4 and beyond.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Scenario 1 Port Mats. Change the Port Mats between the following Turns:

• Before Rebasing on Turn 3: Switch to Scenario 2 Port Mats
• Before Rebasing on Turn 7: Switch to Scenario 3 Port Mats
• Before Rebasing on Turn 10: Switch to Scenario 4 Port Mats
• Before Rebasing on Turn 14: Switch to Scenario 5 Port Mats
• Before Rebasing on Turn 17: Switch to Scenario 6 Port Mats
• Before Rebasing on Turn 21: Switch to Scenario 7 Port Mats

Convoys. Set aside the Allied convoys marked Turn 8-25. They are added to the game on Turn 8.

Shuffle the convoys with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side. You will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 17 Allied (marked Turns 1-25) drawn at random

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 17 Allied (marked Turns 1-25)

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to 0.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to 0.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value on each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

Ship Removals. When the scenario switches, the ships in play are NOT adjusted according to the removal stripes on the units. They are only removed by being eliminated in combat or when the nation they belong to exits the war, i.e., Vichy France on Turn 14, Italy on Turn 17 and Finland on Turn 24.

All Free French Interned ships (those units without a grey square dominating the interior of the piece) are removed before the Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker Phase of Turn 4. These are placed in with Game Turn 15 reinforcements. Free French units with a White stripe are removed from play on Turn 4 and considered retired. Vichy French units with a Brown stripe are removed from play before the Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker Phase of Turn 14.

The German CA Lutzow is removed from the game starting on Turn 8.

Scoring. Score according to each individual scenario as you progress through them. For example, score Turns 1 through 3 according to the Scenario 1 rules. Then score Turns 4 through 7 according to the Scenario 2 rules and so on.

Special Rules. Use the special rules according to each individual scenario as you progress through them. For example, utilize the Scenario 3 Special Rules to govern Turns 8 through 10. Then, utilize the Scenario 4 Special Rules to govern Turns 11 through 14.

Combined Scenarios: Linking Two or More Scenarios

Game Information. Players may also choose to link together one or more scenarios to create a longer game, but not the full 25-turn monster. To do so, players should agree ahead of time which scenarios to combine. The setup should be reflective of the first scenario in the sequence. As the game progresses and a turn from a new scenario would be entered, use the Campaign game rules for the changes in rules, Port Mats, and so on. Do NOT remove the ships from play as indicated in the scenarios. Ship removal is only utilized at the start of a game, no matter how many scenarios will be connected.

Some of the favorite options include:

• The Early War: Scenarios 1 through 3 covering Turns 1 through 10.
• The Late War: Scenarios 4 through 7 covering Turns 11 through 25.
• The Edge of a Knife: Scenarios 3 through 5 covering Turns 8 through 17.

Scenario Length. Variable. The scenario starts on the first game turn of the chosen scenarios. The scenario ends at the conclusion of the last included game turn.

Board. Use the side of the map indicated by the scenario. It may be necessary to flip the map if you connect Scenario 3 to 4.

At-Start Forces. Use all ships that have the first turn of the chosen scenario or earlier.

Reinforcements. Bring into play as their Turn of Entry appears.

Port Mats. Use the Allied and Axis Port Mats that match the first scenario chosen, then as a new scenario or scenarios are entered replace them as needed with the next Port Mats, per the Campaign Game rules.

Convoys. If you start with Scenario 1 or 2, set aside the Allied convoys marked Turn 8-25. They are added to the game on Turn 8 if the scenario carries that far. If you are starting with Scenario 3 or later, use all of the convoys.

Shuffle the convoys with their Sea Zone side down (or in a cup or bag) by side. You will have an Allied pool and an Axis pool.

The Axis player must place the following convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis drawn at random
• 17 Allied (marked Turns 1-25) drawn at random, or use all 20 if Scenario 3 or later

The Allied player must then place the remaining convoys on the map according to the Convoy Rules (5.2).

• 15 Axis
• 17 Allied (marked Turns 1-25) or use all 20 if Scenario 3 or later

Convoys from the same side may not be placed in the same area. Convoys of opposing sides may share a Sea Zone.

Air Units. Place available LBA units in the respective Allied and Axis Available LBA boxes on the map.

Danish Minefield Box. Set this value to the value matching the first scenario chosen. This needs to be updated as each scenario is entered.

Gibraltar Minefield Box. Set this value to the value matching the first scenario chosen. This needs to be updated as each scenario is entered.

Ship Setup. Players should set up their units on the Port Mats, face down, noting the operational restriction value of each port.

After both sides are set up, the Axis player may adjust their ships as they see fit. The Axis player may only note Allied stack sizes, not inspect individual ships.

Ship Removals. When the scenario switches, ships in play are NOT adjusted according to the removal stripes on the units. They are only removed by being eliminated in combat or when the nation they belong to exits the war, i.e., Vichy France on Turn 14, Italy on Turn 17 and Finland on Turn 24.

All Free French Interned ships (those units without a grey square dominating the interior of the piece) are removed before the Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker Phase of Turn 4. These are placed in with Game Turn 15 reinforcements, otherwise they are removed. Free French units with a White stripe are removed from play on Turn 4 and considered retired. Vichy French units with a Brown stripe are removed from play before the Return to Base & Advance Turn Marker Phase of Turn 14.

If applicable, the German CA Lutzow is removed from play starting on Turn 8.

Scoring. Score according to each individual scenario as you progress through them. For example, score Turns 1 through 3 according to the Scenario 1 rules. Then score Turns 4 through 7 according to the Scenario 2 rules and so on.

Special Rules. Use the special rules according to each individual scenario as you progress through them. For example, utilize the Scenario 3 Special Rules to govern Turns 8 through 10. Then, utilize the Scenario 4 Special Rules to govern Turns 11 through 14.

14.0 SoT Examples of Play

(Minor typographical slips in the printed examples, such as "Bairko", "Kiru", "Baleric", "sam", "opportunies" and "permamently", are corrected in this transcription. Where the printed table and the printed narrative disagree about a unit's type, both are noted in-line.)

Combat Phase Example

This late war action in the South China Sea highlights many of the possible interactions using the Combat Sequence.

With the conclusion of the Movement Phase, the sequence of combat now cycles through each of the Sea Zones. In this example, that cycle has landed upon the South China Sea where both the US and Japanese players have placed units. The units in the Sea Zone are as yet unknown to both sides as all units moved into the zone during the Movement Phase are placed face down.

The US player has placed the following 10 units in the Sea Zone:

• CV Bon Homme Richard
• CV Bairoko
• CA Columbia
• CA Macon
• CA Topeka
• DD Fletcher
• MS Admirable
• ML Salem
• SS Tench
• SS Gato

The Japanese player has placed the following 9 units in the Sea Zone:

• CV Hiyo
• BB Nagato
• CA Kinu
• CA Agano
• CX Hokoku Maru
• AV Mizuho
• DD Yugumo
• ML Sarushima
• LBA 10th Naval Air Force

To complete the Combat Phase for this Sea Zone, both sides now secretly allocate their units to the various combat tasks on their own Combat Sequence Mat. Allocations to combat tasks are simultaneously revealed as:

Combat task	US	Japanese
Air Superiority	CV Bairoko	CV Hiyo
Air Strikes	CV Bon Homme Richard	LBA 10th Naval Air Force
Antisubmarine Warfare	DD Fletcher	ML Sarushima, DD Yugumo, AV Mizuho
Raiders	None	CX Hokoku Maru
Submarine Attacks	SS Gato, SS Tench	None
Mine Warfare	MS Salem (as printed; see note below)	CA Kinu (printed as "Kiru")
Surface Line	CA Columbia, CA Topeka, CA Macon	BB Nagato, CA Agano
Convoy Attacks	None

Note: the allocation table prints "MS Salem" for the US Mine Warfare box, while the unit list and the narrative identify Salem as the minelayer (ML) and Admirable as the minesweeper (MS). The table is transcribed as printed.

To facilitate combat resolution, both sides can now be consolidated down to a single Combat Sequence Mat.

Both fleets have units on Air Superiority: The US Carrier Bairoko and the Japanese Carrier Hiyo. The Hiyo's 5 Air factors negates all of the Bairoko's 3 Air factors and the Hiyo still has 2 Air factors left. These 2 factors are then used to negate 2 Air Strike factors from the Bon Homme Richard's 10 Air factors, reducing it to 8. The Bairoko and the Hiyo are both moved to their respective Surface Reserve boxes.

The Japanese have three units on antisubmarine duty: The minelayer Sarushima, the Yugumo-class destroyers and the seaplane tender Mizuho. The US has two ships in the Submarine Attacks box, a Gato-class and a Tench-class unit.

The Bon Homme Richard in the Air Strikes box, now with just 8 Air value remaining, directs its aircraft to attack the battleship Nagato in the Surface Line box. The Nagato has an Anti-Air value of 5 based on the AA Die Rolls chart and die rolls of 1-2-2-4-6 reduces the air attack by 1 die to 7 dice. The Air Strike then commences and the die rolls are 1-2-2-3-5-5-5 resulting in 3 hits, since air hits on a 1 or 2. But the damage rolls are only 1-2-2 for a total of 5 damage. With a capacity to take 11 hits, the Nagato is only damaged. It is immediately removed to the repair track and a 3 is rolled indicating it will spend a 2-turn stint in the repair yard. The Bon Homme Richard would be moved to the Surface Reserve box, but:

Simultaneously, the Japanese 10th Naval Air Force, a Land-Based Air unit allocated to the Air Strikes box, attacks the Bon Homme Richard. Since both attacks happen simultaneously within the same combat sequence segment, and even though the Bon Homme Richard is attacking in this sequence segment, it is also defending in its own right. The carrier has a 4 Anti-Air Value based on the AA Die Rolls chart and with die rolls of 2-2-4-5 results in no hits against the attacking Air unit. The 10th Naval Air Force does much better rolling 1-1-2-2 for 4 hits. Those 4 hits result in 14 damage, far more than the 8 damage the Bon Homme Richard can sustain, thus sinking the carrier and removing it from play instead of moving it to Surface Reserve. The Japanese LBA is moved to the Convoy Attacks box.

The Fletcher-class Destroyer group in the Antisubmarine Warfare box has no submarine (SS) targets and is therefore moved directly to the Surface Reserve box.

The Japanese player decides to attack the Gato unit with the Sarushima and attack the Tench with both the Mizuho and Yugumo. The Sarushima rolls dice of 2-3-6 and misses. This is followed by the Yugumo and Mizuho rolling dice of 2-4-5-5 and also missing. No losses are inflicted. All 3 Japanese ships move to the Surface Reserve box.

The American subs Gato and Tench now get to make their attacks. They are free to attack any ship in the Mine Warfare, Surface Line, or Surface Reserve boxes. The Gato will attack the cruiser Kinu in the Mine Warfare box, hoping to prevent it from making a mine attack. The Tench will attack the Hiyo in the Surface Reserve box in the hope of sinking the carrier. The Gato, with a Sub value of 5, rolls dice of 1-2-4-4-5 inflicting a single hit and 2 damage as a result of its damage roll on the Kinu. This immediately sends the Kinu to the Repair track. The Tench rolls 6 dice and the results are 1-1-4-4-4-5, resulting in 2 hits. The resulting damage rolls inflicts 9 damage and with only a hull value of 6, the Hiyo is sunk. The Tench and Gato could move directly to the Convoy Attacks box, but elect instead to move to the Surface Reserve box and help contest the Sea Zone.

The Japanese auxiliary cruiser Hokoku Maru was placed in the Raider box even though the Allies have no convoy in play in the Sea Zone. This allows for the most flexibility and best defense for the unit. Since the Hokoku Maru is a CX unit, it is allowed to raid. At this point it may elect to join the surface fight, but instead elects not to do so and is moved directly to the Convoy Attacks box where it will escape the fate of the remainder of the Japanese fleet.

The minelayer Salem, with a Mine value of 5, chooses to attack the Agano located in the Japanese Surface Line box. Unfortunately for the Salem, the US player rolls 3-3-3-4-4 and inflicts no hits on the Agano. The Salem is sent to the Surface Reserve box.

The minesweeper Admirable would have been able to nullify the Kinu's minelaying attack if the Kinu were still in the battle. But with no other minelayers to counter, the Admirable is moved to the Surface Reserve box.

Surface Line combat is simultaneous and can be started with either side. In this example, we'll start with the Japanese side and a single cruiser, the Agano.

The Agano is the first and only ship in the Japanese Surface Line. As such it may only attack the cruiser Columbia. The Agano's gunnery rating of "2" allows it roll 2 dice and it rolls 2-2 which in surface combat results in a hit. The damage result is 4 and amazingly, the Agano has sunk the American cruiser. But the battle isn't over yet.

The Columbia, the first ship in the American line, must attack the first ship in the Japanese line, the Agano. Once the Agano has been attacked, and since now all of the Japanese surface units have been attacked, the remaining American ships are free to attack any ships they want in the Japanese Surface Reserve. One or both of the Topeka and Macon could also have participated in the attack on the Agano, but instead decide to combine their attack on the Yugumo-class destroyer unit in the Surface Reserve box. Before it sinks, the Columbia exchanges fire with the Agano and hits it twice on die rolls of 1-1-3-4 inflicting 7 damage and sinking the Agano, in revenge for its own mortal blow. Both ships are removed from play. The Topeka and Macon combine their gunnery ratings and roll 9 die against the Yugumo, but the dice go dry on them rolling 1-2-3-4-5-5-6-6-6, with just one hit which ends up doing only 1 damage. The damaged Yugumo is sent to the repair track. The frustrated Topeka and Macon are sent to the American Surface Reserve box.

The Japanese ships Mizuho and Sarushima survive the battle and are returned to the South China Sea Zone and will contest the Sea Zone, thereby denying the Allies the Sea Zone's points.

The American Surface Reserve elects to attack the Axis convoy in the Sea Zone with 10 dice: 1 per non-Sub unit and 2 each for the Sub units. Needing only a 1-3 on one die, the Americans handily sink the convoy with rolls of 1-2-2-3-4-4-4-5-5-6. Then all 8 of the American units are returned to the South China Sea Zone disappointed that the Japanese presence will deny them the Sea Zone's points this turn.

Finally, the 2 Japanese units in the Convoy Attacks box are dealt with. Both could have attacked an Allied convoy, had one been in the area. The 10th Naval Air Force will be placed in the Axis 'Used LBA' air box on the mapboard. The Hokoku Maru is immediately returned to a legal base on the Axis Port Mat.

Side Transition Example

You may have noticed that the French fleet undergoes the most dynamic and unique changes in the game. It seems like a lot of work for what is generally considered a minor and even inconsequential fleet in the annals of the war. After all they didn't do a great deal historically, especially when compared to the other main antagonists in the game. Here is how the French, and to a lesser degree the Dutch and Norwegians, evolve throughout the game.

Turn 4/5. Let's start on Turn 4. Scenario 2 has just begun and Italy and Germany are at war with England, France, The Netherlands and Norway. But by the time Turn 4 is over, Norway, France and The Netherlands have fallen. How do you handle this transition? Let's set up a simple example. Assume that the following ships are in the North Sea (Sea Zone 9):

• The Norwegian Minelayer Gor
• The Dutch Cruiser Tromp
• The French Submarine Saphir
• The French Cruiser Duquesne

At the end of Turn 4, each of these ships face rebasing and alliance changes. Let's take a closer look at each.

The ML Gor (Norway) changes sides and becomes controlled by the Axis and is manned by German crews. It can return to one of its Norwegian bases as denoted by the Norwegian flag associated with ship units that can legally base at those ports, but they are now located on the Axis Scenario 2 Port Mat and under Axis control. In this example, the ML Gor returns to Oslo.

The CA Tromp sailed out of Amsterdam, but alas, Amsterdam has become an Axis port which they can't rebase to now. Dutch ships, however, have stayed under the control of the Allies. The Tromp can rebase in Portsmouth as it is a legal base for that nationality, as denoted by the Dutch flag and it can eventually rebase to Curacao or beyond in the future.

The French cruiser Duquesne has not surrendered to the Axis with the Vichy, but instead has allowed itself to become interned in the nearest Allied base. These ships are simply removed from play and will not return until Turn 15 (Scenario 5) after the fall of Vichy. The Duquesne is simply removed from the board and set aside as a Turn 15 reinforcement.

Finally, the submarine Saphir, whose counter houses a large German gray box outlined in French Blue, has remained under Vichy control. It may not rebase to the French Atlantic ports, which are now under German authority, because those bases are not rebasing opportunities as denoted by the lack of a French roundel for legal ships in those ports. So, it must head south towards Martinique, Casablanca, Dakar or try to pass through Gibraltar and get to Algiers. In the example, the SS Saphir has elected to rebase to Dakar. These Vichy ships have joined the Axis and will be on the Axis side for a large portion of the game.

As an incentive to the Allies to not recklessly destroy every Norwegian and French ship during Turn 4, the Allies receive a bonus victory point for each Norwegian and Vichy ship turned over to the Axis. Later in the game, the Axis receive the same incentive and can get VP back for Vichy ships that are still afloat at the end of the scenario (or Turn 14 if a longer game is being played).

Turn 14/15. At the end of Scenario 4 and the start of Scenario 5, the French perform another unique reversal. This only matters if you are playing a campaign or linked scenarios. If you are only playing Scenario 4 or 5 stand-alone, the rules for each scenario govern how to handle the French. But on occasion where the changeover does occur, here is an example of what happens.

It is the end of Scenario 4 and, at the conclusion of Turn 14, the Vichy French are Returning to Base. Assume the Axis have the following Vichy French units in Sea Zone 29 (Balearic Sea):

• CA Gloire
• AV Cdt. Teste
• DD Chacal

(Diagram caption: "Removed from play".)

Because it is the flip of a scenario, a new port mat for Scenario 5 is utilized for each side. (Note that this process also holds true in the campaign game.) The French are returning to the Allies with the disintegration of the Vichy state. Historically, many of the Vichy ships were scuttled in port to keep the Germans from gaining control of them. This is designated by the brown stripe on these Vichy ships. The AV Cdt. Teste and DD Chacal were some of the victims of that effort. These ships are permanently removed from play and not returned to the Allies. However, the CA Gloire did escape to the Allied side and will join the Free French ships returning to the game from the holding box of Turn 15.

If this game was either a campaign game or a linked game that started with scenario 2, the VP total based on the number of French ships still in play at the end of Turn 14 will be awarded to the Axis. Recall that on Turn 4 the Allies scored a bunch of VPs for the French and Norwegian ships that they turned over to the Axis? Well, now the Axis player scores some of those VP back for each Vichy French ship still afloat. These VP are scored at the end of Turn 14 (Scenario 4) before the Vichy ships are scuttled.

15.0 Seas of Thunder Designer Notes

(Designer commentary as printed. Minor typographical slips are corrected in this transcription.)

What exactly is Seas of Thunder and why did Chuck Maher, Neal Cebulskie, and I feel the need to create it? I cannot speak for Chuck and Neal, but first and foremost for me I have always wanted to experience a moderately compact rules-wise game that let me really see the global difficulties of fighting World War II on the high seas and not be limited to a single front by the edge of the map.

Over the years I have played War at Sea, Victory in the Pacific, the Avalanche "Plan Games", Bismarck, Jutland, Submarine, Silent Hunter, and many, many other games focused on conflicts at sea. A number of those games I truly enjoyed for their approach or their combat system, but most of them have been consigned to the trade or sale pile. My problem is that I always want to know what goes on beyond the edges of the map. Where do the reinforcements come from? Why are they available? If the battle is going on in the North Atlantic, what is happening in the South Atlantic at that time? The Indian Ocean? The Pacific? Is my victory in the Mediterranean really that important or am I losing everywhere else? Games with enclosed borders that lead to other places always give me a sense of being boxed in. I always know that just a day's sailing from where the board ends is a whole new vista and new battles to fight. So my goal for Seas of Thunder was to make a playable game that covers the entire war from the early days of the raiders in 1939, to the entry of the Italians, the U-Boat offensives, Pearl Harbor, the fall of Italy, the turning of the tide and finally the endgame. There would be no boundaries and no space beyond the map.

I understand 'playable' is unique to each person. The campaign game is 25 turns with an average of about 2 hours per turn, so at least 50 hours and to be honest, it's probably closer to 60 hours since the middle turns when every nation will be at close to full power can be 4 hours apiece with just two players. Because of the length of the campaign game, we decided to create scenarios that break the game into seven bite-sized chunks. These scenarios are completely modular and self-contained. Players can choose to play one scenario or multiple in succession, with Scenario 1 taking only about three hours to complete after setup. I also encourage playing in teams, especially once Japan gets involved and the Pacific becomes every bit as contested as the Atlantic. Having multiple players on a side allows players to fight multiple battles at the same time and it's the battles that devour the time in this game.

We could have made the battles simpler, but we found the system so engaging and interesting that we could not find a good and satisfying alternative. So we settled on a combat flow chart that is extremely easy to follow and makes for unique interactions depending on the classes of ships present in the fight. Aircraft can cover the fleet from enemy air, strike at range, or patrol for deadly submarines. Destroyers will try to hunt subs before they can wreak their havoc. Raiders will lurk on the periphery. Wolfpacks will pick and choose valuable targets. Minelayers will attempt to bring the mighty to their knees while the minesweepers will try to protect them. And when all else is settled, the big guns will Thunder across the Seas.

While all of this is well and good, you must know that it is a priority of mine to make sure that the game is competitive. I'm not interested in recreating history; I want players to be able to re-write it and explore it. It is our opinion that the game is pretty balanced between players of comparable experience. We do understand that early plays will net fairly wild variations in scores since the choices are so wide open it is easy to make a wrong turn and fall off the proverbial cliff. This is another great use of the scenario system; you don't need to play for a month to bring your mistakes to an end. If you have made a mistake, it can be corrected in the next play.

Combat Sequence in Seas of Thunder

The concept for a combat flow chart is as old as the hills in war gaming. While I don't think Neal, Chuck or I broke any new ground on the concept, I think our implementation of the system is quite a pleasant and engrossing experience. One glance at our system should make it clear that we were heavily inspired by the War at Sea and Victory in the Pacific system and I'd like to acknowledge that lineage at this moment. If we hadn't had those masterpieces to build upon, we might have had a much tougher time creating a stable foundation for our game. You will see as you get into the game however, that there are fundamental things that I disagreed with in those original systems and felt the need to either adjust or just plain toss away in Seas of Thunder.

These notes only deal with the Combat Sequence Mat and the Combat System itself. There will be no mention of the other aspects of the game here as there are plenty of details to discuss regarding just the way combat is handled.

The first thing to understand is that both sides will set up their ships on their Combat Sequence Mat in secret. That means that in most instances you will not know what ships are opposing you as you set your strategy. This is where the system shines. Guessing, bluffing, out-guessing and over-thinking can and often does occur. Are you sure those four German units are U-boats? What if they turn out to be the Bismarck and some cruisers? All those planes on anti-submarine warfare duty are now unavailable to strike at the jewel of German sea-power. Will your powerful minelayers be countered by a fleet of second-rate minesweepers? Is your cruiser capable of sneaking into a zone and wreaking havoc on merchant shipping or are there capable defenders ready to drive you off? The myriad of possibilities are remarkable.

Another 'gamey' item to keep in mind is to be aware that units must attack an enemy unit in full. There can be no splitting of strength to attack multiple targets. This was done to keep the game moving. Allowing a breakdown of targets opens far too many decision doors and requires extra bookkeeping and probably extra components. This was something that was codified in the original WAS/VITP games and that I had an interest in modifying. After some experimenting we quickly determined that the old guard got that one very right. We decided to keep these matchups as simple as possible yet as flexible as we could. On the other hand, multiple units may be combined in a segment to attack one single unit. So, in short, three units can attack one unit but one unit cannot attack three.

The modular and step-by-step process does mean that a unit lost in an earlier step in the sequence will not be available to fight if scheduled to later in the sequence. Air Strikes can eliminate ships from the combat before they have a chance to fight in their own segment. Successful ASW actions will prevent Sub units from firing. Sub attacks can prevent Mine and surface ships from performing an attack. Surface ships lost to Mine attacks won't get to fire in the Surface Line segment. All of this means that occasionally you may want to have a unit with a weaker ASW or Mine capability go off before Sub or strong Surface ships get an opportunity to fire. How often do you give up an extra die or two in the Surface Segment to make a weaker attack earlier in the combat?

Another important factor is that the Combat Sequence is simultaneous for each side. All ships that have an opportunity for action in a box are able to be active in that segment, even if they were damaged or sunk by another ship in that combat sequence segment. When the Air Strike segment happens, every Carrier gets to launch its planes for a strike, even if they have been sunk by the enemy's carriers in the same sequence segment. Remember, in most combats very few of the boxes will be occupied and the most common conflict is surface against surface. A common battle may be one specialty ship or two with a group of surface ships. But larger battles will probably cover many of the boxes and there will always be that one Sea Zone where someone pulls off a big surprise with an unusual deployment.

The sequence is simple and self-directing. But the interactions and combinations of ships and missions make each combat feel very dangerous and uncertain. Huge fleets can end up contested if they fail to account for a tactical twist. I cannot stress how these last three years of testing have been so enjoyable to us, mostly due to the fact that the combat system never gets old.

The Combat Sequence Mat

Air vs Air. During the early part of the game the box for Air vs Air could be left blank unless you want to counter a LBA (land based air). Later when more air units are added, this box could become more important. Air units placed in this box are trying to counter any offensive Air the opposition places into a Sea Zone. The down side is that if there is nothing to cancel out then it is a waste of an air unit. As the game advances and more air units are available (usually when the Japanese and American carriers come out), this becomes more relevant.

The Air Strikes. This box is a little tricky. On the one hand you want to put air units here to try and make strikes, especially on Raiders, but if your opponent put a submarine into a Sea Zone your air unit does not get an attack. However, if it is a Raider you still get the attack even if it takes a die roll of 1 to hit. The air strike is also useful to try and whittle down any anti-submarine ships when you have submarines in the same combat. Finally air strikes are great to try and damage heavy units before the surface line comes into play. You do need to be careful if you are using carriers though as they go to the reserve and may be targeted. To clarify, no matter what mission you assign to carriers and seaplane tenders (CV & AV), they always end up in the Surface Reserve box.

ASW Air or Surface. Obviously ASW units get placed in this box, unless somehow you are sure there are no opposing subs. Risking air units here is generally more beneficial to the Allies since a larger percentage of Axis units are indeed SS units. If you get out-foxed by the Axis and their submarine deployment, you could be chasing ghosts (otherwise known as fast cruisers and raiders). So if you actually have a submarine to attack great take your shot (die roll of 1 on a six-sided die hits) but if you miss with a AV or CV you have to place them in the surface reserve box where the hunters will become the hunted.

Raiders. This box allows placement of two types of units, Cruiser (CA) and Auxiliary Cruisers (CX). This is a great place to place these ships, at least depending on how the players places their convoys. Raiders are only effective in a Sea Zone with opposition convoys, otherwise they have no purpose in this box. Most CX raiders have long ranges meaning you can base them in a North Atlantic base then place them in the Pacific with ease. That range also helps if your opponent places only "short legged" ship into the Sea Zone. A short-legged ship in reference to this game is any ship with a range value of 4 or less. This category includes 90% of the British Fleet and about the same of the French. In the early stages of the game, Axis CX's have very little chance of being trapped into a fight by an Allied surface ship. As the game advances though, some ships, generally American, begin having high enough ranges to force some of the Raiders into fights so be careful if you see the Stars and Stripes in a Sea Zone. If you decide not to raid or are prevented from doing so by faster ships, you have to go to the surface line box and fight it out.

Sub. Subs attack anything on the surface and you can use multiple submarines on the same target. A mass of submarines can potentially devastate any target. After the strike, but before your opponent can counter you must decide whether to stay afterwards in the surface reserve or slip away. Staying allows you to control a Sea Zone but makes you fair game if your opponent has more ships than your surface line does. Leaving allows you to live to fight another day but at the cost of not having that ship to control a Sea Zone.

Mine Warfare. Minelayers attack any ship above or below the surface that is still in the Sea Zone. Anything in the Surface Line, Mine Warfare Box or Surface reserve is fair game. I like to take out heavy ships and reduce my opponent's strength on the surface line. The flip side is the Minesweepers, which completely nullify one Minelayer each.

Surface Line. The line of battle. Here is where you will go toe to toe with your opponent's surface ships. This takes a moment of thought as you need to contemplate how to set up your line. Do you put your heavy hitters on the left thus firing and being targeted first, or put a few smaller ships first then your heavy hitters to allow you to set up two or three groups to take out your opponents heavy hitters. When both players follow the same strategy, the battle takes on pretty standard processes. But if things get mixed up, some odd fights can occur. While some players are willing to place his heavy ships anywhere in the line, as combat is resolved left to right, some people use Battleships as a shield for the lesser ships since they are so hard to sink.

Scenario 1: A Strategic Look at the Allies

Scenario 1 covers the period between the start of the war and the invasion of France in 1940 and spans three game turns. France and Britain are pitted against the much smaller German fleet. At first blush, the Allies appear to have an embarrassment of riches that appears to have no end.

This is not intended to be a fully established unbeatable strategy guide. It is intended to give players a list of possibilities and some suggestions about what not to do. Players can do everything right and still lose a scenario simply because of dice and more importantly the interactive combat resolution that can allow for an unorthodox strategy to work above its expected value. I will even say that these basic do's and don'ts can and have been overcome by a bold stroke here and there by the Axis. In general adherence to these rules will keep you in a game but victory over a skilled player will require elements of surprise and luck.

Let's start with just the various strengths and weaknesses of the opposing sides as viewed through the Allied lens.

Allied Strengths:

• Ships, lots of them. The combined forces of France and Britain outmatch the Germans by about a 4:1 margin.
• Ship Power. The British and the French do have some old ships, but in general they are good quality. A number of large battleships and battlecruisers are all forces to be reckoned with when squaring off against the Germans.
• Air Superiority. Aircraft carriers, seaplane tenders and light carriers all provide elements that the Germans can't match. The flexibility of unchecked air power allows the allied player to direct them against opposing ships and subs without fear of aerial reprisals. If the North Sea and the Baltic Sea are avoided, there will be no challenge from German air cover.
• Global collection of bases in which to operate. Both the British and the French control bases in Europe, the New World, the Med, the South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific. Anywhere on the globe is within reach.

Allied Weaknesses:

• Global responsibilities. Yes the Allies can base all over the world. The problem is that there are potential conflict zones all over the world.
• Moving first each turn. The Allies must set their forces first. One each of the three turns in this scenario, the Axis will set the terms on where fighting occurs and how lopsided it will be.
• The Allies have 30 convoys to cover as well. These ships may be escorted, and still suffer raider attacks or left on their own. These innocuous ships represent 30 potential points the Axis could score. More importantly they represent 30 potential locations that you are tempted to protect.
• British and French ships cannot base together and their Land-Based Air cannot fly from each other's ports. They act as separate entities and should be treated as such.

Axis Strengths:

• Moving last each turn. By moving last, the German player is allowed to dictate strategy and set the terms of engagement. They will be looking for spots that allow them to maximize scoring (area scoring, convoys sunk, and ships sunk) at the minimum risk.
• Raider actions. Many of the ships in the German fleet are modern fast cruisers. All of these ships have the potential to raid a Sea Zone, sink a convoy and escape below the horizon before a shot is fired at them in anger.
• The Danish Sound Barrage provides a neat little firewall behind which sits 6 VP's. Simply trying to get through it from an allied point of view is risky.
• Range. Many German ships have long ranges that allow them to reach distant targets that might seem safe.
• Global access to neutral ports. A good German player will have their ships dispersed across the globe at the start of the war making every Sea Zone with a point value or a convoy a potential hot point.

Axis Weaknesses:

• Other than the CA's and CX's the remainder of the German fleet, including the Subs and BB's have limited range. Where they start is likely to be where they remain for the duration of the scenario.
• Not enough ships to really engage a sizeable British force and prevail.
• Lack of mobile air cover. No CV's means that only the Luftwaffe in the North Sea and the Baltic can protect ships from Allied air attack. On the high seas, German ships and subs are at the mercy of opposing air forces.
• Few Subs. Yes, the U-boat is synonymous with Germany in WW2, at this stage of the war, they are still few and far between.

Having laid out those strengths and weaknesses, I have developed some good strategy tips for playing the Allies. You are welcome to listen or not at your peril. I don't pretend that this is the only way to have success as the Allies, but these should at least be considered.

Varied Forces. Keep your forces varied across the globe. Every major base should have a Battleship and a Carrier of some type. Two cruisers should be at each base. Subs should be dispersed. Basically keep each base stocked with as wide a variety of ships as possible. The German fleet could be anywhere and being on the losing end of a rock-paper-scissors conundrum can be frustrating.

Hunt for U-Boats in the North Atlantic. In opposition to "Varied Forces" above, start with your ASW Destroyers in the North Atlantic. The starting German U-Boats are slow and likely to be lurking with the most targets in a concentrated group. With that assumption I place all of my British ASW ships in England, Gibraltar, Bermuda, and Ascension. They can be relocated if you guess wrong but if you are right, then you always have an ASW threat against German subs. On the flip side, to cover my backside, I also try to keep a French ASW unit in the Pacific, you know... just in case.

Strong Groups for Valuable Zones. If a Sea Zone is worth 3 or more VP's to the Axis, I patrol that zone with a full task force of 6 to 8 ships. If the German's want to take it, they will have to risk a sizeable portion of their fleet to do so. If the German's weaken themselves early, it just makes the remainder of the game easier for you. The big gambit will come on turn 3 of a game where that is the last turn and no other scenarios will be played. At that point, I would expect the High Seas fleet to sail into harm's way to both sink ships and capture a large value Sea Zone.

Other Sea Zones, that are valued 2 and 1 to the Axis, should be patrolled with forces consisting of 2 to 3 ships. This forces the Germans to commit to them enough ships to win for the points. A good rule of thumb is that it takes at least twice as many ships as an opponent possesses to capture a Sea Zone. Yes, luck or an awkward combination can change that math, but it's a good general rule to follow.

Abandon the Minor Scoring Zones. One thing I am not at all afraid to do is simply abandon Sea Zones that score 1-0. That is 0 points for the Allied player and 1 for the Axis. Holding these Zones does nothing to advance the Allied war effort. On the other hand, the German player has to spend a vital ship to score that 1 point. A ship controlling a minor backwater zone is not fighting for the better prizes, not sinking my ships and not taking points I could get.

Forget the Air and let Destroyers deal with Subs. Air power in Seas of Thunder is the most versatile unit. It can cancel out other air, sink opposing ships and hunt submarines. As the scenarios progress, this versatility will become more and more useful. However, in this scenario, forget the air and forget the subs. Hunt ships!

The Germans will have no air except for Land-Based Air covering the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Stay out of the Baltic and match air for air in the North Sea. At this stage in the game, the Germans have too few subs to hunt with your air assets. Keep them searching for ships. You have ASW destroyers, use them to hunt the few subs on the board.

Convoy Placement. Convoy placement is surprisingly important in this game. As the Allies, I posit that it is more useful for the Allied player to double up zones with ships. This means placing convoys in areas with points and the more points the more likely the placement. Why? Simple, you are already placing ships there as it is to defend those valuable Sea Zones. Defending a convoy or hunting a German one at the same time makes the most sense. It is likely that a German player will be doing exactly the opposite, placing both yours and their convoys in out-of-the-way locations to try and score a point without contest.

No Convoy Escorts. Related to Convoy Placement above, do not weaken your groups by sending out a ship to protect every convoy floating on the seven seas. You think you have the ships to do so, but trust me, you don't. Every convoy only has a 50% chance of being sunk by a single German ship. It is Ok at this point in the game to allow those ships to try and survive on their own. Every ship you detour here is unlikely to do anything but become a potential target.

Stay Global. It is easy to see those moments where the Germans have clumped up in the North Atlantic and think that you need to rush forces there to aid in the conflict. There are two counter-forces in the game that make that a poor idea.

• The Allies have barely enough spaces to operate their fleets from as it is. Rushing reinforcements to an area can literally overload the bases in that region thus rendering the reinforcing ships inoperable. Only consider relocating if you have lost significant ships in a 'hot' theater and feel you need reinforcements.
• The German ships have range, some of them have almost unlimited range. A good Axis opponent will be looking for opportunities to stretch you and if you overcommit from a quiet zone, you might end up paying for it.

As the Allied player, you have the easier job in Scenario 1. You get to set the terms of where the Axis player may have a reasonable chance of success in a fight. You have more ships and can survive more losses. Your forces are more flexible and more formidable. A skilled Axis opponent will nibble here and there and if you suffer any type of serious losses, your forces will begin to thin. The thinner they get, the more appealing they become to the German player. Don't try to play the hero and don't try to put up a zero-tolerance defense. You just don't have enough ships to cover everywhere and trying to do so will cause a downward slide of your power.

Scenario 2: A Strategic Look at the Allies

Scenario 2 is by far the hardest and most difficult challenge for the Allied player among all of the scenarios presented in the game. Simply put, sacrifices will be made, ships will be lost, and backs will be stabbed. If you are playing a full game through either the campaign game or linked scenarios, you will suffer in this one. The Axis will take the lead at this point and you will begin the long climb back to parity. However, what if you are just playing scenario 2 and have no intention of linking it with other campaigns? Can you do well?

Can you win the game? The answers are probably not and maybe, in that order. No, the odds are stacked against you and having a good showing is almost out of the question. If you are doing well, the Axis player has seriously erred or else the dice have melted due to your luck. However, winning is another matter but it will require some sacrifice and determination and some help from luck.

The assumption is that you, as the Allied player, want to win this scenario, not just survive it as part of a longer game. Survival is an entirely different matter. Suffice to say that the advice I am giving here is definitely not the same as I would give for the campaign game. So let's look at what you want to happen, what the Axis want to happen, and what you can do about it.

Tallying it all up. First, let's do some math. The Sea Zones in this scenario, with the increased scoring in the Mediterranean this turn brings, is possibly 128-Axis vs 33-Allied. The contested Sea Zones are 70-Axis vs 33-Allied. Uncontested Sea Zones are 58-Axis. And the Mediterranean is 16-12 in favor of the Axis. What do all those numbers mean?

• If the Allied player ignores all of the 1/0 and 2/0 Sea Zones and piles all of their ships into the contested Sea Zones, even if they win them all, they are still outscored 58-33. That's a losing strategy.
• The Mediterranean holds more than 1/3 of the Allied scoring potential and there is no way they will score all of those points.

Second, after turn 4 (the first turn of this scenario), France and Norway will fall to the Germans. The Vichy fleet will join the Axis for the remaining 3 turns of the scenario. The trade-off is that the Allied player will score 2 VP for each French ship that survives Turn 4. The bad news is that most the ships of these fleets that survive will be fighting against you for the remainder of the scenario. This is an important nugget, so let's jot that down and we can return to it soon. Norway on the other hand scores you no points and their surviving ships join the Axis cause.

Allied Goals. Armed with this knowledge there are a number of bullet points that we need to cover to play well in this conflict.

• Make the Axis pay to score points.
• Give away nothing.
• Protect Convoys or route them into the less-travelled waters.
• Bait and sacrifice with the Norwegians.
• Spread the French out, mostly covering 1/0 Zones where intense fighting will be less likely.
• Deploy the Dutch in the Pacific.
• How can you make these things work for you and persuade the Axis to dance to your tune?

Strategic Placement of Units. Cover every 1/0 Sea Zone with a ship or a potential land-based air unit. Nothing is given away for free. These spots should have Dutch or French ships in them if possible. Both nations are here for the same consideration, you want them to survive the first turn. The French so you can score their VP per ship before you lose them. The Dutch because you don't lose them and would like to use them for all 4 turns. If the Axis put multiple ships into any of these places, you are doing your job.

A Sea Zone that would score the Axis 3 VP needs to have 6 Allied (British) units guarding it. Yes, the Axis can muster overwhelming power in any Sea Zone, but not in every Sea Zone. When the fight comes, and it will, you need to be able to inflict attrition damage and force the commitment of enough ships to keep you from contesting the Zone. In Seas of Thunder, outnumbering is rarely the requirement for complete victory in a Zone. To really guarantee a victory in a Zone, you need to hold a serious numerical advantage.

Convoy Placement. Your convoys need to be in two places, either sitting under those stacks of 6-10 warships on key zones or floating alone in the zones that score nothing. The loss after a big battle is less disturbing if perhaps you have sent a few German ships down with them. And a 1 VP open ocean loss is no worse than losing a 1/0 Sea Zone. On the other hand, losing a convoy and a 1/0 Sea Zone can feel horrible beyond its real effect. With this in mind, perhaps place all of the Axis convoys you can onto the 1/0 spaces and hope you can down some merchants while patrolling the backwaters.

Hurt Your (Future) Enemies... The Norwegian fleet is not your friend. Sure they seem nice now but after the first turn any of those ships that survive will be manned with German sailors looking to do you harm and cause trouble. I say use them up in the spring of 1940. Put them in the two areas that the Axis would like to capture the most, the Baltic Sea (from Oslo) and the North Sea. They have to fight in the Baltic and if they are destroying the Norwegians they are not sinking British ships. They will also probably not let the Norwegians hold the North Sea for you and will fight them there. Your best results, trade losses and contest both Sea Zones. Your worst result is losing both Sea Zones and the Norwegian fleet. I say good riddance.

Help Your Friends. The Dutch, however, are your friends. Keep them away from the fighting and in the Pacific operating from Batavia, Morotai and Banda Aceh as much as possible. Overflow should be stationed in Curacao and Amsterdam. Get them out ASAP and headed to low-intensity regions. Every 1/0 Zone they patrol is one the British don't have to.

Dutch ships are not great but for the most part, they will be at least up to the challenge of their opponents. Their nemesis, the Vichy navy, is stationed in Saigon. The French can outclass the Dutch in most categories but with the French moving first they can either avoid or swarm them at their discretion. Personally, I would go with avoiding any force of 2 or more French ships.

Position the French to help later. For the short amount of time that the French are with you, their deployment is very important and may be the difference between winning and losing. Do not mass a French fleet anywhere that the Axis could maul it. The only safe spaces for them are really the South China Sea, Sea of Zanj and Gulf of Guinea. Any other locations that are worth massing them are within range of the Axis player's battle fleets. Don't think for a second that the Axis player will spare you because some of the ships may flip to their side. Each ship they sink on turn 4 is a 3 VP flip (1 VP for sinking a ship + 2 VP you won't get when they surrender). To equal that point total, each French ship would have to score 1 VP per turn for the remainder of the scenario. No, make no mistake, your French ships are in peril. In conjunction with the Dutch discussion, I would place only non-Vichy ships in Saigon so that when they flip, the Dutch are not worrying about some nasty French subs and battleships.

Looking this analysis over, I am reminded that I haven't even worried about what type of ships should be given what duty. Turns out, in this scenario more than any other, types are not the key. Attrition will wear you down quickly. By turn 5 you won't even be able to keep balanced groups together. The Med will become a magnet sucking in ships from all directions to reconstitute losses. Beggars, at that point, can't be choosers. If all of these things go right, and attrition does not decimate you, and luck leans your way just a bit, you will be in the game at the end. If any of these things fail, you will be quickly in a big hole clamoring for the Soviets to enter the war... Kind of sounds familiar doesn't it.

Allied Concerns in Scenario 3

Turns 8, 9, and 10 of the campaign game make up Scenario 3 of Seas of Thunder. The scenario's name is Drumbeat and the rhythm of the game does seem to be reaching a steady and predictable pace. The German U-Boats are overtaking the Atlantic. Italy and Great Britain are engaged in a death spiral for control of the Med. The USA and Japan continue to eye each other warily across the Pacific. But the big news is Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invitation to the Soviet Union to enter the war on the high seas.

As usual, the advice I will impart here is meant for players trying to play well in this scenario without an eye to the campaign game. Many bits of advice may apply in that case as well, but not all of them. Scenario 3 opens up a few more sea zones for scoring, notably the Arctic, the Soviet Pacific Coast and the Black Sea. It also introduces a localized Allied threat into the Baltic that has not been fully realized until now.

You may be dreading it, you may have hoped I'd forget, but yes, it's time for the math portion of the article. The Sea Zones in this scenario, increased due to the Arctic Sea and the Black Sea's introduction into the war, provides a new ratio of 144 possible points for the Axis versus 39 possible points for the Allies. The contested Sea Zones (zones with points available for both sides) are now 79 Axis to 39 Allied. Uncontested Sea Zones are worth 65 for the Axis. The newly contested Black Sea is a possible 5-1 in favor of the Axis.

The high points for Allied strategy are as follows.

• Continue to make the Axis pay to score points. Put 2 ships or air into a Sea Zone for each VP the Axis can score if they can score above 1 (except in the Pacific) or if it is a contested Sea Zone.
• Give away nothing. Put 1 ship in every 1/0 Sea Zone or 2/0 Sea Zone in the Pacific.
• Protect Convoys or route them into the less-important waters.
• Find your personal balance in the Black Sea. Reinforcements need to be included at the start.
• Avoid any French fleet of 3 or greater ships, it's a trap!
• Deploy the Dutch in the Pacific and Caribbean.
• The Baltic. You are doomed to lose it, how do you exact a cost.
• 3 Turn Attrition vs 1 Turn catfight.

Cover every 1/0 Sea Zone with a ship or a potential land-based air unit. Nothing can be given away for free. These spots should have Dutch ships in them if possible. If the Axis put multiple ships into any of these zones, consider it a success. In the Pacific, treat 2/0 Sea Zones in the same way. The distance is pretty formidable for the Axis to mount a serious threat here and if they do, you'll just have to weather the storm. You simply run out of ships for the formula if you try to over-extend.

Any Sea Zone (other than mentioned above) that would score the Axis 2 or more points needs to have twice that many units defending them. A Sea Zone that would score the Axis 3 VP needs to have 6 Allied (British) units guarding it. The Axis can overpower you in whichever Sea Zones they desire, but not in every Sea Zone they want. When the fight comes, and it will, you need to be able to inflict attrition damage and force the commitment of enough ships to keep you from contesting the Zone. As mentioned in previous articles, simple outnumbering is rarely the requirement for complete victory in a Sea Zone. To guarantee control of a Zone, you need to hold a serious numerical advantage or utilize some type of odd combination of ships.

Your convoys need to be in two places, either sitting under those stacks of 6-10 warships on key zones or floating alone in the zones that score nothing at all. Losing a convoy in a zero-point ocean is no worse than losing a 1/0 Sea Zone. On the other hand losing a convoy and a 1/0 Sea Zone and the defending warship is much worse. Place all of the Axis convoys you can onto the 1/0 spaces and hope you can down some merchants while patrolling these unlikely combat zones.

It is the Russian fleet that will pose the most interesting challenges to the Allied player. I hate to use the words crucial for these new areas of operation. So I will stick with interesting. Two new fronts will be opened and an old one will be re-introduced. The Arctic sea zones begin to score in this scenario and will require Soviet protection. The Black Sea will get hot and only the Soviets can contest it unless you decide to go to war with Turkey and force the Bosporus. Finally, the Baltic will heat up with a Soviet fleet in Leningrad. How should you deal with all of these new fronts?

Patrolling the Arctic Sea Zones will take the bulk of your northern fleet. However some of that fleet should be able to sail far enough west to help the English in the Norwegian Sea. To this end, your northern fleet should have the best ranges since they need to be the most flexible. Otherwise the Arctic is pretty standard and fits into the overall Allied strategy.

The Black Sea on the other hand, requires some thought. The Allied player only has one chance to deploy ships into the theater. After that, the Turks close the access and no one goes in or out without declaring war on the gate-keeper. I will assume that no one wants to fight extra Turkish ships and what is placed in there on Turn 8 is the extent of it. That translates into a need for 5 ships minimum in the area. But realistically it requires a commitment of between 8-10 ships, since the only way to make do on losses is with ships already in the zone. The biggest problem is going to be the feeling of waste. If you succeed beyond expectation on turn 8, the extra ships will feel like a waste of resources. If you fail miserably on turn 8, the lack of ships will frustrate you. As much as I hate to say it, the Black Sea really does require that you find your own stomach for your waste threshold and just accept the outcome that results. Luckily the swing is minimal with the Axis only being able to score a maximum of 5 VP per turn and 15 points for the game if they succeed fully.

In the Baltic, your appearance in Leningrad will trouble your Axis counterpart. This should be his Sea Zone and with the Finnish and German air power, he will hold it. The question is can you divert his forces here and away from other theaters of the war. There are really three trains of thought on the front. Each has its merits and each definitely has drawbacks.

You can go in guns-a-blazin' on turn 8 with a full-strength fleet and give the Germans 'what for' right away. You will suffer extreme and possibly even total loss of the fleet. If you are lucky, you contest the zone for one turn. If you are unlucky, you lose your fleet and the zone on turn 8, then 9, and again on turn 10. Success means taking the bulk of the German fleet out of the Atlantic for one turn and maybe having a partial fleet to return on turn 9 and make them fight again to eliminate your fleet.

A second option is to go in limited each turn with three ships and hope the Axis player tries to soft-shoe you with a smaller force. I would not expect it, I would expect a three-to-one response at the lightest. The benefit in this approach is that it does tie up significant Axis resources for each of the three turns. The down side is that each turn you are going to lose three ships and the Baltic to the Axis.

The final option is to sit in Leningrad and not sail each turn and then sail on turn 10 in force. This opens up the possibility of attrition weakening the German fleet in the first two turns of the scenario and then allowing you to sail in on the last turn of the scenario and do some damage. The best thing here is that they have no real idea what ships are in the fleet so perhaps a surprise combo of some sort can carry the day here. The drawback is that for two turns you give a large German force free reign to sail into the Atlantic and fight on a spot of their choosing.

In summary, this is another scenario that the Allies will not be able to run away with. The scores should be close but probably leaning a bit to the Axis advantage without disciplined reliance on doctrine and an appreciation for the math. If you respect the enemy and count your points, you can manage a victory in the Drumbeat scenario. But it shouldn't be easy.

(The source closes this section with the designer's signature. Attribution is omitted, as are the publisher's address block and copyright line.)

(The printed Scenario Scoring Record sheet on page 35 of the source, a blank campaign tally form with columns for Sea Zone Values, Unused LBA, Convoys Sunk, Ships Sunk, Turkey 10 VP, French Ships, Norway Ships, Neutral Minor Bid (+1), Allied Total, Lack of Global Presence, Axis Minor Bid, Abandon Minor, Axis Total, and a Grand Total row, is a printable form and is not transcribed here.)