Great War at Sea series
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The Great War at Sea series of board wargames released by Avalanche Press features operational and tactical-level naval combat in the period of the early battleships and dreadnoughts (roughly 1898-1930). Each game in the series comes with a common rule book and tactical map, as well as game-specific operational map, counters and scenarios.
There have been eight games in the series to date, and it was the basis for Avalanche's spin off series the Second World War at Sea, as well as a proposed new series dealing with ironclads. It has proven very popular, and as a whole has received multiple Origins Awards.
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[edit] Overview
The focus of Great War at Sea series games features two levels of play: the "operational" game, where fleets move and conduct missions on a map of the area where the game takes place (this map uses "staggered squares"—technically a hex grid—presumably to save space as the squares are the exact same size as the fleet counters, and only a few counters are on the board at a time); and the "tactical" game, where the individual ships maneuver and fire on a generic open sea tactical map.
Turns in the strategic segment are about 3 hours, and fleets are given missions when they set out. With many missions, the entire route and actions must be pre-plotted at the beginning, with some more flexible assignments (usually raiding or searching) only requiring two turns of advance planning. Each force is represented on the map with a single counter, so the composition is not known to the enemy (and raiding forces are not placed on the map until it does something (like attack merchant shipping), or is found by enemy forces. So, much of the game is spent with forces going about pre-determined missions while reaction forces attempt to find them and force them to battle, or to abort their mission.
Once two forces do find each other, combat is resolved by means of a light tactical system. Each ship bigger than a destroyer has its own counter, while destroyers and smaller vessels have counters that can represent one to three ships.
There is a certain amount of record-keeping in the system, with hits from combat being recorded against gunnery, hull or speed factors. Fuel is also tracked, with provisions for refueling in port as well as at sea. For combat, ships are primarily rated as having primary, secondary and tertiary gunnery factors, which different ranges and ability to penetrate armor to do damage.
[edit] Games
[edit] Vol. 1: Mediterranean
This was the initial release in the series, and has been released in a second edition.
[edit] Vol. 2: Jutland
Originally released as The North and Baltic Seas, Jutland is slated to be released in the fall of 2006 as a second edition of the original title.
[edit] Vol. 3: U.S. Navy Plan Orange
The first of what would become a popular 'sub series' Plan Orange received the 1998 Origins Award for Best Historical Wargame. Studying the actual plans of the United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy, Plan Orange attempts to recreate what a war in the Pacific would have been like in 1930 if there had been no Washington Naval Treaty.
Set later than any other game in the series, it includes extra rules for dealing with air-to-air combat, and aircraft carriers. The operational map covers from Formosa (Taiwan) to Kyushu and the northern Philippines.
The counter mix provides many of the forces that would historically have been available in 1930, as well as some of the battleships and battlecruisers that had been canceled due to the Washington treaty, while those that had been converted to carriers because of the treaty still appear as such (except for the battleship Kaga, which appears as such, and the Amagi which was canceled after being wrecked in an earthquake, appears as a carrier).
[edit] Vol. 4: 1904-1905: The Russo-Japanese War
Covering the naval portions of the Russo-Japanese War, this volume received the 2000 Origins Award for Best Historical Wargame.
[edit] Vol. 5: U.S. Navy Plan Black
This was based off the much more hypothetical plans developed for a conflict against Germany should she emerge victorious in WWI. It includes many ships canceled by the Versai Treaty, and an operational map covering part of the Caribbean. As Plan Gold features a larger map covering the same area, Plan Black is out of print, and will not be reprinted, short of a major revision.
[edit] Vol. 6: 1898: The Spanish-American War
Detailing the naval actions of the Spanish-American War.
[edit] Vol. 7: U.S. Navy Plan Red
Based off of hypothetical plans for fighting the Royal Navy, and possible actions in Canada.
[edit] Vol. 8: Cruiser Warfare
Cruiser Warfare is about merchant raiding in the early parts of WWI as practiced by long-range cruisers. Instead of a normal operational map, it features a world map, with different areas to move between.
[edit] Vol. 9: U.S. Navy Plan Gold
Based off of hypothetical plans for fighting the French Navy, Plan Gold features an operational map of the Caribbean.
[edit] Supplements
[edit] Great White Fleet
Great White Fleet was an early supplement to the series, with new scenarios for Plan Orange, Plan Black and 1904, as well as new (unmounted) counters and a operational map covering the southern Philippines.
[edit] Dreadnoughts
Dreadnoughts is another supplement for the entire line of Great War at Sea games, with counters for new ships, scenarios, and advanced rules for tactical combat.
