Victory at Sea

Contents

1

Victory

at

Sea

Credits

Author

Matthew Sprange

Editor

Nick Robinson

Cover

Chris Quilliams

Producer

Alexander Fennell

Miniature Gaming Manager

Ian Barstow

Publications Manager

Ian Belcher

Playtesters

Richard L. Bax, Agis Neugebauer, Erik Nicely Wulf Corbett, David Manley

Special Thanks

Peter Swarbrick of www.shipspictures.co.uk and David Page of www.navyphotos.co.uk

Contents

Introduction 2 The Turn 4 Movement Phase 5 Attack Phase 7 End Phase 10 Special Actions 11 Special Traits 12 Advanced Rules 13 Scenarios 19 Historical Scenarios 26 Campaigns 39

The Fleet Lists 46

The Royal Navy 47

The Kriegsmarine 59

The US Navy 66

Imperial Japanese Navy 76

The Italian Navy 84

The French Navy 88

Civilian Ships 95

Victory at Sea (C) 2006 Mongoose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work by any means

without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. All signifi cant art and text herein

are copyrighted by Mongoose Publishing. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without

written permission. This material is copyrighted under the copyright laws of the UK. Printed in China.

2

Introduction

Victory at Sea is the game of naval combat during the Second World War. Throughout 1939-45, the nations of the world duelled across the oceans of the world, only to discover the fundamental nature of naval warfare changing in the face of developing technologies. Now these confrontations can be played out on the tabletop with entire fl eets drawn from the Royal Navy, the US Navy, Kriegsmarine or any one of the many other nations featured in Victory at Sea. From skirmishes involving single destroyers hunting down merchantmen to the clashing of Allied fl eets against implacable enemies, Victory at Sea is the ticket to exciting battles that take place on the oceans of World War II.

Victory at Sea

This game is divided into several chapters each of which will seem to contain a lot of rules to remember. No need to worry, the game is far easier than it looks! The core rules of Victory at Sea are detailed in the following chapters:

The Turn: A short description of how players take turns moving and attacking with their ships Movement Phase: Describes how ships move on the ocean

Attack Phase: Once a player’s ships have moved into positions of advantage, he will want to know how to target his enemies and sink

them!

Special Actions: Ships need not only manoeuvre and fi re – there are a whole range of Special Actions that players can choose from to

enhance their tactics.

Special Traits: Many ships and weapon systems have special rules that make them different from the norm – these are described in this

chapter.

These chapters contain all the necessary information to begin playing Victory at Sea, though players need only consult Special Actions and Special Traits as references, rather than try to memorise them from the outset. Once players are familiar with the basics, they can proceed to the Advanced Rules and beyond to experience the full dynamics of naval combat in the Second World War.

What Players Will Need

As well as this book, there are several other things required in order to play Victory at Sea properly. A minimum of two players are required, each with his own fl eet of ships (players can readily use the counters included with the book, though if the players have miniatures, keep on reading). Players will also need a fl at playing surface – the kitchen table will do, though the scenarios included in this book assume a playing surface of six feet by four feet in size. In addition to this, players will also need pens and scrap paper to jot down notes, a measuring device marked in inches and several six-sided dice. That is everything players need to begin fi ghting on the oceans of the Second World War.

Scale

Though counters for many ships used in World War II have been provided with this book, veteran players may possess entire fl eets of miniatures. Regardless of the scale of players’ miniatures, they can be used freely in Victory at Sea. However, we have assumed that miniatures of 1/6000-1/2000 scale will be used for most of the battles featured in this game. All distances in Victory at Sea are measured from the very centre of a counter or ship miniature and are measured in inches.

Re-Rolls

Some special situations may call for a player to re-roll a die. This simply means the player ignores the fi rst result he rolled and rolls again. The player must always accept the result of the second roll, even if it is worse than the fi rst – re-rolls can be used to get out of a tricky situation but they are never guaranteed! A player may only re-roll a die once, no matter what the circumstances.

Pre-Measuring

A player is never allowed to pre-measure distances and ranges in Victory at Sea. Captains and admirals of the Second World War did not have sophisticated fi re computers tied into radar and satellite surveillance to rely upon, trusting instead to their own judgement – players will have to do the same when trying gauge just how far they can move or the range to the nearest enemy vessel.

Movement & Firing

Every ship in Victory at Sea has a number of fi ring arcs, all of which are marked out on the Fire Arc Counter. These are the areas that various weapons can fi re into, as noted in their descriptions.

Fore Turrets (A and B) – Forward, Port and Starboard Arcs Aft Turrets (X and Y) – Aft, Port and Starboard Arcs

Q Turrets – Port and Starboard Arcs Secondary Weapons – All Round

Anti-Aircraft Weapons – All Round Torpedoes – Port or Starboard

Submersible Torpedoes - Forward or Aft

Introduction

Introduction

3

HMS Warspite 5 1 4+ 5+ 34/11 47/15 Queen Elizabeth Battle 4 1915 —

Aircraft 2, Torpedo Belt 0 Name: Speed: Turning: Target: Armour: Damage: Crew: Class Priority Level: Command: In Service: Aircraft: Special Traits: XP Dice:

Ships in Victory at Sea

No doubt new players have already breathlessly fl icked through the fl eet lists of this book and seen all the different ships available to play in Victory at Sea. Every ship in the game is defi ned by its roster sheet, though players will also fi nd plenty of information in the fl eet lists covering its general statistics, history and the tactics involved in its use.

A ship’s roster looks like this – the example given here is of HMS Warspite, one of the stalwarts of the Royal Navy, and a vessel with a renowned history dating back to the Great War.

Weapon Range AD DD Special

A Turret (2 x 15 in) 33 2 3 AP

B Turret (2 x 15 in) 33 2 3 AP

X Turret (2 x 15 in) 33 2 3 AP

Y Turret (2 x 15 in) 33 2 3 AP

Secondary Armament 14 4 1 Weak

AA 5 8 — —

Ship Name: What a ship is called is up to the player, but it has been noted in our playtesting that ships with names always seem to last

longer! Many players may prefer to use names of ships that actually existed in history but this is not a requirement.

Speed: This is the maximum distance in inches a ship can usually move in a single turn.

Turning: As described in the Movement Phase chapter, this refl ects how quickly a ship can turn to come about on its enemies.

Target: Large or particularly cumbersome ships are much easier to hit than small nimble ones. This is the base number needed to score a

hit on this ship.

Armour: The higher the value here, the better armoured a ship will be to withstand incoming fi re.

Damage: The fi rst fi gure shows how many points of damage a ship can withstand before being destroyed. The second marks the point at

which the ship becomes Crippled. In the example above, once the Warspite takes 23 points of damage, reducing it to 11 overall, it becomes Crippled.

Crew: Much the same as Damage, this shows how many Crew are on board the ship. The second fi gure shows how far the Crew can be

depleted before they become a Skeleton Crew. In the example above, once the Warspite loses 32 Crew, reducing it to 15 overall, it is crewed by a Skeleton Crew.

Class: This is the actual type of ship, as shown in the fl eet lists.

Priority Level: Every ship has a Priority Level ranking which is used to construct fair-sized fl eets to meet in battle, as described in the Fleet

Lists chapter.

Command: The average fi gure here will be four, which denotes a military-grade crew and captain on board. This can vary to refl ect especially

green or elite crews, or very capable captains. Until players start using the fl eet lists, use a score of four by default for Crew Quality.

In Service: The year in which the ship came into service and thus when it can be used. This is important for campaign games and some

scenarios.

Aircraft: A few ships carry aircraft on board, normally fi ghters. Any aircraft carried standard will be noted here.

Special Traits: Many ships have special rules that allow them to perform actions impossible for others. The Warspite has the traits Aircraft

2 and Torpedo Belt, which are defi ned in the Special Traits Chapter on page 12.

XP Dice: In the campaign game ships can improve over time. This is represented by XP dice, which are described in the Campaigns chapter

on page 42.

Weapons: Every warship will have multiple weapon systems, all of which will be detailed here. Every weapon is defi ned by its Range, the

number of Attack Dice it uses, and the Damage Dice dealt when a hit is scored. Some weapons also have Special Traits, as defi ned in the Special Traits Chapter on page 12, which further infl uence their effect in the game.

4

The Turn

The Turn

During each turn of Victory at Sea, players will make many tactical decisions and ships will move and then launch devastating attacks upon one another. Due to the huge range of options and strategies available, each turn is split into four distinct phases to make the process of naval combat a lot easier. Players will run through each phase together and, when each turn is complete, every ship on each player’s side will have had a chance to act and affect the outcome of the battle.

The four phases are played in order – Initiative Phase, Movement Phase, Attack Phase and End Phase. When the End Phase has been completed, the turn ends and the next one begins with the Initiative Phase.

Initiative Phase

The Initiative Phase is used to resolve any actions that do not require players to make any choices and to decide who will have the initiative for the turn – in other words, who has gained a position of tactical advantage.

At the start of each turn, both players roll for initiative using 2d6. Any ties are re-rolled.

If a fl eet has any civilian shipping, it will suffer a –1 penalty to its initiative roll. If a fl eet is comprised entirely of civilian shipping, it will suffer a –2 penalty.

Movement Phase

The player who wins the Initiative Phase by rolling higher than his opponent will decide whether to move a ship fi rst or force his opponent to do so. Players then alternate moving their ships. First, a player nominates one of his ships and moves it, then his opponent nominates one of his own and moves that. This continues until all ships have been moved. Note that a particularly large fl eet may still have ships to move after its enemy’s ships have fi nished moving. In this case, the larger fl eet will carry on moving ships until they have all had a chance to move.

Attack Phase

Once ships have been moved into position, they are allowed to fi re their weapons in an effort to destroy their enemies. Players then alternate fi ring their ships. The player who wins the Initiative Phase nominates one of his ships and then attacks with it, immediately resolving all damage dealt. His opponent then nominates one of his ships and attacks. This continues until all ships have attacked, or had a chance to attack. Note that it is not compulsory for a ship to attack, even if it has a viable target. The player may simply nominate it and choose not to fi re. However, he may not select it again within the same turn and choose to fi re – he must make the decision to attack then and there, and not hold back!

End Phase

The End Phase is used to ‘tidy up’ the battlefi eld and make sure all players know what is happening. This is the time Damage Control and other book-keeping tasks are performed. Once the End Phase is complete, a new turn begins.

Movement Phase

5

The ability to manoeuvre a ship into a position of advantage is vital. By outwitting an opponent, a player will gain the chance to keep his ships at optimum range for their weaponry while keeping out of his opponents’ most dangerous fi re arcs.

Once it has been determined who has the initiative for the current turn (see last chapter), players take turns to move their ships. A ship may only be nominated to move once in every turn and every ship must be nominated. Players are not allowed to skip ships, even if it means they will have to move into a position of disadvantage!

Moving Ships

When nominated to move, every ship must be moved a distance in inches up to its Speed score. Unless the ship has had its Speed reduced to zero due to damage, it must move at least one inch. All movement must be in a forward straight line.

Once a player’s ship is in motion, he will at some point want to change the direction of its movement. All ships have a Turning score, which rates how quickly they can turn.

A ship may only turn once in each Movement Phase and it can only do so when it has moved at least half its Speed in a straight line. This means no ship can simply turn on the spot – warships are extremely heavy and despite having very powerful engines, inertia will carry them forward before their immense bulk can be redirected. At any point thereafter, a player may opt to turn either left or right (port or starboard to nautical types).

A player should place the Turning Counter next to his ship on the side he wishes to turn. He may then move the bow (front part) of his ship a number of ‘points’ equal to its Turning score. Obviously, the higher the Turning score of a ship, the more points it can turn to face and so the tighter it can turn.

A ship is never required to turn the maximum number of points its Turning score allows – it can turn at any lesser rate as well. Ships may never be stacked on top of one another. A player may never end his movement ‘on top’ of another ship.

Those are all the rules players will need to know in order to move ships and begin attacking with them. However, there are a range of Special Actions players can attempt instead of moving normally, from forcing an enemy ship to surrender to cranking up the engines in order to increase speed. See the Special Actions Chapter on page 11 for a list of these Special Actions.

Aircraft

Fleets with aircraft (such as fi ghters or torpedo bombers) operate in a slightly different initiative order. All ships are moved in initiative order as normal. Once the ships of all fl eets involved in the battle have been moved, the player who won the initiative must then choose whether to move his Aircraft counters fi rst or force his opponent to do so. Once this decision has been made, all counters of aircraft of the same type in a fl eet are moved at the same time. The opposing fl eet then does the same with its aircraft. This is done to refl ect the relative freedom of movement aircraft have in battles involving huge warships and also keeps things quick and easy in battles featuring many aircraft.

Further details on using aircraft can be found in the Advanced Rules chapter.

Movement Phase

6

Movement Phase

Figure 1: HMS Ajax is in a position to attack the battlecruiser Scharnhorst.

Figure 2: Ajax moves forward half her move (three and a half inches for a Leander class cruiser).

Figure 3: Using the Turning Counter Ajax then turns 2 points to line her up on a parallel course to the Scharnhorst.

Figure 4: The Ajax moves forward fi nishing her move and allowing her to unleash her full armament, including her torpedoes.

Attack Phase

7

Attack Phase

Now that players have moved their ships, no doubt they will be wanting to unleash their raw fi repower and reduce their opponent’s ships into sinking chunks of burning metal! From the torpedoes of fast attack boats to the immensely powerful main guns found on board the largest battleships ever to sail the oceans, there are dozens of different ways in which a player can destroy his enemy.

As described on Page 4, players alternate fi ring their ships, calculating all damage and resolving its effects before moving on to another attacking ship. This, of course, can make gaining the initiative very important in some turns.

Once a ship has been nominated to fi re, the player follows this process: • Nominate targets for each weapon that will be fi red

• Check ranges

• Resolve fi ring

• Resolve damage

Eligible Targets

For a target to be attacked successfully, two conditions must be met. First, it must lie in the appropriate fi re arc of the weapon that will be fi ring at it, as shown on the attacking ship’s roster. Second, it must be within the range of the weapon, as also shown on the ship’s roster. A player must nominate a target for every weapon he intends to fi re from his ship at the same time, before any attacks are made. In addition, all targets must be nominated before he checks whether they are indeed within the correct fi re arc and within range – players are not allowed to check or pre-measure beforehand!

Players must always measure from the centre point of their ships to the centre point of their targets when checking for both range and whether a target lies in an appropriate fi re arc. If players are using miniatures, pick a point common to all ships (such as the bridge) and use that as the centre point instead.

Unless a ship has rules to the contrary, a player may fi re each weapon system once during every turn.

Ships do not block the line of sight of other ships in Victory at Sea. It is assumed that ships will have enough time to manoeuvre suffi ciently to get a clear shot.

Firing

Each weapon listed on a ship’s roster has an Attack Dice (AD) score listed. This is the number of dice rolled every time the weapon is fi red.

When Attack Dice are rolled, the resulting number on each die is compared to the target’s Target score. For every Attack Die that equals or beats the Target score, a hit has been scored. However, each Attack Die will be modifi ed as follows.

Extreme Range (target is more than 30 inches away) –2 Long Range (target is more than 20 inches away) –1

Fast Moving Target (target moved more than 7 inches in the current turn) –1 Large Silhouette (target has its beam facing attacker) +1

A ‘1’ is always considered to be a miss. However, a natural ‘6’ is not always considered to be a hit.

Once a player has scored an amount of hits on a target, it is time to see what damage he has caused. Every weapon has a Damage Dice (DD) score listed. This is the number of dice rolled for every Attack Die that successfully hit the target.

When Damage Dice are rolled, the resulting number on each die is compared to the target’s Armour score. For every Damage Die that equals or beats the Armour score, one point of damage is deducted from the target’s Damage score.

Any roll of six may also cause a critical hit. If a player rolls a six, he must immediately roll the die again. If he then rolls a four or higher, in addition to causing damage as normal, he will also have scored a critical hit! More details on critical hits are given below.

A natural ‘6’ is always considered to cause damage, whereas a natural ‘1’ is always considered to simply bounce off the target’s armour.

8

Attack Phase

Long and Extreme Ranges

Weapons fi red at ranges of greater than 20 inches have a penalty applied to their Attack Dice, as described above, as faraway targets away are far more diffi cult to hit. However, shells fi red at these ranges do not travel in a straight line to their target – instead, they are fi red upwards and travel in an arc to dive down upon their target. This usually means shells fi red in this way do not strike the thick hull armour of a ship but tend to plough down towards its much weaker deck armour.

Weapons fi red at long or extreme ranges gain a +1 bonus to their Damage Dice.

Weapons

There are several types of weapons used in Victory at Sea, though not all ships will possess all of them.

Main Guns: These are the main turreted weapons that made battleships famous. They are noted in the ship descriptions as being mounted

on turrets, though their actual names and types may vary. Main guns use the Fire Arc template in order to decide whether a target is in view.

Secondary Weapons: These represent the multitude of smaller weaponry that ships commonly carry. They may be used to attack any target

in range on any heading. Note that smaller ships may possess only secondary weapons and no main guns – while these smaller weapons may, technically, be the ship’s primary weapons, they are counted as secondary for the purposes of these rules.

Anti-Aircraft Batteries: Also known as AA guns, these weapons are the only defence a ship has against aircraft. Anti-aircraft batteries may

target any aircraft within range and fi re at the start of the Attack Phase before players get a chance to do anything else. The use of these weapons is described in the Advanced Rules chapter.

Torpedoes: Mounted mainly by submersibles and fast attack craft, as well as some aircraft, torpedoes are designed to attack ships below

the waterline, where they are most vulnerable. Torpedoes are launched from the port or starboard of a vessel, or from the front if it is a submersible. Full details of torpedo use can be found in the Advanced Rules chapter.

Depth Charges: The only weapons capable of attacking a submerged vessel, depth charges use the same fi re arc as rear-mounted turret guns.

Full details of their use can be found in the Advanced Rules chapter.

Bombs: Carried by aircraft, some bombs are capable of smashing right through armoured decks to explode within a ship’s most vulnerable

areas.

Splitting Fire

Only secondary and anti-aircraft weapons may split their fi re. Such weapons with multiple AD are allowed to split their dice between different targets. This is done when targets are being nominated. The amount of AD allocated to each target must be declared before any fi ring takes place.

Damage

If a ship’s Crew score is reduced to zero, it is considered to be Abandoned. The ship may not move for the rest of the game.

If a ship’s Damage score is reduced to zero, it is considered to be destroyed and sinking. It may be removed from the battlefi eld.

Crippled Ships and Skeleton Crews

Both Damage and Crew scores have secondary fi gures, as noted on each ship’s roster. For example, the HMS Warspite has Damage 34/11. This means that it can take 34 points of total Damage, but when it has been reduced to 11 points, a threshold has been reached.

Crippled

If the Damage score is brought to this threshold level, the ship is considered to be Crippled. Turning will be reduced to one point and Speed will be permanently reduced by half. In addition, the AD of the ship’s secondary and anti-aircraft weapons will be halved (rounded down). Roll a die for every main gun turret and every special trait the ship possesses. On a 4+ the turret or trait is destroyed.

A Submersible that has become Crippled must rise to the surface in its next turn. It may not submerge again for the rest of the battle.

Skeleton Crew

If the Crew score is brought to this threshold level, the ship is considered to be running on Skeleton Crew. No Special Actions may be attempted and only one weapon system may be fi red in each turn. In addition, the ship will suffer a –2 penalty to all Damage Control checks.

Attack Phase

9

Critical Hits

If a critical hit is scored, roll 2d6 on the table below to determine exactly what has been hit.

2d6 Critical Location 2 Vital Systems 3-5 Crew 6-8 Engines 9-11 Weapons 12 Vital Systems

Once the location of a critical hit has been determined, roll on the appropriate table below. The special effects of critical hits are not cumulative but players should note each critical hit scored, as each must be repaired separately during Damage Control.

For example, if a ship suffers both the Turbine Damaged and Props Damaged critical hits, its speed will drop by –2 (the effect of the props being damaged being more severe than that of the turbines). However, once the props are repaired, the ship will still suffer a –1 penalty to speed, as the turbines will still be damaged and thus still in effect.

Critical hits often cause extra hits to Damage and Crew, as noted in their descriptions in the tables below.

Crew

d6 Area Damage Crew Effect

1-2 Fire +0 +2 Fire starts

3-4 Multiple Fires +0 +3 1d6 fi res start

5 Hull Breach +2 +5 —

6 Multiple Explosions +1d6 +2d6 1d6 fi res start

Engines

d6 Area Damage Crew Effect

1-2 Turbine Damaged +1 +1 -1 Speed

3-4 Props Damaged +1 +1 -2 Speed

5 Fuel Systems Ruptured +2 +2 -3 Speed, fi re starts

6 Engines Disabled +3 +3 Speed to zero, no Special Actions allowed, Target score drops by one

Weapons

d6 Area Damage Crew Effect

1-2 Anti-Aircraft Weapons Damaged +1 +1 AA weapons lose -1 AD

3-4 Secondary Weapons Damaged +2 +0 Secondary weapons lose -1 AD

5 Turret Destroyed +3 +4 Random turret destroyed, fi re starts

6 Magazine Explosion +4 +6 No weapons can fi re for 1d3 turns, 1D6 fi res start

Vital Systems

d6 Area Damage Crew Effect

1 Bridge Hit +0 +1 No Special Actions permitted

2 Rudder +2 +1 No turns are permitted

3 Engineering +2 +4 No Damage Control permitted

4 Fire Control +3 +4 Each weapon system may only fi re on a roll of 4+

5 Secondary Explosions +1d6 +1d6 1d6 fi res start

6 Catastrophic Explosion — — Damage score to zero, ship sinks

Note that Vital Systems and destroyed turrets cannot be repaired through Damage Control (see page 10 for details).

10

End Phase

Once all players have moved and attacked with all their ships, the End Phase is played out to complete the turn. The End Phase is used to complete any bookkeeping needed for special rules, as well as a to provide a vital chance for players to repair any damage their ships have sustained from critical hits.

Damage Control

During the End Phase, players can repair their ships through Damage Control. The player who won the initiative during the turn does this fi rst, for all of his ships that have been damaged.

Many critical hits have special effects that further debilitate a ship beyond the raw damage they cause. Weapons can be put out of commission, sections can be fl ooded and propellant fi res from burning magazines can cause terrible harm. These special effects are the only things Damage Control can repair – it cannot be used to restore Damage or Crew points. A player may only attempt to repair one critical hit on each of his ships in a turn.

To repair a critical hit by Damage Control, select one effect a ship is currently suffering from and roll 1d6, adding the ship’s Command score. On a roll of nine or more, the effect has been repaired and the ship can continue to operate normally. If less than nine is rolled, the effect persists until the End Phase of the next turn, when the player may try again to repair it.

Critical hits to Vital Systems may never be repaired.

Fire

Lethal in the enclosed environment of a warship, uncontrolled fi res are capable of sweeping through decks rapidly, creating an inferno that is impossible to survive.

Certain critical hits will start fi res in addition to other damage they cause. In each End Phase, roll 1d6 for each fi re currently raging on a ship, adding the ship’s Command score. For every score of seven or more, one fi re will be extinguished.

For every fi re a player fails to extinguish on a ship, he will lose two Crew. The fi re will remain and the player will have another opportunity to extinguish it in the next End Phase.

End Phase

Special Actions

11

Special Actions are a vital part of Victory at Sea, as they permit players and their ships to do some extraordinary things, much like many crews did in real life. Whether it is bracing for impact against inevitable attacks or attempting to evade torpedoes, Special Actions greatly increase the tactical options available for all players.

Performing Special Actions

When a ship is nominated to move, a player can also choose to perform a Special Action. Some of these are automatic, while some require a Command check for success. Each ship may only attempt one Special Action in every turn, though any number of ships may attempt them every turn. A Special Action must be chosen and attempted before the ship begins to move.

A Command check is performed by rolling 1d6 and adding the ship’s Command score. If the total matches that listed in the Special Action’s description, the action is successful. If the check is failed, the ship moves as normal.

The range of Special Actions that may be attempted are described below.

All Hands on Deck!

Command Check: Eight

Effect: The captain orders the entire engineering section to alert. If successful, the ship gains +1 modifi er when attempting Damage Control

and can attempt to repair any number of critical hits in this End Phase.

Come About!

Command Check: Nine

Effect: Pushing the ship’s rudders to maximum defl ection, the captain orders his ship to turn hard to gain a position of advantage. The ship

adds +1 to its Turning score for this turn.

Create Smoke!

Command Check: Automatic

Effect: Burning oil, the ship begins to belch thick clouds of black smoke, cloaking the entire area. Place a Smoke Counter on the ship, with

its leading edge on the centre point so it trails behind the vessel. No attacks that draw a line through this counter may be made at all except for ships equipped with Radar (see Radar in the Advanced Rules Chapter). The Smoke Counter is removed in the End Phase. This Special Action may not be performed in Bad Weather.

Evasive!

Command Check: Eight

Effect: Turning hard, the ship tries to throw an attacker off-guard, causing weapons to miss simply by not being where it was predicted they

would hit. If successful, all attacks (including those from aircraft and torpedoes) which hit the ship in this turn must be re-rolled. However, all attacks the evading ship makes which are successful must also be re-rolled.

Flank Speed!

Command Check: Automatic

Effect: Straining the engines, the captain orders his crew to make best speed. The ship adds +50% to its Speed for this turn. All Attack Dice

of weapons fi red from this ship suffer a –1 penalty.

Rig for Silent Running!

Command Check: Nine

Effect: In an effort to avoid detection, the captain of the submersible orders his engines to be throttled right back and all other systems made

silent. Vessels attempting to detect the submersible suffer a –1 penalty for this turn. The submersible may only move a maximum of half its full Speed and may not make any attacks.

Special Actions

12

Special Traits

Special Traits

In Victory at Sea, Special Traits are applied to both ships and weapons. Special Traits are special abilities that in some way alter the core rules of the game. For example, an Agile ship will prove very nimble at sea, able to literally run rings around clumsier vessels. In the same way, there are weapons that are exceptionally powerful compared to others and those that are markedly less effective.

Special Ships

Ships with Special Traits can affect the game in all kinds of ways, including movement, fi ring and the ability to resist damage, as well as wholly new effects that can take place outside of normal combat. Special Traits are one of the ways that vessels from different fl eets distanced themselves in the ongoing technological race throughout the Second World War.

Agile: Some ships are very manoeuvrable, either by virtue of speed and size or advanced rudder systems. An Agile ship may turn twice during

its movement. The fi rst turn must take place once the ship has moved half of its Speed in a straight line. The second turn must take place at the end of the ship’s movement once the ship has moved its full Speed.

Aircraft X: Though not proper carriers in the true sense, many ships carry a small number of aircraft that are launched from short catapults

or slings, to be used as observation and reconnaissance craft. These observation aircraft are detailed in the Advanced Rules chapter.

Armoured Deck: The ship has reinforced armour lining its deck. Attackers fi ring upon this ship do not get the +1 bonus to their Damage

Dice at long and extreme ranges. In addition, aircraft dropping bombs on the ship suffer a –1 penalty to their Damage Dice.

Carrier: The ship is an aircraft carrier and serves as a mobile airbase. It may launch or collect two fl ights per turn so long as it does not

perform any Special Actions. See the Advanced Rules chapter for more details.

Radar: The ship is fi tted with a surface radar system that allows it to operate effectively at long ranges and at night. See the advanced rules

for the use of radar.

Silent: This submersible is exceptionally quiet, making it hard for surface ships to detect. A roll of fi ve is required to locate this vessel while

submerged, rather than a four.

Sub-Hunter: A few ships have upgraded ASDIC/sonar systems that allow them to hunt submersibles with great effect. The ship gains a +1

bonus when attempting to detect a Submersible. The ship may also engage in Long-Ranged Detection (see page 17).

Submersible: Submersibles have the ability to render themselves all but invisible to their enemies when submerged. A ship with this trait

may use the Submersible rules detailed in the Advanced Rules chapter.

Torpedo Belt: A thick reinforced layer of armour, often supplemented with sections of gas or water, lays beneath the waterline of this ship.

This layer is capable of minimising the effects of a torpedo hit. Any Damage Dice from a torpedo that affects this ship may be re-rolled, at the discretion of the player who’s ship has been hit.

Special Weapons

The Special Traits used for weapon systems typically revolve around the capabilities of the weapon itself and what it can do in battle. Some weapons are made vastly more superior by these traits, while others have their effectiveness reduced.

AP: These armour-piercing weapons are adept at blasting through the thick armoured hulls of warships to do great damage to the decks

below. Add +1 to the rolls of all Damage Dice made for these weapons.

One-Shot: This trait normally is only possessed by weapons carried on aircraft. Ammunition or payload is limited for these weapons and so

once they are used, they may not be used again for the rest of the game.

Slow-Loading: Some weapons take an inordinate amount of time reload. These weapons may only fi re every other turn.

Super AP: Among the most powerful weapons found in Victory at Sea, these will literally shred the armour of warships. Add +2 to the rolls

of all Damage Dice made for these weapons.

Twin-Linked: These weapons are mounted in pairs or even quads, concentrating the available fi repower. The hail of fi re these weapon

systems can unleash is awesome to behold and very diffi cult to avoid. Any Attack Dice for these weapons that do not successfully strike their target may be re-rolled.

Weak: Due to small shell size or design, some weapons are simply not as powerful as others. All Damage Dice rolled for these weapons suffer

a –1 penalty and cannot cause critical hits.

Advanced Rules

13

Advanced Rules

Once players have got the rules in the previous chapters under their belts, it is time to expand for them to expand their games to include the advanced rules in this chapter. These rules will add a lot more depth to Victory at Sea and allow players to simulate the full range of Second World War engagements on their tabletops.

Aircraft

The appearance of aircraft changed the face of warfare forever and nowhere was this more true than at sea. With an aircraft carrier, a fl eet gained the ability to strike at targets hundreds of miles away with relative impunity. Despite the advance of anti-aircraft weaponry and the presence of defending fi ghters, aircraft spelled the doom of the battleship.

A fl eet may have supporting aircraft directed to its position from land-based airfi elds, or it may possess its own aircraft carrier. If any fl ights of aircraft are bought individually from the fl eet lists (that is, they did not come free with an aircraft carrier), they are considered to be land-based for the purposes of these rules, though they could also conceivably have been launched from another aircraft carrier far from the battle.

In theory, an entire ‘fl eet’ could compose of nothing but aircraft (and battles of this nature certainly took place in the Second World War). Each scenario in this book will detail whether players can use land-based aircraft and also how many aircraft carriers present may have in the air at the start of the game. All aircraft used from land-based airfi elds will, of course, start the game in the air. An aircraft carrier may always start the game with at least one fl ight in the air, regardless of the scenario rules. These fl ights may be placed anywhere in the deployment zone.

Aircraft Flights

An aircraft’s fl ight is represented by an Aircraft counter of the appropriate type. As described in the Movement Phase chapter, all fl ights in a fl eet are moved at the same time, after all ships on the table have been moved, as shown below.

The player who wins the Initiative chooses who moves a ship fi rst. Players alternate in moving all ships.

The player who wins the initiative chooses who moves his aircraft fi rst. The player chosen moves all fl ights of the Fighter type.

His opponent(s) move(s) all fl ights of the Fighter type. The fi rst player moves all other fl ights.

His opponent(s) move(s) all other fl ights.

A fl ight can move in any direction, taking as many turns as it wishes, refl ecting the relative manoeuvrability even the slowest bomber has compared to a surface-bound ship.

Ships with the Carrier trait may launch or recover two fl ights every turn, as long as the ship is not crippled. For this to happen, the ship must move in a straight line without turning and may not choose any Special Actions. The two fl ight counter models are placed in the forward arc of the ship, touching the ship counter or model. The fl ight can be moved later in the same turn, when all other fl ights of the same type are moved.

Aircraft Types

Many types of aircraft were used at sea in the Second World War, but the following types are used in Victory at Sea.

Fighter: Dedicated to gaining air superiority by annihilating an enemy’s air force, fi ghters are tasked with defending the fl eet. They may be

capable of carrying bomb loads, but these will be too small to have much effect in Victory at Sea and so are ignored.

Bomber: Covering a multitude of aircraft from attack planes to full-blown heavy bombers, these aircraft pose a great threat to any fl eet. Dive-Bomber: First fully exploited by the Luftwaffe but quickly fi nding favour across the world, dive-bombers use speed and height to gain

phenomenal accuracy as well as impart enough kinetic energy to their bombs so they are capable of piercing armoured decks.

Torpedo-Bomber: Perfected by submersibles, it was inevitable that these destructive weapons would also be mounted on aircraft. However,

the technology of the Second World War had trouble catching up to the task and air-launched torpedo attacks were notoriously diffi cult to use effectively.

Attacking with Aircraft

Only aircraft armed with bombs or torpedoes may attack ships. Rules for using torpedo-bombers can be found later in this chapter. Only three fl ights (of any type) may attack a single ship in the same turn.

All attacks made by aircraft, be it by bomb, torpedo or dogfi ghting (see below) are made at the same time in a turn. A player may nominate all his aircraft to attack instead of a ship at any point in the Attack Phase.

14

Advanced Rules

Figure 1: Th ree fl ights of Japanese aircraft encounter an American picket, a Clemson class destroyer with two fl ights of P-39s on Combat Air Patrol. Th e destroyer has already moved.

Figure 2: The Japanese player has initiative so moves his fl ight of Zero fi ghters into contact with one of the American fi ghters, engaging it in a dogfi ght.

Figure 4: With only one of the Kate dive bomber fl ights being able to be moved the Japanese player uses it to attack the American destroyer, placing it adjacent to the ship’s counter. Now that every aircraft fl ight has been moved all combat (both dogfi ghts and the dive bomber attack on the destroyer) will be resolved simultaneously.

Figure 3: The American player can now only move his second fl ight of fi ghters and does so, choosing to attack one of the dive bomber fl ights.

Advanced Rules

15

To use bombs, an Aircraft counter must be moved into contact with the target ship. Roll Attack and Damage Dice as normal to resolve the attack.

The usual modifi ers to Attack Dice are not used for aircraft. Instead, if an aircraft is noted as being a bomber, a -1 penalty is applied to its Attack Dice, representing the inherent inaccuracy of such attacks. Dive-bombers, while avoiding this penalty, are much easier for anti-aircraft fi re to track and so any anti-anti-aircraft attack made against a dive-bombing anti-aircraft attacking a ship in the same turn gains a +1 bonus to its Attack Dice.

Shooting Down Aircraft

Aircraft may only be attacked with AA weapons or in dogfi ghts with other aircraft. If a fl ight is hit by an AA weapon, it may try to dodge the attack by rolling one die equal or greater than its Dodge score for each hit. If successful, the attack is completely ignored. Aircraft have far less armour than ships, however, and so any successful hit will automatically remove a point of Damage from a fl ight.

Most ships have some form of defence against aircraft in the form of AA weaponry, as listed on their rosters. If enemy aircraft are in range, a ship’s AA weapons are fi red automatically at the beginning of the Attack Phase before anything else happens. This happens outside of the normal turn sequence because the ship’s crew are expecting battle and aircraft will rarely have an easy time trying to attack a ship.

AA weapons may freely split their fi re among multiple targets if necessary, but they may never fi re into a dogfi ght.

Dogfighting

Once one Aircraft counter moves into contact with another, they are said to be dogfi ghting. Neither may move until its enemy has been destroyed and it is no longer in contact with an enemy.

Every fl ight in contact with an enemy fl ight must engage in dogfi ghting. Both players roll one die each and add their fl ights’ Dogfi ght scores.

The winner of this roll deducts a point of Damage from the enemy fl ight.

If the dogfi ghting roll is a draw or if the enemy survives the attack, both fl ights are left in place. They are locked in the dogfi ght and may not move next turn. A fl ight that is dogfi ghting may not drop bombs or torpedoes.

Observation Aircraft

Ships often carried small numbers of observation and reconnaissance aircraft to effectively extend their eyes and ears over an ocean. Any vessel with the Aircraft X trait will carry a number of aircraft indicated in its roster.

These observation aircraft are launched in the same way as described on page 13 but cannot be recovered during a battle – the process takes too long, as the plane either lands on fl oats next to its parent ship or else ditches in the sea and has to be winched back on board.

Observation aircraft provide a +1 bonus to the Attack Dice of the ship’s main guns so long as it is within 6 inches of the target being attacked. This bonus only applies to the ship that launches the observation aircraft and the effects of multiple observation aircraft do not stack. In addition, a fl eet with at least one observation aircraft in the air at the start of a turn will gain a +1 bonus to Initiative.

While there were many different types of aircraft used in this capacity, many were very similar and as they represent just one aircraft instead of an entire fl ight, all observation aircraft in Victory at Sea use the following profi le. No weapons are carried.

Type: Special Dodge: 4+ In Service: All periods.

Speed: Seven inches Dogfi ght: Will be destroyed automatically in a dogfi ght. Target: 5+ Damage: One

Bad Weather

Churning seas, heavy rain and high winds will all cause a problem for warships, greatly reducing their ability to fi ght effectively. Many admirals have lamented not having control of the weather.

In Victory at Sea, weather is defi ned as either Good or Bad. Up to now, the rules assume players will be fi ghting in Good Weather. However, if a scenario calls for Bad Weather, the following changes are made.

All attacks made by both ships and aircraft suffer a –1 penalty to hit, in addition to other modifi ers. A –1 penalty is also applied to all Command checks. Submarines are additionally affected by bad weather if they are on the surface, they will be unable to fi re any weaponry other than their torpedoes as they were very unstable fi ring platforms.

In addition, Bad Weather affects visibility, giving rise to the possibility that a ship will not spot an enemy until it is too late. Ships at extreme range may not be attacked at all in Bad Weather. Those at long range must be Spotted before they can be attacked.

16

Advanced Rules

Once an enemy ship is within long range of a friendly vessel, make a Command Check (as described on page 11) with a target number of eight. Success means the enemy ship has been spotted and may be attacked normally by any friendly ship within long range, as its location will be communicated to allies. Once a ship has been spotted, it will remain so until it moves to extreme range once more.

Ships that fi re turret guns will automatically be spotted.

Command

By default, all ships are considered to have Military-Grade crew (Command 4) on board. However, players may like to try variant Command scores in order to refl ect a force of green recruits being thrown into the fi re of war, or a ship of battle-hardened veterans able to take on several other vessels with ease. Variant Command scores are used most often in campaign games but are summarised below.

Crew Crew Quality Score

Elite 6 Veteran 5 Military-Grade 4 Conscript 3 Green 2

Multiplayer Games

When players begin creating their own scenarios, it may cross their minds to have more than one fl eet present in the same battle. Perhaps the Royal Navy, Italian Navy and Kriegsmarine are all fi ghting over the same Mediterranean island. Maybe the Kriegsmarine decided to aid the Japanese against an American attack. Whatever the reason, players may fi nd it exciting to try a game with three or more players. In order to introduce additional players, very few changes are required to the standard rules. During the Initiative Phase, players roll for initiative as normal, re-rolling any ties. Play can then begin in this order, with multiple players simply taking their turns.

For example, suppose in an Initiative Phase the US Navy player scored seven for initiative, the Kriegsmarine player six and the Royal Navy player nine. The Royal Navy player has the choice of whether to move fi rst or wait his turn. If he declines the fi rst move, the same choice is presented to the US Navy player. If he too declines the fi rst move, the Kriegsmarine player will be forced to move fi rst, followed by the US Navy and fi nally the Royal Navy. Each moves one ship after the other, before it is the Kriegsmarine player’s turn to nominate another ship to move.

Play continues in this pattern. In the example above, the Royal Navy player would nominate a ship to attack fi rst, and the US Navy player and the Kriegsmarine would do the same before the Royal Navy player would get to choose a second ship to attack.

Players will fi nd it much easier to create multiplayer scenarios if they either have very strongly defi ned objectives for each fl eet or if fl eets are allied into two separate forces, with the fl eets on each side pursuing the same objective. In this way, players will avoid the natural inclination to instantly ’gang up’ on a single fl eet and thus remove it from the game quickly.

Night Battles

The time and place of a battle is not always suited to an admiral’s best wishes and many duels at sea have taken place at night. Far from land, it can be diffi cult to appreciate just how dark the night at sea is or the effect of darkness on battles.

If a scenario is set at night, the following changes are made:

All attacks made by both ships and aircraft suffer a –1 penalty to hit, in addition to other modifi ers, such as for range and Bad Weather. In addition, ships at extreme and long ranges may not be attacked at all at night. Those at closer ranges must be Spotted before they can be attacked.

Once an enemy ship is within 20 inches or less of a friendly vessel, make a Command Check (as described on page 11) with a target number of eight. Success means the enemy ship has been spotted and may be attacked normally by any friendly ship within 20 inches, as its location will be communicated to allies. Once a ship has been spotted, it will remain so until it moves more than 20 inches away.

Ships that fi re turret guns will automatically be spotted.

Radar

A new development for World War II, the use of radar quickly spread to the sea where it was used to locate enemy ships at great ranges and direct the fi re of turret guns, enhancing their accuracy. Radar also made fi ghting battles at night or in bad weather a little easier.

A ship with the Radar trait will detect any enemy ship placed on the table on a roll of three or more. Once detected, an enemy ship will remain so.

Scenarios

17

If an enemy ship has been detected by radar, the ship that detected it may launch attacks against it at any range up to its normal maximum, regardless of visibility conditions for Smoke, Bad Weather or Night. If an enemy has been detected by radar in Good Weather and during the day, the penalty for attacking it at long ranges is ignored, while the penalty for attacking it at extreme ranges is reduced to –1.

A ship that is detected at Night or during Bad Weather will automatically be spotted by the ship that detected it as soon as it moves into spotting range.

Note that a ship that detects an enemy ship with radar may not pass this information along to other ships to allow them to fi re at it – all ships must detect the enemy for themselves before they may attack.

Squadrons

In larger fl eet engagements, admirals will often place several ships together in the same squadron in order to concentrate fi repower and allow tactical objectives to be decided with greater speed. Players may also fi nd combining ships into squadrons a good way of playing huge battles involving dozens of vessels.

If squadrons are used, players must organise any ships into them before a scenario begins. Up to six ships may be placed in a squadron, though they need not all be of the same type. However, as players will quickly fi nd, some ships complement each other better than others, so be prepared to experiment!

Once ships have been placed into a squadron, they must always remain within four inches of at least one other ship in the squadron, unless they become Crippled or are destroyed. If either of these events happen, the ship automatically drops out of the squadron and is treated as a single ship. Players may also choose to split the squadron apart at any time, simply by moving the ships independently instead of as a whole squadron.

While in a squadron, all ships are moved and fi re at the same time. In effect, a player nominates the entire squadron to move or fi re, rather than just one ship. Players are under no restrictions to use the same Special Orders or target the same enemy ships with the entire squadron – the only requirement is that all ships are kept within four inches of each other at all times and make every effort to maintain this formation if they are ever split up. By the same token, enemy ships will still choose one ship as a target for their weapons, rather than selecting the squadron as a whole.

Ships use the highest Command score of all ships within the squadron for all purposes. It is assumed the highest ranking commanding offi cer will be issuing all sorts of orders and ‘suggestions’ to his lesser captains in an effort to make the squadron operate as effi ciently as possible.

Submersibles

Submarines began to affect the way fl eets were deployed during the First World War, but it was during the Second World War that they truly came into their own. From midget submarines to the roving Wolf Packs of the Atlantic, the proliferation of submersibles served to bring an end to the dominance of the battleship as much as did the widespread use of aircraft.

Submersibles require some new rules to properly refl ect their role on the oceans of the Second World War. All vessels capable of using these rules will have the Submersible trait, as described on page 12.

Deployment

Submersibles may be deployed as normal with the rest of a fl eet, but players may fi nd it more advantageous not to. Instead, divide the table up into squares of 24 x 24 inches. Secretly record which square each submersible is within (any number of submersibles may be placed in one square).

A player may reveal a submersible at the start of any Movement Phase, placing it anywhere he wishes within its square. He may not take any action with the submersible until it is revealed.

Movement Phase

Once a submersible has been revealed, the player may decided whether each submersible in his fl eet is submerged or on the surface. Players will quickly fi nd that submersibles on the surface of the ocean usually move much quicker and can use any weapon they possess but those submerged are far harder for surface vessels and aircraft to attack.

Before a player moves a submersible, he may choose to either bring a submerged vessel to the surface or push a surfaced vessel beneath the waves. A submersible performing either of these actions may not attack or choose any Special Actions during the same turn.

Submersibles have two Speed scores. The fi rst is used while the vessel is travelling on the surface, the second while it is submerged. Place a Submerged counter next to any submersible beneath the waves as a reminder of its position.

18

Scenarios

Attack Phase

While a submersible is on the surface, it is treated as a normal ship in all respects. While submerged, a submersible may only attack using its torpedoes. However, other ships may only attack it with depth charges and then only once the submersible has been detected.

In order to detect a submerged submersible, a ship must be within eight inches of it. A single die is rolled before the ship declares its attacks. If the die rolls a four or higher, the submersible has been successfully detected and any friendly ship with depth charges may attack it freely. Players may place a Detected counter next to the submerged vessel as a reminder, though this must be removed during the End Phase – players will have to detect the submersible once more in order to attack it next turn.

Depth Charges

The only weapon that may be used to attack a submerged vessel is the depth charge. By the same token, a depth charge may only be used to attack a submerged vessel.

Depth charges use the same fi re arc as a ship’s rear main guns but, as will become apparent, their range is much shorter. Attacks are performed in the same way as for any other weapon but Attack Dice are never modifi ed by any bonuses or penalties.

Long-Ranged Detection

Ships with the Sub-Hunter trait may try to detect any submersibles that have not yet been revealed. Whenever a Sub-Hunter ship moves into a new square on the table, roll a die. On a six, all submersibles within that square will automatically be revealed. The submersible player will place the submersible anywhere within the square as normal.

Crash Dive

A submersible can try to fi ll its ballast tanks quickly if an enemy approaches, in an effort to hide under the waves. If an enemy ship or aircraft approaches within 10 inches of a submersible while it is on the surface, it may try to crash dive. Make a Command check with a target score of nine – if it is successful, the submersible immediately submerges.

Tactical Withdrawals

Any ship may choose to retreat from the battleground by simply moving off a table edge. By doing so, the ship escapes safely but the opposing player will receive one quarter of its normal Victory Points at the end of the game. Note that some scenarios may have restrictions on which table edges may be exited safely. If one of these edges is not chosen, the ship that goes over it will count as destroyed and thus give up it full Victory Points.

Torpedoes

Used as unguided underwater missiles, torpedoes are unusual weapons in that they are fi red in salvoes and operate a little differently from other attacks. However, their effects upon a ship can be devastating.

A torpedo attack is declared in the same way as any other. When a torpedo attack is made, place a Torpedo Spread counter in contact with a single target vessel that is within 10 inches and in the attacker’s torpedo arc, as appropriate. The counter should be placed along the target’s beam (against the side of the ship) only if the vessel making the torpedo attack would normally be making beam attacks against it. In the End Phase, roll Attack Dice for the torpedo spread. These Attack Dice do not use the normal modifi ers detailed on page 7. Instead, a +1 bonus is granted if the Torpedo Spread counter is placed on the target’s beam.

Damage Dice are then rolled as normal and the effects of the hit are worked out accordingly.

Air-Launched Torpedoes

Aircraft noted as being Torpedo Bombers use torpedoes in the same way as described above. However, using torpedoes from the air is notoriously diffi cult. The torpedo will only have a range of four inches. In addition, aircraft intending to make a torpedo attack must declare this after they have moved. AA weapons attacking an aircraft that is using air-launched torpedoes will gain a +1 bonus to their Attack Dice.

Critical Hits

If a torpedo attack scores a successful critical hit, the attacking player may choose to re-roll one of the 2d6 rolled to determine what has been affected.

Scenarios

19

Rarely do two fl eets happen to meet on the ocean and begin taking pot shots at one another. More likely, each will have its own tactical or strategic objective to meet, handed down from its High Command. Fighting a battle in Victory at Sea is about far more than simply annihilating the enemy. Players have to be cunning, cautious and able to keep their own objectives in mind even as the enemy accomplishes his.

Using Scenarios

These objectives are represented in the game by playing scenarios. Each scenario detailed over the next few pages provides a comprehensive list of objectives that each player must meet in order to claim victory. Whether it is an initial clash of patrols at the start of a war or a desperate attack on a convoy, players will have to think carefully about which ships they will use and how they will manoeuvre them to gain victory.

Players may simply agree to play any selected scenario listed in this book, or they may roll for one randomly on the table below. It is suggested that fi rst time players try the Victory at Sea scenario. This is designed to get players fi ghting as quickly as possible with balanced forces that use as many or as few advanced rules as players wish.

Players generally have fi ve Fleet Allocation Points with which to choose their forces (though some scenarios may offer one side fewer points, or restrict one or both sides in how these are spent). The use of Fleet Allocation Points is described in detail on page 45. The Priority Level of a particular scenario is either determined randomly (see page 40) or can simply be chosen and agreed upon by all players.

Each scenario has a number of entries that describe how players should approach it. These entries are covered below.

Fleets: Some scenarios may impose limitations on one or both fl eets in a battle. For example, one scenario may require that fl eets have a

certain Fleet Allocation Points value, while another may require a player to take certain types of ships.

Pre-Battle Preparation: This entry covers everything players need to do before play begins, including how to set up the battlefi eld and

where fl eets should be deployed. All scenarios in this book assume the game will be conducted on a standard six by four foot table.

Aircraft: Defi nes what role aircraft can play in battle.

Conditions: Lists whether the battle uses the Bad Weather or Night Battle rules.

Scenario Rules: Defi nes some very special scenarios that may have unique rules not covered elsewhere in these rules.

Game Length: Specifi es game length. While most games will continue until one side gains victory, some scenarios have strict time limits. Victory and Defeat: Lists the conditions required for players to win the scenario.

Victory Points

Many scenarios use Victory Points in order to determine who has won. Victory Points can be earned in many ways specifi c to each scenario but, unless otherwise stated, they are always gained for damaging an opposing fl eet. Specifi cally, Victory Points (VP) are earned for the following.

Destroying an enemy ship: Gain VP equal to the value shown on the Victory Point Table

For each enemy ship that executes a Tactical Withdrawal: Gain VP equal to one quarter of the ship’s value on the Victory Point Table,

rounding up

For each enemy ship that is Crippled or reduced to a Skeleton Crew: Gain VP equal to half of the ship’s value on the Victory Points

table, rounding up

Note that a player can only gain VP from an enemy ship once. If a player reduces an enemy ship to a Skeleton Crew and then Cripple it, he will gain half VP once, not twice.

Attacking and Defending

Many scenarios require the players to decide who is the attacker and who is the defender. If players do not want to decide between themselves who is who, they should roll one die each, re-rolling ties. The highest scoring player will be the attacker.

Scenarios

Scenario Type 1d6 Scenario 1 At All Costs 2 Blockade 3 Carrier Clash 4 Convoy Duty 5 Supply Ships 6 Victory at Sea Victory Points

Difference in Priority Level of Ship and Scenario Victory Points

Ship is same Priority Level as scenario 16 Ship is one Priority Level higher than scenario 25 Ship is two Priority Levels higher than scenario 50 Ship is one Priority Level lower than scenario 8 Ship is two Priority Levels lower than scenario 4 Ship is three Priority Levels lower than scenario 2 Ship is four Priority Levels lower than scenario 1

20

Scenarios

At All Costs

For those safe in the headquarters of High Command, wars at sea are slow, studied affairs, a far cry from the terror and unleashing of mighty guns that make up the typical battle. There have been times in history, however, when the raw emotion of the fi ght has worked its way up to the highest levels. During these times of total war, it is not enough that a strategically important objective be taken. Nothing less than the total and utter destruction of the enemy will do, to wipe their fl eets from the map and annihilate their ports with mass bombing.

Fleets: Players are free to decide on a points value for the battle and choose their fl eets freely. Roll one die – on a roll of a four or

more, land-based aircraft may be used by either fl eet.

Pre-Battle Preparation: Roll for Initiative as normal – the losing fl eet will be forced to set up fi rst. The fl eets are deployed

anywhere in their own deployment zones as shown on the scenario map.

Aircraft: Carriers may start with up to half their fl ights in the air at the start of the game. Land-based aircraft, if present, may

be used as normal.

Conditions: Roll a die. On a fi ve or more, the battle takes place using the Bad Weather rules. Roll a second die. On a six, the

battle takes place using the Night Battle rules.

Scenario Rules: None

Game Length: The game continues until the victory conditions have been met

Victory and Defeat: For the fl eets involved in this battle, damage sustained by their own ships is of little importance so long as

the enemy suffers more. This battle will continue until all ships on one side have been destroyed. The winner is the fl eet with at least one ship remaining on the table.

Scenarios

21

Blockade

Rather than take the time and trouble to bring the enemy to battle, a large fl eet will often simply blockade a port or other strategically important target. Forcing the enemy to run through this blockade, the fl eet will have the chance of destroying its enemy piecemeal. For their part, the blockade runners have the chance of defeating the blockade and making their way through without engaging the larger fl eet in a full-scale battle.

Fleets: The attacking player (blockader) has fi ve Fleet Allocation Points but may not use land-based aircraft. The defender

(blockade runner) has two Fleet Allocation Points of which no more than one point may be used on land-based aircraft.

Pre-Battle Preparation: The blockader deploys his fl eet fi rst. For every ship or squadron he places, he must go through the

following system: He places the ship anywhere on his left hand short table edge, up to 24 inches away from his long table edge. He then rolls one die and multiplies the result by 12 inches. The ship must be moved to the right this many inches. He may deploy the ship anywhere within six inches of this fi nal position. This must be done for all ships and squadrons and, when complete, all ships must be facing in the same direction. The blockade runner will move all his ships and aircraft from anywhere along the opposite long table edge in the fi rst turn.

Aircraft: Carriers may start with up to two of their fl ights in the air at the start of the game. Land-based aircraft, if present, may

be used as normal.

Conditions: Roll a die. On a fi ve or more, the battle takes place using the Bad Weather rules. Roll a second die. On a six, the

battle takes place using the Night Battle rules.

Scenario Rules: The blockade runner has one ‘free’ turn at the beginning of the battle. In effect, he may move and attack with his

ships normally but the blockading fl eet may do nothing – its ships may not move, fi re, take Special Actions or perform Damage Control. They must simply take any damage dealt during this turn. After this fi rst turn, initiative is rolled normally.

Game Length: The game continues until the blockade runner has either been destroyed or has left the table

Victory and Defeat: This scenario uses Victory Points to determine who wins. The blockading player scores Victory Points

normally. The blockade runner player only scores Victory Points for moving ships off the blockader’s long table edge. He gains the full point value of every ship moved off the table in this way, regardless of its condition. The blockader’s long table edge and the two short table edges are considered to belong to the blockader for the purposes of tactical withdrawal. The opposite long table edge is considered to belong to the blockade runner.

22

Scenarios

Carrier Clash

Costing millions of dollars, aircraft carriers became some of the most valued components in a fl eet during the Second World War. Forming carrier groups with several escorting vessels, their captains were expected to be able to win entire battles by themselves. To become the captain of a carrier is to gain a position of immeasurable trust and responsibility and only the most tactically astute can ever hope to be rewarded in this way. When two carrier groups meet in battle, observers will be treated to some of the most exciting action possible in naval combat.

Fleets: Players have fi ve Fleet Allocation Points. Both fl eets must have at least one aircraft carrier as defi ned in the fl eet lists. All

other ships in the fl eet must be of equal or lower Priority Level than the scenario. Neither fl eet may use land-based aircraft.

Pre-Battle Preparation: Roll for Initiative as normal – the losing fl eet will be forced to set up fi rst. The fl eets are deployed

anywhere in their own deployment zones as shown on the scenario map.

Aircraft: Carriers may start with all of their fl ights in the air at the start of the game.

Conditions: Roll a dice. On a fi ve or more, the battle takes place using the Bad Weather rules. Scenario Rules: None

Game Length: 10 turns

Victory and Defeat: This scenario uses Victory Points to determine who wins. The short table edges are considered to belong

to the player who has his deployment zone there for the purposes of tactical withdrawal. The long table edges are considered to be neutral.