| Jason E. Schaff 2005-06-01, 8:37 pm |
| Dan Duce wrote:
quote:
> I've got a hankering to play some fleet action type of games. Haven't
> played any in a long while and don't know what good ones are available.
>
> I'd prefer WW2 and earlier. Preferably something that lets me start with
> managing few details but can be more complicated as I get used to it.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
Depending on the scale you are looking for, you might be interested
in the Great War at Sea and/or Second World War at Sea series from
Avalanche Press. GWAS covers the pre-dreadnaught era, WW1, and most of
the inter-war period. SWWAS is strictly limited to WW2.
Both are combined operational / tactical game systems, in which a player
plots movement of fleets at the operational level, and then switches to
a tactical map to resolve combat when fleets intercept each other or
come under air attack. Units are individual capital ships and cruisers.
Destroyers are handled as squadrons in GWAS and (mostly) as individual
ships in SWWAS. Play is much richer at the operational level than at
the tactical level, with combat resolution mostly being a matter of
rolling dice based on gunnery factors and determining hits based on the
number of 6's rolled. (modifiers for range, better fire control, etc,
but definitely _not_ a miniatures-style combat resolution system)
The production quality for the the games in both series is generally
excellent, with some of the best counter art around. The rules are
straightforward, relatively "tight", and clearly written. Definitely
gets my endorsement, but, as I said, it depends on what sort of scale
and level of detail you are looking for.
Cheers.
--
Jason E. Schaff
jschaff297061@comcast.net
"You can wash a pig as often as you like, but it will still wallow in
the mud."
--Russian Proverb
|