Gaming News

by Curtis Anderson

Are the drawings on the board from another source, or were they created for the game?

Thanks.

by FlashPan

After a few days wait my game finally arrived.

The box was in great shape, no visible signs of damage - overall it looks pretty solid. Its external surfaces are kind of like a non-gloss canvas texture.

Components included:
1 x Letter from Uwe
1 x 19 page full colour glossy rule book.
1 x 20 page full colour glossy scenario book with 15 scenarios.
2 x Glossy full colour 2 sided card summary sheets
4 x Glossy full colour player track sheets
75 (quick count) x Glossy 2 sided frictionless* full colour cards
6 x double sided map overlays
70 x Full colour double sided German counters on one counter sheet
70 x Full colour double sided Russian counters on one counter sheet
70 x Full colour double sided play aid counters on one counter sheet.
4 x Full Colour folding mapboard
2 x D6 Dice

*The cards have to be held to be believed. They are just so 'slidey'! Very handy for shuffling.

I have posted up a picture from the dodgy camera on my Palm at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/798806/conflict-of-heroes... showing the unpunched box contents.

The first thing that hits you is the overall quality of the components. This has been said many times before, but is something that immediatly pops out at you open the box.

In an age of boardgames with cheap components this makes a refreshing change. Some might say this is because its a 'Euro-game' (whatever one of those is) - well if it is - then I like Euro-games!

The counters are completely different from any I've owned before. For a start they are full colour and for seconds they are LARGE! I much prefer this size to the fiddly infantry counters in ASL - anyone try to fight a packed street battle in ASL knows what I mean....

The other outstanding feature of the counters is that they are held in their frames incrediably lightly. You only have to look at them and they fall out of the frame. Ok - slight exageration, but after I took the photo, three of them dropped out!

What's more when they fall out of their frames the counters are prefectly shaped and exhibit no bumps of other unsightly artefacts.
This means that you need not bring a modelling knife with you - its simply not required!

This was wholely unexpected. All of my old games, with perhaps the exception of Cry Havoc required skilled use of a modelling knife, otherwise the back of the counters would separate!

The map overlays were another surprise. The only overlays I have prior to this are ASL overlays. These (at least the ones I have) are one sided and printed on very thin card. Another issue with the ASL overlays, is that one needs a pair of scissors and skilled cutting as they are not die-cut!

COH's overlays are of very thick card - at least as thick as the counters and are two sided. Although the thickness surprised me, the biggest surprise is that like the counters they are pre-cut and just itching to fall out of their frames.

The map boards are mounted on pretty thick card and unlike the ones I'm used to fold so that the map side folds outwards. All my previous games fold inwards.

A cursory look at the maps reveals a host of fine detail - looks like the graphics artists were having a field day.

I was very pleased to be getting mounted maps in a day and age where most maps are just paper maps.

That said I have noticed that the maps are not sealed around the edges with the backing material like the old AH boards, so I'm not sure if this will affect longetivity - though they should last a lot longer than the paper affairs from competitors. I guess one advantage with this contruction is that the hexes of two adjoining maps can be matched perfectly without any map edges getting in the way.

Both booklets are very well done. As others have said they are very well laid out with colour registration being carried out accurately.

This boardgame posesses by far the best quality components that I've ever had. To say that I'm impressed is an understatement.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the four solo games (yes this game solos very well - or at least its prediocessor does) I played on VASSAL. From an old timer used to ASL it was a major eye opener. Could rules have advanced so much in the period of time I stopped playing? I think I have to answer that with a resounding yes.

Sure, ASL has more detail, but you really pay for that in terms of fluidity of game play and frequent rules look ups. With COH I was up and running for the first two scenarios within 20 minutes or so. The rules are so simple I could just play and concentrate on tactics.

I know the rules in SoS are slightly different, but I have also heard they are better(!) So I'm really looking forward to going through them using the programmed instruction format.

I've said this before, but I think these rules represent a evolution in squad level combat of the type seen when Squad Leader first came out. The combination of simplicity, fluidity and accuracy is outstanding. I particularly like the way players are given a huge range of options every time a unit is activated or uses an action.

I have to say having the original CoH available on VASSAL effectively sealed my decision to buy after only my first game. I think all companies should offer their products up on VASSAL as its good advertising and allows the community to play electronically at times where face to face games would be impossible - a big plus in my book.

Next month I will be purchasing the first module and my intention is to get hold of the Western front modules the second they become available!

Well done Uwe for one of the most fun and compelling tactical games to come out in a long while!

RobP
http://AncientArmies.co.uk

by marcnelsonjr

A: Generally not, but with exceptions.

Planners may vote on either side of an article in the assembly room. From page 8 of the rules:

Note that the Planner cards do not feature a faction icon (they feature the Planner icon in its place). Planners are therefore free to vote for or against any article regardless of its bias.

However, since their faction icon does not match the one on the article, Planners receive one point (not two) for voting yes on the winning side . From page 10 of the rules:

Any player who controls (has an influence marker on) one or more state delegations on the winning side gains points for each delegate card in those delegations: 2 points for each delegate whose faction icon matches the currently-showing faction bias of the article, and 1 point for each delegate featuring any other icon.

Planner cards are wild when speaking in debate. From page 9 of the rules:

Note that Planner cards are considered wild for this purpose and may be used to Speak in Debate for any faction.

However, Planner cards are not wild for the purposes of events such as James McClurg or John F. Mercer. From Christian Leonhard:

Planners don't really have "wild" faction (as in belonging to every faction) -- they simply lack a faction altogether. Therefore, they would not qualify for McClurg's bonus.

by MVives

So that didn't end well. Our first game of DQ, with my wife (Holly) playing Hugo and me playing Challara, went something like this.

Turn #1: Hugo dies from a swinging blade trap after rolling 11 on armor of 9. This is indeed a discouraging first move for Holly, especially since I am trying to demonstrate that DQ will be a fun game. The irony is that she had the rune that would block a trap, but figured that an armor of 9 would block the trap on its own. In order to continue our introduction to (or testing of) the game, we pretend that the check succeeded. But that only took her to...

Turn #4: Hugo falls into a bottomless pit and dies. Well... that was unexpected. Once again, in the spirit of continuing our introduction / test, we replace the bottomless put with another chamber and continue.

Turn #12: A few turns ago, Hugo decides to take his 40 gold and head back to the tower. Too bad he is killed on this turn by a poison gas trap. At this point Holly decides to call it in and let Hugo rest in peace. Let's see what happened to Challara...

Turn #19: Challara was doing OK for a while, but has become trapped behind two rotating rooms, and the only way out is through the catacombs. An attack by razorwings, a vampire, and... more razorwings eventually leads to her demise.

The image below shows how it ended up from Challara's side of the board. Kalladra the dragon is pleased with the day's results. Better luck next time for the heroes!


One amusing anecdote... Holly was impressed by the 500+ pieces in the game, so when she received the card for 40 gold, she asked "So where's my gold?" thinking that there must tokens to represent loot.

by dmcke013

Click here to withdraw to day six

Turn 31: September 01, Morning (Allied morale 7, French morale 5)
Weather = Clear

(random event = “Confusion and Chaos”. All units have -1 Movement Allowance)
Russian Cv moves south of VI as Prussian II and Russian III move to engage Cv in Pirna, with Austrian Cu also heading to Pirna.

Cv disengages from Prussian II and Russian III, moving north-east to do so.

Austrian IV and Russian Cv combine to attack VI, forcing them to withdraw, with Cv advancing after combat.

(random event = “Vive l’Empereur!” French player attempts to rally YG, but they are instead eliminated for good)
I moves north of Austrian IV as II moves down intro Dresden and I cavalry and Cv move either side of Prussian II corps outside Pirna.

Russian Cv disengages (south) from VI.

I attacks Austrian IV, only remaining engaged against them. I cavalry commits reserves (-1 French morale) against Prussian II corps, but are still forced to withdraw with II opting not to advance. Cv attacks Russian III corps, but are also forced to withdraw over the pontoon bridge. III advances after combat, into Pirna.

situation at end of turn 31


Turn 32: September 01, Mid-day (Allied morale 7, French morale 4)
Weather = Clear

(random event = “Conflicting Orders” French player chooses Prussian II corps as unable to move)
1Lt moves into the woods east of I as G+R moves to their south (-1 Allied morale for early Guard committal), and Russian Cv moves to the rough ground south-east of G+R. Finally, Austrian Cu moves to engage I cavalry.

French player decides to fore-go reaction phase.

Austrian Cu attacks I cavalry, forcing the defenders to withdraw (into Dohna) and advancing after combat. 1Lt, G+R and Austrian IV combine to attack I, who commit their reserves (-1 French morale) but are still routed 6 hexes (another -1 French morale). The first of these six is a hazardous retreat, which they pass. G+R advances after combat.

(random event = “Bad News and Spoiled Rabbit”. No effect, as previously drawn)
II advances down the road towards Karsdorf, as Cv heads towards Lillienstein.

Allied player also decides to fore-go reaction phase

I cavalry attacks Austrian Cu (outside Dohna), only remaining engages against them. VI commits reserves (-1 French morale) against G+R, but are still forced to withdraw, with G+R again advancing after combat.

‘Sudden death’ roll = game continues

situation at end of turn 32


Turn 33: September 01, Mid-day (Allied morale 6, French morale 1)
Weather = Clear

(random event = “Muddy Roads clogged with Broken Wagons”. Mud marker placed on mountain road outside Dippoldiswalde)
Prussian II and Russian III corps both move to engage I cavalry, as 1Lt and Austrian IV corps move to engage VI, and as Russian Cv heads onto and then down the Maxen/Dresden road.

I cavalry counter-charges Russian III corps, who commit their reserves (-1 Allied morale), but are still forced to withdraw, with I cavalry advancing after combat.

Prussian II and Russian III corps combine to attack I cavalry, breaking the defenders outright (+1 Allied morale, -1 French morale), and ending the game with an Allied marginal victory!

(Allied morale 6, French morale 0)

situation at end of game (Russian III has advanced after combat)


Final Thoughts

That ends the single largest game I have played, and the longest session report(s) I have ever written

The campaign, as a whole, followed my understanding of its’ historical counter-part, with the Allies first losing at Dresden, but then winning at Kulm, effectively negating the earlier French victory. The battle seemed to ebb and flow across the map: initially around Dresden, then down to the foothills to the south (during the Allied General Retreat), before back towards Dresden again.

What I did notice was that, with such a vast expanse to play over, both the importance of terrain in shaping the battle (both forces making extensive uses of the various roads criss-crossing both maps, and of the woods/towns/rough ground to defend in), and the length of time it would take any reinforcements to come into play (taking something like 10+ turns for 1Lt to get back into position)! The latter, of course, is probably more because the majority of the battle seemed to take place in the centre of the playing area.

by Samuelr

just had a thought...

Is there any rule preventing an unrevealed Cylon from using Weapons Control on Vipers?

I mean once you do that everyone's pretty much gonna know you're a Cylon, but if they are low on vipers it might be a good way to go out before you get brigged.

by wonderwitch

Last night the husband and I actually had a free moment to dive into our board game closet and pull out a new game. Ooh. Aah. We have approximately 8 or 9 games that are still never played, some of them still in the shrink (for shame!). And last night's choice was....The Market of Alturien--"a game for 2 to 6 crafty traders".

We picked this up at Origins 2010 on super discount, and have let it sit ever since June. Last night, we peeled off the shrink wrap on this giant box, and here's how it went.

First Impressions
Just examining the box it's hard not to notice how large it is. Unlike so many Euro games, it's not especially thick, but due to its large board size, this puppy is going to take up 12"x17" of your game closet space. The box artwork is absolutely beautiful and already tells me that some thought and care went into the game design. Awesome.

The Unboxing
Here are some shots from the unboxing. As you can see from the top photo, the box comes with full-color glossy instructions (which, by the way, were extremely easy to follow and well-written), large size board, a bag full of plastic "trade houses" in an assortment of 6 rather impressive colors: Yellow, fuschia, orange, black, green, and blue. (It's a shame they didn't pop for wooden pieces instead of plastic, which really could've elevated the game.) The game also comes with 7 plastic figures as shoppers and a thief (beautifully designed!), a deck of assorted gameplay cards, 2 special D6s, play money (nothing fancy, very Monopoly-esque), and two black cloth bags for part storage (score!).

The Game Play
Okay, so the game play is actually very simple. Players claim markets using their little plastic "trade house" pagodas, and then each turn is spent rolling dice and moving the "customer" figures around the board, and aiming them at markets you've claimed so they'll give you money for purchases. And money is king in this game, you need to save up enough bucks to buy "Prestige Cards". Purchasing three Prestige Cards before anyone else will win you the game. During a players turn, after the customers have been moved, players can use their money to buy "investments", which can include upgrades, new markets, and whatnot. Players also have to worry about a thief (the man in black) roaming the board. He, too, is controlled by other players and dice rolls. If he lands on your market, whoever placed him there gets to steal some of your money. Since the thief can't steal from the player with the least amount of money, his function in the game is to really act as the great equalizer.

The Review (based on a 2-player game)
To start with, this is one beautiful game. The board is artfully created and the customers and robbers really add to the game's prestige points (ha!...ahh, game humor). It's a shame they cheaped out on the Monopoly-type money and the plastic trade houses, since it took a game that could've been really elegant and made it resemble a Milton Bradley offering. The gameplay itself was really simple to catch onto. Let's be clear here: This is not a deep game--this is the type of thing you can pick up and play while watching a movie or chatting with friends. Note I don't necessarily mean this as a criticism, since sometimes we need a break from the deeper strategy gauntlets.

Beginning the game, we start off with the robber not in play and at first the gameplay focuses on just scooting those little shoppers around the board, building up your markets, and buying investments. Cash is free-flowing. On the surface, this may make the game seem too simple, but there is a certain deeper strategy that experienced and stealthy players can employ to make the game a cute combination of Chess and Nuns on the Run. I'm usually not a fan of games that depend on dice rolls too greatly, but the element of chance is minimal since a single roll doesn't impact game strategies too greatly. In other words, you roll those dice often enough that the chance factor takes a back seat to overarching strategies about where to aim the shoppers on the board and when to remove a heavy spender from one of your opponent's markets. Screwing people over has never been so much fun.

But then the robber entered the game--the great equalizer. And that's when the game took a slide. The problem is the robber equalizes too much. Basically, opponents move him around the board and whenever he lands on an opponents market, he steals money from the market and gives it to the player moving him. This happens every. single. turn. since people who move the robber can then proceed to roll the dice again (feasibly even moving the robber a second time). And since the person with the least amount of money gets control of the City Guard Card, which makes you immune to robbery, the person in last place can REALLY clean up.

In a two player game, this is devastating. I, as the orange player, was in a healthy lead with two Prestige Cards already in my figurative pocket (we opted to play to four prestige points), and the husband had none. I also had a stack of dough a mile high...until the robber started to take away $2 here, $4 there, and then all of a sudden I couldn't keep up with his thievery. And I couldn't hit back. That was the worst. There was no consequence to the husband just striking with the robber over and over. So in the end, I essentially just handed the husband all of my money until we were on completely even footing (which is the point when the City Guard Card and its immunity can finally change hands). The game was unjustly close at the end, and the husband pulled out a narrow victory, which even he admitted was completely unfair. I unabashedly submit that I should have won the game. My placement strategy was better, my clever Customer movement was spot-on, and my cash management was effective. I did all I could to fight off the robber, but I never stood a chance. He was too powerful.

So by the time the game was over, I had enjoyed parts of the gameplay, but I was kicking the gravel and muttering to myself about the unbalanced robber play. Perhaps in a 3+ player game this wouldn't be such an issue. But since the husband and I almost exclusively play 2-player games, I think next time we will either remove the City Guard Card (and therefore revoke robber immunity), or remove the robber altogether. With a little tweaking this could be a nice, light game for a weeknight (...or for slower friends). Kids and families could certainly enjoy this game as the turns move quickly, the games don't take too long (about 40 min. in our case), and the game is just overall light and airy. No inappropriate themes here, either.

Overall, I'm grading this game based on how enjoyable it was, how well the game was crafted, and how likely I'll be to play this again. The bottom line is that it will hold a space in my game closet...at least for the time being...and we'll probably play it a handful of times down the road. But this isn't a classic I'll cling to. C+

The full photos to go with the review can be found with its original posting at our Adventures in Board Gaming blog: http://AdventuresInBoardGaming.blogspot.com

by Lugbar

The fortification chit can only be played by the defender.
But first chit is always played by attacker.

Does it not make fortification useless to the defender, as the attacker will always have the chance to roll for a first attack chit before the defender can play fortification ?

by scottandkimr

I have not played PR in awhile but we are playing tonight. I reviewed the Universal Head rules summary. It says this about the Captain role: "On a player’s turn he must load goods if he can, and as many of those goods as he can. He must choose the ship where he can load the most goods."

I know the first sentence is correct, but is the bolded part correct (must choose the ship where you can load the most goods)? I know that the PC version does not enforce this rule and I don't remember playing with it on the board game.

Thanks in advance.

by elPANTERA

So, this might be stupid question, but just to clear this one up, can you open more city tiles than only one in your turn?

So the player starts his turn by opening one city-tile and placing it anywhere he wants. And then he moves out of the tile to un-opened area. Can you this way open more tiles in one turn?

We have played that you can open as many tiles as your movement let you move if you go to new area.
(I want to ask this because tomorrow we play 5 player game of this and I don't want any argument over this )

by Dorque

I've played twice irl where everything stayed ship to ship. I'm DMing the game Saturday so I ran through a sample personal fight. Do people really drop in like one phase?

2 Zoallan Marines are at a bar and one says "Your mama so fat, when she goes to the movies she sits next to everybody." The other replies, "Dude, we were both born in the same year. She's your mom too," and shoots him.

Combat 4 vs Target 9... need a 5 (Canosian and you need a 3!)
6HP, 2 armor, Damage 2d6 - 1... need a 9 to KO. Below 9 and he gets one phase to shoot back


1) Does every weapon having a turbo power pack mean they can fire every phase? Or could weapons fire every phase before and now they can fire multiple times in a phase?

2) Is the medkit heal action Science vs 11 heal 1d6 +1d6 per +3 on target #, or Science vs 11 heal 1 per point over 11? (I have a recent handout that differs from first edition book.)

3) Only Humans and Xeloxians can wear armor?

by rddfxx

Introduction

This year (early August, 2010) I stopped off at the World Boardgaming Championships (WBC) in in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for an all too brief two-and-one half day visit. My intention was to play in the Richard III tournament and to get an overall impression of the WBC, which I had never before attended. Well, there was more than enough time to peruse the dealer exhibits on the Friday before my tournament started, and peruse them I did. Catching my eye right away was the L2 Design booth and its latest offering, The Grand Fleet by Stephen Newberg, which was actually printed shortly before, and assembled practically on the road, to the WBC.

I had a chance to speak to the designer, Stephen Newberg, who was there manning the booth. Now, I had not heard of this game before the convention, but once I got the idea it was the next chapter -- a prequel, really -- to the War at Sea (WAS)/Victory in the Pacific (VITP) family, I was on board and reaching for the (golly, empty) wallet, a situation quickly addressed at the nearest ATM.

Grand Fleet (GF) models the struggle between Germany and the Allied powers -- most notably the United Kingdom -- for control of the sea lanes into northern Europe during the Great War, 1914-1918. The classic game on the subject is Avalon Hill’s Jutland (1967), which I played as a youngster back in the day. In some respects Grand Fleet is a remarkable melding of the WAS system with the exciting battle line action of Jutland, without the physical abuse of having to crawl around the floor, nautical movement gauge in hand, in order to fight the good fight (but wasn’t it a lot of fun when the knees were young and the heart willing?).

Components

1. 22” x 28” map of the North Sea and environs printed on very heavy card stock
2. 264 1.25” by 5/8 “ inch very high quality fleet, battle group and ship die cut counters
3. 108 9/16” die cut damage, disabled and sunk (assorted admin) counters
4. 1 die (goodness, you need a lot more than that to play, but the little buggers co$t)
5. Fleet and battle group organizational charts for each side
6. Battle board
Sequence of play summary chart
Rulebook

The components are of an excellent quality. The map and the charts are printed on a slick, heavy stock, perhaps equivalent to a single ply high gloss plate; the large counters are really gorgeous with period ship silhouettes. The legibility of the minor unit flotilla counters could have been improved had they used single ship silhouettes instead of crowding multiple images on the same counter, but that is a trifling complaint when stacked against the overall quality of the very well done major unit images. More dice would be nice, too, but then again perhaps those of us with plenty of dice already don’t want to pay for more. The play aids -- organizational charts and battle board -- are functional and easily augmented as we shall probably see as intrepid gamers take up the challenge of play and begin to post home made alternatives in the files section of Boardgamegeek.

The System

A lot of game is packed into the relatively small rulebook. Although the basic shell of the game is the old tried and true WAS/VITP system, the differences are significant. [Many gamers out there probably don’t know about and/or have never seen GF’s older siblings; the good news is WAS is available from L2 Design].

The WAS/VITP game system is built around a relatively simple resource allocation model. The game map is divided into historically significant strategic areas, into which the players allocate their naval and air resources. Players earn points for controlling areas on the map; such control is achieved essentially by overwhelming your opponent’s resources in each area by fighting battles small and large. Battles are simple affairs as each asset in the fight has an attack die rating which determines the number of dice rolled for that asset; the dice that come up 5 (disable) and 6 (hit) whittle away the enemy fleet. Assets have defense ratings that indicate the amount of damage each asset may sustain before sinking, but most hits scored are serious business for the survival of the asset.

GF amplifies and enriches the WAS/VITP system by adding layers of detail relating to the fog of war and period specific variations. Most important is the notion of the fleet and the battle group. Basic WAS/VITP relied on the alternating sequence in which players committed assets to the areas on the map in order to generate shock and awe, and occasionally not a little surprise. In GF, the sequence of deploying assets, while still important, is much less so as the main combat assets are deployed by battle group, and the composition of the battle groups is kept hidden; the battle group markers are deployed face down -- all your opponent sees is either the German naval ensign or a collection of allied naval ensigns. The organizational charts where the actual ships comprising the battle groups are stacked are kept from your opponent’s view. Prior to combat in a given area, the players conduct search and screen combat before the battle lines engage (more on this below).

After reading the rulebook a couple of times, I still had questions which I posed to designer Newberg (henceforth “Steve”) on the Consimworld Forum in the Grand Fleet folder. A first play through generated a host of additional questions, which again I passed by Steve on Consimworld. The bottom line is the available on-line resources certainly complement the rulebook, so a little effort pays off. And it may take most gamers several play throughs to fully understand the game and its mechanics, which is typically the case with wargames of moderate complexity.

Of Fleets and Battle Groups

Each side in GF is allotted 8 battle groups (BG), which may be deployed independently or collected into stacks to form fleets, of which each side has two markers, representing the British Grand and Channel Fleets, and the German High Seas and Baltic Fleets. Any or all of the BGs may be stacked together in a single sea area under one of these fleet counters, during the movement phase, to dynamically form the fleet named on the counter. Indeed, each side may form either or both fleets each turn in the same or in different sea areas as suits their battle aims. The allies may occasionally but not reliably have the use of a 9th BG, for the Russian fleet, and (via an optional rule) even a 10th BG for the (optional) French fleet. The American navy, which enters play late in the game, does not have its own BG marker(s), rather its assets will be distributed among the British BGs as they are brought into play.

[And now here’s a hint. If your first game goes like mine, you’ll be tempted to use and overuse those fleet markers by fighting one major fleet action after another, until both the allied and German navies are shot to hell by about, hmmmm, the end of 1915. But the allied navy will rebuild through the arrival of heavy re-enforcements throughout the war; the German navy won’t -- there just isn’t very much in the German pipeline-- so watch out. More on this below.]

But what is a BG? A BG is comprised of two components, a screen and a main battle line (MBL). The screen many have any, all or none of the following ship types: minor units submarines (SS) and /or destroyer/torpedo boat flotillas (DT), and major units light (CL) and/or armored cruisers (CA). Screens provide two crucial functions in GF: search and screen combat. The MBL may contain any, all or none of the major unit types: dreadnoughts (BB), battlecruisers (BC), and/or pre-dreadnought battleships (BA). The MBL provides a single function: multiple rounds of ship-to-ship combat versus opposing MBL(s).

A BG may have no naval units at all assigned to it; such a null BG may be deployed on the map as a decoy, but it cannot control an area. Control of an area requires at least two major units, whether they are deployed in a BG(s) or individually as independent major units.

There are 14 areas on the GF map over which the navies will contend, so the limited numbers of BGs must be allocated and used wisely. Fortunately, not all of the map areas are created equally as the points earned for controlling them are different for each player. Thus, either side may have the luxury of committing their old, attenuated pre-dreadnought warships as “independent major units”, i.e. not deployed in a BG(s), to hold and control the rear areas -- if you deploy at least two but no more than four in the same area -- while the battlegoups contend for the front line and high value point areas. This is a boon especially for the British player, who has a large number of these old girls at anchor in ports around the UK, and a large number of low point value areas around the periphery of the map that the former can shepherd for points as the latter are generally inaccessible to the German player. Independent major units are fine in the shepherd’s role, but they literally cannot contend with a BG, so they cannot control any area that can be reached by an enemy battlegoup (that isn’t a shipless decoy).

Combat Resolution

After the allied and German navies complete movement, the German player initiates the Combat Phase by selecting a first (any) sea area for combat resolution. The procedures for resolving combat in an area are carefully described in the rulebook, but one needs to pay close attention to appreciate and understand all of the fine points. At the beginning of combat resolution in a chosen area, neither side knows anything more than the number of counters on the map.

Mine Warfare

The first phase of combat resolution is the mine warfare resolution segment. For this phase, both sides reveal -- turn over -- any mine layer (ML), mine sweeper (MS) and airship (AS) counters in the given sea area. These are independent minor units that are not -- and cannot be -- part of any BG; rather they are independent assets that players move into sea areas during movement in support of (or in lieu of) BGs and/or major independent units. Mine layers can be deadly, and may potentially deliver up to 6 mine attacks per counter on the opposing fleet if not countered by sweepers and airships; basically, each pair of sweepers (MS) negates one layer (ML). A single MS, curiously, is ineffective. For each ML that is effective -- not offset by MS units --- the owning player rolls a 1D6 to generate the number of mine attack on the enemy forces. Each enemy airship (AS) in the area offsets one mine attack. The targets of the mine attacks are determined, somewhat painfully, by random selection. Players should take care during the laborious mine target selection procedure to conceal from their opponent any and all details about their forces in the area except for the actual targets of the mine attacks; the rules are not fast and fixed on how this should be done, but they do offer up some alternative procedures, so be creative. The mine attacks are resolved on the mine attack table, resulting in damage, disabling, sinkage or (whew!) no effect [NOTE: the table lists 1 HIT, 2 HITs and 3 HITs for MU, but what is actually meant is 1 to 3 points of damage, and not the ever much worse 1 to 3 HITS].


Search

Having resolved the mine attacks, play proceeds to the search phase. At this point all we have learned is what we needed to know to resolve the mine attacks, and what the carnage has been as a result of those attacks. Now comes the nitty gritty struggle to assert superiority in the search phase. A player with no BGs (and thus no fleets either) in the given sea area cannot search and cannot fight, and immediately cedes control to the player (if any) who does. Assuming both sides have BG(s), a search value (SV) is computed for each BG in the area; the values for the BGs comprising a fleet are added together to provide a single SV total for the fleet. The computed SV are modified by adding the search values of any airships (AS) in the area. Note: AS’s modify the SVs of all fleets and independent BGs in the area, but AS units DO NOT search by themselves, thus AS units in a sea area do not compute an SV if there is no BG present.

An SV is computed as follows: for each BG, add +3 for every submarine (SS) unit and +1 for every non SS in its screen. A fleet adds up the the SVs for all of its component BGs. All fleets and independent BGs then add the same modifier for the friendly AS units in the area: each AS adds +(movement factor - distance from its home base port). Each player announces his highest SV value for the sea area, either for a fleet or an independent BG. High total wins the search round in that area.

The side that loses the search round flips all of its remaining counters in the sea area to their front sides, revealing the names of the fleet(s), BGs, and the identities of the independent minor and major units in the area. The losing side must announce the number of counters comprising each fleet and each independent BG; the types and IDs of the counters comprising these are not revealed.

The side that wins the search round may then decide to “disengage by discovery”, i.e. retreat its fleet and BG counters out of the sea area and proceed directly to the anti-shipping warfare (ASW) phase of the combat in the area; or, alternatively, seize the initiative and announce the start of combat versus its choice of a fleet or an independent BG. It may engage the enemy with a fleet OR an independent BG (not both) of its own. The winner of the search round retains the initiative until combat ends in the area, regardless the results of subsequent screen actions (see below).

Screen Battle

The forces engaged -- i.e. those chosen by the initiative player to fight -- participate in a screen battle that entails all of the units in their respective screens. Each unit in the screen battle rolls 1D6, and disables (5) and hits (6) are tallied up. Hit damage is resolved and all sunk and disabled ships are removed from the engaged screens. The side with the most screen units after a round of combat wins the screen battle. Otherwise, the screen battle continues until there is a winner or all of the screen units for both sides have departed (sunk or disabled).

If the winner of the screen battle also won the search round, continue on to the next paragraph below [since the following steps have already been completed]. Otherwise, the side losing the screen battle flips all of its remaining counters in the sea area to their front sides, revealing the names of the fleet(s), BGs, and the identities of the independent minor and major units in the area. The losing side must announce the number of counters comprising each fleet and each independent BG; the types and IDs of the counters comprising these are not revealed.

Winning the screen battle confers benefits similar to winning the search round, but on a smaller scale: the winner may opt to “disengage by screen”, i.e. retreat the engaged fleet and BG counters out of the sea area, or continue on to the MBL combat. However, the winner of the search round retains the initiative, regardless what happens in the screen battle; if his opponent disengages by screen, he may initiate another battle with any as yet unengaged enemy fleet(s) and BG(s) still in the area. If he does engage a second (or third, etc) enemy fleet/BG, he may use the force that just incited the enemy to disengage, or swap it out for another force in the area.

Main Battle Line (MBL) Combat

Now the fun really begins in earnest as the MBLs have at it. The players remove their major unit counters from their holding boxes on the BG organizational displays and line them up nose-to-tail on the Battle Board. The round one bell clangs and players roll dice by the bucket full (if you have ‘em on hand to supplement the one that comes in the box). The ships line up one-to-one, but extras may double up on the shorter enemy MBL. 5’s disable and 6’s hit, randomly generating 1 to 6 points of damage. A major unit (MU) can handle hit damage equal to its defensive rating -- which top out at 5 for the very best BB MU’s -- any damage in excess of the defensive rating sends the MU to Davy Jones’ Locker. There aren’t any Bismarck class MU’s in this game (defensive rating of 9 in WAS); most MU’s are 4 or less, leading to plenty of sinkings on a single hit. MBL combat is lethal, shredding both sides’ assets in quick order.

The current battle proceeds by rounds until one side disengages by one of several methods: “by gunfire”, “by speed”, or (Germans only) “by turn away” [a.k.a the famed “Gefechtskehrtwendung”]. If all of one sides’ ships are sunk or disabled, we have “disengaged by gunfire”. One side can always flee with units that have greater speed ratings than the surviving enemy ships, this is known as “disengaging by speed”. The Gefechtskehrtwendung is a special trick that always takes the German out of harm’s way, “disengaging by turning away” [please note, the term Gefechtskehrtwendung doesn’t actually appear in the rules, but I just can’t resist throwing it into the discussion since my regular gaming partner, a WWI naval expert, rolls it off his tongue every chance he gets :-) ]

If the side with the initiative disengages, combat proceeds to the final ASW phase. Otherwise, the initiative player may opt to engage another enemy fleet/BG -- if one is available -- and we’re back to screen combat. The bottom line is the initiative player -- i.e. the winner of the search round -- is able to fight any and all enemy fleet(s)/BG(s) in the area so long as he keeps winning the MBL rounds until he has established control over the area. Losing screen battles doesn’t disrupt this march to control, apart from possibly letting some enemy forces slip away; however, once he disengages from an MBL fight, leaving surviving enemy forces, the initiative player is pushed out of the area regardless the number of fresh, unengaged friendly fleet(s)/BG(s) still available in the area.

Anti Shipping Warfare (ASW)

ASW is an altogether different kettle of fish than regular battle line combat. This is really an anti-SUBMARINE warfare phase. Surviving German subs (SS) will score victory points for (implicitly) conducting successful anti-shipping warfare if they are located in the special shipping lane areas indicated on the map with a sinking ship icon. After the MBL phase has ended, independent SS units -- those not assigned to BG screens -- are subject to ASW attacks. The German player goes first, as he attempts to disable allied SS by rolling a die for each independent ML and MS he has in the area. An allied SS is disabled for each 5 rolled, and note, 6’s do not hit! German ASW cannot sink allied SS units. Now all of this is probably irrelevant; unless the optional Submarine Attack rule (A11.0) is in play, the only thing allied subs are good for -- and it is a very important function -- is scouting and fighting in a BG screen; SS units in screen are not subject to ASW warfare, so the allied player isn’t going to deploy any independent SS to be attacked by ASW in the first place.

Next the allied player conducts ASW attacks, in which as many as 9 German victory points may be at stake (1 per available, surviving independent German SS, provided they are dispersed through the shipping lanes). Allied independent DT, ML, MS, SS and AS units in the area get to “shoot” at independent German SS by rolling a 1D6 each. Only allied DTs may sink German SS by rolling a 6, otherwise, units disable a German SS by rolling a 5. There is a tradeoff, in so far as German SS assigned to independent anti-shipping duty are not available for the all important BG search screen function, but the VPs available probably mean all German SS units should be sent on independent patrol to the shipping lanes all or most of the time. If they are so deployed, one would anticipate they will draw substantial numbers of allied DT to independent ASW duty in the shipping lanes, weakening the screening forces available to the allied BGs.

A First Game

My first play of Grand Fleet was a no holds barred, bare knuckles slugfest from the first 1914 turn until the High Sea Fleet was bled dry sometime in 1916. There were plenty of gameplay errors by both sides to complement the strategic errors we made as well. Although I took enough notes to reconstruct much of the action, the quality of play was too poor to make it a useful session report. I will however reflect a little on the relative sizes of the combatants and the strategical implications of the force imbalance.

Perhaps the best measure of the “weight of metal” either side can throw in a fight is the proxy provided in the game, the number of attack dice each fleet can throw in battle. Focussing on the primary line of battle ships, the dreadnoughts (BB), battle cruisers (BC) and pre-dreadnought battleships (BA), we have the following:

The British navy has a total of 35 BB, 13 BC and 20 BA which bring, respectively, 140, 36 and 21 attack dice to the party for a total “weight of metal” of 197 dice.
The Russian navy, which may only unreliably and fitfully make an occasional appearance, has 4 BB and 1 BA for 16 and 1 and a total “weight of metal” of 17 dice.
The late arriving Americans bring 9 BB with a total “weight of metal” of 33 dice.
Thus, the allied navies have a total of 247 attack dice.
Arrayed against this is the German navy with 19 BB, 6 BC and 15 BA with respectively 74, 23, and 18 or a total “weight of metal” of 115 dice.

In a worst case scenario, the Germans can bring less than 50% of the hitting power of the allies to an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of battle. In the series of actions I fought as the German against a capable allied admiral I faced much better odds than these, but the results of fighting constant, turn after turn major fleet battles was sobering after 4 turns:

Germans lost 12 BB, 2 BC and 4 BA for an estimated (using average attack dice per ship per class) loss of respectively 47, 8 and 5 or a total loss of 60 dice.
The allies -- all British -- lost 16 BB, 4 BC, and 1 BA , for an estimated 64, 11 and 1 for total of 76 dice.
The relative losses of the German were much higher, leaving a surviving balance of 55 attack dice versus 173 surviving allied attack dice or something on the order of 1-to-3.

The conclusion to be drawn from this first game is the German cannot win a slugfest, so the many other assets in play -- submarines, mines, airships, etc. must be used effectively to complement the main battle lines. The German capital ships are somewhat more robust than the allied ones, averaging nearly 1 full damage point higher in their protection factors, which is enough to explain the significant but strategically marginal advantage the Germans demonstrated in the fleet actions in our game. When next we play -- and we love this game so there will many more next times -- the German will be wiser and more evasive. It also helps that we now know the rules and have the kinks worked out.


Grand Fleet Rules Clarifications & Updates for V1.01 (posted by Stephen Newberg on Consimworld)

1. There is no specific counter example for minor units and it might be good to have one, but the sole value on a minor unit is its movement value.

2. In general definitions in the gun combat section also apply to the mine combat section, but on the Mine Combat Table, the number of hits indicated is the number of damage points taken, not the number of dice to be rolled to determine the number of damage points,

3. The BC Australia was intentionally left out of the counter mix, but if you want to add it back in, you need to add a UK 2-2-4 counter arriving on turn 5.

4. The Anti-Shipping VPs that the German player can earn for SS units are at a maximum of 2 per area per turn.

In 8.2 the Search value of the example for the German player should be 6, not 5.
6. HMS Triumph is not listed on the left of page 10 (the graphic at the bottom of page 10 correctly shows 8 ships in the battle line, but only 7 are named).

by DUMASCLUB

I've seen this game around but there is nothing on the website. When will this game be availble?

by dylwoods

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out which States of Siege game is the best for me, and I have it narrowed down to this one or Levee en Masse.

I know this is the Soviet Dawn forum, but it seemed the most active out of the two.

Reading the manuals of each, they seem like pretty similar games, though Levee seems like it relies even more on "track sliders", and has less "flavor" events and cards and whatnot. Is that true? Those of you that have played both, which one do you like the best?

Thank you very much for your advice.

by angelkurisu

We will be packing the bulk of distribution and store orders this weekend, and sending them out Tuesday and Wednesday

I don't know what this means as far as a specific date it'll arrive at your local store, except for 'soon'!

by SaintsnSoldiers

New to game. If you are playing the Character card that allows you to draw a card when you are out of cards, can you continue to draw and play draw and play. This seems odd. You could have a continual turn. We played it as when his hand was played his turn as far as playing cards was over and he could draw a card which he could use to counter act a attack of action. Not sure what to do.

by inefable urlik

I have a doubt concerning B. Logistics Phase B.1 SUPPLY:
In this phase, each player checks that his units are capable of tracing a line of zones free of enemy units between the zone where the units are located and a supply source for his camp
An empty zone is not considered to be free of enemy units if it is controlled by the Americans or if it is adjacent to a zone containing an enemy unit
Does this mean that units exert a 1 zone - Zone of Control (ZOC in hex games) for supply interdiction? For example, if Zhukov Soviet units advance into Falkenberg and Falkenhagen, all German units in the Oder red zones would be OOS if Prötzel and Münchenberg were empty.

by Laurisa

hi all

a basic question after reading the rules: is there any limit (other than stacking limits of course) to the number of units that may attach to the MAF?

by infinicongames

Just a quick question...I've noticed several people mention that they are playing solo with the "I" deck or "K" deck, etc.

I've been playing solo with ALL 1+ occupations and ALL the minor improvements. Are you allowed to do this? Supposed to do this? Not recommended (perhaps due to the harmony between the various deck occupations/improvements)?

Thanks for any feedback!

by Echtalion

This game is one of the most anticipated in my (long) list of games for this year. Ok, the MOST anticipated.
As the different expansions focus on diferent parts of Middle-Earth,
I'm wondering whether there will be a campaign setting for the game. It would be fabulous if we (or myself, single-handedly fighting the hosts of Mordor :sauron could link the different adventures set in the different locations, for a grand adventure tour of ME.

If you complete a challenge, you carry on to the next one. Or, even if you messed up and failed, it could be possible to get new heroes and start anew. There could be some VP score, or XP points, to get equipment, heroes, etc.

Does anyone know anything about this possibility?