Great War at Sea series
Encyclopedia
The Great War at Sea series of board wargame
s released by Avalanche Press
features operational
and tactical
-level naval combat in the period of the early battleship
s and dreadnought
s (various titles cover from 1898–1930). Each game in the series comes with a common rule book and tactical map, as well as game-specific operational map, counters
and scenarios.
There have been nine games in the series to date, and it was the basis for Avalanche's spin off series the Second World War at Sea
, as well as a proposed new series
dealing with ironclads. It has proven very popular, with the third game being Avalanche's sixth best selling title. Also, two of the titles have received Origins Awards.
Turns in the strategic segment are about 3 hours, and fleets are given missions when they set out. With many missions, the entire route and actions must be pre-plotted at the beginning, with some more flexible assignments (usually raiding or searching) only requiring two turns of planning. Each force is represented on the map with a single counter, so the composition is not known to the enemy. Raiding forces are not placed on the map until they do something (like attack merchant shipping), or is found by searching enemy forces. So, much of the game is spent with forces going about pre-determined missions while reaction forces attempt to find them and force them to battle, or to abort their mission.
Once two forces do find each other, combat is resolved by means of a light tactical system. Each ship bigger than a destroyer has its own counter, while destroyers and smaller vessels have counters that can represent one to three ships.
There is a certain amount of record-keeping in the system, with hits from combat being recorded against gunnery, hull or speed factors. Fuel is also tracked, with provisions for refueling in port as well as at sea. For combat, ships are primarily rated as having primary, secondary and tertiary gunnery factors, which have different ranges and ability to penetrate armor to do damage.
for Best Historical Board Game.
Studying the actual plans
of the United States Navy
and Imperial Japanese Navy
, Plan Orange attempts to recreate what a war in the Pacific would have been like in 1930 if there had been no Washington Naval Treaty
.
Set later than any other game in the series, it includes extra rules for dealing with air-to-air combat, and aircraft carrier
s. The operational map covers from Formosa
(Taiwan) to Kyūshū
and the northern Philippines
.
The counter mix provides many of the forces that would historically have been available in 1930, as well as some of the battleships and battlecruisers that had been canceled due to the Washington treaty, while those that had been converted to carriers because of the treaty still appear as such (except for the battleship Kaga
, which appears as such, and the Amagi
which was canceled after being wrecked in an earthquake, appears as a carrier).
Plan Orange is out of print and was planned to be released in a new version sometime in 2007 or 2008, but has since been postponed indefinitely.
, this volume received the 1999 Origins Award for Best Historical Board Game.
developed for a conflict against Germany should she emerge victorious in WWI. It includes many ships canceled by the Versailles Treaty, and an operational map covering part of the Caribbean. As Plan Gold features a larger map covering the same area, Plan Black is out of print, and will not be reprinted, short of a major revision.
. The first edition of this game was a "cadillac" version, mounted operational and tactical maps, and battle and operational scenarios using in some cases maps and counters from GWAS Plan Orange, 1904, and Mediterranean. Second edition will be released in December 2010 as a game in a book format. Corrects the major problem that the tactical scenarios for the first edition had set up instructions for the standard tactical map, but the mounted tactical map was smaller by seval hex-rings and couldn't be used with the set up instructions as printed. The 2nd edition, entitled Remember the Maine, will have 12 scenarios, all playable without components from other games.
for fighting the Royal Navy
, and possible actions in Canada.
, Plan Gold features an operational map of the Caribbean. It was produced under Avalanche's Classic Wargames (preorder) program and was released in mid 2006.
pieces for South American nations. It was produced under the Classic Wargames program and was released in March 2008.
and Japan
during the early part of the 20th century. It uses a small box size and comes with a new edition of the series rules and shares a sheet of counters with Coral Sea.
Great White Fleet second edition was released in 2009 with new scenarios utilizing fleets from Plan Gold and Cone of Fire among other in-print titles. 25 scenarios total, many focusing on the Great White Fleet fighting enemies everywhere it goes.
n dreadnoughts, such as Brazil
's Minas Gerais class battleships, the Brazilian battleship Rio de Janeiro
, Argentina
's Rivadavia class battleship
, and Chile
's battleships. Several Austrian warships are also included, such as an aircraft carrier
, the Projekt V class fast battleships, the Projekt VI class light battlecruisers, some more cruisers, and some other battlecruisers. Spain
's second and third generation dreadnoughts are also included, as are some Russia
n cruisers and Turkish
battleships.
The success of Zeppelins led to the release of a comb-bound supplement with additional scenarios entitled Airships.
and uses the Plan Gold map. It was announced on November 19, 2007 and is scheduled to be released in December 2007. It contains the same pieces as the original game, including British G3 battlecruiser
s, N3 battleships, and the American 1919 class battleship.
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
s released by Avalanche Press
Avalanche Press
Avalanche Press is an American company that publishes board wargames and has published some role-playing game supplements. An extremely prolific company, they have produced many respected contributions to the wargame community, most notably The Great War at Sea and Panzer Grenadier series, as well...
features operational
Operational warfare
Operational mobility, beginning as a military theory concept during the period of mechanisation of armed forces, became a method of managing movement of forces by strategic commanders from the staging area to their Tactical Area of Responsibility....
and tactical
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
-level naval combat in the period of the early battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s and dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s (various titles cover from 1898–1930). Each game in the series comes with a common rule book and tactical map, as well as game-specific operational map, counters
Counter (board wargames)
Boardgame counters are usually small cardboard squares moved around on the map of a wargame to represent armies, military units or individual military personnel. The first modern mass-market wargame, based on cardboard counters and hex-board maps, was Tactics, invented by Charles S. Roberts in 1952...
and scenarios.
There have been nine games in the series to date, and it was the basis for Avalanche's spin off series the Second World War at Sea
Second World War at Sea series
Second World War at Sea is a game series produced by Avalanche Press covering naval combat during World War II. The series is based on Avalanche Press' Great War at Sea...
, as well as a proposed new series
Ironclads series
The Ironclads series of board wargames is Avalanche Press's new series about naval combat in the mid 1800s. The series is loosely based on the company's Great War at Sea, and features operational and tactical level gameplay.-Games:...
dealing with ironclads. It has proven very popular, with the third game being Avalanche's sixth best selling title. Also, two of the titles have received Origins Awards.
Overview
The focus of Great War at Sea series games features two levels of play: the "operational" game, where fleets move and conduct missions on a map of the area where the game takes place (this map uses "staggered squares"—technically a hex grid—presumably to save space as the squares are exactly the same size as the fleet counters, and only a few counters are on the board at a time); and the "tactical" game, where the individual ships maneuver and fire on a generic open sea tactical map.Turns in the strategic segment are about 3 hours, and fleets are given missions when they set out. With many missions, the entire route and actions must be pre-plotted at the beginning, with some more flexible assignments (usually raiding or searching) only requiring two turns of planning. Each force is represented on the map with a single counter, so the composition is not known to the enemy. Raiding forces are not placed on the map until they do something (like attack merchant shipping), or is found by searching enemy forces. So, much of the game is spent with forces going about pre-determined missions while reaction forces attempt to find them and force them to battle, or to abort their mission.
Once two forces do find each other, combat is resolved by means of a light tactical system. Each ship bigger than a destroyer has its own counter, while destroyers and smaller vessels have counters that can represent one to three ships.
There is a certain amount of record-keeping in the system, with hits from combat being recorded against gunnery, hull or speed factors. Fuel is also tracked, with provisions for refueling in port as well as at sea. For combat, ships are primarily rated as having primary, secondary and tertiary gunnery factors, which have different ranges and ability to penetrate armor to do damage.
Mediterranean
Mediterranean was the initial release in the series, and has been released in a second edition.Northern Waters/Jutland
Originally released as Great War at Sea: Northern Waters, Jutland was released in December 2006 as a second revised edition of the original title.U.S. Navy Plan Orange
The first of what would become a popular 'sub series' Plan Orange received the 1998 Origins AwardOrigins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Historical Board Game.
Studying the actual plans
War Plan Orange
War Plan Orange refers to a series of United States Joint Army and Navy Board war plans for dealing with a possible war with Japan during the years between the First and Second World Wars....
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
, Plan Orange attempts to recreate what a war in the Pacific would have been like in 1930 if there had been no Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
.
Set later than any other game in the series, it includes extra rules for dealing with air-to-air combat, and aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s. The operational map covers from Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(Taiwan) to Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
and the northern Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
The counter mix provides many of the forces that would historically have been available in 1930, as well as some of the battleships and battlecruisers that had been canceled due to the Washington treaty, while those that had been converted to carriers because of the treaty still appear as such (except for the battleship Kaga
Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga
Kaga was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , named after the former Kaga Province in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture...
, which appears as such, and the Amagi
Amagi class battlecruiser
The was a series of four battlecruisers planned for the Imperial Japanese Navy as part of the so-called Eight-eight fleet. The ships were to be named Amagi, , Atago, and Takao; the first three were named for mountains , while the fourth was named for the town of Takao, Formosa...
which was canceled after being wrecked in an earthquake, appears as a carrier).
Plan Orange is out of print and was planned to be released in a new version sometime in 2007 or 2008, but has since been postponed indefinitely.
1904-1905: The Russo-Japanese War
Covering the naval portions of the Russo-Japanese WarRusso-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, this volume received the 1999 Origins Award for Best Historical Board Game.
U.S. Navy Plan Black
U.S. Navy Plan Black was based on the plansUnited States Color-coded War Plans
During the 1920s and 1930s, the United States military Joint Army and Navy Board developed a number of color-coded war plans to outline potential U.S. strategies for a variety of hypothetical war scenarios...
developed for a conflict against Germany should she emerge victorious in WWI. It includes many ships canceled by the Versailles Treaty, and an operational map covering part of the Caribbean. As Plan Gold features a larger map covering the same area, Plan Black is out of print, and will not be reprinted, short of a major revision.
1898: The Spanish-American War
Detailing the naval actions of the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. The first edition of this game was a "cadillac" version, mounted operational and tactical maps, and battle and operational scenarios using in some cases maps and counters from GWAS Plan Orange, 1904, and Mediterranean. Second edition will be released in December 2010 as a game in a book format. Corrects the major problem that the tactical scenarios for the first edition had set up instructions for the standard tactical map, but the mounted tactical map was smaller by seval hex-rings and couldn't be used with the set up instructions as printed. The 2nd edition, entitled Remember the Maine, will have 12 scenarios, all playable without components from other games.
U.S. Navy Plan Red
Based on hypothetical War Plan RedWar Plan Red
Joint Army and Navy Basic War Plan Red, also known as the Atlantic Strategic War Plan, was a plan for the United States to make war with the British Empire . It was developed by the United States Army following the 1927 Geneva Naval Conference; and approved in May 1930 by the Secretary of War and...
for fighting the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and possible actions in Canada.
Cruiser Warfare
Cruiser Warfare is about merchant raiding in the early parts of WWI as practiced by long-range cruisers. Instead of a normal operational map, it features a world map, with different areas to move between.U.S. Navy Plan Gold
Based on hypothetical plans for fighting the French NavyFrench Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
, Plan Gold features an operational map of the Caribbean. It was produced under Avalanche's Classic Wargames (preorder) program and was released in mid 2006.
Cone of Fire
Cone of Fire contains both Great War at Sea and Second World War at SeaSecond World War at Sea series
Second World War at Sea is a game series produced by Avalanche Press covering naval combat during World War II. The series is based on Avalanche Press' Great War at Sea...
pieces for South American nations. It was produced under the Classic Wargames program and was released in March 2008.
Pacific Crossroads
Pacific Crossroads is the new introductory game for Great War at Sea and covers a conflict between the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during the early part of the 20th century. It uses a small box size and comes with a new edition of the series rules and shares a sheet of counters with Coral Sea.
Future Games
Three future Great War at Sea boxed games have been mentioned in the Gold Club Insider for inclusion in a future Classic Wargames round. The April 2008 Gold Club Insider also mentions an introductory Great War at Sea game to be announced sometime in 2008. This introductory volume was released in May 2010 under the title Pacific Crossroads. It features 6 battle scenarios and 4 operational scenarios, all set in 1919. A supplement book, Plan Scarlet, contains 25 additional scenarios using ships from other releases and will be out sometime in October 2010.U.S. Navy Plan Crimson
U.S. Navy Plan Crimson was announced on October 22, 2008 as the first free downloadable game for Gold Club members. Plan Crimson covers a fictional conflict between the United States and Canada in the 1920s and features many "lake battleships". The game is only available to Gold Club members as a free download.Great White Fleet
Great White Fleet was an early supplement to the series, with 20 new operational scenarios generally set from 1898 to 1908. They all require multiple products to play (usually the operational map from either 1898, 1905, Plan Orange or Plan Black, as well as counters from one or more of those and Northern Waters). It has a more detailed battle system for pre-dreadnoughts (emphasizing command and control issues), as well as new (unmounted) counters on the back cover, and an operational map covering the southern Philippines (meant to connect with the Plan Orange map). As Plan Orange, Plan Black, 1898 and 1904 are all out of print, Avalanche has let the book go out of print with no plans of making it available again.Great White Fleet second edition was released in 2009 with new scenarios utilizing fleets from Plan Gold and Cone of Fire among other in-print titles. 25 scenarios total, many focusing on the Great White Fleet fighting enemies everywhere it goes.
Dreadnoughts
Dreadnoughts is another supplement for the entire line of Great War at Sea games, with counters for new ships, scenarios, and advanced rules for tactical combat. Dreadnoughts focuses on the South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n dreadnoughts, such as Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's Minas Gerais class battleships, the Brazilian battleship Rio de Janeiro
HMS Agincourt (1913)
HMS Agincourt was a dreadnought built in the early 1910s. The ship was originally ordered by Brazil, but the collapse of the rubber boom plus a lessening of the rivalry with Argentina led to her resale while still under construction to the Ottoman Empire who renamed her as Sultan Osman I...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's Rivadavia class battleship
Rivadavia class battleship
The Rivadavia class was a two-ship group of battleships designed by the American Fore River Shipbuilding Company for the Argentine Navy...
, and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
's battleships. Several Austrian warships are also included, such as an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, the Projekt V class fast battleships, the Projekt VI class light battlecruisers, some more cruisers, and some other battlecruisers. Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's second and third generation dreadnoughts are also included, as are some Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n cruisers and Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
battleships.
Zeppelins
Zeppelins is a supplement released in July 2007 with new 2/3" by 1 1/3" counters for various airships of different countries. It includes articles about airships, new rules for the use of these new airships and new or modified scenarios from previous games using the counters.The success of Zeppelins led to the release of a comb-bound supplement with additional scenarios entitled Airships.
Sea of Troubles
Sea of Troubles is a new version of the old Plan Red game, but is set in the Caribbean SeaCaribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
and uses the Plan Gold map. It was announced on November 19, 2007 and is scheduled to be released in December 2007. It contains the same pieces as the original game, including British G3 battlecruiser
G3 battlecruiser
The G3 battlecruisers were a class of battlecruisers planned by the Royal Navy after the end of World War I in response to naval expansion programs by the United States and Japan. The four ships of this class would have been larger, faster and more heavily-armed than any existing battleship...
s, N3 battleships, and the American 1919 class battleship.
Future Supplements
Avalanche Press has stated that it would like more Great War at Sea supplements to be available.External links
- Avalanche Press' Great War at Sea Page
- Great War at Sea series at BoardGameGeekBoardGameGeekBoardGameGeek is a website that was founded in January 2000 by Scott Alden and Derk Solko as a resource for the board gaming hobby. The database holds reviews, articles, and session reports for over 45,000 different games, expansions, and designers. BoardGameGeek includes German-style board games,...