Strike South (Second World War at Sea)
From: Avalanche Press Ltd.
Reviewed by:Ron McClung
Strike South (Second World War at Sea) is a new counter-based war game from Avalanche Press Ltd..
The Pacific War has always been one of my favorite areas of WWII study. Japan’s push for Pacific domination, the island hopping, and the turning point at Midway all fascinated me. Strike South is a Second World War at Sea series game based on the mid-war Japanese aggression in the Pacific – from 1941to 1942.I was quite intimidated by the prospect of reviewing this game because I knew it involved naval combat, which could be quite complicated, not unlike science fiction spaceship combat systems.
From the cover: “Japan Invades the South Seas, 1941-42” There are two aspects of this game – the Rules and the Scenarios. The rules of the game are part of a series of games –Second World War at Sea.
Contents: Contained within the box are 140 long playing pieces, depicting the major fleet units including battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers and fleet destroyers. There are also 280 square playing pieces, half the size of the ship pieces, mostly depicting aircraft but also smaller warships and markers. There are two operational maps. One depicts the South China Sea and the other the East Indies, including all the major ports and airbases. The area of play encompasses Formosa on the north to Australia on the south, overlapping with that is Eastern Fleet on the west edge stretching to New Guinea on the east.
Strike South includes 15 scenarios, re-creating the battles and campaigns that took place during WWII in the South Pacific. A little more than half of these are battle scenarios, useful for learning the combat system or for a quick game of 30 minutes or less. The other half are operational scenarios. Operations include the invasion of Malaya, the last mission of the British battleship Prince of Wales, the Battle of the Java Sea, the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, and the the Battle of Sunda Strait.
Each scenario has various tasks to perform, like launching amphibious invasions, escorting troop convoys, bombarding key enemy positions, or seeking and destroying enemy fleets. Each side has a set of victory conditions. The system attempts to simulate key tactical advantages and disadvantages in the game. This early in the war, the Axis side has the advantage militarily, but of course due to the fact they are usually the aggressors, they have considerable time constraints and ambitious goals. On the other side, the Allied player struggles with divided command and smaller forces. The allies must make best what little resources they have, and every strike must be effective.
In the box there are several items to be copied and used in game, including data sheets, carrier cards, task force cards and airbase cards. Each sheet is very compact and contains a lot of information. There are not a lot of them, but the sheer amount of information they contain is somewhat intimidating. The detail is impressive.
From the website: “Japan embarked on the Pacific War for one reason: to seize the oil and metals of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya. In a daring five-month campaign, Japanese air, land and naval forces conquered a vast segment of the Earth’s surface from its American, British, Dutch and Australian defenders.”
System: The rules system is the Second World War at Seas rule set, a system used for a number of other games like Bismarck, Bomb Alley and Eastern Fleet. The game is played on both maps. The operational map is used to move fleets until contact is made. Contact is made when two enemy fleets meet in the same sea zone on the operational map. At that point, play moves to the tactical map to resolve combat.
The tactical map is used in combat. It is a generic blue field of hexagons on which ships maneuver and fight using their combat factors – gunnery and torpedo. Turn sequence is made up of the following phases: Weather, Air Patrol, Orders, Air Search, Air Mission Assignment, Navel Movement, Submarine Attack, Surface Combat, Air Strike, Air Readiness, Special Operations and Air Return. Special Operations include several special actions including Bombardment, Emergency Repairs and Refueling. Each type of combat has its own procedures and follow several simple, explained steps.
Tactical combat and movement is accomplished through an impulse system of turns. In an impulse sequence, players get the opportunity to move, and perform combat actions. The combat system involves rolling six-sided dice (d6)based on ship’s abilities, with hits occurring on a result of 6.Damage for gunnery and torpedo damage is determined through tables. Results can include damage to engines, hull or armament. Aircraft attacks are resolved in a similar fashion. Air to surface and air to air combat is explained in detail. I like the use of secrecy with regards to the air missions; it is another additive to simulate real conditions of the time.
The combat system is fairly fast and easy and attempts to be historically accurate. One are where the complexity comes in is the movement. The game tries very hard to simulate conditions in WWII including the lag time between communication and course setting. Fleets are obligated to set course six turns ahead o time. As things change in the game, so can the course, but in general, the fleet stays on course where it can. I found this quite interesting but hard to keep up with.
There are a variety of special rules including air to air combat, air strikes, submarines, anti-submarine warfare, and air operations, as well as rules on fuel consumption for the advanced game. The scenario booklet supplies a few extra rules including minefields and mine sweeping, motor torpedo boats, and special air rules.
In conclusion, initially I thought this game was not for the light at heart, but as I read through it, I found it wasn’t too bad. However, the rules are not written for a newbie to this type of game. It took me a few reads to really get the hang of it. Call me a light-weight gamer, but I need a few more illustrations and examples to completely understand what they are trying to get across. This has been a common problem I have had with Avalanche Press games but not something I can not overcome. This rulebook in particular was a little harder to follow, however.
It is important to note that like all Avalanche Press games, there is considerable web support on their web site.
For more details on Avalanche Press Ltd. and their new Counter-based War Game “Strike South (Second World War at Sea)” check them out at their websitehttp://www.avalanchepress.com, and at all of your local game stores.
Strike South (Second World War at Sea)
From:Avalanche Press Ltd.
Type of Game:Counter-based War Game
Contributing Authors:Mike Benninghof, Shane Ivey
Game Design by:Brian Knipple
Developed by: Brian Knipple
Cover Art by:Terry Strickland
Additional Art by:Shannon Brown, Terry Strickland
Number of Pages:34
Game Components Included: Two 32″x22″ strategic maps,
Retail Price:$ 49.99 (US)
Number of Players:2
Play Time:30 minutes to many hours
Item Number:APL0030
ISBN:19770 00030
Website:www.avalanchepress.com
Reviewed by: Ron McClung