War at Sea was first published in Australia by Jedko Games (1975). A second edition was published by Avalon Hill (1980). The L2 Design Group thought enough of the design to republish in towards the end of 2007.

Although the original Jedko rulebook was only 3 pages long (and small pages at that) Avalon Hill was able to expand the rulebook 6 pages in length (and larger pages as well). The L2 Design Group really outdid themselves by expanding the rulebook to 13 pages of rules. The game plays almost exactly the same in each of it’s three editions.

Why is it that a game that many consider a poor simulation and highly luck-based published by three different companies over a span of 32 years?

I can actually answer that one!

It is an extremely interesting and exciting game to play. It is a good simulation of some aspects of World War II. The balance is better than many people think. It is highly interactive, plays quickly and fills in 90 minutes very nicely.


In WAS the Allied forces have British, Russian and United States ships (there are variant rules that will also bring in the French Navy) – 27 ships at the start with another 19 to come in as reinforcements. The Axis start with 7 German ships and 10 Italian ships – they will get 6 ships as reinforcements.

The Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean are divided into sea zones. Generally, the Axis will get more points for controlling each area than the Allies. This means the Axis only need to control a small number of sea zones to win the game. The Allies need to use their superior force to deny the Axis control of just about every single sea zone on the map.

To play the game the Allied player places/moves his ships. The Axis player then will do the same. Players place Land Based Air units and the Axis player places his submarines. Battle takes place – first Submarines, then Air and then Ship-to-ship combat. In regards to Ship-to-ship combat, German ships generally have a technological advantage and in an equal combat you would expect the Germans to win.

Combat is resolved through the rolling of dice – I can’t believe that L2 has included just a single die in the box – they may as well have included no die at all. You really need at least a dozen dice to play this game. The ships with more guns roll more dice than ships with small guns. For each ‘6’ you roll another die to see how many hits you will score on an opposing ship. For each ‘5’ you will disable an enemy ship at send it to port.

Simulation – WAS is a good simulation of Grand Strategy in World War II. It focuses on the ‘big picture’. WAS is a poor simulation of ship to ship combat but I suspect that was not one of its design parameters. As the Allied player you have decide how you are going use your resources. Do you fight for the Mediterranean or do you concentrate against the Germans? Do you spread yourself thin everywhere, hoping to provoke battles or do you concentrate on a smaller number of sea zones so that you will have numerical superiority wherever a battle is commenced. As the Axis player you decide when to send your ships out and when you decide to keep them in port to conserve strength for the crucial battle at the crucial time in the war.

Luck – I believe the more dice you roll the more luck will even out.

Balance – I feel the game, between equally skilful players, is well balanced. If you feel otherwise the game plays quickly enough that you can play it twice (once each side) and then add the scores for the two games together.

Components – The L2 Design Group has a reputation for high quality components and WAS is no exception. There is a colourful rulebook with lots of illustrations and examples. You get two sheets of multi-colour and back-printed counters. There is a large, colourful map (although, to be hones, it really doesn’t want to lie flat and you should get a sheet of plexiglass to place over it) – this map is significantly larger than that in the previous editions and it is really nice to have plenty of space to resolve battles. 1 die previously commented on. It all comes in a sturdy and colourful box (although, to be honest, it could have been a lot smaller).

WAS is a great game with a massive amount of replayability, due to the large number of strategies and responses available to both players. The L2 Design Group has actually done more than simply republish the game. They have added to the game in the form of several optional rules for the French Navy, Admirals and mines in the English Channel.

Overall I am very impressed with WAS by L2. I have the Jedko and the Avalon Hill games and still really enjoy playing the L2 version, largely because of its attractive counters and maps. I suspect that the RRP of $60 is perhaps a little on the steep side, especially when you look at the amount of components you can get from other publishers for less money.

"Dead Men Tell No Tales"