Kurt Over
United States
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
-
Detailed Example of a single week in a Silent War Campaign Game
I've seen patrol examples and campaign AARs that generally abstract past what actually goes on with a Silent War campaign game. And patrol games skip over campaign-oriented parts of the rules. Since I do not recall ever seeing a detailed description of a week of a campaign game showing all the rolls and decision making I am going to make one now so that readers can get a feel how much decision-making, die-rolling and repetition there is.
Background Situation
It's the fourth week of March in 1942.
Torpedo Rating: -2
(Major torpedo issues still, with the -2 affecting all hit attempts and sinking attempts. I'm sure we will see some rolls where this is the reason a target is missed, or hit and not sunk. Gives you a nice feeling of the frustration that the actual skippers probably had.)
War Period: 1
(Initial war period still with no general Japanese ASW effect, and shipping favoring certain areas. As the War Period changes the different areas of the Pacific become more (or less) favorable for finding potential targets and more/less dangerous in terms of ASW activity that affects attacks in, and transit through, that area by submarines.
The War Period also defines the distribution of the Japanese ship chits into the different cups (A, B, C, and D). As the War Period changes the mix will adjust as well to cause different target and escort distributions.)
Ships Sunk: 49
Tons Sunk: 140,000
Subs Lost: 8
Ships sunk is important since this number controls your ability to improve your Torpedo Rating. Once 70 or more ships have been sunk there is a chance to get the Torpedo Rating from -2 to -1, which should noticably improve attack efficiency.
Tons sunk is important since there are minimum goals in the campaign game. The first goal was 90,000 tons sunk by the end of Feb 1942, which was reached. The current goal is 220,000 tons sunk by the end of May 1942. A ways to go...
Subs lost affects the victory level at the end of the campaign compared to historical losses. Subs so far have been lost to counterattacks by enemy DDs and aircraft, torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, and lost in transit for reasons unknown.
Active Bases:
Pearl Harbor
(Main US base where most submarines initially deploy. Pearl Harbor has good repair facilities. A few good hunting areas are within easy deployment range.)
Freemantle (Australia)
(Base on the southwestern part of the board. Just opened by a War Event two weeks previously when the Manila (Philippines) base was lost. Good repair facilities, but not as good as a deployment location as Manila was. A number of submarines are still in transit from Manila to Freemantle.)
Sub Tender Holland at Surabaya (Java)
(Forward base with limited ability to repair and rearm subs which allow submarines to rearm and make minor repairs without having to go to Freemantle.)
Sidebar: Description of Bases
Bases have boxes for submarines to be in various states of repair as well as representing submarines being readied for a sea patrol. Pearl Harbor, for instance is described as follows:
Capacity 16: Total submarines that can be the in 1, 2, and 3 Repair Boxes at one time.
Hold Yard: Reserve yard where damaged subs can be held while other subs get priority and there are more damaged subs than the base capacity.
Repair 3 (heavy damage): 4 (roll 4 or less to get submarine to Repair 2)
Repair 2 (medium damage): 6 (roll 6 or less to get submarine to Repair 1)
Repair 1 (light damage): 8 (roll 8 or less to get submarine to Broom Box)
Broom Box (submarines being prepared for patrol)
Pier-Side (submarines that will be ready for sea the next week)
Ready for Sea (submarines that may transit move outbound this week)
Submarines received as reinforcements or returned to base (RTB) undamaged go into the Broom Box. Based on their Readiness rating and a die roll they might move immediately to the "Ready for Sea" box in the Triple "R" Segment.
Current Submarine Deployments:
West Coast Box: Argonaut, Dolphin, Plunger, Pompano
These submarines are undergoing refit and are unavailable for patrols. Submarines are withdrawn from patrol duty for refit and become available again according to a fixed schedule.
There are 37 submarines on active duty. They are deployed as follows:
Pearl Harbor (Base):
Pier Side: Grayling
Broom Box: Cachalot, Gar, Grayback, Snapper, Spearfish, S-23, S-37, S-38, Tuna
Repair 3: Cuttlefish, Trout
(Repair 1, Repair 2, and the Hold area are empty)
Freemantle (Base):
Broom Box: Permit, Pickerel, Porpoise, Sargo, Sculpin, Sealion, Seawolf, Shark, Stingray, Swordfish, S-41, Tarpon
(These are all boats that just arrived from Manila and the Philippines)
Java Sea (OpArea) - Submarine Tender Holland at Surabaya
Ship Side: Salmon
South China Sea 2 (OpArea)
Done Sector:
Searaven (gray side up - on patrol)
S-39 (blue side up - in transit) w/RTB and Damaged markers
(S-39 was out of range of Freemantle when Manila fell, so it's limping to Australia. The "RTB" marker stands for Return To Base - the sub is headed home and not patrolling.)
Coral Sea (OpArea)
Done Sector:
Pollack (gray side up)
Marshall Islands (OpArea)
Done Sector:
Grampus, Grenadier, Tambor, Triton (gray side up)
Aleutian Islands (OpArea)
Done Sector:
Gudgeon, Narwhal, S-18 (gray side up)
Hawaiian Islands (OpArea)
Done Sector:
Thresher (blue side up) w/RTB and Spotted markers
(Thresher was spotted and delayed last turn due to a Transit Event
Not a lot of submarines that will be actively hunting this turn. Depending on ready and repair rolls a lot might be deploying though to hunt next week.
Sidebar: Description of Submarines
A submarine has two sides; transit (blue) and patrol (gray)
The transit side lists the submarine's name, deployment date, speed and range
The patrol side lists the submarine's name, endurance, range, attack rating, defense rating, and TDC rating.
Deployment Date: Date the submarine is available, either at the start of the war "W/S" or to arrive as a reinforcement according to the schedule.
Speed: Number of OpAreas the submarine can transit in one Transit Phase. Usual value is '2'.
Range: How far a submarine can be (in OpAreas) from an active base without facing penalties. Many subs have a range of '6', but there are ranges as low as '3'.
Readiness: How quickly the boat can be turned around for another patrol. Values from 3-5 with higher values being better.
Endurance: Subs are rated A-D in how easily then can stay out on patrol for multiple weeks.
Attack Rating: Points a submarine can distribute as factors to hit target(s). Represents torpedoes and values range from '3' on up; 3-6 in this game week.
Defense: Represents the submarine's ability to avoid damage (maneuverability, diving depth, etc.) Varies from 1-5 in the current submarines.
TDC: Represents the submarine's ability to track and set up firing solutions. In the game it limits how many targets the submarine reveals and can potentially shoot at in a Combat Round. Values with the current submarines ranged from 2-4.
Sample Submarines -
S1 Boat: Range 3, Speed 2, Readiness 3, Endurance D, Attack 3, Defense 2, TDC 2
Short range, weak attack, mediocre defense, poor TDC value. Needs luck to even have a chance of sinking most targets and generally has no chance of hitting a warship without a very favorable TDC chit turning up.
P3 Boat: Range 6, Speed 2, Readiness 4, Endurance C, Attack 5, Defense 2, TDC 3
Fair Range, better attack value, still mediocre defense, and a fair TDC value. Can take more shots but the defense value makes the sub a bit vulnerable to bad luck during a counterattack.
T Boat: Range 9, Speed 2, Readiness 5, Endurance B, Attack 6, Defense 3, TDC 4
Best of the pre-Gato boats with good range, attack, TDC, and better defense. Can be used fairly aggressively since the attack and TDC allow the craft to compensate for escorts turning up.
OK, how everything is currently set-up has been described. On to the action...
==== Actual Play ====
All rolls are a single d10 die, results are shown as (ROLL X).
I. Strategic Segment
A. War Event Phase: Roll for War Event (0-3 is an event)
(ROLL 0) - There is a War Event
Check the War Period 1 table and roll a die...
(ROLL 6) - Aleutians Campaign Opens
Eight subs must deploy to the Aleutians. Dutch Harbor Sub Base becomes operational and the player must designate a minimum of eight submarines to base from and RTB to Dutch Harbor. These subs can only operate to the Aleutians and Kuriles, and must be replaced if lost. This is a one-time only event.
(OK. A new base, but also a requirement for eight subs to operate from there and only operate into two OpAreas (Aleutian Islands and Kurile Islands). Plus, I need to patrol deploy eight subs to the Aleutians immediately if possible. (see below)
(War Events can cause a number of things to occur. Open/close bases, require subs to patrol move to certain areas and mission zones, cause submarines to be recalled, etc.)
B. Torpedo Improvement Phase: Check table, less than 70 ships sunk therefore no roll.
C. Ultra Phase: Check Ultra Table
(ROLL 7) - Place Ultra markers in the Carolines and Aleutians)
(This represents code intercept intelligence helping subs find contacts in this area. Activity rolls are increased for subs in these zones, and more chits are drawn for sucessful contacts in these areas.)
II. Triple 'R' Segment (Reinforcement, Ready, Repair)
A. Reinforcement Phase: Check schedule for reinforcement submarines
None
(Reinforcements arrive on a fixed schedule and are deployed to the broom box of the listed base. They appear at the beginning of a given month. The schedule will also specify submarines to be withdrawn for overhaul.)
B. Submarine Ready Phase: Submarines at bases are readied for deployment
Pearl Harbor
1. Grayling automatically moves from Pier Side to Ready For Sea
2. Readiness roll for each sub in the Broom Box (d10 roll, try to roll Ready For Sea
Gar (5) (ROLL 0) -> Ready For Sea
Grayback (5) (ROLL 3) -> Ready For Sea
Snapper (4) (ROLL 2) -> Ready For Sea
Spearfish (4) (ROLL 4) -> Ready For Sea
S-23 (3) (ROLL 7) -> Pier Side
S-37 (3) (ROLL 8) -> Pier Side
S-38 (3) (ROLL 6) -> Pier Side
Tuna (5) (ROLL 4) -> Ready For Sea
(Six boats in Pearl Harbor are ready to deploy. Given the war event requirement most will initially be earmarked for the Aleutians and be based from Dutch Harbor until replaced.)
Freemantle
1. Readiness roll for each sub in the Broom Box
Permit (4) (ROLL 4) -> Ready For Sea
Pickerel (4) (ROLL 5) -> Pier Side
Porpoise (4) (ROLL 1) -> Ready For Sea
Sargo (4) (ROLL 7) -> Pier Side
Sculpin (4) (ROLL 8) -> Pier Side
Sealion (4) (ROLL 7) -> Pier Side
Seawolf (4) (ROLL 6) -> Pier Side
Shark (4) (ROLL 4) -> Ready For Sea
Stingray (4) (ROLL 9) -> Pier Side
Swordfish (4) (ROLL 4) -> Ready For Sea
S-41 (3) (ROLL 0) -> Ready For Sea
Tarpon (4) (ROLL 9) -> Pier Side
(Four boats ready at Freemantle, the other eight will automatically be ready next week.)
Surabaya - Sub Tender Holland
Salmon goes from Ship Side to Ready For Sea automatically
C. Submarine Repair Phase: Submarines in repair boxes at bases receive repair rolls
Pearl Harbor
1. Repair roll for two subs in Repair 3 box - 0-4 to move them to Repair 2
Cuttlefish (ROLL 9) -| stays in Repair 3
Trout (ROLL 0) -> moves to Repair 2
Freemantle
No submarines in the Repair Boxes
D. Prep for Operations Phase
All submarines in the "DONE" section of an Operations Area (OpArea) are moved to "OPERATING" section indicating that they are eligible for the Operating Segment.
III. Operating Segment
(Carried out separately for each submarine. Meat and Potatoes time!)
Quick Summary of operating submarine options
1. Can shift one OpArea (Patrol Movement) and/or into a SMZ (Special Mission Zone). Requires a Transit Event check.
2. May Check for contacts in the OpArea (multiple rolls and potential attack activity)
3. Transit Movement - submarines Ready for Sea, or Transit Side up can move across OpAreas to return to base or deploy from bases. Generally requires a Transit Event check.
10 submarines on active patrol, 11 submarines at a base ready for sea, 2 submarines in transit mode in an OpArea to/from a base.
(There is a penalty for having more than four submarines in an OpArea at a time. Therefore, the order subs are activated can sometimes be used in order to avoid overloading an area. Also there are some requirements from this turn's War Event that have to be fulfilled if possible. However, in this case there are no submarines deployed that can patrol move into the Aleutians OPArea, so the only task will be designating which eight submarines will RTB to Dutch Harbor.)
Submarine Thresher - Hawaiian Islands OpArea
Transit side up with a RTB marker (returning to Pearl Harbor.)
Action: Transit Move to Pearl Harbor.
Since Pearl Harbor base is adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands OpArea there is no Transit Event check. Move Thresher to the Broom Box at Pearl Harbor and remove the RTB and Spotted chits.
Side Bar: Operations Areas
An operations area is a defined area of the Pacific Ocean that has a small chart describing the approximate chance of finding Japanese shipping and inherent ASW patrol activity in the area. There are also connecting lines linking areas to other areas for transit, or to bases. Some areas also contain special areas called Special Mission Zones (SMZ) which are referred to in War Events.
The chart values cross reference a d10 roll and the current War Period and are color-coded for density of activity and dangerousness to transit.
White - No Contact
Green - Sparse Density
Orange - Low Density
Blue - Medium Density
Red - High Density
The number of red boxes is also used as the base value for ASW defense for counterattacks on subs and the value rolled against for triggering a Transit Event.
Example: Aleutian Islands OpArea
This operations area connects to the Kurile Islands area (to the west), the North Pacific area (to the south west), the Hawaiian Islands area (to the south), and the Dutch Harbor submarine base (to the northeast).
War Period 1 : 0 - White, 1-3 Green, 4-5 Orange, 6-7 Blue, 8-9 Red
War Period 2 : 0-1 White, 2-4 Green, 5-6 Orange, 7-8 Blue, 9 Red
In War Period 1 for early war boats this is an area with good contact ratings, and moderately dangerous ASW and transit rating. In War Period 2 there will be fewer contacts, it will be easier to transit, but generally it will be just as dangerous in terms of Japanese counterattacks made on submarines due to War Period 2 having a general +1 ASW applied to all Japanese counterattacks.
Submarine Gudgeon - Aleutian Islands OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the Aleutian Islands
A. No Patrol Movement being made
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 2) +1 for Ultra Marker = 3 (Green Box)
Sparse Density Contact
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL 2)
A small convoy in War Period 1
3. Cross-reference Sparse Density and Small Convoy on the Engagement Table and get (2,1,-,-)
Two chits in Column A, One chit in Column B. However, this is an Ultra area so we actually pull three chits from Cup A and two from Cup B.
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Three from Cup A for Column A
Meatball, Meatball, Rising Sun
b. Two from Cup B for Column B
Meatball, Meatball
Sidebar: Description of Japanese Ship Chits
Japanese ship chits have two sides. One side has a flag; either the Rising Sun (military) or the Red Ball (merchant) aka "Meatball". The other side will have a ship silhouette along with a tonnage, type, defense and ASW rating. Military ships have white backgrounds, merchant ships have orange-brown backgrounds. There are also chits for triggering combat events, float planes (ASW value only), and some chits that represent specific ships (removed from the cups if ever sunk.)
Fronts and backs do *not* necessarily correspond; e.g. some military ships have "meatball" backs and a number of merchant ships have "rising sun" backs. So what looks like an encounter with all merchant ships might contain a surprise or two...
Tonnage: Varies from 1-50+. Most of the merchant ships are 5 tons or less, though up to 20 ton merchant ships are out there. Military ships vary from 1-2 ton DDs up through 30+ ton battleships and aircraft carriers. Heavier ships are sturdier and thus harder for a submarine to sink.
Type: Different types of cargo/repair ships (M, AO, AF) and military ships (DD, CL, CA, CV).
Defense: 1-11. Cargo ships generally 1-4, with defense generally increasing with size. Higher defense makes ships harder for the submarine to hit.
ASW: Most ships have a value of zero. Escorts (DE and DD) have an ASW value from 1/2 to 4 with the majority having lower values. This value affects both submarine attacks and also escort counterattacks on the submarine.
The chits are distributed amongst four cups (A-D) according to a chart referred to as the War Mix. The mix varies by War Period and when certain new Japanese ships were deployed. As a sample the War Period 1 mix splits the twenty 2 ton Japanese DDs amongst the four cups in the following way: 2 in Cup A, 4 in Cup B, 6 in Cup C, 8 in Cup D. It also places the initial Japanese "Diligent Escort" (A Defense 7, ASW 4 escort that also triggers an special attack on the submarine) in Cup D. When the encounter table indicates a distribution of ships the ships are drawn from the appropriate cup and placed on the matching column of the Tactical Display; e.g. chits from Cup A only go on Column A of the display.
The number of chits that are revealed in a round are determined by the TDC value of the submarine. In the first combat round any chit in the same or adjacent column as the submarine may be revealed. This tends to favor revealing meatball chits since they are more likely to be merchant ship targets and not escorts. In the second (reattack) combat round rising suns that are eligible to be revealed must be revealed before any more meatball chits are revealed.
Starting in the 1943 weeks the submarines are equipped with radar and have an ability to "unflip" a revealed chit in exchange for flipping a different chit. This gives the submarine an additional capability to avoid escorts.
C. Combat Phase (sub has values 6 attack, 3 defense, 4 TDC)
1. First Attack Round
i. Place attacking submarine on one of the eligible columns
(DECISION: Gudgeon can be placed at the base of Column A, B, or C. We have an attack value of 6 (good), defense 3 (fair), and a TDC value of 4. The TDC value means that we must reveal four eligible chits in an attack round, and also can potentially target four targets as well. Given that there are four likely merchant targets and we can reveal all four Gudgeon will go to the base of Column B below the two Meatballs.)
ii. Reveal chits equal to the TDC value of the attacking sub.
(You have to reveal four chits in columns on or adjacent to the one the sub is in.)
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 2, 1t (1)
(The top merchant target in Column B is a 1,000 ton (1t) freighter with a Defense value of 2 and no ASW value (2-0). Small target with average defense, designated as Target 1.)
Meatball in Col B: COMBAT EVENT
(The second merchant target in Column B was a Combat Event chit. This is a random event that can be either good or bad, so a roll is made and the Combat Event chart checked.)
Roll a die and consult the Combat Event Table:
(ROLL 7) - Counterattack - Combat ... OK, we finish revealing markers set up the attack, but then carry out the Japanese escort counterattack first before attempting to sink any freighters.
(Bah! Not good since any revealed escorts get to attack first. Two more to reveal.)
Meatball in Col A: COMBAT EVENT - ignored
(By rule there can only be one combat event per attack round. First time that has happened, two event draws in one attack.)
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 5t (2)
(The second merchant target in Column A is a 5,000 ton freighter (5t) with a Defense value of 2 and no ASW value (2-0). Fairly large freighter with average defense, designated as Target 2.)
There is still an unrevealed Rising Sun chit in Column A, but since four chits have been revealed this chit is left facedown.
iii. Place TDC markers equal to TDC rating next to potential targets
TDC rating of 4, only three potential targets, so draw three TDC chits and place face-down next to the two freighters and the unrevealed Rising Sun ship.
iv. Reveal TDC marker values
Freighter (2) in Column A - TDC +1
Rising Sun in Column A - TDC +0
Freighter (1) in Column B - TDC +3
(Plus is bad for TDC markers, so this indicates that the shot selection gets poor modifiers.)
v. Select target(s) for attack
Sidebar: Submarine Attack Resolution
The attack odds are a mix of offensive and defensive factors that are added together to calculate the value that a d10 roll was match or be less than.
Attack Values: Attack Points + Current Torpedo Value + Super Skipper Value
(A) Attack Points - The submarine can allocate one or more of its attack points to a particular target; e.g. multiple targets can be selected
(B) Current Torpedo Value - This is added separately to each attack. At the current value of -2 it is essentially a noticably large penalty that is compounded if multiple attacks are made.
(C) Super Skipper Value - +1 or +2 depending on value. Getting a Super Skipper value is difficult since to qualify for it requires a submarine to have a very good/lucky set of attacks succeed. Since none of the subs here have super skippers this is basically going to be ignored from here on. (See notes)
Defense Values: Target Defense + Revealed ASW value + TDC value
(D) Target Defense - Each ship is rated for defense on the chit (see above)
(E) Revealed ASW value - Total ASW value of all revealed chits in the current and adjacent columns, plus aircraft revealed in any column. Most chits have a value of zero other than escorts. But note that any revealed escorts in the area make attacks more difficult.
(F) TDC value - TDC chits range in value from -3 to +3. If the target is in an adjacent column then +1 is added to the TDC value.
Defense is subtracted from Attack to get the final attack resolution value that is rounded down (if necessary).
To save space attack resolution calculations will be displayed in the following format:
(A + B) - (D + E + F)
(DECISION: How to allocate the six attack points in order to get the optimal chance of scoring a kill. Let's look at our potential shots from Gudgeon's position in Column B with a max attack value of 4 (6 + -2 current torpedo value).
1. Freighter in Column A. Defense 2, TDC +2 (Value of +1, adjacent column +1), revealed ASW value 0. Will hit on a Roll of 0 (10%)
2. Rising Sun in Column A. Defense ?, TDC +1 (Value of 0, adjacent column +1), revealed ASW value 0.
Will hit on a Roll of 0-2 (30%) if it is Defense 1. However, shooting at it reveals it and if it turns out to be an escort with an ASW value than all other shots are harder, and the upcoming counterattack is more dangerous.
3. Freighter in Column B. Defense 2, TDC +3, revealed ASW value 0.
Impossible to hit currently since 4 - 5 = -1.
Basically get to choose from a number of bad choices. If all options are mathematically impossible than the entire attack can be aborted.
Let's go with option 1 since it's better than turning up an escort and making everything harder.)
OK, due to our Combat Event we carry out Step 2 and then come back to the actual attack...
2. Japanese Counterattack
i. Calculate Japanese ASW value
War Period ASW value (0) + # of Red boxes in OpArea for War Period 1 (2) + total revealed ASW value in same and adjacent columns (0) = 2
ii. Calculate Submarine value
Defense value (3) + Super Skipper value (none) = 3
iii. Check Counterattack Table - row equal to Japanese value minus Submarine value
(2 + 0) - (3) = -1 It is less than zero so we don't have to roll.
(OpAreas and War Period establish the general value and then revealed escorts make it more dangerous. We will skip the War Period value and the Super Skipper value from here on out since both will always be zero.)
OK, back to our wimpy attack...
1. vi. Resolve attacks
0 needed to hit Freighter in Column A (6 + -2) - (2 + 2 + 0) = 0
(ROLL 1) - MISS! <-- And we curse the crappy Mk XIV torpedo once again!
At this point the Japanese Counterattack would normally occur.
(DECISION: At this point Gudgeon can withdraw from tactical combat or attempt a re-attack. If a withdraw is selected the Combat Display is cleared and the Gudgeon goes back to the OpArea to finish out the Operation Segment. A reattack round adjusts TDC values in the submarine's favor, however it also requires that, depending on the submarine's placement, that unrevealed Rising Sun chits be revealed before any more Meatballs are. Additionally, there is a +1 drm on the Counterattack roll made at the end of the reattack round.
There's two revealed freighters, and one unrevealed Rising Sun which might be an escort. Here's the reattack options:
Place on Column A - will have to reveal the Rising Sun, but now on same column as the larger freighter
Place on Column B - will have to reveal the Rising Sun, on same column with the smaller freighter
Place on Column C - will not have to reveal the Rising Sun, but can only attack the smaller freighter on Column B.
It is not that dangerous a position (max of one escort) so we will opt to reattack and go onto Column A.)
3. Reattack Round.
i. Place Sub - to Column A we will go since it is adjacent to our initial position.
Remove TDC markers (fresh ones will be drawn)
ii. Reveal chits up to TDC rating - Rising Suns first
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 5t (2)
Rising Sun in Col A: DD Def 6, ASW 1/2
(This is not too bad, a relatively weak escort that essentially will counteract the TDC improvement and not make the counterattack that much worse.)
Quick review of what is currently on the Tactical Display
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 5t (2)
Rising Sun in Col A: DD Def 6, ASW 1/2
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 2, 1t (1)
iii. Draw TDC markers for potential targets up to TDC rating. Three since there are only three ships in the current and adjacent columns.
iv. Reveal TDC markers - since this is a reattack all TDC values are minus one
Freighter (1) in Column B - TDC +1 (+1)
Freighter (2) in Column A - TDC +0 (-1)
DD in Column A - TDC +3 (+2)
(Values in parentheses are adjusted TDC values. -1 for the reattack round, +1 for any target in an adjacent column. Our submarine is now at the base of Column A, so the latter adjustment switched between the two freighters.)
v. Select targets for attack
(DECISION: Here are the options for this attack round:
1. Freighter in Column A - Def 2, TDC -1, ASW 1/2. Will hit on a 0-2 (30%) this round since (6 + -2) - (2 + -1 + 1/2) = 2.5 round down to 2.
2. DD in Column A - Def 6, TDC +2, ASW 1/2. Can not hit it since (6 + -2) - (6 + 2 + 1/2) = -4.5.
3. Freighter in Column B - Def 2, TDC +1, ASW 1/2). Will hit on a 0 (10%) if we shoot all-out at this one since (6 + -2) - (2 + 1 + 1/2) = 0.5 round down to 0.
There's no viable chance of trying to shoot at both freighters.
So the choice will be a full shot at the freighter in Column A...)
vi. Resolve Attacks
0-2 needed to hit freighter in Column A (6 - 2) - (2 + -1 - 1/2)
(ROLL 7) MISS!
4. Japanese Counterattack (Reattack Round)
i. Calculate Japanese ASW value
# of Red boxes in OpArea for War Period 1 (2) + total revealed ASW value in same and adjacent columns (1/2) = 2.5 round up to 3
ii. Calculate Submarine value
Defense value (3) + Super Skipper value (none) = 3
iii. Check Counterattack Table - row equal to Japanese value minus Submarine value
It is 0 so we roll on the table and add one to the die roll (due to it being a reattack round).
(ROLL 6) + 1 = 7. No Effect on the 0 Row of the table.
Gudgeon withdraws automatically at this stage back to the OpArea. If the ship had a "super skipper" than it would be eligible for another attack round if so desired.
5. Super Skipper Determination - skipped. To qualify for a super skipper a submarine needs to sink at least 16,000 tons and three ships in a single set of attack rounds.
6. Sub vs Sub Combat - skipped. Only occurs in special circumstances, see notes.
7. Check Endurance
Gudgeon has an endurance class of B. With current torpedo value of -2 a 3 or less needs to be rolled for Gudgeon to stay on station for another week.
(ROLL 6) Fail. Gudgeon needs to return to base. Place a RTB marker on Gudgeon and turn it transit (blue) side up.
D. Transit Movement Phase
Since Gudgeon has RTB status now it has to move back to a base.
(DECISION: Both Dutch Harbor and Pearl Harbor are in range. Since eight submarines need to be designated for Dutch Harbor, and it is also adjacent to the Aleutians OpArea Gudgeon is currently in it makes sense to designate Gudgeon for there.)
Gudgeon goes to the Dutch Harbor base. Since it is adjacent a roll for a potential Transit Event is not required. However, Dutch Harbor has a special rule that all undamaged subs that RTB to Dutch Harbor need to make a Submarine Damage roll. On 0-2 they go to the Broom Box, otherwise they go to the Repair 1 box. (This represents harsh conditions on the Alaska coast for preparing submarines.)
(ROLL 5) Gudgeon goes to the Repair 1 box at Dutch Harbor.
(For that sub the Operations Segment required seven (7) die rolls, 5 ship chits were drawn, and 6 TDC chits were drawn.)
End of operations for submarine Gudgeon. Descriptions will be shorter from now on after this detailed example.
Submarine Narwhal - Aleutian Islands OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the Aleutian Islands
A. No Patrol Movement being made
B. Search and Contact
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 5) + 1 for Ultra Marker = 6 (Blue Box) - Medium Density
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL 1) - Small Convoy
3. Engagement Table result (4,3,-,-) increased to (5,4,-,-) due to Ultra Marker
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Column A - 4 Meatball, 1 Rising Sun
b. Column B - 4 Meatball
C. Combat Phase
1. First Attack (sub has values 4 attack, 5 defense, 2 TDC)
a. Sub goes to Column A. TDC value of 2 and reveals the following:
Meatball in Col A: COMBAT EVENT
(ROLL 6) - Tonnage Doubled. Doubles the tonnage value of one merchant ship sunk this operation segment.
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 5t (1)
b. Pull 2 TDC markers and place them.
c. TDC values revealed. A +3 next to freighter (1) in Col A, a -2 next to unrevealed meatball in Col A
d. All attack points at the unknown meatball in Column A, so it is revealed... another Def 2, 5t freighter.
e. Resolve Attack (4 + -2) - (2 + -2 + 0) = 2 (30% chance)
(ROLL 0) HIT!
(Consult Attack Results table and cross-reference die roll modified by current torpedo value against row based on tonnage value of target ship. For a 5 ton ship you use the 4-7 ton row and a modifed value of 4-9 will sink it, 2-3 will damage it, 0-1 will have no effect.)
(ROLL 9) + -2 = 7 SUNK!
And due to the Combat Event the tonnage value can be doubled to 10,000 tons.
Update ships sunk and tonnage sunk values. Remove sunken ship chit.
(Insert Happy Dance here...) 
2. Japanese Counterattack: (2 + 0) - (5) = -3 No Counterattack.
(Narwhal is an interesting ship. Attack 4, Defense *5*, TDC 2. Not a modern design, but tough. The fairly weak attack and TDC values however limit its usefulness. That 10,000 ton credit is the largest single kill in the campaign to date however.)
3. Reattack
a. Narwhal stays in Column A. TDC value of two. Has to reveal the Rising Sun in Column A first, and then will reveal the single remaining Meatball in Column A.
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 5t (1) - previously revealed
Rising Sun in Col A: Frt Def 3, 5t (2)
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 3, 3t (3)
b. Sub pulls two TDC markers and targets the two 5t freighters in Column A.
c. TDC values revealed. A -1 next to freighter (1) , and a -1 next to freighter (2).
d. All attack points at the Defense 2 freighter. The TDC value is actually -2 due to this being a reattack round.
e. Resolve attack: (4 - 2) - (2 + -2 + 0) = 2 (30% chance of a hit)
(ROLL 8) MISS
4. 2nd Japanese Counterattack: -3 like the first. No Counterattack.
5. Narwhal withdraws back to the OpArea
6. Skipped
7. Endurance Check. Narwhal is Endurance A and needs 4 or less.
(ROLL 2) Narwhal stays gray side up in the Done Sector of the OpArea
D. Transit Phase skipped since Narwhal is staying out another week.
(Summary: A successful initial attack bags Narwhal a 10,000 freighter. The reattack fails to hit another freighter. Due to high defense value and no revealed escorts all Japanese counterattacks on Narwhal are totally ineffective. And Narwhal also passed an endurance check and can stay on station to patrol for another week.)
Submarine Grampus - Marshall Islands OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the Marshall Islands
A. No Patrol Movement being made
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 5) - Low Density (Orange Box)
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL 7) - Task Force
3. Engagement Table result (1,2,3,3)
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Column A - 1 Meatball
b. Column B - 2 Meatball
c. Columm C - 1 Meatball, 2 Rising Sun
d. Column D - 2 Meatball, 1 Rising Sun
C. Combat Phase
1. First Attack (sub has values 6 attack, 3 defense, 4 TDC)
a. Sub goes to Column B. TDC value of 4 and reveals the following:
Meatball in Col C: DD Def 6, ASW 1
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 1, 1t (1)
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 3, 10t (2)
Meatball in Col B: Combat Event - (ROLL 3) Surface Gunnery Combat
(ignored since an escort is present, otherwise the submarine would have an option of getting a Spotted marker and attempting to kill a ship using the deck gun.)
b. Pull 4 TDC markers and place them.
c. TDC values revealed. A -1 next to freighter (1) in Col A, a -2 next to freighter (2) in Col B, a +0 next to an unrevealed Rising Sun in Col C, and a +0 next to an unrevealed Rising Sun in Col C.
d. All attack points at the 10t freighter in Col B with the -2 TDC marker.
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (3 + -2 + 1) = 2 (30% chance)
(ROLL 0) HIT!
Roll against Attack Results on the 10-17 ton row (-2 to die roll)
(ROLL 3) + -2 = 1 No Effect
2. Japanese Counterattack (1 + 1) - (3) = -1 No roll needed
3. Reattack
a. Sub shifts to Column A. TDC value of 4, but all chits are revealed in Columns A and B already.
b. Sub pulls two TDC markers and targets the two revealed freighters in Column A and B.
c. TDC values revealed. A +1 next to freighter (1), and a -1 next to freighter (2).
d. All attack points at the 2t freighter in Col A with the +1 TDC marker.
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (1 + 0 + 0) = 3 (40% chance)
(ROLL 3) HIT!
Roll against Attack Results on the 1-3 ton row (-2 to die roll)
(ROLL 7) + -2 = 5 SUNK!
Credit 2 tons and 1 ship sunk
4. Japanese Counterattack (1 + 0) - (3) = -2 No roll needed
5. and 6. skipped
7. Endurance class B, needs 3 or less
(ROLL 2) Stays on station
(A few comments on the combat decisions. The shift from Column B to Column A for the reattack had two effects. First by moving the escort to a non-adjacent column it no longer counted for ASW value, and the two other Rising Suns in Column C did not have to be revealed. The movement limited targets, but it also made the attack easier (no negative ASW adjustment) and removed the chance of more escorts appearing.
In terms of selecting the smaller freighter over another shot at the 10t ship the option was to take the better chance of getting a kill even if it was a smaller tonnage. The chance to hit the smaller freighter was 40%, the chance to successfully sink it was 50%, giving a 20% chance of getting a kill. The chance of hitting the larger freighter was 30%, but the chance of sinking it if hit was 30% as well for only a 9% chance of successfully getting the kill. Tonnage is important, but number of ships sunk is key for getting the current torpedo value reduced from the annoying -2 value. However, if the first attack had damaged the 10t freightre than the reattack would have almost certainly targeted it since the initial damage result would have made it much more vulnerable across the board - 10% easier to hit, and 20% easier to kill.)
D. Transit Phase - None
Submarine Grenadier - Marshall Islands OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the Marshall Islands
A. No Patrol Movement being made
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 3) - Sparse Density (Green Box)
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL 2) - Small Convoy
3. Engagement Table result (2,1,-,-)
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Column A - 2 Meatball
b. Column B - 1 Rising Sun
C. Combat Phase
1. First Attack (sub has values 6 attack, 3 defense, 4 TDC)
a. Sub goes to Column A. TDC value of 4 and reveals the following:
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 3, 3t (1)
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 3t (2)
Rising Sun in Col B: Frt Def 3, 8t (3)
b. Pull 3 TDC markers and place them.
c. TDC values revealed. A +1 next to freighter (1) in Col A, a -2 next to freighter (2) in Col A, a +3 next to freighter (3) in Col B
d. All attack points at Freighter (2) in Col A with the -2 TDC marker.
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (2 + -2 + 0) = 4 (50% chance)
(ROLL 8) Miss
2. Japanese Counterattack (1 + 0) - (3) = -2 No roll needed
3. Reattack
a. Sub shifts to Column B. TDC value of 4, but all chits are revealed in Columns A and B already.
b. Sub pulls three TDC markers and targets the three freighters in Column A and B.
c. TDC values revealed. A +0 next to freighter (1), and a +2 next to freighter (2) and a -1 next to freighter (3) in Col B.
d. All attack points at the 8t freighter in Col B with the -1 TDC marker (actually -2).
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (3 + -2 + 0) = 3 (40% chance)
(ROLL 9) Miss
4. Japanese Counterattack (1 + 0) - (3) = -2 No roll needed
5. and 6. skipped
7. Endurance class B, needs 3 or less
(ROLL 3) Stays on station
D. Transit Phase - None
Submarine Tambor - Marshall Islands OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the Marshall Islands
A. No Patrol Movement being made
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 4) - Low Density (Orange Box)
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL (9) - Task Force
3. Engagement Table result (1,2,3,3)
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Column A - 1 Meatball
b. Column B - 2 Meatball
c. Column C - 3 Meatball
d. Column D - 3 Rising Sun
C. Combat Phase
1. First Attack (sub has values 6 attack, 3 defense, 4 TDC)
a. Sub goes to Column B. TDC value of 4 and reveals the following:
Meatball in Col C: Frt Def 2, 1t (1)
Meatball in Col C: DD Def 7, ASW 2
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 3, 10t (2)
Meatball in Col C: Combat Event - (ROLL 5) Perfect Set-up
TDC marker values are all considered negative; e.g. +2 treated as -2
b. Pull 4 TDC markers and place them.
c. TDC values revealed. A +1 (-1) next to freighter (1) in Col C, a +0 next to freighter (2) in Col B, a +1 (-1) next to unrevealed Meatball in Col B, and a +0 next to unrevealed Meatball in Col A.
d. All attack points at Freighter (1) in Col C with the +1 TDC marker.
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (2 + -1 + 2) = 0 (10% chance)
(ROLL 5) Miss
2. Japanese Counterattack (1 + 2) - (3) = 0
(ROLL 4) No Effect
3. Reattack
a. Sub shifts to Column A. TDC value of 4, no Rising Suns to reveal in Col A or Col B so the unrevealed Meatball in Col B and one in Col A are flipped.
Meatball in Col B is a Combat Event - (ROLL 1) Surface Gunnery - ignored due to escort
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 3, 10t (1)
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 3, 10t (2) - revealed in previous round
b. Sub pulls two TDC markers and targets the two freighters in Column A and B.
c. TDC values revealed. A +1 next to freighter (1), and a +2 next to freighter (2)
d. All attack points at the 10t freighter in Col A with the +1 TDC marker (actually +0).
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (3 + 0 + 0) = 1 (20% chance)
(ROLL 1) HIT!
Attack Result on 10-17 row (ROLL 7) + -2 = 5 SUNK!
Credit tonnage and ship sunk
(Shift away from Column C pays off since it gets the +2 ASW escort out of the way and gets the sub into the same column with a 10t freighter target. Low percentage for a kill, but things come together now and then.)
4. Japanese Counterattack (1 + 0) - (3) = -2 No roll needed
5. and 6. skipped
7. Endurance class B, needs 3 or less
(ROLL 4) Return To Base
D. Transit Phase
Sub transits to Pearl Harbor via Transfer Route OpArea.
Transit Event Check required - Transfer Route OpArea has two red boxes
(ROLL 0) - No potential Event
Tambor placed in Broom Box at Pearl Harbor
Submarine Triton - Marshall Islands OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the Marshall Islands
A. No Patrol Movement being made
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 9) - High Density (Red Box)
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL 8) - Task Force
3. Engagement Table result (3,3,4,5)
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Column A - 2 Meatball, 1 Rising Sun
b. Column B - 2 Meatball, 1 Rising Sun
c. Column C - 2 Meatball, 2 Rising Sun
d. Column D - 5 Rising Sun
C. Combat Phase
1. First Attack (sub has values 6 attack, 3 defense, 4 TDC)
a. Sub goes to Column C. TDC value of 4 and reveals the following:
Meatball in Col C: Combat Event - (ROLL 8) Counterattack
Attack itself will be skipped and go right to Japanese counterattack
Meatball in Col C: Frt Def 1, 3t (1)
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 3, 10t (2)
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 3, 15t (3)
Skip to counterattack per Combat Event
2. Japanese Counterattack (1 + 0) - (3) = -2 No roll needed
3. Reattack
a. Sub shifts to Column B. TDC value of 4, four Rising Suns to reveal in Col A, B and C.
Rising Sun in Col A: DD Def 6, ASW 3
Rising Sun in Col B: Frt Def 3, 8t (4)
Rising Sun in Col C: CL Def 4, ASW 0
Rising Sun in Col C: AR Asahi Def 3, 15t, ASW 0
Meatball in Col C: Frt Def 1, 3t (1) - revealed in previous round
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 3, 10t (2) - revealed in previous round
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 3, 15t (3) - revealed in previous round
b. Sub pulls four TDC markers and targets the 8t freighter (4) in Col B, the 10t freighter (2) in Col B, the 3t freighter (1) in Col C, and the Asahi.
c. TDC values revealed. A +0 next to freighter (1), and a -2 next to freighter (2), a -1 next to freighter(3) and a +2 next to the Asahi.
d. All attack points at the 10t freighter in Col B with the -2 TDC marker (actually -3).
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (3 + -3 + 3) = 1 (20% chance)
(ROLL 9) Miss
4. Japanese Counterattack (1 + 3) - (3) = 1 with a +1 drm
(ROLL 9) + 1 = 10 Damaged. Place a damaged marker on Triton
5. and 6. skipped
7. Endurance class B, needs 3 or less, +1 to die roll due to damage
(ROLL 8) Return To Base
D. Transit Phase
Sub transits to Pearl Harbor via Transfer Route OpArea.
Transit Event Check required - Transfer Route OpArea has two red boxes
(ROLL 2) - No potential Event
Check Submarine Damage Table for damaged submarine arriving at base
(ROLL 9) - Heavy Damage
Place Triton in the Repair 3 Box of Pearl Harbor. Remove damage marker
Submarine Pollack - Coral Sea OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the Coral Sea
A. No Patrol Movement being made
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 9) - High Density (Red Box)
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL 0) - Small Convoy
3. Engagement Table result (5,3,4,-)
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Column A - 5 Meatball
b. Column B - 3 Meatball
c. Column C - 1 Meatball, 3 Rising Sun
C. Combat Phase
1. First Attack (sub has values 4 attack, 2 defense, 3 TDC)
a. Sub goes to Column A. TDC value of 3 and reveals the following:
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 2t (1)
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 5t (2)
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 3t (3)
b. Sub pulls three TDC markers and targets the freighters in Col A.
c. TDC values revealed. A +3 next to freighter (1), a -1 next to freighter (2), and a +2 next to freighter(3).
d. All attack points at the 5t freighter (2) in Col A with the -1 TDC marker.
e. Resolve Attack (4 + -2) - (2 + -1 + 0) = 1 (20% chance)
(ROLL 0) HIT!
Attack Result on 5-9 row (ROLL 1) + -2 = -1 No Effect
2. Japanese Counterattack (0 + 2 + 0) - (2 + 0) = 0
(ROLL 8) No Effect
3. Reattack
a. Sub stays in Column A. TDC value of 3, no Rising Suns to reveal so three more Meatballs can be revealed in Col A or B.
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 2t (1) - previously revealed
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 5t (2) - previously revealed
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 3t (3) - previously revealed
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 3, 3t (4)
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 5t (5)
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 2, 3t (6)
b. Sub pulls three TDC markers and targets the 5t freighter (2), the 3t freighter (3), and the 5t freighter (5).
c. TDC values revealed. A +0 next to freighter (2), a -2 next to freighter (3), and a +0 next to freighter (5).
d. All attack points at the 3t freighter in Col A with the -2 TDC marker (actually -3).
e. Resolve Attack (4 + -2) - (2 + -3 + 0) = 3 (40% chance)
(ROLL 8) Miss
4. Japanese Counterattack (2 + 0) - (2) = 0 with a +1 drm
(ROLL 7) + 1 = 8 No Effect
5. and 6. skipped
7. Endurance class C, needs 2 or less
(ROLL 9) Return To Base
D. Transit Phase
Sub transits to Freemantle via Banda Sea OpArea.
Transit Event Check required - Banda Sea OpArea has three red boxes
(ROLL 9) - potential Transit Event, make two die rolls and cross-reference on the Transit Event Table.
(ROLL 5) (ROLL 1) - No Event
Place Pollack in the Fremantle Base Broom Box
Submarine Saury - Java Sea OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the South China Sea
A. Patrol Movement being made into the South China Sea 2 OpArea
Transit Check required - South China Sea 2 OpArea has two red boxes
(ROLL 0) - No Event
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 2) - Sparse Density (Green Box)
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL 5) - Large Convoy
3. Engagement Table result (3,2,-,-)
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Column A - 1 Meatball, 2 Rising Sun
b. Column B - 1 Meatball, 1 Rising Sun
C. Combat Phase
1. First Attack (sub has values 6 attack, 3 defense, 4 TDC)
a. Sub goes to Column A. TDC value of 4 and reveals the following:
Meatball in Col A: Frt Def 2, 1t (1)
Meatball in Col B: Frt Def 3, 15t (2)
Rising Sun in Col B: DD Def 7, ASW 1
Rising Sun in Col A: DD Def 6, ASW 1
b. Sub pulls four TDC markers and targets the freighters, the DD in Col B, and the unrevealed Rising Sun in Col A.
c. TDC values revealed. A -2 next to freighter (1), a -1 next to freighter (2), a +2 next to the DD, and a +2 next to the unrevealed chit.
d. All attack points at the 1t freighter (1) in Col A with the -2 TDC marker.
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (2 + -2 + 2) = 2 (30% chance)
(ROLL 4) Miss
2. Japanese Counterattack (3 + 2) - (3) = 2
(ROLL 7) No Effect
Saury opts to withdraw at this point due to all the escorts running about.
Skip 3. 4. 5. and 6.
7. Endurance class B, needs 3 or less
(ROLL 2) Remains on station, shift Saury to Done Sector of the OpArea
D. Transit Phase skipped
Submarine Searaven - South China Sea 2 OpArea
Patrol side up
Action: Patrol in the South China Sea
A. Patrol Movement skipped
B. Search and Contact
1. Activity Roll (ROLL 6) - Medium Density (Blue Box)
2. Contact Table Roll (ROLL 8) - Task Force
3. Engagement Table result (2,3,3,4)
4. Pull chits and place on the Combat Display
a. Column A - 1 Meatball, 1 Rising Sun
b. Column B - 2 Meatball, 1 Rising Sun
c. Column C - 2 Meatball, 1 Rising Sun
d. Column D - 2 Meatball, 2 Rising Sun
C. Combat Phase
1. First Attack (sub has values 6 attack, 3 defense, 4 TDC)
a. Sub goes to Column D. TDC value of 4 and reveals the following:
Meatball in Col C: DD Def 6, ASW 1
Meatball in Col C: DD Def 7, ASW 2
Meatball in Col D: Combat Event - (ROLL 3) Betty Bomber spots Submarine
Immediate attack on the sub using a special counterattack row.
(ROLL 4) Spotted - place spotted marker on Searaven
Meatball in Col D: Frt Def 2, 3t (1)
b. Sub pulls four TDC markers and targets the freighter, and the three unrevealed Rising Sun chits in Col C and Col D.
c. TDC values revealed. A -3 next to the freighter (1), and +0, +0, and -2 next to the three unrevealed chits.
d. All attack points at the 3t freighter (1) in Col D with the -3 TDC marker.
e. Resolve Attack (6 + -2) - (2 + -3 + 3) = 2 (30% chance)
(ROLL 7) Miss
2. Japanese Counterattack (2 + 3) - (3) = 2 with a +1 drm for being spotted
(ROLL 2) + 1 = 3 No Effect
Sub withdraws and skips reattack option
3. 4. 5. and 6. skipped
7. Endurance class B, needs 3 or less
(ROLL 5) Return to Base
D. Transit Phase
Sub transits to Freemantle via Java Sea OpArea.
Transit Event Check required - Java Sea OpArea has three red boxes, +1 drm for being spotted
(ROLL 7) - - potential Transit Event, make two die rolls and cross-reference on the Transit Event Table.
(ROLL 6) (ROLL 1) - No Event
Place Searaven in the Fremantle Base Broom Box. Remove Spotted marker.
Submarine S-39 - South China Sea 2 OpArea
Transit side up and returning to Freemantle.
Action: Transit Move to Java Sea.
(S-39 is under special rules since it was initially out of range of the Freemantle base. It is automatically damaged and can only move one OpArea per transit phase.)
Transit Event Check, Java sea has three red boxes
(ROLL 4) No potential Event
Place S-39 transit (blue) side up in the Done Sector of the Java Sea OpArea. It keeps the Damage and RTB markers it already had.
(At this point all the submarines have been operated except for boats ready to go to sea from various bases.)
Submarine Permit - Freemantle Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Freemantle.
Action: Transit Move to South China Sea 2 OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Java sea has three red boxes
(ROLL 3) No potential Event
Place Permit patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the South China Sea 2 OpArea.
Submarine Porpoise - Freemantle Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Freemantle.
Action: Transit Move to South China Sea 2 OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Java sea has three red boxes
(ROLL 1) No potential Event
Place Porpoise patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the South China Sea 2 OpArea.
Submarine Swordfish - Freemantle Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Freemantle.
Action: Transit Move to Java Sea OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Java sea has three red boxes
(ROLL 3) No potential Event
Place Swordfish patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the Java Sea OpArea.
Submarine Salmon - Surabaya SMZ (Sub tender) of Java Sea OpArea
Transit side up and departing tender.
Action: Transit Move to Java Sea OpArea.
No Transit Event Check since Surabaya is considered part of the Java Sea OpArea
Place Salmon patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the Java Sea OpArea.
Submarine S-41 - Freemantle Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Freemantle.
Action: Transit Move to Coral Sea OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Banda sea has three red boxes
(ROLL 2) No potential Event
Place S-41 patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the Coral Sea OpArea.
(Intention is for S-41 to patrol and then return to Pearl Harbor rather than Freemantle. From there it can move to Dutch Harbor be part of that assigned contingent. Also at this point the eight boats need to be designated for the initial Dutch Harbor flotilla. Two are already there. Narwhal is operating in the Aleutians already, so it is an obvious choice. So five of the six boats departing Pearl Harbor need to be sent to the Aleutians or Kuriles at this time.)
Submarine Tuna - Pearl Harbor Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Pearl Harbor.
Action: Transit Move to Marshall Islands OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Transfer Route has two red boxes
(ROLL 1) No potential Event
Place Tuna patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the Marshall Islands OpArea.
Submarine Gar - Pearl Harbor Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Pearl Harbor.
Action: Transit Move to Aleutian Islands OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Hawaiian Islands has three red boxes
(ROLL 3) No potential Event
Place Gar patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the Aleutian Islands OpArea.
Submarine Grayback - Pearl Harbor Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Pearl Harbor.
Action: Transit Move to Aleutian Islands OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Hawaiian Islands has three red boxes
(ROLL 3) No potential Event
Place Grayback patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the Aleutian Islands OpArea.
Submarine Grayling - Pearl Harbor Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Pearl Harbor.
Action: Transit Move to Aleutian Islands OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Hawaiian Islands has three red boxes
(ROLL 9) - potential Event
Make two die rolls and cross-reference on the Transit Event Table.(ROLL 3) (ROLL 7) No Event
Place Grayling patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the Aleutian Islands OpArea.
Submarine Snapper - Pearl Harbor Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Pearl Harbor.
Action: Transit Move to Aleutian Islands OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Hawaiian Islands has three red boxes
(ROLL 8) - potential Event
Make two die rolls and cross-reference on the Transit Event Table.(ROLL 8) (ROLL 7) Spotted, Return to Base
Place Snapper transit (blue) side up in the Done Sector of the Hawaiian Islands OpArea. Place a Spotted and RTB marker on Snapper as well.
(Note that Snapper does not move back to base yet. It will Transit Move back to Pearl Harbor the next week. So the Transit Event is essentially causing this sub to waste at least three weeks not patrolling.)
Submarine Spearfish - Pearl Harbor Sub Base
Transit side up and departing Pearl Harbor.
Action: Transit Move to Aleutian Islands OpArea.
Transit Event Check, Hawaiian Islands has three red boxes
(ROLL 0) No potential Event
Place Spearfish patrol (gray) side up in the Done Sector of the Aleutian Islands OpArea.
(This puts five boats in the Aleutian Islands OpArea. Since this is more than four there is both an activity check and transit check penalty in effect due to overloading this OpArea. A Patrol move by a single sub into the Kurile Islands with a +1 penalty to its Transit Event Check in the next turn will drop the number of subs to four remove the penalty.)
(This concludes operations and combat for all active submarines. No submarines lost, three ships sunk for a total of 22,000 tons. Second best week so far for tonnage, and quite good considering the fairly low number of subs actually hunting.)
IV. End Turn Segment
1. Conclude Turn Phase
a. Roll to Remove Spotted Markers (remove on 0-6)
Submarine Snapper (ROLL 3) - Remove Spotted marker
b. Check Scenario Victory Conditions (does not apply, yet.)
c. Advance Date Markers (Should change to Week 1, April, 1942)
2. War Progress Phase
a. Check War Period Transition Table. If current month has a number and this is the first week of the month then check for the war period to change. Refer to a second table for a die roll adjustment (based on ships and tonnage sunk).
Current month has a value of '8' for shifting to War Period 2. Adjustment to die roll is -3 (cross reference of 52 ships sunk and 160,000 tons sunk.) (ROLL 2) - 3 = -1. No change to War Period.
Finis
Die Rolling and Chit Draws by Segment
Strategic Segment: 6 die rolls
Triple 'R' Segment: 21 die rolls
Operations Segment: 85 die rolls, 82 ship chit draws, 50 TDC chit draws
End Turn Segment: 2 die rolls
Grand Total: 114 die rolls and 132 chit draws
Operations for a patrolling submarine took 5-10 die rolls with an average of just over seven per submarine.
Additional Notes:
1. Two additional subs were scuttled when the Manila Base fell due to being in the repair boxes and thus unable to evacuate. They do not count as "lost" subs for the victory conditions however since the crews were evacuated.
2. Submarine on submarine combats are possible. These are triggered only if an activity check for an OpArea rolls a '0' (zero) and an immediate follow-up roll also comes up '0'; e.g. 1-in-100 when checking an OpArea for activity. There is a specific separate procedure to follow from there and which boat (yours or an enemy sub) is the target is decided by a die roll. In certain OpAreas in certain time periods it is actually possible to encounter an Italian submarine or a German U-boat in this manner.
3. There are ten different possible Combat Events. A quick summary:
- A ship lumbers in the way of a torpedo shot (Essentially a potential automatic hit)
- Surface gunnery possible (specific conditions that allow going directly to a sink roll)
- A torpedo runs in a circle (Possibility of sub sinking itself)
- Perfect set-up (adjusts TDC draw to all values being negative)
- Mechanical failure (aborts attack, potentially forces an immediate RTB)
- Double tonnage (a sunk merchant ship is actually double the listed tonnage)
- Patrol Bomber attacks (immediate attack on special line of counterattack table)
- Counterattack - Attack (counterattack phase first before attack phase)
- Counterattack only (skip attack and just do counterattack)
- Attack - Attack (skip counterattack and do an extra attack round)
4. Super skippers are generated by a submarine completing a combat round in which they sink at least three ships and the total tonnage of the ships is at least 16,000 tons. This gets the submarine a useful +1 bonus. Qualifying a second time gets the submarine a +2 bonus.
5. The developers also encourage reseeding the War Mix in the cups every month of the campaign. This redistributes mainly the freighters and 2 ton escorts, but this also reinitializes where the "mis-flagged" ships are and the distribution of the escort's ASW values; e.g. one of the '3' value ASW escorts thus could end up in different cups for different months. This prevents one from becoming too familiar with the odds of what might be under that rising sun or meatball out of Cup B. It also corrects potential errors from returning chits to the wrong cup.
6. A little further discourse on tactical decisions; e.g. hunting the small stuff. The C and D columns will turn up lots of good-sized targets, and often (if you take the risk) without much in the way of escorts. However, at this stage in the campaign game it is generally not worth going to that well too often. Why?
a. The torpedo penalty. At -2 it makes it much harder to hit these defense 3 to defense 5 ships. Best attack value *and* best TDC shot at a Defense 4 ship has only a 40% chance (roll 0-3) of a hit. Then, if you do hit it, there is only a 50% chance of sinking it due to the -2 penalty to the sinking roll as well. So, with your best boat, and best set-up, there is only a 20% overall probability of sinking that 8 ton
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Steve Herron
United States
Johnson City
Tennessee
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I played the 1st campaign game did well but never got a super skipper. Did you have trouble with the Japanese counters getting worn? I did form the constant use of drawing them. Great report. I just loved going after those "El Cheapo" 1-0 junks to run the number of ships sunk total up.
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Kurt Over
United States
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
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I suspect I'll see wear on the ship chits as the campaign goes on. I am seeing definite edge wear on the TDC chits already.
To save wear-and-tear I might switch over to using a Cyberboard or Vassal module at some point. Otherwise, I suspect I'll need to look into what can be done to either replace or better protect the chits.
Never really close to a super skipper yet. Few with 10-20 tons of kills in a single Combat Phase, and a few with three ship kills, but never had much of a chance of both at once yet.
- Kurt
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Randy Dreger
Australia
Sebastopol
Victoria
I love Melissa, but don't tell her. It's a secret if she can find this. Shhhhh....
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Awesome Report and a great read. Here's a couple
 and a  for your effort.
I'm about to begin one of the mini-campaigns myself (before doing this grand one) and I've found your report invaluable for both understanding game mechanics and also for your comments regarding targetting etc.
One question: I seem to remember that their is a -1 drm for transit checks if transit side up or patrol side up (can't remember which and my rules are at home). Is this something you missed or am I wrong?
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Dale Stephenson
United States
Buford
Georgia
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GeneSteeler wrote: One question: I seem to remember that their is a -1 drm for transit checks if transit side up or patrol side up (can't remember which and my rules are at home). Is this something you missed or am I wrong?
I believe it's -1 for transit side up, and -1 for cautious (one zone) movement. All patrol movement is +1, so both transit and patrol is at -1. If you transit cautiously, it is -2.
Other transit modifiers (IIRC) are for congregating risk (+1 for 5-8 subs, +2 for 9-12 subs, etc), +2 for transit into a SMZ (Special Mission Zone) because of an event, and -1 for entering an ULTRA area.
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Kurt Over
United States
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
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GeneSteeler wrote: Awesome Report and a great read. Here's a couple and a for your effort. I'm about to begin one of the mini-campaigns myself (before doing this grand one) and I've found your report invaluable for both understanding game mechanics and also for your comments regarding targetting etc. One question: I seem to remember that their is a -1 drm for transit checks if transit side up or patrol side up (can't remember which and my rules are at home). Is this something you missed or am I wrong?
Transit side up is -1 drm
"Cautious transit" (1 zone only) is an additional -1 drm (-2 total)
+2 to checks for entering SMZs.
+2 to checks for entering the Sea of Japan OpArea.
+x to checks for Congregation penalties (+1 for 5-8 subs, +2 for 9-12, etc.) And remember that the penalty doesn't necessarily apply based on the OpArea that is crowded, but to the OpArea that had the most red boxes. (Ex: +1 congregation penalty in Banda Sea [1 red box], if you enter the Java Sea from the Banda Sea the transit check is based on the Java Sea's two red boxes plus one for the congregation penalty from the crowded area.)
I think Patrol Movement is the default; e.g. two red boxes = potential Transit Event on an 8 or 9.
- Kurt
P.S. - Thanks for the tip, I can afford to get an avatar now!
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Russ Massey
United Kingdom
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I'm just up to July 42 in my second attempt at the full campaign (sacked after failing the 2nd tonnage requirement by 10t in the first game), and thanks to reading this I've just noticed a major error in the way I've been playing the game.
I've been going through each Phase of the Operations Segment with all the boats and then moving onto the next phase, rather than taking each boat through all phases and moving onto the next boat. Not too sure how much that affects the game overall, but congregation would possibly be different.
One thing in your description above. After the Betty Bomber combat event you carried on with the attack on the convoy; the rules indicate you abandon the attack and go straight to the endurance roll for the boat.
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Kurt Over
United States
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
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Rutan wrote: I'm just up to July 42 in my second attempt at the full campaign (sacked after failing the 2nd tonnage requirement by 10t in the first game), and thanks to reading this I've just noticed a major error in the way I've been playing the game.
I've been going through each Phase of the Operations Segment with all the boats and then moving onto the next phase, rather than taking each boat through all phases and moving onto the next boat. Not too sure how much that affects the game overall, but congregation would possibly be different.
One thing in your description above. After the Betty Bomber combat event you carried on with the attack on the convoy; the rules indicate you abandon the attack and go straight to the endurance roll for the boat.
Oooo. Good catch on that. (Going straight to Endurance Check after a Betty Bomber combat event.)
And doing all segments on a sub before going to the next has a major effect on potential congregation risk. If subs fail the Endurance Check and leave an OpArea heading back to base you can patrol move another sub into the OpArea... Therefore, a "good" OpArea can actually have quite a few subs do Search and Contact in it during a week without any congregation risk. (However, it also means a number of the subs are failing Endurance Checks.)
- Kurt
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Posted Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:24 pm
