Post by Fear God & Dreadnought! on Jul 20, 2017 2:38:55 GMT
Has anyone here tried any of the titles from this series? I own the latest edition of Jutland, and though my interest initially faded after I discovered the simplicity of the combat system (simpler than War at Sea, and less streamlined at that from what I can tell), I am slowly coming to the conclusion that it is the only way to simulate the war in the North Sea (on an operational and tactical scale) in an even remotely reasonable amount of time. From what I can tell, all the other tactical rules systems for naval combat of the Dreadnought era--Seekrieg V, Fleet Action Imminent, Age of Dreadnoughts (just to name a few), require players to frequently consult pages of data and any action larger than that off the Falklands or the hunt for Goeben will likely require hours of play. I would love to hear others' opinions on the dilemma of playtime vs. detail and realism and on the Great War at Sea games.
Formerly "Admiral Jacky Fisher."
"It follows then as certain as that night succeeds the day, that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive, and with it, everything honorable and glorious"--George Washington
I have the Jutland game but I've only played about a handful of games. I wanted to recreate the battle and this seemed the best around. After some smaller battles we played the main battle through twice, me being the Germans. Both seemed to go the same way with the Germans doing well to start with but ultimately British numbers giving them victory. I guess its like trying to win a Waterloo battle as the French before the Prussians turn up.
I've never really been a fan of pen/pad games but this was ok after initially writing out all the fleet units etc. It just seemed to get a little monotonous in the big battle with all the pieces out. It was a case of roll the dice and mark off the damage. The movement is key I think, if you end up outnumbered your in trouble. The map seemed to wear/smudge easily too. I would play it again but haven't got round to it yet and would probably try to look for some rule clarifications/updates etc. which usually go with these sort of games.
"That's right son, join the navy. Get behind a bloody big gun and knock the hell out of somebody"
"We went out, got our arses kicked, then came back again"
I have Jutland and some other titles in the series. I haven't played it much, partly due to a lack of flat space. I do know of gamers who use the GWAS games for campaigns in conjunction with other tactical rules. GWAS gets used for strategic and operational movement, and the other rules get used for the battles when they occur.