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". The two series share many features although they are separate both from a rules standpoint and a scale standpoint (see "SOPAC" below).

Games

"SOPAC"

"SOPAC" was the first "Second World War at Sea" game and extended the "Great War at Sea" series to World War II. "SOPAC" was released in 2000 and eventually sold out in 2004.

"SOPAC"'s scale was different from that of the "Great War at Sea" series because the area on the map could not fit using the earlier scale on the available map size. This means that the two related series' can not use each other's maps.

"Eastern Fleet"

"Eastern Fleet" was the second game in the series and covered the British Eastern Fleet.

"Midway"

"Midway" covers the Battle of Midway as well as other scenarios in that area and period of the war.

"Bomb Alley"

"Bomb Alley" was the fourth game and according to Avalanche Press, "the most ambitious" (although that title would only last until "Leyte Gulf" was released). It covered the whole Mediterranean and featured 50 scenarios.

"Leyte Gulf"

"Leyte Gulf" was the first game produced through Avalanche Press's "Classic Wargames" program. The game includes three operational maps and 2,170 game counters. "Leyte Gulf" is Avalanche Press's largest and most expensive game.

"Strike South"

"Strike South" covers Japanese operations in 1941 and early 1942, including the invasions of Malaya, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).

"Bismarck"

"Bismarck" is the first game in this series set in the Atlantic Ocean and covers German commerce raiders from 1939 to 1941. The game includes the German battleships "Bismarck", "Tirpitz", "Scharnhorst", and "Gneisenau" as well as the aircraft carriers "Graf Zeppelin" (as well as her never-completed sister "Peter Strasser").

"Cone of Fire"

"Cone of Fire" contains both "Great War at Sea" and "Second World War at Sea" pieces for South American nations. It was produced under the "Classic Wargames" program and is expected to be released in mid 2007.

"Arctic Convoy"

"Arctic Convoy" was recently made available for pre-order and features Allied convoys trying to make it to northern Soviet ports.

"Coral Sea"

"Coral Sea" is the introductory game for the "Second World War at Sea" series and covers the Battle of the Coral Sea. It uses a small box size and comes with a new edition of the series rules and shares a sheet of counters with "Pacific Crossroads".

upplements

Like "Great War at Sea", "Second World War at Sea" has spawned several supplements.

"Distant Oceans"

Now out of print, "Distant Oceans" added scenarios to the existing games at the time it was printed as well as featuring several background articles. It featured counter graphics that gamers could use to create counters for the Yugoslav navy, however newer supplements feature actual counters. Because of this, "Distant Oceans" will not be reprinted.

"East of Suez"

"East of Suez" was released in early 2007 and featured the British Pacific fleet in both real and fictional operations in 1944 and 1945. "Leyte Gulf" is required to play all of the scenarios and other games in the series are needed for some of the scenarios.

"Black Sea Fleets"

"Black Sea Fleets" is the newest "Second World War at Sea" product. It adds Soviet naval forces to the game, concentrating on the Black Sea. The supplement also contains counters for the Turkish and Romanian fleets and air units.

Future Products

Future products in the "Second World War at Sea" series include a new version of "U.S. Navy Plan Orange" as well as at least two more supplements.

References

* [http://www.avalanchepress.com/line_WWIISea.php Avalanche Press' "Second World War at Sea" page]
* [http://www.boardgamegeek.com/metasearch.php?searchtype=game&search=second+world+war+at+sea&B1=Go "Second World War at Sea" series] at BoardGameGeek