lr='-a

Inf
TM

i Eir* -i'# - \/E.' I

l:*'*
i*Eit
HfuE ffi F*tr E-
E

I I
I

.-I

k*--:'€
il
:.

ffiur-"",".:

I}ATTI.E FIIIT TI{H I'AT}IFI[}

Rules Manual
AGTIII}I'
 1
r:r
I *==E +
TM
:
EtE*
li\1'f tf A
fE

m*H H
Yffiffi KEStg$
CONTENTS
Victory ot Seo is the game of naval combat during the Second
World War. Throughout 193945, the warring nations duelled Ihe Bosics I
across the oceans of the world, only to discover the fundamental
nature of naval warfare changing in the face of rapidly developing TheGomeTurn........ ,4
technologies. Now you can play out these confrontations on the MovementPhose....... .5
tabletop with entire fleets drawn from the Royal Navy, US Navy,
lmperialJapanese Navy, German Kriegsmarine or any of the other Gunnery Phose. . ,6
nations featured in Victory ot Seo.
End Phose t0
From skirmishes involving single destroyers hunting down 0rders . lt
merchantmen to the clashing of massive fleets against implacable
enemies, Victory ot Seo enables you to fight exciting battles that
Troits . . )7

take place on the oceans of World War ll. Aircroft. l4

fhe Victory ot Seo rules presented here contain all you need to Wor ot Seo 20
know to begin playing with the fleets included. Once you are
The US Novy 24
familiar with these rules, you can expand your fleet in order to
experience the full dynamics of naval combat in the Second The lmperiol Joponese Novy 25
World War by adding separately available Victory ot Seo sets to
Ihe Royol Novy. . . 26
your collection,
The Kriegsmorine... .... . u
As well as this book, the six-sided dice, the ten-sided dice, and
other components included, there are a few other things you will Ihe Regio Morino . t6
require in order to play Victory ot Seo. A minimum of two players Ihe Morine Notionole. . . . . 28
are required, each with their own fleet of ships. You will also need
a flat playing surface - a kitchen table will do. ln addition to this, Ship Construction ..... . . 29
you will also need pens, scrap paper to jot down notes and a
Criticol Hit Reference . .... 30
measuring device marked in inches,

ffllniotures and Stencry: Spetiol John Stollard

Photogrophy: lon Stricklond, Adom Wont,

Iditing: Dorron Bowley, Poul Sowyer
Dorek Wyrozebski

Design ond Producfion:

Oflkiol ilovy Boffins (0NB|:
Dylon 0wen, lon Skicklond, Adom Wont
Richord Box, Roymond Becker,

Joseph [owlishow, Dovid Monley

i:lelcher iirss ilestrnyer

(o 2020 Worlard Gomes. A// Rrghts Reserved

Warlord Gomes, 8o/t A.rion, Prke & shotte, Hal Coesor, Crrel 5eos Blocr. powder, Biock Seos,
Worlords of Erehwon Blood Red Skies, SPQR, Beyond the 6qtes ofAntores. Gores ofAntores, Algoryn, Borontte. Lavontjte lsonon Shard
Concord, Ghor, NuHu ond Freeborn ore cither
'81
or rM, ond/or ta:: Warlatd Gcnres Llmite( vqriobly regltered oraund the v/ald.

tvww.vicloryolsea. cc" u k
wreffi lslEs
I
]0 : 130
SllIPS IN : points I

VICT0RY AT SEA {I,ASS }{EAVY CF'UISEB

Every ship in the game is
defined by its ship card, Tt"PEl
Cruiser
detailing all the game
information you need to play
with that ship. An example ship t'1.\\x SlHliol
b
card can be seen on this page.
\Ruoul': 2.

llul,l.l 2-\n

'IR,\lrs: Aire.raft 4
This is the name of the class of ,\P Dl)
TR\ITS
E\TREUE \D
the warship. A list of individual FIRE ARC
BLNh: EHORT i I,ONG i

ships of that class are named on wtrAPoNs SYsrEu ......i1: 1

24'
B-inch) *3
B" 16"
the back of the ship card. (3 x 1
A Turret 24" ca 3
B"
(3 x B-lnch) '3 1
B turret 24"
16-
Type
x Tu*et (3 'x B-inch)
't B"
6
,9 I D!, Ee6trieted' ilieak
This describes the size and
function of the ship in lhe Victory liight Gws (B 5-inch) e '1" l-1"
Local 1

ot Seo game, such as destroyer, AA Sattery

-c
cruiser, carrier, and battleship.
o
4
tr 6
,l 8 U'${;**Yisffi*
0 I 2
I I I I t
point I t
Every ship has an associated I I
value, which reflects how powerful
the ship is relative to all the others. Points values are used Weopon Systems
when playing the War at Sea scenario (see page 20). Most warship will have multiple weapon systems, all of which
are detailed here. Each line in this section details a single
:- weapon system (so, light guns would be one weapon system,
,. '. ,]
A turret another, and B turret a third). Every weapon system
This is the maximum distance in inches a ship can usually is defined by its fire arc, range (point blank, short, long, and
r-nove in a single game turn. extreme), the number of Attack Dice (AD) it uses, its Armour
Piercing (AP) rating (i.e. its ability to penetrate Armour), and
the Damage Dice (DD) dealt when a hit is scored. Some
Arm0ur weapon systems also have Traits, as defined on page '1 2,
The higher the value here, the better armoured a ship is and which further influence their effect in the game.
the longer it will be able to withstand incoming fire.

&iiditionol lnformoli*n
On the back of the ship card you will find some biographical
The first figure shows how many points of damage a ship's hull, information and a list of any refits made to ships in the class
fr-ame and superstructure can withstand before being destroyed. during the course of the war. Note that refits are cumulative,
The second marks the point at which the ship has taken enough so all refits up to and including a specific year are applied.
damage to become crippled. On the card shown above, once the
USS No,thompton takes 16 points of damage, reducing her to 7
Hull overalL, she becomes crippled.

Many ships have abilities and rules that allow them to

perform actions unavailable to others. The USS
Northompton has the trait Aircraft 4, meaning she carrres USS iVorfiompfon
and can launch aircraft. Traits are detailed on page 12.

t
TOOLS.& (OUNTERS

RFtnil! [riticol Hit lokens

*

900
B01.eI
a@ Crew

Areo
Weopons

Areo

t
Turninq Gouqe

cr'l*l.*
/l 3
B@
* \
E \

Vitol Sy$ems
iriticol Tokenr
Smoke sroP
Morker

HALF

I nitiotive
Token
rr ef
AT"lSN
B&I$fin .

US tuffidffidHd foo pereffirc sffioom d US ftomqpru

I
*#;+:i:r

t-
I
E

r i
-
ilr
 Amd@in d @om@ flhm sd dom m omdhr

PRE.MEASUR!NG SllIP MODTLS

You are allowed to pre-measure distances and ranges in The Victory ot Seo model ships are used to represent only
Victory ot Seo. Captains and admirals of the Second World their relative positions. ln reality, at the sort of scales and
War had quite sophisticated fire control systems, sometimes distances a Victory ot Seo battle represents, true-to-scale
tied into radar or aided by observation aircraft. models would be unfeasibly tiny. As such, any movement or
measurement is made from and to the bridge of each model.
All distances in Victory ot Seo are measured from the bridge of The bridge, therefore, represents a truer approximation of
a ship's model. All distances are measured in inches. the actual position of the vessel on the open sea.

DI(E
Victory ot Seo uses both six-sided dice (often abbreviated as
D6) and ten-sided dice (abbreviated as D10). When called Destroyer: tubufri
on to roll a dice, take note of the number rolled then add
or subtract any relevant modifiers - the final number is
known as the result. Sometime the rules may ask you for a
result of a'natural 1'(or 10, or 6). Simply put, this is when the
dice score matches that relevant number before any modifiers
are applied.

RE.ROLLS Cruiser: Furufoko

Some special situations may call for you to

re-roll a dice. This simply means you ignore the
first result a dice has rolled and roll again. You must
always accept the result of the second roll, even if it was
worse than the first - re-rolls can be used to
get you out of a tricky situation, but
they are never guaranteed! You
may only re-roll a dice once, no
matter what the circumstances.
Bottleship: (ongd

L
Flight: Mitsubishi
A6M2 Zero
,.4
I l= fi $ Hd {

$s9 tsstl \9q{

Corrier: USS fssex

t
E
THE EIUE TUHil
ln a real naval battle, all ships within both fleets are always At the start of each turn, both players roll a D10 for lnitiative,
in motion and continuously firing as they go, all at the same taking note of the result. Any ties are re-rolled. The player
time. To make this process of naval combat a lot easier to that rolled the highest has won the lnitiative Phase and should
replicate in Vtctory ot Seo, the game is split into discrete game claim the lnitiative Token as a reminder of which player holds
turns. Each game turn is then further split into four distinct initiative this turn.
phases. During a game turn, both players will participate in
each phase together and, when each game turn is complete,
every ship on each player's side will have had a chance to act
and affect the outcome of the battle. MO\IEMENT PHASE
The four phases are played in order - lnitiative Phase, The player who lost the Initiative Phase must now nominate
Movement Phase, Gunnery Phase and End Phase. When the one of their ships and move it. Their opponent then chooses
End Phase has been completed, the current game turn ends one of their vessels and moves that. Continue alternating
and the next one begins with a new lnitiative Phase. moving ships in this way until all ships have been moved.
Note that a particularly large fleet may still have ships to
move after its enemy has finished moving all of its own. ln
this case, the larger fleet will carry on until they have all had
INITIATIVE PHASE a chance to move.

The lnitiative Phase is used to resolve any actions that do

not require players to make any choices and to decide who
will have the Initiative for the turn - in other words. who has GUNNERY PllASE
gained a position oftactical advantage.
Once ships have been moved into position, they fire their
weapons in an effort to destroy their enemies. Players
alternate the firing of their ships. The player who won
the lnitiative Phase nominates one of their ships and then
attacks with it, resolving all damage dealt. Their opponent
then nominates one of their ships and attacks. The players
continue alternating until all ships have attacked or at least
had a chance to attack.

Note that it is not compulsory for a ship to attack, even if

r&
ffi it has a viable target. The player may simply nominate it and
choose not to fire. However, they may not se ect it again that
turn and attempt to fire - the player must make the decision
*
tr'
to attack there and then, and not hold backl

- i @
END PHAST
The End Phase is used to 'tidy up' the battlefield and make
sure all players know what is happening. This is the time
Damage Control and other functrons are performed. Once
complete, a new turn begins, starting with the lnitiative Phase,

,l
 WffiWffiWffire€ ffiffi&ffiffi
The ability to manoeuvre a ship into a position of advantage
isvital. By outwitting your opponent, you will gain the
opportunity to keep your ships at optimum range for
their weaponry while keeping out of the fire arcs of your
opponent's most dangerous guns.

Once it has been determined which player has won the

lnitiative Phase, players then take turns to move their ships,
with the player who lost moving first. A ship may only be
nominated to move once in every turn and every ship must
be nominated. You are not allowed to skip or ignore ships,
even f rt means moving a ship into a position of disadvantagel

MO\IING SHIPS
When nominated to move, a ship can move a distance in
inches up to its Flank Speed score. However, unless the ship
has had its Flank Speed reduced to 0 due to damage, it must
always move a minimum distance of 1" forward.

A sh p can change the direction of its movement only after

it has moved at least 2" forward in a straight line. lt can then
make a turn of up to 45'to either port or starboard (that is
left or right, respectively). The turning gauge included helps
facilitate this, as shown in diagrams 1 and 2. edfq.;
'l{dH
A ship may turn any number of times during its movement, M
but it must travel at least 2" forward in a straight line before *"Er#
making each turn. lf, for whatever reason, the ship cannot !*#
move the full required increment of 2" forward, then it cannot
turn and remains facing forward at the end of its move,

Ship models may never be stacked on top of one another

and so you may never end your movement 'on top' of another
ship. lf this occurs, the player moving the ship simply places
it wholly to one side or the other of the stationary vessel,
whrchever side the moving ship's bridge would have ended up on.

These are all the rules you need to know in order to move
your ships and begin attacking with them. However, there
are a range of Orders you can attempt during this phase
nstead of just moving normally, from scrambling fighters on
an a rcraft carrier to taking evasive action when under attack.
See oage 1 1 for a list of these Orders.

Kongc Kumono

5
r
 EU]ITEBY PHI$E
Now that all ships have moved, it is time to unleash their raw
firepower and reduce the enemy's vessels into sinking hulks
of burning metall From torpedoes offast attack boats to the Brvorun THr HoRrzon Arucrs
immensely powerful main guns found on board the largest
battleships ever to sail the oceans, there are many different Many guns of this era are so powerful they can hurl a
ways in which you can destroy your enemy. shell far beyond the horizon or over small land masses.
Given the difficulty of hitting a target that cannot be
Starting with the player who won the lnitiative Phase, players seen (even with radar), this is rarely done during battle
alternate the firing with each of their ships. Rolling to hit, but has applications in other military operations.
calculating all damage, and resolving any critical effects before
moving onto the next attacking ship. This, of course, makes
winning the lnitiative Phase very important in some turns. Finding the Target
Only stationary targets, either installations on land or
Once a ship has been nominated to fire, the player follows anchored ships, may be attacked beyond a range of 30"
this process: or if land lies between attacker and target.

Nominate targets for every weapon system that will ln order to attack a specific target beyond 30", an
fire this phase Observation Flight is needed to guide attacks onto that
target. lf an Observation Flight has been assigned to 'spot'
Check fire arc and range for each weapon system that specific target, then all ships in the fleet can attack
that target as long as it is within the weapons system's
Resolve firing extreme range.

Resolve damage
Mcking the Aticck
Even with an Observation Flight to make corrections
and in perfect conditions, accuracy at these ranges is
NOMI]\|ATE TARGEIS poor at best.

For an attack to be successfully launched, two conditions All attacks will have the number of Attack Dice they use
must first be met: halved, rounding down, and each Attack Dice requires a
natural 6 to be rolled in order to hit the target - Beyond
'l) The target must lie within the flre arc of the weapon Horizon Attacks are never modified for any reason.
system that is firing;

2) The target must be within range of the weapon system.

You must nominate a visible target for every weapon system

Splitting Fire
you intend to fire from your ship at the same time, before lf a light gun or AA battery weapon system has more than
any attacks are made. As the ship models themselves are only one Attack Dice, then it may split its fire among multiple
representational, they do not block the line of sight. different targets. This is done when targets are being
nominated and the amount of Attack Dice allocated to each
You must always measure from the bridge of your ship to target must be declared before any firing takes place. Other
the bridge of your target when checking for both range and weapon systems may not split their fire and engage multiple
whether a target lies in an appropriate fire arc or not. target in this way, all Attack Dice from main guns, torpedoes
and bombs are directed at a single target.
Unless your ship has rules to the contrary, you may fire each
weapon system once during every turn, and every weapon TI
system may be fired at a different target.
t 0rpe00es
Each Attack Dice listed for a given torpedo weapon system
&rtrcrximum Visucl represents a single torpedo. The player thus has the option
Rmr:ge
to fire some or all the torpedoes at the designated target
The maximum range a ship can attack a target at is 30". from that torpedo system. By firing only part of that torpedo
Targets beyond this are considered to be over the horizon weapon system's total Attack Dice, the player is choosing to
and require a slightly more complicated approach to hitting hold the remainder in reserve for a later attack. lf the torpedo
their target (see Beyond the Horizon Attacks). system has the Slow-Loading Trait (see page 13), a torpedo

E
 fl s
!:

and naming the guns they carry and their

for example, used their phonetic alphabet to 'Anton", 'Bruno", "Caesar", "Dora",
assign guns sequential names such as
etc. For consistency, Victory ot Seo uses the Royal Navy system throughout, where A, B, refer to forward guns; Q, R
refer to guns amidships; and X, Y, refer to a ship's aft guns.

cannot be re-loaded into a partially empty rack if that specific

weapon system fires additional torpedoes during that round. WEAPOI| SYSTTMS
While each specific torpedo weapon system cannot split There are several types of weapon systems used in Victory ot
its torpedoes between multiple targets, ships is equipped Seo, though not every ship will possess all of them.
with more than one torpedo weapon system, each system
may direct each separate torpedo weapon system at a
different target.
These are the main turreted weapons that made battleships
famous, They are noted in ship descriptions as being mounted
on turrets,
FIRE ARTS

Every ship inVictory ot Seo has a number of firing arcs, all of Light Gun
which are shown below. These represent the multitude of smaller weaponry that ships
commonly carry. They may be used to attack any target in
range, on any heading. Note that smaller ships may only possess
light guns and have no main guns - while these smaller weapons
may, technically, be the ship's primary weapons, they are still
counted as light guns for the purposes of these rules.

AA Botlery
Anti-aircraft batteries are the only defence a ship has against
aircraft. Anti-aircraft batteries may target any aircraft within
range and will fire at the start of the Gunnery Phase, before
either player gets a chance to do anything else. The use of
these weapons is described with the rules for Aircraft starting
on page 14.

Torpedo
Mounted mainly on cruisers and destroyers, as well as
some aircraft. Torpedoes are designed to attack ships
below the waterline, where they are most vulnerable.
Torpedoes are launched from the fore, port or starboard
Weopon Syslem Fire Arcs of most vessels.
Arrow denotes direction the ship's bow (front) is focing.

{ ro."
i
'-''''::
oo
"t Carried by aircraft, some bombs are capable of smashing
right through armoured decks to explode within a ship's most
{ Fore, Port +fi nt no.t vulnerable areas.

{, fo.., Port, Starboard { nit, Port, Starboard

Fletcher-[los De$royers

{ ro.", Starboard € Aft, Starboard

L
*ffi nort +@ Starboard

{ for", Afr, Port, Starboard

td

i
 EII*I

The resulting number on each Damage Dice is then compared

FIRING to the target's Armour score. For every Damage Dice that
equals or exceeds the Armour score, 1 point of damage is
Each weapon system on a ship card has an Attack Dice (AD) deducted from the target's Hull move the damage sliders on
-
score listed. This is the number of D6 rolled every time the the ship card to reflect this.
weapon system is fired.
Each Damage Dice that rolls a natural 1 automatically deflects
For every Attack Dice that results in a 4 or more, a hit has off the target's Armour, causing no damage, regardless of the
been scored. However, each Attack Dice will be modified as weapon system's Armour Piercing modifier.
follows (all modifiers are cumulative except those for range,
where only the relevant modifier is applied). Each Damage Dice that rolls a natural 6 has the potential to
also cause a critical hit. For every natural 6 rolled, roll that D6
again, even if no damage was dealt to the target ship due to
the ships Armour. lf on this roll you get a result of 4 or more
Armcr Drcr I\AoUFIERS then, in addition to causing any damage as normal, you will
also score a critical hitl More details on critical hits are given
Target is at Point Blank Range +1 on page 9.

Target is at Short Range . +0 lf a ship's Hull is reduced to 0, it is considered to be destroyed

and sinks. Remove the model from the playing area.
Target is at Long Range. -1
Target is at Extreme Range.
Fiunging Flr*
-2
Shells fired at longer ranges by main and light guns do not
Target's Ship Class is Destroyer 1
travel in a flat line to their target - instead, they are fired
upwards and travel in an arc to dive down upon their
Fast Moving Target target. This means shells fired in this way do not usually
(target moved more than 5" this turn) 2
-1 strike the thick hull armour mounted on the side of ships,
but instead tend to plunge down toward their much
Stationary Target weaker deck armour.
(target on land, anchored or run aground) +'l
Main guns and light guns fired at a target within the
Large Silhouette weapon system's long or extreme range gain +1 to their
(you are in the target's port or starboard arc) . . . . . +'l Damage Dice results.

Weapon System isaTorpedo. ....-2 Heovy Armour

1
Moin guns con only torget bottleships, corriers, cruisers ond Some of the biggest and toughest ships afloat have an Armour
civilion ships ot point blank ronge due to slow turret movement score of 7. This means they can only be damaged by weapons
ond the inobility to depress their guns low enough. that have a bonus added to their Damage Dice, such as from
plunging fire.
2 Light guns
ond AA botteries ore oble to trocktheir targets
more quickly and ignore the penolry for fost moving torgets.

TRIPPLTD SHIPS
The Hull score of each ship has a secondary value, as noted
DAMAG E on its ship card. When a ship's Hull is reduced to this
secondary value or below, it has been crippled.
Once hits have scored on a target, it is time to see what
damage has been caused. Every weapon system has a Damage For example, the USS Northompton has a Hull score listed
Dice (DD) score listed. This is the number of D6 rolled for as2317. This means that she can lose a total of 23 Hull to
every Attack Dice that successfully hit the target. The weapon damage before sinking, However, when her Hull has been
system's Armour Piercing (AP) score is then added to or reduced to 7 points or fewer, she is crippled.
subtracted from each Damage Dice rolled.
A crippled ship will permanently have its current Flank
Speed reduced by half and it gains the Lumbering trait
(see page 12). The Attack Dice of the ship's light guns,
torpedoes and AA battery weapon systems will be halved
(rounding down). In addition, roll a D6 for every main
gun and Trait the ship possesses, On a 4+ the main gun
or Trait is rendered inoperable and cannot be used aga n
during the game.
USS Chicogo
 ffififirtrpll

IRITI(AL tIITS
Roll one D'10 for each critical hit scored and consult the Every time a critical area's Critical Score increases,
Critical Area table below to determine exactly where the ship immediately apply the extra damage to the ship's Hull and
has been affected. apply the associated penalty.

q The effects of critical hit penalties are cumulative, so if a ship's

6 Dl0 Srore Tqrgel Engines have a Critical Score of 3, it will have its Flank Speed
< __l
t-4 Engine reduced by a total of -2".
u
4,
Weapons
lf an area already has a Critical Score of 6 and receives
5-7
another critical hit to that area, apply both the extra damage
8-9 Crew and penalty for a Critical Score of 5 again.
l0 Vital System Some critical penalties increase the Critical Score of other areas,
if this penalty occurs immediately increase that critical area's
When either the Engine, Weapons, or Crew area sustains Critical Score and apply the resulting extra damage and penalty.
a critical hit, that area's Critical Score increases by'1 , to The Escalation penalty means that, if left unattended, the areas
a maximum of 6. Keep track of critical hits by placing the Critical Score may increase, as fires and secondary explosions
relevant critical hit tokens on your ship's card. Critical hits spread! The effects ofthis penalty are checked for and applied
against a Vital System are dealt with differently, see below. during the turn's End Phase - see page 1 0 for details.

-...---------.--
(rilicol Score: I 2 3 4 5 6

Effeo: Props Domoged I nudder Domoged Turbine Domoged Fuel System Ruptured tngines Disobled Iuel [xplosion
Extro Domoge: 0 1 2 3 D6 3D6
-1 " to Flank Speed
" Flank Speed
Must move 3" 1 Flank Speed Crew area Critical
Peno hy: -1 " to Flank Speed Crew area Critical
before each turn Escalation reduced to 0" Score increases by 1
Score rncreases by 1

Secondory Secondory
tffecl:
Weopons Deslroyed
Tunel Domoged Tunel Deslroyed Mogozine [xplosion Multiple [xplosions

[xlro Domoge: 2 ) D6 2D6

1 3D6
Random turret Random turret
-2 Attack Dicex must roll 4+ before destroyed (cannot be Random turret Crew and Engine
Penolry: -1 Attack Dicex Crew area Critical
firing (ignore if no used even if repaired)
destroyed (cannot be area Critical Scores
Score increases by 1 used even if repaired) ncrease by 1
turrets present) Esca ation

I I
T.
tffeo: Shropnel
Shropnel Fire
I muhiple rires Heovy ttull lreorh Ixplosion

[xlro Domoge: 1 2 3 D6 -t--| 2D5

I

Weapon area Critical -

The shio's- crew
;. cnecKs
,' ,- gatn - . Ensine area Critical Weapon area Critical
Penolry: | -1 Attack Dice x Escalation
Score increases by 1
qualrty
Score increases
a - I modtlrer
* Eoch time this resu/t is goined, roll o dice. On o 1-3, Attock Dice ore lostfrom oll light guns weopon systems, on o 4-5 from the AA bottery, ond
on o 6 from oll torpedoes. lf o shlp locks ony weopon system rolled, roll ogoin until o system thot. rs present is rolled.
Note thot some shlps do not possess turrets. ln the cose of such o ship suffering o Turret Destroyed or Mogozine Explosion criticol effect, holve the
Attock Dice of oll light guns, rounding down, insteod ond opply oll other effects of the criticol hit os normol.
-
Vitol Systems D6 Score Areo Domoge t{fecl

lf a critical hit is scored I Bridge Deslroyed 1

For the rest of the game, the ship is no
longer able to perform any Orders.
upon a Vital System, things
are about to get very very Roll a D5. For the rest of the game, at every opportunity,
bad for the ship involved. 2 Rudder Jommed D6 the ship must: on a 1-2, always turn left; on a 3-4, no
longer make any turns; on a 5-5, it must always turn right.
These are devastating hits
that cause terrible, even For the rest of the game, the ship cannot
3 fire in Engineering 2D6
terminal, damage. perform damage control.
For each Vital System For the rest of the game, before each weapon system can
critical hit a ship suffers 4 Mogozine Abloze )D6 fire roll a D6: on a 1-3 the weapon system cannot fire this
roll on this table to see turn; on a 4-6 the weapon system can fire as normal.

what has happens. Place

5 Secondory [xplosions 4D6 lncrease the Critical Scores of every area by 'l
the relevant Vital Systems
critical token on your The ship's Hull is immediately reduced to 0 and
6 (oloslrophic [xplosion
ship's card as a reminder. the ship is lost with all hands.
_l

g
 ffiffiffi ww&ffiffi
Once all players have moved and attacked with all their ships, Each ship may only attempt one damage control repair a turn.
the End Phase completes the turn. This phase is used to Pick a critical area (Engine, Weapons, or Crew) and roll a D6,
complete any actions needed for special rules, as well as a For every point the result is above 4 the Critical Score of that
providing a vital chance for players to repair any damage their area is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 0.
ships have sustained from critical hits.
For exomple, o result of 6 reduces the Criticol Score by 2. The
You should go through the following procedures, in order, ship no longer suffers the penolty ossoclored with the old Criticol
during every End Phase. Score; ony previous penoitles ossocioted with the higher scores ore
tgnored. However, ony increoses to other crittcol oreos or extro
1) Damage Control domoge sustoined by the old Critrcol Score remain.

2) Check for Escalation Locations with a Critical Score of 5 and critical hits to Vital
Systems may never be repaired.

DAMAGE (OI\|TROL
(HECK FOR ESMLATION
Warships train and maintain specialist groups of crew known
collectively as damage control. lt is their job to assess and Some critical area penalties indicate the Critical Score
report damage sustained, stop it from getting worse and, there may suffer Escalation. All critical areas subject to the
where possible, make repairs. Escalation penalty must roll a D5, On a result of 4 or more,
its Critical Score immediately increases by 1, Any extra
During the End Phase, each ship can use their damage control damage or penalty resulting from the new score is applied
to attempt to repair damage sustained to a single critical area. immediately. Remember to keep rolling for Escalation every
The player who won the lnitiative Phase this turn attempts this End Phase, until and unless the Critical Score drops below the
for all their ships first, followed by all the other player's ships. point at which Escalation appears.

i{FF!{*r

===

w=
.1!,@

#*=
uss
W
 SnBEn$
A ships captain is the most important member of the crew. His direction change of up to 90'. However, the ship cannot make
leadership, discipline and tactical knowledge are vital to his ships, any other changes to direction until its next turn.
and the fleett, Mctory. During a battle, each ship's captain can issue
specific Orders to his crew. Whether it is calling on all available crew
to fix damaged systems or desperately manoeuwing the vessel to
avoid incoming attack, Orders are a key element of Vaory otSeo.
{reute Smck*!
Automotic
Effect: Burning excess oil, the ship begins to belch thick
clouds of black smoke, cloaking a large area. Place one smoke
PIRFORMING At\l ORDER counter in contact behind the ship for every full 3" the ship
moves. No ship may draw a line through these counters
When a ship is nominated to move, a player can also choose and no attacks can be made through them at all. The smoke
tohave that ship's captain issue an Order. Some of these counters are removed in the End Phase.
Orders are followed automatically, while others require a
crew quality check to succeed. Each ship's captain may only
issue a single Order during a turn, though any number of
captains may issue the same order every turn. An Order must
[vode I

be chosen before the ship begins to move. lf the Order is Automotic

successful, apply the Order's effect.. lf not, the ship moves as Effect: Turning hard at random intervals, the ship tries to
normal and ignores the effect of the Order attempted. throw an attacker off-guard, causing weapons to miss simply
by not being where it was predicted. All attacks made by a
ship performing the Evade! Order suffer a -'1 penalty to each
of its weapon system's Attack Dice rolls and the ship may not
{R€ltr *UALIEY {IT{IiS use torpedoes. Additionally, the ship's current Flank Speed is
halved (round up) for this turn. However, all enemy Attack
A crew quality check is performed by rolling a D5 and Dice which successfully hit this ship in this turn must be re-
applying any relevant modifiers, if the result is 4 or more the rolled.. Destroyers are particularly good at the Evade! Order, if
check succeeds. Sometimes, a ship will be required to make their current Flank Speed (before being halved) is greater than
an opposed crew quality check with another vessel. ln this 6", enemies retain the Attack Dice penalty for targeting a fast
case, both ships make a crew quality check, with the highest moving target (see page 8), regardless of how far they have
rolling ship succeeding in the check. Re-roll ties. actually moved.

ORDERS filcod i\4uguzinesl

Crew Quolity Check
The range of Orders available to all captains are described below. Effect: An order all commanders hope to never issue,
flooding magazines with water in order to extinguish fires
is only done in the direst of circumstances. lf the crew
All Hsnds on Derk! quality check is successful, Critical Scores of all locations
are immediately reduced to a level where the Escalation
Crew Quolity Check
rule is no longer present (so the Crew area will have a
Effect: The captain orders the entire engineering section to maximum Critical Score of 1, and Engine and Weapons areas
a er-t During the End Phase, damage control may be attempted a maximum score of 3). However, one random main gun
3- a crt cal areas rather than just a single area. Additionally, weapon system is put out of action for the remainder of the
:-: s. D gains +1 to their damage control rolls. However, during battle and cannot be repaired (if no turrets are present, halve
:-: G,r"ery Phase, every attack the ship makes with each of its the Attack Dice of all light guns, rounding down).
.'.:ilc- systems suffers a -1 penalty to their Attack Dice rolls.

5e rcrnble!
(ome Abr*ti
Crew Quality Check
Crew Quolity Check Effect: With utter precision born from months of hard
Effect: Pushing the ship's rudders to maximum deflection, training, the deck crew work to turn around launching or
the captain orders his ship to turn hard to gain a position landing aircraft in rapid succession. The carrier may launch or
of advantage. During its move, the ship can make a single recover two Flights in this turn (see page 18).

11
 TnllT$
ln Victory ot Seo, Traits are applied to ships, aircraft and weapons. Lumbering
These are abilities that in some way alter the core rules of the This ship is particularly ungainly in the water. lt may only make
game. For example, an Agile ship will prove very nimble at sea, one change of direction during its movement. Additionally,
able to run rings round clumsier vessels. ln the same way, there Lumbering ships may not use the Evade! Order.
are weapons that are exceptionally powerful compared to
normal guns and others markedly less effective.
Rador
The ship is fitted with a surface radar system that allows it to
operate effectively at long ranges, ideal for scouting enemy
SHIP TRAITS fleet movements. Ships committed to scouting with the Radar
Trait (see page 22) gain +1 to their dice roll and can re-roll
Ship Traits can affect the game in all kinds of ways, including their dice.
movement, firing and the ability to resist damage, as well
as wholly new effects that take place outside of normal
combat. Traits are one of the ways that vessels from different Tarpedo Belt X
fleets distance themselves in the ongoing technological race A thick reinforced layer of armoun often supplemented with
throughout the Second World War. individual compartments filled with gas or water, lies beneath the
)- waterline of this ship and is capable of minimising the effects of
a torpedo hit. Whenever this ship is hit by a torpedo in its side
Advunced Rodor arcs, the Torpedo Belt score will be deducted from each Damage
As the war progressed better surface radar systems were Dice rolled by the torpedo weapon system attack.
developed. A ship with this trait may track enemy fleets
for longer and from a greater distance. Ships committed to
scouting with the Advanced Radar Trait (see page 22) gain +2
to their dice roll and can re-roll their dice. WEAPON TRAITS

The Traits used for weapon systems typically revolve around

Agile the capabilities of the weapon itself and what it can do in
Some ships are very manoeuvrable, either by virtue of their battle. Some weapons are made vastly superior by these
speed and srze or advanced rudder systems. An Agile ship traits, while others have their effectiveness reduced.
may change direction after every '1 " of forward movement,
rather than after the usual 2".
ilevrstcti ng
This weapon is exceptionally powerful, capable of blasting
Aircrnft X small targets apart and causing serious problems for even
Though not proper carriers in the truest sense, many ships the largest vessels. lnstead of causing one point of damage
carried a small number of aircraft that were launched from with each successful Damage Dice roll, a Devastating weapon
short catapults or slings, to be used as Observation Flights. will cause an amount of damage equal to what each Damage
They are used for scouting (page 22) and guiding Beyond the Dice actually rolls, regardless of whether- it exceeds the
Horizon Attacks (page 5). target's Armour score or not. ln addition, a Critical Hit is
scored for every Damage Dice that rolls a 5 or 6 (before
any modification by Torpedo Belts). Any critical hits scored
Armaured Deek will have a Critical Score equal to the roll of one dice (if the
The ship has reinforced armour lining its deck. Main guns location already has a Critical Score that is higher than the
and light guns firing upon this ship do not get the +1 dice roll, the new Critical Hit is ignored).
bonus to their Damage Dice roll for plunging fire (page 8).
Additionally, attacks against the ship from aircraft with the
Dive-Bombers and Kamikaze roles suffer a -1 penalty to DP
their Damage Dice rolls. Dual Purpose, or DP, light guns are capable of attacking
surface shipping or aircraft, making them extremely
versatile. Up to half of a DP weapon's current Attack
[orrier Dice (rounding up, minimum of ) may instead be used
'1

The ship is an aircraft carrier, serving as a mobile floating as AA weapons to attack aircraft or motor torpedo
airbase. lt may launch or collect one aircraft Flight per turn so boats at up to half the weapon's normal range. However,
long as its captain does not perform any Orders other than this weapon may not be used in the same turn to attack
Scramble! this turn. See page 1B for more details. other units.

IF
I(
 turn Sl ps wth Slow-Loading torpedoes may only reload
Fosl lrock, once. a:e,- which they may no longer be used.
These guns can re-adjust their aim quickly, making them well-
suited to firing upon rapidly moving ships. Fast Track weapons
ignore the penalty for firing upon a fast moving target, and can Twin-Linked
attack all targets within its point blank range, These weapons are mounted in pairs or even quads,
concentrating their available firepower. The hail of fire these
weapon systems can unleash is awesome to behold and very
H eovy
difficult to avoid. Any Attack Dice for this weapon that do not
Weapons with this trait are capable of blasting through successfully strike their target may be re-rolled although the
armour to damage critical areas of a target. The chance of a second result applies even if it fails.
critical hit scored with a Heavy weapon on a Damage Dice is
5 or 6, rather than the usual 6.
lVeok
Due to small shell size or design, some weapons are simply
ill[;l i :\
not as powerful as others. Weak weapons cannot cause
l"1ost AA battery weapons mounted on ships have very short critical hits except against ships of the civilian type.
ranges and ar-e only capable of protecting their own vessel. This
weapon may roll an additional number of Attack Dice equal to the
Local score, but these may only be used against Flights in contact
with the ship. ln addition, these Attack Dice may also be rolled AIR(RAFT TRAITS
against any and all Flights that physically move over the ship in the
Movement Phase. These attacks are per{ormed immediately, as Traits used on aircraft reflect Flights that have unusual or
the aircraft are moved over the ship. Local weapons may be used notable qualities. Some will make Flights a great deal more
any number of times during the Movement Phase and may then be effective in battle while others represent aircraft that had
used (just once!) in the Gunnery Phase. some serious failings.

0ne-Shot Lorge
Ammunition or payload is limited for this weapon, so once This Flight is particularly large or ungainly and thus easier for
fired it may not be used again forthe rest of the battle. AA battery crews to knock out of the sky. AII AA Attack
Dice rolled against this flight has a +1 bonus to their result.
Restrid*d
Some ships are so large that though they mount many light I;;: ili.
guns, not all can be fired upon the same target. A Restricted This Flight is unusually well-armoured and can withstand
weapon may only fire a maximum of half its Attack Dice incoming fire. Two hits are needed from a single AA battery
(rounding up) against targets in the port and starboard 90. system in order to destroy it.
fire arcs.

Very Tough
Slow-Loading This Flight is exceptionally well-armoured and can endure a
Some weapons take an inordinate amount of time to reload. tremendous amount of incoming fire. Three hits are needed
These weapons may not fire if they were used in the previous from a single AA battery system in order to destroy it.

-
+*1"-5".+,,,.,:. -
#*;16.-

13
ltBEnlm
As the design of aircraft advanced, navy tactics employing
them evolved in tandem. With an aircraft carrier, a fleet AIRTRAFT FLIGHTS AND IYPE
gained the ability to strike at targets hundreds of miles away
with relative impunity. Despite the advance of anti-aircraft All aircraft in Victory ot Seo are organised into Flights. A
weaponry and the presence of defending fighters, aircraft Flight of aircraft is represented by a model of up to four
spelled the eventual demise of the battleship as the rulers of aircraft on a flying stand. Many types of aircraft appeared in
the oceans. the Second World Wat but the following types are used in
Victory ot Seo.
A fleet may have supporting aircraft directed to its
position from land-based airfields or it may possess its
own aircraft carrier. lf any Flights of aircraft are bought Fi 11 htc i
individually from the fleet lists and not assigned to a Dedicated to gaining air superiority by annihilating an
carrier also in the fleet, they are considered to be land- enemy's air force, fighters are tasked with the defence of
based for the purposes of these rules, though they could the fleet.
also conceivably have been launched from another aircraft
carrier far from the battle.
Bomher
ln some scenarios, your entire 'fleet' can comprise nothing Covering a multitude of aircraft from fighters fitted with
but aircraft. Battles of this nature certainly took place in the under wing bombs to dedicated attack craft, these aircraft
Second World War, with Taranto and Pearl Harbor being the pose a great threat to any fleet.
most notable examples.

iliri Blnl*r'
First exploited by the Luftwaffe, but quickly finding favour
across the world, dive-bombers use speed and altitude to
gain phenomenal accuracy as well as imparting enough kinetic
energy to their bombs to pierce armoured decks.

Kr;mrkrze
These are suicide aircraft which are flown into their enemies
tocause great damage. The rules for their use can be found
on page 19.

Jorpedc Bomber
Perfected by submersibles, it was inevitable that torpedoes
would also be mounted on aircraft. However, the technology
of the Second World War had trouble catching up to the
task and air-launched torpedo attacks were notoriously hard
to perform.

0bservrrti*n Flight
Either seaplanes or long-ranged land-based aircraft,
Observation Flights operate on their own but provide
a vital service to fleets. These aircraft are used for
scouting in scenarios that allow it (see page 22), and
for guiding Beyond the Horizon Attacks (see page
6). Observation Flights operate differently to combat
aircraft - see page 19 f or information on their use.
Because of the way Observation Flights work, no model
is required for this Flight, although you can field them to
add more atmosphere to your games should you wish.

T4
 UShfimryffim@ffiEGrdtrUstuffi

** L &

'sitF.
\

US Nuvy Aircroft (hort

Fl ig ht (ommisioned (onier [opble

I nole Flonk Speed Dogftght Domoge Dire Troils Poinls

Vought F4U-1 Corsair 194) No Flghter 30" +3 0 Tough 25

.i
':-ii Domoge Dice
The name of the aircraft in the Flight. This is a measure of how much damage the aircraft can do
against ships and other surface targets.

Commissioned
l_.-:--
As with ships, the year in which the aircrafl came into service i[]r _\

and thus when it can be used. Any traits that should be applied to the aircraft or its attacks
will be noted here.
,
,: ,,' ,,;,,

Whether the aircraft can be launched or recovered from :'j,]iiil !a.rr,::

aircraft carriers o' not (see page 181 As with ships, this represents the Flights' relative power.

Additionally, carriers have the maximum number of Flights

i.;, : they may carry and the points values of these Flights are
i
i
I
This details the Flight's role in the battle, as described earlier. included in the point value of the carrier. Players are free to
I choose whichever aircraft they wish so long as the number
l
of Flights does not exceed their carriers' maximum, and only
Flonk Speed Flights that are listed as being carrier-capable are chosen.
This is the same as for ships, but Flights are much faster and
far more manoeuvrable. Aircraft may also be included without a carrier in the fleet.
These aircraft are assumed to have taken off from land bases
or carriers much further from the battle. However, you may
Dcgiighr only have a maximum of a quarter of your fleet's total points
This is a measure of how effective the aircraft is against value represented by Flights that are not based on one of
other aircraft. your carriers.

15
 Brorketed by the ilo bffi

I t
MO1IEMENT Pr|AST An AA battery may freely split its Attack Dice between
multiple Flights if desired, but it may never fire into a dogfight.
Aircraft move slightly differently to ships. Once all ships in
both fleets have moved, the player who won the lnitiative
Phase must then choose whether to move their aircraft first
Attocking with Airrroft
or force their opponent to do so. Once this decision has been To attack a ship, the aircraft Flight model must move into base
made, then all aircraft in a fleet are moved at the same time. contact with the target ship model during the Movement Phase,
Then the opposing fleet does the same with its aircraft. to show it is engaging that particular ship. Multiple Flights (of
any type) may attack any single ship in the same turn.
A Flight can move in any direction, taking as many turns as
it wishes. However, a Flight of aircraft may never perform A player may nominate to attack with their aircraft in place of
an Order. All measurements are made from and to the lead nominating a ship to fire with at any point during the Gunnery
plane on the Flight model, exactly as if it were the bridge of a Phase, when it is their turn to nominate a ship. lf a player
ship model. rlominates their aircraft instead of a ship, they attack with
all of the Flights they have in play, regardless of how many
This reflects the freedom of movement aircraft have in battles different ships they are engaged with. All aircraft attacks are
involving huge warships and keeps things quick and easy in considered to be simultaneous but for convenience they are
battles featuring many Flights of aircraft. resolved one at a time, in whichever order the player wishes.

To make an attack against a ship, each Flight rolls a D6, the

result required to score a successful hit depends on the Flights
GUNNTRY PHASE type as indicated on table below.

Shooting Down Aircroft lf a Flight successfully hits its target, then roll its Damage Dice
as normal, as described on page 8. Unless otherwise stated, all
Most ships have some form of defence against aircraft in the weapons carried by aircraft have the One-Shot Trait (see page
form of an AA battery. lf enemy Flights are in range, a ship's 'l 3) and must refuel and re-arm before it may attack a ship
AA battery is fired automatically at the beginning of the again. However, they may still dogfight as niany times as they
Gunnery Phase before anything else happens - the ship's crew like. A Re-Arm token can be used to mark Flights that have
are expecting battle and aircraft will rarely have an easy time spent their payload.
attacking a ship. Remember that an AA battery with the Local
Trait may also attack during movement (see page 13).
Flight Type Roll to Hil
Aircraft may only be attacked by AA batteries, light
guns with the DP Trait (see page 12) and other aircraft. Fighter 5+
When targeting enemy Flights, roll the Attack Dice of the AA
Bomber 5+
battery as normal. These Attack Dice are never modified.
Dive-Bomber 3+
Every 6 rolled on the Attack Dice will result in a Flight being
hit and destroyed. Against a Torpedo-Bomber Flight that is Kamikaze 4+
in base contact with the firing ship, a 5 or 6 is required to hit
and destroy it. Torpedo-Bomber 5+

E
s
* 1E
::
 The winner of this roll will automatically destroy the enemy
DOGFIGHTING Flight (but not any supporting Flight$.

Once one Flight moves into base contact with an enemy lf the dogfighting roll is a draw, all Flights are left in place and
Flight, they are considered to be dogfighting. Only Fighters remain locked in the dogfight. No Flight may move away until
may move into other Flights in this way. Other types of all enemy Flights have been destroyed.
aircraft may defend themselves in a dogfight, but they cannot
initiate one. Fighters are free to move into base contact with
Escorling
more than one enemy Flight, if they are close enough. Once
a Flight is in engaged in a dogfight it may not move further in It was very common for fighters to escort slower, more
the turn contact was made. vulnerable bombers, defending them against enemy attack.
Only Fighters may escort another Flight. To do so, they must
Every Flight in contact with an enemy Flight must engage in remain in base contact with the Flights they are escorting. A
i dogfighting at the end of the Gunnery Phase. Both players roll Fighter Flight may escort any number of friendly Flights, and
one D6 each and add their Flight's Dogfight score, any number of Fighter Flights may escort one friendly Flight,
so long as contact is maintained between Fighter and the
Add +1 to this dice roll for every extra supporting Flight escorted FlightG).
- that is, other allied Flights you have in base contact with
your dogfighting Flight, but that are not themselves in lf an enemy Flight moves to attack the escorted friendly
contact with any enemy Flights. A Flight may support any Flight, it must instead attack one or more of the unengaged
number of dogfights in this manner but a Flight supporting a escorting Fighter Flights. lf all escorting Fighter Flights are
dogfight may never initiate a dogfight itself. Other than this, already involved in a dogfight, then the escorted Flight may be
it is up to the player how they arrange their dogfights for attacked instead, so long as it is possible to move into contact
the best advantage! with it without moving through any other Flights.

*,I*T

L7
 sr: ,.. r.*r

- _*..-_ _.
r't'
.-;t*+l',: - ! 4 . i

MRRIERS Luunching und Recovering Aircroft

Ships with the Carrier Trait may launch or recover a single
The advent ofthe carrier meant that fleets no longer had Flight every turn during the Movement Phase. ln order
to take to the ocean without air support. This changed the to do so, the ship must move in a straight line into the
whole basis of combat at sea. direction of the wind without turning and may not perform
the Evade! Order.
(ombol Air Polrol
Launched Flights are placed within 1" of the carrier after the
Fleets with carriers often had a combat air patrol (known as a carrier's movement. The Flights may not be moved further in this
CAP) flying perimeter around the fleet, looking for enemies. turn, as they need to assemble into formation and gain altitude.
Unless the scenario you are playing states differently, you may
start the game with two Flights in the air from each carrier To be recovered, the Flight model must move into base
in your fleet. These Flights may be placed anywhere in your contact with the stern (back) of the ship model.
deployment zone or moved on to the table with your ships in
the first turn, as appropriate. Only Flights that are listed as being useable by carriers may be
launched or recovered. All other Flights are considered to be
Wind Direoion land-based and cannot be placed upon a carrier.

Ships of World War Two had their own engines and were A carrier may not launch or recover Flights if it has a Crew
far removed from the days of sail where the direction and area Critical Score of 2 or more. Fire was a major problem
strength of the wind was all important. For most battles, the for carriers, and greatly reduced their operational capabilities.
wind can be ignored but if a fleet includes
any carriers, it becomes a great factor as
carriers must sail into the wind in order
to both launch and recover aircraft,
as the ship's own motion increases an
aircraft's air speed when taking off and
effectively reduces its ground speed
when landing.

Some scenarios will specify the wind

direction. For all other battles involving
carriers, the wind direction will be
N)
random. Roll one dice before any ships
are deployed on the battlefield and
consult the Wind Direction diagram.

A carrier is said to be sailing into the

wind if the table edge rolled for wind
direction is within the carriers fore arc.

3E
 i:::,;:::l

f,ISETAFI

Re{ueNllng e nd Re-urming Whether purpose-built or converted from existing craft,

kamikaze un ts were essentially human-guided missiles, packed
Once a carrier has recovered a Flight, it may replace any full of explosives and fuel. They caused far more damage than
One-Shot weapons the Flight has expended and get ready more conventional weapons, were more accurate and even if
to send them up for another attack. Any number of Flights they sustained heavy damage that would render other vehicles
may be rearmed during the End Phase, but a separate useless, they might still be able to carry out their missions.
crew quality check is required for every Flight to be
rearmed successfully and ready for launch in the next turn. The best-known kamikaze units were aircraft, but the lmperial
Flights that are not rearmed in one turn may try agarn in
Japanese Navy and the ltalian Regia Marina also used motor
subsequent turns. torpedo boats to achieve the same effect.
nhl
r.,eeB LJeptOymenl Aire rufl
Carriers are not designed for frontline combat, operating far The lmperial Japanese Navy fleet list features aircraft with
better when they are over the horizon and out of sight from the Kamikaze type, They all use the same rules provided here
enemy guns. Sending their aircraft to support their fleet, they when attacking a target.
can still fundamentally alter the course of the battle.
A kamikaze attack is declared in the Movement Phase, with
Some scenarios allow carriers in fleets to be placed in deep the Flight moving into contact with its target. Any AA battery
deployment, keeping them off the table and far away from fire is resolved as normal, but any Local fire gains a +1 bonus
direct attack. ln such a scenario, a player may choose to to all Attack Dice rolls; gunners on ships being attacked by
remove one or more of their carriers from the table before kamikazes were not known for conserving ammunitionl
the game starts and place them in deep deployment. Any
number of their Flights may be placed on the table in the After all AA battery fire has been resolved, the Flight rolls
fleet's deployment zone. to hit its target - due to the accuracy of being piloted
right up to the last moment, any miss may be re-rolled. All
Any Flights kept on the carrier may be brought into the battle normal modifiers are applied except those for range, which
during any turn within the game. When launched from the are ignored. Damage is then applied as normal. The Flight
carrier, place the Flight in contact with the fleet's table edge. is removed from the table as a casualty, whether or not it
The Flight cannot be attacked in that turn and may move successfully hit it target.
normally in the next turn's Movement Phase.
Whenever a Kamikaze Flight successfully causes damage to
Atteeking Deep Deployment (urriens a ship, in addition to any other critical hits caused by the
attack, the ship's Crew area's Critical Score will increase by 1,
Enemy Flights moved off the carrier fleet's table edge may applying all effects of the new score immediately.
launch an attack on any carrier placed in deep deployment. The
carrier player may dogfight attacking aircraft with any Flights rT;. =;--;
:"*rui&-. - i
still on board their carriers. After they have been resolved, any
surviving Flights may launch attacks on the carriers. 1

!
I

OBSER\/ATION F!.IGHIS
These aircraft travel on board ships that have the Aircraft trait
and are typically launched by catapults mounted on the deck
or on a gun turret.

Before the game starts, each ship must assign each of

their Observation Flights to one of two tasks: Scouting or
guiding Beyond the Horizon Attacks. An Observation Flight
assigned to one task cannot partake in another. The effect of
Observation Flights assigned to guiding Beyond the Horizon
Attacks are detailed on page 5. The effects of Observation
Flights assigned to Scouting are detailed on page 22.

l(AMII(AZE
The suicide attacks of Japanese Special Attack Units (called
tokubetsu klgeki toi) became known as komikoze (divine wind)
due to inaccurate translation by the Allies. Japanese kamikaze
attacks sank 8'1 American ships and damaged another 195.
Thousands of Japanese pilots died in order to achieve this.
Am @Gfld opcmudtr

tg
w&H &s$H&
Now you have learned the rules, it is time to put your tactics Cripple on enemy ship
into practice. While many scenarios are possible, covering Gain victory points equal to 50% of the ship's points value.
a range of historically accurate engagements and common
actions throughout the conflict, the War at Sea scenario
provides a wide range of interesting battles that two opposing De$roying o Flight
fleets can engage in. Gain victory points equal to the Flight's points value

Note that you can only gain victory points from an enemy
ship once. lf you Cripple an enemy ship and later destroy it,
VIIIORY POINTS you will gain its points value in victory points, not one and a
half times its points value.
Many scenarios use victory points in order to determine who
has won. Victory points can be earned in many ways specific
to each scenario but, unless otherwise stated, they are always
gained for damaging the opposing fleet. Specifically, victory IAffICAL WITHDRAWALS
points are earned for the following.
Any ship may choose to retreat from the battleground, by
simply moving off a table edge. By doing so, the ship escapes
Destroying on enemy ship
safely but your opponent will receive 25% of its normal
Gain victory points equal to the ship's points value. victory points at the end of the game, Note that some
scenarios may have restrictions on which table edges may be
exited safely. lf one of these edges is not chosen, then the ship
Enemy ship executes o Tocticol Withdrowol
will count as if it has been destroyed and thus give up its full
Gain victory points equal to25% of the ships points value. victory points.

pm
OBJ ICTI\ITS Aitrlr i:
You must cause as much damage as you can to the enemy
Both players should agree on a total points value for their fleet while minimising your own losses. Score 50% more
fleets, and then each should roll on the table below to victory points than your enemy to earn a major victory. Score
determine their fleet's objective during the battle, the most victory points to earn a minor victory.

2D6 Score 0biecive Priority

Suveep & [ erir
2-3 Destroy! High
Roving the sea, you must find an enemy to engage and
4 Breakout Low destroy them without losing momentum. Move at least half
5 Defence Line Low your ships off your opponent's table edge and score the
Attrition Mediurn
most victory points to achieve a major victory. Move at least
6
half your ships off your opponent's table edge to achieve a
7 Sweep & Clear l"leo tu m
minor victory.
0 Domination Medium

9 Fighting Retreat Low

Do nr in rilio n
l0 Last Stand Low
This clear water must remain under your control for future
ll -r2 Ultimate Enemy High operations at all costs. Divide the battlefield into four equal
quarters. Make sure you have ships in at least three quarters
Each objective will provide the player with a set of victory while your enemy has no ships in the same quarters to earn
conditions needed to fulfil in order to win the battle, as well a major victory. Make sure you have ships in at least two
as whether the objectives are considered high, medium or low quarters while your enemy has no ships in the same quarters
priority by the fleet's high command, to earn a minor victory.
In all cases, the number of ships required to complete an
oblective is rounded up and does not include ships dispatched Fighting Retreot
for scouti ng. The enemy has been pressing hard and your fleet forms
a rearguard for a civilian convoy. lYove at least half
Fleets with a high priority objective gain a +10% bonus to the your ships off your own table edge and score the most
total number of points available for their fleet. Fleets with victory points to achieve a major victory (remember that
a low priority objective suffer a -10% penalty to the total moving ships off the table in this way counts as a tactical
number of points available for their fleet. Once players know withdrawal see previous page). Score the most victory
exactly how many points they have to build their fleet, they points to earn a minor victory.
can start choosing which ships and aircraft to take.

Lost Sto rtrl

Destroy I
Your small force is trapped and likely doomed. Fight for
The enemy has gathered an assault force, massing a great your life and victory may still be yoursl Sink at least one
deal oftheir strength in one place. Sink every ship and the enemy ship and score the most victory points to earn a
enemy will be irreparably weakened in this theatre. Cripple or major victory. Score the most victory points to earn a
destroy every enemy ship to achieve a major victory. Score minor victory.
the most victory points to earn a minor victory.

Ultimote Enemy
Breokout One enemy ship in the enemy fleet is responsible for the
A superior enemy force has cornered your fleet and stands destruction of several convoy ships. It cannot be allowed to
ready to wipe you out. Break through their line to reach remain operational. Destroy the enemy ship with the greatest
safety. Move at least half your ships off your opponent's table points value and score the most victory points to earn a
edge to achieve a major victory. Score the most victory points major victory. Destroy the enemy ship with the greatest
to earn a minor victory, points value to earn a minor victory.

Defence Line
An enemy fleet has moved into the area, determined to reach
its home port. You must hold the line and cause them to fail in
their oblectives. Stop the enemy from gaining a major victory
and score the most victory points to earn a major
victory. Score the most victory points to earn
a minor victory.

USS Ner,y illexico

P1
 MTPLOYMENT kouling Poinls Fleet Advontoge

Now the battlefield is set, both players should roll one Add 1 to your roll for Initiative each turn for the
2 or more
entire battle.
D10, re-rolling any ties. The lowest rolling player must
deploy their entire fleet first in one deployment zone, As above, and any carriers may be placed in
followed by their opponent. 4 or more
deep deployment (see page 19).

As above and may immediately re-deploy any

number of ships (including any scouts) in enhanced
7 or more
deployment zone (see page 23), while carriers may
S(O UTI NG start with half of their Flights in the air.

When the enemy is known to be in the area, fleets will 8 or more

As above, and add a further 1 (for a total of 2) to
your roll for lnitiative
each turn for the entire battle.
expend a great deal of effort in reconnaissance. lf one fleet
can out-scout the other, it stands to gain a great advantage As above and may immediately re-deploy any
before the battle even begins. number of ships (including any scouts) in superior
10 or more
deployment zone (see page 23), while carriers may
Both players should secretly remove all destroyers and start with all of their Flights in the air.
cruisers they intend to use for scouting from their fleet
before deployment and put them to one side. ln addition,
they should assign which Observation Flights will be used
Victory or Defeot
for scouting as well. These ships and aircraft committed The battle will end after 8 turns or when one fleet is
to scouting are not deployed with the rest of the fleet. completely destroyed or makes a Tactical Withdrawal. At
lnstead, the ships may return from scouting at some point that point, both players should compare their objectives and
during the battle. whether they succeeded.

ln every End Phase, both players roll one D6 for every A player with a major victory will beat one with a
destroyer and cruiser they have committed to scouting. On minor victory.
the roll of a 6, that ship has returned to the fleet and may
join the battle. lt will move on from any point along a random A player with a minor victory will beat one with no
edge in the next turn's Movement Phase (see the Returning, victory at all.
Ships diagram on the opposite page).
Any other result is a draw.
Before the first turn of the game, both players reveal the
ships and aircraft that have been used for scouting. For every
ship and aircraft listed below used for scouting, the player
will roll one D6.
Comprrmvr BaiiLrs
Every Destroyer The War at Sea scenario can provide some challenging
oblectives for players - this is entirely intentional
. Every Crurser and reflects the nature of naval warfare in World
. War ll. Admirals quite often found themselves facing
Every Observation Flight
unexpected enemies or difficult objectives and had to
keep fighting whatever the odds.
Every dice that rolls a 5 or 6 will earn the player's fleet one
Scouting Point. When all dice have been rolled, each player However, if you wish to play a more balanced 'competitrve'
should total their Scouting Points and compare them to the or tournament-style of game, we suggest the following
Scouting Table.
matched objectives for each fleet - players can decide or
dice offto see which their own fleet will try to attempt.
Fishtl
Attrition vs. Destroy!
Once any adjustments have been made for scouting, the
battle can commence! Players must try to achieve their Attrition vs. Fighting Retreat
objectives within 8 turns, after which the game ends and Breakout vs. Defence Line
victory conditions calculated.
Destroy! vs. Last Stand
Sweep & Clear vs. Defence Line

USS lndionopols USS Housfon

ffi
 Ploye.i A Deploymenl Zone Ployer A Deployment Zone

Ployer B Deployment Zone Ployer B Deployment Zone

Normol Deployment Enhonced Deployment

Ployer A Deployruenl Zone

Ployer B Deployment Zone

Superior Deployment Returning Ships

tr
I
t-

&*-

Mogopi-closs cruis_ersrunder dqo*dly torpedo otlock from US destroyerl

-i -'

e3
l

I
 Bffi

THE US NAVY US naval forces were primarily engaged in the Pacific, but
some capital ships and larger numbers of destroyers were
Although the United States of America contains a vast area of deployed to the Atlantic theatre where their primary
Iand, almost all of its allies and trading partners are overseas, opponents were German U-boats.
and those interests require a powerful navy to support them.
Speciol Rules
The US Navy possessed some of the largest and most modern
battleships in the world at the outbreak of World War Two, and
despite losses during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbori was Torpedoes
able to maintain a powerful presence in the Pacific. However; in US-made torpedoes in the early to mid-war period were, to
the vast reaches ofthat ocean the battleship was no longerthe put it bluntly, bloody awful. Navy training did not put much
king of battle. lt was fortunate for the Americans that the handful emphasis on torpedoes but by far the biggest problem was
of aircraft carriers then in service with the US Navy escaped the arming mechanism of the torpedoes, which failed more
destruction; given later events it is doubtful that a pure battleship often than it worked.
force could have defeated the lmperial Japanese Navy.
For every successful Attack Dice rolled for torpedoes in
The aircraft carrier became the main US naval asset during the scenarios taking place up to the end of 1943, roll an extra
war in the Pacific, which was very much a conflict between dice. On a 5 or more, the torpedo actually arms properly and
the air assets of opposing fleets. US carrier forces were hard- explodes, causing damage as normal. lf a lower score is rolled,
pressed early on but as the industrial might of the US was the Attack Dice is treated as having missed.
brought to bear, new carriers and air groups for them were
deployed in such numbers that the enemy simply could not
match their strength. \T iuses
The Variable Time Fuse, the name of which was deliberate
It was the US Navy, not the German Kriegsmarine, that was camouflage for its operating principle, used a small radar
the most prolific and successful raider of commerce during system inside shells to detonate by proximity to a target
the war. Japan imported vast amounts of necessary materials instead of relying on direct hits or pre-set altitudes. This made
from her captured territories, making her vulnerable to DP guns much more effective against aircraft.
attacks by submarines.
VT Fuses may be equipped by any light guns with the DP
Americons hove olwoys been greot innovotors, ond the trait, and all such guns on a ship have to be upgraded
US Novy wos not ofroid of technology. Rodor-guided guns if this option is taken. Any ship equipped with DP guns
gove US bottleships o mojor odvontoge over their Joponese and VT Fuses may use their entire Attack Dice against
opponents, especiolly ot night. Rodor wos olso criticol in incoming aircraft instead of the usual half. VT Fuses have a
deoling with oir ottocks thot become more common os the Commissioned date of 1943 and may not be equipped prior
wor progressed. to that.

Flight (ommisioned (orrier (opble Role tlonk Speed Dogfight Domoge Dire Iroits Poinls

Vought F4U-1 Corsair 1947 No Fighter 30" +3 0 Tough )5

Vought F4U-4 Corsair 1944 Yes Fighter 5l +4 0 Tough 25

Vought F4U-4 Corsair 1944 Yes Bomber 51 +3 4 Tough 25

Flonk Speed 4',

Class: New Mexico
Armour: 6+
Type: Battleship
Hull: 72t24
Commissionedz 1917
A rcraft 3,
Iroits: Armoured Deck, Ships of this Class:
Torpedo Be t 2 /doho, Mrssissippi, New Mexico

Weopons System Fire Arr Short Long Ixtreme AD AP DD Iroils

TurretA(3x14-inch) { 9' 18', 27', 37^ 3 +2 3

TurretB(3x14-inch) { 9', td 77' 37" +7

-t
3 3

TurretX(3x14-inch) 9', 18" 27', 37" 3 +7 3

Turret Y (3 x 14- nch) *, 9" 18', 77' 37" 3 +) 3

Lght Guns ('12 x S-inch) C 4" 8', 12 16' 6 ) 1 Restricted, Weak

Light Guns (8 x S-inch)

C 3" 7' 11" 15" 6 2 1 DP, Restricted, Weak

AA Battery
C Local 1

re u4
 :

THT IMPERIAT JAPANESE NAVY Speciol Rules

ffi

For centuries, Japan's policy of seclusion (sokoku) saw it

concentrate on coastal defences in order to repel foreign teij! Li:rie
vessels. However, with the advances other maritime nations The Type 93 'Long Lance'torpedo had an exceedingly high
were making, it eventually became obvious that no longer range, but the chances of actually hitting anything at those
would Japan be able to ignore the rest of the world. As an ranges diminished quickly.
island power, it needed a modern navy. Turning to Britain for
assistance, .lapan quickly created a powerful modern fleet. lt Long Lance torpedoes are used in the same way as other
was th s capable and confident navy that came out to fight the torpedoes, unless the range to the target exceeds 20'. lf the
American Pacific Fleet. target is at a greater range, roll a D6 for each torpedo that
successfully hits - the torpedo will miss unless the result of
The Japanese understood the potential of air power early this second dice roll is a 6.
and created an effective carrier arm. ln addition to the
carriers, the lmperial Japanese Navy possessed a powerful
battleship force, which included the largest and most powerful i:rn Sclvoes
battleships in the world, lhe Yomoto and the Musoshi. Any ship capable of firing 3 or more Attack Dice of Type 93
torpedoes may launch a single 'fan salvo' after fleets have been
The lmperial Japanese Navy's potential was demonstrated in deployed but before the battle begins, with the intention of
the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Using armour-piercing hitting multiple enemies. Roll one D6 for every ship taking part in
bombs and torpedoes, Japanese aircraft inflicted tremendous the fan salvo (this will expend the ship's torpedoes for the battle
damage on the American Pacific fleet as it lay at anchor. if they have the One-Shot trait but will be reloaded in time for
the battle if they are Slow-Loading). A random enemy ship will i

Midway was the turning point of naval war in the Pacific and, be automatically hit (with no chance to evade) on the roll of a 6.
from then on, the lmperial lapanese Navy was unable to make
any headway against the increasing carrier strength of the US
Navy. With the victorious Allies pushing towards the Japanese Fire Fighting
islands, the lmperial Japanese Navy fought desperately to keep The carriers of the lmperial Japanese Navy had poor fire
them at bay. Kamikaze aircraft and other suicide weapons control procedures. lf a Japanese carrier has a Crew area
were deployed, and eventually warships of the lmperial Critical Score of 2 or more, it suffers a -1 penalty to all
Japanese Navy made death-rides against US forces. Damage Control rolls.

Flight (ommisioned (orrier (opble Role Flonk Speed Dogfight Domoge Dire Troils Poinls

lYitsubishl A6Y2 Zero 1940 Yes Bomber )4' +1 1 (-2 AP) 15

lYitsubish A6Y2 Zero 1940 Yes Fighter 24" +2 0 70

lYitsubishi 46lY5 Zero 1944 Yes Bomber 25" +2 1 (-2 AP) 15

N'litsub shi A5lY5 Zero 1944 Yes Fighter 25" +3 0 20

I'litsubishl A5l'45 Zero 1944 No Kamikaze 25" +0 2 20

$

Flonk Speed: 5"

Class: Yamato
Armour: 7+
Type: Battleship
Hull: 145148
Commissionedl. 1941
Aircraft 7,
Iroils: Armoured Deck, Ships of this Class: $
Torpedo Belt 3 Musashi, Yomoto

Weopons Syslem Fire Arr Shorl Long Exlreme AD AP DD Troils

A Turret (3 x 1 8.'1 -lnch)

{ 11' 1J 34' 46'^ 3 +2 4 Heavy

B Turret (3 x 18.1 inch)

{ 11" )3" 34. 46', 3 +2 4 Heavy

Y Turret (3 x 18.1 inch) 1l', 15 34'* 46" 3 +2 4 Heavy

",
AA Turret (3 x 5.1-inch) { 7" 15" 22. 30" 7 1 1

P Turret (3 x 5.'1 -inch)

{ 7' 15" 27. 30' 2 1 1

S TLrrret (3 x 5.1 -lnch) *f', 7" tf ))' 30" 2

-t
1 1

YY Turret (3 x 6.1-inch) 7' 15" ))' 30' 2 1 1

L ght Guns (1 2 x 5- nch) C 4', 8', 12' 16" 8 ) 1 DP, Restricted, Weak

AA Battery C Local 1

e5
i.

THT ROYAI. NAVY aircraft carriers. These were backed up by a strong cruiser
force and light forces including destroyers, motor torpedo
The Royal Navy of Great Britain was the world's greatest navy boats (MTBs) and motor gunboats (tYGBr.
at the outbreak of the Second World War. However, Britain
went to war with mainly First World War-vintage vessels. As the war went on, aircraft carriers became increasingly
Since the Royal Navy already possessed many powerful units, important and air defences were steadily improved on all
construction of the most modern designs was limited. This ships. Yet the big guns of the battleships and cruisers played a
meant that at the outbreak of World War Two Britain had vital role in many theatres of war.
far more battleships than most other nations, but they had
smaller guns than those built to the most modern ships. British capital ships saw action in the Arctic and the Atlantic
against German commerce raiders, in the Mediterranean
Despite budget restrictions, the Royal Navy had, where against ltalian forces, and ventured into the Pacific in an
possible, updated its ships to eliminate weaknesses discovered ill-fated attempt to stem the Japanese advance. Though the
during the First World War and also to incorporate advances great fleet actions planned for and desired by the architects
in propulsion and com m u nications technology. Anti-ai rcraft of the Royal Navy did not materialise during World War
armament was somewhat lacking at the outbreak of hostilities, Two, the Royal Navy adapted well to the war it was destined
and British ships lacked fire control radar. These deficiencies to fight and emerged with great honour.
were steadily eliminated as the years went by.
Speriol Rules
These old and slow ships did not fare well in battle against a
first-line modern naval force, but they did perform sterling The following special rules are applied to fleets of the Royal Navy.
service in some areas, such as old battleships included
in the escort force for Atlantic convoys. Since German
surface raiders had standing orders not to engage any W Fuses

convoy including a vessel that could seriously harm them, The Variable Time Fuse, the name of which was deliberate
(any battleship would qualify), the presence of these ageing camouflage for its operating principle, used a small radar
warriors may have saved many convoys from an otherwise system inside shells to detonate by proximity to a tarSet
devastating attack. instead of relying on direct hits or pre-set altitudes. This made
DP guns much more effective against aircraft.
Though the main battle force was kept concentrated in home
waters, task forces were assigned to many distant areas, but VT Fuses may be equipped by any Light Guns with
the Royal Navy could not be strong everywhere. Although the DP trait, and all such guns on a ship have to be
badly stretched, the Royal Navy lived up to its traditional 'can upgraded if this option is taken. Any ship equipped with
do!' ethos, fighting hard in all theatres. DP guns and VT Fuses may use their entire AD against
incoming aircraft instead of the usual half. VT Fuses have
ln addition to the battleship forces, the Royal Navy maintained a Commissioned date of 1943 and may not be equipped
a handful of fast battlecruisers - some of them quite old - and prior to that.

tlisht (ommisioned (orrier (opble Role tlonk Speed Dogfight Domoge Dire Iroils Poinls

Bomber '10" -2 10
Fairey Swordfsh I 1936 Yes 3

Torpedo-
Fairey Swordfish I 1936 Yes 10" -) 4 Devastating 10
Bomber

Flonk Speed 5"

Class: Queen Elizabeth (group 3)
Armour: 5+
Type: Battleshtp
Hull: 73t74
Commissioned: 1915 1937)
Aircraft 2, Ships of this Class:
Iroils:
Torpedo Be t 2
Warspite

Weopons Syslem Fire Arr Poinl Blonk Shorl Long Exlreme AD AP DD Iroih

A Turret (2 x 15-inch) { 7' 15" 27', 30" 7 +2 3

B Turret (2 x 15-inch)
{ 7', t) 22' 30" 2 +7 3

X Turret (2 x 15- nch) .' 15 27', 30" 2 +7 3

Y Turret (2 x'15-inch) a, 7', 15 22', 30' 2. +2 3

Lght Guns (8 x 5-lnch) C 3- 6 9' 13" 6 -) 1 Restricted, Weak

Light Guns (8 x 4-inch) C 5" 10" 15', 20 4 -7 1 DP Restricted, Weak

AA Battery C Local 5

PE
 ffi ry

THE KRIEGSTI,IARINE several British and American battleships that were needed
elsewhere simply by the threat that she might sortie. The
The Kriegsmarine had to be virtually rebuilt after the First Allies could not risk such a mighty vessel getting loose among
World War. Forbidden to own capital ships and submarines, their convoys and had to maintain sufficient forces to destroy
Germany nibbled away at first one clause of the Treaty of her on station, even if she was doing nothing.
Versailles, then another, until a powerful navy force of existed
The mere rumour thatTirpitz might leave port caused the
At the outbreak of World War Two, relatively few capital ships British Admiralty to order a convoy to scatter, allowing it to
were in commission, and no aircraft carriers. There was never any be carved up by aircraft and submarines at leisure. The famous
prospect of matching Britain in terms of capital ship numbers, but Atlantic sortie of the Bismorck and Prinz Eugen resulted in a
the qualitative advantage of the proposed super-battleships might desperate scramble of ships; the devastation that two such
have made a considerable difference. ln any case, the Kriegsmarine powerful vessels could wreak was too awful to contemplate.
was not a navy designed to tackle a major fleet head-on in fleet
engagements. lnstead, it was a commerce raiding force. German capital ships were built according to principles tried
out in World War One; internal compartmentalisation and
The destroyers of the Kriegsmarrne were excellent vessels; damage control measures made them very difficult to sink,
large for their stze and powerful compared to those of other while their efficient power plants ensured a good top speed,
nations. Ship-for-ship they were a match for any destroyer essential in a raider. Coupled with excellent fire control -
afloat. German destroyers mainly operated in the North Sea using radar and other means - and big guns to make use of it,
and English Channel, where they fought running battles with these vessels were extremely potent weapons.
British light forces throughout the war. They also gave good
account of themselves in the invasion of Norway and against It has been said that Hitler never really understood naval
Arctic convoys travelling to Russia. warfare; be that as it may, the Kriegsmarine suffered from a lack
of funding and materials, and from the internal politics of the
The Kriegsmarine also had several powerful cruisers at its Nazi leadership. Among its greatest detractors was Herman
disposal. Some, like the Prinz Eugen, were conventional designs, Goering, who connived constantly to ensure resources flowed
while others were 'pocket battleships' mounting heavier guns into his Luftwaffe to the detriment of the navy. Major warship
than a ship of their displacement normally would, such as the projects suffered from constant stops and starts as resources
Admirol Grof Spee. German cruiser forces operated mainly in the were allocated, then redistributed to other projects.
Baltic and North Seas after the early months of the war, which
saw the famous early cruises of the pocket battleships.

German capital ships caused little direct damage. Even the

Eventually, as the tide of war turned against Germany, Hitler
gave up on his navy and transferred guns originally intended
for ships to the coastal fortifications of the Atlantic Wall. The
#
most active capital ships, the battlecruisers Schornhorst and Kriegsmarine continued to fight on with dwindling resources.
Cnesenou, sank relatively little tonnage. However, the main U-boats and destroyers remained a menace to allied shipping
effect of the big ships was as a threat. The Tirpitz tied down to the very end of the war.

Flight (ommissioned [onier ftpble Role Flonk Speed Dogfight Domoge Dire Iroils Poinls

Dive-
.lunkers Ju-878-2/C-0
'1938 Yes
Bomber
17" 1 ) Devastating 15

lYesserschmitt Me-1 O9T/E 1940 Yes Fighter lb +2 0 20

llonk Speed: 6"

Class: Bismarck
Armour: 6+
Type: Battleship
Hull: 107t34
Commissionedl. 1940
Aircraft 4,
Armoured Deck, Ships of this Class:
Troils:
Radar,
Bismorck, Tirpitz
Torpedo Belt 3

Weopons Syslem [ire Arc Poiil Blonk Shorl Long Exlreme AD AP DD Iroits

A Turret (2 x 15-inch)
{ 10" 20" 30. 40' 7 +2 3

B Turret (2 x 15-inch)
{ 10' 20" 30" 40" 2 +2 3

X Turret (2 x '1 5-inch) -o 10' 20" 30" 40' )- +2 3

Y Turret (2 x 1 5-inch) *'t 10" 20" 30" 40' 2 +7 3

Light Cuns (12 x 5.9-inch)

C 6" 1)', 18" )5' 6 1 1 Restricted, Twin- inked

Light Guns (1 5 x 4.1-inch)

C 4" 9', 14. 19" 8 -) 1 DP, Restricted, Weak

AA Battery
C Local 1

?,?
THE REGIA IIIIARINA THE MARINE NATIONATE
At the time of ltaly's entry into World War Two, she possessed At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Marine
a modern fleet. However, there were no aircraft carriers, not Nationale of France was a Powerful force with modern
least because the ltalian navy was intended to oPerate near to battleships, which should have been a major asset to the
friendly air bases in ltaly and Africa. Efforts to interrupt Allied Allied cause. However, the rapid fall of France in the land war
troop and supply movements through the Mediterranean and the creation of neutral Vichy France meant these forces
were made by the Regia Marina, leading to the Battle of Cape might be used against the Allies, something that could not
Matapan in 1941. The defeat at Matapan dented ltalian morale, be risked. Neither could the French government order its
and the surface fleet behaved timidly throughout the rest of the navy to join the Allied cause, nor the navy surrender its ships
war, allowing outclassed Allied vessels to see off ltalian forces without orders. Thus, British forces were forced to undertake
that should have destroyed them with ease. the hateful duty of bombarding their former allies as they lay
helplessly at anchor, effectively taking the French out of the
The long campaign to sustain and reinforce the island war as a naval power.
fortress of Malta resulted in bitter airlsea battles. A powerful
Italian force attempted to cut Malta's lifeline. The response Some French units did remain at large and many of these
from the British was aggressive but should not have deterred came over to the Allied cause, fighting on as the Free French
a battleship force, Yet the ltalians would not press the issue, Navy alongside Free Poles, Dutch and other diehards The
behaving as if they were the ones under attack, darting out Free French Navy initially consisted of one battleship, an
of the smokescreen they laid to fire a few shots then vanish auxiliary cruiser, four frigates and four submarines, plus
once again. A bold advance by the British, closing to attack smaller units. Other forces eventually managed to re-join
with torpedoes, was perhaps the decisive factor. the Allies and served in all corners of the world, giving good
service. Most of the remainder of the once-powerful French
The ltalian navy failed to achieve much more during the fleet was scuttled at Toulon in 1942.
course of the war and eventually surrendered to the Allies
at Malta. lts personnel were involved in actions against their Some French battleships were rather elderly, modernised World
former allies, Germany, towards the end of the war. War One vessels. Others were of modern and quite unusual
design, including the fast battleship Rlche/ieu (and her planned
sisters,Jeon Bort and Clemenceou). These ships were unusual in
f, .1fi ! that their main armament was all forward of the superstructure,
)pefltrl fiules with a heavy secondary armament aft. A similar arrangement
was tried in some British ships, with the same rationale - it was
[rarCi r riio n a work around to the limitations of the Washington Treaty' Of
One of the things that characterised the performance of course, this reduced firepower while steaming away, but neither
the Regia lYarina was the lack of coordination between the the British nor the French fleets were particularly concerned
fleet and the Regia Aeronautica (ltalian air force). ln fact, the with their ability to run away effectively!
Regia Aeronautica needed to receive orders directly from the
supreme command, rather than the fleet's admiral. French vessels fought on both sides during the war' The
battleship Richelieu served with the Allies, mainly in
lf a Regia Marina fleet possesses any Flights of aircraft, other south-east Asia and with the British East lndies Fleet. Her
than those launched from carriers, it will suffer a 1 penalty sisterJeon Bort, partially completed and with only one
to its lnitiative throughout the battle. This penalty does not turret operational, was deployed to Casablanca where she
apply for a fleet consisting entirely of aircraft. saw action against US forces and was heavily damaged.
A number of other French vessels were lost in the same
engagement, attempting to prevent Allied landings in
Unwillirrg Soldiers Algeria and Morocco.
Despite having a frontline navy, the ltalian military was not
well trained, was thrown into battle unprepared, and few French vessel losses to combat and related causes included
believed in Mussolini's vision of a new Roman Empire. All ships nine cruisers, 39 destroyers and 61 submarines during the
suffer a -1 penalty to their crew quality checks. course of the war.

tlisht (ommisioned [onier (opble Role tlonk Speed Dogfight Domoge Dire Troits Poinls

Fiat C.50 Freccia 1940 No Fighter 71', +0 0 10

1941 No Bomber 26' +1 15

Macchl C.202 Folgore 1

tlight (ommisioned (onier ftpble Role tlonk Speed Dogfight Domoge Dice Troils Poinls

Dewoitine D.520 1939 Yes Fighter )4" +) 0 )0

Dive- +0 7
'15
Loire N euport LN.4'1 1 1939 Yes 17'
Bomber

pa
kg
SHIP CONSIRUCTION . THE US NAVY
Follow this simple guide to assembling your Victory ot Seo models.

Carefully remove each component from the frame with clippers or a craft knife
and trim offany excess Warlord Resin before assembling. In a well-ventilated
area, test fit all parts before fixing in place with superglue.

i::..r

Flekher -closs Destroyer USS Chicogo

+
_$

USS itlorfhompton USS Indionopolrs

SHIP CONSIRUCTION - THE ITNPERIAI. JAPANTST NAVY

Furutuka

Fubuki-closs De$royer

Kumano
llogomi
TRITI(AL HII REFERENTE
Roll one D10 for each critical hit scored and consult the Every time a critical area's Critical Score increases,
Critical Area table below to determine exactly where the ship immediately apply the extra damage to the ship's Hull and
has been affected. apply the associated penalty.
The effects of critical hit penalties are cumulative, so if a ship's
Dl0 Score Torgel Engines have a Critical Score of 3, it will have its Flank Speed
Engine reduced by a total of -2".
l-4
lf an area already has a Critical Score of 6 and receives
5-7 Weapons
another critical hit to that area, apply both the extra damage
8-9 Crew and penalty for a Critical Score of 6 again.
l0 Vital System Some critical penalties increase the Critical Score of other areas,
if this penalty occurs immediately increase that critical area's
Critical Score and apply the resulting extra damage and penalty.
When either the Engine, Weapons, or Crew area sustains
a critical hit, that area's Critical Score increases by 1, to a The Escalation penalty means that, if left unattended, the areas
maximum of 5. Keep track of critical hits by placing the Critical Score may increase, as fires and secondary explosions
relevant critical hit tokens on your ship's card. Critical hits spread! The effects of this penalty are checked for and applied
against a Vital System are dealt with differently, see below. during the turn's End Phase - see Page 10 for details.

(rilicol Score: I 2 3 4 5 6

tffect Props Domoged Rudder Domoged Iurbine Domoged tuel Syslem Ruplured Ingines Disobled Fuel [xplosion

[xlro Domoge: 0 1 ) 3 D6 3D6

-1" to Flank Speed

" Flank Speed Crew area Crltical
lYust move 3" -1 Flank Speed
Penolty: 1" to Flank Speed Crew area Critical reduced to 0" Score increases by '1
before each turn Escalatron
Score increases by 1

Secondo ry Setondory
tffeo: Turrel Domoged Turrel Deslroyed Mogozine Explosion Multiple [xplosions
Weopons Domoged Weopons Deslroyed

Exlro Domoge: 1 2 3 D6 2D6 3D6

Random turret Random turret

2 Attack Dice* Random turret Crew and Engine
must roll 4+ before destroyed (cannot be
destroyed (cannot be area Critlcal Scores
Penolty: -1 Attack Dicex Crew area Critical firing (ignore if no used even if repaired)
Score increases by 1
used even if repaired) increase by 1
turrets present) Escalation

tffed: Shropnel Fire Muhiple fires Heovy Shropnel Hull Breoch Explosion

[xlro Domoge: 0 1 2 3 D6 7D6

The ship's crew Weapon area Critical

Weapon area Critical Engine area Critical
Penohy: 1 Attack Dice x Escalation quality checks gain
Score increases by 1 Score increases by 1
Score increases by 1
a -1 modifier

*Eochtimethisresu/tisgoined, roll odtce.Onol-3,AttockDicearelostfromc// /rghtgunsweaponsystems,ona4-5front theAAbottery,ondono

6fromalltorpedoes. lf ashtplocksanyvleapansystemro//ed, roll agatn until as/stemthotispresentlsro//ed.

Note thct some shlps do not possess turrets. /n the case of such a ship sufledng a Turret Destrayed or Mogczine Exploston crittcci e='ect. holve the
Attcck Dice of oll light guns, rounding down, insteod ond apply all other eflects o[the critical hit os normol

tffecl
Vitol Systems D6 Score Areo Domoge

For the rest of the game, the ship is no

lf a critical hit is scored I Bridge Deslroyed 1
longer able to perform any Orders.
upon a Vital System, things
are about to get very, very Roll a D5. For the rest ofthe game, at every oPPortunity,
2 Rudder Jommed D6 the ship must: on a 1-2, always turn left; on a 3-4, no
bad for the ship involved. longer make any turns, on a 5-5, it must always turn right.
These are devastating hits
For the rest of the game, the ship cannot
that cause terrible, even 3 Fire in [ngineering 206 perform damage control.
terminal, damage.
For each Vital System For the rest of the game, before each weapon system can
Mogozine Abloze 2D6 fire roll a D6: on a 1-3 the weapon system cannot fire this
critical hit a ship suffers 4
turn; on a 4-6 the weapon system can fire as normal.
roll on this table to see
what has happens. Place 5 Secondory [xplosions 4D6 lncrease the Critical Scores of every area by 1

the relevant Vital Systems

critical token on your The ship's Hull is immediately reduced to 0 and
(otostrophic Explosion
ship's card as a reminder.
6 the ship is lost with all hands.

Component Code: 7470000000