Shrokins

I suppose the other thing is that bombs can hit targets on land.

I’d say torpedoes are the deadliest weapon in the game! I think if you play a few matches you’ll see that ships can and do close to short range, especially destroyers, and that devastation results. Destroyers and cruisers can torpedo a battleship or fleet carrier off the table in a single attack. Ignore torpedoes at your fleet’s peril!

Nat, sure, but plain bombers still take a 6 to hit in base contact, unlike torpedo-bombers on 5+, that’s my point; the answer to Brandon’s question about Albacores and Swordfish is that as torpedo bombers they have more firepower, but as plain bombers they are harder to shoot down before making their attack.

Peter, I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking, but I’ll take a crack at answering it. Using the -2 modifier for torpedoes, torpedoes can hit targets at all range bands, and all range bands are different, hence, all the range bands are included. At extreme range, a torpedo can still hit ships that are stationary and silhouetted (4+2+2-1-1=6 to…[Read more]

The trade-off between using Swordfish as bombers vs torpedo-bombers is that bombers have less punch, but torpedo-bombers are twice as easy to hit (being hit on fives instead of sixes).

My guesses…

Japanese aircraft set: Betty flights, Kate flights, and an Emily.

IJN ship: Since Germany got Tirpitz, I imagine IJN will get Musashi.

US aircraft: two of the following types: Avenger, Dauntless, Flying Fortress, Mitchell or Wildcat, plus either a Catalina or Coronado.

USN ship: a light cruiser, as the US doesn’t have one yet.…[Read more]

Hi Antonio. You’re right, the card is wrong. Black Seas is great fun, but the cards don’t always reflect history. I think it would be more accurate to play the USS Essex with three carronade dice and one heavy cannon die on each side. Congrats on adding those fine and famous ships to your fleet!

Haha, a four Kongo game would be great. If there were some way to play on-line, I’d do it. Missouri, Arizona, Chicago and Northampton would make it a four on four, 1500 pts vs 1500 pts, guns only deathmatch.

Christian, I think the answer to your original question is: nobody knows. The players don’t, because the rules booklet is vague. And I suspect the designers never thought of this gap in the rules. For whatever reason, there are loads of such gaps. IMHO, the best way to approach Victory at Sea is to consider it still in beta; I think of it as a…[Read more]

Here’s how I grade the battleships for their points value:

A: Arizona, Bismarck (data card), Idaho, New Mexico.

B: Duke of York, Scharnhorst.

C: Bismark (booklet), Missouri, Warspite, Yamato.

D: Kongo.

That sounds very interesting. If you need another player, feel free to send me a message. Especially if you need a CO for the USS Missouri; I just received my Missouri model in the mail today and I’m eager to take her out for a rip.

Wow, what program are you using in that screenshot? Is that through Tabletop Simulator? Also, look at all those custom planes and hexagonal coastline tiles. That’s impressive.

I’ve played as Japan, the UK and the US. As the US and UK, I pretty much always bring a battleship and screen it, and it seems to work well. I’ve never used a battleship as Japan (the Kongō model is one of my favourites, but it’s not worth anywhere close to 375 points), so I don’t really have anything to screen. My IJN strategy is a big torpedo…[Read more]

I understand the rules the same way. One difference I see: I’ve never had a game where planes have the “tough” rule. If there’s a big air attack, I circle the wagons: if smaller ships are around the battleship acting as shield, one or more usually get to fire local AA during the movement phase, and then, most importantly, they get to pour their…[Read more]

Good stuff, coming up with stats for all those types of planes.

I’m also having fun trying out Victory at Sea. So far, my experience with aircraft has been different; maybe it’s a difference of tactics in our games, or expectations as to how effective AAA should be, or the luck of the dice. I find that ships swat down planes in droves; that, if…[Read more]

It’d be interesting to test the Kongo-class at a cheaper cost: 300 instead of 375. Anyone up for a match commanding two Kongos? We’d count it as a 600 point force, instead of 750. As opposition, I’d bring the USS Arizona, USS Indianapolis, and a Fletcher (590 points). According to the game’s official points, you’d have a 27% advantage, but I think…[Read more]

Yes, I wouldn’t use the Kongō in a game where my life or fortune was as stake. I think there’s lots of balancing left to be done in the game, so the points in general have to be taken with a grain of salt. The Kongō can’t be worth much more than 300, I’d think. She doesn’t add more to your force than a 280-point Mogami-class or 275-point Shōkaku-c…[Read more]

P.S. As for playing solo, the full rulebook isn’t out yet, so I don’t know what its solo scenarios will be like. So far, Warlord has released one solo campaign, “Tokyo Express”, which uses the ships from ‘Battle for the Pacific’ (https://www.warlordgames.com/victory-at-sea-tokyo-express-solo-play-rules/). If you’re easily amused like me, just…[Read more]

Hi Ian,

I got into Victory at Sea and am really enjoying it. The challenge for Atlantic folks is this: the ‘Battle for the Pacific’ starter set is currently the only place one can get the rules booklet, the tokens/markers, and the turning gauges for the game. The full rulebook comes out in January, and can be ordered on its own or with a fleet.…[Read more]