Let me bring to you another exciting session report from Atlantic Chase – a pretty innovative naval game depicting the UK and Germany struggle for dominance over Atlantic during early years of World War II – 1939-1942. It has tremendous Rulebook, with great Tutorials. It allows for 2 players sessions but also has an extensive solo campaign module. 

If you are interested in more details, feel free to have a look at another articles in the series:

And now let me invite you to the session report from our another 2-player session. Enjoy!

Scenario OP4: Berlin, Jan-Mar 1941

This will be pretty interesting scenario as finally German Battleships – Gneisenau and Scharnhorst – will see a lot of action. We decided that I will be in charge of British while Jakub will lead the Germans.

Set-up
There are like 3 convoys, inbound to England. Germans set-up their air base in Trondheim or Narvik.
The British forces are large, but many of best ships are in reinforcements.
Germans forces are much smaller but very modern and able to stir a lot of problems!
Special rules and victory conditions
  • ESCORT POOL: At set-up, the British player selects as many as three ships, placing them in the Escort Pool on the game board. They may only be taken from one or more British Task Forces (TFs, so weakening them). The first time each Convoy is involved in Battle, the British player rolls a die to see what escort was attached. Very interesting mechanics!
  • SCENARIO ENDS: This scenario ends when the Germans no longer have a Task Force in play (all sunk or Completed).
  • British get VPs for: completed convoys and damaged / sunk German ships
  • German gets VPs for: Battleships completing in France, Sheer (sailing from South America) completing in Kiel, damaged / sunk British ships & convoys
Session
Let the hunt begin! Hipper and Sheer close out on the Africa convoy! Kuba starts pretty agressively!
But I am not sitting idle – Malaya might not be the most modern battle-cruiser but should do a trick as a deterrent.
Still, before Malaya is able to reach convoy, it is intercepted by Sheer and brought to battle. The roll of escort shows one CA. Sheer inflicts hit and will probably successful finish a mission but then a lucky roll from CA damages it!
Damaging of Sheer was a huge blow to Germans so – having almost nothing to lose – they started their Battleships from Kiel to sail for Atlantic!
In the meantime my reinforcements from Gibraltar and England started chase after Sheer and Hipper.
Both small German ships were trying to flee to France…
…but Sheer was intercepted by Gibraltar force and dented mercilessly!
You may ask – what Gneisenau and Scharnhorst were doing at that time? They were trying to get rid of Intel markers and force the blockade – which they pretty successfully did, damaging Suffolk.
Still, when the weather improved it become too dangerous for German flagships to stay in open waters and they changed course for Kiel…hen
..only to perform crazy turn and head through English Channel to France! Wow, that really takes a lot of guts to try – Kuba completely surprised me! In the end. the ships will reach the friendly port but significantly battered, hit and damaged.
End of game situation, with no German forces on the map.
British force display – with 3 completed convoys and 1 hit.
German force display – with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau badly mauled and Sheer sunk.

Summary

That was pretty exciting and tense game; in the end it finished in a decisive Victory Points victory for the British but it did not have to. First time there was so much action on both sides, so many theaters of war and possibilities to score the points. The game really shines in those scenarios and I can’t wait to start the campaign soon!