Oh dear - here we go again…..
The back of the box
It is probably not a surprise to learn that I have fought actions in the Mediterranean but not for some time and even then it was using the 1:1800th scale models produced for the Axis and Allies: War at Sea game. The esteemed Mr Fox still has the Italians I believe but my own collection has long since gone.
Anyways, it is fascinating period to game with plenty of surface stuff to get one’s teeth into along with the ever present aerial threat - certainly the Axis powers made full use of land based air assets to plague the Royal Navy throughout.
The operational maps - note the use of offset squares.
I have little enthusiasm for raining model fleets for the period and in truth the same would apply to the Pacific. In the latter case I have the oft-mentioned Flat Top and CV to cover the fighting and indeed, the late S.Craig Taylor Jr, designer of these two games, had planned to use the system for a similar game based on the Mediterranean. I have no idea how far along the design of this he had got and with his passing I suspect that will it see the light of day. I believe that the Flat Top system would work really well for the Mediterranean but we will never know unless someone picks up the idea and develops it.
I have no experience of the Avalanche Press Second World War at Sea system although it uses much in the way of game mechanics as the Great War at Sea. Did I need to acquire this? Well, I have a smattering of titles in the library covering the war at sea in the Mediterranean so it has always been lurking there or thereabouts so I guess the answer is a yes, albeit needing to be fitted into my expanding project list!
The attraction of this system for me is that one has both the strategic and the tactical elements to consider along with a selection of mission types to undertake as well as plentiful scenarios - both historical and ‘what if’.
There is a whole pile of additional material available in respect of supplements etc for the SWWAS system but to be honest I do not feel the need to avail myself of any of this - the coverage contained within the game is more than sufficient for my needs.
Send no wargamer ever…… ;-)
4 comments:
David -
That is very interesting - at several levels. The first thing I noticed - after the fine map - that it is divided into offset squares. For a wild moment I thought they might have been the offset rectangle scheme similar to the one I developed, but a count, given the stated map sizes, suggests they're squares, all right.
But 50 scenarios? That would be an education, right there. Just by the way, along with the Itty-bitty balsa navy game I've been drafting a 'Portable-ish' rule set for, I have had it in mind something more ... erm ... operational, played on my well used 10cm hex board. So I've been running two ideas in parallel, so to speak.
I hope you will have more to say on this 'Bomb Alley' game...
Cheers,
Ion
You are spending too much money now on things you will probably never play. I think you need to have a no spend month to break this cycle. It’s like an addiction.
Hello there Archduke,
I am a huge fan of this type of naval gaming approach - Flat Top being a good example, along with the recently acquired Cruiser Warfare and 1904 - so ordering task forces around and then fighting the resultant tactical action works for me. I am keen to see how you develop your ideas and I will certainly post about how this game plays out and how it all works.
All the best,
DC
Hello there Simon,
My collection is in a state of perpetual motion in that I tend to offload ‘stuff’ to, inevitably, buy newer ‘stuff’. I do not expect to playing this immediately - to be honest Cruiser Warfare will probably get the first bite - as I have WAY to many other things to take care of first - building ironclads being the main one!
My recent acquisitions have been on the back of some really good sales but for now the only thing outstanding will be my Warbases order and then possibly, some care and maintenance stuff - paints etc.
Addicted is probably a little on the extreme side - more like bingeing when I can!
All the best,
DC
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