CWF Game Cast

Wizards has released an official FAQ for Task Force, which is the new War at Sea release.  The game became available for sale this past Friday and prompted lots of discussion regarding hopeful misprints.

Thankfully Wizards heard the dissent and answered the questions in their document.  We’ve turned their FAQ into a proper pdf file so you can download, print, and use it at your leisure.  This is a document that will be quite helpful to have at hand.  Not everyone checks online for updates and there’s a good chance that at least one member of your gaming group still believes the U-66 has speed 2.

While we could say go to War at Sea Task Force FAQ and read the pdf (you need the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader) that wouldn’t be much of a blog article.  I know you, the reader, come here for more than my sparkling personality and superior gaming intellect.  Yes, I am jesting.  But seriously you enjoy, at least I pretend you do, my analysis and thoughts on the gaming issues at hand.

Some of the entries I knew about last week, say Thursday (after I opened several of my cases) or Friday but most people did not.  Richard Baker, lead game designer for War at Sea, announced a few of them on the official, read horrendous, Gleemax WoTC forum.  Most, however, of the entries are new.

I strongly believe that several of the entries are unnecessary expenditures of time and energy on WotC’s end.  For example of course the Jean Bart, the bane of my existence, only has one turret.  If it was supposed to have more than one then everyone who pulled one, or in my case many, would have more turrets.  At bare minimum we’d be able to compare with other gamers and see that our Jean Bart was the only one with a single turret.

The question relating to the SM.79 is yet another space waster.  The Advanced Rules book specifically states that patrol bombers cannot base on a carrier.  More exactly it says that “carriers can only base Fighters, Dive Bombers, and Torpedo Bombers (p. 31 Advanced Rules book).

Luckily most of the questions are very good and the answers very helpful.  In particular the two dealing with smoke screens provide an answer to many questions.  I’ve been entrenched in a debate on the very issue all weekend long and at last the answer is at our fingertips.  Wizards has backpedaled and said that the rules for the Lay Smoke Screen SA from Set 1 is the way to handle it.

Other entries are helpful, and in my opinion should have been addressed before the release, but the star goes to solving the smoke screen confusion.

written by ^Raven^

Tags

Axis and Allies Minis, Collectible Minis, Historical Gaming, Scenarios, War at Sea, WAS Set 2, WAS Task Force.

Related Articles

• War at Sea: Task Force Opened 3+ Cases Plus Stat Cards July 25, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force Official Set List July 24, 2008
• War at Sea Set 2: Task Force Updated Confirmed Releases and Box Art May 23, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force Picture Card Gallery July 27, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force Sneak Peek Stats July 24, 2008

On Saturday last we discussed the 1st official War at Sea Scenario by Wizards of the Coast.  Action Deferred: The Battle of Cape Teulada pitted the British versus the Italians in the Med Sea. Before that we shared the scenario Lions, Tigers, and Bears: The Battle at the North Cape. This time we have the 2nd official scenario to share with all you War at Sea fans. The scenario is titled In Harm’s Way: The Battle of Sunda Strait.

We found this, and the first, scenario in response to a comment made by Dane in the Lions, Tigers, and Bears article. For a long time we’ve said that reader participation makes this blog excel and Dane’s comment is yet another example. He prompted us to do the legwork resulting in our sharing two more great War at Sea scenarios.

Firstly, there are some required equipment that you will need to play this scenario. Take a gander at the list below to make sure you have everything.

1. Maps. Use Battle Map 6 from page 6 of the Advanced Rules Book.
2. Scenario Rules. Download them, read them (you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader), and print them.
3. Ships and Planes. Allies take 1 USS Baltimore, 1 HMAS Sydney, and 1 HMS Javelin (reinforcements). Axis take 3 Kinai Maru, 1 Jintsu, up to 5 Yukikaze, 2 Myoko (reinforcements), and 1 Yukikaze (reinforcements).
4. Dice, tokens, and other standard accouterments.

written by ^Raven^

Tags

Axis and Allies Minis, Collectible Minis, Historical Gaming, Scenarios, War at Sea, WAS Set 2, WAS Task Force.

Related Articles

• War at Sea Scenario: Action Deferred July 26, 2008
• War at Sea Scenario: Lions, Tigers, and Bears March 10, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force FAQ July 30, 2008
• War at Sea: UK vs Germany Battle Report August 7, 2008
• War @ Sea Set 2 Confirmed Releases February 18, 2008

Awhile back we discussed Lions, Tigers, and Bears.  No, we didn’t talk about the Wizard of Oz…really.  Lions, Tigers, and Bears: The Battle at the North Cape is a War at Sea Scenario depicting The Battle at the North Cape. This time we have another official scenario to share with all you War at Sea fans. The scenario is titled Action Deferred: The Battle of Cape Teulada and it is the first of, hopefully, many official War at Sea scenarios.

We found this, and the second, scenario in response to a comment made by Dane in the Lions, Tigers, and Bears article.   For a long time we’ve said that reader participation makes this blog excel and Dane’s comment is yet another example.  He prompted us to do the legwork resulting in our sharing two more great War at Sea scenarios. Firstly, there are some required equipment that you will need to play this scenario. Take a gander at the list below to make sure you have everything.

1. Maps. Use the all-sea maps from the Starter Box
2. Scenario Rules. Download them, read them (you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader), and print them.
3. Ships and Planes. Allies take 2 HMS Hood, 9 HMS Javelin (both as reinforcements), 1 HMS Exeter, 4 HMS Ajax, and 1 Swordfish Mk. II. Axis take 1 Vittorio Veneto, 1 USS Tennessee (replace with Guilio Cesare because that model is released in Task Force), 7 Luca Tarigo (all three are reinforcements), 4 Bolzano, and 7 more Luca Tarigo.
4. Dice, tokens, and other standard accouterments.

written by ^Raven^

Tags

Axis and Allies Minis, Collectible Minis, Historical Gaming, Scenarios, War at Sea, WAS Set 2, WAS Task Force.

Related Articles

• War at Sea Scenario: In Harm’s Way July 28, 2008
• War at Sea Scenario: Lions, Tigers, and Bears March 10, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force Sneak Peek Stats July 24, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force Opened 3+ Cases Plus Stat Cards July 25, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force Official Set List July 24, 2008

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away we discussed a War @ Sea scenario depicting the battle at Guadalcanal. This time we have another official scenario to share with all you Axis & Allies Minis fans. The scenario is titled Lions, Tigers, and Bears: The Battle at the North Cape and was composed by Paul Rohrbaugh. You can find this scenario on the official War at Sea website. But, we thought it’d be fun to discuss it with you and share some links.

Firstly, there are some required equipment that you will need to play this scenario. Take a gander at the list below to make sure you have everything.

1. Maps. All of the maps from the Starter Box
2. Scenario Rules. Download them, read them (you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader), and print them.
3. Ships and Planes. Allies take 1 HMS Rodney, 1 HMS Ajax, 3 HMS Javelin, and 3 SS Jeremiah O’Brien. Axis roll 1d6 to determine fleet composition. 1-2 is the 1 Bismark, 1 Admiral Graf Spee, and 1 Z 20 Karl Galster. 3-4 is 1 Admiral Graf Spee, 2 U-510, 1 Koln, 2 Z 20 Karl Galster, and 1 FW-200 Kondor. 5-6 is 1 Koln, 3 U-510, 3 Z 20 Karl Galster, 1 FW-200 Kondor, and 1 Ju 87b Stuka.
4. Dice, tokens, and other standard accouterments.

The scenario takes place in 1942 so there are some changes to units and their rules. All of those are shown on page 3 of the scenario rules but the most notable affects the Kriegsmarine. If your fleet includes Kondors you are not allowed to use their special ability granting a single range 1 bomb attack per game.

Before we get into more of the scenario I’d be remiss if I didn’t share information on fleet composition. I rolled 100 dice to see the probability of getting Force A, Force B, or Force C for the Axis player. Out of 100 dice here is the breakdown. Fifty of the dice were a 1 or 2. Thirty of them were 2’s and 20 of them were 1’s. Thirty of the dice were a 3 or 4. More exactly 20 were 3’s and 10 were 4’s. Lastly, 20 of the dice were a 5 or 6. Ten dice were 5’s and 10 were 6’s.

I was not a math major nor am I a mathematical genius but even I can make some deductions on that test. Firstly, if you’re the Axis player you are most likely to receive a double edged sword. Half of the time you’ll get the Bismark (representing the Tirpitz…at least until Set 2), the Graf Spee (representing the Scheer) and a Karl Galster. That means half of the time you will have a lot of surface firepower but you are also more likely to experience a tougher game. If you have the Bismark you need to accomplish your other goals while ensuring she doesn’t sink. That’s no mean task.

Next, 30% of the time you’ll have what I consider to be a really strong fleet. One battlecruiser, some u-boats, a cruiser, a bomber, and a couple destroyers isn’t a bad deal. The Allies have no air support but their ships do have anti-air batteries. If you’re thinking of taking that Kondor and killing the Rodney easy as pie you may want to think again. Don’t forget it has 7 dice for AA. In fact, all of the ships are decent at anti-air. Each Javelin has 5 AA dice plus their nifty smoke screen special ability. The obvious target for the quick win are those transports. Naturally, the Allied player should protect the transports with some destroyers.

Lastly, 20% of the time the Axis player has everything and the kitchen sink. There will be two air units that you can either stagger on air missions or send together for the knockout blow. The extra u-boat will be helpful but don’t forget that 3 sub hunters will be on the map for the Allies. The major downside of Force C is the exclusion of big ships. The biggest ship available to the Axis player in this force is a cruiser. The Koln is decent, no doubt about that, but can it really handle a range 4 battleship?

As an Axis player I am most excited by Force B with Force A as a close second. Force A has risks involved due to the Bismark’s appearance but it has some serious hitting power. Force B provides a lot of varied units including my beloved u-boats.

As a means of wrapping up this article I’d like to share the optional house rules. There are three of these rules that can impact the game. They are recommended, by WotC, to be used only for increased realism and/or when players of vastly different experience are battling. One alters the damage roll when firing on a ship larger than yourself and it also removes the 6 = 2 hits rule. Another affects secondary batteries whereby they do less damage in addition. The last increases the lifespan of destroyers by giving all destroyers the Chase the Salvoes special ability.

So, you’ve read all this and you want to know how to win the scenario. That is quite simple really. As the Allied player you need to get as many of your transports, the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, off the map through Row A (where the Axis player setup). It is a sliding scale with all 3 = Decisive Victory, 2 = Moderate Victory, and 1 = Marginal Victory. If you also manage to sink the Bismark, aka Tirpitz, you bump your win up a category. That makes a Marginal into a Moderate and a Moderate into a Decisive and a Decisive into Slaughter Victory. For the Axis player to win he or she must prevent the Allies from winning. Kill all the transports and don’t let the Bismark sink.

written by ^Raven^

Tags

Axis and Allies Minis, Collectible Minis, Historical Gaming, Scenarios, War at Sea.

Related Articles

• War at Sea Scenario: In Harm’s Way July 28, 2008
• War at Sea Scenario: Action Deferred July 26, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force Sneak Peek Stats July 24, 2008
• War @ Sea Set 2 Confirmed Releases February 18, 2008
• War at Sea: Task Force Picture Card Gallery July 27, 2008