"Supermarina v Bomb Alley v anything else?" Topic

I'm mainly a WW2 land and air gamer but am increasingly tempted by the naval side of the North Africa/ Mediterranean campaign, particularly Malta convoys, at operational and tactical level. I was thinking of starting with a board game rather than miniatures as the prospect of a new project and painting 1/3000 ships seems too daunting at the moment. If anyone has played Supermarina (Clash of Arms), Bomb Alley (Avalanche)or anything else that might fit the bill I'd love some comments/ recommendations.

Steve

I think Supermarina is just scenario supplements in two volumes. You would still need a set of minis rules,like COA's Command at Sea. Supermarina is not limited to use with only CaS.

Bomb Alley has the convenience of having a campaign map of the Med, cardboard ship counters and both small action and campaign rules in one product. Many people consider the combat rules to be badly flawed. Others use the map and campaign rules and fight tabletop battles with other rules.

Rules systems I'm familiar with include Seekreig, Command at Sea, GQ 1 and II, GQ III (which is quite different from GQ I and II) Others will add other rule systems that they are familar with.

I don't play CaS any more. I considered its combat system to not be what I wanted to see.

GQ I and II are older rules (from the 1970's) and are abstract and simple.

I play GQ III now, as I prefer its level of complexity right for me – not to complex a la CaS oe Seekerig, not too simple as to be "Yatsee at Sea"

Rules prices range from free to about $100 USD and cover a range of complexity. Choose what suits your taste.

Check this out.

TMP link

Supermarina is an older Command at Sea game. Supermarina I is a box set that comes with the 3rd ed of the command at sea rules (they're up to 4th ed now, and it's a big improvement), lots of counters, and a data annex with tons of detailed ship data. Supermarina II is a scenario book. You can purchase only the Supermarina I scenario book without the box set.

Command at Sea is more of a simulation than a game; scenarios are often unbalanced, but they're historical. It doesn't have an easy learning curve. Scenarios often have some intermediate (30 minute) turns where the two sides look for each other, before narrowing down to the 3 minute tactical turns.

Bomb Alley is part of Avalanche's Second World War at Sea series. It has a different focus than Supermarina. In Command at Sea you're a captain, commodore or admiral. In Bomb Alley, you're usually an admiral. Tactical combat is fun, but it's fast. The game is really about the operation level, using a map of either half the Med or the entire Med. Like Supermarina, most scenarios are historical (or plausible), and are often unbalanced.

That's a brief overview, but I'd suggest reading about them in detail on boardgamegeek.com. I own both games and am glad I own them. Both play well solo, but have a lot of set up time (in Bomb Alley, digging out counters. In Supermarina, filling out record sheets).

One other point is that Bomb Alley is probably the high point of the Second World War at Sea series. Supermarina is a good supplement and good reading material even if you never play the scenarios, but the rules and counters in the boxset are dated.

General Quarters III is a comprehensive rules set that provides a great deal of detail in an easily accessible game. CaS and Seekrieg V are worthy games, but much more complex, and oriented towards the surface game. To its credit, CaS has worked hard on its air game, though I have no familiarity with it. In both cases, the two complex sets will set you back in excess of $100. USD General Quarters III weighs in at $39.95 USD for the loose leaf version.

Check it out here at the Old Dominion GameWorks web site, odgw.com .

Cheers,
gregoryk

Thanks to dmclellan and No Reserve for explaining the diferences between Supermarina/CaS and Bomb Alley. I hadn't realised you didn't get maps with CaS, or that the rules in the boxed set were dated, so Bomb Alley it will be!

Deadly Waters sounds interesting too (thanks Number6)given it's operational focus and I'll certainly check it out when its released.

Steve

Thanks to gregoryk and dmclellan for the recommendations of GQ III. In theory I prefer more detailed rules systems (simulation rather than game, within reason) but learning curves seem to get steeper the older I get! It sounds as though GQ III might be a good compromise.

I've only played a few naval games in the past but one of my pet hates is simplified firing and damage systems which see you checking hull damage boxes until the target sinks. Could someone give me a quick run down of how GQ III deals with this please?

Steve

Bomb Alley, like all of the Avalanche naval games, is an operational game with an attached tactical module. It has an excellent combat and damage system with a crude movement system. You could graft another rules set's movement system and have a nice set of rules. You can substitute any set of miniatures rules for this module. You just have to develop a way to translate battle damage to the larger operational situation.