Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
One of the earliest entries in the Avalon Hill "Adult Games" family, along with Gettysburg, Tactics II, Dispatcher, and Verdict. The basic game pits one U-Boat against one Destroyer.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Action Queue
Place actions into an ordered queue that resolves now or on later turns.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Simulation
Model a real or imagined system through detailed cause-and-effect rules.
Square Grid
Use an orthogonal grid where position and adjacent spaces shape movement or placement.
Read the full game description
One of the earliest entries in the Avalon Hill "Adult Games" family, along with Gettysburg, Tactics II, Dispatcher, and Verdict. The basic game pits one U-Boat against one Destroyer. They maneuver around each other, with the Destroyer player having limited knowledge of the depth and position of the U-Boat, each attempting to score a critical hit to win the game. The multi-ship game pits three U-Boats against three Destroyers. The first set of rules (1959) came in booklet form while the revised rules (1961) were on a large, folded single sheet. Differences in the rules included where torpedoes could be placed and the damage caused by near-miss depth charge attacks. Board: A grid of 19 x 14 square spaces Pieces: 3 U-Boats, 3 Destroyers