German U-Boats at War, 1939-43
"Hostilities with England effective immediately."
the time is: 1256 hours, 3 September 1939
The Hunters is purposely designed to deliver a brisk yet intensive gaming experience that forces many decisions upon you as you will take command among the major German U-boat models in service during WWII, and try to complete an entire tour. If you ultimately survive all patrols from 1939 to 1943, you will be transferred to the U-boat Training Command for the remainder of the war, having successfully carried out your service for the Fatherland.
Those familiar with the classic Avalon Hill game title, B-17: Queen of the Skies, will come to enjoy the same type of gaming experience of the German U-boat War. All major U-boat models are accounted for with every level of detail including period of service, armaments, crew make-up, damage capacity, and more.
As U-Boat commander, you will be confronting many decisions during your patrol. To begin with, eight German U-Boat models are profiled and available for you to choose from. Patrol zones reflect the time period during the war at sea and will shift as the war progresses. All stages of the U-Boat campaign are represented as missions become increasingly more difficult as your adversary makes advances in anti-submarine warfare.
Conducting patrols is the heart of the system as you will be resolving encounters against individual ships, convoys, or even enemy aircraft. Situations you face and decisions you make suddenly come in quick succession:
- How will you engage a convoy once spotted?
- Do you close the initial target range at increased risk of detection for a more lethal attack?
- If your engagement is at night, will you conduct a surface attack?
- Do you launch one or two fire salvos, and how many torpedoes do you fire?
- Will you try to follow a convoy or ship to engage in additional rounds of combat?
- How will you slip away from escorts to avoid or minimize damage?
- What evasive maneuvers do you undertake?
The major German U-Boat models are represented and accurately profiled for the patrols you will undertake:
- Type VII A
- Type VII B
- Type VII C
- Type VII D
- Type VII FlaK
- Type IX A
- Type IX B
- Type IX C
Patrol Assignments include:
- Atlantic
- British Isles
- Spanish Coast
- Mediterranean
- Norway
- West African Coast
- North America
- Arctic
- Caribbean
The game delivers an historical narrative as 350+ ship targets are uniquely identified (including tonnage) with their historical counterparts that were sunk during the war, including freighters, tankers, and American ships.
Game System Highlights:
- 8 German U-Boat types represented
- 9 Patrol Assignments
- 350+ named shipping targets
- Special Missions for Abwehr Agent Delivery and Minelaying
- Combat encounters with individual ships, ships with escort, convoys, and aircraft
- Daytime and Night Engagement including wolfpack patrols
- U-Boat Damage includes flooding, hull, torpedo doors, periscope, fuel tanks, crew injury (by crew type), engines, hydrophones, flak gun(s), deck gun, batteries, radio
- Crew Advancement, Commander Promotion including special decoration up to The Knight's Cross
- Multi-player and Tournament Rule options (including Wolfpack Tournament)
- Evasive Maneuvers, Patrol Abort, Variable Escort Quality, Resupply at Sea, Gibraltar Passage, Reassignment to Newer U-Boat, Torpedo Duds, Random "Historical" Events, and much, much more!
You are the Hunter -- but also the Hunted. Will you successfully carry out your patrols, advance your crew status, and ultimately be promoted and retire following a successful tour of duty?
Game Contents
- One full 1/2 inch full-color counter sheet (there are now 174 counters instead of 140)
- Rules Booklet with Designer Notes
- U-Boat Patrol Logsheet
- Four U-Boat Display Mattes
- U-Boat Attack Matte
- Three Player Aid Cards
- Two 6-sided and two 10-sided dice
- Boxed
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