The Chase of the Bismarck - Operation Rheinübung 1941

Chase of the Bismarck is played in turns, each representing nearly five hours of real time. In each turn, both players secretly move any or all ships and air units under their command on their own search board.

Each player may then call out zones in which he has enough search factors to locate his opponent's ships. This is the “operational part of the game”.

If opposing ships are discovered to be in the same zone, they may proceed to combat on the Battle Board. This is the “tactical part of the game”.

The game ends if Bismarck is sunk, arrives at a friendly port or the last turn of the game (evening of May 29th) has been played.

The approach with Chase of the Bismarck was to focus fully on the operational gameplay experience and keep the tactical combat as simple as possible.

No two games will run the same here, as there are many variables that had an impact on the operation. And there are many decisions
that the German player must make:

Does one take Denmark Strait or would he/she rather take a slightly more southerly passage? Might even the high-risk Channel breach be an option? Which convoy route will be operated on? Where andwhen should the rendezvous with the tankers take place? Should the Kampfgruppe stay together or split into ships steaming individually? Which port, if any, should be visited?

But the Allied gamers also have a variety of decisions to make:
should ships be grouped together in a few critical hexes to maximize Search Factors and potential combat strength there? Or are units better split up to cover a large area (as long as visibility remains good).
Should Rodney stay with the convoy or prefer to support the search for the Bismarck?
A variety of imponderables makes the game so varied and versatile, and most importantly, fun.

The following components are included in the game:

•     Two operational Search Boards
•     One Battle Board
•     About 300 counters
•     45 Ship Cards
•     Several Player Aid Cards
•     Two Player Screens
•     Several blue and red wooden blocks
•     Optional Hit Record Pad
•     Rulebook
•     Two ten-sided dice