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Table of Contents
[1.0]1NTRODUCTION [14. 7) Endurance Check
[1.1) How to Read these Rules [14.8) Clean-Up
[2.0] GAME COMPONENTS [15.0] TRANSIT MOVEMENT PHASE
[2.1) The Game Map [16.0] CONCLUDE TURN PHASE
[2.2) Game Charts and Tables [17.0] WAR PROGRESS PHASE
[2.3) Playing Pieces [17.1) Procedure
(2.4] Scale (17.2) Automatic Advance
[2.5] Conventions [18.0] DAMAGE
[3.0] SETTING UP THE GAME [19.0] EVENTS
[3.1 ) The "War Mix" [19.1) Transit Events
(3.2] Marker Set Up [19.2) Combat Events
[4.0] SEQUENCE OF PLAY [20.0] SPECIAL MISSION ZONES
[5.0] WAR EVENT PHASE [21.0] BASES
[6.0] TORPEDO IMPROVEMENT PHASE [21.1 ) Forward Bases
[7.0] THE ULTRA PHASE [21.2] Submarine Tenders
[8.0] SUBMARINE REINFORCEMENTS PHASE [22.0] CONGREGATING RISK
[9.0] READYING SUBMARINES FOR SEA PHASE [23.0] SPOTTED EFFECTS
[10.0] REPAIR PHASE [24.0] WOLFPACKS
[11.0] PREP FOR OPERATIONS PHASE [24.1) Wolfpack Formation
[12.0] PATROL MOVEMENT PHASE [24.2) Wolfpacks and Movement
[13.0] SEARCH AND CONTACT PHASE (24.3) Wolfpack Types
(13.1) Activity Determination Step (24.4) Wolfpacks and Transit Events
[13.2) Search and Contact Procedure [24.5] Wolfpacks and Combat
[14.0] COMBAT PHASE [24.6) Wolfpacks and "SPOTTED" results.
[14.1) First Attack Round [25.0] SUPER SKIPPERS
[14.2) Counterattack Round [26.0] TWO PLAYER VARIANT
[14.3) Withdrawal [27.0] QUICK RESOLUTION
(14.4] Re-Attack Rounds [28.0] RESERVED
[14.5) Super Skipper Determination [29.0] RESERVED
[14.6) Sub vs. Sub Combat
[1.0] INTRODUCTION All Areas are linked by transit routes, a series of lines that
delineate movement for submarines. Only submarines move on
Silent War is a solitaire simulation of the United States' submarine the map. Each OpArea belongs to a geographic group, noted in
war against Imperial Japan during the Second World War. The text on the top of each Activity Chart (examples: Empire,
scenarios allow players to recreate various stages of the war or Indochina, North Pac(ific), South Pac(ific)).
the entire campaign. In these scenarios, each player takes on the
role of Commander Submarines, U.S. Pacific Fleet
(ComSubPac), deploying available submarines from either Pearl
Game Map
Harbor or Australia in order to attack the Japanese Navy
Additionally, in the patrol game, using single submarines, players Submarine Base [21.0]
can recreate some of the war's most famous patrols.
• Submarine Base: Represented by a hexagon and a port Printed in the Rules Booklet are the War Event Tables for all 4
(anchor) symbol. War Periods and the East Wind Early scenario.
• Operations Area (OpArea): Large circular area containing Map displays include: the Tonnage & Ships Sunk/Submarines
an Activity Chart. An Operations Area is divided into an Lost Track, Current War Period, Current Torpedo Value Track,
Operating section (top) for the submarines conducting and the Turn Record Track. There are also five Base Displays:
combat in that Area and a Done section (bottom) for Pearl Harbor, Fremantle, Brisbane, Dutch Harbor, and
submarines which have completed their combat or Manila/Subic Bay. Each Base Display contains a Repair Hold
movement in that Area. box, with three levels of patching up, a Ready for Sea box, Pier
• Special Mission Zone (SMZ): Small circular area without Side box, and "Broom Box" (for subs that have just returned from
an Activity Chart, that points to an OpArea. If a submarine sea).
tender is in the zone it is a forward submarine base. If no
tender is present, these zones can only be entered by a On the Submarine Tender/Surabaya Display card there are eight
submarine when activated by a War Event. Submarine Tenders and the Surabaya Display.
• Attack: The fighting value of the submarine, a mixture of the Some specific named Japanese ships are provided. These are
number of torpedo tubes the submarine has, whether or not the carriers Kaga, Shokaku, Shinano, and Taiho, the battleship
the submarine has tubes both fore and aft, and its overall Yamato, the repair ship Asahi, and the armored cruiser lzumo. If
loadout of torpedoes. sunk, these ships and the BV hybrid battleship/carrier are
• Defense: An evaluation of the submarine's ability to removed from play.
maneuver, speed of dive, diving depth, tonnage, and the There are three Diligent Escort pieces in the game. These are
"robustness" of her design and construction. Size matters. the Japanese surface ships that are printed on the front with an
• Tactical: An estimation of the submarine's "handiness" in orange DD silhouette on a gray band. These represent
combat, a mixture of the measurement of her general particularly alert, aggressive, and tenacious destroyer captains
modernity, engineering responsiveness, and most who occasionally surprised a submarine skipper with their skill
importantly, her combat systems, scopes, TDC, radar, sonar, and daring.
as well as the progress of experience in naval construction.
• Endurance: A rating that determines if the submarine may C. TDC MARKERS
remain on patrol or if it must return to base. This rating TDC markers represent the Target Data Computer (TDC)
factors in torpedo loadout and consumables such as food, solutions on a target, incorporating the vagaries of target position
water, and fuel supply. relative to the submarine, and general good or bad fortune
• Range: The maximum number of OpAreas that a inherent in World War II submarine combat. TDC markers have
submarine may be from a friendly Base at any time. target modification values between -3 and +3 printed on them.
B. SURFACE SHIPS & EVENT MARKERS D. SUPER SKIPPERS
Japanese units are represented by generic pieces that are used These pieces represent the top U.S. submarine skippers of World
over and over again. These pieces have a type designation, War II. Super Skippers have a combat bonus rating which is
tonnage rating, defense rating, and an anti-submarine (ASW) added into the submarine's attack and defense calculations. One
rating: British and one Dutch skipper are provided if the optional Allied
submarine rules are used.
• Type: The general type of ship such as BB for Battleship, CV
for Carrier. Following is a complete list of ship types used in E. MARKERS
the game: The rest of the counter mix has markers for the game turn,
recording the number of ships and tonnage sunk, the number of
CV -Aircraft Carrier. submarines lost and the current War Period in the game.
BB - Battleship
BV - Battleship Carriers (lse class converted to hybrid [2.4] Scale
carriers.)
The map represents the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to the Malay
CA - Heavy Cruiser
Peninsula, and from Northern Australia to Alaska's Aleutian
AC - Armored Cruiser
Islands and as such is somewhat scaleless. Each game turn is
AR - Repair Ship
one week.
CL - Light Cruiser
DD - Destroyer
[2.5] Conventions
DE - Destroyer Escort
When rolling the ten sided die, zero (0) is always zero (0) and not
AO - Oil Tanker
ten (10}.
AF -Stores ship, often refrigerated.
M - Merchant, including freighter, transport, and
The following logical terms are used throughout the rules: [3.2] Marker Set Up
Place the Tonnage, Ships Sunk, and Submarines Lost markers in
• #: number or value. the appropriate boxes on the Tonnage & Ships Sunk I
• >: greater than. Submarines Lost Track, and the Torpedo, Month, Week, Year,
• <: less than. and War Progress markers in their respective boxes according to
• = or >: equal to or greater than. the scenario. The game is now ready to begin.
• = or <: equal to or less than.
• drms: Die Roll Modificahons (changes to the die roll+ or-).
Fraction Rounding: Fractions are rounded up or down to the
[4.0] SEQUENCE OF PLAY
nearest integer. However, pay close attention; although a Silent War is played in Game Turns representing one week of
common convention was desired, Silent War uses both rounding- actual time. Each game turn contains Segments and each
up, and rounding-down in order to keep as close to the statistical Segment contains Phases. The following sequence of play is for
model as possible. When fractions are rounded, round all the operational and campaign scenarios. For patrol scenarios,
' ractions less than one half (<0.499) down, and all fractions equal ignore the Strategic and Tripie-R segments except for the Prep
:o or greater than one half (> 0.5) up. for Operations Phase [11.0].
Note: The organization of the rules generally follows the
[3.0] SETTING UP THE GAME sequence of play The section numbers of the segments begin
with "5.0" as that is the rules section covering that segment.
Choose a scenario: Lay out the map and sort the submarines by
;ne month noted on each piece from the beginning through the I. STRATEGIC SEGMENT
end of the scenario. You can speed up setup by sorting the
submarines by month or by Entry Date instead of having to pick 5.0 War Event Phase
;nrough the countermix for a particular name. The Entry Date Roll a d1 0; if result is 0-3, reroll on War Events Table
.'1 s" indicates that the submarine is available at "war start."
and implement the results .
6.0 Torpedo Improvement Phase
Pace the submarines for the beginning month of the scenario in Roll d10 on Torpedo Improvement Table. If result= or
;:~ei r arrival locations, Transit side up. Place all the Wolfpack and > than Ships Sunk # , move the torpedo marker one
Submarine Tender markers aside as these will not come into play column to the right.
..mtillater in the game. Next, sort out the markers, TDC markers, 7.0 ULTRA Phase
Super Skippers and finally the Japanese ships marked with either Roll d10 on ULTRA Table, noting drms. Mark ULTRA
·ne Japanese naval ensign or the Japanese national ensign. The Areas: add one (+ 1) to Area Activity Chart rolls and
..Japanese ships will be distributed among four cups in a "War draw one (1) extra ship from each cup. If in Empire
'.~ x." Area, add one (+ 1) to Transit Event check.
14.0 Combat Phase obstinately refused to acknowledge the truth of the many
14.1 First Attack Round complaints from experienced combat submariners that the Mark
14.2 Counterattack Round XIV was not working properly. Instead, they accused the skippers
14.3 Withdrawal (Proceed to 14.4 or 14.5) of "improperly" setting the weapon.
14.4 Re-Attack Rounds (Optional, followed by
Withdrawal) However, careful experiments in July of 1942 in Australia, and the
14.5 Super Skipper Determination intercession of Admiral King himself, finally moved the Newport
14.6 Sub vs. Sub Combat Torpedo Station to act. Still, it was not until fully a year later that
the Mk-XIV was operating the way it was intended to, 21 months
14.7 Check Endurance
15.0 Transit Movement Phase after the start of the war.
Submarines that are in the Ready for Sea Box of a
The Mk-XIV (also representing the Mk·X used by S-boats and the
base, are outbound to a patrol area, or have received
late war Mk-XVIII electric) torpedo marker begins the game on
an RTB result may move a number of OpAreas up to
the Current Torpedo Value track according to the scenario
their movement rating. Roll for a Transit Event if
instructions. This table lists ships sunk in tens and a series of die
applicable. Place submarine in "Done" section of
rolls. During the Torpedo Improvement Phase of the turn
OpArea Patrol side up if it intends to patrol there next
immediately following a turn when the current number of ships
turn or Transit side up if it intends to continue on to
sunk reaches or exceeds one of the listed numbers of ships sunk,
another OpArea or Base.
the player rolls a d10. If the die roll equals or exceeds the result
listed for that number of ships sunk, the torpedo marker is
IV. END TURN SEGMENT
immediately advanced indicating a fix to the torpedo problem. If
(After all subs have conducted movement and combat)
the die roll is less than the result there is no change, and another
16.0 Conclude Turn Phase roll may not be attempted until the next listed number of ships
Remove Spotted markers from subs on roll of 0-6; sunk is reached.
Automatically remove Spotted markers upon return to Example: In 1942 the player sinks seventy ships. He is now
Base. Check Scenario Victory Conditions. Advance eligible to attempt torpedo improvement from -2 to -1. The die
Date markers. roll is '6' indicating that no improvement is made (a '9' is
17.0 War Progress Phase required). The player may not roll again until seventy-five ships
Check War Period Transition Table. If month has a have been sunk, and a result of '8' or '9' will result in the
number, roll d1 0; if result =or > than #, advance War improvement to -1.
Period.
[7. 3] There may never be more than three (3) ULTRA Areas in The average Pacific submarine was able to perform a turn
existence during any one turn. If two rolls are made due to a War around between patrols in a week. Sometimes it took two. The
::·;ent, take the Areas in order they are received, top to bottom. older, "creakier" boats took a little more effort to ready for sea
than their brand new war construction sisters.
:=xample: In War Period 3, a War Event calls for rolling twice on
~'le ULTRA table. The player rolls a '2' followed by a '4'. ULTRA
PROCEDURE
r..,arkers are placed on the Empire Pacific, Bismarck Sea, and the Move all submarines in the Pier Side Box of a Base (Shipside
-<uriles. A marker is not placed in the Carolines. Box of a Tender), to the Ready lor Sea Box. For each submarine
starting in the Broom Box, roll a die. II the result is equal to or less
7.4] Submarines are never required to respond to ULTRA than (= or <) the "Readiness" rating , the submarine is moved to
~•orm ation. The decision to Patrol Move and take advantage of
the Ready lor Sea Box of the Base display. II the roll is greater
t:'e target-rich environment is up to the player and should be than the rating, the submarine is moved to the Pier Side Box on
:a•anced by the risks associated with Patrol Movement (see the Base display, where it will be automatically ready for sea in
·2 o; the following turn.
[12.0] PATROL MOVEMENT PHASE Orange - contact with a small number of enemy ships
Blue - contact with a moderate number of enemy ships
Normally when on patrol, submarines tend to remain in a single Red - contact with a large number of enemy ships
OpArea. However, the player may change their patrol area to an
adjacent OpArea using Patrol Movement. To use Patrol If neither of the below is the case, proceed to Step B:
Movement, a submarine is simply moved to any adjacent • If the die roll is a zero, the box is white, and the row has at
OpArea, so long as that OpArea does not place the submarine least one colored box, the player rolls a second die. If this
further from a Base than its Range rating. A roll is made for a is also a zero, the player submarine has encountered an
Transit Event (see [19.1]). If an RTB result is obtained, flip the enemy submarine. Proceed to the Sub vs. Sub Combat
submarine to its Transit side and place an RTB marker on it. segment [14.6].
• If there is no contact, proceed directly to the Endurance
[12.1] If a Special Mission Zone has been activated by a War Phase [14.7] with a -1 modifier to the Endurance roll.
Event, a submarine may enter it using Patrol Movement for no
additional movement cost. A roll is made for a Transit Event (see B. Once enemy ships have been contacted, the player rolls on
[19.2]). the Contact Table (left side of map), again first determining
the War Period, and then rolling a die. The result is either: C 1
Example: A Special Mission Event has occurred for a -small convoy, C2- large convoy; or TF- a naval task force.
Guadalcanal Patrol. A submarine on patrol in the Coral Sea may
Patrol Move to the Solomons, and then enter the Guadalcanal C. The Player consults the Engagement Table, cross-
Special Mission Zone for no additional cost, rolling for a Transit referencing the Activity Level from the Area Activity Chart die
Event using the Solomons Area Activity Chart. roll with the Contact result from the Contact Table. The
Engagement Table will direct the player to randomly select a
[12.2] Submarines may not use Patrol Movement to enter or number of pieces from each of the four prepared 'War Mix'
depart a submarine base. cups, A, B, C, or D. Pieces are drawn from the cup (without
examining them) and placed face down on the Combat
Display in the column corresponding to their cup.
[13.0] SEARCH AND CONTACT PHASE
If the OpArea has an ULTRA marker (see [7.0]), the number
COMMENTARY of pieces per cup is increased by one unless the result for
Submarine combat is essentially sorting through the available that cup was "no draw".
contacts and determining quickly the best opportunities for
sinking selected ships. Information is usually imperfect, time
short, angles and opportunities limited. Within these bounds, a [14.0] COMBAT PHASE
submarine commander must make his decisions such that the The player now engages the Japanese convoy or task force in a
best opportunity to inflict damage is taken. series of attack rounds.
;t4.13] The player utilizes the Tactical Rating of the submarine to 5. If the target ship has a Damage marker subtract one (-1).
::etermine the number of "TDC" (Target Data Computer) pieces
C. Subtract the target's value from the attacker's value (round
;'1at are randomly selected from the pool of face down TDC
down) to get a result and roll a die. If the roll is equal to or
,...arkers. The player places TDC markers (without examining
less than the result (difference), the target has been hit.
;·em). one per target, on any of the revealed OR face down
.apanese ships in the same column containing the submarine or Example: Continuing from the Spearfish example above with
" an adjacent column. Once they are all placed, TDC markers a current Mark XIV torpedo value of minus (- 1). The player
~ay not be moved. calculates the following attacks:
:'-U4] The player reveals the TDC markers and selects targets Assuming Cargo Ship #1 is 2-0, Adjacent Column:
·:·attack. A target must be a unit with a TDC marker on it. The
: a:.er may select as many targets as he can allocate the a) 3 attack points+ 1 super skipper point+ torpedo value
;.:::Manne's attack value to, with a minimum of one (1 ). The total -1, tor a total of (3+ 1+{-1]) = +3.
:' a. attacks may not exceed the attack value of the attacking b) 2 defense points + 1 revealed escort + TOG -2, + 1 tor
:;.:..,.,arine. A submarine can only attack targets that are in the being in an adjacent column for a total of (2+ 1+[-2)+ 1) =
s.:~e or an adjacent column. +2
c) The player must roll equal to or less than (3-2) = 1 to hit
=xa...,ple: USS Spearfish (6-3-4) has Whitaker(+ 1) as her super this target. (20% chance of hit)
s ::;oer and is in combat against two 2-0, one 1-0 cargo ship, and
:r.a revealed 7-1 destroyer. One of the 2-0 cargo ships has a Assuming Cargo Ship #3 is 1·0, Same Column:
IX value of -2 but is in an adjacent column, the other, a TOG a) 3 attack points + 1 super skipper point+ torpedo value
a .,e of+ 1. The 1-0 cargo ship has a TOG value of 0. The player -1 for a total of (3+ 1+[-1]) = +3.
.ass gns 3 attack points to the first cargo maru and 3 attack points b) 1 defense point + 1 revealed escort + TOG + 1 for a total
•:; '" e third maru. He does not target the second target or the of(1+1+1)=+3
::scort. Total attack points assigned: 6. c) The player must roll equal to or less than (3-3) = 0 to hit
:·ce all the targets have been selected, any unrevealed this target (10% chance of hit).
. a:.anese unit that is being targeted is now turned face up. If a D. If the target is hit, consult the Attack Results Table. Find the
.a:anese aircraft or Combat Event marker is revealed, remove size of the target in tonnage in the left column and roll a die,
--:: - Dc marker from it. Attack points allocated to the aircraft or adding the current value of the Mk-XIV torpedo (adding a
::~oat Event marker may be reallocated to any other unit with
negative number results in subtraction).
a - x marker on it.
If the modified result falls into the orange results, the
• 1: a Combat Event marker is revealed , the event is target has been damaged. Place a Damage marker on
..,mediately resolved as per the Events instructions (see the vessel. If the target already had a Damage marker,
"1 9.2]). If any additional Combat Event markers are drawn
it is sunk.
:::... nng an attack round, they are returned to the cup. If the result falls into the red results, the target has been
• I' a Diligent Escort is revealed, the player rolls immediately sunk. Advance the Ships Sunk marker by one and the
o· the Diligent Escort row of the Counterattack Table, Tonnage Sunk marker(s) by the tonnage size.
aoo1ying any result. Combat then proceeds normally with the
J .1gent Escort in its place, face up, in the proper column. If Note: The torpedo value counts for or against the player twice:
u-e submarine is damaged, the player may NOT choose to First, in terms of hitting the target (running at the proper (or not)
v. ' '1draw from combat at this point. depth), and second, in terms of detonating correctly (in terms of
the magnetic exploder that was so problematic or the detective
: · ! , t 5] Each attack is resolved separately. The following
contact exploders)
1:'-'::::::.Jre (steps a through d) is used for each attack:
[14.16] There will be times when it is not possible for a
- J:a the following for the attacking submarine: submarine to hit a target, through a combination of low attack
The portion of the submarine's Attack Value allocated to factors, low torpedo rating, adverse TDC modifiers, and/or high
th1s target. escort values. In such cases follow these guidelines:
The value of a Super Skipper marker assigned to this A. If no successful attack can be made in the first attack round,
submarine (if any). Each attack gets this bonus. there is no Counterattack [14.2]. The player may withdraw
The cu rrent Mk-XIV torpedo value (Remember, adding a [14.3] or conduct a Re-Attack round [14.4] normally.
negative number is the same as subtracting it.) B. If no successful attack can be made in a Re-Attack round, a
- :;a tne following for the target: counterattack round is conducted normally regardless of
whether an attack is made in the first attack round.
The target's Defense Value.
- he ASW value of all revealed Japanese vessels in the Note: Unrevealed units with TOG markers are considered to
submarine's column and adjacent columns, and the have a defense of '1' until revealed. If attacked, and it is
A.SW value of all revealed aircraft regardless of column. determined that the target cannot be hit, the attack goes through
- ,e TDC marker value (Remember, adding a negative with an automatic miss, followed by a counterattack.
:"umber is the same as subtracting it.)
' tne target ship is not in the same column as the [14.2] Counterattack Round
submarine. add one (+1). Note: there is a maximum of Counterattack normally occurs after an attacking submarine has
r.·.o submarmes per column. conducted combat against surface ships, but under certain
circumstances, Counterattack may occur before and after the [14.2], with the following exceptions:
submarine has attacked surface ships.
A. Japanese units must be revealed in the following order (see
Note: Any units sunk in the attack round before are removed prior [14.12]):
to Counterattack.
Ships with the Rising Sun battle flag must be revealed
To conduct Counterattack, use the following procedure: first (if in columns eligible for revealing).
Only when all Rising Sun flags have been revealed may
A. Add the following for the Japanese: a "red ball" flag be turned over.
1. The ASW value of all revealed Japanese forces (even
B. If equipped with radar (1943 to 1945), the submarine may
those not attacked) in the column containing the not "unflip" a Japanese unit that was revealed in the first
submarine and in all adjacent columns, fractions attack round.
rounded up. Remember, the ASW value of a ship with a
Damage marker is zero. The ASW value of an aircraft is In the Re-Attack round, one is subtracted from every TDC marker
added regardless of the column the aircraft is in. except for any -3 markers. This represents the submarine
2. The number of red boxes for the current war period in maneuvering for a better shot.
the Area Activity Chart of the OpArea where the combat
is occurring. [14.41] The first Re-Attack is at the player's option. A second Re-
3. The general ASW value from the War Period display for Attack may only occur if the player has a Super Skipper on the
submarine and rolls equal to or less than the Super Skipper's
the current war period.
rating.
B. For the submarine, add:
[14.42] Once a second Re-Attack is concluded, combat ends
1. The submarine's Defense value. [14.3].
2. The value of a Super Skipper marker assigned to this
submarine (if any). [14.5] Super Skipper Determination
If the submarine has sunk three (3) or more ships totaling 16,000
C. Subtract the submarine's result from the Japanese result
or more tons during the Combat Phase, the submarine has a
and locate the applicable row on the Counterattack Table.
"Super Skipper''.
Roll a die and apply the following modifiers:
If the submarine does not already have a Super Skipper, a
1. For each damage marker a submarine has, add one
Super Skipper marker is randomly drawn and assigned to
(+1).
that submarine with the +1 side of the marker.
2. If this Counterattack is following a Re-Attack, add one
If the submarine already has a + 1 Super Skipper, the Skipper
(+1).
is flipped to the +2 side.
3. If the submarine has a Spotted marker, add one (+1).
If the submarine already has a +2 Super Skipper there is no
In some cases on the table, a second roll on the counterattack additional benefit.
table is needed. Apply the results of the table immediately.
See SUPER SKIPPERS [25.0] for additional rules.
Example: Continuing from the Spearfish example above in War
Period 2 in the East China Sea with a general ASW level of 1. [14.6] Sub vs. Sub Combat
The player calculates the following counterattack: If the Search and Contact Phase resulted in an encounter with an
enemy submarine, conduct the following steps:
a) 1 revealed ASW +3 red boxes in the Area Activity Chart + 1
general ASW level = +5. A. If a wolfpack is involved, randomly select one of the player
b) 3 submarine defense points + 1 Super Skipper= +4. submarines to encounter the enemy submarine. The other
c) The player consults the '1 'line of the Counterattack Table (5- submarines are not involved, though this does not affect
4=1). belonging to the wolfpack.
B. Make a die roll and subtract one if the player submarine is
[14.3] Withdrawal SPOTTED and/or DAMAGED. Add one if the player
Once the Counterattack Round is over, the player may voluntarily submarine has radar (date is 1943-45). If the result is 0-3 the
withdraw the submarine from combat. If the player voluntarily enemy has spotted the player submarine first. If the result is
withdraws, proceed to Super Skipper Determination (see [14.5]). 4-9 the player has detected the enemy first.
C. Consult the Enemy Submarine Table [30.3] in the scenario
[14.4] Re-Attack Rounds booklet to determine what enemy submarine pieces are
If the submarine has not been sunk, withdrawn, or forced to RTB available based on date and OpArea. The player randomly
(Return to Base), it can choose to engage the convoy or task draws one of these from a cup.
force a second time. The TDC markers from the first round are D. Place the submarine which detected the other first in the
removed and mixed back into the draw pool. Revealed Japanese Submarine Box of any column on the Combat Display, and
units remain revealed. the detected submarine in a Target Box of the same column.
Draw and reveal a TDC marker for the target submarine.
PROCEDURE E. Conduct one attack round with the firing submarine using its
Prior to Re-Attack combat, the player may re-position the full attack rating plus any Super Skipper value against the
submarine to an adjacent column. target submarine's Defense rating plus any Super Skipper
value. Allied submarines use the current value of the Mk-XIV
The player then repeats steps [14.12] through [14.16] followed by torpedo unless assigned another torpedo value by special
rule (early Dutch). Japanese, German, and Italian torpedoes Perform a Transit Event roll [19. 1] for the sub using the OpArea
have a value of +1 regardless of date. with the lowest number on the line for the current War Period
F. If the target submarine is hit, consult the 1-4 row of the Attack which contains a red box through which the submarine moved.
Results Table. If the player submarine is sunk, advance the Do not use the OpArea from which the submarine started. If the
Subs Lost marker by one. If an Axis submarine is sunk, submarine survives undamaged, place it in the "Done" section of
advance the Ships Sunk marker by one and the Tonnage the ending OpArea. The player places the submarine Transit side
Sunk marker by the appropriate amount. up if it intends to transit further next turn, or Patrol side up if it
intends to patrol next turn. Once in patrol status a submarine may
Sub vs. Sub Combat ends following a single combat round. There never enter transit status again unless it is returning to base.
is no Counterattack or Re-Attack round.
[15.11] In the following turn(s), a Transit side up submarine
[14.7] Endurance Check repeats transit movement (and Transit Event roll). A submarine
COMMENTARY may never move farther from an active base than its range value.
There are four key elements to keeping a World War II warship at
sea: Fuel, victuals, crew; and weapons loadout. During the [15.2] Return to Base (RTB): From an OpArea to a Base.
Pacific War, given the small number of torpedoes carried (12 to Submarines may conduct RTB movement voluntarily or as a
24), and the problems with the Mk-XIV torpedo, the most often Combat or Transit Event result. Such a submarine is marked with
encountered limitation was torpedo loadout. an RTB marker and can never return to patrol status without
readying at a Base.
PROCEDURE
Following a turn's combat(s) for a submarine, the player must roll [15.21) Submarines may choose to RTB by skipping the Search
a die to see if the submarine has expended its loadout of and Contact, and Combat Phases. Such a submarine is moved
torpedoes or is running too low on fuel or other consumables. To via OpAreas to the Broom Box of the Base (see also [18.0]
do this, the player cross-indexes the submarine's Endurance with Damage and [21.0] Bases). Perform a Transit Event roll for the
the current value of the Mk-XIV torpedo on the Endurance Table, sub using the OpArea with the lowest number on the Area Activity
and rolls a die. Subtract one from the result if the submarine Chart with red boxes.
elected to bypass the Search and Contact Phase (see [13.1 ]), or
If the submarine is moving from an OpArea to an adjacent
encountered no enemy contacts. Add one to the result if the
Base (such as from the Hawaiian Islands to Pearl Harbor),
submarine is damaged.
no Transit Event roll is made.
If the result is higher than the number indicated, the If the submarine cannot return to base in one move, it is left
submarine must RTB rolling on the Transit Event table if in the "Done" section of the closest OpArea to the base that
necessary (See [15.22]). it can reach. During the Transit Movement Phase of the
If the result is equal to or less than the number, place the following turn(s), the submarine repeats Transit Movement
submarine in the "Done" section of the OpArea. uAtil it can be moved to the Broom Box of the destination
Base. Conduct applicable Transit Events.
[14.8] Clean-Up
[15.22) A submarine may be forced to RTB by a Transit Event, a
Return the Japanese units and Combat Event markers to the
Counterattack result during Combat, or by the Endurance Table.
appropriate cups. If any of the ships that are italicized on the War
Submarines forced to RTB are flipped to their Transit side and a
Mix Table (Shokaku, Taiho, Shinano, Yamato, Kaga, Asahi,
RTB marker is placed on them. During the Transit Movement
lzumo, or the BV) were sunk, they are removed from the game
Phase, the submarine is moved via OpAreas to a destination
and not placed back into the cups. Remove TDCs from the
Base as directly as possible within its operational radius. If
combat display and return them to the draw pool.
undamaged, the submarine is placed in the Broom Box. If
damaged, it must determine the level of damage before being
[15.0] TRANSIT MOVEMENT PHASE placed in a Repair Box. (See 18.0 Damaged Submarines).
Transit Movement is the only way a submarine may move to and [15.23) Dutch Harbor
from a Base. Submarines move along the light blue lines Operations out of Dutch Harbor were extremely difficult on
connecting the Areas. Submarines performing Transit Movement submarines and crew. Frigid temperatures resulted in extended
are placed on their Transit side. There are two types of Transit repairs and increased wear on machinery. Turnarounds on
Movement: submarine deployments sometimes exceeded a month. As a
result, any undamaged submarine which RTBs to Dutch Harbor
Deployment must make a roll on the Damage Table. Any results of Repair 2 or
Return to Base (RTB) Repair 3 are changed to Repair 1.
[15.1] Deployment: From a Base to an OpArea or Base to Base [15.24] Cautious Transit
If the submarine starts the Operations Segment in the Ready for A submarine that is Transit side up may choose to move a single
Sea Box of a Base, it can move any number of OpAreas up to its OpArea instead of at a higher speed in order to reduce
' speed. vulnerability to patrolling ASW assets. If a submarine chooses to
move one OpArea, subtract one from the Transit Event check
Note: departure from a permanent base to an adjacent OpArea is [19.1].
counted against its speed rating, while departure from a Special
Mission Zone (SMZ) base to a connected OpArea is not since the
SMZ is considered to be "in" the OpArea.
A. Consult the "War Period Modification Table". Ships & [18.5] Damaged Surface Ships
Tonnage Sunk totals can advance the progress of the war or Surface ships can be damaged as a result of submarine attack.
retard it. Under the section for the next war period, cross- The ASW value of a ship with a Damage marker is zero (0), and
index the Ships Sunk and the Tonnage Sunk to determine a negative one (-1 ) modifier is applied to the target value during
the modification, rounding DOWN unless already at the the Combat Phase. If a damaged surface ship survives all
lowest level. This will give the player a modifier for use in the combat (that is, it is not sunk), then the damage has no further
next step. effect. Remove the Damage marker; the ship is assumed to have
B. Consult the "War Period Transition Table" and roll a die, made it to port.
adding the Step A modifier. If the result is equal to or greater
(= or >) than the number in the box, the War Period
advances. [19.0] EVENTS
C. If the War Period fails to advance, another attempt may not
COMMENTARY
be made until the beginning of the following month.
For good or bad, combat, whether between divisions, brigades,
ships, or aircraft, is governed by that intangible element called
[17.2] Automatic Advance
fate. Submarine warfare is particularly susceptible to it.
If the War Period has not advanced by the time all numbers for
Napoleon, the master opportunist, was once asked if given the
transition have been attempted (November, 1942 for example),
choice of choosing between a good general or a lucky general
the War Period advances automatically.
[19.11] If a submarine receives an RT8 result, the submarine is 4 Mechanical Troubles End Attack
placed in the OpArea used to determine the Transit Event check. The submarine encounters mechanical trouble. There is
If more than one OpArea could have been used (lowest number no Combat Phase for the submarine this turn. Roll a
die:
on the Area Activity Chart which contains a red box is the same),
the submarine is placed in whichever OpArea the player decides. • If an odd result, place a Damage marker and an RTB
marker on the submarine;
[19.2] Combat Events • If an even result, the chief engineer fixes the problem
Each cup contains one chit marked "Combat Event." When an and the submarine may resume normal operations
Event chit is revealed, play is momentarily stopped and the Event next turn. (It does not have to roll on the Endurance
is immediately resolved. The results of the Event supercede the Table for this turn.)
rules in all cases.
[21.21] When a Forward Base is made active by the War Event [23.0] SPOTTED EFFECTS
Table, the player randomly selects a submarine tender and
places it in the SMZ in the War Progress Phase of the turn unless A spotted submarine has greater difficulty locating the enemy (as
otherwise noted. A tender may not be added to the draw pile until the enemy is avoiding the area the reported submarine is in.) as
its deployment date, which is printed on both the counter and the well as experiencing an increased risk of encountering Japanese
submarine tender display. escort forces. When spotted during War Periods 1 and 2, subtract
one (-1) from any rolls on the Area Activity Chart and add one
[21.22] A submarine tender's support capacity is listed on the (+1) on any Transit Event rolls.
Submarine Tender card and on the Tender counter. This is the
maximum number of submarines that can be in the tender's Spotted submarines must also add one (+1) when rolling on the
Broom, Shipside, and Ready for Sea Boxes at any one time. If Counterattack table per [14.2).
the tender is at maximum capacity, no additional submarines may
RTB to that tender. [23.1] Additional Spotted markers have no effect. If a submarine
that is already Spotted receives a Spotted result, no action is
[21.23] A damaged submarine may RTB to a Forward Base in an taken.
attempt to make minor repairs. Roll immediately on the
Submarine Damage Table. If the result is 'Superficial Damage',
move the submarine to the Broom Box of the appropriate tender. [24.0] WOLFPACKS
If any other result, move the damaged submarine to the 'Done'
section of the applicable OpArea, and in subsequent turns it may COMMENTARY
only RTB to a major base. Despite the successful use of co-mutually operated submarines
by the Germans (called wolfpacks, a term not universally adopted
[21 .24] A submarine tender that is at a base which falls is by U.S. submarine forces) the United States was loath at first to
removed from play but remains eligible to be used for a new emulate this tactic. Various reasons are given ranging from
base. tactical ones to psychological ones. (The United States had, after
all, been brandishing the sword of indignant rage at the Germans
for their unrestricted submarine warfare and for the use of
[22.0] CONGREGATING RISK "wolfpacks".) However, by the spring of 1943, Jimmy Fife,
CO:v!MENTARY commander of submarines in Brisbane, was willing to give it a try.
One of the greatest risks for submarines not operating as a It would take some time for the Americans to develop the skill
.volfpack or assigned to special missions was congregating a necessary but by mid-1944, American wolfpacks were
great number of them in an operating area. First, the radio traffic accomplishing what the Germans could only dream of.
often alerted the Japanese to increased activity, and second, the PROCEDURE
activities of one submarine might unexpectedly draw enough A Wolfpack may be only formed at a major sub Base (not a
attention to reveal another. Just such an effort in 1942 caused a Forward Base). All units that participate in a wolfpack must start
rapid rise in submarine losses prompting the shore-based out from their Base at the same time and must arrive in the
commanders to stop ''playing checkers" with the boats. wolfpack's OpArea at the same time. All wolfpack submarines are
placed under a Wolfpack marker. Submarines may leave a
There is no limit on the number of submarines that may be in an wolfpack at any time but once a submarine has left a wolfpack, it
OpArea. However, as the number of submarines increases, may not re-join it at sea later. The minimum number of
abilities of increased submarine activity take effect. submarines a wolfpack may have is three (3).
[22.1] For each multiple of four submarines beyond the first four [24. 1] Wolfpack Formation
n an OpArea with RED or BLUE boxes in its Area Activity Chart Starting in October 1943, wolfpacks may be formed. The
:or the current War Period, implement the following modifiers for submarines chosen must all be in the Ready for Sea Box.
all submarines:
[24.11] Prior to the Wolfpack Experience marker reaching nine
A. Add one (+ 1) to any Transit Event die roll if the sub is (9) (See Wolfpack Experience [24.7)), the following restrictions
passing through, arriving or departing. are in effect:
B. Subtract one (-1) when searching for ships on the Area
Activity Chart. A. A player may only deploy one wolfpack at a time.
B. Wolfpacks may not exceed three (3) submarines.
[ 22.2] The above modifiers are cumulative for additional
[24.12] The turn after the Wolfpack Experience marker reaches
'Tlultiples of four (i.e. -2 search penalty and +2 to transit roll if nine
nine (9), the following restrictions are in effect:
submarines in an OpArea, etc.).
A. A player may deploy up to three oolfpacks at a time.
[22.3] Wolfpacks and Congregating Risk B. Wolfpacks may not exceed four (4) submarines.
Every two (fractions rounded up) submarines in a wolfpack [24.0)
count as one submarine for purposes of Congregating Risk. [24.13] The turn after the Wolfpack Experience marker reaches
fifteen (15), the following restrictions are in effect:
[24.14] Disbanding columns, with no more than two subs per column.
A wolfpack which falls below three submarines ceases to exist at
the end of the Combat Phase in which the pack fell below three. [24.51]1f a Diligent Escort counter is drawn, its attack is made on
The other two (or one) submarines may continue to attack a randomly chosen submarine prior to placing it in its proper
together for the current phase only. If the wolfpack falls below column.
three members due to a Transit Event or a member failing its [24.52] Combat Events [19.2) only apply to the submarine that
Endurance check, the pack is disbanded immediately. reveals the event chit.
COMMENTARY [24.53] Combat is conducted normally except as noted below.
A wolfpack is more than the sum of its parts. Although a pair of Each submarine resolves its attack and counterattack individually
submarines operating together benefits statistically, it is not (one at a time). The following sequence is used:
sufficient to qualify as a wolfpack for rules purposes.
a. Assign subs to columns.
[24.2] Wolfpacks and Movement b. Starting with the sub of your choice, reveal Japanese
Wolfpacks follow the rules of movement except that all members units per 14.12.
of a wolfpack move together as if it were a single unit. Wolfpacks c. With the same sub, place TDC markers per 14.13.
cannot transfer from Base to Base, but they may 'bounce' to a d. Make the attack with that sub, utilizing the current
new base after spending at least one turn in 'patrol' mode. Revealed Escort level.
e. Resolve the counterattack on that sub.
[24.3] Wolfpack Types f. Return to step (b) with sub #2, and so on.
COMMENTARY
American wolfpacks had the boats operate in close proximity to [24.54] Revealed Escort Level
each other. While they covered less area, they were able to Each submarine will have its own Revealed Escort level, which
quickly deliver a coordinated attack. German wolfpacks tended applies to the attack and the counterattack.
to operate in a barrier fashion, often stretching in a line hundreds a. If a submarine has an escort in its column, the escort's
of miles long. This allowed the Germans to have a higher ASW factor is applied to that submarine.
probability of detecting a convoy, but often resulted in the further b. If a submarine has an escort in an adjacent column, and
boats being unable to catch it. no submarine is in that column, the escort's ASW factor
Wolfpacks may be deployed in an OpArea or SMZ in two ways: is applied to that submarine.
Group or Barrier. The player decides which type he is using prior c. The ASW level of an aircraft is applied to all submarines
to the Search and Contact Phase [13.0). regardless of column.
[24.31] Group Pack: If deployed in a Group, the pack makes a Note: this can result in the ASW factor of an escort vessel being
single die roll on the Area Activity Chart [13.2.A) with no modifier. applied to up to four submarines.
[24.32] Barrier Pack: If deployed in a Barrier, the pack makes a [24.55] Re-Attack
single die roll on the Area Activity Chart [13.2.A] with a +2 Wolfpacks may Re-Attack once but never twice (coordination
modifier. If contact is made, one randomly chosen submarine breaks down too much). Each member of the wolfpack must
from the wolfpack is assumed to have made the contact. A successfully roll for Re-Attack. Failure of this roll results in the
separate die roll is then made for each additional submarine in submarine withdrawing [14.3) from the current combat phase, but
the pack to determine if it is able to intercept as well. On a roll of the submarine is still a member of the wolfpack.
0-5 the submarine is able to intercept. On a roll of 6-9 the To determine if a wolfpack can conduct a Re-Attack, roll a die for
submarine is unable to intercept and is set aside (but is still in the each member submarine. If the die roll is less than or equal to the
wolfpack). At the conclusion of the turn, all surviving wolfpack tactical rating of the submarine plus any Super Skipper value, it
submarines (including those that did not intercept) that do not may participate in a Re-Attack. Damaged submarines add two
have to RTB are placed in the "Done" section of the OpArea. (+2) to this die roll.
[24.4] Wolfpacks and Transit Events [24.6] Wolfpacks and SPOTIED Results.
Each submarine of a wolfpack must undergo Transit Events. Any SPOTTED result obtained by a member of a wolfpack results
Each member must roll separately for Transit Events as normal, in all members of that wolfpack being spotted. In the Conclude
however each wolfpack member subtracts one (-1) from the Turn Phase, one die roll is made for the entire pack. If the result
Transit Event die roll. is removal of the spotted marker, markers are removed from all
Should a wolfpack member encounter a Transit Event, the submarines in the pack. Otherwise, the entire pack remains
remaining die rolls to resolve that Transit Event are normal, spotted.
unmodified rolls.
[24.7] Wolfpack Experience
[24.41] A member of a wolfpack sustaining a RTB/DAMAGE When two or more subs in a wolfpack sink an enemy ship in any
result must drop out from the wolfpack and return to Base. This one Combat Phase [14.0), the wolfpack gains a Wolfpack
may force a wolfpack to disband. A member of a wolfpack that is Experience Point. The Wolfpack Experience marker is increased
sunk is removed from play. by one on the tonnage track. A wolfpack may only gain one
experience point per patrol.
[24.5] Wolfpacks and Combat
Wolfpacks conduct combat with all the wolfpack members on the When the Wolfpack Experience marker reaches nine
Combat Display. The player may freely assign submarines to the (9), the player's ability to deploy and assign submarines
to wolfpacks is improved. simultaneously, each taking one of the commands. This is not a
When the Wolfpack Experience marker reaches fifteen competitive game between players- it is a cooperative one. The
(15), the player's ability to deploy and assign distribution of submarines and the variance of the Area Activity
submarines to wolfpacks reaches its maximum. Charts coupled with the distance between the commands and the
operational areas make it very hard to artificially balance the
game such that two players can "compete" for tonnage. All game
[25.0] SUPER SKIPPERS rules are followed normally. Both players play each turn using the
COM MENTARY submarines at their disposal. Transfers of submarines are by
In any military endeavor, there are gifted individuals who rise player agreement when not specified in the rules. A suggestion
above their peers to achieve greatness.. The Submarine War for cooperation might be: Anytime the number of submarines
was no exception. Legendary skippers such as Morton, O'Kane, operating from Australia falls below thirty six, the SouthWest
and Klakring forever established a tradition of excellence for Pacific Commander may demand six of the newest class of
those who would wear silver or gold dolphins in the U.S. Navy. submarines available to the Pearl Harbor Command. Players
SILENT WAR provides twenty-four named skippers, two of which should otherwise balance the distribution of submarines
are Allied skippers, who accomplished great feats of daring. (authorizing transfers as needed) and agree on operating areas.
However, behind every great skipper is a skilled, dedicated crew Players are not prohibited from both hunting in the same OpArea
that allows the submarine to perform as a superb engine of war. but Congregating Risk rules (22.0] apply.
[25.2] The Super Skipper normally remains with one submarine 1) Roll die twice . If 0,0 is the result, conduct Sub vs Sub
and is lost if the submarine is lost. combat [1 4.6] and do not continue this sequence.
8) If a Combat Event marker is drawn, immediately resolve [27-1] Quick Resolution Counter Attack
it before making further draws. Disregard all events
except "Circular running torpedo", "Betty Bomber spots To resolve the counter-attack, roll a die, subtract one-half
submarine", and "Mechanical Troubles End Attack". (fractions rounded up) of the submarine's defense value and find
the colored box in the appropriate war period line of the OpArea
9) If a Diligent Escort is drawn, roll immediately on the Activity chart, applying the following results:
"Diligent Escort" line of the counter-attack table.
If the result is a white box, the combat for the round ends.
10) If an aircraft is drawn, roll immediately on the "Event If the result is a green box, the submarine is spotted.
Aircraft" line of the counter-attack table. If the result is an orange box, the submarine must RTB.
If the result is a blue box, the submarine is damaged.
If the result is a red box, the submarine has been sunk.
If the submarine began the combat damaged, add one (+ 1) to the
die roll.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
7 1 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5
Attack factor, 6 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5
+ Super Skipper, 5 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4
+ Torpedo Value, 4 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4
-1 if Damaged, 3 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
-1 if Spotted 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3
= Sub Attack Value 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
0 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
War Period 2
If certain Events have not been rolled during the previous period, Manila and Surabaya Bases are no longer operational.
Fremantle, Brisbane, and Dutch Harbor Bases become operational, and the Aleutian Campaign opens.
War Period 3
If certain Events have not been rolled during the previous period, Midway Base becomes operational, and
if still in service, Cachalot and Cuttlefish are relegated to training duty.
War Period 4
If certain Events have not been rolled during the previous period, Aleutians Campaign is ended and Dutch Harbor is closed.
Mios Woendi, Majuro, Saipan, and Guam Bases become operational. If still in service, all S-boats (S1 and S3 classes) plus
Argonaut, Narwhal, and Nautilus are relegated to training or special operations.
If year is 1945:
Special Mission: Invasion of Okinawa and the Hunt for Iron Maiden.
Player must deploy eleven submarines to Okinawa to cover the invasion and intercept the
Yamato response force. Only contacts with TF results are used. If this event is rolled again,
conduct relegation to training duty.
1 Special Mission: Invasion of Leyte.
Player must deploy fifteen submarines to Davao and/or Formosa. Only contacts with TF results
are used.
If it Event is rolled again, conduct:
Special Mission: Liberation of the Philippines.
Player must deploy twenty submarines to Lingayen Gulf and/or Formosa. Only contacts
with TF results are used. Submarine Base Subic Bay becomes operational in the War
Progress Phase. This is a one time only event, after that, treat as No Event.
2 Special Mission: Airstrike on the Ryukyus.
Player must deploy eight submarines to Okinawa. Only contacts with C2 and TF results are used.
3 Roll twice on the ULTRA table.
4 No roll on the ULTRA table this turn.
5 Special Mission: Airstrike on Formosa.
Player must deploy eight submarines to Formosa. Only contacts with C2 and TF results are used.
6 Relegation to training duty.
Remove three submarines from play. These may be at sea or a Base and may be under repair.
These boats are not counted as sunk. The player is never required to remove any submarine
with an attack rating of '7' or higher. If the Subs Lost marker is at seventy or higher, only two
submarines need be removed. If no eligible submarines remain in play, treat as No Event.
7 Special Mission: Support B-29 raids on Japan.
Player must deploy six submarines to the Inland Sea to rescue downed pilots. No attacks may
be made.
8 Special Mission: Pursuit of lse & Hyuga.
Player must deploy ten submarines to Formosa to intercept the hybrid carrier force which is
fleeing from Singapore to Japan. Only contacts with TF results are used.
If this Event is rolled again, conduct "Support B-29 raids on Japan" (event 7).
9 Special Mission: Invasion of lwo Jima.
Player must deploy five submarines to the inland Sea. Only contacts with TF results are used
for subs in the Bon ins and Inland Sea. If this Event is rolled again, place a second Submarine
Tender at Guam. If this Event is rolled yet again, treat as No Event.
Japanese Army forces break through and approach Manila, prompting withdrawal of
submarines to Mindanao. Place submarine tender Canopus at Davao along with all
undamaged submarines currently inport Manila. All damaged submarines at Manila are
scuttled regardless of damage level, but are not counted towards subs lost. Any damaged
submarines at sea must RTB to Pearl Harbor (or Surabaya if active).
If this Event is rolled again, roll on ULTRA table using WP3 line.
9 Dutch Intervention.
Feeling that they will be next, the Dutch intervene and send a submarine division to assist.
Place submarine tender Pelikaan on Surabaya to indicate that it is active. K-V/11, K-X, K-XI, and
K-X/1 are immediately available in the Broom Box at Surabaya. Dutch submarines use the
same torpedo value as the Americans.
If this Event is rolled again, roll on ULTRA table using the WP4 line.
JOOJ-l
SILENT WAR: Tire United States' Submarine Campaign Against Imperial Japmz: 1941-1945
*German and Italian submarines are only available if the OpArea April1942:
is Java Sea or South China Sea 2. Dutch Harbor:
S-34, S-35
Brisbane:
[31.0] THE CAMPAIGN GAMES S-42, S-44, S-47
Pearl Harbor:
The campaign games of SILENT WAR allow a player to explore,
Drum, Gato, Greenling, Silversides
in depth, the full operational aspects of waging a major
submarine campaign against a significant naval power. SILENT May 1942: BB Yamato added to War Mix
WAR presents five standard campaign games: The Full Dutch Harbor:
Campaign, Red Sun Rising, Turning the Tide, Red Sun Setting, S-27, S-28
and MacArthur's Navy. Also presented is a bonus hypothetical Pearl Harbor:
campaign set a decade earlier: East Wind Early. Flying Fish, Grouper, Growler, Nautilus,
Trigger
No matter which campaign game the player chooses, be aware
Return:
that it will take a long time to play out the entire war. While it is
Dolphin, Pompano, Tautog
not necessary, players are advised to begin with the patrol games
Brisbane:
in order to familiarize themselves with the mechanics of play
S-43, S-45, S-46
before tackling the campaign games. When a player begins a
campaign game, it is advisable to select a place to set up the
game that will allow it to remain set up for a long time.
Januarv 1945:
Pearl Harbor:
Blower, Brill, Lagarto, Piper, Sennet [31.1] CAMPAIGN GAME 1: THE SUBMARINE
Withdraw: CAMPAIGN AGAINST JAPAN
Haddo, Redfin, Robalo
Return: Prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th,
Pompon, Rasher 1941 that pulled the United States into the Pacific War with
Japan, the United States had taken a very strong moral position,
Februarv 1945: strenuously protesting Germany's unrestricted submarine war.
Pearl Harbor: Pointing to incidents such as the World War I sinking of Lusitania,
Bugara, Chub, Lamprey, Springer, Tench various naval treaties, and the London Submarine Agreement,
Withdraw: the United States was able to influence Germany, albeit slightly,
Angler, Dace, Whale towards a more "restricted" use of its submarines. The moral high
Return: ground had been defended. Yet, just six hours after bombs and
Puffer, Scorpion torpedoes crippled much of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, the
following communication was issued to all American naval forces:
March 1945:
Pearl Harbor: "EXECUTE UNRESTRICTED AIR AND
Hackleback, Tigrone, Tirante, Trutta SUBMARINE WARFARE AGAINST JAPAN."
Withdraw:
Hake, Snook American Naval innocence was over: the humble beginnings of
Return: what would be the greatest submarine campaign ever waged had
Cod, Cera begun.
April1945:
Pearl Harbor: [31.11] GAME LENGTH
Bumper, Lionfish, Lizardfish, Taro, Torsk SILENT WAR's full campaign game starts in December 1941 ,
Withdraw: and lasts until the war ends as per the War Period Table. At the
Flasher, Flounder end of the game, players total the Japanese tonnage and ships
Return: sunk and th e number of submarines lost. Victory conditions are
Corvina, Darter, Raton, Ray, Sandlance determined according to [31 .1 4].
military need, too, was great lest Imperial Japan acquire a firm Deploy in Special Mission Zone Wake: (These submarines
foothold in the far-flung islands of the Pacific. must remain in the Wake Island SMZ for two turns after which
these submarines RTB to Pearl Harbor. No rolls are made on the
The player takes the role of COMSUBPAC and is tasked with Endurance Table. Only contacts with TF results are used.)
"bringing home the bacon" throughout the war. If the player fails Tambor, Triton
to achieve a certain number of tons sunk at the end of the first six
quarters of the war, the player is "sacked" by CINCPAC at the
[31 .14] VICTORY CONDITIONS
request of the Chief of Naval Operations, and loses the game.
COMMENTARY
Following the conclusion of the last week of the indicated months The final victory, the defeat of Imperial Japan, is a given in
below, the player consults the tons sunk chart. If the total tonnage SILENT WAR. Armed with the hindsight of history and executing
sunk is not equal to or greater than the minimum performance a methodical plan, a player should be able to duplicate the
tons sunk, the player is relieved of command and assigned to the American victory. The real challenge of SILENT WAR is to
Bureau of Ordnance, where he or she will eventually be blamed exceed that victory and bring the war to an end before August of
for the failures of the torpedo, the campaign , and even the war. 1945. The more ships and tonnage a player sinks, the more likely
The game is over. the war's end will come sooner and, in the end, when all is said
and done, that is the ultimate goal of any military operation.
Month Date Tons Sunk
3 Feb 42 90,000 The war ends when tonnage sunk exceeds 5,500,000 tons. The
6 May 42 220,000 level of victory is determined by the date at which this occurs:
9 Aug 42 360,000
Pre-1945: Total Victory
12 Nov 42 620,000
Jan-Mar '45: Decisive Victory
15 Feb 43 720,000
Apr-Jun '45: Improved Victory
18 May 43 980,000
July-Aug '45: Historical Victory
Beginning in June 1943, the player continues the game to the Sept '45: Draw
end without fear of early relief. Oct-Dec '45: Failure
This is the basic victory level. The player should now modify this
[31.13] SUBMARINE ORDER OF BATTLE level by the total of the submarines lost during the war according
The following table lists the submarines that start the war in to the following schedule:
December, 1941. All submarines are considered "Ready for Sea"
unless noted otherwise: Submarines Lost Result
0 to 20 Raise by two levels.
Deploy at Submarine Base Manila: 21 to 40 Raise by one level.
Perch, Permit, Pickerel, Pike, Porpoise, S-37, S-38, S- 41 to 60 No modification. (historical: 49*)
39, S-40, S-41, Sailfish, Salmon, Sargo, Saury, Sculpin, 61 to 80 Lower by one level.
Sea/, Searaven, Seawo/f, Shark, Skipjack, Snapper, 81 or more Lower by two levels.
Spearfish, Stingray, Sturgeon, Swordfish, Tarpon
Repair 1 Box: • The United States lost 52 submarines during the war, three of
Sea/ion, Seadragon which were lost in the Atlantic.
[31.22] CAREER LONGEVITY Subs that have been withdrawn permanently for training
(MINIMUM PERFORMANCE) or special operations: Cachalot, Cuttlefish, S-18, S-37,
The Career Longevity Rule for Campaign Game 1 [See 31.12] S-38, S-43, Dolphin, Narwhal, Nautilus
applies to this scenario. The last check is made in November
1942 (620,000 tons). [31.32] CAREER LONGEVITY
(MINIMUM PERFORMANCE)
[31.23] SUBMARINE ORDER OF BATTLE The Career Longevity Rule is not used for this campaign.
The Order of Battle for Campaign Game 1 [See 31.13] applies to
this scenario. The last submarine received is the November 1942 [31 .33] SUBMARINE ORDER OF BATTLE
deployment of Sunfish. All at-sea submarines are Patrol side up unless noted otherwise.
All in-port submarines start in the Broom Box of their base unless
[31 .24] VICTORY CONDITIONS otherwise noted. Consult the Master Submarines Reinforcement
COMMENTARY List beginning in May 1943. Note: Some submarines that appear
The goals of the first year of war were very different than those on the list for withdrawal or return may have already been lost.
determined later. Initially, there was great faith in the Mk-XIV References to withdrawing or returning these submarines should
torpedo with its secret weapon, the magnetic exploder. It was be ignored.
hoped that the submarines could halt the Japanese expansion
and take a heavy toll on the Imperial Navy. In the words of Deploy at Submarine Base Fremantle:
Submarine Squadron Commander Stuart "Sunshine" Murray in Gar, Thresher
Manila on December 8, 1941: "The submarines are all we have Deploy in OpArea North Philippine Sea:
left." Grayling
At the end of December 1942 the player totals his tonnage Deploy in OpArea South Philippine Sea:
results: Tambor
[31.3] CAMPAIGN GAME 3: TURNING THE TIDE Deploy at Submarine Base Pearl Harbor:
Permit, Plunger, Pogy, Runner, Salmon, Sawfish,
This campaign game covers the resurging strength of Scamp, Scorpion, Seal, Seawolf, Skipjack, Snook,
Submarines Pacific. It may be played to the end of War Period 3 Steelhead, Stingray, Sunfish
or continued to the war's end. Repair 3 Box:
Silversides
[31.31] GAME LENGTH
The campaign game starts in April 1943 and lasts until transition Deploy at Submarine Base Midway:
to War Period 4 or the war's end at player discretion. As such, Sub Tender Sperry
there is no specified game length. Trigger, Wahoo (with Super Skipper Morton + 1)
Deploy in Special Mission Zone Truk: Sea/ion, S-36, S-26, Shark, Perch, S-27, S-39,
(These submarines must RTB in the Transit Movement Phase of Grunion, Argonaut, Amberjack, Grampus,
the first turn. Base is up to the player). Triton, Pickerel, Grenadier, Runner, Grayling,
Finback, Porpoise Pompano, Cisco, S-44, Wahoo, Corvina,
Sculpin, Cape/in, Scorpion, Grayback, Trout,
Deploy in OpArea Marshalls:
Tullibee, Gudgeon, Herring, Golet, S-28,
Pollack Robalo, Flier, Harder
Deploy in OpArea Marianas: Subs Withdrawn: 27
Whale Cachalot, Cuttlefish, S-18, S-23, S-30, S-31,
S-32, S-33, S-34, S-35, S-37, S-38, S-43,
Deploy at Submarine Base Dutc h Harbor: Dolphin, Narwhal, Nautilus, Porpoise, Pike, S-
S-30, S-33, S-34 40, S-41, S-42, S-43, S-45, S-46, S-47,
Repair 2 Box: S-28, S-35 Sturgeon, Pollack
Deploy in OpArea Aleutians :
[31 .42] SUBMARINE ORDER OF BATTLE
S-23, S-32
All at-sea submarines are Patrol side up unless noted otherwise.
Place in USA Refit Box: If Transit side up with an RTB marker, the choice of base is up to
S-40, S-41, S-42, S-44, S-45, S-46, S-47, Snapper, the player unless otherwise noted. All in-port submarines start in
Sturgeon, Sargo, Saury, Sculpin, Seadragon, Spearfish, the Broom Box of their base unless otherwise noted. Consult the
Sailfish, Swordfish, Searaven Master Submarines Reinforcement List beginning in October
1944. Note: Submarines appearing on the list for withdrawal or
[31 .34] VICTORY CONDITIONS return that have been lost during the game are ignored.
If the player continues this campaign game to !he war's end, use
the Campaign Game 1 victory conditions [31.14]. If the player Deploy at Submarine Base Pearl Har bor:
ends the game with the tran sition to War Period 4, use the Apogon, Barbel, Berga/1, Besugo, Blackfish, Burrfish,
following chart to determine victory: Cobia, Croaker, Drum, Escolar, Gabilan, lcefish,
Parche, Perch II, Pomfret, Rock, Ronquil, Salmon,
June '44: Decisive Victory Saury, Sawfish, Sea Devil, Sea Dog, Seadragon, Shark
July-Aug '44: Dramatic Victory II, Silversides (Coye +1 ), Skate, Snapper, Snook,
September '44: Historical (Draw) Sterle!, Tilefish, Trepang, Trigger, Blackfin
Oct-Nov '44: Marginal Failure Repair 2 Box:
Dec '44 - Jan '45: Dramatic Failure Flying Fish, Bluefish
This is the basic victory level. If tonnage sunk exceeds 4,300,000 Repair 3 Box:
tons, raise by one level. Modify the level by the submarines lost Haddock, Scamp, Swordfish
result: Deploy at Submarine Base Fremantle:
Results Angler, Aspro, Bluegill (Barr + 1), Bonefish, Cabrilla,
Submarines Lost
Raise by two levels. Cod, Crevalle, Flasher (Whitaker +1 ), Hammerhead,
0 to 23
Raise by one level. Hoe, Lapan, Parga, Ray, Barbero, Batfish, Caval/a,
24 to 29
30 to 36 No modification. (historical: 33) Hawkbi/1, Baya, Becuna, Hardhead
37 to 42 Lower by one level. Deploy at Submarine Base Brisbane:
43 or more Lower by two levels. Stingray, Cero, Dace, Darter, Permit, Gar, Seawolf
Deploy in Special Mission Zone Truk: A. Operations Areas: Submarines are limited to the following
Tarpon, Plunger OpAreas:
General ASW value is 0. All Combat Events are usable, though [31.64] SUBMARINE REINFORCEMENTS LIST
instead of Betty (G4M) Bomber, the Mitsubishi B1M torpedo The following table lists the submarines that enter the war starting
bomber is the aircraft encountered. in May 1932. The list is consulted beginning with the Week 1, May
1932 turn. All submarines are placed in the Broom Box at Pearl
B. ULTRA Areas: ULTRA Areas are only determined each turn if
Harbor.
called for by the War Event Table.
May 1932:
C. Toroedo Improvement and War Progress: The Mark VI
Bass, Bonita
magnetic exploder has not yet been developed so the torpedo
level starts at - 1. Torpedoes may improve normally to 0 using the June 1932:
-2 to -1 column, but no further. There is no War Progress Phase Barracuda, Narwhal, S-47, S-48, Leviathan
in this campaign game.
July 1932:
t D. War Mix: The War Mix is determined as per the War Mix Table
and [3.1] with the following exceptions:
Argonaut, S-45, S-46
August 1932:
1 1. The CV 1Otis treated as italicized. If sunk, it (Hosho) Nautilus
is removed permanently from the War Mix.
2. Only DO 2t with a defense rating of '6' are used. The September 1932:
6-3 DO is treated as a Diligent Escort in all respects. Dolphin
victory depends on tonnage sunk prior to the end of the December Tirante's 1st Patrol, George L. Street:
1932 turn. Capital ship tonnage (CV, BB, AR, AC, CA) is doubled 6 ships/12,600 tons.
for victory conditions if sunk, and counted normally if damaged as
the damaged ship misses the battle: The First Wolfpack, Charles Momsen:
3 ships/23,500 tons.
Tons Sunk Victory Level
500,000+ Decisive Victory [32.11] HENRY G. MUNSON: S-38's 7th PATROL
400,000+ Victory Patrols in the old S-boats were hard on the crew. They were
300,000+ Draw uncomfortable, dangerous, and frustrating with few targets being
250,000+ Defeat sunk. S-38 was patrolling the Solomons around midnight August
less than 200,000 Catastrophic Defeat 8, 1942 when she encountered a small troopship convoy hastily
This is the basic victory level. The player should now modify this gathered to reinforce Guadalcanal following the America n
level by the following schedule: landings. Lieutenant Commander Henry Munson made his
approach, submerged and passed beneath an escorti ng
Less than 6 subs lost, raise by one level. destroyer, then fired torpedoes by sonar bearing from deep
More than 15 subs lost, lower by one level. submergence. In what Munson agreed was a lucky shot, two
More than 20 subs lost, lower by two levels. torpedoes blew up Meiyo Maru, carrying the heavy weapons and
Per Japanese BB or CV sunk, raise by one level. headquarters for the relief force. With the ground force "headless",
the convoy turned back for Rabaul, giving the Marines a breathing
space to consolidate their beachhead.
[32.0] THE PATROL GAMES
Submarine: U.S.S. S-38 SS-143, S-1 Class
The Patrol Game allows a player to take a single submarine on a Starting Base: Brisbane
historical patrol attempting to best the actual results. The Patrol Starting Date: July 1942 (War Period 2)
Game uses the same system as the Campaign Game, but Patrol Destination: Solomons
involves just one patrol, from departure from base to return. Short, Torpedo Status: -1
fast, and furious, the Patrol Game brings a personal view to the Ships Sunk: 1
submarine war against Imperial Japan. Tonnage Sunk: 5,600
Super Skippers are not used for the Patrol Games. YOU are the Length of Patrol: 3 weeks
skipper and YOU are trying to best the named skipper's patrol.
War Events are not used in the Patrol Game, and there are no [32.12] LUCIUS G. CHAPPELL: SCULPIN'S 5th PATROL
changes to the War Period or the Mk-XIV torpedo value. The War had been tough on USS Sculpin. She was driven out of
Manila, and again from Surabaya. Lucius Chappell had made
[32.1] PATROL GAME VICTORY multiple attacks with good set-ups only to have the torpedoes
There are three "victory" statistics in the Patrol Game: The number pass beneath his targets or strike without exploding. Chappell put
of ships sunk, the amount of tonnage sunk, and the length of the his complaints regarding torpedo performance in writing and
Patrol. Beat either ships or tonnage sunk and you can consider received a dressing down for "undermining confidence" in the
yourself a good skipper. Beat both the ships and tonnage sunk weapon. When the Guadalcanal campaign opened, Sculpin
goal, and you're a ~ skipper. Beat both ships and tonnage transferred to Brisbane to interdict Japanese shipping around
sunk, and do so in a shorter amount of time, and you are a New Britain. In confined waters with heavy ASW pressure, he was
legendary skipper. Losing the boat subtracts one level from the able to sink two Marus and damage the light cruiser Yura .
results. Submarine: U.S.S. Sculpin SS-191 , New
S2 Class
THE PATROLS Starting Base: Brisbane
The following are the Patrol Scenarios in the game: Starting Date: September 1942 (War Period 2)
Patrol Destination: Solomons
S-38's 7th Patrol, Henry G. Munson:
Torpedo Status: -1
1 ship/5,600 tons.
Ships Sunk: 2
Sculpin's 5th Patrol, Lucius Chappell: Tonnage Sunk: 6,600
2 ships/6,600 tons. Length of Patrol: 7 weeks
Wahoo's 4th Patrol, Dudley W. Morton:
[32.13] DUDLEY "MUSH" MORTON: WAHOO'S 4th
9 ships/20,000 tons.
PATROL
Harder's 2nd Patrol, Samuel D. Dealey: Wahoo, famous from Mush Morton's wild first patrol in which he
5 ships/15,200 tons. engaged two destroyers, one with a down the throat shot (which
Tang's 3rd Patrol, Richard H. O'Kane: damaged the DD) and one where he engaged in a surface gun
duel (DESTROYER GUNNING, WAHOO RUNNING) set to sea
10 ships/39, 100 tons.
once again. Before Morton, Wahoo had a poor reputation; now
Flasher's 5th Patrol, George W. Grider: she was the star submarine of the Pacific War, and Morton was a
6 ships/42,800 tons. controversial skipper. On a previous patrol, burning with hatred
towards the Japanese for Pearl Harbor, Morton had ordered the
Rasher's 5th Patrol, Henry G. Munson:
machine-gunning in the water of several thousand Japanese
5 ships/52,000 tons.
soldiers from a troopship, and destruction of the ship's boats by
deck gun. He returned to port flying a pennant with "Shoot the survived the ascent through 180 feet of water. They were picked
sunza bitches!" on it, and reported the incident in his patrol log. up by the Japanese and severely beaten. In all, eight men,
The patrol report was accepted without comment, but Morton was including O'Kane, survived the war.
awarded the Navy Cross for the patrol, which many skippers took Submarine: U.S.S. Tang SS-306,
to be tacit approval of the massacre. Balao Class
Starting Base: Pearl Harbor
For, this, her 4th patrol, Wahoo headed for the north end of the Starting Date: May 1944 (War Period 3)
Yellow Sea where the average depth was only 120 feet. Patrol Destination: East China Sea
Aggressively pressing both torpedo and surface gunnery attacks, Torpedo Status: +1
Morton swept the Yellow Sea. ULTRA Comms intercepts Ships Sunk: 10
indicated that the Japanese thought a wolfpack had been Tonnage Sunk: 39,100
unleashed on them. Morton's patrol tally racked up 9 ships and Length of Patrol: 5 weeks
20,000 tons, a record to date.
Submarine: U.S.S. Wahoo SS-212, [32.16] HENRY G. MUNSON : RASHER'S 5th PATROL
Gato Class Hank Munson had graduated from the now retired S-38 to USS
Starting Base: Pearl Harbor Rasher. Capitalizing on a contact report, Munson headed
Starting Date: February 1943 (War Period 2) southward to intercept convoy Hl-71 , which was on a special
Patrol Destination: East China Sea mission to reinforce the Japanese facing MacArthur in the
Torpedo Status: -1 Philippines. A pitch black, rain filled night made it a perfect
Ships Sunk: 9 opportunity to strike the convoy. Hl-71 consisted of fifteen ships
Tonnage Sunk: 20,000 escorted by a veteran survivor of submarine attacks, the light
Length of Patrol: 6 weeks carrier Taiyo. Munson lined up a spread of torpedoes but halted
after firing two, thinking that his gyro's were misaligned. Running
[32.14] SAMUEL D. DEALEY: HARDER'S 2nd PATROL along the flank of the convoy he observed "an appalling
Sam Dealey was not a successful naval officer. Nearly busted explosion" that he thought was perhaps a tanker. It was not. It
from the Academy for bad grades, he did not excel in the political was the carrier Taiyo , it's fully loaded aviation fuel stores blowing
environment of the peacetime Navy. He was in command of an the ship apart. Munson finished out the night with a Re-Attack
elderly noncombatant S-boat and not expected to go any higher expending all his torpedoes and sinking 5 ships for a total of
Nhen the war broke out. An acute shortage of qualified skippers 52,600 tons.
"esulted in his getting command of USS Harder. After conducting Submarine: U.S.S. Rasher SS-269,
"IS first patrol off the Honshu coast, Harder's diving officer
Gato Class
commented, "His imagination pictured situations so vividly and Starting Base: Fremantle
scenes photographed themselves on the retina of his mind that Starting Date: July 1944 (War Period 3)
~e really did not need a TDC solution." On the second patrol,
Patrol Destination: Pearl Harbor
Jealey turned in one of the best performances to date in nine
Torpedo Status: +1
separate attacks. He went on to pioneer wolfpack tactics and
Ships Sunk: 5
::>ecame famous for the "down the throat" torpedo shot at
Tonnage Sunk: 52,600
attacking Japanese destroyers. Dealey's score stood at sixteen Length of Patrol: 6 weeks
sh1ps for 54,000 tons when Harder was sunk by a Japanese
-n1nesweeper in August of 1944. Loss of the popular Dealey
[32.17] GEORGE W. GRIDER: FLASHER'S 5th PATROL
shocked the entire submarine community.
George Grider, a kind, considerate, and contemplative man,
Submarine: U.S.S. Harder SS-238, worried how he would face his first patrol and taste of command
Gato Class in combat. Leaving Australia in November 1944, he headed for a
Starting Base: Pearl Harbor spot west of Mindoro as part of a wolfpack. Contacting a convoy
Starting Date: August 1943 (War Period 3) in the rain, Grider successfully sank two 2,000 ton destroyers and
Patrol Destination: Empire Japan one tanker, enduring a fierce depth charge attack during the
Torpedo Status: 0 engagement. Two weeks later, Grider placed himself in shallow
Ships Sunk: 5 water between the shore and another convoy and with skill went
Tonnage Sunk: 15,200 first to his bow, then stern tubes to sink three tankers, two of
Length of Patrol: 6 weeks 9,000 tons, and one 10,000 tanner. It was the third best patrol of
the war.
[32.15] RICHARD H. O' KANE: TANG'S 3rd PATROL
Submarine: U.S.S. Flasher SS-249,
3] all accounts, this was the finest war patrol of an American
Gato Class
Svbmarine ever, hardly tarnished by the loss of the boat. O'Kane
Starting Base: Fremantle
took Tang off Nagasaki where he sank four ships of a convoy for
Starting Date: November 1944 (War Period 4)
• 6.000 tons. Following that, O'Kane went west and north into the
Patrol Destination: South China Sea
Yellow Sea, off Korea , where he sank the remaining six. Five
Torpedo Status: +1
;"'10nths later Tang was struck in the after torpedo room by her
Ships Sunk: 6
::J.vn circular running torpedo. Dick O'Kane and the conning tower
Tonnage Sunk: 42,800
.·.atch were thrown into the water, while Tang sank stern first, Length of Patrol: 7 weeks
·ap1dly plunging to the bottom. Thirteen men attempted to use the
'.'omsen Lung and egress through the escape trunk. Five men
[32.18] GEORGE L. STREET Ill: TIRANTE'S 1st PATROL would defend India, simplifying the supply situation for the larger
and more capable American fleet boats in isolated Australia.
George Street conducted an aggressive patrol with his new
Tench class boat though by this time available targets were As the naval war in European waters wound down, Dutch and
growing scarce. After picking off a small freighter and tanker, British submarines were dispatched to India. Eventually, several
Tirante sank a troopship returning soldiers to Japan from Dutch and British submarines were attached to US 7th fleet
Shanghai. Not content with this performance, Street entered the command out of Fremantle.
Korean port of Cheju Do at night in only 60 feet of water. He fired
six torpedoes, sinking a transport and two ASW frigates. For this Allied submarines may be integrated into any of the campaign
action, Street received the Medal of Honor and his XO, Ned games. Ships and tonnage sunk by Allied submarines will have
Beach, received a Navy Cross. to be tracked separately than that sunk by American submarines,
for they do not affect Career Longevity, Torpedo Improvement, or
Submarine: U.S.S. Tirante SS-420, War Period change. They DO affect War End and Allied
Tench Class submarine losses, which affects the level of victory. A Dutch
Starting Base: Saipan (Groeneveld) and British (Hezlet) Super Skipper counter have
Starting Date: March 1945 (War Period 4) been provided if needed. If additional skippers are generated,
Patrol Destination: East China Sea use an American Skipper counter.
Torpedo Status: +2
Ships Sunk: 6 [33.11] RESTRICTIONS
Tonnage Sunk: 12,600 Dutch submarines may only base from and RTB to Surabaya until
Length of Patrol: 7 weeks that base falls, after which they (and British submarines) may
only base from Fremantle and Subic Bay and utilize the advance
[32.19] CHARLES (SWEDE) MOMSEN: THE FIRST base of Mios Woendi. They may not be removed from play by the
WOLFPACK War Event "Relegation to Training Duty". They may not be part of
Although the Germans had been conducting wolfpack operations a wolfpack.
for over three years, the US command was hesitant to adopt the
practice. There were fears of submarines operating in close Dutch submarines may not be shunted into Surabaya's "Hold"
proximity to each other, thereby drawing extra ASW attention to Box to make room for an American sub, though American
themselves, as well as making accidental attacks on each other. submarines may be repaired at Surabaya.
The first pack experiment was commanded by Squadron
Commander Swede Momsen, flying his flag in USS Cera. [33.12] ALLIED TECHNOLOGY
Coordinated operations were plagued by communication and The Dutch used a variety of Dutch, German , British, and
navigation problems that soured many skippers on the pack American torpedoes. All Dutch attacks in 1941-42 have a torpedo
concept. Momsen's report was that coordination at sea was too value of -1. In 1943-45, all Dutch and British attacks are
difficult, and packs should be controlled from shore, as German calculated using the current value of the Mk-XIV torpedo. Dutch
Admiral Donitz had been doing for years. and British submarines in 1943-45 are equipped with radar.
16
© 2005 Compass Games, LLC
SILENT WAR: The United States' Submarine Campaign Against Imperial Japan: 1941-1945
September 1943:
*Note: If K-XIV and/or K-XV were previously sunk, they may be
Fremantle: replaced by K-XVI and/or K-XV/11 if those two submarines
0-21 (Dutch) survived. If they are a/so lost no submarines are received.
November 1943:
Withdraw: Optional Dutch submarine:
0-21 (Dutch) When the old K-XIV class submarines were being refitted in
Philadelphia, the US Navy proposed retiring two of them and
February 1944: combining the crews to man a new Balao class submarine with a
Fremantle: few American technicians. The idea was abandoned due to
K-XV* (Dutch) objections from London, but would have eased the difficulty that
the US submarine force was having manning newly constructed
April1944:
vessels in the face of competition from the surface fleet for
Fremantle:
qualified seamen.
K-XIV* (Dutch)
September 1944: If the player desires, he may remove Hawkbi/1, K-X/V, and K-XV
Fremantle from the Reinforcement List of his campaign, and substitute the
0-19, Zwaardvisch (Dutch) Dutch submarine Zeeleeuw, which arrives at Fremantle in
November 1944.
October 1944:
Fremantle: Postscript: In 1953, two Guppy IB refitted Balao class
Telemachus, Tantivy, Spiteful, Sea Rover, submarines (Hawkbi/1 and lcefish), were transferred to the Royal
Sturdy, Sirdar, Stoic (British) Netherlands Navy as Zeeleeuw and Walrus.
November 1944:
Fremantle: t Note: The British rotated the 8th Submarine Flotilla through
Tantalus (British) American 7th Fleet Command and British Far East Command.
Due to limitations in the countermix, the submarines received in
December 1944: May 1945 represent other submarines of the same class. These
Withdraw: submarines are received, even if the originals are sunk before
Stoic (British) they can be withdrawn.
January 1945:
[33.15] ADJUSTMENTS TO CAMPAIGNS
Fremantle:
Campaign Game 1: The Submarine Campaign Against Japan
Tradewind, Spark (British)
In January, 1945, subtract 63,000 tons from the Tonnage Track,
Withdraw:
and add the tonnage scored by Allied Submarines. Subtract four
Sea Rover (British)
from the Subs Lost track, and add the number of Allied
February 1945: submarines lost.
Withdraw:
Campaign Game 2: Red Sun Rising
Telemachus (British)
In December, 1942, subtract 24,000 tons from the Tonnage
March 1945: Track, and add the tonnage scored by Allied Submarines.
Fremantle: Subtract two from the Subs Lost track, and add the number of
Tudor (British) Allied submarines lost.
Withdraw:
Tantivy, Sirdar Campaign Game 3: Turning the Tide
If ending the campaign at the transition to War Period 4, subtract
1 ,000 tons from the Tonnage Track and add the tonnage scored
[34.0] STAGGERED ARRIVALS AND its totality so revealing of one clear truth- a truth that runs
counter to America's penchant for wrapping itself in the
WITHDRAWALS
self-inflated mythos of the gallant individual heroically
,fa more continuous flow of submarines arriving and departing is twisting military fate with bare hands- that the American
desired, this option may be used. For each submarine that is a victory lay not in gallantry nor heroics, but in the masterful
reinforcement, withdrawn for refit, or returned from refit, roll on execution of a clear plan formulated by a few calculating
the below table. Instead of automatically arriving in Week 1, the
commanders.
submarine is received or removed in the week indicated. The
player will need to keep track of the proper week for each Make no mistake, there was plenty of gallantry and
submarine. heroism during the war. Howard Gilmore, wounded and
Die Roll Week trapped above decks on USS Growler demonstrated this
0-2 1 by ordering his exec to "Take her down!"- but it wasn't
3-4 2 heroism that sank millions of tons of shipping. The stark
5-7 3 fact remains that a submarine campaign is a war of cold
8-9 4 numbers waged by a system honed to a relentless rhythm
of patrols.
Yet, post-war, the history of the submariner's
DESIGNER NOTES AND HISTORICAL accomplishment seems lost, a quaint anachronism in an
REFLECTIONS age dominated by a new type of war, a war of cold
mathematical brinksmanship- the Nuclear Age- the age of
1n the final analysis, the formal instrument of surrender that uncertain absolutes. But from the mindset underlying
ended World War II in the Pacific should have been signed nuclear analysis comes the clearest understanding of the
aboard the USS Gato, not the battleship Missouri, for no submarine's achievement- a mostly unnoticed work called
;ype of warship in the history of naval conflict had so simply The Attack Submarine. Written by R.E Kuenne in
decimated an enemy state as the submarine, and no class 1965 as an economic study from Yale University Press,
of submarine contributed more to victory than the The Attack Submarine puts into digits and decimals the
Gato/Balao. Few people, even today, some sixty years determination and daring that Blair documents in Silent
after that great conflict's end , have come to clearly Victory. This work, more than any other, validates the
understand the decisive role that the American submarine victory of the Americans and factorizes the failures of the
arm played in bringing Japan to heel, and even fewer Germans. Stark numbers back up key truths, and between
comprehend the key truth that it was not the triumph of the two works is born the idea of exploring the submarine
'earless heroics, nor even of technology itself- but rather of campaign in a conflict simulation.
a cold, calculated approach to the raw mathematical
Tackling Silent War proved to be an immense task. The
certainty that ultimately defines an unrestricted submarine
amount of raw data, such as ships sunk, tonnage lost,
campaign.
lengths of patrols, submarine characteristics, and a host of
Only three times in history has such a campaign been other technical minutia had to be merged into the greater
.vaged, and each time this cold strategy has inflicted historic whole that was the War in the Pacific. The key
mmense losses on an enemy nation. But only once, has decision was the early realization that the simulation was
such a battle been waged to complete and utter success. an inherently solitaire experience; a contest between an
Why? amorphous mass of moving enemy ships and the player's
wit and will to orchestrate a campaign that could go from
Silent War attempts to answer this question of Why
the chaos of 1941 to a sustained, calculated plan of attack
through the medium of an interactive conflict simulation. Its
against it.
origins lie in two seminal works that sought to define those
answers from two distinct viewpoints. Tired of the myth of Once this realization was well in grasp, the challenge lay
th e U-boat and weary of the deferred truth that intelligence in finding a graphic way to represent the enormity of the
blackouts poised for years after the war, Clay Blair Jr., sailing data against which the player could operate, and
penned Silent Victory in 1975 detailing the history of the against which the player could achieve historic results. The
United State's unsung submarine campaign in the Pacific. Area Activity Charts, in conjunction with the
Through meticulous documentation, and with an intense approach/attack tables, and the War Mix, evolved as the
dedication to the truth, Blair lays out the whole of the war- solution, permitting a manipulation of several axes of multi-
'rom the tense early days of the first patrols, made hair- variate information, from the mostly actuarial AACs to the
raisingly frightful by the sickeningly neglectful torpedo formulaic Approach/Attack procedures, and finally the
scandal- to the halcyon days of submarines patrolling seas more historically recognizable War Mix.
empty of an enemy long since sent to the bottom.
Silent War benefited greatly when Stephen Jackson came
No work on submarines is so honest, so sweeping, and in aboard as its developer. Among the first things that he
brought to the table was the question that as an of the mind can, Silent War allows a player to explore what
exploration of submarine warfare, could the system hold once was, and from it draw parallels and truths that have
up to supporting the German Campaigns? Only by doing applied to warfare from its earliest days to those of a far
so, could it claim to be a valid tool for the investigation of distant future.
submarine strategies. As a result, a full year was devoted
And of that, we are very proud.
to researching the German Campaign and in the end, with
some modifications introduced, the basic system held up Brien J. Miller
well and spawned preliminary designs for Steel Wolves
and Kaiser's Coffins; the German submarine campaigns of Submarines Present in Tokyo Bay, 2 September, 1945
World War II and I, respectfully. All that was now left to do
was test it with an eye towards validating the four years of USS Gato (SS-212)
war data presented in the game. USS Caval/a (SS-244)
USS Haddo (SS-255)
Few games have probably been tested quite like Silent USS Hake (SS-256)
War. Nearly three full years have been spent doing so. USS Muska/lunge (SS-262)
Early tests were aimed at validating the system, later tests USS Archerfish (SS-311)
at validating the data. The level of test play Silent War has USS Pi/offish (SS-386)
received is on par with that of complex computer games USS Razorback (SS-394)
and still there were always details that slipped by and USS Segundo (SS-398)
needed further evaluation. Those who have devoted their USS Sea Cat (SS-399)
time and energy to this game are exceptional to the player, USS Tigrone (SS-419)
and it is they who have made Silent War work more than USS Runner (SS-476)
anyone else.
As for those who desire to "play it," forewarned is
forearmed: As it was in history, so it is here, the full DEVELOPER NOTES
submarine campaign is not for the casual gamer wanting
to "shoot and sink." It is not a fire-and-forget arcade game Brien Miller has a distinct design style different than my
that rewards players with unrealistic numbers of vividly own. His design goal is a model that works accurately
exploding kills. It is not an undertaking for the gridiron type when correct data is fed into it. This is much more difficult
of hero who brazenly dashes into the fight- it is a fight best than designing for output and effect, as I tend to do. I could
suited to the quiet person, the "mastermind" type, a person never have designed Silent War, but am honored to have
who aspires to becoming the chief-financial officer to the had a hand in refining it. The sheer amount of data put into
Grim Reaper, who knows how to calculate the rate of the Silent War engine is amazing and the results are
return on the butcher's bill, for in the sum-total of the war, surprisingly accurate and historical.
that is what King, Christie, Lockwood, and Doenitz were, For example, in early testing we found ships and tonnage
Grim Reapers of the accounting kind, strategists on a sunk to be some 10% higher than it should be. We went
grand tactical scale. back and forth in an effort to determine why. In the end, it
In the end, then, Silent War is not so much a game as it is was something simple: we hadn't factored the removal of
a simulation in the true sense of what a simulation is the submarines being rotated to the West Coast for major
intended to be: A tool for the exploration of some facet of overhaul. At any one time, this was 10% of the submarine
the world. In this case, it is a historical military campaign; force. This "error" and its correction, more than anything
a sweeping endeavor that rewards the patient, calculating else, validated the design- validation that was ultimately
mind that can grasp small details while seeing the big carried out by a dedicated band of playtesters who put in
picture. countless hours of effort, and also provided painstaking
scrutiny of the rules and playing pieces. The final product
It is unlikely that those who signed the instrument of is as much a result of their diligence as it is of design and
surrender in Tokyo Bay foresaw the powerful, sleek development.
nuclear submarines of today- but the successors to the S-
Boats and Gatos have become, to a great degree like the When playing Silent War , you will often know the
battleship, leviathans in a sea empty of enemies- an frustration of careful attacks yielding no results. This
anachronism in the age of terror. It is more than likely, frustration cannot match that of the submarine skipper who
given the nature of the world today and the future it brought his boat and valuable crew into enemy waters, and
portends, that massive submarine campaigns such as the daringly attacked Japanese convoys only to have his
Germans and the Americans waged between 1939 and torpedoes miss because they ran deeper than set (often
1945 will never be seen again. But in as much as any tool running right under the target), or worse, they hit and did
not go off due to defective exploders. The last straw for II. TRIPLE 'R' SEGMENT
these skippers was to return to port and have their reports (Reinforcement, Ready, Repair)
on torpedo performance dismissed as attempts to deflect
8.0 Submarine Reinforcement Phase: The player
blame away from their own "improper" use of the weapon. consults the reinforcement table, and places the
For those curious about US torpedo evolution, -2 submarines Cuttlefish, Grayling, and Tuna in the
Broom Box of Pearl Harbor.
represents the torpedo as certified by the Bureau of
Ordnance, while -1 represents the deep running defect (11 9.0 Ready Submarines Phase (at bases and sub
feet deeper than set) being corrected, 0 represents the tenders): Seawolf has a Readiness rating of '4'. The
defective contact exploder being fixed, +1 represents the player must roll equal to or less than this number. The
defective magnetic exploder being turned off, and finally roll is 3, and Seawolf moves to the Ready For Sea
+2 the cumulative effects of a fixed magnetic exploder, the box.
electric torpedo and the acoustic homing torpedo. 10.0 Submarine Repair Phase: No activities.
When the opportunities for more counters being added to 11.0 Prep For Operations Phase: No activities.
Silent War came up, the natural selection was for more
Allied submarines under American command. The Dutch in
Ill. OPERATIONS SEGMENT
(Conduct individually for each Sub)
particular bore a heavy brunt in the early part of the war.
12.0 Patrol Movement Phase: No activities.
The British withdrew all of their Eastern Fleet submarines
to the Mediterranean in 1940. Separated from their Nazi- 13.0 Search and Contact Phase: No activities.
occupied homeland and short of supplies and parts, the 14.0 Combat Phase: No activities.
Dutch nevertheless sent the majority of their modern
submarines to defend British Singapore in 1941. 15.0 Transit Movement Phase: Seawolf moves from the
Submarine Base Manila area through the South
These subs participated in the pursuit of the German China Sea 1 OpArea to the East China Sea OpArea.
pocket battleship Admiral Scheer, as well as the defense of A roll for a Transit Event is made, based on the East
Malaya. In the lightning assault on Malaya, the Dutch China Sea OpArea (red boxes start with a 6 while in
fought aggressively, losing 0-16, 0-20, and K-XV/1 to South China Sea 1 they start with a 7). The roll is 8,
Japanese forces while K-X/11 was so badly damaged she modified to 7 (-1 for Seawolf being on its Transit side)
which corresponds to a red box, so a Transit Event
had to be withdrawn. These losses made it even more
occurs.
difficult for the remaining submarines at Surabaya to stem
the Japanese onslaught following the rapid American The player rolls the die twice to determine the result
collapse in the Philippines. We are greatly indebted to the of the event; the first roll is 8, which indicates the
staff at the wonderful www.dutchsubmarines.com website middle row of the table is used. The second roll is 5,
for their assistance in our research. which means Seawolf is Spotted. A Spotted marker is
placed on Seawolf.
Stephen Jackson
The player places Seawolf in the "Done" section of
the OpArea and flips her to the Patrol side, since
Seawolf intends to patrol there next turn. If the player
wished to travel further using Transit Movement he
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMPLE OF PLAY would leave the submarine Transit side up.
Submarine: New S2 class submarine, Seawolf W ENDTURNSEGMENT
Start: Manila Naval Base in Broom Box in Manila (After all subs have conducted movement and combat)
War Period: 1
Torpedo Value: -2 16.0 Conclude Turn Phase: Seawolf checks to see if the
Spotted marker is removed (a 0 thru 6 is needed). The
WEEK 1, JANUARY 1942 roll is 8, so Seawolf remains Spotted. ULTRA markers
are removed and the turn marker is advanced.
I. STRATEGIC SEGMENT
17.0 War Progress Phase: The earliest the War Period
5.0 War Event Phase: The player rolls a 6, which results may advance is in March, 1942, so this phase is
in no roll on the War Event Table. skipped.
6.0 Torpedo Improvement Phase: An attempt may not
be made to improve torpedoes until at least 70 ships
have been sunk, which has not yet occurred.
7.0 ULTRA Phase: The player rolls a 7, resulting in
ULTRA markers being placed in the Carolines and
Aleutians.
CREDITS
Design and Artwork: Brien Miller
Development: Stephen Jackson
Editing: Craig Martin
Playtest: James Byrne, Jeff Hale, Mark Kalina, Ken
Legg, Craig Martin, Arron Monroe, Doug Murphy, Eric
Pass, Jeff Petraska, Dave Richtmyer, Terry Rooker,
Dave Schueler, Bill Thomas, Ron Wuerth, Todd Zirkle
Produced by: Ken Dingley, Mark Kalina, Bill Thomas
Proofing: Ken Dingley, Stephen Jackson, Mark Kalina,
Jeff Petraska, Vince Redolf, Dave Schueler
Special Thanks: Steve Chase for the disaJssions that lead to this
game.
Special Thanks also to: John Kranz, who believed that Silent
War could be the game it is, and to Consimworld.