AHQ: Wargaming the USM - any known games or rules.

Note: this is not intended as a thread for discussion on the feasibility of SeaLion - there's already a live one I've spent far too long reading and participating in.

As I'm now interested in how one could game the air and naval components of said operation

I'd be looking to use squadrons as the basic air unit for fighter or bombers. Individual representation for warships of destroyer or above and proper merchant vessels. Small craft in units of four or more.

Any ideas on rules flexible enough to cope with towed barges mounting 88mm guns?

Or is there a commercial board game or PC game that's suitable?
 

nbcman

Donor
Hearts of Iron PC games can address USM but not the lighter ships and barges. The British surrender rules in HOI requires the capture of more areas than the British Isles.

Panzer General had USM scenarios but it is too abstract for what you are looking for.

World in Flames probably would be able to handle some aspects of USM but not armed barges.
 

hipper

Banned
Note: this is not intended as a thread for discussion on the feasibility of SeaLion - there's already a live one I've spent far too long reading and participating in.

As I'm now interested in how one could game the air and naval components of said operation

I'd be looking to use squadrons as the basic air unit for fighter or bombers. Individual representation for warships of destroyer or above and proper merchant vessels. Small craft in units of four or more.

Any ideas on rules flexible enough to cope with towed barges mounting 88mm guns?

Or is there a commercial board game or PC game that's suitable?

matrix games pacific war has the rules, but youd have to do extensive modding to recreate a map and add therequired forces,
 
matrix games pacific war has the rules, but youd have to do extensive modding to recreate a map and add therequired forces,
Thanks

The map should be feasible, depending how much detail of currents and shoals is needed.

Forces could be interesting to find!
 
Back in the late 1970's or early 1980's GDW made a game call the Finest Hour Air counters were sqs , and they had units as small as battalions, and ship were individual counters .
 
This

There is Britain Stands Alone, a game about the possible invasion. https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5831/britain-stands-alone
Aircraft are squadrons, destroyers and smaller vessels are multi-ship counters, cruisers and capital ships are individual units.

Or this

Back in the late 1970's or early 1980's GDW made a game call the Finest Hour Air counters were sqs , and they had units as small as battalions, and ship were individual counters .

There are others. The Europa series used larger air units, multi squadron groups of 30-50 aircraft. The common ground combat unit was the infantry or armored division. I believe there was a USM scenario written for that game system.
 
If I recall correctly, back in the Seventies SPI (when they were publishing games about every damn silly conflict at a rate of two a month) put out a game called Seelöwe. I think it was an operational-level game, but it might have some useful stuff in it.
 
If I recall correctly, back in the Seventies SPI (when they were publishing games about every damn silly conflict at a rate of two a month) put out a game called Seelöwe. I think it was an operational-level game, but it might have some useful stuff in it.
Thanks

I have that one, it's interesting but handwaved away the air and naval aspects.
 
This



Or this



There are others. The Europa series used larger air units, multi squadron groups of 30-50 aircraft. The common ground combat unit was the infantry or armored division. I believe there was a USM scenario written for that game system.
Excellent, thanks

I'll try to find some of these suggestions and see which are available now!

Often the older ones are easier to adapt new scenarios too but YNK.
 
Back in the late 1970's or early 1980's GDW made a game call the Finest Hour Air counters were sqs , and they had units as small as battalions, and ship were individual counters .
I had that one. I thought it would be cool to solo-game a Sealion scenario. So I set up the maps and those huge stacks of counters and attempted to plow my way through that godawful long rule book. Can't remember exactly when I gave up on it... and lost the game somewhere in one of my many moves...
for miniature gaming fans, there is a book/scenario for Sealion for the Bolt Action rules from Warlord Games...
 
...

Often the older ones are easier to adapt new scenarios too but YNK.

That might be the Europa Series. Designed to model about any campaign in WWII. I played the TORCH scenario back in the 1980s. I am a uninhibited variant designer & found along the way how seemingly minor changes in the rules can throw a game entirely off the rails. Be prepared to test your scenario several times before drawing any conclusions.
 
While I was rummaging around in my toy box for this thread I found the old AH boardgame Air Assault On Crete. It's not on point geographically but it does handle some aspects of a large scale combat drop rather well.
 
on the tactical side, the Panzerleader 1940 variant for the Panzerleader game had a scenario for Sealion. It doesn't really go into a lot of detail about whether it was possible, and just assumes that the Germans can land (there are no naval units in PL)…
 
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