When I heard that 3W was coming out with a WWII submarine game, I wasn't sure what to think. After a disappointing encounter with 3W's last set of naval games (Salvo! & Salvo II), I question whether or not Run Silent, Run Deep would be worth a look. However, once I saw the picture of "The Galloping Ghost of the China Coast" on the box cover, I couldn't resist. Thoughts of running my sub through a convoy, firing torpedoes and thumbing my nose at the escorts as the merchants explode and burn ran through my mind. I know its not very realistic, but that's what those old movies can do to you. Unfortunately, great cover art does not a game make (although it sure does help with sales), as I was soon to discover.
I was less than impressed with the components inside than the box cover. The game has 100 1" X 1/2" counters that represent the submarines and escorts (34 classes) from the British, Japanese, German, Italian, and United States navies (the French cruiser submarine, "Surcouf", is also included), along with generic counters for merchants and other surface warships. Each surface ship counter has a specific silhouette, along with information on its damage capacity, speed, gun strength, and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) weapons. The reverse side shows the reduction in speed and capabilities when the ship is damaged.
The submarine counters are single sided and show a submarine silhouette with an ID number. The information for the submarines is contained on the submarine data sheets: 12, one for each class, and all in the rule booklet. Each data sheet has an area for plotting the submarine's movement and attacks. The data sheets also show the maximum depth, surface and submerged speed of the sub, along with boxes to track sub damage, torpedoes, and Emergency Power factors (which allows a submarine to increase its submerged speed during a game).
There are also the usual run of informational counters, plus two ASW aircraft counters, although the rules never explain how to use them. The two maps are your basic empty ocean blue, with each hex 100 yards across. In addition to the 1/2" hexes, the map is divided into hex groups called areas, five hexes across, which are used for plotting torpedo attacks.
The rules proved to be a quick read (only six pages of basic rules and one page of optional rules). However, they were somewhat disappointing, not because there were any major problems in understanding them, but because there are no rules for visibility and night surface attacks. (So much for MY submarine fantasy). Movement is similar to Smith's Salvo system -- except that the ships take up two hexes in this game. ASW combat is easy to understand, with the surface player dropping depth charges and other ASW weapons as he moves. If an ASW weapon ends up in one of the submarine's hexes at the right depth, then the surface player rolls on the appropriate damage table to see how much damage was done.
Unfortunately, even though the rules are pretty clear, peculiarities abound. The first is that all the escorts (no matter what country) are equipped with sonar, and there is no difference between the sonar of different countries. While this isn't historical, it is a rule that most people can live with.
The second peculiarity, which is far tougher to swallow (especially if you are the escort player), is torpedo combat. There is no differentiation between the different types of torpedoes used during WWII, although there is a modifier for attacks by U.S. subs before 1944. Submarines can launch torpedoes from depths of 0, 50, or 100 (!!) feet and plot their attacks by simply writing down the number of the area under attack and the number of torpedoes fired at it on the submarine data sheet. On the turn of launch, a torpedo can attack any area one to four areas away; two turns after launch it can attack any area five to eight areas away, and on the third turn it can attack any area nine to twelve areas away. However, there are no restrictions about the torpedo following any sort of a straight line to its target, and it seems (although it is not clear in the rules) that torpedoes that miss their original target may continue on attacking other areas as they go. If a surface ship ends its movement in a targeted area, it may be attacked by the torpedo(es) even if that ship was not the one that the submarine player originally intended to attack. If more that one surface ship is in the area, the submarine player gets his choice of which will be attacked. The wonders of modern warfare -- or, to be more succinct, the flights of designer fancy -- never cease!
The torpedo combat rule takes a lot of pressure (and some of the fun) out of being the submarine player. No longer do you have to worry about the target's speed or heading, just fire a torpedo in its general direction and you've got a pretty good chance of hitting it even when attacking through the target's bow or stern!
The final oddity is that there aren't any rules that explain what to do with ships that have reached their damage limits and should sink. Since surface ships cannot move into or through hexes with other surface ships in them, it can be important when the sub is trying to escape after its attacks. With each turn representing 60 seconds of real time, it seemed unlikely that these ships should be removed from the map on the turn they are sunk. I decided to roll a die and use the result as the number of turns until the ship slips beneath the waves and is removed from the game.
Even with the sonar inaccuracies and torpedo problems, I was ready to play a game. I chose one in which a U.S. Gato class sub attacks a small Japanese convoy with three tankers escorted by two destroyers. The basic sequence of play has the sub player plot his movement and torpedo attacks, then the surface player moves his ships and deploys any ASW weapons he wants to use. Torpedo attacks are resolved, then the surface player uses his sonar to try and detect the enemy submarine(s). Finally, ASW weapon attacks and surface gunfire attacks are resolved.
I began the game by closing with the tankers and trying to get into position to attack. About this time, I also realized how hard it is to read the hex numbers on the map, needed for plotting submarine movement. On turn three, the surface ships detected me with their sonar (showing how effective the generic sonar can be) and turned to close in for a depth charge attack. I decided that stalking the convoy wasn't going to get me any better shot than I already had and plotted to fire my six bow tubes. The convoy turned away from me during the surface movement phase, but because two of the tankers were still in the same areas for which I had plotted my torpedo attacks, they both ended up getting hit by a torpedo … showing how effective torpedoes are with these rules. Neither tanker was sinking, but they were both dead in the water, making it much easier to line up my stern tubes to finish them off.
Meanwhile, the destroyers were dropping depth charges overhead, so I decided to go deep and wait for them to clear off. This proved to be exactly what the destroyers thought I would do, and I suffered a rough ride as they placed depth charges all around me and damaged my sub. Seeing that the destroyers weren't going to clear off, I came back up to 50 feet and let loose two more torpedoes from my stern tubes. The destroyers weren't expecting this move and were in the wrong position when my torpedoes slammed into the tankers, sinking them and winning the game for me. Since this game didn't take very long (about 45 minutes), we decided to switch sides and play the scenario again. The second game ended up with the same results as the first: a win for the submarine player and a frustrated escort player.
While both games ended up within historically accurate parameters, there wasn't the level of tension that you would expect - and most assuredly want - with a submarine game. It just felt like the win came too easily for the submarine player. Although some of the other scenarios look a lot tougher for the sub player, as the rules stand now, you may have trouble finding someone to play the surface player.
As a game, Run Silent, Run Deep isn't bad; as a simulation it leaves something to be desired. However, there is a lot of potential in this game, and with a little tinkering and a few changes it could be a winner. Then again, tinkering is what the company is supposed to do before they sell it. CAPSULE COMMENTS:
Graphic Presentation: Good. Great box cover, average counter art is average, and maps with submerged hex numbers.
Playability: The game plays quickly and the rules are relatively simple, if not exactly inspiring.
Replayability: If you can live with the quirky torpedo rules and the lack of visibility rules there are lots of different scenarios to choose from.
Wristage: Acceptable.
Creativity: Good. Coming up with an easy, playable game while retaining some of the flavor of submarine combat is neat feat.
Historicity: Questionable.Generic torpedoes and sonar detection and a general Hollywoodish aura.
Comparisons: Avalon Hill's Submarine, pretty much the only other similar game available, is more detailed, but it is slower and more complex. I can't remember what the old SPI Wolfpack was like.
Overall: A quick, easy game that doesn't get bogged down in details.
from 3W
Two 22" X 34" maps, 260 counters (100 1" X 1/2" and 160 1/2"), Rules/Scenario booklet, player aid card. Boxed.
3W games, POB 155, Cambria CA 93428 $33
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© Copyright 1993 by Richard Berg
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