Second World War at Sea: Bismarck

About this board game

Second World War at Sea: Bismarck is a two-player naval game with an approximately 120-minute playing time, centered on the pursuit and sinking of the German battleship Bismarck.

The game unfolds across the vast North Atlantic, where the British Home Fleet tracks German warships through a large operational map. The story recalls the battle in which Bismarck’s guns destroyed the battle cruiser Hood before the German ship disappeared into the fog, leaving behind a slick of fuel oil after being hit below the water line.

Two 34×22-inch maps cover the area from north of Iceland south to the latitude of Spain. The operational maps represent the wide, empty ocean, while a generic blue tactical map of hexagons is used to resolve surface combat.

• 24 pages of rules explain the game system.
• 12 scenarios cover the Bismarck chase and German North Atlantic raids.
• Featured German warships include Admiral Hipper, Admiral Scheer, Gneisenau, and Scharnhorst.

During tactical battles, ships maneuver across the hexes and attack with their gunnery and torpedo factors. Each player rolls dice according to a ship’s capabilities, with hits scored on a result of 6.

Gunnery and torpedo damage tables determine whether ships suffer damage to their engines, hull, or armament. With its combination of operational pursuit and detailed surface engagements, Second World War at Sea: Bismarck presents the North Atlantic as a dangerous theater of naval warfare.