In a Seas of Thunder campaign game, Italy is a very enjoyable nation to play; either as part of a team or just by yourself. Italy can expect to have the upper hand in the Mediterranean from the instant that France is conquered until they leave the game in September of 1943 (Turn 17). They prowl ground valuable to both sides, but not the most valuable. The Allies will make Italian life challenging but seldom miserable as there is always a larger bounty to be had. The world is a big place and only so many British and later American ships can be expended in the Middle Sea, when there are fights across the entire globe demanding ships and air.

The Mediterranean Bases

The Regia Marina have one dominant theater, the Med, and some side shows, including the Red Sea and the Pacific at a minimum. The lion’s share of their fleet is based at the Italian ports of Taranto, Venice, Genoa, Tunis, and Benghazi. This is the focus of their action and this is terrain that you will learn very thoroughly as you command this compact and powerful fleet.

Massawa

Ships based in this Red Sea port will be isolated for the entire game. They are unable to be reinforced from the home country because of the British gatekeepers on both ends of the Med and they are in general too far away from Tianjin to be helpful there. Nope, the ships that you deploy here on Turn 4 are likely to be all you have there until the port falls to the British. Their task is not to score those tasty 3 Victory Points for the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden, but to force the British to heavily patrol those Sea Zones to keep it from Italian control. In the end it will be low-value zones and allied merchant shipping that they will feast upon. However, if the Allied player is lax… it might be a bonanza turn.

Tianjin

The concession territory of Tianjin also provides an outlet for Italian endeavors. A small fleet may be based in this Pacific port, though in play it is generally under-utilized. This fleet can cause challenges for the Allies in both the South China Sea and the Andaman Sea. Ramb-class auxiliary cruisers can threaten all of the Pacific from this port on the Chinese coast.

Neutral Ports

Italy does have access to the same neutral ports as Germany and could conceivably spread their reach across the globe. The biggest issue with this is the difficulty, in both range and choke points, of getting back to the Med if needed. The Italian lacks a quantity of ships with range to be useful in a global arena. Additionally without being able to easily pass through Gibraltar, ships outside of the Mediterranean will be hard pressed to get back if things go poorly for Italy in the home waters. One of the things I enjoy about playing this game is that you get a chance to understand some of the choices presented in other games that don’t have the global scope. Other games give you the opportunity to “break out” into the Atlantic with your Italian cruisers. But they don’t really portray the long-term consequences or realities of just such an action. In Seas of Thunder, you can make those calls and see if it truly pays off.

Black Sea

In the campaign game, the only way to get ships to the Black Sea is to either force your way past Turkey and turn control of the Turks over to the Allies, or rail submarine reinforcements into Romania. The former is a difficult pill to swallow but the latter can truly have its uses. Italian submarines in the Black Sea can cause serious problems for an unprepared Soviet player. If I am in control of the Italian fleet, I always try to rail an Italian submarine unit or two into Romania to assist with the conflict against the Soviet Bear.

The Italian Battleships

The Italian Battleships are a general match for the capital ships the British will place in the Med. These Battleships should never leave the Mediterranean. They are in general difficult to sink and key lynchpins to allow the cruisers to score the points. Keeping them in squadrons of two or more can really make things sticky for the Allies as their Battleships will be more spread out globally to meet more threats.

The Cruiser Arm

The cruisers are your standard arm for exerting power. They are ideally suited to patrol the Middle Sea and are hard pressed to be flexible and nimble enough to operate from neutral ports. Keep them home. Let them play off the Battleships. Where possible allow them to lay mines and do their damage before gunnery combat commences. The Battleships may feel powerful, but it is the cruisers that will end up scoring the lion’s share of your points.

Submarines

Do not dismiss or underestimate the Italian submarine fleet. They are sizeable and capable, even if they are essentially mediocre. Their quick strike ability cannot be overstated and a general Allied pre-occupation with German submarines in the Atlantic can provide opportunities for the Italians that might otherwise be squashed. One of the most devastating uses of Italian subs is in hunter groups where nothing but subs overwhelm a Sea Zone, strike crippling blows and disappear into the depths. There is never enough ASW to counter this move and over time it can rise from annoyance to crippling.

The Rambs

Italy possesses three long-range auxiliary cruiser, Ramb I, II & III. These ships are ideal convoy hunters but do not misuse them. They cannot stand up to even a destroyer in a fight and if engaged are likely to be lost. Nibble at the edges, protect them, coddle them and score whatever you can with them. Never enter a fair fight with them.

Regia Aeronautica

Much like the Submarine arm, the Italians have enough aircraft to perform the required functions, but the sizes of the units never quite match Allied air support. Entering zones where Allied air could also appear is simply asking to be cancelled out by air superiority. Use your air defensively to protect your ships and keep British air from striking unmolested. Italian air power is simply not the offensive force that the submarine arm is. But, it can be a great tool for keeping your fleet alive and functional.

Also note that no Italian aircraft can fly out of Tianjin. That is a ship only port.

Goals and Conclusion

The Italian fleet essentially has only two goals. Score the vast majority of points in the Mediterranean and force the British, especially on turns 5 through 10, to keep cycling ships into the Med to replace losses you have inflicted. Consider the Mediterranean to be the heartbeat of the Axis war effort. The more blood you cycle in from outside, the better those countries on the outside will do. Germany, Japan, and even Vichy France, will flounder if you fail to attract enough British attention.

The Italian fleet is created for, and specializes in, controlling the Mediterranean. Learn that terrain, learn your opponents and master the Middle Sea. You have a few fun sideshows to make it interesting but your side is counting on you to make the Mediterranean burn.

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