Seas of Thunder is a game covering the global war on the high seas during World War 2. Scenario 1 covers the period between the start of the war and the invasion of France in 1940 and spans three game turns. France and Britain are pitted against the much smaller German fleet. At first blush, the Allies appear to have an embarrassment of riches that appears to have no end.

This article is not intended to be a fully established unbeatable strategy guide. It is intended to give new players a list of possibilities and some suggestions about what not to do. Players can do everything right and still lose a scenario simply because of dice and more importantly the interactive combat resolution that can allow for an unorthodox strategy to work above its expected value. I will even say that these basic do’s and don’ts can and have been overcome by a bold stroke here and there by the Axis. In general adherence to these rules will keep you in a game but victory over a skilled player will require elements of surprise and luck.

Let’s start with just the various strengths and weaknesses of the opposing sides as viewed through the Allied lens.

Allied Strengths:

• Ships, lots of them. The combined forces of France and Britain outmatch the Germans by about a 4:1 margin.
• Ship Power. The British and the French do have some old ships, but in general they are good quality. A number of large battleships and battlecruisers are all forces to be reckoned with when squaring off against the Germans.
• Air Superiority. Aircraft carriers, seaplane tenders and light carriers all provide elements that the Germans can’t match. The flexibility of unchecked air power allows the allied player to direct them against opposing ships and subs without fear of aerial reprisals. If the North Sea and the Baltic Sea are avoided, there will be no challenge from German air cover.
• Global collection of bases in which to operate. Both the British and the French control bases in Europe, the New World, the Med, the South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific. Anywhere on the globe is within reach.

Allied Weaknesses:

• Global responsibilities. Yes the Allies can base all over the world. The problem is that there are potential conflict zones all over the world.
• Moving first each turn. The Allies must set their forces first. One each of the three turns in this scenario, the Axis will set the terms on where fighting occurs and how lopsided it will be.
• The Allies have 30 convoys to cover as well. These ships may be escorted, and still suffer raider attacks or left on their own. These innocuous ships represent 30 potential points the Axis could score. More importantly they represent 30 potential locations that you are tempted to protect.
• British and French ships cannot base together and their Land-Based Air cannot fly from each other’s ports. They act as separate entities and should be treated as such.

Axis Strengths:

• Moving last each turn. By moving last, the German player is allowed to dictate strategy and set the terms of engagement. They will be looking for spots that allow them to maximize scoring (area scoring, convoys sunk, and ships sunk) at the minimum risk.
• Raider actions. May of the ships in the German fleet are modern fast cruisers. All of these ships have the potential to raid a sea zone, sink a convoy and escape below the horizon before a shot is fired at them in anger.
• The Danish Sound Barrage provides a neat little firewall behind which sits 6 VP’s. Simply trying to get through it from an allied point of view is risky.
• Range. Many German ships have long ranges that allow them to reach distant targets that might seem safe.
• Global access to neutral ports. A good German player will have their ships dispersed across the globe at the start of the war making every sea zone with a point value or a convoy a potential hot point.

Axis Weaknesses:

• Other than the CA’s and CX’s the remainder of the German fleet, including the Subs and BB’s have limited range. Where they start is likely to be where they remain for the duration of the scenario.
• Not enough ships to really engage a sizeable British force and prevail.
• Lack of mobile air cover. No CV’s means that only the Luftwaffe in the North Sea and the Baltic can protect ships from Allied air attack. On the high seas, German ships and subs are at the mercy of opposing air forces.
• Few Subs. Yes, the U-boat is synonymous with Germany in WW2, at this stage of the war, they are still few and far between.

Having laid out those strengths and weaknesses, I have developed some good strategy tips for playing the Allies. You are welcome to listen or not at your peril. I don’t pretend that this is the only way to have success as the Allies, but these should at least be considered.

Varied Forces

Keep your forces varied across the globe. Every major base should have a Battleship and a Carrier of some type. Two cruisers should be at each base. Subs should be dispersed. Basically keep each base stocked with as wide a variety of ships as possible. The German fleet could be anywhere and being on the losing end of a rock-paper-scissors conundrum can be frustrating.

Hunt for U-Boats in the North Atlantic

In opposition to “Varied Forces” above, start with your ASW Destroyers in the North Atlantic. The starting German U-Boats are slow and likely to be lurking with the most targets in a concentrated group. With that assumption I place all of my British ASW ships in England, Gibraltar, Bermuda, and Ascension. They can be relocated if you guess wrong but if you are right, then you always have an ASW threat against German subs. On the flip side, to cover my backside, I also try to keep a French ASW unit in the Pacific, you know… just in case.

Strong Groups for Valuable Zones

If a Sea Zone is worth 3 or more VP’s to the Axis, I patrol that zone with a full task force of 6 to 8 ships. If the German’s want to take it, they will have to risk a sizeable portion of their fleet to do so. If the German’s weaken themselves early, it just makes the remainder of the game easier for you. The big gambit will come on turn 3 of a game where that is the last turn and no other scenarios will be played. At that point, I would expect the High Seas fleet to sail into harm’s way to both sink ships and capture a large value sea zone.

Other sea zones, that are valued 2 and 1 to the Axis, should be patrolled with forces consisting of 2 to 3 ships. This forces the Germans to commit to them enough ships to win for the points. A good rule of thumb is that it takes at least twice as many ships as an opponent possesses to capture a sea zone. Yes, luck or an awkward combination can change that math, but it’s a good general rule to follow.

Abandon the Minor Scoring Zones

One thing I am not at all afraid to do is simply abandon sea zones that score 1-0. That is 0 points for the Allied player and 1 for the Axis. Holding these Zones does nothing to advance the Allied war effort. On the other hand, the German player has to spend a vital ship to score that 1 point. A ship controlling a minor backwater zone is not fighting for the better prizes, not sinking my ships and not taking points I could get.

Forget the Air and let Destroyers deal with Subs

Air power in Seas of Thunder is the most versatile unit. It can cancel out other air, sink opposing ships and hunt submarines. As the scenarios progress, this versatility will become more and more useful. However, in this scenario, forget the air and forget the subs. Hunt ships!

The Germans will have no air except for Land-Based Air covering the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Stay out of the Baltic and match air for air in the North Sea.

At this stage in the game, the Germans have too few subs to hunt with your air assets. Keep them searching for ships. You have ASW destroyers, use them to hunt the few subs on the board.

Convoy Placement

Convoy placement is surprisingly important in this game. As the Allies, I posit that it is more useful for the Allied player to double up zones with ships. This means placing convoys in areas with points and the more points the more likely the placement. Why? Simple, you are already placing ships there as it is to defend those valuable sea zones. Defending a convoy or hunting a German one at the same time makes the most sense. It is likely that a German player will be doing exactly the opposite, placing both yours and their convoys in out-of-the-way locations to try and score a point without contest.

No Convoy Escorts

Related to Convoy Placement above, do not weaken your groups by sending out a ship to protect every convoy floating on the seven seas. You think you have the ships to do so, but trust me, you don’t. Every convoy only has a 50% chance of being sunk by a single German ship. It is Ok at this point in the game to allow those ships to try and survive on their own. Every ship you detour here is unlikely to do anything but become a potential target.

Stay Global

It is easy to see those moments where the Germans have clumped up in the North Atlantic and think that you need to rush forces there to aid in the conflict. There are two counter-forces in the game that make that a poor idea.

• The Allies have barely enough spaces to operate their fleets from as it is. Rushing reinforcements to an area can literally overload the bases in that region thus rendering the reinforcing ships inoperable. Only consider relocating if you have lost significant ships in a ‘hot’ theater and feel you need reinforcements.
• The German ships have range, some of them have almost unlimited range. A good Axis opponent will be looking for opportunities to stretch you and if you overcommit from a quiet zone, you might end up paying for it.

As the Allied player, you have the easier job in Scenario 1. You get to set the terms of where the Axis player may have a reasonable chance of success in a fight. You have more ships and can survive more losses. Your forces are more flexible and more formidable. A skilled Axis opponent will nibble here and there and if you suffer any type of serious losses, your forces will begin to thin. The thinner they get, the more appealing they become to the German player. Don’t try to play the hero and don’t try to put up a zero-tolerance defense. You just don’t have enough ships to cover everywhere and trying to do so will cause a downward slide of your power.

---

Seas of Thunder – Sailing Outside the Edge of the Map

Combat Sequence in Seas of Thunder