THE GREAT WAR AT SEA GAME SERIES
VOLUME #1: THE MEDITERRANEAN
ERRATA AND CLARIFICATIONS
by
Alan R. Arvold
The following errata and clarifications were based on a series
of questions put to, and answered by, Avalanche Press in a number
of phone calls. Also consulted were the numerous entries and
their responses listed in the GREAT WAR AT SEA section on
Consimworld. However, all errata and clarifications in this
article should be considered to be unofficial.
SECOND EDITION GAME
The second edition is the current version of this game. The
first edition, which came out in 1996, is no longer valid. Every
component of the game was completely redone in the second
edition.
SERIES RULES BOOK
There have been three different Series Rules Books in the game
series. The first version came in the first three games of the
series (THE MEDITERRANEAN, THE NORTH & BALTIC SEAS, and U.S. NAVY
PLAN ORANGE). The second version came in the fourth and fifth
games of the series (1904-1905: THE RUSSO-JAPANESE NAVAL WAR, and
U.S. NAVY PLAN BLACK) and was available as replacements for the
rule books in the first three games. These versions are now
obsolete. The third version came in the sixth and seventh games
of the series (1898: THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR and U.S. NAVY PLAN
RED) and the second edition of the first game. This is the
current version of the Standard Rules for the game series.
8.5 Dead in the Water
8.51 Speed Loss (Add): If a ship which suffers a hit where the
printed damage result includes losing one movement, and from the
same hit has more than half of the number of hull boxes crossed
off, then that ship suffers the loss of two movement, not one. A
ship may not lose more than one movement due to have more than
half of its hull boxes crossed off in a game, no matter how many
additional hull boxes are crossed off later on. Additional
printed movement losses from damage results still apply though.
(This rule represents the reduction of a ship's speed due to the
gradual flooding in the damaged hull spaces. The printed movement
losses in the various damage tables represent engine room hits.)
8.6 Referred Pain
(Add): 8.63 If primary hits on primary and secondary armament
with light or no armor cause excess damage, the excess damage can
be taken as a hull hit if the original primary hit takes out the
last armament box of the required type. However, the excess
damage is ignored if the hull has heavy armor.
9.0 Multiple-Ship Counters
9.3 Combat (Clarification): A player can not place all hits on
one ship in the counter if there are more hits than the one ship
can possibly absorb. In addition, once a ship has taken enough
hull hits to sink, it is no longer eligible to receive any more
hits.
COUNTERS
The British light cruiser Bristol (CL08) should have a speed of
2, not 1.
The British gunboat Pelorus (GB01) should have a speed of 1, not
2, and the torpedo symbol should be a circle, not triangle.
The Greek Kritl Class destroyers (DD7 and 8) should have a
tertiary value of 0, not 1.
The Turkish light cruisers Hamidieh (CL01) and Medjdieh (CL02)
each should a circle instead of a triangle as their torpedo
symbol. The Hit Record Chart is correct though. (These ships had
deck mounted torpedo tubes that did not swivel, thus they get the
hull mounted modifier.)
SCENARIO BOOK
Special Rules
There are several special rules listed here appear in later
games of the GREAT WAR AT SEA series. These are placed here to
update THE MEDITERRANEAN rules to their standard.
Victory Points (Add): Each destroyed airship is worth five
victory points, unless given another point value by the special
rules of a particular scenario. Each destroyed seaplane is worth
one victory point. (Players may wonder why seaplanes and airships
should be worth any victory points at all. Their destruction
denies a fleet of vital air reconnaissance, which is about all
they were good for during the war. Only as the war ended did they
start to become capable of other functions as noted in the other
games of this series.)
Combat Round (Addition): A "round of combat" (used to describe
the length of some battle scenarios) is one completion of the
tactical sequence (all 20 steps).
Crippled Ships (Addition): During tactical combat, a player may
separate an individual ship counter from a group once the ship
counter has lost at least half of its largest type of guns or
half of its hull boxes, or if it has suffered a reduction in
speed.
Carriers (Addition): In scenarios where seaplane carriers (CVS)
are called for, their seaplanes automatically come along with
them, unless the scenario special rules say otherwise. All have
only one seaplane counter. Seaplane counters are not assigned to
any particular carrier like in other games of the series. Thus,
they can be used in any carrier of their own nationality. Note
that the Russians have one extra seaplane counter and the British
are short one seaplane counter. If the British in a DYO scenario
need to use all of their seaplane carriers, they can borrow a
seaplane counter from another game in the series.
Scenarios
Mediterranean Scenarios: In Mediterranean Scenarios 11 and 12 the
French dreadnoughts Bretagne and Lorraine are both incorrectly
listed as BB05. They should be BB06 and BB07 respectively.
HIT RECORD CHARTS
The French battleships Democratie (B09), Justice (B10), and
Verite (B11) each should have five secondary gunnery boxes, not
four. The counters are correct.
The Greek battleships Lemmos and Kilkis should be numbered as B01
and B02, not BB01 and BB02.
The Italian battleships Andrea Doria (BB05) and Caio Duilio
(BB06) each should have two tertiary gunnery boxes, not one.
The Italian destroyer leaders Racchia (DL04), Riboty (DL05), and
Mirabello (DL06) each should have two hull boxes, not one.
The Italian destroyer leaders Poerio (DL07), Pepe (DL08), and
Rossarol (DL09) each should have two tertiary gunnery boxes, not
one.
OPERATIONAL MAPSHEET
In the Eastern mapsheet, the Russian port of Taganrog should
have a Russian flag next to it, not a Turkish flag.