The Wargamer

The one branch of the military services the US kept up to date before the outbreak of World War I was the Navy. (Thank you, Teddy Roosevelt and Admiral Dewey.)  Since Storm Eagles Studios released Jutland, fans have clamored for an American presence. Developers Jim Rose and Norm Koger have delivered in a big way. Under the hypothetical assumption, America enters the war in 1916.

Surprise!

The pack comes with two new campaigns with alternates removing the British intelligence Room 40 from each. One campaign is what gamers might expect; the Americans work with the British to maintain the blockade and destroy the High Seas fleet in 1916. The other one is a twist: the US allies with Germany. However improbable, such an occurrence is not pure fantasy. Anglophobia was always high in America before 1917 and a strong German lobby existed. With better German diplomacy and propaganda, another administration might have shaken hands with Kaiser Willy.

The game comes with five new scenarios. One is simply a demo showing off the new American ships. Two others have American squadrons escorting merchantmen. The biggest new scenario has the Grand Fleet and the American fleet combing against the Germans in a Jutland-like battle royal. Perhaps the most interesting new battle has the British and US forces teaming up to stop a squadron of the High Seas fleet from making a pre-dawn dash through the Channel. Nothing like darkness to spice up a fight. Of course, the battle editor can let gamers’ imaginations run wild. How about pitting the USS Texas against HMS Agincourt?

A German light cruiser enters the Channel under the cover of night.

Turrets R Us

The pack offers the battleships of the New York, Wyoming, Florida, Delaware classes and the O‘Brien, Cassin, Monaghan, Paulding destroyer classes. The destroyers are the classic, rugged “broken back” of Lend-Lease fame. The battleships have some different designs changes compared to their European counterparts.  European battleships have their turrets placed on or near their midlines. American battleships have their many dual turrets placed fore and aft – especially aft- of the superstructure. American ships appear to be slightly less armored the many British and German vessels, averaging a factor of ten compared with eleven or twelve. Some differences in gun caliber exist but the crew quality of the US ships equal the British and German ones.

An American destroyer on the lookout.

Detailed info on the destroyer

The USS Wyoming blasts away.

Detailed info on the Wyoming

The USS New York sails to the attack.

The only nit to be picked with this product is that the icons over the Allied ships all show the White Ensign instead of the occasional Stars and Stripes, Jutland Ship Pack 1 is an innovative and exciting addition to the Distant Guns series. Aficionados of the original should buy the expansion forthwith.

System Requirements

About the Author

Jim Cobb has been playing board wargames since 1961 and computer wargames since 1982. He has been writing incessantly since 1993 to keep his mind off the drivel he deals with as a bureaucrat. He has published in Wargamers Monthly, Computer Gaming World, Computer Games Magazine, Computer Games Online, CombatSim, Armchair General, Subsim, Strategyzone Online and, of course, The Wargamer.

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