Strategy in
Defiant Russia

New: 04302000 - Modified: 04302000

The GREAT WAR AT SEA series is Avalanche Press LTD's games on naval warfare from 1890 to 1933. The following are commonly asked questions on the rules. The answers were prepared by Joe Keller, the GWAS/SWWAS Developer.

Rule 3.1 Do players have to use a fleet counter for fleets that start in port or off the Operational Map?

No, but they must record the location of all ships not in a fleet box, so that they can be placed on the Tactical Map for a battle if an enemy fleet enters the port.

Rule 3.1 Do all ships that start the game in the same location (port or sea zone) have to be placed in one fleet box?

No. They may be placed in as many fleets as the player desires (up to the limit of the fleet counters).

Rule 3.1 Are players required to plot two turns of movement for intercept fleets before the game begins? And what do they do if ships become available on a later turn?

Yes. And when ships become available on a later turn, players must immediately plot three turns for an intercept mission (all their movement for bombardment mission, etc.) and may begin moving them on that turn.

Rule 4.4 Do you check for contact if two fleets remain in the same zone?

Yes.

Rule 5.2 (Minesweeping) -Do you have to pre-plot detecting and removing minefields?

No. A fleet with a minesweeping mission may remain in a hex to detect and sweep mines, thus delaying but not changing its pre-plotted movement.

Rule 5.4 Do you have to check for contact for a fleet that is in port, bombarding or unloading cargo?

No. Contact always occurs between a fleet plotted to bombard or unload cargo in the same zone that an opposing fleet remains in or enters. Contact always occurs if one fleet is in a minor port and an enemy fleet enters the port (See Rule 11.31).

Rule 5.4 Do you check for contact with a raiding fleet that doesn't have its fleet counter on the map if it passed through a zone containing an enemy fleet?

No. Only if it has its fleet counter on the map or it ends movement in a zone containing an enemy fleet and is thus required to place its fleet counter on the map (See Rule 5.2 Raid).

Rule 7.28 says an unmodified result of six (6) is a surprise sighting. What if the modifiers indicate that no contact takes place?

An unmodified contact result of six (6) is always a contact, regardless of the modifiers.

Rule 7.2 Please clarify placement rules 7.21 through 7.24.

Placement. No more than eight ships of the same side may occupy one hex on the tactical map. No less than four ships may be placed in a hex unless the player has less than four ships in his fleet, in which case they must all be placed in the same hex. All ships are initially placed face-down. Count multiple ship counters (Rule 9.0) as one ship each for placement. Ships from the same fleet must be placed in the same hex or a series of adjacent hexes with at least four ships in each hex (thus, if the total number of ships in the fleet is less than eight, all must be placed in the same hex). The player without the initiative must place a total of eight ships in one or two adjacent shaded center hexes before he may place any ships in hexes outside the shaded center hexes. If he has more than eight ships, he may place additional ships in any hexes that are adjacent to any ships that have been previously placed, and as long as no ships are placed closer to the numbered hexes on the map side from which the initiative playerís ships will enter than the current sighting range (four hexes during daylight and two at night). All ships must be placed as close as possible to the numbered hexes on the map side from which the initiative playerís ships will enter. The initiative player then places his ships, starting in the numbered hexes along the side of the tactical map corresponding to the sea zone from which his fleet entered the sea zone in which contact was made. If the initiative playerís fleet did not move during the turn, it may enter the tactical map from any side the initiative player chooses. If he has more than eight ships, he may place additional ships in any hexes that are adjacent to any ships that have been previously placed, as long as no ships are placed closer to enemy ships than the current sighting range (four hexes during daylight and two at night, modified by weather conditions).

Rule 7.23 Can twenty-four (24) destroyers set up in one hex, since multiple-ship counters count as one ship?

Yes.

Rule 7.32 Do speed 2 ships move two hexes on the tactical map during their movement impulse?

No. All ship groups may remain in their hex or move one hex on an impulse in which they are allowed to move. The advantage of faster ship groups is that they get to move on more impulses.

Rules 7.34 and 8.5 These rules seem to indicate two mutually exclusive conditions. Which rule should prevail?

Use rule 8.5.

Rule 7.37 Can players change the movement orders for all fleets that participated in combat?

No. The first sentence instructs players to correct the movement orders for fleets that had their plots altered by contact (rule 5.41) or exiting the tactical map (rule 7.33). The second sentence allows players to change the mission of fleets involved in combat to an abort mission and thus send it back to a port.

Rule 7.5 Are ships only allowed to fire once each 20 step impulse sequence?

No. They may fire once during each of that player's gunnery and torpedo steps/impulses.

Rule 8.3 Can Excess Damage harm another ship of a multiple-ship counter?

No.

Rule 8.3 If Excess Damage calls for another hit of a type that no longer exists, what do you do?

Follow the Referred Pain (rule 8.6) rules to see what the hit becomes.

Rule 8.6 If the Referred Pain rules refer the hit to something that has armor that can't be penetrated by the gunnery, what happens?

The hit is ignored.

Rule 8.8 Can Plunging Fire damage another ship of a multiple-ship counter?

No.

Rule 9.0 How do you handle fuel for multiple-ship counters?

Multiple-ship counters are treated as one ship for purposes of fuel consumption (rule 12.1) and refueling (rule 12.3). Note that a multiple-ship counter only has one set of fuel boxes on the Ship Data Sheet for the counter, not one for each ship.

Rule 11.73 Are you supposed to ìaddî or ìsubtractî to the die roll for search (contact) attempts?

Subtract.

Rule 12.0 What do the white and gray fuel boxes stand for?

White stands for coal-burning ships. Gray stands for oil-fired ships.