Scope U-Boot by Draco Ideas

 Scope U-Boot

by

Draco Ideas

  Churchill said that the only thing that scared him was the war in the Atlantic Ocean between the convoys and the U-Boats. Oddly enough, in 1942, just as the U-Boats were sinking the most ships they ever had, the tide turned against them. They changed from the hunters to the hunted in a matter of months. 

This is what comes in the box

 

 So, what do we have here? This is a small card game about the war in the Atlantic. It is mainly a game about U-Boats hunting convoy ships. However, in turn the U-Boats are being hunted by the convoy escort ships. This is what Draco Ideas has to say about the game:

"Playing time: 15 minutes

SCOPE U-boot is a game for 2 players, in quick and dynamic 15-minute games, recommended for ages 12 and up.

It is an independent and very different installment of the SCOPE system, the only similarities are its grid of cards forming the board and the many strategic possibilities it offers!

 In U-Boot the German player will remain hidden under the surface and the Allied player must find him and avoid being sunk. The ships move on the surface, although the cargo ships move more slowly. The submarine gives away its position when it fires a torpedo, but beware! You will have to choose as an ally whether you prefer your freighters to dodge it or move your destroyer to the area from where the torpedo was fired and sink your opponent.

SCOPE U-boot has several game modes, with different levels of complexity and duration."

Yes, it is in Spanish. However, the game is simple enough to get the gist even without knowing the language.

 The game is a bit like cross between Stratego and the old card game concentration with the ability to actually move your pieces. The Rulebook is only seventeen pages long. There is both a basic and an advanced version of the game. There are also some Alternative Scenarios to allow the player to play some variant scenarios and to make up their own. You can also have a surface naval combat between the two players. 

 The Game Area is made up by placing Empty Sea Cards as the map that you will use in the game. Four of the Empty Sea Cards make up a quadrant. The game comes with these card and tokens:

12 - Allied Ship Cards

 2 Freighters

 2 Tankers

 3 Destroyers

 1 Battleship

 1 Escort Carrier

 2 Flower Corvettes/Mies

 1 Armed Freighter

 

7 - German Ship Cards

 3 Submarines

 1 Destroyer

 1 Battleship

 2 S-Boot/Mine

35 Sea/Empty Area Cards

6 Surface Firing Cards

6 Tokens

 4 Torpedo Tokens

 1 Allied Direction Token

 1 German Direction/Ping Token (Sonar)

  The scenarios are listed by the amount of Empty Sea Cards that you will use. These are:

Lone Wolf (One Submarine) 5x5 Empty Sea Cards

Coordinated Attack (Two Submarines) 5X6 Empty Sea Cards

Wolf Pack (Three Submarines) 5X7 Empty Sea Cards

 The German Player then secretly exchanges his units for some of the Empty Sea Cards in the first row on his side of the game area. The Allied Player does the same with the first two rows of the Empty Sea Cards on his side. Each player is allowed one action per turn. They then alternate turns. The actions allowed are:

Submarine Movement

Torpedo Launch

Fast Ship Movement

Slow Ship Movement

 The game continues until Target Points listed for each side in the scenarios are met or there are no more operational Cargo Ships. Each ship has a value number.

 For a small simple game, the players need to use strategy and learn the game's nuances. While this type of game is really not my cup of tea, I can see where others will really enjoy it. The components are very well done and feel like they will last through a great number of games.

 For those of you who like tactical hex and counter games, I suggest you look at Draco Ideas 'War Storm Series'. These are five games that are well worth their price. Their 'Saladin' game is also a good one.

Robert

Draco Ideas:

Home - Draco Ideas editorial

Scope U-Boot:

Scope U-boot (dracoideas.com)

War Storm Series:

“Normandy” and “Alone in the Storm” (War Storm Series) - Draco Ideas editorial