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Can someone tell what the numbers in the sea boxes mean "0, 2*, 1*" etc? What are they used for?

ORIGINAL: tverse

Can someone tell what the numbers in the sea boxes mean "0, 2*, 1*" etc? What are they used for?

warspite1

Hi tverse. Really basic explanation coming up. When a unit has moved into a sea area it needs to take up position in a sea box. Which sea box it can go into depends on its range (and of course how far its come from). Generally, the higher the box a unit can reach, the better e.g. better search capability, more chance of surprising and less of being surprised, better shore bombardment, invasion etc. Note convoy points can only take up the 0-box and so units must sometimes be required to enter there for convoy protection purposes.

Units that stay at sea at the end of a turn automatically move down one box, so to guard against not getting initiative, players will often place ASW ships in both the 0 and the 1 box. Units in the 0-box (except convoys) have to return to base at the end of the turn, so having a unit or two in the 1-box allows them to maintain an ASW presence even if they get to move second.

I am sure there is stuff I've left out but that's high level.

Those are used for two things:

1st: the number stated is the modifier which applies to the notional unit when invading. The number is added to the combat factor of that unit.

2nd: during shore bombardment, the shore bombardment factor of a ship is reduced by this number if it is in the sea box.'

The asterisk is there to indicate that this modifier is increased by 1, if the weather is snow or rain in the sea area (rough seas)...

What real world quality/ies do the box numbers reflect in abstraction? Is it about the amount of time available to be spent in that sea area?

ORIGINAL: Capitaine

What real world quality/ies do the box numbers reflect in abstraction? Is it about the amount of time available to be spent in that sea area?

warspite1

Two big advantages of any ship are speed and range. Leaving ASW and convoys aside, these boxes I guess are designed to try and reflect this - and also how close ship is to its base.

The closer a base is to the sea area its going to fight in, the higher the sea box its capable of occupying. But a modern, fast battleship that comes from further away may be able to get to the same or higher box than a older ship that comes from nearer.

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Those are used for two things:

1st: the number stated is the modifier which applies to the notional unit when invading. The number is added to the combat factor of that unit.

So if an invasion unit is in a sea box that has “2*” in it then is 2 added to the invading unit or the onshore defending unit?

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Capitaine

What real world quality/ies do the box numbers reflect in abstraction? Is it about the amount of time available to be spent in that sea area?

warspite1

Two big advantages of any ship are speed and range. Leaving ASW and convoys aside, these boxes I guess are designed to try and reflect this - and also how close ship is to its base.

The closer a base is to the sea area its going to fight in, the higher the sea box its capable of occupying. But a modern, fast battleship that comes from further away may be able to get to the same or higher box than a older ship that comes from nearer.

Is it correct to assume a ship in sea box 4 can stay at sea for more turns then a ship in sea box 1 without returning to home port?

ORIGINAL: tverse

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Capitaine

What real world quality/ies do the box numbers reflect in abstraction? Is it about the amount of time available to be spent in that sea area?

warspite1

Two big advantages of any ship are speed and range. Leaving ASW and convoys aside, these boxes I guess are designed to try and reflect this - and also how close ship is to its base.

The closer a base is to the sea area its going to fight in, the higher the sea box its capable of occupying. But a modern, fast battleship that comes from further away may be able to get to the same or higher box than a older ship that comes from nearer.

Is it correct to assume a ship in sea box 4 can stay at sea for more turns then a ship in sea box 1 without returning to home port?

warspite1

Yes - if you stay at sea, you go down 1-box each turn. So from a realism point of view - you need good range to be in the 4-box (or start close to the sea area and so expend less fuel) and can spend longer at sea.

ORIGINAL: tverse

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Those are used for two things:

1st: the number stated is the modifier which applies to the notional unit when invading. The number is added to the combat factor of that unit.

So if an invasion unit is in a sea box that has “2*” in it then is 2 added to the invading unit or the onshore defending unit?

No, but there is a penalty for being in lower boxes and it gets worse in bad weather. Same for shore bombardment.

Essentially the higher the box, the better your units will be for invading, shore bombardment, and searching for enemy forces in the sea zone. Also if you find them, then higher boxes can be better for combat as they help generate surprise points in your favor.

ORIGINAL: tverse

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Those are used for two things:

1st: the number stated is the modifier which applies to the notional unit when invading. The number is added to the combat factor of that unit.

So if an invasion unit is in a sea box that has “2*” in it then is 2 added to the invading unit or the onshore defending unit?

2 is added to the notional unit defending:

RAW:

The notional unit has 1 combat factor, modified by:
• +1 if it is a city hex;
• +1 if the hex is in the home country of the major power that
controls the hex;
• +1 if it is not stacked with a land unit, but is in the ZOC of a
friendly corps or army;
• + the shore bombardment modifier for each invading unit;
• -1 if it cannot trace a basic supply path of any length; and
• -1 if surprised (see 15.).

Thanks all. The info helps. I am very new at this game. Going through tutorials, video and interactive, read parts of manual and most of rules manual. Lot of things to learn and try to grasp. Currently playing Barbarossa for second time. I have tried Guadalcanal but got confused very quickly. But that’s the fun of the game.

You guessed correctly - the boxes do represent time in an abstract way. The more “time on station” a warship has available, the better it is able to complete its mission, whatever it may be.

ORIGINAL: brian brian

You guessed correctly - the boxes do represent time in an abstract way. The more “time on station” a warship has available, the better it is able to complete its mission, whatever it may be.

Heh, it wasn't quite a guess. I read the RAW8 recently and gleaned that it had something to do with time on station, but I wanted to know the interpretation of long-time players who'd actually played through the naval sequences and saw how various ship characteristics and situations played out practically. But thanks for the confirmation.