ORP Orzeł (2020)

Overview

ORP Orzeł (Eagle) is a dynamic game for two. The game presents the escape of the submarine ORP Eagle from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea in the first weeks of World War II.

After the outbreak of war in September 1939, ORP Orzeł left its base in the Bay of Gdańsk. Its commander, complaining about health problems, directed the ship to the Talinn, the capital of Estonia. There, on September 15, the unit was interned by Estonians. But the Polish crew decided to flee, to reach Great Britain and continue the fight against Germany. At this point, the game begins.

The goal of the game is different for each player. The Polish Navy player wants the submarine ORP Orzeł to escape from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. He must carefully plan his movement to avoid detection by the German air force and attacks by Kriegsmarine torpedo boats. The German Kriegsmarine player wants to sink the ship before it leaves the Baltic.

Each turn, a player rolls dice, and the results enable various activities: moving, attacking, placing mines, and more. The Polish moves are partly hidden from the German player, which makes the game very suspenseful.

Box contents: A game board presenting a map of the Baltic Sea, a figurine of the submarine ORP Orzeł, 8 wooden dice, 24 cardboard tokens, 2 player screens, two booklets with game rules and a historical article (one booklet is in Polish, and second in English).

—description from designer