Great War at Sea: Reichsmarine (2009)

Overview

In June 1919, 11 battleships, five battle cruisers, eight light cruisers and 50 destroyers of the German High Seas Fleet attempted to scuttle themselves in the British anchorage at Scapa Flow. Most of the crews succeeded, and the enraged Allied Powers soon stripped Germany of her remaining modern warships as well.

The mass sinking at Scapa Flow did clear up one diplomatic flashpoint: Some American naval staff officers feared they would be incorporated into the Royal Navy and used in an Anglo-American conflict. As punishment for the German act of defiance, the Allies seized all remaining German dreadnought battleships and modern cruisers, plus 400,000 tons of floating cranes and drydocks and other equipment and all submarines. Germany's new Wiemar Republic would have to build its new Reichsmarine around a core of aging ships already docked as obsolete by the old Imperial Navy.

Reichsmarine is a Great War at Sea supplement exploring the alternate history possibilities had the High Seas Fleet not been scuttled. Just like Second World War at Sea: Imperial & Royal Navy, it comes as a .pdf download: You get everything right away, but you will have to assemble the playing pieces yourself. It has everything you expect in a naval game supplement: scenarios, ship data sheets, and playing pieces.

The supplement includes ten scenarios, or separate game situations, based on battles that might have been waged by the Royal Navy or Weimar Germany. The ships lost at Scapa Flow are all present in British colors; those surrendered afterwards are in the colors of Weimar Germany. Plus, one-inch "long" pieces are provided for Royal Navy destroyer leaders. This module is not playable by itself, but requires ownership of Jutland, Mediterranean, U.S. Navy Plan Gold and Sea of Troubles to enjoy all of the scenarios.

Reichsmarine is sold exclusively via .pdf download. The playing pieces are not die-cut-and-mounted, nor are the scenario book or the ship data printed. Instead it comes as a series of .pdf files that will need to be assembled into the game's components.