Raiders of the Deep Solitaire Campaign | Episode 5 | May 1915 | WW1 U-Boat Board Game

[@carlossteffens7659]

My work day just got screwed by this video. Now, I want to play boardgames for a living!

[@ZillaBlitz]

You and me both. Real work is such a pesky interference for the important things in life. :)

[@b_fortner7]

Soon enough you'll be retired like me where every day is basically a Saturday! I highly recommend it!

[@joeyj6808]

Nice work if you can get it.

[@SoloBattles]

@@b_fortner7 Me too. Somebody asked me the other day "How's retirement?" I replied, "Endless."

[@bobpallow]

Zilla sucked me in too….Im playing this one now

[@michaelstearnes1526]

Those mutipliers are the best insurance against failed patrols and a shortcut to the Hanseatic Cross.

[@ZillaBlitz]

They really do seem like a huge opportunity if the die roll goes in your favor. Rolling a six there could be career changing.

[@billjenkins9422]

Great series. I hope the next patrol of U-9 is coming soon. I really enjoy the creative narrative!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! Yes, I hope to get the U-9 out to sea this weekend, once Fallujah in 2004 falls. :)

[@Beery1962]

Nice patrol! Note for future patrols: you should only check for Q-ships at the point *immediately* before you roll on the U1 U-boat Torpedo / Deck Gun Fire Chart on an enemy small freighter (see rule 9.9) - in other words, you must choose your range and whether submerged before rolling for a Q-ship. If you check as soon as you encounter the small freighter (as you did here), you can game it and - if you do get a Q-ship - you can choose an attack profile that allows you to reduce the harm of the Q-ship (i.e. long range and submerged). Alternatively, if you don't get a Q-ship, you can ignore the potential threat. Checking right before the firing roll makes sure that you treat every small freighter as a potential threat - it makes you really consider whether you should or should not attack on the surface and at close range.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Ah, right, yes, that makes total sense. Thanks! I'll make note of that in the known errors section and play it this way going forward. Thanks for letting me know and explaining it so well. I appreciate it! :)

[@Beery1962]

@@ZillaBlitz I must say though, I'm really impressed by how well you know the rules. You have been playing the game perfectly.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks very much! Right back at you though, as every time I've had a question the answer is either on BGG or in the errata. I greatly appreciate the clarity and ability to find clear answers efficiently. It's such a help! :)

[@francisjulia499]

I am continuing to enjoy this play. I got hooked on solo submarine games because of you. I am still waiting the re-publication of 'The Hunters' and 'Silent Victory'. Hopefully sometime this year as it is 'at the designers etc.' I think that having rare number of targets probably makes sense this early in the war. Horrendous losses haven't occurred on the ground yet which would require more shipping. Personally I would wait to use the special roll you have. Your torpedo count and weak deck gun really wouldn't justify wasting it during this part of the war. As an observation to those who haven't played 'Beneath the Med', I found that the ability to attack and sink escorts and capital ships in that game makes the patrols so much more exciting. You really have to balance risk and reward almost every patrol. Keep up the good work and I can't wait for a Q-ship encounter.

[@ZillaBlitz]

I really want to get back out to sea here, hopefully soon! Just got backed up with a number of videos that I needed to make. Only a few more then I should be back. Thanks for the thoughts on the special roll, I'm thinking to actually use it because I think it'll be the fastest way for us to get a better U-boat, but I can definitely understand your thinking as well.

[@vandrik77]

Patrol six is due, sir!

[@ZillaBlitz]

That it is, that it is. It might still be more than a week, unfortunately. I'm sorry.

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

Captain Von Blitz I do not want to hear your excuses. You shall do your duty to the Kaiser without the excuses sir! Every ship sunk impacts the war effort Captain Von Blitz. Nice patrol log. Really do love this family of games.

[@joeyj6808]

Why am I hearing "UBoot Leid" in the background?

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

@@joeyj6808 Because its actually playing in the background! Hah at least it wasn't panzerlied because that would be awkward given its ww1 and deals with U-Boats!

[@ZillaBlitz]

We must strive to do better, sir! Understood! :)

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

@@ZillaBlitz I expect nothing less of those under my command Captain Von Blitz. Do your duty to your utmost ability.

[@thecustardprophet8434]

Nice job...particularly in getting a successful patrol with losing some opportunity due to the storm.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! A good bit requires the Gods of War shining down on us, but we'll take it when they give us targets! :)

[@brundebrauc2208]

My favourite of the solitaire sub games ❤

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, time to get back out to sea, too. :)

[@brundebrauc2208]

@@ZillaBlitz most definately

[@CopperFieldsGaming]

A very interesting run. I am a big fan of random events in games (more real life IMO) Appears to be a fast play as well. Thanks

[@ZillaBlitz]

I like the random touches as well, just adds a splash of flair to the narrative. It's definitely a fast play, I bet you could do an entire campaign in a few hours once you get in a rhythm. Hit a mine on your first patrol and you can do an entire career in about 2 minutes. :)

[@CopperFieldsGaming]

@@ZillaBlitz lol well put!🥽🌊

[@coyi51]

Not in my world sounds familiar, Capital, Large and Tanker rarities. A successful patrol keeps you alive and avoiding the escorts is always welcome. Many thanks.

[@duncanrae466]

Sir, a mid sized freigter was lost east of Scotland. We lost more material and manpower due to the storms coming out of the Denmark Straights to be honest. The Ethiope, 3800 tons of her. Theres evidence of enemy action involved. The staff are meeting for a pint after hours and have asked me to invite you.

[@ZillaBlitz]

The storm was pretty bad. I suspect that took the Ethiope out. First rounds on me, see you at the regular spot.

[@joeyj6808]

Q Ships AND Depth Charges? The ocean has warmed up for the Devil's Fish boys!

[@ZillaBlitz]

No depth charges yet, though. Only rumors at this point… :)

[@RichardBerner-jj1zl]

Just got this game because of these videos. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your career. My 1st patrol nothing happened at all. I have two questions for you. Have you played either Steel Wolves or Silent War? Have you played any of the Motor Torpedo Boats games from Compass? Looking forward to Episode 6.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Oh, nice! I hope you like it! I think it's pretty common for nothing to happen in those early patrols, especially with one of the shorter range U-boats that only search 3 zones. Silent War is on my Shelf of Opportunity and Steel Wolves I'm not familiar with yet. I have a used copy of one of the Torpedo Boat games but I haven't had a chance to play it yet. I'm really trying to get to Episode 6 soon. :)

[@SoloBattles]

You might have switched my mindset. The WWI solo airgame was too much setup time and too fiddley for me. This sets up and plays much cleaner. You know I've got that Noble Knight credit burning in my pocket...😉

[@joeyj6808]

You could do a lot worse for a solo game. It's pricey, but I forsee a lot of replays.

[@SoloBattles]

@@joeyj6808 I just bought a copy! I had some store credit from games I previously turned in, so it cost me...$0!

[@ZillaBlitz]

I look forward to hearing how you like it!

[@michaelkoznarsky7911]

During covid 4-5 of my fiends played this via zoom. I only just realized that the only way for you to get a ship in the second transit box is if you rolled boxcars in the first transit box. That’s only a 0.077% chance of happening. 😳

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, to be fair, though, you go through those transit boxes again on the way home. :)

[@michaelkoznarsky7911]

@@ZillaBlitz Yes, that’s true but outbound, it will be very rare to encounter a ship in the transit boxes. Not a complaint but an observation. Happy hunting!

[@jakecarrick2429]

Hey Zilla. I have been playing through this and pretty sure I’ve got this one locked. BUT. I am confused on the using all your torps, and deck guns. I thought after each attack there would be a roll to see if escorts showed up. If that is not the case. You are just allowed to keep adding your other torpedos until you either are empty or you sink the target? I guess I thought it went like this: 1 ship (no escort). Shoot at it with your deck guns, not sunk, opt for another combat round in which you roll to see if escorts show up. No escort. Send torpedos. Still not sunk. Opt for another combat round. Check for escort etc. where am I going wrong here cause it sure seems like you are playing that you can just unload everything in one combat round without any escort checks.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Sure thing. When there are no escorts present, you can fire front tubes/rear tubes/deck guns before ending a "round" and checking for escorts. After all three of those fire, you check for escort appearance.

[@jakecarrick2429]

Got it. So it is really adding a strategic part to things. I.E. where you are in your patrol. What kind of tonnage you are looking at. And of course only snow to do this on unescorted ships in combat round one. Is that about right? Thanks a ton Zilla. You’re a huge help sir. You have any luck with Phantom Fury? I had a great time with that one.

[@ZillaBlitz]

The rules breaks it down pretty well so I'd be sure to refer to those for the connected details, but it's any round of unescorted combat that you can fire all weapons before checking for escort appearance. There are other nuances in there as well, such as potential die roll penalties to firing from both the fore and aft torpedoes in the same round, reloading of torpedos, etc. Happy Hunting, and glad it helped!

[@jakecarrick2429]

@ Thanks again bud. You’re always so helpful. Your vids have helped me get back into this hobby with vigor. Keep up the great work!!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you are enjoying the hobby. :)

[@TheGreat2]

Question for you: is this one different enough that it would justify having it in addition to silent war or the hunters?

[@ZillaBlitz]

That's a great question. I think if I were to have only one of these games I would get the Hunters because of its iconic WW2 U-Boat theme, unless someone has a preference for a particular theater/time period. If you are a fan of these games, though, then this is most definitely different from the WW2 games, and does a great job of capturing the historical differences in technology and combat. I mean, it is the same core submarine combat, but the surrounding elements and nuances are unique to WW1. It's also very well done, and very well supported by the designer. That help?

[@TheGreat2]

Great, thank you!

[@patrickols]

Five patrol and still going. I can’t recall what was the average life span of those U-boats back then?

[@ZillaBlitz]

I think pretty good, actually, especially before the development of depth charges. The designer has said that he estimates a 50% campaign survival rate if you play well. ... So probably about a 20% survival chance for us. :)

[@scotwilliams803]

Losing contact with the 200 ton Lucerne to avoid the escort might have not been a bad trade. Makes you wonder what its freight was that warranted an escort 🤔

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, ideally I'd like to take every target down but the Ethiope was worth 19 Lucernes, so I'm glad we got the one we got and missed the one we missed. :)

[@Beery1962]

Hi Patrick. As @ZillaBlitz says, the survival rate was pretty okay for WWI U-boat crews - much better than in WWII (although if I were 18 in 1914, I'm still not sure I'd volunteer for U-boat duty). A few players have said that "Raiders of the Deep" is the most survivable of all the "Hunters" series of games. I think it's nice because, as time progresses, you feel like you really get to know your crew, but unlike many similar games, you actually have a good chance of getting them to survive the war.

[@michaelkoznarsky7911]

@@Beery1962 A group of about 6 different gamers (due to work/family commitments not everyone could play each week) played this via Zoom during COVID. We played from 1914 through 1918 in most every theater (not the Baltic!) with one player amassing well over 300K of sunken ships! Only one of the team was killed by a prolonged depth charge attack. It seemed survivable if you don’t take extreme chances or get very bad luck with mines.

[@SuperDevilDoctor]

If I may ask… Why is the ‘1’ result for Torpedo on the Attack Damage Chart changed (by handwritten notation) from ‘4’ to ‘5’? Is this because of chart/table errata?

[@ZillaBlitz]

Sure thing, happy to help. That comes from the official errata for the game. I just wrote the correct number so I wouldn't forget. :)

[@Beery1962]

Ian Cooper (designer of RotD) here. After the game's release, I got hold of some more data on the effectiveness of German torpedoes in WWI, and it turned out that (for one reason and another) a single hit could be more effective than I had calculated pre-release, so I upped that one number to account for it, and added it to the errata. Previously, you could never take out a capital ship with a single torpedo. Now you can (although you still have to get a lucky shot).

[@BrianMarcus-nz7cs]

Dashing back home for a bit of leave ,,,, cancelled 🧞

[@ZillaBlitz]

Back to sea! Duty calls. :)