Silent Victory Campaign / Playthrough - GMT Games - Wargame - WW2 US Solitaire Episode 1

We start our first patrol of this solitaire playthrough of Silent Victory (GMT Games, Consim Press) WW2 (World War 2) solitaire game (wargame historical game war game board game), a United States (US) submarine simulation board game. Patrol 1a
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#wargaming #silentvictory #gmtgames
Gregory M. Smith
boardgamegeek....
World War 2 combat game submarine uboat
solitaire game
submarine simulation u-boat simulation
Silent Victory Campaign / Playthrough - GMT Games - Wargame - WW2 US Solitaire Patrol 1a

[@ZillaBlitz]

Add a comment down below if you'd like to be on our crew. We'll add members as our current members ... "leave" us. If you have been added from the previous waitlist, drop a comment to accept your position. Also, what shall we name SS-186? Historical or fictional names are fine! :)

[@setSCEtoAUX]

Woot! Happy to accept the role of Chief Engineer! I'm preparing all my curses for when our torpedoes go "bonk" off the hulls.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Excellent, welcome aboard! You're 2 for 2 so far in repairs. That Dive Plane repair was key. :)

[@manuelkooijman5757]

And you will curse as the dud rates are high, as I found out myself when playing this game.

[@davet010]

I vote for the USS Zilla - after all, like its fictional counterpart, it lives underwater, is extremely dangerous, and is aiming to trash Tokyo at some point :) As for roles, I shall be accepting a role at SUBPAC, putting pins in maps or something.

[@ZillaBlitz]

USS Zilla - Name is added to the list, that'd be a fun one for sure, and as you say, very appropriate. :) If you'd like to be added to the waitlist again just let me know, otherwise we could use someone to manage submarine repairs and refitting in Brisbane. We've also run into a dud problem, and could use someone to take over finding a solution for that. 2/3 chance of a dud is aggravating! :)

[@davet010]

@@ZillaBlitz I humbly accept the job of liaison officer in the sub pens and repair bays. Engineering is not my forte, so I'm afraid that the dud problem is likely to remain until someone else sorts it out.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Nice! We'll get some engineers working on the dud problem, assuming we get back to port safely. We'll have a bit of work for you to manage if we make it home. :)

[@garethwallace9032]

XO Wallace reporting for duty sir! Let's get some fish in the water and send some more enemy to the bottom.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Most excellent, glad to have you aboard! We're off to a good start, your training with the torpedo teams is paying off. Keep it up!

[@jimj.9106]

Glad you started up another patrol. Started to worry about withdrawals. As far as names go if you stay with Salmon as the first ship in the class you could go with Sockeye or Cutthroat Or Trout. Outside of the class names, I'm kind of partial to Sea Dragon. I'd also be honored to stand watch on your bridge. Anytime or anywhere! Fair winds and following seas!

[@ZillaBlitz]

I kind of like Sea Dragon best of those, maybe even Puff! And thanks for volunteering! I'll gladly add you to the list. Finishing our patrol got a touch delayed but I hope to get it posted in a few days. :)

[@wayneclingman2328]

Lets go Capt !

[@ZillaBlitz]

Having 4 aft tubes is fun. :)

[@soloboardgaming]

What will fascinate me is how this iteration compares to Hunters and to BtM (which is the only one I own). Great to change theater and nationality. It'll be great to see if you're boat is as 'lucky' as the last one! Must admit the map looks real busy and with 2 x activity checks per box this game could be very different indeed!

[@ZillaBlitz]

The patrols are longer, with a good bit more searching, and we have a lot more torpedoes available, so I might cut up our patrols into two episodes if they go long. I'm excited to see how this plays out. I can already see a lot of differences. The four aft tubes and the nutty dud rate stand out right from the start. Tonnage is also likely to be a lot lower, as we won't encounter convoys like this one very often.

[@reptar33]

Loved the last series, sure I'll love this series! Great video as always, I'll throw my name in for enlistment- Mr. Buff

[@ZillaBlitz]

I've added Mr. Buff to the waiting list, and I'm excited to see how this goes as well. I wonder if we can last 12+ patrols like the last series. :)

[@thecustardprophet8434]

Happy to be part of the crew!!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Glad to have you aboard. You're third man up, so if I go down and then Officer Wallace goes down, it's your sub. Be ready, Custard!

[@michaellloyd6812]

Great playthrough

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Michael!

[@Stumptonian1]

So far, so good. Those dud rolls are killers.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yeah, at least we get a lot more torpedoes though. That takes some of the sting out of it. Although I'm sure we'll get one attack where we hit a bunch of times and they are all duds. I think we've been above average lucky so far. :)

[@jeromyfisher297]

I would like to be added to the waiting list under “Fisher”. Thanks and looking forward to this Campaign and hopefully the “hunted” later on.

[@ZillaBlitz]

All set, I've added you to the waitlist as "Fisher". If it doesn't work out for this campaign, we'll carry over the list to the next game. I'm thinking to do the WW1 U-Boat game next. :)

[@michaelstearnesstearnes1498]

Happy to see that you survived your first patrol. Looking forward to more "Dud" Mondays.

[@ZillaBlitz]

No kidding! So many duds! Offsetting that is the four aft tubes, so getting eight shots seems to mitigate some of the effects of nothing blowing up. :) Now we just have to bring this one home. :)

[@Solkills]

Was waiting about this campaign, glad it start ! Want to enlist for this journey too ! For the name, I propose "Whale" ^^ Fair winds and following seas captain ! o7

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for volunteering, Solkills! You're currently #2 on the waiting list, and might move up depending on if people from The Hunters waiting list confirm. I've added "Whale" to the name's list, thanks! Good one!

[@coyi51]

Those dreaded duds, at least you have fared better than me, my first patrol netted 6900 tons, the next five only 6400 as well as two nil returns. I started with the Porpoise and finished with Balao from Nov 44.. I must play again at some point. Loving Sub Mondays.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yeah, the duds are something, but I like the fact that we can get 8 shots off if we fire fore and aft. That should net us 1-2 good hits each attack, which I think we can work with. I'm not liking the added risk involved with firing fore and aft, but maybe I'll try firing from long range to offset it. Not sure. I do think we've been really lucky to find a convoy. The tonnage is a lot less in this game, and getting a convoy with a couple of big targets was really fortunate. Let's hope we can keep it up, it's a long war. :)

[@HethwillWargames]

Good cruise :)

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, so far so good, but still a bit left to do before we're safe in port. I'm liking the 24 torpedoes. :)

[@HethwillWargames]

@@ZillaBlitz Yeah, very impressive load.

[@PatricksTacticsTutorials]

How did I miss this??? Can't wait to catch up!

[@ZillaBlitz]

I hope you've enjoyed it, Patrick, thanks for stopping in!

[@PatricksTacticsTutorials]

@@ZillaBlitz I did!

[@uwebech5825]

Great patrol so far Zilla. I believe you can pick night or day without rolling on a successful follow. Could be wrong as having all four games can get confusing.

[@ZillaBlitz]

I'll check on that, Uwe, thanks. I think when following damaged ships that's possible, but I thought following undamaged ships it was necessary to roll for day/night again. I'll double check though. :)

[@swibal1]

A name for a Salmon class sub... easy: Steelhead, even if it was for trout, it is still in use for salmon... lol

[@ZillaBlitz]

That would be a good one, for sure! Thanks. :)

[@ParkeraNZ]

Name the sub USS Queensland especially if you are starting from Brisbane. Nice episode mate and looking fwd to catching these on Monday (Tuesdays here)

[@ZillaBlitz]

Added to the list, Parkera. How about USS Kiwi. :) Nice to see we have Submarine Tuesdays as well. :)

[@duncanrae466]

Historically the 186 was the Stingray... I like it. Also I will be accepting a position in SubPac handling fuel ammo parts and food logistics.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Sounds good, Officer Rae! And the Stingray is another fine candidate for a name. Added to the list. With so many good ones, I think I might have to randomly pick one. :)

[@argy8141]

Is it just me or is it odd that the "game" flip flops between die being high or low for success? How hard what it have been just to stick with highs are successes and lows are failures? The example that caused the comment is torpedo attack resolution, low scores hit and then low scores are duds. It's wouldn't have been hard to be consistent, it just feels lazy. I'm also getting the feeling that this is another of those narrative campaigns where the player is really a house dealer (pontoon/21) and following a set of rules, dictated by the dice. It reminds me of B17 QotS where the playing is really creating a "gamuentary" which documents what could have happened rather than being a game with a lot of player agency. Great explanation and great commentary, you've helped me decide that this is another "game" I need to avoid.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Glad it helped, definitely sounds like a game you won't like. :)

[@hankdean15]

I found this game a few years to late its out of print😕 But I did get hold of the PDFs for free and printed it off and laminated the subs and player aids looks great. I just used dice for gun ammo and wooden cubes for everything else so I don't have to deal with the counters. So I have about 3 dollars in the game and play it all the time.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Good news! It's actually got a print run coming up. It's available for pre-ordering here: www.gmtgames.com/p-968-silent-victory-3rd-printing.aspx I hope you'll consider picking it up!

[@hankdean15]

@@ZillaBlitz yes I will be

[@joelcole161]

@@ZillaBlitz I called GMT today, to check on "MY" P500 preorder, placed a little more than a year ago. Debbie at GMT told me that the P500 was successful, and that the game is still being printed. (Today is 28 Nov. 2023, btw) So if anyone else is waiting for theirs, the word today is that everything is still in line, and we will get an email when they are ready to charge our accounts. Since it's quiet at work today, I decided to revisit your campaign series. It's been long enough that I don't "really" remember how the campaign went - lol.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Good to know, thanks for sharing. :) The P500 status page is a great resource as well: www.gmtgames.com/s-2-p500.aspx I forgot a good bit of this campaign too, I could probably watch it and not know what happened for much of it. I do remember the ending though. :) @@joelcole161

[@DragonsAteOurName]

He is dead, Zilla. Doctor Lile is reporting for duty! Hopefully I survive :'D Ahahaha! Didn't that aircraft attack also happen on the first patrol of The Hunters? I seem to remember a similar scenario. But other than that, it was a good start! Just some damage and already three ships sunk!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Welcome aboard Doctor Lile! And yes, the very first patrol with Hunters we got attacked by an aircraft as well, nice memory! In that game we actually failed the crash dive too, so we ended up damaged at the start. But this time we made the crash dive and escaped. I'm excited for our start, hoping we can bring our passenger and the sub home safely. :)

[@DragonsAteOurName]

@@ZillaBlitz Oh yeah! I remember somebody died on that very first patrol, right? And we all thought people would die left and right all the time but then it never really happened again!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, before we had the crew named, I think we lost someone with that air attack. And yeah, it didn't happen again... until we all died. :)

[@whovian223]

I'd be happy to be in the crew! Though I see that I'm going to be way down the list. :)

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for stepping up, David. Yeah, the list is a bit long but I'll keep a running tally and hopefully once we get going with some series there will be some openings!

[@Obalcan]

Enlisting. :)

[@ZillaBlitz]

Added to the wait list, Nejc, thanks for volunteering! :)

[@yaeroplane6400]

I'd like to enlist for the list as Yaero. I'm from the PNW so I'm legally required to suggest you name the sub Orca. Great start to the campaign!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Welcome aboard, Yaero! You're #4 on the list but a couple of our crew may be AWOL, so you might bump up to #2 shortly. :) And Orca is a fine name. On the list it goes!

[@yaeroplane6400]

@@ZillaBlitz I would also recommend giving Run Silent, Run Deep a watch to maybe get into the theme a bit. Not as good as Das Boot but still a fun time :)

[@ZillaBlitz]

Will do, good idea. I'll add it to the movies to watch list. Thanks!

[@farpointgamingdirect]

According to what I've read, the dud torpedo issue was solved when they switched from a steel firing pin to one made of aluminum

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, there were actually a number of things wrong with them, including running too deep. It took a good bit of time to solve the issues.

[@NefariousKoel]

Also a major issue were the magnetic detonators being too sensitive, resulting in premature detonations. Some were even reported to have detonated just by the variance in the earth's magnetosphere on their run. Plus some were running deeper than set. Such a mess, and the mil bureaucracy hampered the fixes for a surprisingly long time. Don't get me started on Congressman May's loose lips sinking boats.

[@charleslatora5750]

Thought I was gonna survive...oops...minefield...cruise #11.

[@ZillaBlitz]

I have to read that rules section. I spotted the chart when I was taking some photos for the video, but I haven't seen that part of the rules yet. :) Sorry for your loss! 11 patrols is good!

[@charleslatora5750]

Sure I'll enlist. Latora.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Most excellent! #3 on the waiting list, behind Odunga and Solkills. I'll carry the waitlist over to the next game if you don't make it into this one.

[@charleslatora5750]

@@ZillaBlitz that's fine

[@msundborg]

USS Skipjack

[@ZillaBlitz]

Nice! Added to the list, thanks Michael!

[@manuelkooijman5757]

I would like to enlist as well. Am on my second campaign myself. My first campaign with USS Sailfish ended after two patrols and two ships sunk.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Welcome aboard Manuel! Thanks for volunteering! I'll add you to the waiting list. It's getting a touch long so it might be a bit before you get in, but I'll carry over the waitlist from this series to the next, so we'll get you in eventually. :) And I'm hopeful we'll have a bit more luck than 2 patrols, but you never know with this game. :)

[@manuelkooijman5757]

@@ZillaBlitz , my second campaign is going better. I am 6 patrols in and have sunk 11 ships for a total tonnage of 47000. My crew is healthy and we have an expert pharmacist’s mate which gives me a modifier on crew recovery. I am slowly approaching Sep 43 where duds only occur on a 1 or 2, which will help enormously.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Nice! That's a strong campaign for sure. :) I can imagine if you can get 6 forward torpedo tubes and dud rates go down, you could potentially fire 10 torpedoes with an 80% explosion rate. That's downright nasty damage-dealing. I'm hoping we can get out of the Salmon class at some point and get something with 6 forward tubes. :)

[@farpointgamingdirect]

On your attack at the convoy, don't you need 7 or less to hit at medium range?

[@ZillaBlitz]

I think we were on the surface at night, so we got a -1 die roll modifier.

[@farpointgamingdirect]

@@ZillaBlitz I forgot about the modifier; Thanks!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Sure thing! :)

[@gerblitz1971]

USS Seastar or USS Moonshine

[@ZillaBlitz]

Lolz, Moonshine is quite catchy. Added both to the list, thanks!

[@mathewkelly9968]

Was going to ask to be crew i see there's no point , haven't missed one episode . Carrying people over is unfair on new people who'd like to participate.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Hi Matthew - I pulled people from The Hunters waitlist, not from The Hunters crew. So the people in now are people who waited to be in through the first series but never got to be part of the crew. I felt like this was the fairest option given that they all signed up but didn't get in during the first game. Likewise, I'm thinking to carry over the waitlist from this game to the next.

[@usswasp6530]

play u boot the board game

[@ZillaBlitz]

Sorry, which one do you mean? There isn't a recent one that I can see called U-boat. :)

[@charleslatora5750]

Ship name: something "Scottish"?. USS Nessie (Loch Ness)🐍

[@ZillaBlitz]

Oh, Nessie would be a fine name, yes. Added to the list!

[@OldLadyPlays]

Narwhal. Or Barracuda.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Narwhals are cool, and they are already a class of submarine in the game, that's how cool that name is. :) But Barracuda is really catchy too. Added to the list! Thanks!

[@tonyreynolds5533]

Would be happy to serve. Van der Bangla. Name for sub? Lady Eleanor.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Welcome aboard, Tony! I'll add you to the list. It's a bit long now, but we'll keep carrying it over from series to series, so duty will eventually call. :)

[@ekted]

I don't think you re-roll the ships if you switch from Day to Night. You only do this if you successfully Follow.

[@Wallywalnuts74]

I would like to enlist. Sub name Spadefish.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Welcome Shane! Spadefish added to the list, and I'll add you to the waiting list for crew. I wasn't familiar with that fish, looks cool. :)

[@mathewkelly9968]

S class are so bad they don't deserve a name .

[@ZillaBlitz]

Ha! It's all we got. :) There is a chance we can get upgraded at some point.