The Wargamer

The Map

The map, measuring twenty-nine inches by twenty-two inches, covers the Pacific from the Southeast Asian coast in the west, to a good portion of Australia in the south, to the Aleutians in the north, and Hawaii in the east. The United States West Coast is also included, though as a map inset. The sea is divided into areas, called OpAreas, along with Special Mission Zones (SMZs). Movement is handled in an area to area fashion, much like point to point movement in games such as Paths of Glory.

The map includes most of the important tables needed for play (missing is a combat resolution table, which can be found on a player's aid), along with all the necessary information tracks. These tracks include the total tonnage sunk, the number of subs lost, the date, repair holding boxes, torpedo quality, and war period.

Again, just as with the counters, the map is clean and easily shows the information a player will need to plot the strangulation of the Japanese home isles. A perfect example of this lies in an examination of the Area Activity Chart, found in each OpArea.

The chart consists of forty boxes, laid out in four rows of ten columns. Each row corresponds to a War Period. These periods are War Period 1: Pearl Harbor to Midway; War Period 2: Midway to Solomons; War Period 3: Solomons to Leyte Gulf; and War Period 4: Leyte Gulf to V-J day. Every game will start at a certain War Period, with the chance to progress determined by a table. Depending on how the game is progressing and how the die falls when the table is consulted, the simulated game date may not match the historical War Period date exactly.

The ten columns correspond to the included die, a ten-sider (d10). For those unfamiliar with a d10, it is a polyhedral die numbered zero through nine. Usually the zero is read as a ten, but in Silent War a zero is always that, a zero. The ten columns range from zero to nine. When rolling on the Area Activity Chart the player rolls the d10 and cross-references the resultant die roll with the current War Period.

Each box in the Area Activity Chart is colored one of five colors, which determines the level of contact. A white box indicates no contact, a green sparse, a yellow box means low, a blue box is moderate, and a red box is a high density contact. If contact is made another roll is made on a similar table to determine whether the contact is a small convoy, a large convoy, or a potentially target rich (but dangerous) task force.

By simply glancing at the map, thanks to the color scheme used for the Area Activity Charts, it is easy to see where the danger zones for submarines are at any given date, and where the best hunting spots are located. The Sea of Japan is a target rich environment at any point in the war, while the Marshall Islands will yield practically nothing during War Period 3, and definitely nothing in War Period 4. Without even knowing anything about the War in the Pacific one can see how the struggle went by the Area Activity Charts. Simple and clever, this is a theme that is found throughout Silent War.

Rounding out the components are the charts. As with the rest of the components the charts are laid out well, are colorful, and highly explanatory. Between the charts and the map the player will never feel lost, with the answers to practically every question right on their kitchen table, or where ever they may have Silent War set up. This is also a boon in learning the game, as the logical layout shepherds new players along when learning the system.

A Great Manual Really Helps

The manual, weighing in at a reasonable twenty-three pages, is laid out in a logical manner, with the sequence of rules mimicking the sequence of play within the game. When coupled with the excellent map and chart presentation, a player can pretty much punch out the counters and dive right into the game by reading along.

A manual, often overlooked in the world of computer games as an afterthought, is of utmost importance to a boardgame. A good game can be sunk by a poor manual, as players struggle to figure the game out for themselves. Done poorly enough and the players will either end up giving up and shelve the game, or make their own rules up to fill in the gaps. A good game that comes with a good manual though goes a long way in winning new players over. Silent War is such a game.

There are very few areas of the manual that are muddy, and those that are become clear after another read. Passages always make good reference to other sections of the manual when necessary, and there are a number of examples to facilitate comprehension of certain rule elements. For the most part if a question arises the answer can be found, and found quickly. There will always be that one oddball situation, but in general this is a logical, extensive rulebook that conveys its rules in clear language.

So the game is visually appealing, with a well designed layout, and features tons of pieces and a good manual. There still is a little question about the actual game itself…