SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Games and simulations concerning German WW1 Raiders

feld · 06-24-20, 02:04 PM

World War 1 naval and surface ship commerce raiders are some of my favorite topics!

In no particular order please see below:
1. Steam and Iron
http://www.navalwarfare.net/steam&iron.html
The graphics are horrid but for my money this is the best simulation of the tactical problems of a WW1 era surface task force commander ever made. This is because, if you play on "Admiral" difficulty, the game attempts to restrict your control of your divisions to only those ships a period commander would be able to pass orders to by flag hoist or wireless. It's simple … but it really matters. You can and will lose control of your force if you do it wrong. It's great.

The basic game contains only single mission scenarios but those scenarios include:
Goeben - 1914
"7 Aug 1914
Small
(Hypothetical)
As the German battlecruiser Goeben fled east
across the Mediterranean, the last British force
that could stop her was a division of armoured
cruisers commanded by Admiral Troubridge.

Troubridge avoided action and was later court
martialled. This scenario explores what would
have happened if Troubridge had engaged. Can
four armoured cruisers stop a battlecruiser?
"
Goeben vs BC- 1914
"18 Aug 1914
Small

(Hypothetical)

On her flight east across the Mediterranean, the
Goeben is intercepted by two British
battlecruisers.
"
Emden - 1914
"18 Nov 1914
Small
After disrupting trade in the Indian Ocean for
months, the Emden was finally brought to battle
by a heavier and faster opponent, the Australian
light cruiser Sydney."

2. Steam and Iron Campaign Game.

Also on the link above is a campaign expansion to the Steam and Iron engine that gives you overall strategic control of one side and then uses the Steam and Iron tactical engine (#1 above) to resolve the necessary battles. Raiding happens in those campaigns frequently (merchant shipping gets you victory points) and you do have the entire world map to play in.

3. Fighting Steel (not free and old) with the Fighting Steel Project mod (free) and the Thunder at Sea campaign game (not free):

So I just paid money to get a new physical copy of Fighting Steel off of Amazon because Naval Warfare Simulations wrote years ago a Campaign Engine for that game called Thunder at Sea. The devs claim it's capable capable of simulating any naval operation between 1890 and 1945. The store page description linked above specifically mentions:
"Thunder at Sea comes with several operational scenarios including Operation Rheinubung, Guadalcanal, Malta convoys, Arctic convoys and German raiders in the Indian Ocean."

Now getting FS to run is a bear I hear and you need to download a separate mod (free) from Naval Warfare Simulations that fixes many of its inherent issues but this sounds like a match made in heaven from my perspective.

4. Storm Eagle Studios Distant Guns: Jutland
So I have a love-hate relationship with this game. It's a bit like a modern WW1 Fighting Steel. It's got pretty slipshod support but the company seems to be coming back a little now (they're at least on their own forum). It contains single missions of Cornel and the Falklands but note that the campaign does NOT include anything but the North Sea theater.

Hope this quickly dashed off thing contains some good leads for you.

06-24-20, 02:04 PM	#3
feld Loader Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 84 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	World War 1 naval and surface ship commerce raiders are some of my favorite topics! In no particular order please see below: 1. Steam and Iron http://www.navalwarfare.net/steam&iron.html The graphics are horrid but for my money this is the best simulation of the tactical problems of a WW1 era surface task force commander ever made. This is because, if you play on "Admiral" difficulty, the game attempts to restrict your control of your divisions to only those ships a period commander would be able to pass orders to by flag hoist or wireless. It's simple … but it really matters. You can and will lose control of your force if you do it wrong. It's great. The basic game contains only single mission scenarios but those scenarios include: Goeben - 1914 "7 Aug 1914 Small (Hypothetical) As the German battlecruiser Goeben fled east across the Mediterranean, the last British force that could stop her was a division of armoured cruisers commanded by Admiral Troubridge. Troubridge avoided action and was later court martialled. This scenario explores what would have happened if Troubridge had engaged. Can four armoured cruisers stop a battlecruiser? " Goeben vs BC- 1914 "18 Aug 1914 Small (Hypothetical) On her flight east across the Mediterranean, the Goeben is intercepted by two British battlecruisers. " Emden - 1914 "18 Nov 1914 Small After disrupting trade in the Indian Ocean for months, the Emden was finally brought to battle by a heavier and faster opponent, the Australian light cruiser Sydney." 2. Steam and Iron Campaign Game. Also on the link above is a campaign expansion to the Steam and Iron engine that gives you overall strategic control of one side and then uses the Steam and Iron tactical engine (#1 above) to resolve the necessary battles. Raiding happens in those campaigns frequently (merchant shipping gets you victory points) and you do have the entire world map to play in. 3. Fighting Steel (not free and old) with the Fighting Steel Project mod (free) and the Thunder at Sea campaign game (not free): So I just paid money to get a new physical copy of Fighting Steel off of Amazon because Naval Warfare Simulations wrote years ago a Campaign Engine for that game called Thunder at Sea. The devs claim it's capable capable of simulating any naval operation between 1890 and 1945. The store page description linked above specifically mentions: "Thunder at Sea comes with several operational scenarios including Operation Rheinubung, Guadalcanal, Malta convoys, Arctic convoys and German raiders in the Indian Ocean." Now getting FS to run is a bear I hear and you need to download a separate mod (free) from Naval Warfare Simulations that fixes many of its inherent issues but this sounds like a match made in heaven from my perspective. 4. Storm Eagle Studios Distant Guns: Jutland So I have a love-hate relationship with this game. It's a bit like a modern WW1 Fighting Steel. It's got pretty slipshod support but the company seems to be coming back a little now (they're at least on their own forum). It contains single missions of Cornel and the Falklands but note that the campaign does NOT include anything but the North Sea theater. Hope this quickly dashed off thing contains some good leads for you.