Bismarck Basic Sequence of Play
Stacking Limits: No limits on SEARCH BOARD; two friendly ships per BATTLE BOARD hex
Zone and Hex Sizes: 90 miles per SEARCH BOARD zone; 4,000 yards per BATTLE BOARD hex
1. Unit Availability Phase
a. British player checks ORDER OF BATTLE and TIME RECORD TRACK for newly available units
b. Both players check TIME RECORD TRACK for air units returning from rest and refit (R&R)
2. Visibility Phase (skip 2a on first turn: visibility level 4 with fog)
a. German player rolls dice for visibility and fog conditions on VISIBILITY CHANGE TABLE
b. Both players adjust visibility markers on VISIBILITY TRACK
c. Both players may form and break task forces
3. Shadow Determination Phase (for each located German ship or task force)
a. British player may attempt to shadow with single ship, task force, or air unit:
i. British ship or task-force evasion rating must be ≥ German evasion rating
ii. British air unit needs search capability ≥ visibility, and ability to loiter for full turn
b. German player moves ship or task force for the turn, and states if two zones are moved
c. British player uses SHADOW TABLE to determine success of shadow
SHADOW TABLE
Procedure Die Roll Modifiers
Step 1 – Locate ship or type of air unit in list below. 1. For target moving 2 zones, add 1 to die roll.
2. For current visibility level, apply modifier:
Step 2 – If during a day turn, use column letter (A, B,
C). If at night, use letter after unit name (X, Y, Z). Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 X
−1 0 0 0 0 +1 +1 +2 +2
Step 3 – Cross index die roll, with any modifiers,
with the proper lettered column at right for result. X Y Z Night
Die Day A B C
A B Roll
Ramillies – X British LR Recon – Y Hold Hold Hold Hold
1
Revenge – X Birmingham – X Contact Contact Contact Contact
Rodney – Y Dorsetshire – X Hold Hold Hold Hold
Hood – Y 2
Contact Contact Contact Contact
Kenya – X
C King George V – Y Lose Hold Hold Hold
3
Arethusa – Z Manchester – X Contact Contact Contact Contact
Aurora – Z Norfolk – X Lose Lose Hold Hold
Edinburgh – Z Prince of Wales – Y 4
Contact Contact Contact Contact
Galatea – Z Repulse – X
Lose Lose Lose Hold
Suffolk – Z Renown – X 5
Contact Contact Contact Contact
Sheffield – X
Lose Lose Lose Lose
Aircraft carriers cannot shadow. 6
Contact Contact Contact Contact
d. If shadow is successful, German player must reveal zone location of ship or task force
4. Air Movement Phase (German may not enter two consecutive zones over Great Britain)
a. Both players move returning air units to TIME RECORD TRACK for 8-hr R&R
b. Both players may change LR recon units to or from patrol mode
c. Both players may move any air units on the SEARCH BOARD; British player must choose
between attack or recon mode when bombers leave home bases
5. Ship Movement Phase
a. Both players may change ships and task forces to or from patrol mode
b. Both players may move ships and task forces not on patrol and not previously moved
during Shadow Determination Phase:
i. Determine change to max speed using MOVEMENT ON SEARCH BOARD table
MOVEMENT ON SEARCH BOARD
Current Evasion Rating
0-6 7-15 16-24 25+
Maximum Emergency
Speed
0 Movement*
1 2
*Ship may move 1 zone and only in C turn
ii. Battleships and aircraft carriers with original max speed of 2 expend 1 fuel factor if
moving 2 zones; they may not move 2 zones in 2 consecutive turns
iii. Battleships with original max speed of 1 expend 1 fuel factor moving in non-C turn
iv. Aircraft carriers cannot move 2 zones in a turn when air units are launched
v. Task-force max speed is that of slowest ship in task force
c. After all movement, both players may attempt to repair temporary evasion-rating
damage for ships that have moved ≤ 1 zone using EVASION REPAIR TABLE
EVASION REPAIR TABLE
DIE ROLL 1 2 3 4 5 6
FACTORS
0 0 2 4 6 8
REPAIRED
6. Search Phase (for each searched zone; forbidden in fog, or in visibility level X)
a. British player may call out each search zone with combined ships, air units, and coastal
search strength ≥ current visibility:
i. Use left-hand search strength during day, and right-hand search strength at night
ii. Ports can only be searched by air
iii. Use task-force search strength, or patrol strength of one ship for task force on patrol
iv. Coastal-zone search strength is 4 during day, and 3 at night
b. German player must reveal type and number of ships and ships in task force in the zone,
and (excluding the first turn) any ship movement through the zone that turn
c. For detected movement through the zone, British player may attempt high-speed
shadow, using steps in Shadow Determination Phase, but without German movement
d. If high-speed shadow is successful, British player may move any units in search zone to
German zone, subject to max speed and fuel rules; changing from patrol to movement
mode is allowed, but battleships and aircraft carriers must expend 1 fuel factor
e. German player may search each zone in similar manner, but British player does not
reveal movement through searched zones
7. Air Attack Phase (forbidden at night, in fog, in visibility level X, or in British ports)
a. British player may launch attacks using bomber units in attack mode in each zone with
located ships; 2 strikes per bomber, against 1 ship or split between 2 ships
b. German player may launch attacks using bomber units in each zone with located ships; 1
strike per bomber
c. To resolve air combat in each zone:
i. Defender places ship battle counters face down on BATTLE BOARD
ii. Attacker assigns available strikes in any manner desired
iii. For each strike, roll two dice and consult proper BOMBER TABLE on BATTLE BOARD
iv. Damaged ship must be identified, and damage recorded on HIT RECORD
d. British player moves air units with endurance of 1 to TIME RECORD TRACK for 8-hr R&R
8. Naval Combat Phase (forbidden in fog, or in visibility level X)
a. British player announces all intended attacks against located ships and task forces
b. German player announces all intended attacks against located ships and task forces
c. Combat determination for each announced attack:
i. Attacker states ship or task-force types attacking and being attacked
1. Defending task force identified by strongest ship, in order of: BB, BC, CA, CL, CV
2. When a zone has multiple ships of a stated type with equal evasion rating, then
attacker randomly draws the specific ship to be attacked
3. Shadowing ship or task force may only attack ship or task force being shadowed
4. Attacker and defender state evasion ratings for comparison; for task forces, use
fastest attacking ship, and slowest defending ship (aircraft carriers excluded)
ii. Combat occurs if attacker has evasion rating ≥ defender (i.e., defender is unable to
evade), or if defender voluntarily accepts combat
iii. Task-force aircraft carrier may avoid combat if any other task-force ship joins battle
iv. Ships in task force with evasion ratings higher than all opposing ships may enter
combat later as reinforcements
v. Defender places ships in center of BATTLE BOARD; attacker places ships on edge
determined by die roll, with all bows initially pointed in the same direction
vi. For multiple battles in a zone, reinforcements must be written before combat begins
d. Combat is carried out in rounds, composed of the following six steps:
i. Announce intended withdrawals
1. Withdrawing ships must have higher evasion rating than any enemy ship of equal
or greater size within 6 hexes
2. Both players place blank counters on ships intended for withdrawal
3. Both players remove blank counters from ships losing withdrawal status as a
result of combat; a ship may not voluntarily disengage from withdrawal
ii. Place reinforcements (all ships in a task force must point bows in same direction)
1. Withheld task-force members may enter; attacker enters from same BATTLE
BOARD edge as initial entry, and defender enters from opposite edge
2. Previously determined reinforcements may enter; enter BATTLE BOARD edge
determined by die roll, and at least 6 hexes from all enemy ships
iii. Combat move (includes withdrawing ships)
1. Move each ship in order of current evasion rating, with lowest moving first; for
ships with equal evasion ratings, attacker always moves first
2. Consult MOVEMENT ON BATTLE BOARD table for allowable movement and turning;
movement and turning may be made in any order
MOVEMENT ON BATTLE BOARD
Current Evasion Rating
CA
0 1-3 4-10 11-17 18-24 25-29 30+ CL
# of Hex
Moves
0 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 2 1 2 3
or or or or or or or or
# of Direction
Changes
0 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 3 2 1 3 2 0
iv. Fire and determine damage (attacker completes firing from all ships, then defender)
1. Designate salvoes against all target ships within range in advance of firing
MAIN ARMAMENT MAXIMUM RANGE
TYPE AND LIGHTING CONDITIONS MAX RANGE
Battleships in daylight 6
Heavy cruisers in daylight 5
Light cruisers in daylight 3
All ships at night 3
2. Complete firing from each ship individually, and determine damage
a. Determine turret status, if using King George V, Prince of Wales, or Rodney
b. If not adjacent to target ship, then halve salvo count (rounded down, but ≥ 1)
c. If withdrawing, then halve salvo count again (rounded up, and ≥ 1)
d. For each shot fired, roll two die and consult appropriate BATTLE BOARD table
i. If against cruiser, always use SPECIAL DAMAGE A table for special damage
ii. If at night, always use B RANGE table against target ship
e. Record gun section and midships damage on the HIT RECORD
f. Record and underline permanent evasion-rating damage on HIT RECORD
g. Record temporary evasion-rating damage from midships hits on HIT RECORD
TEMPORARY EVASION-RATING DAMAGE PER MIDSHIPS HIT
TARGET REDUCTION
Bismarck 1
Other battleships and aircraft carriers 2
Prinz Eugen 3
Other cruisers 5
3. If target ship is sunk, then remaining salvoes designated against that ship are lost
v. Withdrawal bonus move
1. If both players agree to withdraw all ships, then combat is over
2. Otherwise, all ships with blank counters must move 1 additional hex away from
all opposing ships, and then may change direction by 1 hex side
3. If at the end of the withdrawal bonus move no enemy ship is within 6 hexes,
then withdrawal is complete and the ship is removed from the BATTLE BOARD
vi. Determine reinforcements for next round (starting at end of 3 rd round)
1. Roll a die for each intended reinforcing ship or task force; a roll of 1 permits
entry to the BATTLE BOARD in the next round
2. Subtract additional 1 from die roll for attempt in each subsequent round
3. Entry of any eligible reinforcement may be delayed to any subsequent round
9. Chance Phase (only Huff-Duff possible in visibility level X, or at night)
a. British player rolls two dice for Bismarck, and two dice for Prinz Eugen, consulting the
CHANCE TABLE for each (always roll for each ship, to conceal if they may be in task force)
CHANCE TABLE
Dice Result
Roll
2 Huff-Duff (British)
General Search (British)
A B C Conditions for General Search
3 3 5 6 German ship or task force west of the white dot line or
4 2 4 5 north of row E ignores General Search. Otherwise:
5 — 1 2
Column A applies if German ship or task force is in or
6 2 3 4 within 2 zones east of any zone with a white dot and
7 — 1 2 south of row D.
8 1 2 3
Column C applies if German ship or task force is in or
9 1 2 3
within 2 zones from any British or Irish coastal zone or
Convoy (German) from the Shetland Islands zone.
Convoy is located if German ship or task
10 Column B applies if German ship or task force does not
force is on convoy route.
qualify for A or C and is east of white dot line and south
Convoy is located if German ship or task
of row D.
11 force is on patrol and within 2 zones of a
convoy route. For “—” value, search is unsuccessful at any visibility.
Convoy is located if German ship or task
12
force is 1 zone away from convoy route.
b. For Huff-Duff result (roll of 2), German player must announce location of 1 zone either
occupied by or surrounding the ship or task force
c. For General Search result (roll of 3-9):
i. If visibility level > all levels for A, B, and C, then search fails
ii. If ship or task force west of white dot line or north of row E, then German states
only, “search failed”
iii. If ship or task force in fog, then German states only, “search failed”
iv. If condition A applies, and visibility level ≤ A, then German announces ship or task
force location
v. If condition C applies, and visibility level ≤ C, then German announces ship or task
force location
vi. If condition B applies, and visibility level ≤ B, then German announces ship or task
force location
d. For Convoy result (roll of 10-12):
i. If German ship or task force being shadowed or is located, then no convoy attack
allowed
ii. If German ship or task force has destroyed convoy that day, then no convoy attack
allowed
iii. If German ship or task force satisfies conditions for 10, 11, or 12, then:
1. Convoy attack may be declined and German states only, “no convoy located”
2. Or, convoy is destroyed by stating ship or task force zone location, and ship or
task force may not move on SEARCH BOARD for 1 turn
iv. Otherwise, German states only, “no convoy located”
10. End of Turn: Both players advance time markers by 0400 hours on TIME RECORD TRACK
Game ends when one of the following occurs:
1. Bismarck is sunk
2. Bismarck enters a German-controlled port, and all combat for that turn is concluded
3. German player has accumulated more points than possible for British player to score
4. Time expires at conclusion of 1200 May 27
BRITISH VICTORY POINTS
EVENT POINTS
Sinking the Bismarck 30
Sinking the Prinz Eugen 10
Bismarck enters German port with at least 1 midships hit 6
Prinz Eugen enters German port with at least 1 midships hit 2
Bismarck enters German port on May 22, or has not left Bergen by end of 2000 May 22 14
Bismarck enters German port on May 23 12
Bismarck enters German port on May 24 10
Bismarck enters German port on May 25 8
Bismarck enters German port on May 26 6
Bismarck enters German port on May 27 4
Each German air unit unable to return to base 2
Bismarck is at sea at end of game with evasion rating of ≤ 21 6
Prinz Eugen is at sea at end of game with evasion rating of ≤ 21 2
No convoy has been destroyed by end of game 4
Each midships hit to German battleships and aircraft carriers still afloat at end of game 2
Each midships hit to German cruisers still afloat at end of game 1
GERMAN VICTORY POINTS
EVENT POINTS
Sinking the Victorious 24
Sinking the Ark Royal 20
Sinking the King George V or Prince of Wales (each) 16
Sinking the Hood 14
Sinking the Rodney 12
Sinking the Repulse or Renown (each) 10
Sinking the Revenge or Ramillies (each) 8
Sinking British heavy cruiser (each) 6
Sinking British light cruiser (each) 4
Each British ship mobilized from convoy escort duty 1
Each British air unit unable to return to base 2
First convoy destroyed 6
Second convoy destroyed 6
Third convoy destroyed 8
Fourth convoy destroyed 10
Fifth convoy destroyed 12
Bismarck is at sea at end of game with evasion rating of ≥ 22 2
Bismarck is at sea at end of game with no midships damage 4
Prinz Eugen is at sea at end of game with no midships damage 2
Each midships hit to British battleships and aircraft carriers still afloat at end of game 2
Each midships hit to British cruisers still afloat at end of game 1
