Cruel Seas – German Kriegsmarine Fleet Review
By Tom Gall
Warlord has released for Cruel Seas navy fleet boxes for four different countries. The US, Imperial Japanese Navy, British, and Germans are all covered. Sometime this month we should see the addition of the Soviet and Italian navies.
Within the Core Box, along with the rules, counters and other necessities are four British Vospers and four German S-Boats. This is a good starting force but what might you want to pick up next? What plays well?
This set of four articles will explore the navy boxes that Warlord has released starting with the German Kriegsmarine.
Germans
The German Kriegsmarine Fleet contains 2 S-100s, 2 S-38s, 1 Vorpostenboot flagship, an M-class minesweeper and last a Ju-87 Stuka.
The German S-boats both S-38 and S-100 class will likely be the key elements of your force as they feature good firepower, and great speed.
The S-38 has a combat speed of 26 knots which will gain you a -1 when you are shot at. The 37mm, and 20mm guns both pack punch and outclass a Vosper if you were to engage 1×1. The S-38 has 55 hull points which for MTBs make it reasonably beefy.
The S-100 was a great improvement to the S-boat line. More speed, more guns, more hull, and an armored wheelhouse all combined with 28 knots for combat speed and 42 knots for full speed makes this particular ship a strong goto when building your force. The number of hull points jumps to 65. A 20mm, a twin 20mm, and 37mm gun make for a strong standard build. Note that the kit is missing a 37mm gun in order to correctly model the craft.
The Vorpostenboot represents the German propensity to arm various small craft to take on coastal patrol duties. These crafts came in many shapes and sizes and were particularly feared by the Royal Navy as they were effective against smaller craft but outclassed by destroyers. For Cruel Seas, the Vorpostenboot represented has one 88, two 37mm guns and a quad 20mm gun. That’s more than enough armament to make any MBT think twice about approaching unless it brings lots of friends. Even then, remember the 88 has an impressive 120mm range. It also features 95 pts of hull, but not much in the way of speed with a top speed of 12 knots. This brings up the next drawback, the Vorpostenboot is able to be hit by torpedoes.
Next, the M-class Minesweeper is another great addition to your German tabletop fleet. It represents the Mob type that was first launched in 1937 and evolved through the course of the war. With its armament of one 37mm, two 3″ guns, two 20mm guns and a gun director, 105 solid hull points it can give your navy a muscle at the cost of having to dodge enemy torpedoes.
List Building
When building a list, the German player will want to consider how they want to optimize for capabilities. Regular crews cost 155 pts for the S-38, 175pts for the S-100, 240pts for the Vorpostenboot, and 275pts for the M-class Minesweeper. S-boats bring speed, Vorposten and M-class sacrifice that for firepower. Choose more S-boats and you’ll have more activations.
For instance, four S100s total 700 pts if they all have regular crews. If you’re playing a 1000 point game, a 275pt Minesweeper fits in nearly perfectly.
Upgrading to Veteran crews is a further 25 points for both S-Boat types. With their to hit bonus we find Veteran crew quite powerful, not to mention their better skill to avoid critical hits as well as do repairs.
In Summary
Taken all together the German Navy box is a really great value. The utility of the S-Boats having good speed, good armament, and reasonable staying power with decent stats gives the German player a solid base. The Vorpostenboot and M-class Minesweeper bring good historical flavor to the mix with plenty of firepower.
The models look great on the tabletop and assemble well. The lack of the 37mm gun for the S-100 is a bit of a bummer. The lack of fleet dice which you’ll need in order to activate your new ships is another unfortunate omission.
The box is a solid value and an excellent addition to your navy that will bring many a fun game.
Playability: A
Model Quality: B