Dog Boats: Battle of the Narrow Seas

Dog Boats: Battle of the Narrow Seas is a solitaire tactical WWII naval game from Compass Games. You command a squadron of four Royal Navy gunboats or torpedo boats on night missions against German forces in the English Channel during 1943-1944.

Your squadron may operate from Plymouth or Lowestoft, hunting Kriegsmarine merchant ships, tankers and escorts while dealing with Luftwaffe patrols, enemy warships, bad weather and random events. Special missions can include minelaying or commando insertions along the French coast.

The game models two Royal Navy boat types: the heavily armed Fairmile D gun boat and the fast Vosper 72’ torpedo boat. Individual crewmen, weapons and equipment can be damaged, wounded, improved or lost over the course of the campaign, while squadron management between missions keeps repairs and assignments important.

Most patrols play in around 20-30 minutes, with short, medium and full campaign options available. Dog Boats is a good fit for solo players who enjoy narrative-driven WWII naval games with campaign progression and plenty of mission variety.

Contents include: two double-sided 5/8″ counter sheets, one mounted double-sided strategic movement map board, Fairmile D and Vosper 72’ crew placement boards, two double-sided combat boards, laminated damage and status sheets, campaign and crew status pads, two tables books, one rule book, four 10-sided dice, one 6-sided die, one 20-sided die, one 4-sided die, two erasable markers, and a box with lid.