By Stealth and Sea

By Stealth and Sea Deep Dive

What the Community Thinks About By Stealth and Sea

Reviewers who guide newcomers into board wargaming tend to place By Stealth and Sea at or near the top of their lists. The game, published by DVG Games and designed by David Thompson and Nicola Sagini, puts players in command of Italian frogmen who ride manned torpedoes into British harbors in the Mediterranean during World War II. Zilla Blitz called it the number one pick on an introductory war game list and said that it meets every criterion the host looks for in a beginner title.

The consensus is strong on accessibility, historical weight, and emotional payoff. Reviewers agree that the rule set is easy to learn and that a typical session feels manageable. Where opinions differ is mostly about placement rather than quality. In the channel's later revised introductory list, the game slipped slightly behind a different title, and in the solitaire-focused video the host described it as one of the most underrated solo experiences in the hobby. The caveats that do come up are narrower: a punishing opening mission and a period in which the game was hard to buy.

Core Mechanics That Define By Stealth and Sea

Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game

Every mission in By Stealth and Sea is built around a specific World War II operation. In the solitaire-focused ranking, Zilla Blitz explained that the scenarios are based on actual missions that the frogmen carried out, and that they link together into a campaign. Surviving operatives carry their experience forward, while losses are permanent. That structure lets each mission feel like a chapter in a larger story, and the host recommends playing the historical campaign first to see whether the player can do better than history. Missions are short enough to fit into an evening, and one reviewer described the playable chunks as roughly 30 to 45 minutes.

Cooperative Game

Although the game is primarily a solitaire experience, reviewers say it works well as a cooperative game. In the introductory list, Zilla Blitz noted that each mission usually provides about three of the underwater torpedo craft, so a single player can control two, or three people can each take one and coordinate as a team to complete the objective. Zilla Blitz made the same point in the revised introductory list, describing the title as a solitaire or cooperative experience in which two people playing together can take on the missions. The shared approach shifts the challenge from outwitting an opponent to pooling skills across the team.

The By Stealth and Sea Experience

Tense, Riveting Drama

The most frequent description of the game is that it is tense. Reviewers say the torpedoes break down, the frogmen are captured or killed, and the outcome of a mission can swing sharply. Zilla Blitz described the gameplay as so tense and riveting that a player's frogman becomes someone to worry about from mission to mission. The host also framed the losses as part of the design rather than a flaw, since the historical operations themselves were costly.

Awe at Historical Bravery

Reviewers repeatedly return to the sense of history. Zilla Blitz said that the game leaves players shaking their heads at the courage of the Commandos, and that the story behind the operations is absolutely amazing. In the solitaire ranking, the same host argued that the game captures the bravery, the heroism, and the audacity of a plan that historically had some success. Many players come away wanting to learn more about a part of World War II that they knew little about before sitting down.

What Makes By Stealth and Sea Stand Out

Missions Built on Real Operations

Reviewers praise the decision to tie each scenario to an actual mission. In the solitaire ranking, Zilla Blitz pointed out that the game uses the real names of the frogmen who took part in these operations, which gives the campaign a grounding that many invented war stories lack. Because the outcomes echo history, the host argued that the experience is one of the strongest ways to learn about this theater of the war.

A Campaign That Remembers Your Crew

The persistent campaign is the other feature that reviewers single out. Zilla Blitz highlighted how a frogman can gain experience, carry over into the next missions, and still die along the way. That continuity turns individual missions into a narrative arc, and it rewards players who invest time in a single campaign rather than treating each scenario as a standalone puzzle.

Potential Drawbacks

A Punishing Opening Mission

The most consistent warning concerns the start of the campaign. Zilla Blitz advised players not to let the first mission deter them, because it is designed to be failed. The host said that the player is going to fail that first operation, which mirrors the historical record, and that the game becomes much more rewarding once the opening hurdle is past. New players should expect a difficult first session and approach it as a learning exercise.

Hard to Find and Out of Print

Availability is the other common concern. In the solitaire ranking, Zilla Blitz noted that the game had been out of print for a while, and that it was being added to a DVG Kickstarter, which suggested it would return to direct sale soon. Until then, players may need to search the secondary market, which can make the game harder to recommend to a casual audience looking for an easy purchase.

If You Enjoy By Stealth and Sea

The clearest recommendation from the reviews is Purple Haze from Fallank. Zilla Blitz described it as a masterful blend of role-playing, tactical combat, and choose your own adventure, set in Vietnam across nine linked missions. Like By Stealth and Sea, it rewards players who care about a squad's story and accept that some soldiers will not survive the campaign. The host also linked The Hunters from GMT Games to the same narrative-driven family of solitaire games, describing it as a strong example of a single submarine campaign that builds tension through its missions. Players who want a more tactical World War II campaign may also find Undaunted in the revised introductory list appealing, since the host praised its clean systems and fast play.