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Sensuikan: Japanese Fleet Submarines, 1941-45 is a solitaire, tactical level game that places you in command of a Japanese Fleet submarine from Pearl Harbor until the end of the war in 1945.
After choosing a class, your mission is to conduct special missions as assigned by the Combined Fleet.
The player will take his submarine on assigned missions with the objective to complete said missions, as opposed to necessarily sinking merchant vessels (although that is sometimes an objective).
You will be advancing your crew quality and increasing your commander’s rank and awards—all while remembering you have to make it home amidst diminishing odds of survival as the war progresses.
Players will find it extremely challenging to survive an entire tour from 1941 to 1945, at which time, if still alive, you will surrender at port, having done your part on the front lines.
A fascinating historical addition to Sensuikan is three new modules: the Aircraft Module, the Midget Sub Module, and the Kaiten (suicide torpedo) Module. These modules facilitate play if a player is assigned to a submarine that is equipped with one of these special capabilities.
The system is packed with rich technical detail based on the various submarine classes used by Japan. There are no less than 17 classes of submarine to choose from. These include:
Types A, B, C
Junsen (3 classes)
Kirai-Sen Class
Kaidai (5 classes)
Type B. 3 and Type C. 3
Sen-Toku and Sen-Taka Classes
Type A (Modified)
The different classes have historical equipment, sometimes including aircraft in watertight hangars, midget submarines, and later in the war, suicide torpedoes. You may be assigned to special missions based on your class’s capabilities – perhaps a midget submarine attack on Pearl Harbor or Australia, the bombing of the U.S. west coast, or possibly even an attack on the Panama Canal.
Besides the focus on hardware, the human aspect of the war is captured as the submarine Commander (the player) and his crew can improve over time via skills acquisition. In addition to having combat modules to facilitate ease of play, the game includes a major change by including the “Major Event” markers that track the war’s progress and possibly involve the player in supporting the Major Events as they occur.
Gameplay moves quickly, following a set sequence of events that are repeated until the end of the game. Once you have your initial assignment, your submarine goes on patrol, randomly rolling for events and encounters. Special emphasis is placed on successfully conducting any operations assigned to you by Higher Command, as implemented by the “Major Event” marker system. Although sinking enemy shipping is always encouraged, the game’s primary goal is to conduct operations as assigned to support the Main Force Fleet or other ongoing significant military operations.
This game should be highly accessible to those familiar with the The Hunters or Silent Victory game systems and is meant to be a historical yet highly playable and exciting solitaire game covering Japanese fleet boat operations in World War II.
—description from the publisher
- Successful recon mission over Pearl Harbor.
- Sinking of two ships (Monaghan destroyer and Wallingbar freighter).
- Successful recovery of scout plane and crew.
- Double mission credit for the recon mission.
- Awarded the Greater East Asia War Medal.
- Exceeded test depth and took one point of hull damage, adding an extra month to refit time.
- Japanese solitaire submarine simulation
- December 1941, World War II Pacific Theater
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Aircraft deployment — Scout planes can be launched for recon or to spot targets, with mechanics for launch, transit, and recovery.
- combat resolution — Combat involves determining hit chances with modifiers for range, target type, and environmental conditions, followed by damage rolls.
- Crew experience/advancement — Successful patrols grant experience points that can be used to improve crew members' attributes.
- damage and repair — The submarine can sustain hull damage, which impacts refit time.
- Dice Rolling — Dice rolls are used extensively to determine outcomes for transit events, mission success, combat hits, and damage.
- Event cards/chits — Red chits signify special events, and flipping them over reveals specific missions like mine laying or recon.
- Mission system — The game involves undertaking various missions, including submarine missions, recon missions, and hunting for enemy shipping.
- Resource Management — Managing torpedoes, deciding when to fire them all, and considering their damage potential is part of the gameplay.
- special abilities — Special abilities like 'Shibumi' allow for automatic success on a roll, influencing strategic choices.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Japanese High Command was questioning me about the loyalty of some of these crew members given the rather dubious names for Japanese crew men, but I have assured them that their loyalty is to the sub and the mission and we will do our best to succeed on every task given to us.
- We get an eight, we pass harmlessly through the first transit box.
- We get a seven, we are right on the average die rolls. And now we arrive on station.
- We get a five. We see a flotilla of destroyers, a half dozen destroyers cruising or at station in Pearl Harbor.
- It is the destroyer Monaghan, 1,700 tons.
- Five of our six shots hit. What shooting! This is a great start for us.
- The Wallingbar, a 2,200 ton freighter.
- Seven hits on the Connebar, She shatter it in the night, and the Connebar goes to the bottom of the ocean. Outstanding.
- So, second ship sunk and we we we furtively move away from the Allied escorts. Outstanding.
- A very successful mission though on the whole.
- Because we exceeded test depth and took a point of hull damage on the I-15, we actually do add an extra month of refit.
References (from this video)
- Incorporates unique aspects of Japanese submarines like equipped aircraft and Kaiten suicide torpedoes.
- Missions are short (5-20 minutes), allowing for quick gameplay sessions.
- Offers a campaign mode to play through the entire war.
- The Type B class submarine is noted for having six forward torpedo tubes for a wide range of shots.
- The Shibumi marker from martial arts training offers a powerful, multi-use benefit for patrols.
- The Type B class submarine has no aft torpedo tubes, limiting maneuverability.
- The engineer failed the judgment training, leading to no skill acquisition in that area.
- The captain failed torpedo training, resulting in no extra skills.
- Japanese submarine simulation
- World War II
- The Hunters
- Silent Victory
- Raiders of the Deep
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Campaign play — The game allows for progression through the entire length of the war with a campaign structure, or shorter mini-campaigns.
- Crew skill progression — The crew can gain skills through training, which can improve performance in areas like torpedo or deck gun use, or risk damage if not managed properly.
- Damage tracking — The game features distinct tracks for hull damage and flooding, with specific consequences for reaching certain thresholds.
- Dice Rolling for Skill Checks — Various training and in-game actions require dice rolls against specific charts and targets to determine success or failure, influencing skill acquisition and mission outcomes.
- map movement — The submarine's progress is tracked on an operations map through transit and on-station boxes.
- Mission-based gameplay — Gameplay involves undertaking individual missions that can range from 5 to 20 minutes, with the goal of surviving to undertake subsequent missions.
- Resource Management — Players must manage torpedoes, deck gun ammo, and potentially repair damage to systems like hull and flooding.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Now, the nuances here with Sensuikan, of course, is that you're a Japanese submarine commander.
- This submarine has no aft torpedo tubes, which is unfortunate because that can allow you to have a little bit more maneuverability and flexibility in how you attack enemy ships.
- So, Captain Gogeta here at Lieutenant Commander Gogeta has totally failed his submarine command course, which means no extra skills for our captain for me as we start out our career.
- However, our executive officer does have deck gun training, which is good.
- The Shibumi marker, and this allows us to on each patrol, it can be used once patrol, to automatically make a die or dice roll check.