The Dresden-class cruiser Emden, known as the 'Swan of the Orient', belonged to the German Oriental Fleet during the First World War. She was to be used in the Indian Ocean to intercept merchant ships. Her captain treated the crews of captured merchant vessels with courtesy and behaviour in accordance with international wartime law, and the ship remained in the spotlight even after she was grounded and abandoned after the battle of 9 November 1914 with HMAS Sydney. The game relives the exploits of the Emden.
"SMS EMDEN" is a single-player (solitaire) simulation wargame. The player controls the EMDEN, which navigates into several areas around the Indian Ocean, and completes missions such as 'coastal bombardment', 'trade disruption', 'raids' and 'landings' to score victory points. The Emden's main mission is to destroy trade, which means that battles with hostile warships are sometimes unavoidable. Players may be forced to fight head-on or, at certain times, to flee.
An important part of the game is the replenishment of 'coal', which is needed to allow the ship to perform her missions. Coal is an abstract representation of Emden's capacity for action. Therefore, resource management, impacting which actions to perform and how much can be performed, is a critical element of the game.
Contents:
120 piece (20mm, 15mm square)
1 map (A2 size)
2 sheets of cards (16 cards)
2 charts (A4 size)
1 rulebook
An issue game of Command Magazine Japan #167.