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Not very hopefull but are there any _detailed_ submarine miniature games? One that makes one feel like in command of a submarine? Many fleet based are quite abstract fleet actions. I'm looking one on smaller scale with fewer ships but more detailed rules. Preferably cold wari in '80's or so as that's the period I'm most familiar with.

Not particularly hopeful as submarines are about information so god view players have makes that rather hard :-/ Long time ago I was working on own ruleset(too bad those got lost in harddrive failure) but that was bit TOO detailed and...well heavy. And due to breaking up of old playing group makes multiplayer sessions impossible. As it was pure MINIMUM required to play was 3. 2 players and GM. Also needed 3 rooms as one needed table for each player where players only saw what they actually knew with some inaccuracy(sonar contact at 247, estimated range 6 kilometers kind of level. Louder the target, more accurate the info) and one table for the GM that actually was 100% accurate.

Was great fun though needed lots of work(especially on balance. Defenders had often it way too easy) but not really feasible to try to recreate. I'm not able to play in a place that has 3 tables in separate areas. Also for all the fun that was also one of the least sosiable miniature game experiences I have had which kinda defeats the point.

So looking for something lighter than that. Problem is I'm not sure are there really any submarine games nevermind fairly detailed ones! Anybody know any?

Micronaughts has a decent system for subs, but its more of a fleet game (one side has a couple of subs, and multiple decoys and a requirement to be a fine honest upstanding chap), the other has a bunch of slow wallowing cows to protect and a fair few escorts to do that with.

Never played it as a sub game though, just the surface fleets.

Star Fleet Battles with the hidden clocking rules enabled gets the feel pretty much spot on though for me, though not exactly submarines..

There may be one of the older games from the 80's that covers this, you know the ones where you kill your opponent with the rulebook

This is a Sci-fi/40K version that I made that could be adapted for Modern subs. It is based off of aircraft games mechanics with an added stealth mechanic. However, itis not "that" detailed.

https://app.box.com/s/b8g0spwqwow600z0ovii

One of the guys on a naval wargaming Facebook page has been doing some large-scale submarine focused games lately. He even uses clear acrylic stands to elevate surface ships off the table:





He is using the rules from Avalon Hill's Attack Sub game, with some custom tweaks:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1413/attack-sub

Osprey has a board game called They Came Unseen. However, I think the detail is more strategic and less tactical.

 Easy E wrote:
Osprey has a board game called They Came Unseen. However, I think the detail is more strategic and less tactical.

Quite the opposite, actually! I have this game and have played it a few times. The game is very much at the tactical level; the NATO player individually controls two submarines (speed, depth, and movement) while the Soviet player controls two DDs, a pair of cargo ships, and a logistics ship. submarines have to track battery charge levels, and the destroyers have to track fuel usage and ammo usage. The BGG page for this game has some really handy player aids and quick reference sheets that give a good feel for how the game plays:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/177725/they-come-unseen

The downside is that They Come Unseen would not translate well into a minis game IMO; the grid-based movement system and hidden location mechanics would make it hard.

Thanks for clarifying Ruck.

By the way, the game photos you posted looked cool. Thanks for sharing.

I second using Star Fleet Battles (or at its easier to play successor, Federation Commander). I think a few changes, like dropping maximum speed and removing shields and all that sci-fi jazz, it could work.

I remember playing torpedo run board game back in the 80's with my buddy. Only sub game I ever remember, was fun as a kid firing those disc into the ships and watching parts pop off.