Atlantic Sentinels : North Atlantic Convoy Escort, 1942-43

Atlantic Sentinels is a solitaire tactical wargame placing you in the role of the Senior Officer of an Allied Escort Group, responsible for shepherding convoys across the North Atlantic while defending them against German U-boat attacks, whether from individual submarines or entire wolfpacks.

You normally command an escort group consisting of 4 to 10 escort vessels, protecting a convoy of approximately 40 to 60 merchant ships. Your mission is twofold: get as much Allied shipping safely across the Atlantic as possible while destroying as many U-boats as you can.

The game covers one of the most dangerous periods of the Battle of the Atlantic, from 1942 to early 1943, when the U-boat threat was at its height.

The positioning of the escort vessels is critical. Destroyers and corvettes must protect the front, rear and flanks of the convoy, while radar, direction-finding equipment and air support progressively become vital to the survival of the convoy.

Escort vessels are equipped with the Type 271 radar, while additional radar equipment and HF/DF (High-Frequency Direction Finding) may become available as the campaign progresses. Escort Groups can also receive additional ships and improve through crew experience.

Air support is another important factor, particularly when convoys enter the dreaded “Black Pit”, the central Atlantic area beyond the effective range of land-based Allied aircraft before the arrival of escort carriers.

CAREER GAMEPLAY

Gameplay follows a relatively fast sequence of events repeated throughout each mission. After setting up your Escort Group, you are assigned a convoy and must escort it across the Atlantic.

U-boat encounters are randomly generated. You may face a single submarine — usually a Type VII, but occasionally a Type IX — or increasingly large wolfpacks.

Attacks can develop from different directions, making the initial deployment of your escort vessels particularly important. Weather, air support and crew experience can all affect the outcome of the mission.

Every career therefore develops differently, forcing the player to constantly balance the protection of the convoy against the need to locate and destroy enemy submarines.

ESCORT GROUPS AND SHIPS

The game allows players to select from historical British, Canadian and American Escort Groups, equipped with historically appropriate destroyers, destroyer escorts, frigates and corvettes.

Ship types include:

• B/C/D/E Class Destroyer Escorts
• F Class Destroyer Escorts
• H Class Destroyer Escorts
• V & W Class Destroyer Escorts
• Town Class Destroyer Escorts, supplied through American Lend-Lease
• River Class Frigates
• Flower Class Corvettes

A SOLITAIRE CAREER EXPERIENCE

Atlantic Sentinels is primarily designed as a solitaire game and offers a genuine career progression. Escort missions are conducted one after another, crews gain experience, and the Escort Group may receive improved equipment or additional vessels.

A single mission takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes, while a complete career can take around 6 to 8 hours.

The game can also be played with two players and is specifically designed to integrate with The Hunters: German U-Boats at War, 1939-43, allowing the two systems to be combined.

GAME SPECIFICATIONS

• Publisher: Compass Games
• Designer: Gregory M. Smith
• Artists: Nadir Elfarra, Brien Miller
• Project Director: John Kranz
• Year: 2024
• Players: 1-2
• Game type: Primarily solitaire
• Scale: Abstract
• Period: World War II, 1942-1943
• Theme: Battle of the Atlantic / Anti-submarine warfare
• Playing time per mission: approximately 15-20 minutes
• Full career: approximately 6-8 hours
• Publisher complexity rating: 4/10
• Solitaire suitability: 10/10
• Time scale: Semi-abstract, approximately two convoy escort missions per month
• Unit scale: Individual escorts, U-boats and merchant ships when targeted

CONTENTS

• 1 counter sheet with 9/16" counters
• 2 double-sided Tactical Displays:
  • Small Convoys
  • Large Convoys
• 3 double-sided Player Aid Cards
• 3 single-sided Player Aid Cards
• 1 Operational Display
• 1 Rules Booklet
• 1 Mission Logsheet
• 2 six-sided dice
• 2 ten-sided dice

EDITORIAL CONTENT

Atlantic Sentinels provides an accessible yet challenging simulation of the work performed by Allied Escort Groups during the most dangerous phase of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Escort deployment, radar use, submarine detection, wolfpack attacks, air support and the progressive improvement of the Escort Group are central to the game system.

Randomly generated encounters provide strong replayability, ensuring that no two careers develop in exactly the same way.