MeepleRules
Great War at Sea: 1898, The Spanish American War
BGG rank
BGG #14,073
BGG rating
6.6

Great War at Sea: 1898, The Spanish American War

2000

Rules assistance for Great War at Sea: 1898, The Spanish American War

Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

  • 2–4 players
  • 30 min
  • 12+
  • Complexity 2.6/5
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For 2 players

Rules assistant for Great War at Sea: 1898, The Spanish American War

What would you like to know?

Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.

Great War at Sea: 1898, The Spanish American War is a board game released in 2000 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Joe Keller and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Hexagon Grid.

Expansions

Similar games

About the game

From the APL website: Spain’s colony of Cuba had attracted American expansionist desires since at least the 1850s. By the end of the century, the American “Yellow Press” had made attempts by Cuban revolutionaries to overthrow Spanish colonial rule a leading news story. American public opinion demanded that Spain grant independence to Cuba. When the U.S. battleship Maine mysteriously exploded in Havana harbor, President McKinley could no longer resist the tide of public sentiment. The U.S. government demanded that Spain withdraw from Cuba, and the U.S. Navy initiated a blockade of Cuban ports on 21 April 1898. For the sake of honor, Spain declared war on 23 April and dispatched an ill-equipped and completely outclassed fleet to the Caribbean. In two smashing naval victories the U.S. Navy defeated the Spanish fleets in the Philippines and the Caribbean. The U.S. Army seized Santiago de Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Manila. The fighting ended in less than four months, but the diplomats needed eight more to reach a peace agreement. The Spanish Cortes, unable to accept either its loss of Great Power status or that of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, rejected the treaty. The Queen Regent overruled their action to prevent further consequences. The “Disaster of ’98” crushed Spanish national pride and helped undermine Spanish democracy and constitutionalism. For quite different reasons the U.S. people and government were divided over the treaty. They questioned annexing Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Many did not want to give up their isolationism. The war served notice that the U.S. was now a Great Power. The twentieth century would become one of American world influence. 1898: The Spanish American War includes 22 scenarios. Of these, 15 are playable with the game pieces and maps provided in the game. The other seven require one or more pieces from other Great War at Sea titles. Two campaign scenarios allow players to play out the entire war at sea. The operational map covers the area around Cuba and Puerto Rico where the war’s most important campaign took place. The game includes the full Spanish and American fleets of 1898, plus a number of American warships of the early 20th century.

Designers

Publishers

  • Avalanche Press Ltd.

Questions and answers

Great War at Sea: 1898, The Spanish American War supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.