
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Great War at Sea: Airships
- 2 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2008

Rules assistance for Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts is an expansion for Great War at Sea 2: The North & Baltic Seas released in 2004 for 1–4 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Michael Bennighof, Brian L. Knipple, and Karl Laskas and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
Dreadnoughts is a supplement to Avalanche Press's Great War at Sea series of naval games. It expands all prior main games in the series, requiring elements from other games to play any of the scenarios. No map is included, only expansion game pieces. Numerous articles and scenarios cover Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Greek, French, and Romanian plans in the WW1 era. The product also features die-cut, mounted counters: 70 full size counters and 20 'small' counters. Among these is the Spanish Armada of the World War One era, the Ottoman Turkish navy, and the Austro-Hungarian building projects. There are also many variants of the Rio de Janeiro/Agincourt in livery of various nations accounting for other potential buyers. Finally, there are also new "advanced" tactical rules by Karl Laskas, giving players the option to take a more detailed approach to combat. These new rules make use of existing ship factors, existing maps, and use a six-sided die standardized in the rest of the system for resolution. As a result, it integrates easily with the base games.
Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts supports 1–4 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.
The listed playing time for Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts has a complexity rating of 2.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts belongs to these categories: Wargame, Nautical, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts are: Michael Bennighof, Brian L. Knipple, and Karl Laskas. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Great War at Sea: Dreadnoughts as an expansion for Great War at Sea 2: The North & Baltic Seas. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Great War at Sea 2: The North & Baltic Seas to use it. Check that your edition of Great War at Sea 2: The North & Baltic Seas is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.