
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Second World War at Sea: The Habsburg Fleet
- 1–2 players
- 30 min
- 2014

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

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Second World War at Sea: Black Sea Fleets is an expansion for Second World War at Sea: Bomb Alley released in 2007 for 2 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Michael Bennighof and Doug McNair and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Secret Unit Deployment, and Hexagon Grid.
Expansion for the Second World War at Sea series. Mostly for Bomb Alley. Black Sea Fleet features a 64 page booklet with historical notes and 26 scenarios. The scenarios take place in the Black Sea with ships from Russia, Turkey and Romania. The module contains 70 long ship and 140 standard-sized counters. Additions includes the battleships like Parizhaya Kommuna, Novorossisk and Sovietskaya Ukraina, the battle cruiser Sevastopol, several proposed aircraft carriers including the Varyan, plus cruisers and destroyers ranging from re-conditioned veterans of the Tsarist navy to the "Blue Beauty," the destroyer leader Tashkent. Romania has cruisers, while Turkey fields the battle cruiser Yavuz plus the ships she tried to buy in the 1930s. Aircraft range from the PZL-11 fighter in Turkish service through Romanian Fi.167 torpedo bombers to the Soviet I-15 biplane fighter and IL-2 Sturmovik attack plane.
Second World War at Sea: Black Sea Fleets supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Second World War at Sea: Black Sea Fleets is 120 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 Second World War at Sea: Black Sea Fleets 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.
Second World War at Sea: Black Sea Fleets has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Second World War at Sea: Black Sea Fleets belongs to these categories: Wargame, Nautical, and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Secret Unit Deployment, and 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 Second World War at Sea: Black Sea Fleets are: Michael Bennighof and Doug McNair. 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 Second World War at Sea: Black Sea Fleets as an expansion for Second World War at Sea: Bomb Alley. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Second World War at Sea: Bomb Alley to use it. Check that your edition of Second World War at Sea: Bomb Alley is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.