
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,485
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Steel Wolves: Germany's Submarine Campaign Against British & Allied Shipping – Vol 1 1939-43
- 1 player
- 60–9000 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2010

Rules assistance for Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy
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.
Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy is an expansion for Silent War released in 2010 for 1 player, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Brien J. Miller and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Point to Point Movement, and Secret Unit Deployment.
(from Compass Games website:) Bring added realism to your submarine campaign with IJN, Imperial Japanese Navy, the first expansion pack for Compass Games’ award winning SILENT WAR. Every Japanese warship down through the large destroyer escorts and the major auxiliary cargo ships and tankers are provided in two full countersheets with 336 new playing pieces for the game and rules to integrate them seamlessly into the game. IJN, Imperial Japanese Navy also brings new rules to SILENT WAR such as loners, crash dive, and targeting escorts, rules introduced in the follow on game, STEEL WOLVES. A must have expansion pack for any dedicated SILENT WAR player. Requires SILENT WAR to play.
Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy supports 1 player 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 Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy 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 Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy 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.
Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy has a complexity rating of 2.7 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.
Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy belongs to these categories: Wargame, Nautical, and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Point to Point Movement, and Secret Unit Deployment. 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 Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy are: Brien J. Miller. 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 Silent War: IJN – Imperial Japanese Navy as an expansion for Silent War. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Silent War to use it. Check that your edition of Silent War is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.