
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,962
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Bismarck (Second Edition)
- 2 players
- 150–240 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 1978

Rules assistance for The Ships of the Father Expansion
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.
The Ships of the Father Expansion is an expansion for Second World War at Sea: Leyte Gulf released in 2008 for 2 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. Its main mechanics are Paper-and-Pencil, Hexagon Grid, and Minimap Resolution.
This "what if" collection of aircraft carriers, suggested by an avid wargamer and drawn up by the folks at Avalanche Press, comprises three ships that did not see action at Leyte Gulf, but are sisters of ships that do have unit counters in the game. The included carriers are the Essex-class Tarawa and Boxer, and the Commencement Bay-class Bairoko (Bairoko sisters in the Leyte Gulf game are Block Island and Gilbert Islands). —user summary
The Ships of the Father Expansion 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 The Ships of the Father Expansion 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 The Ships of the Father Expansion 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.
The Ships of the Father Expansion belongs to these categories: Wargame, Print & Play, and Nautical. Its main mechanics are Paper-and-Pencil, Hexagon Grid, and Minimap Resolution. 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 catalogue lists The Ships of the Father Expansion as an expansion for Second World War at Sea: Leyte Gulf. 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: Leyte Gulf to use it. Check that your edition of Second World War at Sea: Leyte Gulf is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.