Phalanx U-Boot Board Game, Multicolor

Still learning how to play the game , but so far it's awesome, quite complex but fun. Love the idea of the a board game combined with an app .

I pre-ordered this and tracked this almost daily in anticipation. I almost cancelled my order based on some feedback on board game geek and other places. I'm glad I didn't! We had a BLAST playing this on family game night!This is a board game that is facilitated by a free down-loadable app. You can do it on a smart phone or a personal computer (I did both without problems). It may seem complicated but with a little bit of study it is pretty simple and straight forward. There are multiple youtube videos on how to play. Once you get going it is pretty intuitive. The app has had some bugs reported but the design team has been constantly working through it and I didn't find app when I played.The boardgame itself consists of a quality foam board submarine (about 3 feet long) and detailed plastic accessories and crew members. Unfortunately the Kickstarters did not provide very good packaging for some of the internal components so some people had some damaged cards and things like that. The manufacturers report they are going to fix that. My particular box had cards splayed everywhere with one single one damaged but otherwise was in good shape. They forgot to include the decal sheet of unique submarine markings but customer service sent a replacement after I emailed them with no hassles.By intuitive play I mean my wife who HATES strategy or board games got into it and had a blast. Ditto the sullen 14 year old teenager. My 10 year old son was the captain! The game plays in real time so there is much friction and decision making that must happen YESTERDAY! Essentially you role play either the captain, first officer, engineer, or navigator. You manage your crewmembers with a limited amount of orders and too much to do. Give too many orders and morale suffers and you lose efficiency. You have to work cooperatively to be successful. This was a stretch for my 14-year old first officer under command of my 10 year old but in a passable German accent the 14 year old would try to persuade the captain on what he should do, often to no avail. Tasks are often mundane but can have an impact. Which routine maintenance can you perform? What should you serve the crew for meals? HINT: not only the game but my family had negative outcomes when I tried to feed them canned tuna for their main meal. I don't often see my wife that angry.In other words it is immersive!We are the worst uboot crew ever. We have been pummeled by the enemy (through the app) many times and have barely survived. We have yet to fire a torpedo. We haven't even exited the training missions. My ungrateful family/crew hates onions in their eggs which would be bad enough in real life but whining about a fictitious meal is not really acceptable to me. But dang we're having a heck of a lot of fun!Suggestions:--After you assemble your sub, paint the white edges with some watered-down gray or black paint---it makes the sub look cooler. A fat black PERMANENT magic marker would work, too (took me an extra 15 minutes).--Have each player read the section pertinent to their role (captain, first officer, navigator, engineer). This makes learning the rules pretty easy as you don't really need to know everyone else's rules.--Get into character!--Watch the movie Das Boot and the newly released Das Boot series on netflix (they just renewed for a second season) and any other submarine -themed movies you can think of as this will help you understand more.

The app that is used with the game needs more variables to make things more interesting!

Unlike any other board game out there. Highly recommend this game- Its a video game and a cooperative board game all in one. Much better than any submarine video game out there, and way more exiting than any other board game ive ever played!

"God asked the stones of the earth, who wants to be a German Ubootman? The stones all replied 'We are not tough enough!' - German saying in the early 20th centuryWe finally got our first patrol in on this game. It seemed very daunting at first, but us two adults with good knowledge of U-boats, their tactics and history, we were able to set up the game and get going fairly easily. The realism of all the different jobs, with real time issues (fires! hull breaches! Dysentery!) was just too cool. Lets put it this way - the log we created as we went (supplied by the game) read like this: dOur patrol on 8.1.1940 sank 2000 GRT with the deck gun West of Denmark, followed by a few hours later submitting a weather report, 6 hours later this was followed by an air attack that killed the navigator while he was on watch. We proceeded to dive and entered a mine field off the Danish coast, hitting two mines causing on board fires and a leak. Surfaced for repairs and was attacked again by air. Made repairs and returned to Kiel, Germany late on 8.2.40.We honestly have not had this much fun with a board game, including set up and details, in a very long time. I'd say the only few downsides are - not enough ship variations (battleships etc), and that the cardboard Uboat seems like it wont last more than 20-30 take downs/rebuilds. I found it very progressive that all paper documents/rules etc are all on the company's website for a free download.

This one has a big big learning curve, a lot of different stations and details and nuances. And that's just learning the game, let alone mastering it.The game needs and wants a team of players who know the game, their roll, and solid strategy. Without that, it's much more difficult to just play the game, let alone conquer it.Everything in the game is top notch and meant to be memorable and gripping. The app is solid and timely in its prompts.Be warned if you don't like app driven games, this will not change your mind.It's deserved the many many game of the year awards it's earned of late.

I love the use of the app to enhance a table top game and am looking forward to enhancements. This game is very cleaver and I look forward to more from the developers.

This is one of the most innovative board games I've ever seen. You are playing a combination board computer game all in one. Excellent components and materials. Highly recommend.