Quick and the Dead: Coastal Actions in WWII

The Quick and the Dead (Q&D) is meant to replicate the sharp, short actions involving coastal forces during World War II. More specifically, this set of rules and cards is focused on the fighting between coastal forces in the Mediterranean Sea, but if the rules prove popular, expansions for the English Channel and the Pacific theater are planned. It is important to recognize, however, that these rules focus on only a part of the operation of coastal forces. Coastal actions are characterized by patrolling and stealth, usually at night, punctuated by a quick, violent engagement at close quarters, often less than 500 yards. 

Quick and the Dead features a unique diceless and turnless system in which players delcare and play action cards as fast as they can.  This creates an unusual tunnel vision phenomenon in which players are focused on the actions of their small craft and can be surprised when an enemy comes alongside and opens fire.  Games usually last between 30 and 45 minutes, so you can play two or three in an evening.

 PT-boat actions are generally divided into three phases. There is the stealthy approach phase in which one force lies in wait, trying to get an advantageous position on the enemy. This phase can last several hours, beginning from the time the boats leave port until (and if) contact is made with the enemy. There is the assault phase, in which the boats battle each other, typically at fewer than 200 yards, and nearly always at night. This phase usually lasts between 20 and 40 minutes. Finally, there is the aftermath. Typically one side or the other affects a disengagement and both sides head from home.

The Quick and the Dead focuses on the middle phase. Games last about 40 minutes. There are no turns and no chart cards. Players use cards to control the movement and firing of their boats. All the needed information is on the cards. When a player has exhausted his cards, each of his boats makes a morale check, draws more cards, and continues playing. At the end of a game, players feel exhausted, as if they've just been through a fight.

If you like your naval games pedantic and chart-ridden, The Quick and the Dead is not for you. If you want to feel as if you've actually been in a PT fight, these are the only rules that give you that feeling. The game plays very different than most game you've played. Some players get the hang of the fluid, no-turns system quickly. Others have difficulty. I have found that by a player's third game, they get the hang of it. Many don't like the game the first time they play, but after playing a couple more times, really enjoy it. During play tests some have suggested that I should include an optional standard-style turn sequence. While players would be free to do so, I've decided not to include a tradtional turn sequence, because then The Quick and the Dead would be just another game, and I wanted it to be unique.

The Quick and the Dead comes with a rulebook, the cards to play the game, scenario cards, and boat record cards for most of the German, Italian, British, and American boat types in the Mediterranean. I usually play on a 4'x6' table, but that's for a six-player game. You could certainly play on a dining room table. The basic set of cards is for that size game. The advantage of the .pdf format is that if you want to player larger games (more players) you can print another deck of cards.