They Come Unseen Review

A remarkable Cold War Era naval game developed by a real submarine Commander

It’s quite staggering that Commander Andrew Benford, now retired, developed They Come Unseen whilst in service. Who better to design a naval strategy game than a man who has served within the Royal Navy and has himself had to make many of the critical decisions depicted in this game. Decisions such as when to hunt….when to run….and how you’re going to go about doing either! (Okay, the whole blasting Soviet and NATO ships didn’t happen, but here’s a good simulation of how that might have played out). It’s clear by the rule system that here’s a guy who knows his stuff…but does it make a good game?

Almost as impressive as his knowledge of his craft, is the designer’s ability to mimic the realities and technicalities of Cold War Naval warfare into a VERY FUN game. Sure, it simulates aspects of modern naval warfare very well, but I must emphasise that the focus of the design is to allow two (to five) players to have an exciting, suspenseful, and enjoyable GAME.

It sounds technical and niche…is it for naval buffs only?

No. I knew very little about Cold War era warfare in general before playing They Come Unseen, but I never felt out of my depth (pun intended) regarding the references to technical matters, equipment, and tactics in the rulebook. Once I’d played it a few times, I’d realised I’ve learnt a lot, though I’m not quite at the point of handing my CV into the Royal Navy…why would I when I came play this at home? With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, who knows, this ‘what if’ scenario could well be a reality as some would argue ‘Cold War 2’ has begun. Either way, don’t get too hung up on the theme; appreciate the concept and have a blast with a friend.

So….it’s like “Battleships”?

Nooooooo. Just no. I guess about the only similarity with Battleships is there are some subs hidden on one game board (I’ll get onto the different boards shortly) and it’s a game of cat and mouse in that sense, guessing where enemy vessels are, but seriously, it bares littles resemblance to Battleships, for example, all vessels can move and conduct actions.

What’re the objectives?

You play as either NATO submarines or Soviet surface ships. These are the two teams. As NATO, your mission is to destroy Russian stations (ports), supply ships and surface vessels. As Russia, your mission is to hunt NATO subs and cover your supply ships en route to friendly stations. There are numerous stations however and the NATO player does not announce which ones they seek to destroy, so again, some degree of deception is part of the game. At the beginning of ‘They Come Unseen’, the NATO player selects cards from a pack of six representing each station, and it is those that are considered the objective. As far as the Soviet player is aware though, any station could be the target. Just because a NATO sub is spotted around one specific station, could be a bluff or they could indeed be after that station. Psychology comes into play which adds a whole new dimension to the game, and I must say this is the really exciting bit of player interaction. If a sub arrives at an undefended station, it is assumed land forces are landed and the station captured. Be careful though, there could be numerous Soviet surface vessels patrolling around stations, supply ships or hot on your trail with depth charges at the ready…they can even ram you if you’re dead on the water refuelling.

So where does all the action take place?

They Come Unseen consists of two square grid boards, one for surface action, visible to both Nato and Soviet players, and another for hidden (underwater) movement, seen only by the NATO sub player.

Do I need a pen and paper to keep track of everything?

No, thanks to 'control panel' player aids that track fuel, ammunition and depth. These come in SO handy and it's features like this that make They Come Unseen highly accessible. A quick glance at a clear, visual tracker of each vessel cuts out loads of admin time. It's SO much better than looking at a stat sheet or something like that...brilliant.

How long is the rulebook?

...15 pages. It's not written as well as it could be. The author seems to opt for long paragraphs instead of concise bullet points, which is a shame. The rules make sense, but for this reason it'll take a bit more time to get familiar with them. Another book is included, detailing the 'History and Strategy' behind cold war era naval conflict, which is interesting, but you are not required to read this to understand how the game works.

What're the components like? does it contain models?

The components are very high quality, with wonderful artwork, however there are no models included. Each vessel is a coloured cardboard depiction. They’re good quality counters, but there’s no denying they’re inferior to a good miniature.