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Naval Miniataures War Game

North Cape

Only Available at Noble Knight Games! Hurry - limited stock!

A Collectible Vintage War Game with Miniature WWII Ship Models. Missed the Kickstarter? You can get the game now at Noble Knight Games!

The Return of the classic 1978 game of WWII surface naval combat!

This is your chance to own original stock from the only printing of the late 1970’s war game: NORTH CAPE.  We have new-old stock from 1978, 1/4800 ship miniatures of striking detail,  expansion scenarios from the original game designer, and print and play PDFs of the entire game (and more). 

 

The Fellowship of the Thing, Ltd, in partnership with C in C Casting Company, and Lonnie Gill, present a limited-edition new-old-stock release of their 1978 naval miniatures board game.


 

 

From the original marketing materials -

 

NORTH CAPE is a simulation of surface naval combat during 1939-43, using C in C's unique game system combining the visual appeal of naval ship miniatures with the convenience of a board game. Two players, representing the respective commanders, maneuver scale warship replicas and engage in combat to achieve victory for their commands. Eight different historical scenarios provide you a chance to try your skill in a wide variety of tactical situations.  Two scenarios can also be played as solitaire. In addition, a campaign game offers wider scope and endless variety.”

Even though our fully-funded Kickstarter campaign has ended you can still get in on the action - limited stock available at Noble Knight Games.

Niorth Cape game components

Published in 1978 as a complete boxed set, the game's rule system is derived from Lonnie Gill's world-famous General Quarters naval wargame. Everything is scaled down to create a fast-playing tabletop board game with detailed metal 1/4800 miniature naval models.

3000 copies of the game were made - yet only 1600 copies of this game were ever sold. Due to a manufacturing error, an insufficient amount of hexagonal game boards were made - leaving the remaining boxes, instructions, and other materials languishing in the C in C warehouse for nearly 44 years. Sadly, much of this remaining stock was damaged or lost. 

After inspection of the original stock, we have enough for 580 complete vintage box sets of the game.  For these, we're reprinting the game boards and casting new ship models using the original 1978 molds. 

Build your own set! We're also selling vintage rule books, Print & Play PDFs of the rules & materials, ship packs from the original molds, vintage dice sets, and a brand new scenario expansion pack by Lonnie Gill. 

Even though our fully-funded Kickstarter campaign has ended you can still get in on the action - limited stock available at Noble Knight Games.

1/4800 scale ship models
Naval History and the Exhilaration of Command (The Scenario) 
 

During World War II, the Arctic Ocean was the scene of a bitter struggle between Britain's Royal Navy and the German Kriegsmarine as the Allies attempted to sail supplies to the hard-pressed Russians. Convoys ran a gauntlet of round-the-clock air and submarine attacks during the summer months as they steamed past the North Cape of Norway on their way to Murmansk. The perpetual darkness of the Arctic winter brought relief from the Luftwaffe in exchange for the more ominous dangers of the German surface warships. Desperate clashes took place between the convoy escorts and the determined attackers while the American and British merchant ships struggled through the freezing storm-tossed waters of the Barents Sea…
 

A Classic Game System
 

From novice wargamer to experienced sea dog, this is an essential addition to any war game collection. Only 28 pages long, the rules are short and easily understood. Yet, the intensity and variety of play are limitless due to the 'Campaign Game' format.

Easy to play, with three levels of complexity:

 

  • Basic
  • Advanced
  • Campaign Game
     

Start with the Basic Game, and learn the core ideas of naval combat. Next, move on to the Advanced Game; this provides greater realism with rules for tactical control, ammunition limitations, and search radar. Once you've mastered the tactical rules, you're ready for the Campaign Game, in which you create your own strategic and tactical situations by secretly plotting your fleet's movement in the Barents Sea. The addition of the "fog of war,” submarines, and air attack makes for a challenging test of command.
 

Don't get left at the dock - reserve your North Cape items NOW!
 

How to Play
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Timestamps:
00:10 Game Overview
02:37 Starting A Game (Choosing a Scenario)
04:35 Ship Damage Logs
04:51 Sequence of Play
08:09 Movement
11:20 Collisions
12:18 Combat
12:48 Attacker vs Defender Odds
13:12 Using the Straddle Table
14:13 Attack Dice
14:40 Gunnery Damage Chart
15:10 Critical Hits Chart

Basic Game Sequence of Play:
 

1. Movement

  • a. Player A (designated in the scenario) moves all his ships and lays smoke screens.
  • b. Player B moves all his ships and lays smoke screens; the players alternate moving first in succeeding Game Turn.
  • c. Roll dice for collisions and record damage.
     

2. Torpedo Attack Resolution

  • a. Execute torpedo attacks against ships occupying the Target Areas plotted for torpedos launched the preceding Game Turn.
  • b. Damage is assessed for each hit and recorded in the SDL (Ship Damage Log)
     

3. Gunnery Combat

  • a. Searchlights illuminate ships (ADVANCED GAME only).
  • b. Gunnery attacks are executed by both players.
  • c. Damage takes effect simultaneously for all ships.
     

4. Torpedo Attack Launch

  • a. Players plot the Target Hex for each of the attacking torpedo mounts.
  • b. The torpedos launched will arrive in their Target Areas during phase 2 of the succeeding Game Turn.
     

5. Damage Repair

  • a. Players attempt to repair Damage Control hits (Critical Hit #3).
  • b. Disabled ships may attempt to regain power by rolling a "6" on a die.
  • c. Ships that have their fifth hull box marked off during this Game Turn are placed on their sides to signify they are sinking; ships that have sunk are removed from play.
     

6. Smoke screens laid during the preceding Game Turn are removed from the Tactical Board.

Allied and Axis ship models
What's Available for North Cape:
 

You, the true collector can get your own 1978 vintage boxed set of the entire game 

 

What you get in a Vintage Boxed Set:
 

  •  1 Vintage 1978 Game Box
     

  •  1 Allied Ship Set 1 (12 Miniatures - Contains these classes of ships: King George V, Kent, Town, Colony, and 2 Leander, plus 6 destroyers.)
     

  •  1 Axis Ship Set 1 (12 Miniatures Contains these classes of ships:  Scharnhorst, Lutzow, Hipper, and Konigsberg, plus 8 destroyers)
     

  •  1 Vintage 1978 North Cape Rule Book
     

  •  9 Reproduction Modular Game Boards. Boards are 9" x 10.5" with a 10 x 10 hexagonal grid (100 one-inch hexagons).
     

  • New Set of 6-Sided Koplow Dice (1 red, 1 white, and 1 green)
     

  • 1 Vintage 1978 Double-sided Game Chart sheet (Tan)
     

  • 1 Vintage 1978 Smoke and Illumination Marker sheet (Yellow)
     

  • 1 Vintage 1978 Ship Identification Chart with Campaign Game Tables on the reverse side
     

  •  6 Vintage 1978 Campaign Strategic Map sheets with Allied Ship Damage Log on the reverse side
     

  •  6 Vintage 1978 Campaign Strategic Map sheets with Axis Ship Damage Log on the reverse side
     

  • 1 Rule Corrections and Clarification Sheet (Pale Blue)


* Aside from the freshly cast ships (from original molds), dice, newly printed game boards, and corrections sheet included in your game, everything else was manufactured in 1978.

Please Note: The 1/4800 ship models contain lead - they are cast in metal using special techniques created by Randy Hoffa; these games are not intended for children.

 

Condition of the Vintage Items


No doubt about it, these are old games. The boxes and other materials have been stored for decades. The printed materials (rule books, combat charts, and other accessory sheets, etc.) are in near-mint condition. However, there are only 580 original boxes remaining that passed our standards of quality. None of these boxes will look pristine and hot off the press. We've included a link to detailed photos below so you can see them for yourself.

On all of the game boxes we see:

Degrees of oxidation: Generally, one box side appears darker in comparison to the other sides. Most of the boxes appear bright white except for that one side.

Expansion and Bowing on all of the boxes. The side panels bow out, and the covers are slightly warped. These are cardboard boxes that have sat for decades.

On some of the boxes we also see:

Friction and scuffs from other boxes above and below due to tiny vibrations from sources such as passing traffic.

Spots. Some boxes have tan-colored irregularly-shaped spots in some places.

Manufacturing irregularities: C in C produced these game boxes with 1978 printing technology. Some corners reveal an excess of glue. Others have tiny flaps where the glue did not entirely hold down the printed cover art. Some boxes show slight roller marks from the printing press. The artwork is slightly out of alignment on many of the covers.

Premium vs. Standard Quality

We realize many of you want a complete collectible game to keep, and others want a game to open up and play like it's 1978. So, we have classified the box lids into two categories:

Premium Condition North Cape Sets - For Collectors (150 Boxes).

These have (see photos below):

• discoloration from oxidation on one side of the box

• expansion and bowing, but no physical damage such as crushed corners or creased covers

• no moisture spots

• very minor to no friction scuffs

• minor to no manufacturing irregularities

Standard Condition North Cape Sets (430 Boxes)

(see photos below):

• some additional and/or more intense oxidation

• expansion and bowing, but no physical damage such as crushed corners or creased covers

• some moisture spots

• some or greater friction scuffs

• additional and/or more intense manufacturing irregularities
Please click on the image for high resolution photos.

All of the game boxes will have minor flaws. Compared to the copies in private collections, sold initially in the late '70s, these undistributed boxes are very likely in better condition. Maybe not rare, but instead, scarce: out of the original 1600 games sold and what we are selling via Kickstarter, less than 2200 sets from this original printing exist in the world today.

Having said all that, we are very impressed with how well these games have weathered such a long time in storage. The box corners are crisp and without any crushing, the glue still holds, we saw no signs of disintegration or powdering and the ink still has vibrant color.

Even though our fully-funded Kickstarter campaign has ended you can still get in on the action - limited stock available at Noble Knight Games.

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