"Fast Attack Boats: A Game of the Arab-Israeli Naval War 1973" is a hex and counter wargame that captures the essence of naval battles during the Arab-Israeli War of October 1973. Players manage one or more small naval vessels and aim to destroy their opponents using missiles, torpedoes, guns, and ramming. A Yaquinto Album Game. Check out Fast Attack Boats on BGG
What makes Fast Attack boats hold a special place in my heart?
During high school, I often spent time at a local wargame store called Wargames West. Many weekends were spent there playing games. One particular weekend, they hosted a Fast Attack boats tournament. I entered, aiming to finish in the top three to win a FREE copy of the game. To my surprise, I ended up winning the tournament. It was incredibly enjoyable.
This experience also led to conversations with the owner, Wayne, and we developed a friendship over the years. After returning from the Navy and resuming college, I worked at that store for a few years. Those were truly good times.
The components of the game.
This game was released by Yaquinto Publications based in Dallas, Texas. It was part of an experiment to produce games in the style of an album. While this may have seemed like a promising idea, I don’t think they fully considered the logistics. For instance, after punching out the counters and placing them in a baggie, there was no dedicated space to store them while maintaining the album format of the game.
When you opened the album-style cover, the board was inside. It featured a standard water blue map without any additional terrain. The counters were quite plain compared to today's standards, but they were acceptable back in 1980. The rules were relatively straightforward and spanned only 7 pages. It was marketed as an introductory game. The most notable aspect I recall is that you had to stack the missiles or torpedoes on the ship counters, which cluttered the board. A record-keeping sheet was later introduced, which greatly helped with this issue.
I will always own a copy of this game
This game will always have a place on my shelf. In fact I will be doing a replay of the game and posting it on the Cardboard Commander Youtube channel. So stay tuned!
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