At least with the WAS mini’s, you really get involved with the ships that really fought those battles. You learn about what they did in the war and where they ended up after, even how decorated they were for battle.
My friend met a navy veteren in a store and he asked what ship he served on. The gentlemen said “Oh, you probably never heard of my boat, I was on the USS Taylor.” “I know all about your boat sir” he replied. Of course, playing WAS, you learn about all these ships and start rooting for there crews. With the addition of Team Poseidons expansion cards, there are new ships added constantly.
Careful man, they are very addicting. I bought 4 boosters at first to bring to my buddies house for a game and the next week, I bought 5 more and was so excited to see what I got, I had to open them on my lap while driving to work, not easy to open and not recommended while driving.