4 replies to this topic

[Aman]

Has anyone pulled the rules back to 1898-1906?  

 

The technicalities of the pre-dread period are so variable, that I can't begin to attempt the period.  I'm wondering if anyone has made some adaptations to this period.  Coastal has stated that there's no plans in the works from ODGW for a pre-dread version of the rules.

 

Thanks for any info!

[W. Clark]

I just use FAI as is for now. The ships are firing in local control and that brings the ranges way down although not as far down as you might wish. It seems to me that a modified CRT that reduces ranges to pre 1908 ranges is most of what is needed to bring FAI local control ranges into line with what was happening in the period in question. Remember, that gunnery ranges were being extended through out this period as new means of control were being invented. I believe the newly improved torpedoes and a desire to out range them with gunnery was a major factor affecting this, but a desire to gain a possible upper hand in gunnery itself was also in play.

 

The down side to my method is that it reduces FAI to more of a one side fits all approach. I don't see a real fix coming until until a well researched, navy by navy approach approximating what FAI has done for WWI is completed.

[Kevin Nielson]

Hi all, I have been looking for the same thing our group is getting interested in the Spanish American War, but I have heard that the calibre of the guns is different. A 12" WW1 gun has different penetration values than the earlier weapons, anyone one know if this is true.

[Cpt M]

Yes, the 12"/45 Mk 5/6, and 12"/50 Mk7 (mounted on the Connecticut and Wyoming classes, respectively) were dramatically different from the 12"/35 Mk 1/2 mounted on the Texas and Iowa classes.  The penetration and range values were very different due to the shorter length of the barrel, the efficiency of the propellant (due to the advances in propellant technology from the 1890's to WWI) and the design of the shells.   Plus the rate of fire was much different due to advances in fire control  doctrine (and would become even moreso with the widespread adoption of director fire control).   Finally, the values for the USN in the FAI Supplement reflect the situation in 1917 (when the US entered WWI).  As such, these values may not be valid even 5 years prior, since the US had adopted many of the 'lessons learned' from the early years of the war prior to their involvement.  So I really can't recommend using any of the values from FAI (for all the nations presented) for any period prior much further back than 1910 (and even that is debatable).  

 

A true, historically valid variant would require a complete, bottom up effort (much as FAI required the same when backdating GQ3.3).  A simple backdating using the existing values absolutely will not suffice.

[Robert Williams]

I too would very much like to see a pre-dreadnought version of the game, as an add-on if possible, if not, as a new set of rules. I myself am interested in doing the Russo-Japanese War.