Most Liked Content

This is an after action report of a General Quarters 3.3 game played at Recruits convention 2013 in Lee’s Summit, MO on September 14, 2013. The scenario was generated by using the scenario generation system included in the GQ 3.3 rules. The scenario involves a Japanese destroyer transport task force of four converted WW I destroyer transports( PB 2, PB 31, PB 35, PB 36) carrying supplies to a base located in the Solomon Island chain in late August of 1943. Leading the destroyer transports is the light cruiser IJN Abukuma. Escorting the destroyer transports is the heavy cruiser IJN Myoko and a division of four Kagero class destroyers ( IJN Hatsukaze, IJN Yukikaze, IJN Shiranui, IJN Urakaze)with the light cruiser IJN Nagara leading the destroyer division. The night seas are calm with no clouds and a full moon. As the Japanese move through the channels of the Solomon’s toward their objective, they stumble across a US cruiser task force of two heavy cruisers(USS New Orleans, USS Chester), one light cruiser(USS San Diego) and four Sims class destroyers(USS Russell, USS Morris, USS Anderson, USS Hughes). The US task force is sailing to perform a bombardment mission on an island scheduled to be invaded next month. Both forces are surprised to see an enemy task force interfering with their missions:

The US cruiser task force, having organized in line ahead formation, was cruising at twenty one knots; weaving through the island studded channel toward their objective a few hours away. Tasked to arrive in the early morning, the cruisers were scheduled to bombard a Japanese held island to inflict maximum damage on the garrison as preparation for an invasion next month continued. The destroyers USS Russell and Morris led the column followed by USS New Orleans and Chester and USS San Diego. US destroyers USS Anderson and USS Hughes brought up the rear of the column. The admiral of this force was stationed on USS New Orleans. He patiently sat in the command chair on the bridge as the ships quietly glided through the unusually calm waters and clear night sky. The silence of the bridge is broken as the TBS (Talk between Ships) radio crackled to life. An ensign wrote quickly as the TBS spilled forth its report, unintelligible gibberish to the admiral located away from the radio room. The ensign approached the admiral, paper in hand, and reported to the admiral that the lead destroyer, USS Russell, had a radar contact bearing 300 degrees, range 20,000 yards. The contact appeared to be three distinct groups of ships. The admiral nodded as he listened to the report and replied to the ensign to tell USS Russell to continue to track the contact and send updates every five minutes. The admiral turns to the captain of USS New Orleans. He tells the captain to send to all ships….increase to max speed and send the task force to General Quarters!!!
About the time that General Quarters was sounded throughout the US task force, the Japanese admiral on board the heavy cruiser IJN Myoko was still oblivious that a US task force was nearby. The resupply force commanded by the Japanese admiral consisted of two distinct divisions: one was the destroyer transport division of four converted WWII destroyers that had guns and boilers removed to make room for a cargo hold and a landing barge to unload and load supplies to garrisons without harbor facilities. The once speedy destroyers are now slow, eighteen knot cargo vessels that are well suited for work within the confined waters of the Solomon Islands. The destroyer transports had the light cruiser IJN Abukuma escorting them to their scheduled location. The IJN Myoko was not alone. Myoko had a division of four destroyers led by the light cruiser Nagara. The IJN Myoko and the attendant destroyer division were tasked to protect the destroyer transports so they could deliver their precious cargo to the island garrison.
So far, the mission had gone without any interference by the enemy. The Japanese admiral was confident that his experienced sailors would spot trouble in plenty of time. The Japanese heavy cruiser was sailing toward a tight channel between two small unnamed islands to provide a screen as the destroyer transport division transited the gap between the islands. IJN Myoko was intending to hug the shore of one of the islands and swing around the island and hide in the shadow of the island to degrade the ever improving radar on the US vessels. The IJN Nagara and her destroyers were following IJN Myoko to assist in the screening. Just as IJN Myoko approached close to the island to begin her close swing around, lookouts shouted that unidentified ships have been spotted some 20,000 yards off of the starboard bow of the cruiser. At the same time, bright gun flashes broke the darkness from in front of the Japanese heavy cruiser and huge splashes appeared around IJN Myoko. The combination of the gun flashes and lookouts confirmed to the Japanese admiral that a US force was in front of him and had gotten in the first blow.
The US admiral had a clear picture of what he was facing thanks to the magic of radar. A large vessel led a column of ships that approached the channel. If ignored, the enemy column would push in front of his task force. The large vessel was followed by another large vessel and at least four smaller vessels. This was most likely two cruisers leading four destroyers. There was another group of ships with one cruiser target leading four slow moving smaller targets. This force was moving behind the small island. The US task force readied their guns and waited for the fire control director to let them know that they have a visual on the large cruiser target approaching them. The two rear destroyers sped up to maximum speed, swung out from behind USS San Diego and were pushing forward toward the expected battle. Just as the admiral had sorted out all of the data in his head, he heard the fire control director bark that a Japanese cruiser was spotted leading a column of ships visually some 20,000 yards away and requested to open fire…the admiral’s positive response was immediately lost with the boom of the eight inch cruiser guns.
The Japanese admiral did not hesitate due to the intense fire coming from the US cruisers. Calmly, he ordered the cruiser to return fire. IJN Myoko fired back with her forward turrets at her shooters with unknown effect. The US fire as well was not hitting anything. The Japanese admiral knew that the string of good luck would not last. The Japanese admiral’s concentration was interrupted by a report that the light cruiser following him had swung out of the line and taking the four destroyers with him. It appeared that the cruiser captain was attempting to close to torpedo range with his charges. The Japanese admiral watched as the column soon faded into the dark heading toward the rear of the US cruiser force. The USS New Orleans and USS Chester ignored the new move and continued to concentrate on the heavy cruiser. The Japanese admiral’s prediction of their luck came true as the US cruisers began to find their target. IJN Myoko took two eight inch hits that smashed into the hull but doing no significant damage. IJN Myoko’s guns were hitting the area around the US cruisers as well but nothing visual was telling the admiral how effective his return fire was. Both sides traded shots that did not seem to do any more significant damage. The US destroyers USS Russell and USS Morris began to fire at the cruiser as well. The US destroyer’s rapid firing 5’ guns peppered the IJN Myoko with multiple hits and did take out two of the IJN Myoko’s secondary five inch AA guns, but most of the hits were ineffective as they could not penetrate the thick cruiser armor.
There is a decisive moment in the flow of a battle that moves the direction toward victory to one side or another. This battle between the Japanese and the US was no different. Here is the tactical situation at the decisive moment for this battle. The heavy cruiser IJN Myoko is steaming at close to top speed toward a small island with the intention of hugging the shore of the island and swing around to use the island’s shadow to decrease US radar effectiveness. IJN Myoko’s move was detected by the US cruiser task force and now the Japanese heavy cruiser is the sole target of every US ship that is firing. The light cruiser IJN Nagara and the destroyer force that was following IJN Myoko has broken away from the heavy cruiser and is streaking toward the rear of the US cruiser line with the intention of launching their deadly cargo of “Long Lance” torpedoes. The USS San Diego and two destroyers located at the rear of the US line have just spotted the Japanese destroyer line and have begun to engage them. USS New Orleans and USS Chester are continuing to fire at the IJN Myoko as the Japanese cruiser steers toward the small island. US destroyers USS Russell and Morris have added their rapid firing five inch guns to the broadsides by the two US cruisers. The Japanese destroyer transports led by the light cruiser IJN Abukuma have been effectively screened by the Japanese warships and have slipped behind the same small island that IJN Myoko is steering toward. So far the destroyer transports have avoided being engaged. Both sides have avoided major damage from each other gunfire although IJN Myoko has taken two eight inch shell hits into her hull and non-penetrating five inch hits have destroyed two of IJN Myoko’s five inch secondary batteries. IJN Myoko continues to fire her forward eight inch turrets at the US cruisers with no telling hits observed. The US cruisers USS New Orleans and USS Chester along with the destroyers USS Russell and USS Morris return fire.
All of the US ships open fire simultaneously sending a blizzard of eight inch and five inch shells streaking toward the IJN Myoko. The eight inch salvos straddle IJN Myoko with two shells striking her. One twenty four inch torpedo mount disintegrates and bursts into flames. The other shell penetrates into IJN Myoko’s hull and adds to the damage already inflicted by previous hits. The swarm of five inch shells adds their effects to the eight inch shell hits. Four of the swarm hit the thickly armored sections of the ship, adding their explosive effects to the sight of the IJN Myoko being swamped by gunfire but doing no damage. The fifth five inch shell, for reason only known to scientist and God, took a slightly higher trajectory toward the Japanese heavy cruiser. While the other shells hit low on the ship, this shell bore in and struck the unarmored bridge of IJN Myoko.
The Japanese admiral was just beginning to send the order to slightly change course to avoid the island when the US five inch shell slammed into the bridge and exploded. The admiral never got to finish the order as the explosion killed all on the bridge instantly. The IJN Myoko continued on her present course and speed…which meant that six minutes later, IJN Myoko slammed aground on the small island.
The US cruisers did not show IJN Myoko any sympathy for her plight as USS New Orleans and USS Chester continued to shoot at the now grounded Japanese heavy cruiser. The US destroyers decided that maybe this is a good time to launch torpedoes at the hapless IJN Myoko. Torpedoes shot out from USS Russell and USS Morris and they appeared to run hot, straight, and normal. The angle of attack however had the torpedoes transit over the shallow reef before hitting the now grounded Japanese heavy cruiser. The torpedoes slammed into the reef and exploded harmlessly.
The balance of the Japanese force watched in horror as IJN Myoko slammed into the island. The will to fight drained from the two division commanders and all decided that this supply run needed to be aborted. The destroyer transport division used the small island as an effective screen and swung to return to their starting point. The IJN Nagara and her charges had just set up to launch torpedoes when the IJN Myoko grounded. The IJN Nagara’s captain aborted the launch and ordered a general retreat.
The US admiral was elated when he saw the result of their last broadsides. Staring at the burning Japanese heavy cruiser cocked at angle as it lay stranded on the reef sent a wave of satisfaction through him. The US admiral did not savor his victory too long as he still had a job to do. The US admiral sent an order for all ships to cease fire and to reform the battle line. The admiral also sent a message back to naval headquarters notifying them of the battle and sent a position report of a Japanese heavy cruiser grounded. The US admiral knew that in the morning, the planes from Henderson field would seek out the cripple and destroy her. The US admiral sat back into his chair and resumed his mission to sail to the island that he was scheduled to bombard in the morning.

This is my batrep from our Savo Island fight. Changes I would make to the scenario: no possible carrier strike by Wasp, TBS between USN ships at <20K yards (25% chance of success), free organization and deployment for Allies equalled by free choice of any of three attack vectors, and definite use of the optional IJN submarine attacks. I would also add in the DDs on submarine patrol at the anchorages.

Savo Island Refight and campaign kick-off Batrep

As part of the ODG "The Solomon's Campaign", we fought the battle of Savo Island once, decided that our grip on the rules was poor, and finally refought the entire battle to count for our campaign. For those who are unfamiliar with the original battle and the "battlesea", refer to this:
http://en.wikipedia...._of_Savo_Island

For this refight, since it was impossible to surprise the USN player (after all, we were gathered at the IJN house to play the battle out...) we decided on some flexibility in the "official" scenario. The USN player was permitted to organize his force however he chose, while the IJN player was permitted to attack along any of the three possible approach vectors (Northeast around Savo, Southeast around Savo, or East) to attack either of the two USN supply ship anchorages, the North one in Tulagi Harbor on Florida Island, or the South one at Lunga Pt. on Guadalcanal proper. Either is a good target with 7 or 15 supply ships respectively, as EACH sunk ship results in an advantage for the Japanese to try and win control of Henderson Airfield. The IJN was also given two submarine attacks that could approach on the same three vectors (a historical possibility that didn't happen, but could have).

As the USN player, Her Majesty's Australian Adm. Alexander "Rumrunner" Moore, I carefully considered the options, but it seemed a clear choice to have a strong screening force within Ironbottom Sound (East of Savo) of 6 DD and 2 CL, all six CA patrolling the center line between the two anchorages, and a small 2 DD screen on the East. The East approach is less likely since it would take precious night hours for the IJN to circle Florida Island for that attack. No matter which approach was used, I hoped that my powerful, concentrated force of CA would be able to make an impact on the IJN, even if they arrived late to the action and could only chase the IJN raiders at high speed and damage a couple. Of course my hope was that they would be fully engaged but not surprised, which would make this second Pearl Harbor Sneak Attack less likely to escape unblooded.

The IJN player, Adm. Kenaka Portnersan chose the historical approach. The screening force of USS San Juan* + 3 Bagley DDs, and HMAS Hobart + 3 Bagley DDs in two Divisions (all game terms are capitalized) in a continuous line formation rolled randomly for their placement on their patrol route (a d12 with each number corresponding to the clock) when the IJN came close enough to be Detected on rader. Interestingly, the result put them heading South not far from the passage, but with the Island squarely between them and the IJN! Therefore, the excellent radar on the San Juan was of no use until the IJN rounded the island. At this point the IJN were Detected on radar, and the USN squadron allowed to depart their patrol route to close the distance to the head of the Detected ships. The USN Cruiser force was 50,000y away, so there was no possibility of using TBS (Talk Between Ships) or radar Detection successfully. The IJN were still not Acquired targets, so they just appeared as "Blips" to the Allied ships.

The USN increased speed as well, so soon they closed and managed to Acquire one then a second of the three IJN Divisions. Admiral Portnersaki had three powerful CA in the first, two in the second, and the 2 CL + 1DD in the third. Realizing the powerful ships of the first Acquired Division were CA, the Allied force veered off and began to parallel the IJN from about 5000 to 6000y.

Much gunnery and some torpedoes were exchanged and the Allies took the worst of it with their lighter ships, but none were sunk. The San Juan was turned into a slow-moving battered hulk, forced to veer out of formation towards the IJN. As the Division Commander switched command to the DD USS Bagley, confusion during maneuvers resulted in the DD USS Patterson colliding with the San Juan, causing serious damage to both ships! The Hobart was significantly damaged by IJN gunfire also. The IJN held back on their torpedoes hoping to use them against any USN cruisers that might appear.

The IJN took very little damage overall but some lucky hits from the San Juan resulted in heavy damage to the Engineering section of the Furutaka and she stopped dead in the water, causing some evasive action by the following ships as they continued to speed along the Guadalcanal coastline at 30kn, passing Tassafaronga before veering North a bit and following the coastline.

At this point, the Allied squadron attempted to remain in the action as the IJN ducked into a convenient rain squall, causing them to lose contact. When they finally re-acquired the lead IJN Divisions, they were threatening the Lunga Point Anchorage! However, the narrowing of the maneuver space made the IJN movements easier to predict. A first torpedo attack by the battered and determined screening force fired 32 torpedoes at a medium range. Unfortunately, the USN spread was ineffective due to defective firing mechanisms and poor aim.

At this point the Allied CA force received contact messages from the screening force via TBS. Their random placement on their patrol route wasn't too far away, fortunately, and they increased speed and turned towards the Lunga Pt. anchorage.

Knowing that help was on the way, the Allied screening force turned hard to starboard to the opposite course of the IJN squadron. The lead Division of three remaining US DDs (their leader, the San Juan, was miles behind struggling to keep moving at 5kn) led by the doughty Bagley fired their remaining torpedoes. This time, they managed to aim true and also get the glancing blow needed to set off the faulty magneto firing mechanisms. Two hit the CL Yubari causing her to founder.

Unfortunately, the Kaigun were also masters of night torpedo work. A limited torpedo salvo caught and sank the USS Bagley and three struck the HMAS Hobart, which promptly broke apart and sank (taking ten hull hits with only four remaining can do that to you…). The five remaining US DDs vowed revenge and in the gunnery phase got it! They inflicted significant damage to the CA Kinugasa which lost speed and main gun turrets.

As the IJN closed and began processing firing solutions for the ships at anchor, precise gunnery from the Chokai cleared the nightwatch from the bridge, crushed a bulkhead and started a fires in the closest supply vessel. General Quarters sounded throughout the anchorage as stunned merchant marine and USN sailors rolled out of their bunks to take stations while the SeeBees frantically ceased their night unloading and attempted to secure their cargo.

Luck was still with the Nipponese as the HMAS Australia, anchored near the supply vessels, went to general quarters but the bleary bridge crew were unable to Acquire any IJN vessels (and remained unable...and at anchor...for the battle). The IJN closed with the supply vessels but felt obliged to split fire between the vulnerable supply ships and harassing screening force. While gunnery didn't achieve much at this point, the IJN suffered disastrous collisions in the third Division as the CL Tenryu and DD Yunagi struck the sinking shattered wreck of their leader, the CL Yubari. The USN wasn't without similar mishap as the DD Patterson collided with the shattered Bagley, taking serious damage to the hull.

At this point, the Allied Cruisers entered the battle. Desperate attempts to sort out the scene failed, and the five Cruisers lead by the USS Vincennes fired upon the nearby HMAS Australia when an IJN flare lit her up. Fortunately for Allied relations, the startled gunners fired ineffectively at the suddenly illuminated target. Soon, they realized their error as the Australia illuminated her signals and they settled down a bit to Acquire the lead IJN Squadron, now with two CA, the Chokai and the Kako.

At this point, the IJN fired their deadly torpedoes into the anchorage. The motionless ships were sitting ducks and two were struck and began to founder with flaming decks and shattered bulkheads – the war was over for the gallant pair. The IJN then turned hard to starboard to parallel the course of the fast-moving Allied CA squadron.

At this point we began to make some obvious calculations on the most likely end. While we could’ve played it out to the bitter finale, the separation of the Divisions, the limitations of the TBS and the failing of morale checks were putting some ships on the run. A lack of hull boxes and main guns was a problem for others…

It was clear that the lead IJN Division would lose it's two remaining ships while the third escaped (having repaired its engines after several turns dead in the water, and being left far behind near Tassafaronga). The second Division of two CA had one that was nearly sunk while the other was in good shape and unDetected / unAcquired by any USN Division. We decided that she'd quietly sneak away.

I insisted that the IJN resolve their final potential shooting and an overly conscientious Portnersan had to be coaxed into it. The Chokai in its last moments destroyed the turrets on the Vincennes and began two fires that they just couldn't put out - clearly they set off the aviation fuel for the seaplanes! After several turns of failed damage control (only needed <6 on d12! to put out each fire) the Vincennes was abandoned and sank.

Final tally Allies: the Allies lost CA Vincennes (5), CL Hobart (4), DDs Bagley and Ralph Talbot (4 total) sunk, and three supply ships sunk (no points), with the San Juan (4x.5=2) crippled and sent back to the States for repairs, a total of 15 VPs for the IJN. Three more USN DDs were Disabled, the Patterson, Jarvis and Helm, (no points). Admiral Moore regretted his generosity in allowing final shots from the doomed IJN CAs, but he’s British-trained and, “There _must_ be standard of conduct for naval warfare lest barbarity rule the seas!”

Final tally IJN: The IJN lost three CA (Chokai (7), Kako (5), and Kinugasa (5)), two CL (Tenryu and Yubari (6 total)) and one DD (Yunagi (1.5)), with the two remaining CA Disabled or Crippled. Total of at least 24.5 for the Allies

Final Victory Calculation: IJN = 15 + three transports sunk. Allies = 24.5 (?). Points result is “Allied Tactical Victory”, but the IJN sank <5 Allied transports so the book calls it an “Allied Major Victory”! It didn’t feel that way, but there it is. I guess it all depends on who writes the scenario.

Historically everything changed! The USN took less combat damage but lost precious supply vessels, while the IJN historically took no damage but abandoned the attempt at the anchorage. Clearly Adm. Kenaka Portnersan is a greater avatar of the samurai spirit than his historical counterparts!

Adm. Rumrunner Moore faired better with his fleet than his historical counterpart, but the embarrassing loss of three supply ships sunk and the Vincennes to a crippled IJN cruiser still gave him some tough explaining before ComSoPac! On the other hand, he survived and was not relieved of command as so many of the other USN officers were, so he had a quiet toast to Poseidon in his cabin that evening…

Hindsight is 20-20
Adm. Moore's self-eval. The USN had a good setup that I wouldn't change much, if at all. My ships did reasonably well to Detect IJN ships on radar, but they struggled to Acquire them as targets on several occasions and had one Fratricide event on the HMAS Australia, fortunately rolling "misses" on several dice. The substantial penalty of rolling 2xd12 and adding them, PLUS an auto-fail at 12+ total (so even a normally automatic Acquisition would be a miss 50% of the time) made their gunnery less than optimal and made torpedoes very difficult to fire until they FINALLY acquired the IJN after about 8 turns (ugh!).

Given this, the Allies did pretty well under the circumstances. However, there were two occasions of poor maneuvering that had my own ships screening friendly fire, and one where I rolled a torpedo under the USS Bagley (which was presently sinking from IJN Torpedoes, but still…). Also, the screening force might have used a different approach vector to hit the tail of the IJN formation and harass them from the rear with their deadly CL (the San Juan with 16 light 5" guns and the Hobart with 8 heavier 6" guns). Instead, they hit the head of the column and the two CL were trashed and are out of the campaign without inflicting significant damage in exchange.

And IJN critique. It seems to me that the IJN picked the most difficult approach given my setup. The Southeast passage around Savo is longer, and my forces had the same chances to engage there as a Northeast approach. Personally, I would've picked the East or Northeast Savo passage (the first hoping for surprise and the second as the shorter of the two obvious choices). The IJN chose not to close and engage the screening force which helped them to get to the anchorage and sink three supply ships, earning them some hard-won credit on the scale of control for Henderson Airfield. Still, a direct shot from Savo Island to the Lunga Point anchorage was a bit shorter, and would've brought them closer to the USN screening force which would undoubtedly have resulted in some serious losses there from the effective IJN gunnery. Also, I would've dumped some torpedoes into the two CL of the screening force. They can take a ship from 0-to-sunk in 1-2 hits, which seems worth it.

Overall, a lot of work to figure out a new set of rules in no less than two complete 21-ship refights. However, I think we know the rules now and I've made some cheat sheets for the common events that cross-reference a variety of useful details. We're excited to see how this different result will shape the campaign for Guadalcanal - will it change history? Or will the IJN suffer the long slow death by strangulation from the airpower at Henderson Field!?

Our Scenario for the Wolfenberg Game:

 

The Horror at Wolfenberg  Scale: 15mm; Rules: ODGW Mein Zombie;  No. of Players: 9. Germany, March 1945. The horror is spreading East and West and has brought the war to a virtual halt.  Agent Blaskowitz reports that “it” is spreading from the German Paranormal Div. facility at Wolfenberg & the trapped scientists hold the key to stopping it.  The race is on .  Take command of Panzer Grenadiers or British Air landing troops, & join us for the debut of the Mein Zombie Squad Rules.

 

LG ran this three times during the Con with Mike Moran and I assisting.  The first time we played, the players were experienced Mein Zombie or other Zombie game players.  They were a little scared about the amount of noise the Military weapons made.  We also started them too far away from the objectives.  After shooting a lot on game turn one, both sides went silent after that.  They moved slow and got bogged down with heaps of zombies, neither side got close to the objective, but killed lots of zombies.  I don’t believe there was any human/ human combat.

On the 2^nd run, we adjusted some things and started both sides closer to the camp.  Human on human combat started immediately.  This group also realized that they had so much firepower, the noise was irrelevant.  They were killing zombies and each other with glee.  The British Air Landing platoon breeched the wire and started clearing buildings.  The Germans made their way to the front gate in force, eventually parking their halftrack in front of the camp “Cooler” where the scientists were.  A good shot from a KOSB PIAT destroyed the Halftrack and the Infantry squad riding in it.  There was hard fighting with the living and undead until the game ended, but the scientists were not released.

 

For the 3^rd run, we started even closer.  We had a good crew of experienced players.  Both sides were using their weapons to good advantage on the “Walkers” and the enemy.  The British mortar landed their first shot in an abandoned German Halftrack that was the German resupply point, and it went up with a 20 Noise counter bang.  The British attempted to flank the Germans with their Recce jeeps.  The Hun tried to counter with a half track, only to have their MG-42 Jam on their first shot.  The British jeep returned fire, causing damage.  The next card pulled was the German squad with the one German Panzerfaust.  They scored a direct hit and killed the jeep and crew.

The lead German squad breached the front gate, but took heavy British fire from the snipers in the Guard tower and were also mobbed by Zombies.  They eventually lost 4 of their 6 troopers.  The British were steadily clearing buildings and found the 3 scientists and their 3 guards.  As they tried to exfil with them, the Germans raced their halftrack right up to them.  The scientists tried to scramble into the track, which caused a firefight that cost half the scientists and guards.  The Germans were able to get the rest out of the camp before the British could bring up a PIAT and stop them.  German Victory.

WE learned a lot about how to adjust the rules and the scenario to make things play faster and easier.  Everyone who played all 3 games told us how much they liked the scenario and that with a few tweaks it would be even more fun.  The 3^rd run was probably close to perfect.  We look forward to doing this again!!  Thanks to ODGW, Mike Moran and Kenny Noe for all the help and encouragement!!!!

I think it would be interesting to develop stats for some additional weapons such as the katana, the chainsaw, and the RPG launcher. 

 

The katana has a very high coolness factor due to the Walking Dead series and the new set of female survivors from Wargames Factory has a hilarious woman with an RPG launcher.  That one would of course be very noisy. 

 

I don't think the chainsaw would be an ideal weapon to use becuase of the noise, but it seems like every survivor set has them. 

 

Just a thought.  No big deal. 

 

Bill

Actually, the optional rule is supported by the historical record.  The Japanese torpedo pistol was highly sensitive and could be set off by the turbulent ships wake (especial large ships at high speed).  However, given the dynamics of most torpedo actions, the impact of this optional rule would, at best, be minimal.  And, to be honest, the complexity of the rule modification suggested by the above post doesn't seem justified as most torpedoes rarely encounter any ships beyond their initial targets. 

 

However, if this rule is used (or misused) in an unrealistic "gamey" fashion (such as posting a thoroughly ahistorical "skirmish" line of ships off a battleline to set off any torpedoes) then I would definitely NOT use this rule.  Keep in mind, the USN knew next to nothing about the Type 93 torpedo and didn't became aware of its capabilities until after the war.                

I play the majority of optional rules, but this is one I missed, and don't.  I guess part of that is due to the torpedo rules I use.  It does seem pretty extreme.  You could put in a house rule if you don't think it's warranted as written.  It could be something as simple as rolling a D12 for the spread: 1-3 the entire spread is lost, 4-6 the number of torpedoes in the spread is halved (round down), 7-9 the number of torpedoes in the spread is halved (round up), 10-12 the spread is unaffected.

Old Warriors - New Titan AAR.

 

Here is another AAR based this time on the Soviet supplement.   

 

I thought I would rerun a trial of the Baltic fictional scenario, mostly as it means I can deploy Soviet battleships and of course the Tirpitz. One change from the original scenario, I decided was that rather than mandating the German mine laying group to abandon it's mission at the start of the scenario I decided to follow the mine laying rules for abandoning the mission. That means a moral check on coming under fire from Soviet forces. This allows a minefield to be laid and form part of the tactical area. As it turned out the minefield played a significant if indirect part in the action. As per the Spanish game this was played solo trying to make sensible realistic decisions for both sides based upon what could be known aboard. Not easy but possible. On the whole I think I largely succeeded except for one significant error of judgement for one side as we shall see.

 

So weather Force 5 (I rolled higher but too rough for mine laying so reduced to fit the scenario) and visibility 18,000 yards. Tactical area I used was of fair size so it took a couple of turns steaming at cruising speed for the Soviet Advance guard to sight the mine laying force. This gave plenty of time (I also rolled a D6 (result 4) for pre game turns of mine laying undertaken. So Emden carrying 130 mines laying 15 per turn laid 90 mines in 6 turns and carried on to lay for another turn after contact, so she only ditched 15 mines after coming under fire. The TBDs carrying 30 mines each completed laying a second row behind Emden's line which ran northwards from the southern edge about a third of the way across the tactical area.

 

On sighting Emden, Kirov's captain split his force conning Kirov south westerly directly towards Emden while Leningrad was detailed to lead the destroyers north westerly trying to catch the Germans in a pincer movement. Both groups advanced at speed seeking to reduce the range to help the Soviet gun teams. Kirov's 7.1” fore guns took Emden under fire and she  opened her A arcs forcing Emden to abandon mine laying and return fire. Despite her age and lighter fire power Emden repeatedly hit her opponent and established gunnery superiority.

 

Undeterred the advanced guard pressed ahead, confident that with the support of the battle force, now arrived in the tactical area early setbacks would be overcome. As the Soviets closed, Emden led the mine laying force back around on a south westerly course seeking to draw the Russians over the newly laid mines. At this point before the battle force had yet engaged Tirpitz and her battle group arrived on the scene.

 

Responding to Emden's contact reports Admiral Ciliax pressed his group on an easterly at speed, Tirpitz in the van leading Scheer, Nurnburg and Z28. Knowing he could not venture further south than Emden's sighted position for fear of running into the new minefield he maintained course even after sighting the Leningrad destroyer group ahead and just to the north. The Soviet ships were soon under effective 5.9” fire from the battle group and responded by turning south crossing the T of the advancing Germans. With the range closing rapidly Ciliax realised too late that the Soviet destroyers had gained an excellent position from which to launch torpedo attacks against his force. A less than ideal situation for Tirpitz as she also had now to deal with the ancient pair of Soviet battleships.

 

Turning NE to open A arcs at approx 14,000 yards Tirpitz opened fire and soon had the range of the Soviet flagship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsia, a 15 “ round destroying gun turret 3 and another causing heavy damage inside the old hull. The massed 12” guns of the Soviet vessel hit back however, but could not penetrate the heavy armour of the German leviathan, 1 round bouncing spectacularly off Anton turret and another doing negligible damage after exploding against Tirpitz's main belt protection system. Marat found herself engaged by Scheer, one 11” round also destroying one of her main battery turrets.

 

At this point 1 torpedo from the first wave (10 torps in all) launched by Leningrad's division stuck the Tirpitz. Damage was not extensive but it clearly shook Ciliax's confidence and demonstrated that though relatively secure from Soviet gunfire, underwater weapons were a potent threat to her. The Soviet destroyers having launched two waves of torpedoes now turned away making smoke to cover their retreat, hampering the line of sight between the contending battleships. Thus briefly Tirpitz shifted fire to Kirov, 15” shell splinters silencing her main battery and forcing her to retire from the action. Similarly both Soviet battle wagons concentrated upon Scheer which had fallen some way behind Tirpitz and remained visible. Though difficult to distinguish their own shell splashes the volume of fire from their surviving 18 guns resulted in multiple hits causing extensive damage to the 'pocket battleship' which consequently turned out of line to retire westwards. Scheer's retreat unfortunately took her into the path of one of the second wave of Soviet torpedoes (7 torps due to damage) one of which struck her quarter. Too much of a blow for the already badly damaged Scheer to withstand, she quickly rolled over and sank.

 

Scheer's sinking was a great success for Soviet Admiral Trubitsky, he might yet have achieved more. Marat switched fire onto Nurnberg next astern in the German line, forcing her to beat a hasty withdrawal before the hail if heavy shells. The flagship traded fire with Tirpitz as she emerged from behind the retiring Soviet destroyers smoke screens. Tirpitz having reversed course to cover the rescue of Scheer's survivors again found the range and landed multiple hits upon O.R causing extensive damage and flooding to the Soviet vessel. With his flagship crippled and near sinking Trubitsky ordered his force to retire. Ciliax had no desire to risk further losses himself and so with the mine laying mission complete he was content to disengage also and rescue as many German sailors as possible.

 

Analysis.

The game lasted 14 turns before both sides broke off, no sightings were made until turn three. Aside from the loss of Scheer (7 VP) only minor damage was inflicted onto the other German ships. Overall Soviet gunnery performed well below the German capability. Both Kirov and Ok. Revolutsia were heavily damaged as was Leningrad. Most Soviet ships received some significant injury which I counted as amounting to 9 vp plus the mines were laid and survivors rescued by the German light ships. But was this success equivalent to the loss of such an important unit such as Scheer? Probably not.

 

Tirpitz was pretty much invulnerable to the Soviet battleships and shrugged off the torpedo hit (set to run deep) which with the mines was the only real threat to her (at these gunnery ranges). However the rest of the German force was very vulnerable to the heavy fire from the pair of Soviet battleships including Scheer as was demonstrated. German 5.9” guns were excellent against the entire Soviet force except the battleships, but the battle group posed no real torpedo threat to match the Soviet DD division. Tirpitz was more than capable of taking on the O.R and Marat by herself however. On the Soviet side Kirov barely hit anything all game, the modern destroyers however mounted an excellent torpedo strike, while the large 12” batteries of the battleships posed a dangerous threat to all the German cruisers.

 

Ciliax should have recognised the threat posed by the destroyers sooner which he disregarded until to late. Keen to support Emden and engage the Soviet battleships he led his forces into a dangerous crossfire of torpedoes and heavy shells. Tirpitz could weather that storm but Scheer could not. Tirpitz would perhaps have been better supported by a destroyer division than the assorted force allotted.

Note - for anyone interested I've added some pics which randomly seem to load inverted.  I figure easy to spin around the right way!

Slowly accumulating the ships needed for a hypothetical surface action, 1943ish:

 

Personally I think the chances to hit at extreme range are too high if you just use D12s.  I always use Optional rule 1.5.16 Extended Range and use D20s when the hit number is red.

 

Dave

I have played a few mini-campaigns where I retrofit the GQ1/2 ammo rule: 18 shots per battery, rapid fire uses 2.

An attempt at USS Miami (CL-89) in Measure 22:

 

 

I’ve never had a good grasp of the game, even though I’ve been out on the pitch a few times with Indian and British friends of mine. It’s interesting, especially playing the field without a mitt.

The current virus crisis has put a cabash on getting folks together around the game table. It’s okay, for now, as sticking around the house yields a good opportunity to knock down the lead-pile a bit more.

Stay well out there.

Healey

Based on the 4th bullet Mortar Batteries under 1.15.4 Shore Battery Attacks, it appears to me one would just use the appropriate nationality's Gunfire CRT, but "Roll one D12 for each pair of mortars to reflect low velocity, high trajectory fire."  Now, if the nationality you're interested in doesn't list a 12" gun, then you need to either pick the next closest size (personally I would "round down"), or pick a 12" gun from another nationality.

 

Dave

Sorry for the late reply (real life was more demanding than I first thought!).  Attached are the logs for the Habsburg, Arpad and Babenburg.

I thought I might add a bit of my own perspective to this point. No change to Kenny's answer, which is the correct reply.  This is just an added bit of observation ...

 

As you probably know from reading and playing the rules already, almost any time that you need to throw the dice in MP, the number you are going to try to make starts with your TQ (Troop Quality) rating.

 

I don't know about you, but I really like this aspect of the rules. I really like it a lot. Because any time I've ever talked to a veteran (and in particular any veteran who has ever seen combat), and in the great majority of my readings of personal combat accounts and even small unit histories, what I have found is the general agreement that "any weapon is only as good as the soldier using it."  So in MP, instead of having a to-hit number that starts with the weapon, and then is perhaps modified by 2, 3 or 4 troop quality levels to add or subtract from your to-hit, you instead start with the troop quality, and then modify it by some aspects of the weapon that add or subtract from your to-hit.

 

The result is close to the same, but not exactly.  Close because, well you have a starting number and you modify it with another number, so like who cares, right?  But not exactly because you get more steps in the troop quality with a basic TQ rating in MP than I've seen in any other ruleset. And well, who cares is ME.  I care. I like to start with troop quality because it reminds me, or I might even say it confronts me, for almost everything I do in the game, that my troops are better (or worse) than my opponent's troops.

 

But then, let's be honest, some guns are da suck!  Give them to the best troops around, and the guns are still da suck. 

 

So my French Legionnaires in Tunisia may be well trained and skilled veterans of many campaigns, but when they use a French 37mm/L21 gun, they are just not going to get notably better results than an Italian opponent using a 47mm/L32 gun, even if the Italian is a green conscript fresh off the boat from Naples. So they had better use their "superior" skills to ensure a maximum advantage before they take their shot!

 

In MP that would be:

 

French Foreign Legionnaire:  Elite, TQ = 12

Vehicle:  Laffly AMD 50, Gun: 37mm/ L21   OM1 = -4

 

Italian Tank Crewman:  Green, TQ = 9

Vehicle: Semovente da 47/32 (called Semovente L20 in the rules), Gun 47mm/ L32    OM1 = -1

 

So for my Elite Legionnaire I have a to-hit number of 12 - 4 = 8.  While my opponent's green Paisano, on the other hand, faces a to-hit number of 9 - 1 = 8.

 

I like to start with troop quality because it reminds me, or I might even say it confronts me, for almost everything I do in the game, that my troops are better (or worse) than my opponent's troops. But then, let's be honest, some guns are da suck! 

 

Your tankage may vary.

 

-Mark

(aka: Mk 1)

Cool.  Pitch and yaw of the ship must played havoc while trying to hit the ball!!

Looking really sharp, Kenny.

I'm quite familiar with the photo of Yorktown recovering an aircraft over the bow while steaming astern.  According to the record, this photo was taken during her shakedown cruise in May 1943.  The procedure was considered strictly an emergency procedure and, according to a crewman who served aboard her for the entire war, this was the only time it was ever done.  While feasible, it was considered highly impractical. 

While Texas' astern speed is impressive, keep in mind, that this was done during her acceptance trials.  During such trials, a ship will be put through many extreme maneuvers, some of which would never be performed in other circumstances.  Full speed astern would be one of these for a variety of reasons, such as difficulty with steering.  As far as I know, there is no evidence that any navy considered astern sailing as part of their tactical doctrine.  Such was reserved for moving about a harbor  or mooring.  As impressive as Texas' feat is, it has little bearing on her capabilities in combat.