Tuesday, 19 November 2024

Redesigning the Monarch


This is an example of what Martin at Warbases has to translate into something tangible! A - this will be the 'top deck' and includes the holes for the newly placed masts. The mainmast (with 3 1/2" next to it is usually around half an inch closer to the bow. B - shows the two extra pieces required for the main deck. You can see the notch for the bowsprit. C - Try as I might I have not been able to find out the shape of the flying deck so have gone with this. D - is the design of the smaller turrets. 

Following on from my post of yesterday I thought I would show a little of what passes for the thought process when I design one of my models.

I say 'what passes for the thought process' with my tongue firmly in cheeks as the statement implies a far greater degree of planning than is the norm! In truth that is probably why I have avoided writing tutorials as my methodology is far too haphazard to be written about in a meaningful way.

Anyways, if one can sift through the odds and ends of notes and blog posts and see any kind of pattern then well done, that is more than I can!


HMS Monarch - note the central armoured citadel on top of which the two turrets sat.

I sat down with my copy of British Battleships by Dr. Oscar Parkes and looked up HMS Monarch on page 131. From the diagram there, and that above I was able to get a good idea of the main points I would need to show on the model.

After a degree of experimentation I was able to get a sense of 'the right bits in the right places' which will certainly be good enough to represent HMS Monarch when she is built and ready for the tabletop.

The plan has been sent to Warbases for Martin to no doubt wring his hands in despair at!

Monday, 18 November 2024

Modelling HMS Monarch


HMS Monarch - note the position of the mainmast, set further aft than usual to allow for the turrets

The trials and tribulations of the scratch builder eh? One of the ironclads I am building for the Royal Navy 1880 project is HMS Monarch - the first Royal Navy warship to go to sea sporting turrets. Whilst I was looking through my various references on battleships of the period I saw her thought yes, that will do for me! The only snag was that I had not looked too closely at her layout and so therefore assumed that my usual ‘hull top deck template’ would work. Except that it does not.


Note the position of the mainmast and that rather stylish flying bridge!

To incorporate the turrets and that rather fetching flying bridge arrangement the main mast was set slightly further back than usual. 

Then there is also the small matter of the forecastle and the small poop deck - neither of which I had allowed for.

Oh and one other thing, even my smallest turret templates at 20mm across are too large - they need to be around 15mm.

In short, in order to build a representational model of HMS Monarch I will need to go back to Warbases for some more bespoke pieces - a top deck template with the mast holes in the correct place, a forecastle and poop deck piece, a smaller turret and something for the flying bridge.

On the plus side, at least I found all this out now rather than when I needed it - I still have 23 other models to build in the meantime!

Sunday, 17 November 2024

Of Life, Lofts and MDF….

 


And so it begins. The first 18 of the 24 ships I am building for the Royal Navy and the Turks for 1880. The Turks are at the top and the RN below. This is the early hull assembly stage as in each case the top deck has a white edge that I paint before sticking it to the hull. The Royal Navy will also have a brick red lower hull with a white trim or ‘boot strapping’. There are six models not featured above as these will require some additional attention.

It has been an eventful week. On Monday one of the sprung brackets that operate the loft hatch decided to shear a bolt. The net effect of this is that the entire hatch cover swerved alarmingly to the sprung side and headed downwards. It meant that it needed to come down entirely for safety reasons and so I began the somewhat fruitless task of locating a tradesman that specialised in lofts but not just installing them. I had mixed success but fortunately my son came to the rescue and so Saturday morning (in fact ALL of Saturday morning) between the two of us the loft hatch was recommissioned. In fact it now hangs more squarely than previously and so is less likely to have the same problem. One of the mounting brackets had been placed around the wrong way, hence the tendency to veer to the right and the increased strain on the side that the bolt sheared.

Thursday saw Laurel, Holly and I attending the funeral of a longtime family friend. It went as well as these things can do and my eulogy was well received despite the emotion of the occasion. We are still feeling the after effects of our loss and so, needless to say, life has been a little muted. 

In many ways the opportunity of today - now that the loft was back in commission - was a welcome distraction, aside from the fact that I needed to be ‘cracking on’ with stuff.

The picture above shows the progress thus far and I am pretty pleased with what I have achieved. The main part of the ship hull has been assembled in each of the above. All will need the top deck added (along with the appropriate deck detail) and in the case of four of the Turkish ships, the barbette. Everything you see thus far will be black. There are three Royal Navy vessels as yet unassembled and three for the Turks making 24 of the 23 of the 16 models I originally envisaged building….

Project creep? Moi? Nah, never gonna happen…


Wednesday, 13 November 2024

And so it begins….Kind of!


MDF - loads of it! If you expand the picture you should be able to make out some of the hull shapes - note the template second from right on the top row. Five masts! The sweet at the bottom was also included in the box so many thanks to Diane for that methinks!

My order for industrial quantities of bespoke laser cut MDF courtesy of Warbases has arrived! This means that the great 1880 ironclad build can at last begin!

One small problem though. The hatch and ladder leading into the man cave have decided to part company - at least one of the spring mounted brackets has. We have a chap coming around to take a look at it later today so hopefully it will be rectified soon.

In the meantime though, the first chapters of the book have been passed over to the Editor-in- Chief for his perusal so everything is starting to move along.

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Thoughts on Needlepoint


Although sinking the CSS Tennessee was still stuck fast to the USS Monadnock. I played this ‘on the fly’ as I had not thought about entangled ships being able to carry on fighting outside of their ‘up close and personal’ situation. Read on for more insight….

In the picture above the CSS Tennessee has rammed the USS Monadnock and they are locked together as a result. The four white counters represent ‘sinking markers’ and one is removed at the start of each game turn. When they have all gone the ship slips slowly beneath the waves….

Now I had not thought about ships being stuck together being able to fight other than with each other at the point of contact but the situation above got me thinking (never a good thing….).

I have not researched this kind of situation in any great detail but I was reminded of the duel between the CSS Governor Moore and the USS Varuna. Although they were around ten feet apart at the time the Confederate ship fired into the hull of the Varuna through her own deck as she was unable to otherwise bring her artillery to bear. The unfortunate Union ship ended up being rammed three times before sinking - twice by the CSS Governor Moore. As ten feet apart would be within the realms of ramming in my rules - it would fall within one grid area - I got to thinking about how a ship could fight in such circumstances.

Looking at the picture above you can see that the bow of the CSS Tennessee is firmly stuck in the starboard aft quarter of the USS Monadnock.

My thoughts are as follows.

The grid area in which the ram occurs prohibits and form of combat IF the two ships are locked together. If they are separated then combat can take place as normal using the appropriate firing arcs.

Ships that are locked together may only fire from the hex that is not rammed so the ramming ship may not fire from her bow whilst the target ship firing will depend on which part has been attacked. Ships may fire outwards as per normal from their unengaged side and either ship may be fire on from any vessel in range.

I will have a bit more of a think about this but on the face of it this seems like a feasible ruling.

In the meantime though, have a look at the below.

The Varuna

Who has not heard of the dauntless Varuna?
Who has not heard of the deeds she has done?
Who shall not hear, while the brown Mississippi
Rushes along from the snow to the sun?

Crippled and leaking she entered the battle,
Sinking and burning she fought through the fray;
Crushed were her sides and the waves ran across her,
Ere, like a death-wounded lion at bay,
Sternly she closed in the last fatal grapple,
Then in her triumph moved grandly away.

Five of the rebels, like satellites round her,
Burned in her orbit of splendor and fear;
One, like the Pleiad of mystical story,
Shot, terror-stricken, beyond her dread sphere.

We who are waiting with crowns for the victors,
Though we should offer the wealth of our store,

Load the Varuna from deck down to kelson,
Still would be niggard, such tribute to pour
On courage so boundless. It beggars possession. — 
It knocks for just payment at heaven's bright door!

Cherish the heroes who fought the Varuna;
Treat them as kings if they honor your way;
Succor and comfort the sick and the wounded;

Oh! for the dead let us all kneel to pray!

For the record both the Varuna and the Governor Moore are STILL on the modelling tray - and have been for best part of a year so I reckon I need to do something about getting them finished!

Sunday, 10 November 2024

The Battle of Needle Point, November 5th, 1864….Game Number 78

This will the last game fought using the published version of the Portable Ironclads Wargame because from here on in I shall be making use of some of the optional rules that will appear in Developing the Portable Ironclads Wargame. I should point out that these are optional and so the rules as written are in fact largely unchanged - unless you change them that is!

Having said that, there is one amendment to the original version that I shall be using for this battle and that is the amended fire arcs for Forward Wide and Aft Wide artillery. 

If the set up below looks familiar then it will not surprise you learn that it is! I have fought a rather more involved version of something akin to this scenario previously. It was great fun to fight and in truth running something broadly similar is no great hardship.  


The opening positions. The Rebels have hastily raised steam and are looking to engage the oncoming Union force.

A small Union force has been tasked with carrying out a reconnaissance of the Confederate coastal defences beyond the small fort at Needle Point and up as far as the main base in the area at Hullbridge. They are also further ordered to engage and destroy any Rebel shipping they find en route. Finally, the fort at Needle Point is to be bypassed if possible as it was expected to be invested by the advancing Union troops in the near future - a captured Rebel fort complete with its garrison made for a tempting objective.

The opposing forces

Union

USS Brooklyn (Flagship) - wooden first class sloop

USS Monadnock - double turret monitor

USS Canonicus - monitor

USS Sassacus - 'double-ender' gunboat

USS Metacomet - 'double-ender' gunboat

Confederate

CSS Tennessee (Flagship) - casemate ironclad

CSS Selma - gunboat

CSS Morgan - gunboat

CSS Gaines - gunboat

The small fort at Needle Point is unmanned other than by a small observation post. The garrison and artillery had been withdrawn some weeks ago to bolster the defences in and around Hullbridge itself.

The Battle of Needle Point

For some weeks the Union navy had been scouring the delta of the River Crouch for any sign of Rebel warships, thus far without success. There could only be two possible explanations for this. Firstly, that the Rebels did not have any naval assets to speak of or secondly, and on balance the far more likely explanation, that they did have and were keeping them back as a reserve. The latter option was settled on by the Union command and so an endless round of tedious and fruitless sweeps around the delta by assorted task forces had achieved little other than burning through a prodigious quantity of fuel.

Spies had reported that a few ships were available at Hullbridge - mostly extemporised civilian vessels - and that rumours of an ironclad being readied had also been heard. Thus far though, there was little in the way of concrete evidence to support the story - just wild speculation.

Nevertheless, the navy had to take this threat seriously given that virtually all the invading Union force needed access to the river or sea for supplies and reinforcements, not to mention mobility.

The decision was taken to force the Rebel's hand in that a squadron would be sent past Needle Point and up as far as the outer defence works of Hullbridge itself to engage any Rebel shipping and hopefully draw out the mysterious ironclad. So, shortly after nightfall on the 4th of November, the Union squadron quietly weighed anchor and headed out into the open river, to arrive on station around dawn the following day.

Every precaution was taken to ensure that as little noise as possible was made on the journey, chains were carefully wrapped in cloth so as to muffle any clanking, all unnecessary lights were extinguished and orders were urgently whispered. Lookouts squinted into the darkness in an attempt to identify anything onshore that could spot their secretive approach but for the most part, nothing was seen, only the slumbering landscape gliding by. It was an unbelievably tense journey and undertaken at the lowest speed possible due to darkness and the uncertainly of the depth of the water.

The only sound to be heard was the rhythmic and monotonous thump of the engines as the five vessels cruised along, wraithlike in the blanket of the night. 

As the sun rose and began to burn off the early morning mist, the small squadron was able to increase speed for the last leg of their journey. So far, so good - or so they thought.

Unknown to the commander of the Union squadron they had been shadowed almost as soon as they had set sail. A small Confederate cavalry piquet had been observing the Union anchorage throughout the day and indeed, was on the verge of heading back when the sergeant in charge of the small detachment - who happened to a be former sailor before the war - noticed an increased amount of activity around the five Union ships anchored midstream. He knew enough to know that they were obviously readying to sail and so he ordered his best mounted trooper to report back that the 'Yankees were a-coming!'

The news was received with a mixture of excitement, dismay and bravado, tempered ultimately with a degree of fatalism from the more knowledgable of the Confederate command. Arguments went back and forth as to the merits of engaging the Yankees as opposed to letting them approach and fall under the guns and mines protecting the approaches to Hullbridge. Eventually the war party prevailed and so, much against the wishes of the navy - the Tennessee had not been properly worked up  and there were shortages of of just everything a warship needs to function efficiently, so the navy said - the plans were drawn. The high command would brook no arguments, the fleet must sail. With an air of resignation the orders were given and so the Confederate ships hastily raised steam and cast off in the early light of dawn to meet and engage the oncoming Union force - three gunboats and the ironclad, the CSS Tennessee.

Sailing in two columns, with the CSS Tennessee leading on the starboard side, the Confederate squadron made the short trip to Needle Point from Hullbridge at a steady, measured, almost leisurely pace. All pretence at being on a pleasure cruise quickly evaporated when the lookout on the lead ship of the port column, the CSS Morgan, urgently shouted out "Smoke ahead!" "Where-away?' Came the questioning reply. At this juncture Needle Point jutted out from the north shore and so the Union squadron were masked from view. The Captain of the CSS Morgan, his ship already turning to port so as to clear the point, guessed that any shipping coming from that direction would certainly be enemy in origin, immediately ordered the crew to beat to quarters. Almost as soon as his port turn was completed he ordered the helm hard over to starboard to engage the enemy.

CSS Morgan leads the CSS Gaines into a starboard turn prior to engaging the Union force. In the near distance the CSS Tennessee starts her turn followed by the CSS Selma. 

The starboard column of the Confederate squadron followed the turn of the port column but did not do so immediately, thereby allowing a gap to form between the two divisions. Fortunately, the CSS Tennessee reacted promptly to the starboard turn of the CSS Gaines and her captain immediately ordered her helm to follow suit. It was a ragged approach but with just about enough time and space to reform into a more suitable formation.

As the four Confederate ships cleared Needle Point in turn so they saw for the first time the approaching Union squadron - five ships against their four with two of these being monitors. This was going to be a hard fight indeed.


Something wicked, this way comes....The sloop USS Brooklyn leading the double turreted monitor the USS Monadnock and the USS Canonicus. Off their starboard bow the two 'double-ender' gunboats - the USS Sassacus leads the USS Metacomet

Meanwhile the Union flagship, the sloop of war the USS Brooklyn, had spotted the oncoming Rebels almost simultaneously and so a flurry of signals alerted the rest of the squadron. The enemy gunboats should be relatively easy to deal with but the low, squat bulk of a Confederate ironclad was a different game altogether. The monitors made ready, for this was to be their fight.

The Battle of Needle Point


The starting positions - The Confederate force are scrambling to get into a semblance of a fighting formation whilst the Union steam resolutely onwards.

Turn 1.  As the two sides were out of effective range there was no firing and so initiative was rolled. The Confederates rolled a 4 and the Union a 3 so the Confederates opted to allow the Union to move first.


The end of Turn 1. The Confederates attempt to get into a formation as the Union ships head off in two opposite directions. Is there a cunning plan here? The two monitors that appear to be heading straight towards the CSS Tennessee would argue yes!

Turn 2. Firing - of which there was plenty! CSS Morgan opens fire at the USS Sassacus at a range of 3 with her Forward Wide artillery (rated 2/3) so she rolls a single D6 which comes up a 5 with no modifiers so a potential hit is scored. The Penetration Factor of the Morgan is 3 opposed to the zero armour factor of the Sassacus. The roll is a 4 making 7 in total. This translates as 2 points of damage for reaching the score of 6 and a one in six chance of scoring a further damage point.The roll is a 6 so no effect, a 1 being required. The two point of damage are duly recorded. The CSS Morgan is not finished yet as she also opens fire against the USS Metacomet, again using a single D6 (her Starboard broadside is rated 2/3 so the range takes it down to 1D6). This time she rolls a 1 so misses.

The next to fire is the CSS Tennessee and she chooses to concentrate on the imposing bulk of the Union flagship - the USS Brooklyn. She is able to engage her with her full Forward Wide battery rated at 2/3 and also her starboard battery although as only a single hex of the enemy ship is within the arc the fire effect is halved to 1D6 - which is the default minimum, even allowing for the range reductions. She therefore 2D6 to hit. The dice come up with a 3 and 4 so there is one potential hit. Her Penetration Factor is 3 opposed to the Union ships 0 and the roll is a 2. Adding 3 to this makes 5 so a single point of damage is inflicted on the Union flagship. 

Finally for the Confederates, the CSS Selma opens fire against the USS Brooklyn with her Forward Wide artillery (rated 1/2) at her maximum range of four hexes. She rolls 1D6 scoring a 3 for a miss.

The Union return the complement with the USS Sassacus opening fire at the CSS Morgan at a range of three hexes. The hapless Rebel ship receives fire from a full Port broadside (her bow occupies a partial hex whilst her stern is fully in arc) and the same from the Forward Wide guns. In each case it is a single D6 but with different Penetration Factors - 3 for the heavier FW guns and 2 for the P guns. The CSS Morgans Armour Factor is 1. The Union ship scores a 6 with the FW artillery and a 2 with the P broadside which is a miss. The natural 6 is rerolled and comes up a three for no effect. There are two potential damage rolls to be made, both at plus 2 - this could be serious! The two damage rolls come up as a 6 and a 3. The natural 6 scores two points of damage and gains an extra two D6 rolls. One of these is the normal natural 6 roll and the other is because 6 and the Penetration Factor of 2 makes 8 so the roll of a 1 or 2 causes an extra damage point. First the natural 6 reroll - this comes up with a further 6! As one roll for a natural 6 has been made this will not require a further roll except for the passing 6 rule. 

As it stands the CSS Morgan has sustained two points of damage from the first natural 6, one point of damage from roll of 3 adjusted to 5 and then a further two points of damage due to the additional natural 6 roll. That is five points of damage in total but the USS Sassacus is not finished yet as she also have a further two D6 rolls each requiring 1 or 2 to inflict an additional damage point. She rolls a double 1! The CSS Morgan has sustained seven points of damage in total and as her hull factor is 3 this will mean a roll on the critical hit table. She is in very poor shape after that shattering opening salvo from the Union ship!


The USS Sassacus and the CSS Morgan exchange blows with the Rebel ship definitely coming second!

The critical hit roll is a 3 which is the gunnery factor for the nearest arc. Her Forward Wide artillery was reduced by one so is now 1/3.

The USS Metacomet also fires at the CSS Morgan, solely with her Forward Artillery which will mean 1D6. She rolls a 3 and so misses.

Next up is the forward turret of the USS Monadnock (rated 4/4) against the CSS Tennessee at a range of 4 hexes. She rolls 1D6 and scores a 6! Her natural 6 reroll is a miserable 1 but she has to roll for two potential damage rolls. These will be at evens as the Armour Factor of the Rebel ironclad is 4. The rolls are 3 and 1 for no effect.

That concludes the firing. 

For initiative the rolls are as follows: Union 3, Confederate 1. The Union allows the Confederates to move first.


The end of Turn 2. With her speed reduced the CSS Morgan reduces speed with the CSS Gaines following suit so as to maintain station. The CSS Tennessee moves into the centre to better engage the Union flagship only to find herself staring at the double turreted USS Monadnock! Meanwhile the CSS Selma attempts to join up with the CSS Morgan and Gaines to provide support but, the Union flagship is positioning herself off the stern of the Rebel ship. The other Union Monitor - the USS Canonicus - heads towards the two gunboats to provide some heavy support. The two gunboats have reduced speed to administer the coup de grace to the hapless CSS Morgan.

Turn 3. Once again the CSS Morgan resumes fire at both the Union gunboats - with 1D6 apiece. Against the USS Sassacus she scores a 4 meaning one potential damage roll - the score is a five so a further point of damage is recorded. Against the USS Metacomet she scores a 6! the natural reroll is a 3 for no effect. The two potential damage rolls are a 1 and a 6 which adjust to a 4 and a 9 (her Penetration Factor is 3 against the 0 Armour Factor of the Union ship). The natural 6 additional roll comes up as a 3 which in turn adjusts to a 6. The total damage inflicted is thus: one point for the 4, two points for the 9 (the original 6 plus 3)and two points for the 6 (the additional natural 6 roll scoring a 3). There is also an excess roll requiring 1, 2 or 3 to score an additional point - the roll is a 1 so six points of damage in all are scored against the USS Metacomet which will require a critical hit roll (her Hull Factor is 3).

The Critical Hit rolls come up as a 5 which is a flood and so immediately causes a damage point making seven in all.

The CSS Gaines resumes firing at the USS Metacomet with her Forward Wide artillery. She rolls 1D6 and scores a 4 for a potential damage roll. This is a 5 which is a further point of damage which takes the Union vessel to her Critical point of 8! This requires an immediate critical it roll which comes up as a 1. As she is unarmoured she has to take a further damage point making 9 in all. The USS Metacomet begins to settle by the bow. She rolls a 5 so will take five game turns to slip beneath the waves.

The CSS Tennessee continues to batter the Union flagship. She rolls 2D6 - one for each arc - and scores a 3 and a 4. The 3 is a miss but the 4 requires a damage roll. She rolls a 4 which is adjusted to 8 meaning two point of damage and an additional roll requiring 1 or 2 for a further point of damage. A 2 is rolled meaning that the Union flagship has sustained three points of damage in total.

The Union reply with the USS Sassacus firing at the CSS Morgan with both her Forward Wide and Port broadside. She rolls a 5 with the Forward Wide guns and a 3 on the Broadside which is a miss. The damage roll (which is at net plus 2) comes up 1 for no damage! The USS Metacomet fires at the CSS Morgan, from her Port Broadside and Aft Wide guns at full effect and her Forward Wide guns at half effect. The 3D6 (one for each arc) come up with a 2, a 3 and a 5 from the Aft Wide guns. Again the damage roll is a miserable 1!

The USS Monadnock opens fire at the CSSTennessee at a range of two hexes with both turrets. They are rated as 4/4 so 2D6 per turret. The score is three 4s and a 6 with the additional roll also coming up as a 6. This means that seven damage rolls are made, all at evens as the CSS Tennessee has an Armour Factor of 4. The dice come up with 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 6 and 6. That is five points of damage with two natural 6 rerolls that come up with a 3 and 4. There are six points of damage in total and a Critical Hit roll required. This is a 1 which is either the loss of an armour factor or a damage point. 


After a furious round of firing, the Union have sustained further damage to their flagship (the USS Brooklyn) and have a gunboat sinking (the USS Metacomet). Whilst the CSS Morgan escaped unscathed this turn she is still in poor shape whilst the CSS Tennessee has taken a battering from the USS Monadnock.

The initiative for this turn would be critical. The Union rolled a 3 whilst the Confederates rolled a five. The Rebels opted to move first.


Despite her damage the CSS Tennessee rams the USS Monadnock. She rolls three D6 (her hull factor) each with a plus 1 as she is equipped with a ram. She rolls 1, 3 and 5 which adjust to 2, 4 and 6 meaning that she has inflicted 3 points of damage against the Union vessel. As the Rebel ship scored hit as against the Union monitor so she also runs the risk of sustaining injuries. The Union ship rolls a 1, a 2 and a 5 so the Tennessee sustains a point of damage. Each ship then rolls to see if the ships are locked together - if either player scores a 6 then the ships are deemed to be stuck together. The dice are a 4 and 6!


The situation at the end of Turn 3. As the USS Metacomet settles slowly by the bow, the USS Sassacus turns away from the oncoming Confederate line headed by the CSS Morgan, followed by the CSS Gaines and the newly arrived CSS Selma. The USS Monadnock and the CSS Tennessee are locked together in the centre with the USS Canonicus about to enter the fray. Meanwhile the USS Brooklyn prepares to engage the CSS Selma.

Turn 4. A sinking marker is removed from the USS Metacomet and the two locked ships roll to see if they are able to free themselves. The rolls of 1 and 3 are not sufficient - a 6 is required.

CSS Morgan fires at the USS Sassacus with 1D6 and scores a 4. Her damage rolls are at plus 3. She rolls a 1! Nevertheless, a further point of damage is scored against the Union ship. The CSS Gaines also tries her luck. She rolls a 6! The natural 6 roll is a 4 so there are three damage rolls to be made, each at plus 3. The rolls are 1, 3 and 4 which become 4, 6 and 7. That means five points of damage and a one in six chance of a further point. The roll of 3 is no good. The Critical Hit roll is a 6 - Fire! 

CSS Selma fires at the USS Brooklyn. She rolls 1D6 at plus one as the Union ship is adjacent and rolls a 6. the natural 6 additional roll is a 3. The damage roll, even with a plus one is a miserable 1. The USS Brooklyn replies. She rolls 2D6 (the CSS Selma is on a partial hex so fire is at half effect) each with a plus 1. A 4 and a 6 adjusted to a 5 and 7. That is three potential damage rolls but the 7 is ignored as this was a to hit roll. A 3, a 4 and 5 adjusted to a net plus one (penetration 2 versus armour 1) to 4, 5 and 6 means four points of damage on the Rebel ship.

The USS Sassacus fires at the CSS Morgan with 1D6 scoring a 5. The damage roll of 1, even allowing for the net plus 2 is not enough - the Rebel ship seems to be leading a charmed life!

The USS Monadnock and the CSS Tennessee are unable to fire at each other due to being locked together but are able to fire out of their unengaged sides. Obviously this only applied to the Confedrate ship and so she fires at the USS Canonicus. She is able to bring her Port Broadside and her Forward Wide guns to bear so rolls 4D6, each at plus one for the range. A 1, a 5 and a pair of magnificent 6s! This means no less than 6 damage rolls (the roll of 5 was adjusted to 6) at a net minus 1 (penetration 3 versus armour 4). A 1, two 3s, two 4s and a 5 means but a single hit on the Union ship.

The USS Canonicus fires back with 4D6 each at plus 1. A 3, a 5 and a pair of 6s follow. The two natural 6 rolls are a pair of 2s for no effect.This means five potential damage rolls at a net plus one (penetration 4 versus armour 3). The rolls are pair of 1s, a 2, a 3 and a 4. The 3 and the 4 become 4 and 5 meaning two points of damage are scored. This takes the CSS Tennessee over her critical point and indeed, is enough to sink her. She goes down in four turns - possibly taking the USS Monadnock with her unless she can free herself!


The situation after the firing phase for Turn 4. The USS Sassacus sustains more damage and more seriously, catches fire. The CSS Selma gets a rude awakening from the USS Brooklyn whilst the CSS Tennessee, determined not to go down without a fight, batters the USS Canonicus on her unengaged port side. She paid for her temerity though as a point blank salvo managed to sink her.

Endgame

I called it at this point as with the loss of the CSS Tennessee the Confederate force lacked the firepower to tackle the pair of Union monitors. I did play out the fate of the USS Sassacus and of course, that of the USS Monadnock who was still entangled with the CSS Tennessee as she started to sink. 

The USS Sassacus rolled for the fire Critical hit at what would have been the start of the next turn - she rolled a 6 which meant that the fire was uncontrollable and so would sink in D6 turns with a chance of blowing up each turn as the fire raged. The ‘sink’ roll was a 2 so it would take two turns for her slip beneath the waves. Her two explosion roll in each case was a 3 so although she was ablaze from stem to stern she did not explode.

It took two turns for the Monadnock to roll a 6 and so she was able to picot away from the sinking Tennessee and beat a hasty retreat. As hasty as a double turreted monitor could do that is. At this point images of the USS Reliant in the Mutara Nebula in full ‘Wrath of Khan’ mode with the USS Enterprise backing way came to mind - can’t think why!

Strategic Overview

The Confederates, despite sinking a brace of gunboats, definitely came off the worse as the loss of the CSS Tennessee would be a grievous blow. Of the gunboats the CSS Morgan would need extensive repairs, the CSS Selma less so. The two Union monitors proved their worth and would be repaired in short order. As for the two lost gunboats - there were plenty of replacements. The USS Brooklyn would need some repairs but would be good to go in fairly short order - the industrial capacity of the North would see to that. As for Hullbridge, it would only be a matter of time before she fell.

Tactical Overview

The rush of blood to the head of the captain of the CSS Tennessee as she decided to take on the Union monitors was palpable. Had she concentrated on the USS Brooklyn (as she started to at the outset of the action) then there would be little doubt that she would prevail. Wooden ships against ironclads would never end well and in a lesser way the fight that the USS Sassacus/Metacomet and the CSS Morgan/Gaines reflected that. The two Confederate ships had a modicum of protection that proved to be crucial.

Rules Overview

All worked well and for the first time I believe that every ship sustained some damage! At range nearly everything was rolling single D6s to hit which I am happy with but get up close and personal and you could find yourself in a world of pain. The only thing I want to inject some clarity to concerns ships firing when locked together. In the game this was ‘taken on the fly’ but I should formalise it in some way.

Something to think about.

In closing….

It was great fun and after all, that is what it is all about!



Friday, 8 November 2024

Sirocco - Desert Raiders Battle Game


The rather garish box lid….


….and the underside.


The playing surface - note the use of offset rectangles. You can see the airfield and supply dump - vital for the basic game victory conditions.

One of the games that was included in the humongous bundle I acquired a couple of years back was Sirocco, published by TSR Inc. The game is described as follows:

“In 1943, General George Patton’s 2nd Corps fought a see-saw battle with Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps in Tunisia. The SIROCCO game allows two players to recreate a portion of this epic desert clash by manoeuvring plastic pieces representing German and American troops and vehicles across a game board depicting a portion of North Africa.”

It the goes on to state that in order to win the game: “The first player to move his general onto his opponent’s supply dump or airfield, or eliminate the opposing general, wins the game” although this applies only to the basic game, the ‘Masters’ version has victory points among the scenarios instead.


Samples of the command cards

The game uses cards to regulate orders and they tell you how far you are able to move so for example, a card that says ‘Tank 3’ means that you can move all your tanks three spaces. Players have a hand of five cards and a reserve of three. You can play two cards a turn or five if you call into play your reserve hand. Combat in the basic game is solely against adjacent enemy pieces and uses d6 (varying depending on the unit type) with only two outcomes - the attacker wins, in which case the enemy unit is destroyed or there is a tie, in which case the attacked player has to retreat two spaces. The advanced rules allow ranged anti tank combat, terrain modifiers, concentrated units (two units occupying a space opposed to the one in the basic game), supply, command ranges, minefields, troop quality and hidden units. there is also a form of step reduction in that a destroyed tank is replaced by a jeep which is in turn is replaced by a foot soldier. That would be easily changed by the simple expedient of reducing the combat dice for each loss rather than changing the troop type.

The components are basic and so alongside the mounted map board  - the map could have used terrain overlays rather than printed for more variety - there is a deck of 54 command cards, 6D6, and 82 plastic playing pieces: 20 tanks, 16 jeeps, 12 AT guns, 32 infantry and 2 generals. In truth these plastic playing pieces are truly horrible! 


These are the playing pieces - essentially thick profile views made from polythene. They are truly ghastly!

When you consider that when this game was released in 1985, Axis and Allies, with all those useful plastic pieces was also available. You have to wonder what TSR were thinking of releasing a game with such abysmal playing pieces especially as they had produced their own figures etc for other rules and games. Perhaps the production budget had been reached - who knows?

In many ways this game puts me in mind of Memoir ‘44 but without the ‘stuck with cards for the wrong sector’ effect - a cause of perennial angst amongst seasoned Memoir ‘44 players! Seriously though, in a light wargame way this game has much to commend it - fast playing, straightforward game mechanics and eminently suitable for expansion into other theatres.

So what am I going to do with this then? I will definitely be playing it although I have plans to replace the playing pieces with 3mm models which will improve the look immeasurably. I would probably replace some of the jeeps with lorries and factor in some transport and towing rules and would look to produce a play sheet at some point.

There you have it, a quick m cheap and cheerful light wargame for WW2 in the desert (it could easily be used for the steppe of the eastern front methinks) and certainly a game that was in many ways ahead of its time.