Hitting a Speedbump

Speed bump, writer’s block, call it what you will but whatever it is it has slowed me down quite a bit as well as giving me pause for thought. Taking stock is the order of the day at present, that and looking at other things in the hope that I will be sufficiently guilt-tripped back into the right direction!

I had planned to be slightly further along with the new book than I am currently. There, I said it. In truth I am just over 50K words to the good but I have really hit a brick wall. It is not that I have run out of ideas or things to write - more like I am second and third thoughts about what I have written thus far. I am happy with the rules but feel as though I am missing a trick with something. 

The rules as written cope very nicely with around half a dozen or so ships a side. For the ACW this works well enough but I am fast coming to the conclusion that for larger actions the rules will seem a little ponderous - especially when looking at the thorny topic of firing arcs. 

At the time of writing there are six main arcs and then some fourteen others making twenty in all. Bear in mind though, that the additional fourteen are in fact seven arcs mirrored so, for example, a forward turret with an arc of FWPS (forward wide, port or starboard) is reflected as AWPS (aft wide, port or starboard). I am quite happy with using all the arcs and play testing with them has thrown up only a singe issue that was quickly addressed. My feeling is though, that for larger actions this may be a little clumsy. 

Now this point may seem like a modest one but for me it has been seismic in its implications. I wanted to write a set of rules that would appeal to both the naval novice and the seasoned tabletop admiral and indeed, I believe I have but with the focus slightly off target. I am leaning towards using the six arc default for most battles of a dozen or so models a side at least with the additional fourteen as an option for smaller engagements. That in itself is simple enough but it has generated a lot of extra work as the emphasis of the book has been very much towards using the full suite of firing arcs.

It is extra work as changing the emphasis means redrafting a table, changing the text in a few chapters - none of this is hugely challenging to be honest - and then revisiting the ship specifications. That in itself is a big undertaking and to be honest, I think that is why I have been allowing myself to be distracted by other projects! It is not difficult to do but it will be time consuming. Still, it is the job that isn’t started that takes the longest to do - as a wise hobbit once said. 

High Flying Fun

A straightforward game to play although I was certainly a little rusty as this was my first game for about five years or so!

Yesterday evening at the club I was lucky enough to be able to take part in an Axis and Allies: Angels 20 game. I have some history with this game in that I used to play it a lot but for one reason or another I lost the enthusiasm for it. I offloaded my original collection but revisited the game a couple of years ago when I acquired a pile of Battle of Britain types as part of a transaction. This was a good beginning but I added to it to round out the numbers so there are now six each of Spitfires and Hurricanes, four Me110s and eight Bf109s. I then acquired some bespoke decals and had every intention of repainting the aircraft to a uniform standard and then rebadging them accordingly. Naturally this idea went absolutely nowhere and in fact, I explored the possibility of offloading them, mainly due to the arrival of Fighters of Europe.

To cut a long story short, and in truth due to lack of interest on the part of any potential buyers, I kept hold of the models and after last night I am very pleased that I did! Mr Fox organised the game - a brace of Zeros against a pair of P39s, somewhere over New Guinea in 1942. I had forgotten just how much fun this game is! I had also forgotten just how nimble a Zero is! 

Somewhere over rural Kent, sorry New Guinea….

The Zeros started at level 6 whilst the P39s were at level 1. In truth it was over relatively quickly as the Zeros dived to meet the climbing P39s head on. There was a brief exchange of fire in which the P39s took some damage - they are quite tough and need to be approached with caution - whilst the leading Zero (piloted by yours truly) went hammering past at maximum speed followed by a split S to head back in the right direction. Meanwhile the rest of the aircraft were desperately trying to get into firing positions - considerably easier for the other agile Zero (Mr Huband at the controls) - with the result that first one P39 succumbed, piloted by Nigel, shot down from behind and then the second fell. This was at point blank range but in what could best be described as a ‘high angle off’ shot (for those of you that remember the SPI game Air War). It was a fairly dramatic end for this particular P39 as I managed to roll four sixes, a five and two threes from seven D6. Mr Fox, the unfortunate pilot of the said P39, is confident that he will be avenged in due course….

“Dakka, dakka, dakka!” The unfortunate demise of a P39.

In fairness to the P39s this was always going to be an uphill battle for them against the Zeros but, given the right circumstances, they can give a good account of themselves. They are quite ruggedly built - the Soviets were very fond of the type - and of course, the firepower from the nose mounted cannon was guaranteed to keep any self-respecting Zero honest.

My thanks to Mr Fox for organising the action - it was tremendous fun and made me realise that hanging on to the Battle of Britain was definitely a good move!

Torpedoes and Tides

Torpedoes and Tides - the new WW2 Coastal Warfare rules inspired by Galleys and Galleons and  written by Thomas Brandstetter, along with a couple of books for research and inspiration. There are a few others en route to Maison Crook….

WW2 Coastal Warfare using MTBs, S Boots and the like is an enormous amount of fun but for some reason I have only dabbled in it infrequently. I flirted briefly with Warlord Games Cruel Seas but, at 1:300th, the models were a little on the large side for my taste and so the sprues I had acquired for this were quietly disposed of. I had never really looked at the ex Skytrex now Heroics and Ros range of 1:600th scale ships etc but this has now been happily rectified.

A really fun set of rules that for me have been woefully underused! (Note to self: I must get something done with these and the ‘Pirates of’ ships at some point)

Winding back a little, one of my favourite fun naval rule sets for pretty much everything prior to dreadnoughts etc, is Nic Wright’s Galleys and Galleons rules published by Ganesha Games. I have used these rules not nearly as much as I should have - a criminal oversight that I hope to address at some point by using the ‘Pirates of’ ships formerly available from Wizkids. 

I digress. 

Torpedoes and Tides by Thomas Brandstetter is a WW2 coastal warfare variant that uses a similar rule system to the aforementioned Galleys and Galleons but obviously with all important period tweaks. They look really good fun and I note that the esteemed Kaptain Kobold, who was involved in the play-testing of the rules, as well as being enormously fond of Galleys and Galleons, has already been gaming with them and you can read about it here, along with the developmental back story, which is also on his rather splendid blog.

The rules include specifications for ships from a number of nations including Great Britain, Germany, USA, Japan, Italy, USSR, Norway, Poland and even the Yugoslavian Partisans - some 160 profiles. As most coastal actions took place at night there are full rules for limited visibility with the use of counters for hidden movement. This encourages careful manoeuvring and when someone gets spotted or opens fire it all gets very frantic, very quickly and with the possibility of ‘blue on blue’ friendly fire for good measure! At first glance are they super detailed? No, but they have all the right things in the right places, plenty of ships to use and a set of rules for running a campaign, along with some scenarios to try out. In my opinion these would make a great set of rules for a club night or for use with non naval gamers. I am looking forward to giving them a run out as soon as I can get some models ready.

For a more detailed coastal warfare experience then of course, the indefatigable Mr Manley has a set available called Narrow Seas and available from his Longface Games label on Wargames Vault. There is even a grid based version available as an expansion to the old Battleline/Avalon Hill game Submarine. This means that in the short term I have immediate access to the aforementioned Torpedoes and Tides, Narrow Seas and a rather more limited submarine based boardgame expansion. That should do nicely methinks, at least for the rules.

Another title for the coastal wars section of the library. This really is a lovely book, full of photos and plans etc.

The former Skytrex 1:600th range, now available from Heroics and Ros, was my first port of call, simply because the Reaction Games models were initially only available in 1:500th. They are now available in 1:600th and 1:300th along with the original size. The range is quite small and thus far is very UK centric which is a shame. 1:600th it is then, from Heroics and Ros. I have opted for an early war 1940/41set up rather than later (needless to say I will get to the late war period in due course!) so two tube 70ft Vospers, Fairmile Bs, S38 type S Bootes and R Bootes will be the weapons of choice. I have also added a trawler to each side and finally three generic merchantmen - two tramps and a tanker - as targets.

In the meantime though, I need to crack on with the book and so the next post will feature the plan for the first of three battles that will appear in it.

The occasional distraction is good for the soul, or so they say…. ;-)

Portable, I mean Pocket, Air War….

Came from out of the blue but looks a cracker!

The back of the box….

….including the aircraft types covered. It is not complete but there is certainly plenty of variety contained therein!

I am a sucker for aerial games although I should qualify that by saying that for the most part I am a sucker for aerial board games. In recent years my dabbles with miniatures have been largely indifferent affairs , perhaps with Axis and Allies: Angels 20 being the high spot - certainly the Wings of Glory WW1 collection never really took off with me (pun intended!). I was a huge fan of Air Force/Dauntless and the Expansion Kit produced by Battleline and then Avalon Hill but these days they lurk in the recesses of my collection, stubbornly refusing to be sold, despite being at a very low price. I digress. 

My aerial activities these days are still largely board game based (with the exception of the aforementioned Axis and Allies: Angels 20) but with the occasional thought about using models. I have some 1:300th aircraft for Mustangs - the de facto successor to Air Force - that require some TLC but for now the counters will suffice. The two big scores for me were the full kickstarter versions of Fighters of the Pacific and Fighters of Europe. There is heaps of potential with these two and as soon as I get the time I will do something with them. I was toying with my flying base idea for both of these but the counters are  aircraft shaped rather than squares so my Dawn Patrol WW1 idea would not really work. I will think some more about when I get the time.

The full colour 36 page rulebook. The rules themselves are 15 pages with the rest being mission and theatre specific campaigns, oh and solo rules as well no less!

Pocket Air War: Definitive Edition, is a tactical WW1 game produced by WBS Games (WBS meaning We Build Smiles) and I must confess it had completely passed me by. I had never heard of it until a local chap listed it for sale (the full KS version) and so after some extension research (yeah right!) I snapped it up. I am absolutely delighted that I did!

The game components. On the left are three example of the aircraft ‘dashboards’ whilst on the right are red and white altitude discs (there are but three altitudes in this game - low, medium and high) and the all important yellow energy discs. The orange coloured devices are machine gun range templates whilst the five black and white devices are for turning. 

The turn template in use. The aircraft counters have a small line on either beam that is lined up with the marks on the device. 

The game components are top drawer. There are some 70 aircraft represented covering the everything from the Battle of Britain to the Fall of the Reich via the Mediterranean and the Pacific and with a dabble in the Korean War no less. Each aircraft has a ‘dashboard’ or as I prefer to call it, a stick. This contains all the aircraft’s characteristics required for them to fight and fly. The aircraft counters are double sided with the reverse indicating a damaged machine. 

The RAF, Luftwaffe, USAAF, USN, Reggio Aeronautica, Japanese Air Force and the Red Air Force are all represented but sadly no French. There is an extra set of counters available that expands the numbers included in the game - there are only pairs of aircraft so with the extra counters you can field fours. Hopefully some additional types will be made available in due course.

The game is all about maintaining energy which is where the yellow discs come in. Essentially the more extreme the manoeuvre, the greater the loss of energy. Manoeuvres are limited to turning, wingovers, sideslips, climbing and diving. Combat is based on the use of a D20 and fire is modified by target aspect, size, range and pilot quality.

As befits a kick starter there are some rather nice goodies that come with the game in the shape of four 50cm by 70cm neoprene gaming mats. These look something like this.

Over land….

….and sea.

High in the wild blue yonder.

Not sure about this one. It is supposed to represent a tropical island shore but to be honest I am not feeling that!

The four neoprene mats roll up and fit in this handy drawstring backpack - as if I would use as such!

In many ways this reminds me of Wings of War but without the models, but it would be really easy to substitute the counters if required. Probably the most significant thang about this game, at least for me that is, is that it is a free table game with nary a grid in sight! 

Definitely looking forward to giving this a run out at some point and with the small table footprint, it almost qualifies as a PORTABLE aerial wargame.

WBS Games have a website where the rules and campaign book can be downloaded if you wanted to take a look.

 

Back to Jutland

Hidden under the seven boxes of block armies - two block navies!

The 5th Battle squadron steaming across the recently acquired Magister Militum hexed cloth. These hexes are 2” between the flat sides - just large enough for one of my three quarter sized ‘not quite Jenga’ Jenga blocks.

 Jutland by Avalon Hill was one of my favourite games. It was more of a miniatures game than boardgame as the ships were moved on any flat surface with nary a grid in sight! Way back in 2016 I planned to refight the battle using 1:2400th scale models and indeed, I got as far as painting all the capital ships for both fleets but the realisation that acquiring everything else - destroyers, light and armoured cruisers - was an undertaking too far for me. The whole exercise was a lot of fun though as trying to tweak the rules for Jutland to bring them up to date was a good grounding for developing my own rules.

The Jutland collection of models has long gone, along with the boardgame and the additional bits and pieces I acquired, but one part remained. The box of blocks you see above. I should also mention that I own in PDF format copies of everything Jutland related from the game itself and the various articles and variants published in the old Avalon Hill General and also the Boardgamer magazine. This is significant because it means that have the wherewithal to print all the material I need to, in effect, resurrect a copy of Jutland if I wanted to.

Which of course I do!

Joking aside, The blocks you see above will be invaluable for testing purposes when I get to the Great War section of the rules for the new book. I can also make use if the cloth with the 2” hexes  - it is six foot by four - so the potential for a large action is certainly there.

I think I may have just talked myself into an idea…. ;-)

New Additions to the Library

Another uniform book - I own two others from the series - and something for the naval part of the library (which is probably the largest part!).

Following on from the book element of my Cavalier haul - three titles devoted to the late republican era of Ancient Rome - I have added two further titles to the library. One of these will come as no surprise but the other will need a little explanation.

I have absolutely no knowledge of the Sino French naval war other than a cursory look at the Wikipedia page! I was really pleased to add this to the collection because the others by the same author are outstanding! The only niggle is that the series are large sized softbacks - I would have happily paid extra for a hardback version - but I can certainly live with that as the detail contained therein is outstanding! Am I going to start building ships for this conflict? The answer is a no, simply because even if I wanted to such an undertaking would so far down the list it would have kangaroos bouncing over it….

The uniform book I have owned before but for the life of me I cannot recall what happened to it. I have a vague notion it may have disappeared around the same time as several other titles whilst we were having some work done on the house. A box of books went missing from the man cave and I have a feeling this may have been among them. At the time I was looking at various 19th century options and that was the part of the library that took the biggest hit. 

The book is a lovely, colour-plate filled large format book featuring loads of uniform details for the conflicts covered. I should point out the mention of Boer Wars also includes the Zulu war although I have plenty of material for that particular campaign.I also own the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars titles from the same series. I am no expert on the accuracy of the military uniforms depicted but the details contained therein certainly look the part and will be sufficient for my needs. 

As a reluctant figure painter you could be forgiven for wondering why I have bothered adding this to the library. Well, to begin with I have the Mike’s Models Colonial collection to do something with - a lot of the British stuff for the Zulu War is painted but needs touching up here and there along with rebasing - as well as some possible 1880s Madasahatta style action. Both of these are a fair way down the batting order though as the book will be the main focus for the rest of the year in all probability.

Great to have a copy of the book back in the collection though.

Back to the Missenhitti….Part 2

The situation at the end of turn three. The C.S.S. Little Rebel was settling by the bows (the white markers indicate how many game turns before she slips beneath the waves) whilst the U.S.S. Carondelet is busily attempting to deal with two separate fires. Both the C.S.S. Atlanta (top centre) and the C.S.S. Albemarle (top right) are steaming at best speed to engage the two Union ships - the timber-clad U.S.S.Lexington (bottom centre) and the U.S.S. Essex (bottom left)

At the close of part one the situation definitely favoured the Confederates. True the C.S.S. Little Rebel was sinking, but the U.S.S. Carondelet was in a parlous condition, leaking like a sieve and with numerous fires blazing from stem to stern. Confident that the two ironclads, the C.S.S. Atlanta and the C.S.S. Albemarle could deal with the remaining Union ships, Captain Noah “Redeye’ Fox had ordered maximum speed as they bore down on the U.S.S. Lexington and the U.S.S. Essex. For sure there was smoke on the western horizon but he calmly deduced that it was sufficiently distant so as to not pose a threat.

Back to the Missenhitti….Part 2

Aboard the burning U.S.S. Carondelet the scene was one of abject chaos. Fires flared and died, seemingly of their own volition, whilst the crew scurried hither and thither, tackling each new inferno as it arose. All the while the coffee coloured river water poured into her riven hull. Her decks leaned first one way and then the other, drunkenly lurching as she settled ever lower in the water. Finally, some welcome respite as the fire that was blazing around the powder store was finally extinguished. It was short lived though, as a dull boom was heard coming from the engine space as flames leapt through the open gunports and hatches. With a ghostly sigh as the flames were slowly extinguished, the Union ironclad slipped unceremoniously beneath the waves. Her crew, bobbing about in the river or clinging on to whatever would float, made for the shore as best as they could and into certain captivity.

The crew of the C.S.S. Little Rebel gave a ragged cheer as the Union ships disappeared from view but it sounded curiously hollow. The ship was sinking, slowly to be sure, but sinking nevertheless. At least though, the crew had the advantage of being able to leave the ship in a relatively orderly fashion and with the closest shore still under Confederate control, they would soon be back at Pratt’s Landing.

End of Turn 4. Both of the Confederate ironclads turned to starboard in readiness to engage the two Union ships. The C.S.S. Atlanta, passing by the stern of the sinking C.S.S. Little Rebel and the blazing U.S.S. Carondelet, heads for the U.S.S. Essex whilst the C.S.S. Albemarle goes for the U.S.S. Lexington.

Captain Fox, aboard the C.S.S. Atlanta, had noticed that the great, looming bulk of the U.S.S. Essex had managed to slip her moorings and was slowly getting underway. A ram attack head on could be risky, so he ordered the spar torpedo deployed instead as the ship lined up to face the Union vessel.

So far the two Union ships appeared to be holding station, almost as though they were waiting for the Confederate vessels to close with them. Captain Fox considered this and assumed that the caution being exercised was merely to draw them closer in, by which time the mysterious smoke cloud in the distance would doubtlessly be making an appearance. Quickly calculating the odds he made the only decision he could - the two ironclads would close with the Union vessels, deal with them promptly, and then head back before the smoke cloud arrived. It would be a race, and given the miserable speed of his two ships, he would need a head start for his plan to work. 

End of Turn 5. The Confederates won the initiative, and so opted to move first. The C.S.S. Atlanta attempted to use its spar torpedo against the U.S.S. Essex only for the mechanism to fail! The Union ship threw her engines into reverse and slowly backed away from the rebel ship, firing as she went. The C.S.S. Atlanta then returned fire once the spar torpedo crew had cleared the foredeck. Meanwhile, the U.S.S. Lexington opened fire against the C.S.S. Albemarle who promptly returned the compliment with both ships taking damage.

Captain Fox cursed his decision to use the spar torpedo against the Union ironclad, frantically backing away from the bow of his ship. His experienced eye noticed the three gunports, now open, that pointed ominously towards his bow. Without wasting a moment he ordered the ship to open fire, knowing that he would likely come off worse in a prolonged exchange of artillery fire. A cacophony of noise - firing guns and the great clang as shot after shot struck the casemate and foredeck. The C.S.S. Atlanta fought back as best she could but to little effect. She could attempt to close and use the spar torpedo against or even ram the Union ship - either would be preferable to turning away and exposing her flank. Little did Captain Fox know but any decision he made was about to be overtaken by events elsewhere - and not in a good way.

The C.S.S. Albemarle maintained her station on the port beam of the C.S.S. Atlanta but in doing so attracted the attention of the U.S.S. Lexington. Although the Union timber-clad had already sustained some damaging gunfire earlier in the action, she was still game and up for the fight. Despite the diminutive size of the Confederate ship the Union ship was still able to score some telling hits against her better armoured opponent. The C.S.S. Albemarle’s captain quickly realised that he would be outgunned by the Union ship and so needed to close the distance as soon as possible, potentially with a ram attack as an option. As with the C.S.S. Atlanta though, events elsewhere would soon take the decision out of the hands of the captain of the Albemarle’s captain..

End of Turn 6. The C.S.S. Atlanta (top left) sees the U.S.S. Essex backing cautiously away from her whilst the C.S.S. Albemarle prepares to engage the U.S.S. Lexington. The initiative for turn seven would be critical….

Whilst Captain Fox pondered his options in respect of the Union ironclad directly ahead and the C.S.S. Albemarle had turned to engage the rapidly reversing U.S.S. Lexington, the ominous smoke cloud sighted earlier transformed into not one, but two Union monitors. To make matters worse, the two ships were heading directly down the middle of the river and so would be between the two Confederate ships that were currently facing the wrong way. 

What had appeared to be a straightforward ‘butcher and bolt’ operation had become something entirely different and nigh on impossible to achieve. With the Union advantage of numbers as well as outgunning the two Confederate ships, there was little doubt that they faced an uncertain future. Captain Fox, to his eternal shame and chagrin, ordered the helm hard over to port and prepared to enter the Union maelstrom.

The C.S.S. Albemarle, seeing the approaching Union monitors, opened fire immediately at the leading vessel, scoring some minor damage. It was scant consolation though, given the situation that the two Confederate ships now found themselves in. Essentially they were separated by two powerful Union monitors and outflanked by a pair of gunboats whilst facing up river. 

With the U.S.S. Canonicus in the van, followed by the U.S.S. Winnebago, the two monitors make their appearance. Directly ahead is the C.S.S. Albemarle whilst the U.S.S. Lexington backs away from her.

End of Turn 7. The monitors the U.S.S. Canonicus, followed by the U.S.S. Winnebago, steam into action with the U.S.S. Lexington (top) and the U.S.S. Essex (bottom left) poised to outflank the Confederate force. 

An alternative view of the final positions (courtesy of Mr Fox). 

Due to time constraints we had to call the action at this point. 

Taking everything into consideration, it would be highly unlikely that both of the Confederate ships would be able to get back to Pratt’s Landing. The biggest difficulty they have is that they are both facing the wrong way and will need to turn to retreat. Therein lay the problem as turning uses up distance. This means that the Union monitors would be able to draw level with them and be able to engage at close range where their turrets could be used to maximum effect. The C.S.S. Atlanta had been heavily hit and had suffered roughly fifty percent damage whilst the smaller Albemarle had lost a third of its flotation points. Of the two ironclads I think that the Albemarle is potentially the more likely to get away but only because she has already begun to turn, but even then, she is dangerously close to the U.S.S. Lexington which would certainly look to impede her. As for the Atlanta, well her problems are many. She would have to turn across three Union ships at very close range in order to be facing the right way - and they would be very keen to ensure that she did not do so! 

From the Union perspective, the timely arrival of the two monitors without a doubt turned the tide. Considering only the lead ship actually got to fire that is a bold statement to make. Prior to their arrival the Union were definitely on the back foot as both ships attempted to keep away from their assailants. It worked in a rather unexpected way in that the further they retreated, the more the Confederates came on. As it turned out, this proved to be decisive. 

The Rules and other Stuff

It was a cracking action with plenty of ‘what if’ moments to savour! If the Confederate spar torpedo has worked then the U.S.S. Essex could well have joined the U.S.S. Carondelet at the bottom of the Missenhitti. The U.S.S Carondelet was unlucky in sustaining two fire critical hits but it did not stop her from sinking the plucky C.S.S. Little Rebel. Gunnery between the two sides varied from good to bad and threw up an issue to be addressed in a later post. Nothing serious, just a minor tweak in respect of the effectiveness of smoothbores versus rifles. 

Once again my thanks to Messrs Fox - the funnel smoke was from his collection of pyrotechnic effects - and Huband for their willing participation and input - always a pleasure for and I hope never a chore for them!