Memoir of Battle at Sea....Part 4

One of the things that I have failed to mention in respect of the first draft of the rules is the relative comparison of ship types from WW1 to WW2. Using the system I want to use at first glance it appears that a top rated WW1 ship is the same as is top rated WW2 equivalent in respect of hit points and combat dice etc. This is not my intention as the figures I have quoted as the base line for a notional type are designed to reflect relative capabilities. For example, HMS Barham, a Queen Elizabeth class battleship, was very much top of the tree in respect of dreadnought design in WW1 but by WW2 was out of date, barely modernised and vulnerable. In game terms then, she would be superior during WW1 and inferior during WW2 and so her specifications will differ accordingly. This will be more obvious when I prepare the ship specification charts although it does raise the question of how ships that served in both conflicts should be rated between the wars during the various refits undertaken!

I have also been giving some thought in respect of air power and its use. Again, I shall avoid lumping types together under generic headings but in one respect they will all be the same – on the tabletop they will not have a movement distance as even the slowest aircraft can move at least three times faster than a ship. Axis and Allies: War at Sea uses a similar system and this works pretty well. All that remains then is for me to assign the combat values and merge an air attack sequence into the game turn or activation. I will take a close look at the Memoir 44 Air supplement for some ideas in that direction.

My plan in respect of the play test is to move into the Black Sea for a Turkish versus Russian engagement – this will make a change from my usual Balkans fight. I have an ulterior motive in that it will give me the opportunity to use a mixture of old and new ships within a WW1 context. The Goeben and Breslau , with some assorted Turkish escorts will be attempting to force a conclusion with the Russian Pre Dreadnoughts and various other assorted vessels. It should be entertaining and if past experience is anything to go by the fighting will make up for in intensity what it lacks in duration!