The early part of the Great War at sea saw the allies quickly attempting to contain the threat of German cruisers and auxiliaries interfering with troop convoys and merchantmen. It is a fascinating period to game - usually the model count is very modest - with the emphasis being quite asymmetrical. The Germans have to wreak havoc where they can and the allies have to stop them - ideally before they can get back to Germany.
Over the years I have fought many ‘hunt the raider’ style actions and they are always a lot of fun.
Avalanche Press have produced a number of operational/tactical boardgames covering the Great War at Sea (the series name) as well as WW2 and use for the tactical side a set of rules that would be easily transferable to the tabletop - as long as you used a hexagonal grid that is!
Aside from the North Sea and the Mediterranean games they also produced the game you see above. This is global in scale as at the start of the war the Germans have cruisers dotted around the place, all keen to return to the Fatherland whilst the Allies are less enthusiastic about that particular course of action! There is in truth only one scenario at the operational level - the German player must get back to the North Sea whilst the Allies must prevent them - but there are a number of tactical games covering Coronel and the Falklands.
I have been after a copy of this for a while but the second hand prices were too rich for me. A chance trawl through eBay came up with a UK based seller of an unpunched version at a reasonable price and so I happily pulled the trigger!
The Allies - The Royal Navy and representatives from the Commonwealth nations (Australia, New Zealand and Canada), France, Japan and Russia, massively outnumber the Germans (and Austrians) but the sea is a big place and so bringing them into action is a Herculean task in itself.
This type of game is right up my street and I am looking forward to giving it a whirl and naturally, I already have some plans afoot…..
Less of these distractions or you will be locked up in solitary until Developing the Portable Ironclad Wargame is published!
ReplyDeleteHi Simon,
DeleteI know, I know - so I have spent some time this afternoon drafting the plans for assorted ironclads to go to Warbases.
Once I have the last of the plans drafted I can get busy with the models - in fact I may make a start on the masts etc over the coming weekend. They are quite straightforward to build but you need to be careful when doing so.
All the best,
DC
David,
ReplyDeleteThat’s an amazing find … and will no doubt give you many enjoyable games!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
DeleteIt will certainly come in useful for campaign purposes. I have heard mixed reviews about the tactical system but context is everything so will reserve judgement until I try them. It is a very popular series of games so cannot be that bad methinks!
All the best,
DC
An interesting find. Perhaps you could post a demo game and review?
ReplyDeleteDavid -
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing what you make of this, and how the concepts might be incorporated into a more general naval wargame. In a few days, I will show why I have a particular interest in naval wargame developments...
Meanwhile, what is the status of the revised Portable Ironclad Wargames? I've yet to buy a copy, but, as I have several scratchbuilt models from a zillion years ago, it seems they are in need of something other than my own 'One Brain Cell' set.
Cheers,
Ion
Hi Archduke,
DeleteColour me intrigued!
Developing the Portable Ironclads Wargame is more of a slightly amended edition rather than a complete rewrite. Firing arcs are tweaked slightly and the language has been simplified (I hope!) on some of the more verbose points. I have also made provision for another ship type - multiple decked ships of the line - and also for larger broadsides. There are a number of optional rules and also the use of a square grid. Finally, there will be a ‘blue water’ ironclad action from the 1880 Anglo Turkish War with around sixteen ships taking part - all but one will need building though! There is also an expanded set of ACW ship specifications included - there may be some others as well.
The good news is that much of the initial draft is ready except for the battle and back story. The less good news is that the models need building and so I have spent the last few days drafting plans for Warbases. I usually allow a month for delivery from them as they are bespoke pieces so I will not be building until November. I can get on with masts though in the meantime!
Originally I was a looking at the end of Q4 this year but it will now be Q1 next year.
Looking forward to seeing the scratch builds from a zillion years ago!
All the best,
DC