Turtle Ships and Samurai

Between 1592 and 1598, Japan invaded Korea twice, with the ultimate aim of conquering China. The expectation that Korea could be subdued easily en route to China but ultimately this was not the case. The Koreans, assisted by the Chinese, fought the vaunted Samurai armies to a standstill until they finally withdrew in 1598, following the death of the Taiko: Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The two invasions were marked by unbelievably savage fighting on land - in which the Koreans certainly gave as good they got - and some quite remarkable battles at sea. At it is the war at sea that has formed a new post ACW project for me for which, mercifully, I will not be making the models!

The starter set from MT Miniatures with the list of contents listed on the box.

The Indefatigable David Manley drafted the rules which come in the starter set as well as being available on Wargames Vault under his Long Face Games label. He has also penned a set designed for large scale actions of the period called “Those Who Seek Death” as well as a couple of scenario PDFs. Aside from the rules, David has also included a potted history of the war as well as descriptions of the main ship types - in short everything one would need to get started in the period.

Game accessories - all laminated but needing to be carefully cut out

The ships that come with the starter set (1:1200th scale white metal) - needless to say I have expanded the choice and number available somewhat!

A painting guide for the Korean ships - note the famous ‘turtle ship’ in the centre….

….and also for the Japanese.

The ‘Imjin War’ and the later ‘Chongyu War’ (essentially the first and second invasion respectively) are not exactly mainstream naval history in the West but a very useful history of the period has been penned by the renowned expert on matters Far Eastern - Stephen Turnbull. By chance I saw a copy of this on ebay for next to nothing and immediately hoovered it up - and am really glad that I did! Although it is not a naval history as such, the exploits of the famous Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin - celebrated as a national hero in the same way that Nelson is - with his turtle ships against the Japanese invading forces feature throughout. 

A really useful book on the period - as are his other titles, primarily focussed on the Samurai

In a nutshell the Koreans largely dominated the naval scene wherever they found the Japanese ships so on the face of it the conflict would appear to be pretty one-sided. However, whilst the Koreans had stronger ships with better artillery, the Japanese had numbers, lighter and possibly handier ships (although with far fewer guns) and a willingness to get into hand to hand combat wherever possible. It was the outstanding leadership of Admiral Yi that provided the command expertise to the technological edge the Koreans possessed. The Japanese did have a few successes but not against Admiral Yi.

A modern replica of a Korean ‘Geobukseon’ - the ‘Turtle Ship’.

Gaming Thoughts

I must admit that this is not a period of naval warfare I would have considered were it not for David Manley’s rules and the models from MT Miniatures. In fact I would go further and say that I had never even heard of such a conflict other than as a mention in the book Shogun by James Clavell!

Despite the relatively obscure nature of this conflict, at least in the West, there is plenty to get one’s naval teeth into. Much of the combat was fought in sight of land so there is scope for some terrain in the form of fishing villages and small islands etc. The ships are quite simple in terms of design and paint scheme (a BIG advantage for me!) and have a distinctive look about them. There is little rigging to speak of and the ships use both sails and oars for propulsion. There are plenty of exotic weapon types in use and even early mines! Aside from the Koreans and Japanese there is also the Chinese including the inevitable war junk - a model that is useful for all sides.

I like the two differing tactical approaches so you have the ‘stand off and batter using gunfire’ doctrine used by the Koreans as opposed to the faster ‘get up close, board and butcher’ system favoured by the Japanese.

I have fancied tackling something 16th century based from a naval perspective but had never considered this conflict but I reckon it will be a lot of fun in an anarchic sort of way.

The land side of the war could possibly be catered for using Command and Colours: Samurai Battles although there are no rules that I am aware of that cater for the Koreans, or the Chinese for that matter. A trawl through the various facebook groups that cover the Command and Colours series may prove fruitful but that will be for another day.

First things first  though - ACW and DTPIW!

Squared Away

As part of the preparation for DTPIW I spent some time reworking some of the firing arc pictures as I was not really happy with the original versions. They now look like this:

For use with the ‘two square per model’ variant when operating orthagonally.

The same for diagonals

The ‘single square’ variant when operating orthagonally

And the same diagonally.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that for the single square option the forward and aft wide arcs (FW and AW) appear to be only covering the area off the bow and stern respectively. This is deliberate but such guns will still be available to use on a broadside if required. There is a rule that covers this and also clarifies the concept of partial grid areas.

I will need to slightly amend the appropriate text to better explain my thinking around this.

In other news, plans are afoot for another action to be fought at the club - this time on the high seas - and every ship present will have a full sailing rig!

We Are Where We Are….Closer!

From a previous action fought on a square grid. The CSS Morgan, covered with hit markers and with the three sinking markers of doom….

Work on DTPIW at last has a finishing line in sight! All of the key components are in place and the final touches will follow shortly. There will inevitably be some amendments and tweaks before going to print but the core stuff is all there. It has been a decidedly clunky process getting to where it is now this time around! The Portable Ironclads Wargame is a self-contained book and is structured in a relatively sensible and, dare I say it, logical way. I have tried to do the same with the Developing title but it has in may cases felt like herding cats as ideas have come and gone and add-ons have popped up to muddy the waters (quite appropriately in the case of the Mississippi!).

I think that the key thing for me has been to get clear in my mind exactly what this book is and more importantly, what it is not - and to be honest, this has given me much food for thought.

I can say definitively though, that it is most certainly not a second edition! In many ways it is like a special edition DVD/Blu-ray - you know the ones that include the additional and deleted scenes, ‘bloopers’ and sundry other bits and pieces. 

In many ways this book has been more difficult to get organised than the original, mainly because I have chopped and changed my mind about much of the content - usually with no apparent rhyme or reason. There has also been a veritable smorgasbord of real world stuff to contend with - stuff that puts pushing models ships around and agonising over firing arcs etc into their proper perspective.

Anyway, it is now at last and finally on the right track in terms of what I wanted to do and so I am looking forward to wrapping things up and getting it out there.

In no particular order then, the contents include the following:

Alternative firing methods

Alternative movement and manoeuvring ideas

Alternative initiative ideas

Using a square grid

Using a single hex/square grid

Expanded ACW ship specifications

Expanded bibliography

And of course, a battle report!

This book will not be the end of the Portable Ironclads Wargame, nor will it be the end of my ACW project. I have some more models to build and so my original estimate of ‘around a dozen or so generic models’ will have increased tenfold - at a minimum!

It has been an epic journey so far and one that I have enjoyed far more than I would have ever expected - I have also stuck with it for far longer than I would have expected!

“No Sailor but a Fool attacks a Fortress!….Again!

This rather splendid picture was taken by Mr Fox and shows the situation after the first turn from the Confederate side. Note the floating battery that is the CSS Louisiana in the centre foreground and the looming bulk of the USS Benton heading towards the Fort. 

Yesterday evening saw a largish ACW naval game taking place at the club, using the Portable Ironclads Wargame, a selection on my models and two sides each of two players. First of all a big thank you to Messrs Fox, Huband, Kightly and Slater for taking part - an enjoyable time was had by all and once again, there is no substitute for practical playing experience when designing a set of rules!

The action was a Union attack against a small Confederate fort, protected by minefields (torpedoes in the terminology of the time, as Mr Fox graciously reminded me) and supported by a number of naval vessels.

The Union force, commanded by Mr Huband with Mr Slater as his number two, consisted of the USS Benton (Flag), USS Essex, USS Carondelet, USS Louisville - these are all ironclad gunboats - along with the USS Iosco and USS Metacomet - these are two ‘double-ended’ gunboats. The Confederates, Mr Fox commanding ably assisted by Mr Kightly, fielded the CSS Manassas, CSS Louisiana, CSS Morgan and CSS Gaines. There was also the small fort that went by the name of Fort Unately.

Now I apologise in advance for the somewhat disjointed narrative that follows, I have come to realise that it is far easier to write one when fighting an action solo as there are far fewer distractions to deal with! The rules and QRS worked well although one issue did arise during the action. It was not a huge problem but will require a minor addition. As an aside several situations arose that have given me pause for thought but that will be for another day.

The number of pictures is few and the Union opted to change their initial deployment from that of the picture below - essentially the two central columns swapped sides - so the USS Benton (currently the large vessel at the top of the ‘diamond’ in the bottom left corner - with the USS Essex took over the places currently occupied by the USS Carondelet and the USS Louisville. I forgot to take a picture of the new deployment!

The Action Unfolds

The starting positions from the Union side

The view from the South. The black dots represent potential minefields. The CSS Manassas is at the top of the picture, the CSS Morgan and the CSS Gaines are in line ahead approaching the clear channel that separates the two headland minefields. The looming bulk of the CSS Louisiana sits at anchor to the right of Fort Unately.

The Union starboard column with the flagship, the USS Benton, flanked by the USS Metacomet, approach the Rebel fort. The Confederates immediately open fire, with the Metacomet taking damage.

Whilst the Union manoeuvre to engage the fort, the two Confederate gunboats nose cautiously into the channel - into the teeth of the enemy! 

This is where things get a little confusing. Fort Unately and the CSS Morgan - currently surrounded by all four Union ironclads - envelop the Union flagship is a hail of fire and so she settles by the bow (in game turns will sink in four turns as indicated by the markers). The USS Iosco, in a desperate bid to get into action, noses into a minefield.

A closer view of the action. The minefield was determined to contain three devices (Mr Fox rolled a 6) so things were looking pretty dire for the Union ship until he rolled for effect - two 1s and 2! - the Union relief was palpable!) In fairness to Mr Fox his shooting was phenomenal with a veritable deluge of 6s being rolled….

Several things happened at once. The CSS Louisiana pivoted in place to provide fire support but was effectively masked by the two gunboats in the channel. The CSS Manassas cautiously picked her way to the edge of the same channel so as to support her countrymen. Meanwhile the CSS Morgan paid dearly for her temerity as the Union fleet pulverised her into matchwood - she would not go easily though as her sinking roll was - you guessed it - yet another Mr Fox inspired 6!

With the two Confederate gunboats resolutely placed in the channel between the minefields - albeit with one sinking - and with the attack on the fort ignominiously failing, the decision was taken to halt the action. 

The two Confederate ironclads were undamaged, as was the fort, so the tactical victory went to the gentlemen of the South. From a strategic perspective this action, although costing the Union an ironclad, would represent little more than a speed bump as to their progress towards the main Rebel seaport of Static Bay. The ‘death ride’ of the two Confederate gunboats, whilst effective was costly as with the leading ship - the sinking CSS Morgan - and the following CSS Gaines in a decidedly unenviable position, best by avenging Union warships of assorted types. They would be back and in greater numbers meaning that the writing was on the wall for the Confederate fort and the small naval base. As soon as the mortar rafts could be towed into position they should be able to batter the Rebel fort into submission - unimpeded by any meaningful Confederate naval presence.

Or would it?

A Rule Writer’s Thoughts

Hmm. There are a few wrinkles that only practical playing experience can highlight and so it was a valuable exercise for me. There will need to be a minor tweak to the QRS - nothing major - and a couple of additional ideas to play around with to be included in the forthcoming Developing the Portable Ironclads Wargame: The American Civil War. 

I have also come to realise that just because I can do something it does not always mean that I should….

As always, many thanks once again to Messrs Fox, Huband, Kightly and Slater for their time and invaluable input.