Author: ncc1717

WWI Naval Battle – Bay of Algiers, 1914

This fleet action is based on the Triple Alliance naval convention of 1913, as described in “The Great War at Sea” by Sondhaus. The plan was for the Italian and Austro-Hungarian fleets and any German ships in the Mediterranean to engage the French Fleet and block the Algerian troop transports. This scenario assumes that the war starts in February 1914, and that the British Mediterranean squadron joins the French.

Due to the generally longer ranges of the Triple Alliance guns, the French and British ships were under fire and unable to respond for the first few turns. Both sides had difficulty forming coherent battle lines due to the wide variation in ship speeds and capabilities. The Goeben and Dante Alighieri eventually destroyed the three British battlecruisers. Based on the situation when we quit, the French Algerian troops could be very late arriving in France.

Scale: 1/6000 miniatures, 500 yards/in ground scale.

Rules: Computer code in development.

Visibility 24,000 yards. Wind northwesterly at 6 knots. Seastate 2.

Status at the end of the game: Alg status

Damage output file: Alg-out

Plot of ship movements: Alg-plot

Rapid Fire – Modern

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a modern period game using the Rapid Fire rules. The six players each had a team of US troops in a vehicle (mostly Humvees). The objective was to enter a village and capture an arms dealer selling US equipment to the opposition.

WWI Naval Battle – North Sea January 1915

This fleet action is based on the low point of Grand Fleet numerical superiority over the High Seas Fleet, as described in Massie, Robert K., “Castles of Steel,” Chapter 20, page 372. Based on the results of the Dogger Bank scenario played earlier, the opposing battle cruisers are still under repair.

Scale: 1/6000 miniatures, 500 yards/in ground scale.

Rules: Computer code in development.

Visibility 12,000 yards. Wind southwesterly at 24 knots. Seastate 4.

Status at the end of the game: NS15status

Damage output file: NS15-output

Plot of ship movements:
First 40 minutes NS15plot1-40
40-50 minutes NS15plot40-50
50-60 minutes NS15plot50-60
60-70 minutes NS15plot60-70

 

1/1200 Ancient Naval Basing

The 1/1200 scale ancient ships were temporarily re-based for Hail, Agrippa! simply by sticking the old individual bases to cardboard. In order to use the same ships for various game systems, they are being fitted with rare earth magnets. Custom 40 mm x 130 mm magnetic hardboard bases were made by Good Ground LLC. The magnetic material on the bases is intended for transport using steel drawers. Here they are being used upside down so the rare earth magnets on the ships will stick. This allows for variations in the type, number and positions of ships.

[Edit: Since the Good Ground bases are magnetic, a piece of ferrous metal on the bottom of the ship model works as well or better than a rare earth magnet. My recent ships have been built using a small zinc-plated steel washer or a square of tin-plated steel sheet. This is easier and cheaper than the magnets.]

 

 

Black Powder: Oudenarde 1708

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a War of Spanish Succession battle at the Dogs of War shop using the Black Powder rules. The scenario was (very) loosely based on the Battle of Oudenarde, 11 July 1708.

The battle was played until one side had 7 units shaken or destroyed. The French reached 7 while the Allies were at 6. The French battalion defending Eyne held out for the entire battle.