This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Sudan game using The Sword and the Flame colonial rules (20th Anniversary Edition) and the Gunboats and Dhows rules. Six players and a referee fought on the Nile and beside it. The British/Egyptian force was victorious, sinking both dhows and maintaining control of their base.
This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Second World War naval game using the Seekrieg 5 rules. The scenario was fictional, but included ships present near Leyte Gulf on 25 October 1944.
US:
Battleships West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Pennsylvania
Cruisers Louisville, Portland, Minneapolis, Indianapolis
Transport ships of the Leyte invasion fleet were present nearby and provided a potential target for the Japanese.
The models are 1/2400 scale GHQ and CinC. Seven players participated.
The US ships start at 5 knots, with the cruiser line on the engaged side.
The Japanese are in three columns, and will take some effort to deploy.
Color-coded play aids help explain the ship data.
The US cruisers turn to close the reported enemy, but the battleships are not allowed to react immediately.
Careful maneuvering avoids collisions as the Japanese deploy.
The Tone has blown up.
US cruisers reverse course to avoid land, but damage limits the turning ability of Minneapolis.
We played seven turns in about 4 hours. Of the US battleships, only Pennsylvania was hit and took one tier of damage. Portland took two tiers of damage. Minneapolis took one tier and lost a primary turret. The two Japanese battleships took little or no damage. Kongo took two tiers of damage and lost a primary turret. Haruna three tiers, an engine room, a boiler room, a primary gun and all primary fire control. Chikuma had significant damage and fires. Tone blew up.
This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a game of Ironclads, using the board game rules with some adjustments to accommodate miniatures larger that the game’s one-hex ship counters.
The scenario was to be loosely based on the CSS Arkansas attacking the Union fleet at Baton Rouge in August of 1862. The large number of players that showed up required some non-historical ship additions .
The ships were 1/600 scale models from Thoroughbred.
Confederate fleet.
Union fleet.
Initial setup with a lone Union picket watching the channel.
Signaling errors result in an early collision in the Confederate fleet.
The Union picket ship, under fire from the Confederate fleet, maneuvers out of the way.
Collisions are narrowly avoided in mid channel. The Union picket is on fire and will eventually be abandoned.
The Manassas has maneuvered for a ram attack but suffers a rudder hit just short of the enemy.
The Arkansas runs through the Union fleet. A Confederate sidewheeler’s boilers explode as she burns.
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