Miniature Wargames

Ship of the Line Game Photos

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a Napoleonic naval game at the Dogs of War shop using Ship of the Line rules and 1/1200 scale miniatures.

A French squadron of one 120, one 80 and five 74s with average crews met a British squadron of six 74s with two elite and four crack crews.

The fleets converge on a broad reach. The wind is from the left in this photo.

Long range fire damages the French 120 leading the near line on the left. This reduces her movement to the extent that she will not get into the battle.

The French maneuver while the British keep to line ahead, shooting as they pass each target.

Two French 74s break the British line. The windward French 74s (right) put on full sail to catch up.

A French 80 strikes and her 74 consort is pounded in the upper right. A British 74 in the center takes heavy damage from two 74s. The windward French 74s get into the fight.

Time brought and end to the game at this point.

WWI Naval Battle – Copenhagen 1914

Copenhagen the verb that is. In May 1914 the British finally accept Admiral Fisher’s suggestions (made in 1904 and 1908) to preemptively attack the German fleet in the naval base at Wilhelmshaven. A routine flight by the German Navy’s only dirigible, the L 3, spots the British in the North Sea in time for the German fleet to sortie.

Visibility was 14,000 yards. Wind was westerly at 8 knots and the seastate was 2.

Status at the end of the game: Cope-end-status

Damage output summary: Cope-damage

Plot: Cope-plot

Plot showing flotilla torpedo attacks: Cope-plot-flot

The light cruiser screens have formed up in line ahead. The fist hit has blown up HMS Southampton.

British fleet. The wreck of the Southampton is visible in the upper right corner.

German fleet

The light cruisers withdraw under fire from battleships.

Two British dreadnoughts in the lead division have been lost to turret hits followed by magazine explosions.

The fleets close to around 5000 yards as damage mounts. British destroyers have launched torpedoes and withdrawn.

German torpedoes hit the British line, crippling or sinking several ships. With the British clearly worsted, the Riskflotte theory is vindicated.

Analysis:

Examining only the battleship action, the British hit rate was 9.3% and the German hit rate was 14.1%. This difference was the result of the westerly wind blowing the gun and funnel smoke in front of the British line, while the German smoke was blown to the disengaged side. The British needed the guidance in the Grand Fleet Battle Orders (~ May 1916):

Weather …The leeward position, with the wind on the engaged bow, is usually the better … the main consideration is that of being in a position where the gun and funnel smoke from our own ships do not interfere with gunlaying… [page 15]

I don’t know if there was any such guidance in May of 1914.

The British suffered gun losses due to 29 turret face penetrations. Four British battleships were lost to explosions as a result of turret fires reaching the magazines. Turret hits represented 14.7% of all hits on British ships and 12.7% of all hits on German ships. These numbers are consistent with the algorithms. The consequences (for the British) of turret hits are so significant that the algorithms for turret face hits and penetrations will be elaborated in future code modifications. For example, the probability of a turret hit for flat trajectory shells will be examined, and the curvature of British turret faces might need to be modeled.

The strategic lesson is that a preemptive attack should have been considered at an earlier date, ideally before the Germans developed effective AP shells.

RECON 2014 Saturday Photos

Photos from RECON, the HMGS-South spring convention in Orlando Florida.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/130153196@N08/albums/72157661210326952

RECON 2014 – Friday Photos

Photos from RECON, the HMGS-South spring convention in Orlando Florida.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/130153196@N08/albums/72157661242722751

Battle of Cos Using Hail, Agrippa! Rules

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a game of Hail, Agrippa! at the Dogs of War shop. The Hail, Agrippa! rules are a modification of Hail Caesar published in Issue 66 of ‘Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy’ magazine. [Hail Agrippa! rules link]

The scenario was loosely based on the Battle of Cos, 258 BCE (or 261, or whenever; nobody knows) fought between an Antigonid fleet and a Ptolemaic fleet. The order of battle was determined by the miniatures available, and included ships as large as deceres (or dekeres) which are probably heavier than any at the real battle. Fleets of this period might be 100-200 ships, so the units (4 models on a base) might represent 9-18 ships.

Miniatures are primarily Langton 1:1200 and Navwar 1:1200, with a few Valiant 1:900 and scratch-built ships.