Naval Projects - Game Rules and other stuff.

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I thought I would use this post to lay out my 'Mini-Naval Wargames' (working title) in a more formal arrangement. I'll use the layout of the Portable Naval Wargame rule set as my 'template'.

'Force Q' - setting out to attack an island beach landing by
Ra'esharn forces. Air cover is wanting!

Mini-Naval War Games.

The setting for this rule set is c.1940-43, and features aircraft carriers, their aircraft, and submarines also as possible participants in its battles. Battles involving fleet carriers might well take place with each side on its own playing surface, representing fleets or task forces separated by hundreds of kilometres of ocean. But actions relying solely upon ships' gunnery were still frequent, most notably in the Guadalcanal campaign of 1942-3.


We'll begin with the Chart; explanations will follow.

Standard Naval ship statistics.

1. These rules keep to a minimum the classes of ships, all members of each class being treated as identical. There is no reason not to experiment with slight modifications, though they might go more towards varying flotation points (FPs), the gunnery rules leaving little scope for variance. A 'heavy cruiser' might be given 15 FPs, and/or be given four twin turrets, or three triple turrets, numbers of guns shooting forward, abeam or aft. Else, you might regard the 'standard' cruiser of the chart as a heavy cruiser, and reduce the flotation points, say, to 9 or 10.

Ra'esharn covering group. The Kiivar 'Force Q' having
been discovered by (notional) scout aircraft, the fleet carrier has 
just launched its strike bombers.

2. The flotation points (FPs) go to the vessel type's survivability. The figures I have used aren't really proportional to tonnage or armour. The gun ranges of the vessel classes also go to survivability of the targets.

Submarines are very vulnerable, if ever a destroyer carrying depth charges ever enters the same grid area!

3. Vessels reduced to one-third or less of their FPs must attempt to remove themselves from the action. Their speed is reduced by one grid area; one primary turret is knocked out (this can be diced for: 1-2 = 'A' turret; 3-4 = 'B' turret; 5-6 = 'Y' turret, say); and one-third of the secondary armaments are knocked out. 

An aircraft carrier so reduced is held to have developed a heavy list; its flight decks damaged; and is unable to fly off or land aircraft.

General situation, looking north among the outlying
islands of the Phaiq T'anh Archipelago. Force Q 
bravely advancing into battle. The Ra'esharn covering force 
still well out of gunnery range.

 

4. A vessel whose FPs is reduced to exactly 0FP remains afloat, but lies dead in the water, all its guns out of action. In a single battle this may make little difference, as any further loss of FP will sink it. But it might have campaign significance, as whilst still afloat the vessel will be salvageable. This might be a consideration in respect of merchant vessels.

5. A vessel reduced to below 0FP has been sunk.

6. Speed is in terms of grid areas, 2 being slow, and 4 fast. 

7. Gunfire is assessed by the number of guns shooting at a particular target. For each class of vessel, the chart shows to guns available firing forward, abeam (broadside) or aft. My  battleships and battlecruisers have three triple turrets with big guns - call them 15-inch. They also have a secondary armament of 12 x 6-inch guns. My cruisers have three double turrets with smaller guns - call them 6-8-inch. They also have a secondary armament of 12 x 4-inch. My destroyers have but two single-gun turrets with 4-inch guns. 

'Force Q' under air attack! Can the flak hold off the enemy?

8. All gun ranges are given in increments of 3 grid areas. 

9. All gun fire is 'per gun' depending upon arc of fire.  

Effective AA brings down a third of the attacking 
strike force - but the remainder - 6 'Flight Points'
will press home their bombing runs.

10. Torpedoes are launched in singles (fixed fore and aft on destroyers), pairs (fixed fore and aft on submarines), or threes (trainable on destroyers and cruisers). Dice for each torpedo launched.  Cruisers have one such launching available on each beam; destroyers have 2 on each beam, and (optionally) one only fore and aft. (It seems that at least early on in the WW2 Pacific War, only the Japanese were able to reload their torpedo launchers whilst on the move. In  this game, each launcher may each be used once). Submarines have 2 launching pairs forward, and one launching pair aft. (See Stats Table above).

Very effective bombing attacks - a damaging hit of the 
cruiser KNS Falcon, and a devastating hit on 
KNS Aquila. 

11. The standard complement of aircraft on a fleet carrier is 4 squadrons (stands). The standard mix is 

• 1 fighter squadron @ 3FP
• 2 bomber squadrons @ 3FP
• 1 torpedo bomber squadron @ 3FP

Note that the bomber squadrons have to be in the same hex as the target vessel, but the torpedo bomber may be launch its torpedo from a hex adjacent to the target vessel. Note that the torpedo bomber need not attack a vessel in the same hex if a more lucrative target is available in an adjacent hex. 

One large fleet carrier, KNS Condor, uniquely carries 6 squadrons, 2 of each type.

12. In air to air combat, opposing 'flights' (stands) neutralise each other, as well as scoring hits upon their Flight Points.

13. If an aircraft strike force is accompanied by a fighter escort, then in the air-to-air combat, the fighter stands fight each other, stand for stand (squadron for squadron). If there are fighter stands left over from the defending side, then they may fight the bombers.

14. A fighter escort finding no air defence to attack, may instead attack ships AA, 'neutralising'  AA points. The fighter squadron's 3 strafing dice may knock out 1AA point if a '6' is rolled. The ships' AA shoot back, again requiring a '6' to hit. The damage to AA is the only damage a fighter squadron may inflict upon shipping.

15. Surviving AA may shoot at attacking aircraft at one D6 per AA point. For each roll of '6' the target stand loses 1 Flying Point. 

16. One D6 is rolled for each 'Flight Point' (FP) of bombers that have survived flak and air combat to release bombs or torpedoes against a given target. They may be released from directly overhead (bombs) or from an adjacent grid area (torpedoes). 

17. A successful 'hit' by torpedoes and bombs scores 6FP of damage for the hit, and a further 5FP of damage for every 5 also rolled. Note that the '5' scores apply only if a hit has been achieved.

Effective gunnery batters cruiser RNS Charun,
forcing it out of the battle. Return fire strikes 
battlecruiser KNS Aquila, which also abandons the fight. 

18. Submerged submarines may be spotted and attacked only by destroyers or bomber aircraft. Either may spot a submerged submarine if within 2 hexes. Roll 1D6, requiring:

• 3-6 - spotting destroyer or aircraft in the same hex
  
• 4-6 - spotting destroyer or aircraft in adjacent hex
• 5-6 - spotting destroyer or aircraft 2 hexes away. 
  

18. Once spotted, the submarine may be approached and attacked by depth charge or bombs. Either requires a roll of '6' to hit. Destroyer rolls 4xD6 the bomber stand rolls 3xD6.

As the battle group engage the enemy squadron at long range, 
returning aircraft are being collected by carrier
RNS Abraxas.

19. Submarine patrols. A submarine may patrol an area of radius 2 hexes out from a central hex - an area covering 19 hexes. Place the submarine stand at the centre of this area. When its precise location needs to be known - roll 1D6 to determine how far from the centre it is:

• 1 = the sub is at the centre of its patrol area.
• 2-3 = the sub is 1 hex out from the centre. Roll  a further D6, and counting the hex directly in front as '1', count in a circle clockwise until the die score is reched.
• 4-6 = the sub is 2 hexes out from the centre. Roll a D12 (if you have one) and count as before or roll a 2D6s, one counting 1-6, the other 'high' or 'low'. If 'low' (1-3) count clockwise from 2 forward of the bow; if 'high' (4-6), count clockwise from 2 abaft the stern.

Having determined where the sub really is, the vessel is removed to that spot. The sub may move in its own Turn from that spot at a rate of 2 hexes. Spotting and so forth may also proceed from there.

Excellent shooting - despite heavy damage to both ships - 
batters the Ra'esharn cruiser out of the battle. 

20. Ramming was not a feature of warfare at the period this rule set has in mind. It was hard enough to bring capital ships into a fleet action. But it was not unknown, as the German cruiser Admiral Hipper was to discover in battle against the destroyer HMS Glowworm. On the other hand, it was a known method of dispatching submarines caught on the surface. If a ramming can be pulled off, these are the results:

• Destroyer ramming Cruiser = D6 - 2 FP damage to cruiser; D6 damage to destroyer
• Destroyer ramming Battlecruiser = D6 roll of '6' causes 1FP of damage to target; D6+1 damage to destroyer
• Destroyer ramming submarine = D6 damage to submarine; D6 - 2 damage to destroyer
• Cruiser ramming destroyer = D6 + 1 damage to destroyer; D6 - 2 damage to cruiser
• etc.

This seems to me a rather unlikely tactic generally speaking, and is included here mereluy for the sake of 'completeness.

Parting shots as Force Q retires from the action.
Destroyer K2 exchanges fire with R1. Unable to escape, 
K2 is sunk shortly afterwards. Ra'esharn gunnery was pretty woeful 
in this action, compared with their adversaries'. But K1's 
torpedo attack fails.

Game sequence, per Turn:

A. Air Phase

1. Strike aircraft arrive over target vessels. If the defending ships include an aircraft carrier, it may launch [a] fighter stand[s] to meet them. 
2. Air to air combat. If the strike aircraft includes a fighter escort, then the opposing fighters neutralise each other, squadron for squadron, permitting the bombers to go through. Both sides still roll for damage to FP. 
3. Anti-aircraft fire. One D6 per point of AA from target and any support vessel within 1 hex range. A '6' required to hit and knock off a FP.
4. Bombing attack by surviving aircraft. A '6' is required to hit, and it scores 6FP of damage. If a '5' is also rolled, then it adds 5FP more to the damage to the target vessel. Note that if no '6' is rolled at all, then there is no damage to the target, even if a '5' is rolled.

B. Gunnery Phase

1. Both sides fire their main and secondary armaments, both. Use different sized or different coloured dice to distinguish main from secondary. Secondary armament may choose a target different from the main.
2. Both sides ships fire torpedo pattern of 3 torpedoes per launcher abeam or (optionally) 1 single torpedo fore or aft. A submarine fires 4 fore or 2 aft only.
3.  Roll 1D6 per torpedo. A '6' is required to hit the target.
   
4.  If a hit is scored, it will cause 6FP of damage. If a '5' is also rolled in the same pattern, then a further 5FP of damage is inflicted. Note that when launching a single torpedo, there will be no supplementary '5's rolled!

C. Movement Phase

1. Both sides roll a D6 die. Low roll moves ships first.
2. If available, first side's carriers launch strike aircraft. The aircraft stands are placed over and around the launching vessel. The following Turn, they will arrive over their targets in the next Turn's Air Phase
3. First side then moves its ships 
4. If available, second side's carriers launch strike aircraft. They will arrive over their targets in the next Turn's Air phase. 
5. Second side moves its ships. Once completed, the Game Turn is also completed. 
   
   
   

Results of the brief action illlustrated:

Ra'esharn losses;

• one third of RNS Abraxas strike aircraft shot down by flak;
• one cruiser RNS Charun heavily damaged, 'Y' turret and one third of secondary armament knocked out, and speed reduced (9FP out of 12);
  
• one destroyer (R1) slightly damaged (1FP only out of 6);
• battleship (RNS Barbatos) slightly damaged (3FP out of 24).

Kiivar losses:

• one destroyer (K2) sunk;
• battlecruiser (KNS Aquila) heavily damaged, 'B' turret and some secondary guns KO, speed reduced (14FP out of 18);
• cruiser KNS Falcon heavily damaged, 'A' turret knocked out, speed reduced, secondaries reduced (9FP out of 12). 
• Destroyer K1 and Cruiser KNS Kestrel escaped with no damage
  
  
  

Overall, a tactical and strategic success for Ra'esharn, as, without air cover or air support, Kiivar's 'Force Q' never got close to breaking though the covering group.