Creating a Solomons force for Coastal actions

 I am having a lot of fun experimenting with Coastal Patrol.  It is a tribute to Mr Schmidt that it can take my tinkering with the combat system and still give a good game.  I have had US PT boats and Japanese barges for a while now and never got around to painting them.  I use to run Barge busting missions in 1/1200 scale and it was a lot of fun.  To make it a battle you really need some type "C" armored barges and I always allowed for some Japanese escorts.  The problem is I haven't found any of these ships in 1/300 scale.  

Creating the PT boats is easy.

This baby is straight out of the Warlord box.  I added some Heroic and Ros figures to add life to the boat. 

The Type A barges were also easy.

Here is a warlord one straight out of the box.  Interesting that the armament varied but often they had MGs on either side aft.  With this model you only get one gun and attached crew.  Still you do get a gun but it is expensive.  

Here is an action shot from a test game that shows the Heroics and Ros barges.  These are slightly smaller and have no guns or figures at all.  They are significantly less expensive but I guess you get what you pay for.  Since I needed a dozen barges I went this route. I hope to go back and add figures at some point.

Now on to the Japanese type "C" barge.  Frankly I am not even sure what it looks like.  There is a picture on Wikipedia that makes it look like a river boat.  I assume that is an early version in China and Scotia does a model found below.

 I had grand dreams of using plastic card and building up a boat and eraser heads as turrets and then remembered I have 4 russian gunboats unpainted.  

Viola!   A type "C" barge complete with 2 AT guns.  It is larger than the Japanese version but will work I think.  

Now I wanted a Japanese H 38 type patrol craft or the like.  I honestly have never seen a picture but they are mentioned in Mighty Midgets by Clash of Arms. It is about 26 tons and had 25mm guns.  the most numerous on had a triple 25mm mount aft supposedly.  What to do?   

A Russian D3 torpedo boat is about that size...It will work.  Besides I don't think people know what it looks like.  It probably looks like a typical patrol craft.  The problem with the D3 is there is no gun aft.

A russian D---- A Japanese H 38.  I attach almost all my guns with small magnets.  This allows them to rotate, not fall off and I can change the armament on my craft.   First drill a small hole to match the size of your magnet.  In this case I will not go deep enough to make the magnet flush because there is an exhaust pipe that I want my gun to clear.  

Normally you drill deep enough so your magnet is flush as on this Fairmile boat.

Hole drilled about halfway down.

Magnet glued.  Make sure the magnet is level!!!!!  These are a bugger to remove if you mess it up.  Also make sure you have the right polarity for the magnet.  A tip for that is...

Slide a thin piece of card between your gun magnet and boat magnet.  This will ensure you have the correct polarity.  Then place the boat magnet down on the boat.  Slide the gun off the paper and remove the paper.  You now have the correct side for your magnet.

Hull painted but not yet washed.

Final result with a german gun from the bits box.  

Better picture of the final result minus our forward MMG which was found and glued in place.  Now the aft gun rotates and I can replace with a different gun.

In the thick of it!

Hopefully you found this helpful if you are thinking of starting your own coastal forces in the Pacific.

More to come as I have rolled up Lts Hutton and Fryman in the South Pacific!

Enjoy

Joe

Coastal Patrol with Lt Hampton RNR

 Thanks to a discussion I had with Mark and Chuck on The Lead Adventure Forum I was inspired to bring out my coastal craft and try out Coastal Patrol by James Schmidt.  When these rules came out I didn't pay them much attention.  As many of you know I was playing Cruel Seas [ actually with my mods entitled Crueler Seas ]with my dad until he died.  After he passed I couldn't bring myself to play coastal actions.  I bought Narrow Seas by Manly. They are a great set and before I started playing with my dad they would have been the set I wanted but now I was looking for something quicker but with enough detail to satisfy.  Inspired I re read Coastal Patrol and thought I would give them a go.

First I decided to roll up 3 ships per Flotilla Forward.  I decided I would use Dog boats in the atlantic 1944 as they would be big enough to test my mods.  

We have:

SO   Lt Hampton RNVR    He is a famous peacetime yachtsman who has joined the colours to do his part.  His boat is Veteran.

Lt Phillips  RNVR   He is a generous sort whose dad is a MP.   His boat is Veteran.

Lt Smithers RNVR  He is a generous sort.  Comes from a long line of well bred gentlemen farmers.  His boat is also a veteran.

 I rolled up the mission and it was a convoy intercept with 1 large blind and 4 small; perfect.  Visibility was 2 miles with one squall.  The wind was whipping however with Balfour 5 so small boats would have to make a check to go full speed.  Still as the CO said, "The war can't wait for perfect conditions for you to go hunting Hampton." 

The Flotilla set up looking for trouble.  1 small blind going towards a squall at 2,000 yrds.  [ each hex 100 yrds.]

I used the spotting rules from Crueler Seas.  The spotting rules from Coastal Patrol are fine I am just use to mine.  Nothing is seen as the first blind enters the squall.

After 2 minutes another blind is on the board...

A look out on Hampton's boat call out "A Raum boat 40 degrees off to port!"  "Well done lad!"  A Raum boat is probably part of the convoy but which part?  When in doubt lets get ahead and sit and wait.  Lt Hampton orders the flotilla to increase speed to 20 knots [ each hex of speed is 5 knots] and execute a 45 degree to starboard.  Here is a mechanic that I didn't think I would like but I do.  When you activate each boat you roll 2d6 and this determines how many orders you can issue your crew.  A "10" didn't give Lt Phillips enough to both increase speed and turn so Hampton's signals were initially misunderstood by Phillips.  Simple!

You just can't get good help these days!  

The Raum boat's crew scanning the blackness

about 8 minutes into the "action".  Hampton is traveling twice as fast as the convoy.  He plans to go past the "pimple" and turn to port.  

" Raum boat coming towards us Sir.  Appears to be increasing speed."  The Germans have radioed the Flotilla's postion.  The first blind moves towards the British.  

As Lt Hampton is mulling over his options the night is shattered by 20mm guns firering about half a mile away!  

Suddenly his helmsman yells, "She isn't responding Sir."  

The state of the battle.  Lt Hampton encounters the starboard Raum boat.  The merchants are in the squall.  The convoy SO decides this threat is real.  He orders the port guard to stern and his ship to starboard.  

As Hampton's boat careens to starboard he signals Phillips to stick to the original plan.  

As Lt Phillips comes to grips with his new reality he hears, " Minesweeper 30 degrees to port 1.5 miles"

 

A battle rages between small boats.  This is what coastal action is all about.  The farthest Raum boat has engine damage and Lt Phillips boat's rudder gets stuck to port!  

14 minutes into the action.  The merchants are out of the squall and remain unspotted.  The minesweeper is coming around and engaging Lt Smithers as are both Raum boats now.  Lt Hampton's rudder is fixed and he is making for the presumed convoy.  Lt. Phillips is still working to repair his ship.  His ship has had 2 flotation hits so is at risk for flooding.

Lt Smithers running threw a gaunlet of fire.  [ splash is from the MS 4 inch gun.]  "Keep pushing lads.  There has to be freighters up a head somewhere."  

Another view of Smithers.

"Eureka!  Dead ahead.  Big as your girlfriend's arse!"  "Prepare torpedoes we haven't much time and we aren't going around again."

Torpedoes away at 500 yards!  Wait for it...

Huzzah for LT Smithers and the king!  

Lt Hampton launches 700 yards away.  

 

16 minutes into the action.  Lt Hampton has just launched and is preparing to turn away.  Lt Phillips [ next to him] boat has 3 flotation hits so is in danger of flooding.  That said he doesn't want to return with torpedoes.  Lt Smithers boat has just had her engine hit and can only make 15 knots so there won't be a fast get away for him.

Hampton's fish miss as the freighter turns.  A smaller VP boat turns up behind the freighters and begins shooting.  Lt Phillips sees the raum boats coming for him and wants to disengage.  The VP boat will have to do as a target.  

As Hampton makes his turn Phillips fires, "Torpedoes away!  Let's get out of here."      As the waiting for an explosion turns to minutes they realize they have missed.  [ I use my torpedo rules from Crueler Sea which I do prefer and are solitaire friendly.] 

Now the hunters flee with angry raum boats going toe to toe.  

Suddenly a huge hole is created in the front of Lt Phillips boat.  The front immediatly begins to flood.

The german SO on the minesweeper. "Karl, schnaps to the crew of "A" turret.  That was a great shot."

Phillips slows his boat and prays the water can be slowed.   

Lt Smithers with his newly repaired engine moves around the stricken boat.  No thought of picking up passangers with Raum Boats nipping at their heels. 

 

Lts Hampton and Smithers make good their escape into the night leaving 1 freighter burning.  They report the freighter sunk and Lt Phillips boat MIA presumed sunk.  But wait...

Lt Phillips manages to nurse his sinking craft into the squall while the raum boats are chasing his mates.  It does sink towards morning but brave air sea rescue manage to recover them!  [ In Flotilla Forward there is a 50% chance that your crew is recovered.  I know, unrealistic but it does make for better stories!]  

In addition the freighter is only badly damaged.  It is towed into port by morning.  Rats.

The Flotilla's reputation goes up by 1 and Smither's boat is repaired.  

Great game that played fast.    My thoughts on Coastal Patrol?

Pros

A fast combat system that is somewhat realistic.  It is unique in that you don't track damage level per se.  Your boat will succumb [ maybe] to "critical hits". The best part is guns below 40mm are grouped into 1 roll so combat is fast.  I thought I would hate this lack of granularity but it keeps the game from bogging down.  

It shows level of crew experience in a brilliantly simple way.  Rolling for how many actions per boat often doesn't make a difference as it shouldn't.  Naval crews are all trained to sail and fight. But occasionally it will show up and when it does it is brilliant.

Con 

A fast combat system that is somewhat realistic. While fast the critical hits appear to often for my taste.  For example in my beta game I had 2 rudder hits and 6 captains killed between the 4 boats.  In addition it seems very hard to sink ships.  Now I grant you I have only played 3 games so these are early observations.  I will be tweaking the combat table to better distribute the hits.  In addition I think allowing all ships to sustain 6 flotation/fire hits may be a bit high.  I think I will have really small ships get 3, small ships 4 and large ships 6. 

Overall

James has achieved his goal of a fast playing game between coastal forces that is somewhat realistic. To have a game play fast and be pretty realistic is hard to achieve and James has done it.   The combat system can be easily tweaked which is what I am in the process of doing.  For rules found in a magazine it is certainly a very good game.  I plan to continue to play it.  It is available in the Too Fat Lardies summer 2011 special.  In there you will also find a bonus scenario for Platoon Forward; scenario R which is a meeting engagement between two mobile forces.  

Enjoy

 

Joe

 

Villiage sweep playtest with the FFL

 Hope everyone has been doing well as spring is here.  Decided to go back to Lt LaRoche and my FFL in IndoChina.  You can read about Lt La Roche in my post on 23 Jan.  

I decided to roll up a scenario using Grunts Forward and got "Village Sweep".  Now this scenario was the hardest to make in GF.  I didn't want it to be just a village assault as we already had scenarios for that.  So what I ended up with is a platoon minus sized unit moving into part of a village with hard intel on 4 sites.  They will be met with variable scattered light resistance that is reinforced as the insurgents come to the "sounds of guns" to move out assets before they are captured.  Biased opinion but I think it works well as the government forces have to move fast to search.  

So for a company level game I had a problem; what should "Village Sweep" look like? The above would not work as now I have the whole village on the board and turns are now twice as long.  I will spare you my first 2 playtests as they didn't go well. 

Capt Doucet had his orders.  The village of Tak Dao was being used as a supply cache for the VM. He was to capture the supplies without destroying the village and the "civilians".

Characters

Capt Doucet        Obnoxious, son of weathy parents and good at everything including leading men.  

                            Above Avg and Brilliant leader

1st Plt                 Lt Carville         Haughty [ he is french]   avg ldr

                           Plt Sgt Anderson   (USA)                         avg ldr

2nd Plt               Lt spot vacant

                          Plt Sgt Jones  South African wanted for bank robbery; joined the legion and stayed.

                                                 Avg ldr that did poorly last msn.   Plt down to 3 stands and rated 

                                                 experienced.

3rd Plt                Lt LaRoche   Foolhardy but brave.          above avg leader

                           Plt Sgt  Poloski ex NCO Polish army.     avg ldr

 

Attached   M-24 Chaffee tank section, 1 riverine craft, 1 MMG and 1 RCL. 105 artillery on call but we lose points if we use it in the village.

FFL rated veterans except 2nd platoon and Chaffees rated experienced.

FFL forces

   

My FFL cards for IndoChina

The village of Tak Dao and environs.  Blue markers are suspected caches.  Black markers are enemy blinds.  

Capt Doucet's plan was a follows; 2nd plt would hold the bridge north of town as they are weak.  3rd plt would split into 2 and cover both east and west of town.  1st Plt would enter the town followed by armor and rapidly search the caches.  2nd and 3rd Plts would be available to assist as needed.

Downtown Tak Dao.

 

My new PP sniper hoping for a crack at the french.

1st Plt move out towards Tak Dao...

Since I have set my plan I can roll up all the VM forces.  2 Plts inf [ 1 raw and 1 trained + bazooka], 1 LMG and 1 sniper.   All VM except sniper and 1 squad start disorder as they are caught by surprise. 

 Sniper takes a bead on the FFL [Sgt Jones' plt] on the bridge.

Lt Carville questions a peasant as per Grunt's Forward while the rest of the platoon...

rapidly moves into the village.  No shots fired so far.

Then shots are heard from near the bridge.  Sgt Jones reports they have encountered sniper fire.  

Capt Doucet pushes 1st Plt for speed before the VM can move the supplies.  Sgt Anderson reaches the first site.  No resistance other than a few snipers.  Maybe this will be an easy mission today?

With one site searched [nothing], the rest of 1st platoon move towards a house on the north end a machine gun shatters the dream of an easy mission. 

 Situation about 30 minutes into the sweep.  Sgt Jones and 2nd Plt have established a blocking position at the bridge despite sniper fire.  Lt Carville and half the platoon have encountered resistance in the large house near the bridge.  Sgt Anderson and the rest of 1st Plt are taking fire from the east end of town.  Sgt Anderson has tasked the squad with searching the courtyard for a cache of supplies.  At this point Capt Doucet calls for the Chaffees and the RCL to move up to support.

 1st squad/1st plt takes casualties from the VM LMG and morale breaks. [ how embarrassing!]  The french pull back to cover to reasses the situation.  

 Good news!  Sgt Anderson reports finding a small arms cache in the courtyard.  He covers it with a convenient black tarp.

  With 1st Plt stalled, Capt Doucet orders [ with some trepidation if you read January's battle report] 2nd Plt to seize the northern section of the village supported by the navy. 

 Sgt Jones redeems himself as 2nd plt gains a foothold in close combat! 

 Meanwhile, things have not been going well for Lt Carville and much of 1st plt.  A random event drops their morale to experienced.  Next they fail their morale roll again and wind up...

retreating to the edge of town where the Chaffee crews have been firering ineffectually at the north side of town.  To make matters worse, Sgt Anderson's squad guarding the small arms cache has taken heavy casualties [ including Sgt Anderson] and have withdrawn. 

A very angry Capt Doucet comes up to "assist" the Lt and his platoon!

2nd platoon continues their battle on the north side of town.  The VM garrison CO has wisely moved to nearby buildings.

I love it when things line up!

Legionnaire Rahme is mentioned in this report for single handedly clearing 2 building of VM including a bazooka team during operation in Tak Dao.  

As we are nearing an hour Capt Doucet realizes 1st platoon is not going to be able to sweep the village in time.  The east end is still a problem.  " Lt LaRoche, take your men and sweep the east end of the village.  Make sure you check the bend of the river for a weapons cache."

Lt LaRoche has been hearing the small arms fire in the east end of town; he has been expecting this call.  "1st squad with me into town.  2nd squad follow the river to the bend and search that area.  Questions?  Let's move!" 

As sappers start moving supplies the VM's thoughts turn towards escape.  The survivors of the north end battle make a break for the bend in the river.  Many will not make it thanks to the Marine Nationale!

Lt LaRoche enters a firefight on the east end of town.

LaRoche likes the odds of fighting an enemy he can somewhat see.  The french fire begins to take its toll.  The VM are trying to give their sappers time to clear the small arms.  

Capt Doucet, realizing no one is guarding the small arms orders Sgt Jones to dispatch a squad to guard them until the fight on the east end of town is over.  A squad obviously without Rahme is sent.  I use variable movement with 2d6.  5 or less you move 1 hex, 6-9 2 hexes and 10+ 3 hexes.  You can see how anxious the french squad is to enter the center of town and guard the small arms.  Where's Rahm? Yep you guessed it, the VM are moving small arms as we speak.  Sacre bleu!!!!

Meanwhile on the east end of the village...

 

  2nd squad has shown up and see the VM are attempting to evacuate across the river.  

A gunfight breaks out.  The garrison CO is killed.  Will the french close assault the boat or will the wily VM get the boat out into the river in time??  With the Piquet cards you don't know.  However, the VM don't have a leader card now while 2nd plt does [ Lt LaRoche] plus our naval move card could solve the problem so the odds are in our favor...

Can you believe that?!?!?!@!#  

Sure a little late now!

The final VM squad goes into hiding.

Great game!  In retrospect leaving the sweep to 1 Plt even backed with armor and naval assests wasn't enough.  We searched 3 of the 4 sites in time and only found 1 cache.  Unfortunately we didn't guard it and most of the weapons were gone by the time the french showed up to claim the town. A clear loss to the french made worse by VM escaping in front of us.  

1st Platoon is in the doghouse.  Sgt Anderson, their platoon sergeant, did not survive.  RIP.  

2nd Platoon did very well and we have a new hero that will get promoted, Cpl Rahme.  

3rd platoon did well once called upon but that is what we have come to expect from Lt LaRoche.

 

Regarding the scenario, I gave the VM3/4ths of the starting forces.  On the blinds table "A" change "5" to snipers and "7" to 1/2 platoon.  Also the VM can pick 2 units that start ready.  The rest start in some sort of disruption as they gather themselves to prepare to fight the french.  The sappers will start to remove supplies on turn 5.  Try it out and let me know.  I certainly need to playtest it again but it worked well in this iteration.   

Enjoy!

Joe