Release the S-boats Channel 1940

I am done with Release the Hounds.  Am starting to look for a publisher now.  Rich has stated he will publish Grunt's Forward- just need him to get around to it.
Before I get to our game report wanted to say that I went to NAS Oceana's Air Show last weekend.  Oceana is the largest fighter base on the east coast and they put on a great show.  My personal favorite was the WW II Corsair.

Corsair, Avenger and Skyraider

They also had the Geico skywriting team in Texans. 

Another look at the Texans.


Now back to our game of Release the Hounds.    As the S-Boats became more successful the British tried to form pickets outside the shipping lanes to detect them.  These were backed up by destroyer "rapid response forces".  I don't have any  "dog" boats yet but do have 2 Fairmile Bs.   I only have one British DE, a Hunt class.   With these forces the British were determined to keep the S-Boats at bay!

Forces
2 Fairmile B boats with average crews.
1 Hunt DE as reinforcement with superior crew

4 1940 type S-Boats with average crews

Visibility 2500 yrds  Sea state 4

Fairmile B on patrol

The Germans spot the British at 2100 yards and turn to avoid

It doesn't work and two Fairmiles start to hammer the lead S boat with 3 inch guns. 

The Flotilla leader is quickly wrecked and set on fire.    It withdraws as the other boats cover. 

A second boat is heavily damage and retreats.  The German 20mm guns are not hitting anything vital!

A third boat is wrecked and begins to sink. 

As if it couldn't get worse the HMS Exmoor shows up with a 4 inch gun and starts taking long shots. 

The S-boats scamper away under the cover of smoke.  One ship is lost.  This Flotilla won't be released for a while!

Fun game that played fast.   I thought 4 S boats could handle 2 Fairmiles while they out ran them; I was wrong!

Enjoy

Joe

Fairmouth MA or Post Captain second look

Played another Post Captain game last weekend.  Because I am a surgeon I felt I could jump straight to a complicated one involving shore batteries, gunboats and merchants!  I was not disappointed.
The following scenario is hypothetical so please don't tell me the USS Essex was in the pacific.

Fairmouth, MA  1812

The USS Essex was hold up in Fairmouth harbor having been chased there by 3 british frigates.  Two merchants were also waiting for the coast to clear.
Meanwhile out in the blue water a council of war was held.  Captain Lyndsey was telling his fellow Captains, " Their batteries are few in number, with the right wind we can sail right pass them and take the Essex and two merchantmen to boot!"

USS Essex   (Elite)  32 gun frigate
2 Small Merchantmen  (Avg)
10 Gunboats   ( Avg)
9 18 pdrs at Bear Point (Green)
6 24 pdrs at  Rock  Cove ( Avg)

HMS Emerald (Crack) 36 gun frigate
HMS Cerbebus ( Crack) 32 gun frigate
HMS Mermaid  (Crack) 32 gun frigate

Scene of the battle taken from Google Earth  Capt Lyndsey will enter from the left.

USS Essex at anchor at sunrise.   [ Each hex is 50 yards  ]

The British fleet enter Fairmouth Roads.  The first two ships where to block the Essex from escape and then take her.  The third ship was to take a merchantman.

The British engage Bear Point    They manage to damage 6 of the 9 guns.

Having successfully negotiated Bear Point, Rock Cove attacks with her 24 pdrs and gunboats. 

A squall shows up over Fairmouth!

USS Essex manages to clear the decks and fire at the HMS Emerald.   Gunboats try to whittle down the frigates.

The Essex looses her jib and can't tack.  (Wind moving from right to left.)  The HMS Cerbebus fires at annoying gunboats destroying 2.

Key moment in the battle.   HMS Mermaid decides to withdraw after combined fire takes half her hull.  HMS Emerald loses steering so has to back sails to avoid falling off the earth!

USS Essex fires at fleeing HMS Mermaid taking out her rudder!

HMS Mermaid is rudderless and now loses a mast which springs most of her sails.   ( the sail is stamped with the British flag so when the Irish make them they know where to send them!)  The USS Essex can't turn around to finish her though.

The HMS Emerald leaving damaged.  The USS Essex leaving damaged.  A captured merchantman leaving.
Finally the HMS Cerbebus stops to tow the HMS Mermaid to safety.  By now all the guns at Bear Point are out.

I considered it a draw.  The Brits traded two badly damaged frigates for one merchantman.

The game was a blast again and flowed smoothly.  The additional rules where easily incorporated and I really liked the gunboats.  They have a hard time hitting and being hit but there are a lot of them!

Enjoy

Joe

Post Captain First Impressions

I have been looking for a good set of AoS rules for several years now.  The best I have found is Beat to Quarters but you could not fire at rigging.  I tried to fix this but it left me flat.  (That said, the rules are free so you should check them out.)  Along comes Post Captain which focuses on a small number of ships per side so it seemed to be a good risk.   I shelled out the $40 bucks.   This is my second game.
1812 off the Coast of New England
Sean McKinney spent 8 years as a midshipman in the King's Navy while trying to pass the Lieutenants exam.  He finally realized God was calling him to a less violent life. Thus he became (through a family friend)a merchant captain.  Still, he never lost site of the fact that he had been a military man and actually trained his crews on cannon fire. 
One day out of Providence the lookout on the John Hale sights a sail moving quickly in there direction. 

John Hale on the right.   Each hex is 50 yards though the game does not use hexes. 

McKinney determines that the ship is a privateer and opens fire as she is reefing her sails. 

The John Hale opens fire at 100 yards.

( there are three types of sail from full to battle.  Each game turn is divided into 3 phases of a minute a piece.  This allows ships to move and have some ability to react without requiring written orders.  I really like this though Beat To Quarters had it first.  If ships are loaded they can fire at anytime during the turn.  Each nation takes a different number of phases to reload.  Thus the USN and RN will fire more frequently.  You CAN fire at sails and can actually take down individual parts.  At first this seemed daunting but by my second game it flowed and I really like the detail.  All charts are D12 based for some reason.  I changed the combat chart to D6s without much trouble though so I can roll my country specific dice!  )

The Sandpiper lost her jib due to the John Hale's fire.  but still manage to come around for a stern rake.

The damage report back to Captain McKinney showed damaged spars, mild hull damage and several crew members down.   McKinney quickly sent his men aloft to work on the sails. 
(Where to place your crew becomes a decision in this game.  With almost any casualties at all you will not be able to load your guns, repair sails and hulls so you have to make tough decisions. )
Captain McKinney continued to fire but his 6 pounders were just outgunned by the privateers 12 pounders.  He was contiplating his hull damage when his thoughts were interrupted by a tremendous crash!  His mainmast had come crashing down.

The John Hale without a mainmast.     Embarrassing for the privateer he has failed his tack and fallen off.  ( In his defense he has lost his jib.)
(Tacking is relatively detailed but takes into account square sail vrs fore and aft and even allows variability for "crank" and "weatherly" ships.)

With his mainmast lost Capt McKinney signaled for the colors to be lowered.  How he wished he had been in a Man-O-War!

I really enjoyed this game.  It flowed much smoother the second time and only took an hour to play.  This game has the most detail of any game Aos game I have played but it flows along better than most including KMH and WSIM.  I could see you would be limited to several ships per side.  There are optional rules for everything under the sun rivaling Command at Sea in completeness. There is day/ night/ marines/ tides/ towers/ boats/ boarding and the list goes on.    So far I am very impressed!

John Hale's card at the end.  Laid out very logically and informative.  Ships check for morale after loosing only a third of their hull strength. For non merchantmen will probably change that. 

I continue my pirate adventures as well.  I attempted Donnybrook again but think I will go back to Sagabrook.
Photos below:

Smugglers along the Wash load items that have not been taxed!

Royal Marines show up.  Can also see my country (and era specific dice!)

"Honest John" Slade is the ringleader and he shows up with his best men.

Ensign Miles fires!

The marines recover one wagon.  Now it can be taxed and our salaries paid!!!

Other smugglers hold off local militia.  ( not that hard really.)

One wagon makes it off the table!

Enjoy

Joe

 

Tangiers 1662

Have been away to London on holiday.  Really enjoyed being back in England and the cooler weather.  While there I went to the Orc's Nest (nice little shop) and splurged on SAGA's Crescent and Cross.  The rules are expensive for what you get but I will admit it is a nice book.  Since then I have played several games and enjoyed them all.  I have even decided to paint up some Knights Hospitaliers.
Then I wondered if I could take the system into the black powder era with a couple of rules I really like from Donnybrook.  "Sagabrook" is born!!!

Tangiers spring 1662
Lt Preston is suppose to take a platoon of infantry to an outlying village to ensure the safety of British rule...

Preston's column moves forward when they spot hostile Arabs ahead.  Preston has his elite Spanish cavalry in front, followed by 2 8 man sections of infantry (warriors) and 4 elite Marines in the rear.  He also has himself (D10), Sgt York (D8) and Sgt Dittle (D8) of His Majesties Marines.

Arabs lying in ambush.  Turkish musketeers also wait for their prey.

Lt Preston with " Hail Britannia"

Preston deploys his first 8 men to meet the threat while the cavalry discharge their carbines

Their fire drops one Arab but when swords are crossed the Arabs emerge victorious!

Turkish rifle fire devastates Preston's forces. His men are forced back blocking the Marines advance!

Steady lads--the British hold fire until the end.  Still ineffective and they are beat up by the Arabs.

The bitter end-- Sgt York holds off the final Arab charge while Lt Preston (wounded) retreats ahead with the colors intact.

Really fun as a proof of concept game.  Musket fire was too ineffective though.  I also ran a game between firearms just to see what would happen and it worked better.  

 Who knows, if this really works maybe you will see it in WSS!

Enjoy

Joe

Enemies in high places

                                        This picture has nothing to do with the story; I just thought it looked good!





Lt Blake disliked LCdr Caros.  He saw Caros as a lazy Romeo.  Why couldn't Cdr Broadstreet and the Admiral see that.  Blake knew he could do better; but he was stuck as a mission planner at Admiral Hollyworth's. 
So, when a diversion was needed to occupy some Jap guns while special forces were inserted he knew just what to plan.  LCdr Caros' PT boats could go up against the 3 inch guns!
[ Last battle I rolled that Lt Blake did something to block LCdr Caros. ]  

"What a crazy idea is this?" LCdr Caros thought.   Act as a diversion for some Jap coastal guns.  Why not send some Catalinas?  Still, orders were orders.

LCdr Caros    lazy/skirt chaser        eagle eye      Gr III
Ens Elmwood  coarse/wealth                               Gr I
Ens Jackson   cunning/ alcohol                             Gr I
Ens Rains       mercurical/ skirt chaser                  Gr I

Caros would pair with Elmwood who was brand new to the unit.  Jackson would lead the other two boats and approach from the other side of the small bay.

The PT boats separate to start the mission.

Visability was 1,400 yards which helped

Caros and Elmwood approach the target.

The Target

Caros and Elmwood demonstrated against the 3 inch gun for 20 minutes.  Caros' boat had a 40mm gun mounted on the back in the hopes of causing damage to the gun.  
Caros' boat took some damage but then a Jap hit severely damaged Elmwoods boat and cut his speed to 10 knots.  Caros' boat fired furiously at the guns and moved up to make smoke. 

A lucky hit starts a fire!

Meanwhile Jackson and Rains were busy with a pair of 37mm guns on the other side.  They also found a barge that they heavily damaged. 

As they were pulling out Elmwoods boat was hit with 20mm shells and she gave up her ghost.

Ens Jackson taking off Ens Elmwood and his crew.

The mission was successful!   While losing one boat they created the diversion, damaged a barge, 37mm gun and a 3 inch gun.  Afterwards the CO, Cdr Broadstreet, greeted them warmly with congratulations.  Lt Blake was disappointed to say the least.  LCdr Caros was relieved the mission was over; he still did not realize he had an enemy in high places.

Enjoy

Joe