Soulmage
Mongoose
My wife and I played a 4 point Battle engagement with her playing the English while I played the Kriegsmarine.
She took a torpedo heavy force consisting of:
HMS Hood
HMS Ajax
HMS Achilles
HMS Leander
HMS Norfolk
HMS Dorsetshire
While I took a “dream team” of German capital ships which included:
Bismarck
Scharnhorst
Adm Graf Spee
Adm Scheer
Turn 1
The British win initiative, forcing the Germans to deploy first. Having only 4 ships the Germans deploy in a tight battlegroup on their table edge. I deployed the Graf Spee and the Scheer on the flanks thinking that they could serve as screening units for the Scharnhorst and Bismarck which would do the heavy lifting of destroying the Royal Navy task force. As it turned out, all the ships made a significant contribution to the battle.
The British then deploy their ships in a much more spread out line in their deployment zone.
Having lost the initiative, the Germans are forced to move first, although at this early stage of the game it matters little. Seeking to take advantage of their superior range finders for as long as possible, the Germans barely creep forward
The British do not take the opportunity to charge ahead at flank with everything in order to get their torpedoes into play as soon as possible, instead moving forward at a more stately pace that allows them to bring their guns into play more effectively.
During the shooting phase the Graf Spee and the Bismarck concentrate on the Achilles while the Adm Scheer and the Scharnhorst batter the Ajax.
The Bismarck fires on the Achilles.
The Achilles being pounded by the Bismarck and the Scharnhorst.
The Germans obviously wanted to neutralize the threat torpedo runs by these cruisers before they can get into range. The Ajax takes a total of 5 points of damage, while the Achilles Takes 4. Pitiful rolling by the Kriegsmarine fails to produce any criticals so both cruisers are battered but still very much in the fight.
The British gunnery fails to impress anyone as only the Hood is able both hit and penetrate the armor of the German battlefleet, inflicting 5 points of damage on the Adm Scheer.
Turn 2
This time the Germans win the initiative and continue their slow advance, while the British cruisers race forward in a pincer move, hoping to get into torpedo range before being blasted out of the water by the mighty guns of the Kriegsmarine.
During the shooting phase, the Leander plinks at the Graf Spee for 1 point, while the Ajax and Norfolk fire at the Adm Scheer to no effect. The Dorsetshire and the Hood are unable to inflict any damage on the sturdy armor of the Bismarck.
The Adm Scheer turns into the Norfolk's torpedo attack, evading it!
The Kreigsmarine shooting is telling once again. The Bismarck fires it’s a & B turrets as well as its secondary weapons at the Dorsetshire, inflicting 3 damage, while the Y turret swivels around to blast the Achilles, crippling her. The Graf Spee finishes the job by inflicting 3 points of damage on the crippled Achilles sending her to the bottom before she has fired a single shot.
The final moments of the Achilles.
Meanwhile the Adm Scheer fires upon the Ajax, inflicting 2 points of damage, which sends sheets of flame racing through the engine room as the fuel lines rupture. The resulting explosion destroys the X turret and removes some of the Ajax’s maneuverability, leaving her crippled and aflame.
The advantage of the German’s deployment is revealed in this exchange as the German ships are able to bring aft turrets to bear on alternate targets since the British battle line is so spread out, while the British are only able to employ their forward turrets due to the compact German formation.
Turn 3
Once again, the Germans win the initative!!
Seeing that they are hopelessly outclassed by the weight and effectiveness of fire from the German battlefleet, the British cruisers race forward in an attempt to get into torpedo range before they too are sent to the bottom. The Germans, exuberant over the progress of the battle, turn their ships broadside to the British in order to bring yet more guns to bear.
In the shooting phase, the Norfolk shoots everything she has at the Adm Scheer and manages to inflict 2 points of damage! Unfortunately her torpedo spread misses and with it goes her best chance of sinking the German cruiser.
Learning from the prior turns of limited shooting, the Hood as come slightly to port to get all her turrets into the action. She fires her A & B turrets as well as secondary weapons at the Graf Spee. . . and misses everything, however her X and Y turrets are able to cripple the Scheer
A freak accident however somehow allows the Leander to inflict 1 point of damage on the Bismarck with her tiny guns!
In a dramatic duel the Dorsetshire and Graf Spee throw everything they have at each other, including torpedo spreads. . . and fail to cause any damage whatsoever.
The Scheer however is a whirlwind of destruction as the splits her fire against three different targets, dealing 1 damage each to the Norfolk, and Dorsetshire, and sending the Ajax to the bottom.
The Scheer shoots at everything in sight!
History then repeats itself at the Bismarck unloads the full weight of her broadside against the Hood, dealing 8 damage and causing an impossible 6 critical hits, resulting in damage to her turbines, props, secondary weapons, and a magazine explosion that results in a massive 16 total damage and 8 crew casualties on the Hood. A further 4 crew are lost at the end of the turn as the Hood fails to extinguish either of the two fires raging below decks. Furthermore due to the magazine explosion, the Hood is unable to fire for 2 turns. In a single volley, the Bismarck has effectively ended the Hood’s participation in the battle.
The Hood gets hammered by the Bismarck:
Six critical hits!
Almost unnoticed in the glare from the Hood, the Sharnhorst fires a everything she has including the port torpedoes at the Norfolk. The guns inflict 2 points of damage, but the torpedoes sail harmlessly by.
Overhead, the observation planes from each fleet glare menacingly at each other as they pass in the center of the board.
Turn 4
Continuing their streak, the Germans win initiative!!
Smelling blood & victory they steam forward into the midst of the British fleet. Most of the remaining British ships are too crippled to move very far, except for the Leander which maneuvers circles around the Graf Spee on one flank.
The Hood scrambles all hands on deck in order to repair the criticals and extinguish the flames raging aboard the ship. They are able to put out both fires, repair the turbines, and get all the secondary weapons operable once again.
Leander shows herself to be a plucky fighter and manages to inflict a further three points of gun damage on the Bismarck followed by two more from a torpedo hit!
The Norfolk fires on the Scheer, the Dorsetshire fires on the Bismarck, and the Graf Spee fires on the Norfolk. . . none manage to inflict any damage on their targets. The Scheer also fires at the Norfolk and misses, but manages to inflict a heavy blow with 5 points of damage from a torpedo hit.
Bismarck continues its relentless assault on the hapless Hood, and inflicts ANOTHER 8 points of damage! Meanwhile the Scharnhorst supports the Bismarck’s offensive and deals 4 more points of damage to the hood from guns, but only a single point from her torpedo attack due to the Hood’s superior torpedo protection.
Turn 5
Almost casually now, the Germans win initiative once again. There is now a mess of intermingled fleets in the center of the combat zone.
Once again the Hood orders all hands to work on repairing the heavy damage it has taken. The main guns are still inoperable.
Leander and Dorsetshire shoot everything they have at the Bismarck, but manage only 1 point of damage between them.
The Scharnhorst however lives up to her fearsome reputation and deals the final 3 points of damage necessary to cripple the Hood, destroying her B and X turrets in the process. The torpedo belt is also rendered ineffective, but most of the torpedoes available to both fleets have been fired at this point so the significance is negligible.
Anxious to finish the Hood before she can recover, the Bismarck fires once again getting a whopping 21 damage die rolls against her and inflicting 11 points of damage and 2 criticals. HMS Hood, pride of the Royal Navy goes to the bottom at the hands of the Bismarck. . . once again.
The end of the Hood.
The Scheer and the Graf Spee concentrate their fire on the Norfolk, inflicting 6 points of damage on her, crippling her and destroying her B and Y turrets. In return the Norfolk manages only 1 point of damage against the Scheer.
Turn 6
As if there was any doubt. . the Germans win the initiative once again. . .
Combined gun and torpedo fire from the Leander and the Dorsetshire deals a total of 3 points of damage to the Scheer.
Now the unchallenged ruler of the seas, the Bismarck turns her mighty guns on the unfortunate Leander. 24 damage dice becomes 22 points of damage with an irrelevant two criticals. Leander is blasted into shrapnel.
Graf Spee finishes the Norfolk with a thunderous broadside, and Scharnhorst and Scheer combine their fire to send the Dorsetshire to the bottom.
The Royal Navy has been dealt a tremendous blow having lost its entire task force while managing only marginal damage in return.
The battered, but triumphant German fleet!
Unfortunately, our play mat, which looks quite blue in RL and matches the bases of the ships (the ones that are based!) turns out rather grey in the photos, so my wife has taken the liberty of adding some water effects.
She took a torpedo heavy force consisting of:
HMS Hood
HMS Ajax
HMS Achilles
HMS Leander
HMS Norfolk
HMS Dorsetshire
While I took a “dream team” of German capital ships which included:
Bismarck
Scharnhorst
Adm Graf Spee
Adm Scheer
Turn 1
The British win initiative, forcing the Germans to deploy first. Having only 4 ships the Germans deploy in a tight battlegroup on their table edge. I deployed the Graf Spee and the Scheer on the flanks thinking that they could serve as screening units for the Scharnhorst and Bismarck which would do the heavy lifting of destroying the Royal Navy task force. As it turned out, all the ships made a significant contribution to the battle.
The British then deploy their ships in a much more spread out line in their deployment zone.
Having lost the initiative, the Germans are forced to move first, although at this early stage of the game it matters little. Seeking to take advantage of their superior range finders for as long as possible, the Germans barely creep forward
The British do not take the opportunity to charge ahead at flank with everything in order to get their torpedoes into play as soon as possible, instead moving forward at a more stately pace that allows them to bring their guns into play more effectively.
During the shooting phase the Graf Spee and the Bismarck concentrate on the Achilles while the Adm Scheer and the Scharnhorst batter the Ajax.
The Bismarck fires on the Achilles.
The Achilles being pounded by the Bismarck and the Scharnhorst.
The Germans obviously wanted to neutralize the threat torpedo runs by these cruisers before they can get into range. The Ajax takes a total of 5 points of damage, while the Achilles Takes 4. Pitiful rolling by the Kriegsmarine fails to produce any criticals so both cruisers are battered but still very much in the fight.
The British gunnery fails to impress anyone as only the Hood is able both hit and penetrate the armor of the German battlefleet, inflicting 5 points of damage on the Adm Scheer.
Turn 2
This time the Germans win the initiative and continue their slow advance, while the British cruisers race forward in a pincer move, hoping to get into torpedo range before being blasted out of the water by the mighty guns of the Kriegsmarine.
During the shooting phase, the Leander plinks at the Graf Spee for 1 point, while the Ajax and Norfolk fire at the Adm Scheer to no effect. The Dorsetshire and the Hood are unable to inflict any damage on the sturdy armor of the Bismarck.
The Adm Scheer turns into the Norfolk's torpedo attack, evading it!
The Kreigsmarine shooting is telling once again. The Bismarck fires it’s a & B turrets as well as its secondary weapons at the Dorsetshire, inflicting 3 damage, while the Y turret swivels around to blast the Achilles, crippling her. The Graf Spee finishes the job by inflicting 3 points of damage on the crippled Achilles sending her to the bottom before she has fired a single shot.
The final moments of the Achilles.
Meanwhile the Adm Scheer fires upon the Ajax, inflicting 2 points of damage, which sends sheets of flame racing through the engine room as the fuel lines rupture. The resulting explosion destroys the X turret and removes some of the Ajax’s maneuverability, leaving her crippled and aflame.
The advantage of the German’s deployment is revealed in this exchange as the German ships are able to bring aft turrets to bear on alternate targets since the British battle line is so spread out, while the British are only able to employ their forward turrets due to the compact German formation.
Turn 3
Once again, the Germans win the initative!!
Seeing that they are hopelessly outclassed by the weight and effectiveness of fire from the German battlefleet, the British cruisers race forward in an attempt to get into torpedo range before they too are sent to the bottom. The Germans, exuberant over the progress of the battle, turn their ships broadside to the British in order to bring yet more guns to bear.
In the shooting phase, the Norfolk shoots everything she has at the Adm Scheer and manages to inflict 2 points of damage! Unfortunately her torpedo spread misses and with it goes her best chance of sinking the German cruiser.
Learning from the prior turns of limited shooting, the Hood as come slightly to port to get all her turrets into the action. She fires her A & B turrets as well as secondary weapons at the Graf Spee. . . and misses everything, however her X and Y turrets are able to cripple the Scheer
A freak accident however somehow allows the Leander to inflict 1 point of damage on the Bismarck with her tiny guns!
In a dramatic duel the Dorsetshire and Graf Spee throw everything they have at each other, including torpedo spreads. . . and fail to cause any damage whatsoever.
The Scheer however is a whirlwind of destruction as the splits her fire against three different targets, dealing 1 damage each to the Norfolk, and Dorsetshire, and sending the Ajax to the bottom.
The Scheer shoots at everything in sight!
History then repeats itself at the Bismarck unloads the full weight of her broadside against the Hood, dealing 8 damage and causing an impossible 6 critical hits, resulting in damage to her turbines, props, secondary weapons, and a magazine explosion that results in a massive 16 total damage and 8 crew casualties on the Hood. A further 4 crew are lost at the end of the turn as the Hood fails to extinguish either of the two fires raging below decks. Furthermore due to the magazine explosion, the Hood is unable to fire for 2 turns. In a single volley, the Bismarck has effectively ended the Hood’s participation in the battle.
The Hood gets hammered by the Bismarck:
Six critical hits!
Almost unnoticed in the glare from the Hood, the Sharnhorst fires a everything she has including the port torpedoes at the Norfolk. The guns inflict 2 points of damage, but the torpedoes sail harmlessly by.
Overhead, the observation planes from each fleet glare menacingly at each other as they pass in the center of the board.
Turn 4
Continuing their streak, the Germans win initiative!!
Smelling blood & victory they steam forward into the midst of the British fleet. Most of the remaining British ships are too crippled to move very far, except for the Leander which maneuvers circles around the Graf Spee on one flank.
The Hood scrambles all hands on deck in order to repair the criticals and extinguish the flames raging aboard the ship. They are able to put out both fires, repair the turbines, and get all the secondary weapons operable once again.
Leander shows herself to be a plucky fighter and manages to inflict a further three points of gun damage on the Bismarck followed by two more from a torpedo hit!
The Norfolk fires on the Scheer, the Dorsetshire fires on the Bismarck, and the Graf Spee fires on the Norfolk. . . none manage to inflict any damage on their targets. The Scheer also fires at the Norfolk and misses, but manages to inflict a heavy blow with 5 points of damage from a torpedo hit.
Bismarck continues its relentless assault on the hapless Hood, and inflicts ANOTHER 8 points of damage! Meanwhile the Scharnhorst supports the Bismarck’s offensive and deals 4 more points of damage to the hood from guns, but only a single point from her torpedo attack due to the Hood’s superior torpedo protection.
Turn 5
Almost casually now, the Germans win initiative once again. There is now a mess of intermingled fleets in the center of the combat zone.
Once again the Hood orders all hands to work on repairing the heavy damage it has taken. The main guns are still inoperable.
Leander and Dorsetshire shoot everything they have at the Bismarck, but manage only 1 point of damage between them.
The Scharnhorst however lives up to her fearsome reputation and deals the final 3 points of damage necessary to cripple the Hood, destroying her B and X turrets in the process. The torpedo belt is also rendered ineffective, but most of the torpedoes available to both fleets have been fired at this point so the significance is negligible.
Anxious to finish the Hood before she can recover, the Bismarck fires once again getting a whopping 21 damage die rolls against her and inflicting 11 points of damage and 2 criticals. HMS Hood, pride of the Royal Navy goes to the bottom at the hands of the Bismarck. . . once again.
The end of the Hood.
The Scheer and the Graf Spee concentrate their fire on the Norfolk, inflicting 6 points of damage on her, crippling her and destroying her B and Y turrets. In return the Norfolk manages only 1 point of damage against the Scheer.
Turn 6
As if there was any doubt. . the Germans win the initiative once again. . .
Combined gun and torpedo fire from the Leander and the Dorsetshire deals a total of 3 points of damage to the Scheer.
Now the unchallenged ruler of the seas, the Bismarck turns her mighty guns on the unfortunate Leander. 24 damage dice becomes 22 points of damage with an irrelevant two criticals. Leander is blasted into shrapnel.
Graf Spee finishes the Norfolk with a thunderous broadside, and Scharnhorst and Scheer combine their fire to send the Dorsetshire to the bottom.
The Royal Navy has been dealt a tremendous blow having lost its entire task force while managing only marginal damage in return.
The battered, but triumphant German fleet!
Unfortunately, our play mat, which looks quite blue in RL and matches the bases of the ships (the ones that are based!) turns out rather grey in the photos, so my wife has taken the liberty of adding some water effects.
