This is my take on night fighting with V@S which I mentioned last week.
Victory At Sea
Night Fighting
This set of rule is mainly aimed at early years of WW2, before radar became universal in allied fleets. I would suggest that players either ignore radar completely or limit the number of ships so equipped.
When fighting at night the following rules apply,
Aircraft
No aircraft, including spotters maybe used during a battle fought at night.
Smokescreens
Smokescreens can be used to break line of sight to an illuminated ship in the normal fashion but otherwise has no effect during night fighting.
Spotting
Between the movement and firing phase, an extra phase is added: spotting. The basic premise is that there is a distinction between being able to see an enemy ship, and see it well enough to be able to identify and fire upon. Spotting is subject to the following rules.
Range
The maximum spotting range is 20” with the following range brackets.
Long: 15+” to 20”
Medium 5+” to 15”
Short 0 to 5”
The rolled required is same required to hit, including the modifier for being broadside on. Destroyers and submarines get one spot roll per turn, while larger ship get two, which maybe used on the same or separate targets. If the rolls are failed, the vessel may not fire this turn. The spot roll MUST be rerolled each turn. In addition the following modifiers are applied. NOTE, modifiers are both positive and negative. A ship maybe subject to both a negative or positive modifiers. The best positive and worst negative modifiers are applied each turn but otherwise THEY DO NOT STACK.
Positive
Ÿ Target fired main, secondary armament or starshell last turn: +1 Modifier
Ÿ Target travelled over 7” last turn: +1 Modifier
Ÿ Spotter is within short range of target: +1 Modifier
Ÿ Target used spotlight last turn. +1 Modifier
Ÿ Target was illuminated by starshell or spotlight last turn: +2 Modifier
Ÿ Target is on fire: +2 Modifier
Ÿ Target is being illuminated by spotlight: +3 Modifier
Negative
Ÿ Spotter fired main or secondary armament last turn: -1 Modifier
Ÿ Spotter is at long range from target: -1 Modifier
Ÿ Spotter is on fire: -1 Modifier
Ÿ Spotter was illuminated last turn or is currently illuminated: -2 Modifier
Ÿ Spotter attempting to see a vessel illuminating it with spotlight: Auto Fail first round of illumination, -2 following turns
E.g. Bismarck is broadside on to a Tribal class destroyer Zulu, which is approaching at flank speed. The Bismarck normally needs to roll 6 on a D6, but because Zulu is travelled at over 7” it becomes a 5. In return Zulu would normally need a 4, but it become a 3 because Bismarck is broadside on.
Illumination
There are two forms of illumination, starshells and spotlights.
Starshells
Starshells are a flare launched by a small artillery piece. It is fired during the firing phase and has a range of 10”, it can light up a single ship. Each ship - but not submarines- can launch one starshell per turn. There are two possible ways it can be fired, against a spotted target or on a suspected target. To be targeted, the firer needs to have spotted a vessel within range. The target vessel will be successfully hit on 5+, regardless of the ship type. If the spot round was failed by 1 then a ship may fire a starshell on spec. This works as before except now a 6+ is need to hit, regardless of the size of the target ship.
(OPTIONAL)
When firing a starshell on spec, if a 1 is rolled and there are other ship within 5” of the target ship, then randomize by dice which ship is illuminated.
Spotlights
Spotlights are the second form illumination. Spotlights from cruisers or capital ships have a range of up to 8”. To use them, the vessel must first have spotted the target. Once it does so, it can illuminate the target, this is done at the end of the spotting phase. To maintain the illumination the ship must continue to make a spot roll each turn and remain within 8” of the target. Destroyers (or other small surface ships) can also illuminate but have a spotlight range of 6”. Submarines do not have spotlights.
NOTE: a spotlight illumination can not be done or maintained if a smokescreen breaks line of sight.
Radar
Radar, as might be expected, offers a huge advantage during night fighting. The radar follows the usual rules of V@S, subject to the following. The radar roll takes the place of one of the ship’s spotting rolls. It is not subject to any of the spotting modifiers, however it is also not subject to the range limitation of spotting.
Friendly Fire (optional)
Friendly fire can only happen if a ship attempts to spot an enemy, when another friendly ship is with 5” the enemy vessel. If when the ship attempts to spot the enemy vessel and the player rolls a 1, then the player must roll again. If the player rolls a second 1 then the friendly is misidentified. The spotter ship will fire all guns that have range and can bear on the friendly in the subsequent firing phase. If there choice between two or more friendlies within 5” of the original target then the closest to the original target is chosen. NOTE: Friendly fire cannot take place if the enemy or friendly is illuminated.
National Attributed (optional)
Some nations were more practice at night fighting than others. To reflect this adjustments are made to the range brackets.
Navies with strong night fighting skills use the following bands.
The maximum spotting range is 22” with the following range brackets.
Long: 17+” to 22”
Medium 7+” to 17”
Short 0 to 7”
Average quality navies use the standard brackets.
The maximum spotting range is 20” with the following range brackets.
Long: 15+” to 20”
Medium 5+” to 15”
Short 0 to 5”
While weak night fighters use this
Long 13+” to18”
Medium 3+” to 13”
Short 0 to 3”
The main nations work out as follows.
British: Strong
German: Average
USA: Weak before end of 1942, average after that.
Italian: Weak
French: Weak
Japanese: Strong
E.g. HMS Exeter and the Italian cruiser Zara are broadside on to one another 20” apart. Exeter requires 5+ to spot, (5+ to spot a cruiser +1 for being broadside on and -1 for being at long range) while the Zara can not spot Exeter.
