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Author Topic: Cruel Seas - Malta relief convoy  (Read 3063 times)

Silent Disapproval Robot

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on: July 27, 2021, 09:54:44 PM
I busted out my copy of Cruel Seas for a game this afternoon.  I'd painted up my Italian navy a while back but never managed to get any of the ships to the table before the lockdowns, so we rectified that situation today.

The scenario had the Royal Navy attempting to force its way through a contested series of islands.  The Italians had 4 MAS boats, a minelayer corvette, an antiaircraft barge, and a shore based bunker with 57mm guns.  The Brits had to escort a tanker and an armed merchantman.  They had 4 early war Vospers MTBs and a Fairmile gunboat as well as air support in the form of some Beaufighters.


Royal Navy enters the map



Italian MAS boats sortie to intercept



Things start off on the wrong foot for the RN right away when Coastal Command shows up, misidentifies a British MTB as a MAS boat and shreds it with cannon.


The Blenheim crew tried to redeem themselves by bombing the shore batteries but managed to miss on their bombing run.  It seemed to be a theme for the RN in this scenario.

The Fairmile went down early in the battle, having the bad luck to cross a torpedo track meant for the merchantmen.  It sustained critical damage and ended up with a jammed rudder.  It circled helplessly until 20mm fire from MAS boats ended its miserable existence.

Long range torpedoes from two of the Vospers managed to sink the Italian corvette.


But the MAS boats overwhelmed the screen and unleashed a volley of torpedoes that sank both merchantmen. 



Final losses

RN
1 Vospers
1 Fairmile
1 Armed Merchantman (4,000t)
1 Tanker (7000t)

Regia Marina
1 Gabbiano class corvette
2 MAS boats


Fun game, very swingy, lots of ridiculous dice rolls.  Good times.







bob48

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Reply #1 on: July 28, 2021, 06:52:48 AM
Wonderful!

I've long been fascinated by the game and the scale of small boat actions, especially in the Med in WW2.

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


Silent Disapproval Robot

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Reply #2 on: July 28, 2021, 10:00:59 AM
It's a fun, light system that borrows a lot of its mechanics from Bolt Action.  Having said that, the rules have some pretty big flaws (a tanker at full speed can out-turn a torpedo boat at slow speed) and there are quite a few historical flaws in the vehicle tables (misnamed vehicles, wrong weapons loadouts, wrong dimensions, etc).

There's a pretty active naval warfare minis game designer who thought the same and so put out an alternative set of rules called Narrow Seas.  They're good but I personally find there's a bit too much granularity in his combat system (when a boat gets hit, you roll to determine where, then roll to damage crew and subsystems in said location, then roll for penetration/shrapnel effects in adjacent areas) so I'm mixing and matching rules from the two. 

https://www.wargamevault.com/m/product/287431
« Last Edit: August 07, 2021, 10:43:15 AM by Silent Disapproval Robot »



bob48

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Reply #3 on: July 28, 2021, 01:16:05 PM
 :bigthumb:

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


mcguire

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Reply #4 on: July 28, 2021, 01:29:34 PM
Nice! Thanks for the writeup!  :rockon:

"Man...knowing how to use the cards properly certainly changes how I play the game" -- judgedredd


besilarius

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Reply #5 on: July 28, 2021, 05:01:51 PM
If you placed the fighting in the Med earlier, say the 1920s or 30s, air would primarily be for scouting.
There were so many near engagements with the Malta convoys like Pedestal.  Would have been fun to game the theater that way
I think Donald MacIntyre did a book on the Med with lots of. Actions that would be suitable for Cruel Seas.

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


bob48

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Reply #6 on: July 28, 2021, 05:20:16 PM
This is a brilliant book on the subject, written by a man who was an officer on a 'Dog Boat'.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=motor+gunboat+658&crid=16LL1DFHJO5FE&sprefix=moror+gu%2Caps%2C186&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_1_8

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


Silent Disapproval Robot

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Reply #7 on: July 28, 2021, 07:42:51 PM
Hopefully they'll release a Kindle version someday.

I just started this one a few days ago.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0094JTP2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o02?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Staggerwing

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Reply #8 on: July 28, 2021, 10:16:23 PM
Hopefully they'll release a Kindle version someday.

No kidding. It's showing at $901 on the main Amazon site!


Quote
I just started this one a few days ago.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0094JTP2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks! That one's on Kindle and just $1.99!

Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa


Tolstoi

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Reply #9 on: July 29, 2021, 10:54:49 AM
I busted out my copy of Cruel Seas for a game this afternoon.  I'd painted up my Italian navy a while back but never managed to get any of the ships to the table before the lockdowns, so we rectified that situation today

Fun game, very swingy, lots of ridiculous dice rolls.  Good times.

That looks like a lot of fun. Thank you for sharing that with us.  :bigthumb:



Silent Disapproval Robot

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Reply #10 on: August 01, 2021, 07:46:49 AM
Narrow Seas just released an updated version of their rules. 

Quote
An updated version of this title is now available. The Data Files booklet has been updated to version 1.4, additional craft included are listed in the introduction. I have also included a couple of files with prototype rules for helicopters and seaplanes in Narrow Seas. Any thoughts or comments on those new rules would be most gratefully received