Happy INWarD!

Today is the birthday of Fred T. Jane, the father of naval wargaming and founder of Jane's Information Group. Naval wargamers have begun commemorating it as International Naval Wargames Day. My library system has a reprint collection of some of the early volumes, and I've had the 1906 volume (containing the original rules) in my office for years but never had the chance to try it. Or, more realistically, copy the ship drawings and use them for simpler games.

I was hoping to run Junior General's Hampton Roads scenario today at work, for two reasons:

a) it uses Jane's firing mechanism, AKA pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey.

b) I constructed the ships for it on the library's own 3D printer.

Unfortunately, I had a busy and tiring day at work. So I didn't get a game in. On the other hand, by the time I got home I was totally ready to blow something up.

Honestly, sometimes, that's my entire motive for gaming.

I broke out my box of erasers and a basic ruleset I wrote in ten minutes last decade and went to sea.

With blue and red erasers, they could represent Japanese vs. Russian in 1905, British vs. German in 1916, or Japanese vs. American in 1942. Not able to think up Japanese, Russian or German names on the spur of the moment, I started a war in 1905 between the Arizona Republic and Generic Britain.

The gunboat Nogales, destroyer Tucson, and light cruiser Phoenix.

The torpedo boat River, destroyer Flower, and armoured cruiser Town.

Turn 1 - River fires a speculative shot and knocks out Tucson's aft turret. It is repaired at end of turn. All other salvos miss.

Turn 2 - Town takes a torpedo hit from Nogales, whilst Tucson sinks River with a waterline hit. Don't annoy bigger ships! I leave River afloat as a navigation hazard. Phoenix retaliates with two hits on Town, taking out her after turret and two inches of speed. Flower brackets Nogales and knocks out both her weapons systems!

Turn 3 - Tucson hits Town's bridge! She's out of control for a turn. Then Phoenix closes to within knife-range of Flower, and knocks her out of control too!

Turn 4 - Both British ships fail to repair their bridges, so Flower is going straight into the wallowing wreck of River. I decide to count this as a ram, so Flower loses a point of waterline damage and River finally goes to the bottom. The cruiser Town has no choice but to move 6" forward. At least Tucson finally takes a waterline hit, and Town's sailors patch the torpedo hit in their hull.

Turn 5 - Town, not wanting to run off the edge of Discworld the table, slews to the side and fires into Tucson, knocking out both her guns. In exchange, Phoenix crosses Flower's T and scores three hits - one of them on the waterline, so Flower finally goes down. (Having already lost one of her two hit points by ramming her own sister.)

Turn 6 - Town, now desperate to get something out of this fight, fires point-blank into the disarmed Tucson to little effect other than slowing her down a bit. Meanwhile, Phoenix coasts across Town's after end and reopens the torpedo hole with a fierce salvo. The Town fires a last pathetic parting shot at Tucson and flees the area.

A bad day for the Queen of the Seas. Or night, maybe - I had the flash on for some of these photos. Perhaps the five-minute thunderstorms of the Arizona desert put in an appearance to boost their side?

It was a fun game, won more by luck than tactics on the part of the blue side, but exciting none-the-less. I had a couple thoughts about changes. The American gunboat got hit several more times in the weapons bays, even though she'd already lost them. Perhaps rearranging the damage chart and forcing moves up and down it is in order - that would also allow for smaller vs. bigger ships, such as lighter ones taking a -1 on the chart and heavier ones a +1 to account for the penetration of their weapons. I also considered giving torpedoes the chance of more damage (double rolls on the chart) and did do that for hits on the gunboats from larger ships - when I remembered to!

Ultimately, I think it was a successful game, and the damage chart added significant interest. I think kids would have gotten a kick out of it.

Back at work tomorrow, and have been asked to demonstrate Dungeons and Dragons to the teens; then Sunday I have a special experiment to try - Remote Free Kriegspiel Napoleonics!