Rescue!

I had another game of 'Torpedoes & Tides' today, trying out one of the generic scenarios in the rules. This is a rescue mission, with one side trying to find some downed airmen, and the other side trying to prevent it.

The British had three Fairmile B motor-launches looking for the airmen, which could be at one of three locations on the board. The German interception force consisted of a medium Vorpostenboot and two Kriegsfischkutter (KFK), which are basically small armed fishing trawlers. So the British boats were faster than anything the Germans had, but some of them would be forced to remain static whilst they did the rescue.

It was a moonless night, so visibility was low. Everyone started out as blinds, naturally. The first location the British (left) checked wasn't the airmen.

The second location was, however. In order to start the rescue a boat has to no longer be on a blind. 

The German ships move faster as blinds (one of the quirks of the rules, but explained in the text) so one of the British launches set about spotting them as quickly as possible in order to slow them down. They found one of the KFK.

All of the Germans were quickly revealed as they came into range of the lone launch, which opened fire on the Vorpostenboot.

At the top of the picture one of the boats has started the rescue, which takes a (randomly determined) number of actions to complete. The other two launches moved to hold off the Germans.

(I added little markers to show the firing and also in case Thomas reinstates the muzzle-flash rule in a later edition.)

The rescue was going well, but the Vorpostenboot damaged the launch doing it. Meanwhile ML 60 was shooting at the big German vessel.

More firing all round. The rescue launch managed to inflict a hit on the Vorpostenboot, which would prove to be important later.

However ML 64 was forced to turn away from the remaining stricken airmen, and with the Vorpostenboot still laying down heavy fire on it, its captain decided to head for home then and there.

(The turn was a result of the All At Sea table, but the decision to head home was mine. One of the other launches could complete the rescue.)

ML 60 turned to continue the rescue, under fire from one of the little KFKs

ML 64 struggled with activations trying to escape, and V-17 followed until it too decided to turn from home; that single point of damage on it proved too much!

The rescue continued, despite the attention of the German armed trawlers. ML 59 laid down covering fire.

The German attack was vigorous but surprisingly ineffective.

Although it was heading for home, the Verpostenboot contributed to the attack as well. However a second All at Sea failure then saw it run aground off the small island. Even there it fired the odd shot at anything visible to it (although I reasoned that even though it couldn't move it still had to commit actions to 'flee' as part of its morale failure.)

The All At Sea table struck again for the Germans, as one of the KFK opened up on its fellow, confusing it for a British launch in the darkness. By this time the British had completed the rescue and were heading for home.

The three British launches are too the left of the picture, whilst the Germans flounder about on the right.

MLs 60 and 64 got away, with their cargo of rescued aircrew. But ML 59 was struggling in the darkness, and at that point the Germans got their act together with both KFKs heading into the attack.

They closed in on the British launch and shot it to pieces.

But that seemed to spur its crew into action, and they finally got the activations needed to whizz off into the darkness and run for home.

So the British completed their mission with no boats lost. Two were lightly damaged, and ML 59 was close to sinking. The Germans took very little damage - one hit on each vessel in fact - but they rolled badly on the All At Sea table, and now had one ship aground. No doubt the trawlers would be able to tow it to safety, but it was an embarrassing loss for them.

I only had a couple of minor queries regarding the rules, so that was good. And it was an enjoyable game even if all of the vessels were less glamourous than the fast MGB/MTB/S-Boats I was using yesterday.