Torpedoes & Tides

A few months ago I was very excited to see that Thomas Brandstetter over at The Raft was playing around with a set of WW2 coastal forces rules based on Galleys & Galleons. Now those that know me will know that I'm not much interested in naval wargaming beyond 1900, but I am a sucker for a rules variant of one of my favourite games, so I started following it.

Anyway I got a copy of the amendments and started wondering how I'd set about playing them, given my total lack of suitable miniatures. Whilst I was doing that Thomas had been chatting to Ganesha Games, and got the go-ahead to start putting together the variant as a standalone game in its own right. And, of course, it would need playtesting.

You can read Thomas's design philosophy for the game HERE.

I asked if I could do some playtesting, and have spent the last couple of weeks reading through the rules and sending what I hope is useful feedback. I have also had my lolly-sticks and cardboard out, making some quick and dirty WW2 coastal vessels so I could actually play a game or two.

After a busy week I finally got the game on the table this morning.

I started with a basic learning scenario Thomas has put together, with three early British MGBs taking on a couple of S-Boats.

And here they are. I made my models at 1/1200th scale, and they're ruthlessly simplified. The MGBs are 2cm long, so they are teeny-tiny. Beyond them are two cardboard counters marking the German vessels. In Torpedoes & Tides vessels can start as blinds, which are limited in what they can do, but which can't be shot at or identified until spotted.

The gunboats head towards the Germans, failing their spotting rolls as they do so. I randomly determined how aggressive each side would be to determine whether they'd start on blinds or simply barrel straight in. The British went for a full-on attack whilst the Germans opted to hold back.

Spotting and visibility is very important in this game. The British failed to identify the German blinds, which meant that they couldn't shoot at them. But they did move into automatic spotting range, which gave the first S-Boat a free shot. MGB 59 was damaged and had some guns knocked out. So not a terrific start for the British.

(All of my models are simply painted in grey. It's taken me all week to make the ones I did and get them to this stage. At some point I will give them a proper paint-job. But for now I wanted to actually play the game.)

The two other boats headed off to cross the German T, and also get them in abetter position with regards to the moon (another interesting feature of the game). MGB 59 evaded and exchanged fire with the German, to little effect.

The second S-Boat revealed itself and engaged the British, using its greater speed to get into a  better position. It shot up the lead MGB.

MGB 59 and S-61 continued to exchange fire and the MGB was getting the worst of it.

The MGB broke off the fight, firing up its engines to head home. Rather than pursue S-61 headed off to join its partner in taking on the other two MGBs.

Between them they wrecked MGB 64 with ruthless Teutonic efficiency.

The British were down to one boat now. 

S-58 turned towards it ...

... but S-61, with only light damage, decided that it had done its bit, and zoomed off for home. 

(Yes, Torpedoes & Tides has the All At Sea table, and this can cause boats to suffer a morale failure and run for it.)

MGB 60 tried to run for it, but the S-Boat is basically a lot faster, and turned in pursuit. In fact the way the movement and activation system works it is possible for the slower boat to get away, but it would have to be lucky. It wasn't.

MGB 60 tried evading, but still took hits.

But whilst battered it made it to the table-edge and escaped.

But this short, sharp fight was a win for the Germans, who sank one boat, saw a battered boat flee the action and left the third boat also badly damaged. The British picked up a single victory point for the German boat that fled.

With the basic mechanisms now sorted I set up a more ambitious game, with three British vessels attacking a small coastal convoy. Everything starts as blinds, but to the right are two British MTB and an MGB (all of a similar size to those in the previous game, but faster), whilst hugging the coastline is a German convoy consisting of two light freighters escorted by a couple of R-Boats and a Vorpostenboot.

The British spotting was better this time and they quickly identified the Vorpostenboot leading the convoy.

It turned towards them, and revealed an MGB and MTB. It took fire, but took no damage.

But the British had their eyes on the prize, moved in close and spotted a freighter and R-boat. They fired a torpedo at the freighter, but it missed.

The little MGB went after the R-boat and damaged it. The Vorpostenboot fired ant anything in range, to little effect.

A second attempt to torpedo the freighter was thwarted by fire from the R-boat casing the British crew to duck for cover.

MTB 70 launched a torpedo at the Vorpostenboot, but missed.

MGB 60 cut across the bows of the R-boat and took the second freighter under fire, starting a fire.

It then took up position on the landward side of the first freighter. Meanwhile MTB 70 had a lucky escape when it ran along the starboard of the Vorpostenboot but took no hits (the Germans had a total activation failure!)

In the middle of the German convoy MGB 74 was in trouble, and got shot up by R-49

MTB 7o fired its second, and last, torpedo at the first freighter but, once again, missed.

More gunnery from the R-boats saw MTB 74 catch fire.

MGB 60 and MTB 70 both engaged the first freighter with their guns, and began to inflict some real damage on it. The German escorts were in all kinds of trouble trying to turn about to intercept them without causing collisions.

An overview of the action, with teh escorts on the wrong side of the freighters. To the left MTB 74 has extinguished its fire, but is badly battered. However the second freighter is looking vulnerable, as the escorts were abandoning it.

The Vorpostenboot almost causes a disaster when it cut across the bows of the first freighter. But one of the R-boats was now in a position to engage the two British vessels.

Not looking good for the British here. Except that the Germans once again got tied up with poor activations and a need to avoid collisions, and barely got in a single decent shot.

The British boats continued to shoot up the freighter.

The other freighter suffered a failure on the All At Sea table and moved to escape. It would make it to a board edge and leave, but for scenario purposes counted as lost. Unphotographed, MTB 74 had decided to head for home as well.

British persistence paid off, and the second freighter sank from the sheer amount of damage they'd inflicted on it.

The R-boats were in a position to engage the British boats now, and inflicted some damage on them. But with both freighters taken out the British could leave. They fired up their engines, turned o the smoke, and ran for it.

All of the British vessels were badly damaged, but they'd sunk one freighter and caused the other to lose the convoy escorts which meant that by morning it would be an easy target for aircraft. A pretty decisive win for the British, despite their torpedoes being no part of it.

Both games ran really smoothly, although I need to make a QRS so I don't have to keep flipping through the rules for the various useful tables. The Galleys & Galleons mechanisms translate pretty well to this style of warfare as well, although to be fair they only provide its core; it's very much its own game.

Looking forward to trying some more games of this.