We played a small game last night just to try out SMR2. We ran with the River Plate scenario. We didn't have a big enough table to really do it properly, but decided just to go with it to learn the system.
So we started off way too close, Exeter got the first shot off at just under 10,000 yards and with some luck took out both of Graf Spee's main turrets. Graf Spee actually came very close to having a magazine explosion, but her crew managed to contain it. Despite this grievous blow, managed to return fire with her secondaries and score some minor damage to Exeter. Ajax and Achilles missed with their 6" guns (they were at 13,000 yards).
Next turn the Germans won initiative allowing them to move last and fire first. The Graf Spee, desparate, moved into close range to fire torpedoes. She fired a spread at the light cruisers. No torps hit the Ajax, but two slammed into Achilles, causing her to flood and sink. Graf Spee's secondaires then scored a hit on the Exeter taking out her secondaries.
The Brits were not able to return torps at the Graf Spee due to their facing, but did manage to score more hits with their guns. Hits from the Exeter started a fire and hits from the Ajax damaged Graf Spee's steering.
UK won initiative in round 3. This forced Graf Spee to move first and the allowed the British to line up for a fatal torpedo run. Graf spee was hit with no less than 3 torps. These did not immediatley sink her but did utterly destroy her engine rooms leaving her dead in the water (and still aflame). Batteries on both sides did more structural damage to both the Graf Spee and Exeter.
At the end of turn 3 Graf spee was forced to make no less than 4 morale checks for the damage she had sustained during the turn. She passed 3 and failed the last one. So with this result we imagined that the crew set scuttling charges and abandoned ship.
It was a very interesting battle and we'll certainly be able to play faster the next time we played (took a while to get a hang of the "to hit" modifiers – but they start to get easy to remember). We really like how the point at which the ship goes down is not entirely certain. You have to make wreck rolls once floatation reaches 0 and everytime you take damage after that. If you have decent crew they can keep her going (but being on fire doesn't help).
I definitely want to try that again with longer ranges and actually see what the Graf Spee's main guns can do to the Exeter!
I think we will also try out Denmark Straight before deciding to take the plunge on picking up ship data.
-Tim