 War Artisan  | 22 Jul 2016 10:35 p.m. PST |
I did a small trial run of the expanded edition of "Admirals" (just 30 ships this time – the next one will be closer to 60) using my 1:2000 scale 2.5D playtest fleets. The British player had 14 ships of the line and 2 frigates, the French player had 12 ships of the line and 2 frigates. Here are a few photos of the action: The British fleet bears down on the French line:
The British 1st division turns to parallel the enemy:
As the French bear up to cross the British "T", the British 2nd division double-envelopes the French rear:
The French rear, pounded into silence, strikes. The remainder of the fleet withdraws:
There's a more detailed account of the action here: PDF link Now, here's a question for you. Given that the action took 9 game turns (each representing 12 minutes of real time) to resolve, from first fire to the French withdrawal, how long do you think the game lasted in real time? Go ahead, take a guess. |
| MacrossMartin | 23 Jul 2016 12:03 a.m. PST |
It would be a delight to hear that you were able to achieve a real minute = game minute ratio, although I would be surprised… such perfection is rare indeed in naval wargames! :D The game looks great, by the way. I downloaded the earlier ed of Admirals, but have not had a chance to get some ships on the table yet. |
| Blutarski | 23 Jul 2016 4:59 a.m. PST |
I would be lying if I said my curiosity is not piqued – especially as to movement mechanics. 12 minutes is a LONG time to manage in a single turn. One suggestion – only ships close-hauled or on a beam reach can back sail or heave to. B |
| War Artisan | 23 Jul 2016 8:09 a.m. PST |
Blutarski, It would be a very long turn in a traditional Age of Sail game, where the player is making Captain-level decisions about the sailing of each individual ship . . . but "Admirals" is not traditional. Nor is a turn always 12 minutes. Sometime it's 6, and sometimes it's 18, depending on the wind. The French ships that backed sail were close-hauled. Edit: You didn't guess. How long do you think it took? |
| Blutarski | 23 Jul 2016 9:18 a.m. PST |
OK. I'll bite – 45 minutes? B |
| BuckeyeBob | 23 Jul 2016 11:25 a.m. PST |
Is this the battle of Groix? IIRC the chase was almost 2 days and the battle on the last day was about 2 hrs long. The British fleet didnt pursue the remaining French into harbor turning away before encountering a well defended island before the French harbor.
If this is a refight of Groix, your battle time is very close to historical. |
| War Artisan | 23 Jul 2016 11:39 a.m. PST |
Actually, BB, it was a "What if" variant of the 1759 action off Lagos (as in "What if De La Clue's fleet had not been separated the night before and had been able to face Boscawen at full strength?"), but the tactical situation is almost identical to Ile de Groix. If I had thought of it, I would have used that one instead. Got a guess on the elapsed time? |
| mumbasa | 23 Jul 2016 3:53 p.m. PST |
1 1/2 hours Looks like a fun game, too !! |
| Piquet Rules | 23 Jul 2016 5:42 p.m. PST |
17 minutes. I've never seen mumbasa play a game at sea. Not forests or woodlands to take cover in. |
| War Artisan | 24 Jul 2016 2:02 p.m. PST |
OK. The actual time to play 1 hour and 48 minutes of game time was 1 hour and 10 minutes, or a little less than 8 minutes per turn . . . with a little chatter between phases, of course, but no more than most gamers. I'd put that in the acceptable range for 14 to 16 ships per player. Next time we'll up the ante, with 20-some ships per player. I'm thinking maybe the Battle of the Chesapeake. |
| AonghusONia | 25 Jul 2016 7:42 a.m. PST |
Looks great have you any plans to make the 2.5D ships available they look perfect for fleet battles like this |
 Yellow Admiral  | 25 Jul 2016 10:33 a.m. PST |
Next time we'll up the ante, with 20-some ships per player. I'm thinking maybe the Battle of the Chesapeake. Checking for flights to MN….  If you bring this game to Enfilade next year, I'll bring my 1/2400 scale fleets (all Figurehead miniatures), the ocean surface, and any necessary shorelines. I already have enough painted to do most of the AWI battles, and I'd be happy to finish painting a few more to do the Saintes, Ushant, or even the giant hypothetical "invasion scare of 1779". For various reasons (partly model strength) I never replaced the cast-on spankers with mizzen jibs, but chances are you and I would be the only ones who would notice the anachronism. :-) - Ix |
| War Artisan | 25 Jul 2016 10:51 a.m. PST |
have you any plans to make the 2.5D ships available No concrete plans yet, Aonghus, but I have given some thought to what it would take to make it happen. Checking for flights to MN You know you're welcome anytime, Ix. There's a futon in the library and good whisky under the bar. And Enfilade is already on my Wish List. |
checks out some 10/15mm railroad tracks for wargaming.
