Cruel Seas
Sink the Convoy
We played our second game of Cruel Seas this weekend. Since the first game I painted some more ships and built some terrain and since this time we would have four players, I decided on something a bit more ambitious.
The situation was that a four ship Italian convoy was trying to reach safety before the British could catch and sink it.
The convoy consisted of a small tanker, a small cargo ship (this was the armed trawler that comes with the British Fleet box, but I made the guns removeable to make it a generic cargo ship), an F-Lighter, and a MZ-Motozatter.
They had nearly made it and the harbor mouth was in sight when the British caught up with them. Two groups of three boats, each with a Fairmile D MTB and Two Vosper MTBs, one Type I and one Type II.
The convoy is in trouble, but a lookout in the lighthouse has seen what is going on and reported to headquarters. Three German E-Boats, one S-100, and two S-38s immediately set out to escort the convoy in.
A 3" gun in the shore battery on the headland is manned and ready. (This was one of the gun tubs from the armed trawler)
All of the ships were rated as having Regular crews and at the start of the game, all the ships were travelling at full speed. The British objective was to sink as many of the ships in the convoy as possible. The Axis players were trying to save as many of them as they could.
Victory Conditions:
There are 4 Axis Target Vessels (Tanker, Trawler and two armed barges)
If the British Sink:
0 – Major Axis Victory
1 – Minor Axis Victory
2 – Draw
3 – Minor British Victory
4 – Major British Victory
Modifiers:
At the end of the game subtract the lost warships (any ships other than Target Vessels) of Side A from Side B. For every two ships difference, shift the victory level by one in favor of the side with the fewer losses.
Example: If the British sink three target ships, scoring a Minor Victory but lose three of their own ships and only sinking one Axis warship, the victory level would be shifted from a Minor Victory to a Draw.
So, clear for action!
On Turn 1 both sides just moved as quickly as they could, The convoy to escape, the British to intercept, and the Germans to close on the British. Most of the weapons were out of range on turn one or couldn't hope to hit due to the high speed movement. But the convoy ships maneuvered to allow the faster tanker and steamer to move ahead at their top speed and to also bring the guns of the F-Lighter and a MZ-Motozatter to bear.
There are some long range shots with the heavy guns on the barges, but no hits are scored. The shore battery also fires to no effect.
On turn 2, the ships continue to close. The British are still moving too fast to fire accurately, but they do launch a few torpedoes in hopes of a lucky long range hit on the clustered convoy ships.
The E-boats slow down to have a better chance of hitting, and they do score a lucky hit on the Fairmile in the second group.
On Turn 3 the ranges have closed for some serious action to begin. The F-Lighter and a MZ-Motozatter bring all their guns to bear on the first group's Fairmile and inflict savage damage with their heavy guns and massed 20mm cannons. The ship is left battered, but barely afloat. It and one of the Vospers launch more torpedoes, hoping to hit the F-Lighter right in their path. The E-Boats exchange fire with the second group of British boats and also do some heavy damage to the Fairmile, and score a critical hit on its steering. And then incredibly the 3" shore gun, manned by frightened reservists managed to put a shell into the Fairmile of the first group and send it to the bottom! (The shore gun did not have a command die, it just fired at the very end of the turn.)
by Turn 4, the Tanker and cargo ship were passing into the harbor and the British were in danger of losing their chance. Prudence might suggest breaking off, but instead they push gallantly ahead.
The first wave of torpedoes pass ahead of the F-Lighter and continue to close on the tanker, but two fish from the second wave slam right into the barge. Both explode and the vessel is fatally hit. A cheer goes up as the Fairmile is avenged.
But their joy is short-lived. The second Fairmile has steering damage and makes a random turn—right into one of the Vospers!
Both boats are damaged, but the out of control Fairmille then slams into the stern of one of the E-Boats!
Again both boats take damage, but the Fairmile is running out of hit points. The E-Boats move in for the kill and the S-100 riddles the British boat from stem to stern inflicting no less than four criticals. The boat breaks apart and goes straight to the bottom.
Still the gallant British press on hoping to catch up with the rest of the convoy. One Vosper in the first group turns to engage the E-Boats, but the second presses on toward the harbor. The two Vospers in the second group speed around the small rocky island into the harbor itself. The clumsy MZ-Motozatter and one of the E-Boats swing around the island the other way to intercept. The other two E-Boats make short work of single Vosper which tried to engage them. British losses are mounting alarmingly.
On the next turn The Vospers in the harbor fire torpedoes, two at the MZ-Motozatter and the other two at the tanker which has almost reached the edge of the board. The sole remaining Vosper in the first group pressed on hoping to get a clear shot at something.
But the odds are getting very long. The MZ-Motozatter and one E-Boat sink one of the Vospers facing them (it had already taken serious damage from its collision with the Fairmile), and their stern weapons score some very lucky hits on remain Vosper in in the first group.
The E-Boat also manages to interpose itself between the torpedoes aimed at the MZ-Motozatter and they hit it, but are not able to move the required distance to arm themselves!
But the other torpedoes speed onward and in the next turn hit the tanker. One is a dud, but the other scores massive damage and nearly sinks it. But it is still afloat. But then the brave Vosper closes on the tanker and finishes it off with gunfire.
Still it is a dearly bought victory, made all the more bitter because the pesky shore battery score another lucky hit and sinks the last Vosper from the first group!
The sole remaining Vosper, out of torpedoes, turns for the open sea, but does not get far.
So, a dramatic game!
By the victory conditions, the British earn a draw for sinking two ships from the convoy, but having lost all six of their boats without sinking any of the E-Boats, their draw is shifted three places off the edge of the chart for a massive Axis victory. In hindsight, the British probably should have broken off the action after sinking the F-Lighter, but the tradition of Nelson pushing them onward, they couldn't resist trying for it all.
We all had a very good time playing this and we like the rules quite a lot although there are a few odd quirks like being able to interpose a boat to safely block torpedoes if you are close enough.
goes into repair mode when painted models are damaged in shipping.
