INWarD 2021 - Scenario Scribbles

HMS Hotspur

It's INWarD 2021 on Friday, so I've been working out the scenario I'll use for the solo Broadside and Ram game that I'm planning to play on the day. 

This is set in a fictitious war between France and Great Britain in the mid 1870's, in this case in the summer of 1874 toward the end of the conflict. A French squadron has broken out of Lorient, blockaded by the British fleet, but instead of escaping across the Atlantic has been forced back into French coastal waters by the Royal Navy. The squadron, consisting of six broadside ironclads, has taken refuge in the estuary of the Charente, anchored behind a chain and buoy boom and protected by a fort on the nearby Ile de Aix. The squadron is also protected on either flank by shallows in which a minefield has been laid, command detonated from the fort on the island. 

The Royal Navy has devised a cunning plan to eliminate the French squadron using the ironclad ram, HMS Hotspur, to break through the boom and then attack the anchored French warships. At the same time, four shallow draft Cyclops class breastwork monitors, towed into place by conventional broadside ironclads, will attempt an outflanking approach across the shallows beyond the range of the fortress guns, penetrating the minefield and supporting HMS Hotspur in the attack. The remaining broadside ironclads will close inshore to bombard the French squadron and fortifications. The attack will be made at night to allow the monitors and ram to make their approach with some degree of stealth, although visibility remains reasonable due to the time of year.

The scenario parameters are as follows:

The table is 3'' x 5''.

The attack occurs at night but due to a full moon and the time of year, visibility is 12/24''

The shallows extend along the southern and northern edges of the table and can only be crossed by shallow draft vessels including the monitors but excluding the ram. Roll 1D6 for each such ship moving across the shallows each turn, with a score of 2+ required to avoid grounding. Any other ships attempting to enter the shallows will immediately run aground. The shallows are visible from the fort both to the north and south of the island, and from the anchored ships to the south but not to the north.

The shallows are also mined. The mines are laid in a line 3'' wide extending from the line of the chain and log boom to the north and south of the island. If the lookouts on the fort or on any of the French ironclads locate a ship in the minefield zone it will be assumed to be hostile and they may electrically detonate a mine. Roll 1D6: on a 5-6 the mine detonates and the target is hit, on a 1-2 the mine fails to explode, any other result has no effect as the target was not close enough. If a successful detonation occurs, the target ship must roll 1D6 adding its DF. On a result of 4 or less the ship is Shattered, on a 5-6 it is Crippled, on a 7-8 it is Silenced and on 9+ it is Damaged. 

The chain and buoy boom extends from the fort across the deep water channel to the edge of the shallows. It has a strength of DF4. It may only be broken by a ram attack with an ironclad fitted with a ram bow. To make an attempt, a ramming ship must contact the boom at maximum speed at right angles to the line of the obstacle. Roll for a ramming attack, with the boom not counting as a stationary target and rolling 1D6 plus its DF, the ramming ship rolling 1D6 plus 1D6 for a ram bow and adding its AF. If the ramming ship scores more than twice the score of the boom, the boom is broken. 

The fort has a 360 degree firing arc from the centre line of the boom. It has a DF of 5 and an AF of 6 due to it's armament of heavy coastal cannon and mortars. The range of the guns is 12''. The fort may fire on any target that is in range and has been spotted and identified. The fort may be bombarded by any ship within range, assuming it is able to bring its guns to bear. 

The French ironclads are anchored in two parallel lines across the estuary, the lines being spaced 3'' apart, and begin the scenario in a stationary position. To raise steam and slip anchor, each individual ship must spend 1AP each turn for three consecutive turns, after which the ship will be able to move as an independent command. If they remain stationary, each line of ships may be treated as a single group for command purposes, unless separated by a gap of more than 3'' due to a change or break in formation. The French may only raise steam once the attack has been detected by the lookouts in the fort or by the lookouts in the anchored squadron.

The Royal Navy's objective is to shatter or cripple as many of the French warships as possible before the scenario ends after ten turns. The French must prevent this from occurring by destroying the attacking force or by retreating up the river and off the table. If they manage to get any of the French ironclads off the table undamaged or with just damage, the scenario will be a draw. I now need to work out the AF and DF values for the monitors and ram but otherwise, I think I've got everything sorted?