I had a free afternoon today, with no work to do and no one else in the house apart from the dog, so decided to do something I haven't done for ages and actually play a solo wargame. I opted for the Anglo-French ironclads as it is quick to set up and play, so picked out some of the Royal Navy turret ships that I haven't used before for a coastal defence scenario. This was likely to be tough for the French, so I gave them a numerical advantage, even if their comparative firepower was a bit weak.
The French have dispatched a squadron of ironclads to harass merchant shipping convoys in Lyme Bay, so the British have sortied out with their coastal defence ships to send them packing. The Royal Navy squadron consisted of HMS Royal Sovereign (flag), HMS Prince Albert and HMS Devastation, while the French squadron included the barbette ironclad Ocean (flag), together with the broadside ironclads Revanche, Provence and Flandre.
I won't go into all the details but it ended up with a British victory, having sunk the Ocean, damaged the Flandre and silenced the Provence, leaving only the Revanche unscathed. The French decided that they had had enough by the end of Turn 6, so steamed off back to Cherbourg, while it was nearly tea time for the Royal Navy, so the action was called off. The Royal Navy didn't get off scot free, however, with Royal Sovereign silenced and Devastation damaged at the end of the game.
I still really enjoy Broadside and Ram for solo games but, as always, there were a few things that didn't add up or were less than clear, which is no surprise as they are a very stripped down set of rules. I am thinking of trying out a more detailed alternative for small squadron actions, probably David Manley's other fast play ironclad rules, Dahlgren and Columbiad. I'm also considering adapting a old set of 'back of a postcards' rules that a fellow club gamer produced for the Battle of Lissa, with an Anglo-French 'What If?' theme rather than the purely historical focus.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures?
The photos look full of action! Those shell splashes are very effective.
ReplyDeleteThanks AJ :O) Once they get into range (8") there are four gunnery exchanges per turn, so it gets pretty nasty!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great looking action!
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter..I forgot to add the smoke effects for the broadsides but it isn't too bad.
ReplyDeleteLooks good. The ships and splash markers make a pretty sight. Congrats on getting in a solo wargame , it’s something I wish I could do more😀
ReplyDeleteThe dice throw me off though, are those tracking something on the ships?
Thanks Stew. The dice are there to remind me what I rolled for gunnery. Otherwise I'd leave them to one side.
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