Tracking Convoys in IHW: Pigboats

Here's the Target Bearing /Range Chart:

The long oval in the center represents your submarine. The rest of the chart displays how far away and in what direction a contact is. Use tokens for contacts, as they will move.

As the sub moves toward the contact - and/or the contact moves towards the sub -the target moves into a new, closer range band. When the sub and contact move away from each other, the contact moves into a further off range band. As the contact comes closer, it should begin to resolve into separate contacts - first for the larger ships, then for the smaller ships. If your sub is in the middle of a convoy, having penetrated the escort, you might have contacts all around your sub.

The bearing is the relative angle from your sub to the contact. The chart is split into 90 degree quadrants, so zero degrees on the bow means straight ahead, while zero degrees astern means directly behind you. From zero, the degrees increase to 90 degrees to the right and left, then decrease back to zero. Right and left are always relative to zero on the bow, even when talking about bearings astern. So, to place a marker at "40 degrees on the right bow", find zero degrees on the bow and move the marker clockwise to forty degrees. For "40 degrees right astern", find zero degrees astern, and move the marker counter-clockwise forty degrees.

If the sub changes its own course, move the contacts the same number of degrees. For example, you get a contact at 20 degrees on the left bow. The captain decides to turn towards the contact to lessen the range and investigate. Move the contact to zero degrees on the bow and begin stepping the range in.

-clash

Mo' IHW: Pigboats Character stuff

So - this is where I am. However it occurs - point auction, election, funny dances, mime performances, whatever - you end up with the following:

One Skipper - a Lieutenant Commander with zero Notice. A bit older than the other officers (age 34), he is also more skilled, though his physical Attributes have degraded a skosh.

One XO - A senior Lieutenant, he starts with 200 Notice, and at age 30, he is competent enough to take charge in an emergency, though he doesn't rate being the Skipper by rank.

Two other Lieutenants, age 28, with zero Notice. They hope to become XOs eventually, and one day, if they are lucky and skillful, they may attain the holy rank of Skipper. They are competent enough, but they are still young.

Two Lt. jgs (Lieutenant, junior grade), age 26, with zero Notice. They are not mere Ensigns any more, and are vastly proud of this accomplishement. They consider themselves old and wise in the ways of the world. The Lieutenants are amused by them.

Two Ensigns, age 24, with zero Notice. Fresh-faced kids just out of College, Submarine, and Command School, they think they know what to do and are destined for savage disappointment and much skull thumping learning ahead. No one would trust them to mind a watch on their own. They are probably not trusted to find their arse in the dark with both hands.

From this raw material, the Skipper assigns roles, both in battle and out of combat. A Lieutenant, because of his skill set, might be both Navagator out of combat, and Signals Officer in combat. The Skipper might assign himself the role of Approach Officer, manning the periscope or TBT (Target Bearing Transmitter) while his XO is the Assistant Aproach Officer, familiar with the ways of the TDC (Torpedo Data Computer), and able to predict the chase's zig-zag path and plot a course to put the sub in the most favorable attack position. Or he may switch and let the XO or a Lieutenant make those obsevations and keep the big picture in his head using the TDC.

Every Officer has a role to play in combat. The Approach Officer may shout "Fire One!", but the result is a team effort.

-clash

In Harm's Way: Pigboats - Rank Auction 2

It's looking like rank auctioning is not a popular option, based on feedback here and on Google+. I do *not* want to force this down anyone's throat, but in this game, older means more skills and lower stats, and higher rank means older. I want to give players a chance to come in at the rank they want, without crippling them, and without putting jealousies and anger into play.

In my many military games, I have found no one gets jealous of another player character getting a higher rank if they think that player earned it. Up til now, I have been tending to bring PCs in at the same rank, and letting them earn their rank, but I was hoping to get a shortcut, so I can have a submarine start out with a PC in charge, rather than an NPC. The sub's skipper gets to "squeeze the pickle" - i.e. aim and fire the torpedoes - so starting out with an NPC skipper sort of cuts down harshly on the fun.

Maybe I should just use point buy points, cut out the optional random generation, and chalk the stat loss up to aging. i could do that, but that's boring... :D

-clash

IHW: Pigboats - Rank Auction

Went through what I have written so far, and - as I feared - Bonni was right to warn me. The captain was doing too much and the other officers too little. If it wasn't the captain doing it, it was the ratings, and while in a game with troupe play that is cool, Pigboats is not all about the troupe play. I have to go through and assign stuff to officers, even if they aren't actually doing the work. Example - Hydrophone contact, range and bearing. That is the Sonarman's work, but with this setup, it's the Signals Officer that should roll for it.

So I'm wondering - should I have a rank auction at the beginning of the game? Amber has a stat auction. I'm thinking you could bid on taking higher rank by taking on complications. "Bad relations with CO." "In love with fellow officer's wife." "Secret alcoholic." etc. Each complication having a different point value. Whaddya think?

-clash

IHW: Pigboats - Focusing Tighter

I was initially going to allow the submarines in IHW: Pigboats to be from a range of countries - The UK, Germany, The USA, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands, like I did the pilots in IHW: Aces In Spades and IHW: Aces And Angels. I have decided to forget about that. I may cover a nation at a time in supplements, if it comes to that, but for the released game I will focus on the US Navy and the Pacific war - the US subs were pretty much non-entities in the Atlantic.

Why? Because I can do some interesting things if the scene is limited. I can - for example - craft a mission generator with specificity, changing the locales offered as the war goes on, with new operating areas opening up and new forward bases established. I can make a generator for situations during the R&R period between missions. I can allow add-ons to the subs - the US subs were refitted after each mission with new and better gear. I can make a much better, more focused target selection. I don't have to account for the differences between the small Japanese convoys and the enormous Allied ones, or between Allied and Axis escort gear and tactics.

This is a pretty important decision for me. I've been agonizing over it for days, but it will be better in the long run, I think.

-clash

Wrapping up My IRC Game

Finished up this year's IRC run of In Harm's Way: Napoleonic Naval. This campaign has been going on for five years every spring and summer, alternating with a StarCluster game that has been running since 2003 every fall and winter. This year we:

* Lived through an earthquake and tsunami, and rescued various people caught up in it.
* Captured 3 pirate vessels
* Captured a heavy French Naval Corvette
* Met an English princess in disguise
* Took a pirate camp by assault over land - enemy land at that!
* Married off two characters - one who is retiring from play, and one who is continuing.

-clash

Excerpt From In Harm's Way: Pigboats

Attack
Once at the point where the best shot would occur, the submarine can Attack. The decision on whether to shoot single torpedoes or spreads, and how many torpedoes in the spread, would be made and the torpedoes launched. If circumstances permitted it, multiple Attacks could be launched - especially if the submarine got right in among the ships of the convoy or battle group, for instance in a night surface action, but more usually it was a single attack on one or more ships made all at once, with the submarine then attempting to Escape the escorts.
Single Shot
On a Single Shot, one torpedo is shot from a tube. The firing officer rolls a Torpedo check, modified by the Range and Target Bearing.
Spreads
On a Spread, multiple torpedoes are shot at a single target. The firing officer rolls a Torpedo check, modified by the Range and Target Bearing, plus a Small Modifier Bonus per torpedo after the first - plus 1 Small Modifier for the second torpedo, plus 2 Small Modifiers for the third, etc. If the roll is a success, successively add a Small Modifier Penalty for each extra torpedo to see if it hit.
StarPerc Spread Example
The officer fires a spread of three torpedoes at a target Bearing 25 degrees right and at Short Range. Bearing modifier is -10, and Short Range is +0. Three torpedoes in a spread gives a +20, and adding the -10 Bearing penalty gives a net of +10 to the TN. The firing officer has Torpedo+2 and a COOR of 9, giving him a TN of 55%. This is modified to 65% because of the +10 from Range and Bearing. The officer’s player rolls a 47, so one torpedo hit. Adding +10 for the next torpedo gives a 57, still under 65, so it is also a hit. The third torpedo adds another +10 to give 67, over a 65, so it’s a close miss. Roll Quality for 2 torpedoes.
StarZero Spread Example
The officer fires a spread of three torpedoes at a target Bearing 25 degrees right and at Short Range. Bearing modifier is -1, and Short Range is +0. Three torpedoes in a spread gives a +2, and adding the -1 Bearing penalty gives a net of +1 to the roll. The firing officer has Torpedo+2 and a COOR of 9, giving him a bonus of +3. This is modified to +4 because of the +1 from Range and Bearing. The officer’s player rolls a 2, for a total of 6, so one torpedo hit with 2 successes. Adding -1 for the next torpedo gives a 5, still a hit, but with one success. The third torpedo adds another -1 to give 4, also a hit with once success.
StarNova Spread Example
The officer fires a spread of three torpedoes at a target Bearing 25 degrees right and at Short Range. Bearing modifier is -1, and Short Range is +0. Three torpedoes in a spread gives a +2, and adding the -1 Bearing penalty gives a net of +1 to the roll. The firing officer has Torpedo+2 and a COOR of 9, giving him 3 dice and a bonus of +1. This is modified to +2 because of the +1 from Range and Bearing. The officer’s player rolls a 2+4+2, for a total of 10, so one torpedo hit. Adding -1 for the next torpedo gives a 9, still a hit. The third torpedo adds another -1 to give 8, a miss.