Brains

You're probably thinking about the Iowa-class battleships (Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin) with their 16"/50s (which comes out to about 406mm..). Often the subject of BB fanatic adoration. I'm fond of them in a historical way, but their day in the sun is done. (Gunfire advocates the world over have a heartattack...) I suppose I'd lean towards the later Flt IIA Burkes as a good all round USN ship... But that is more from the lack of options than any real preference. Nice ships, but there aren't too many modern classes. Still, 96 cells of VLS glory, 5"er for plinking, a pair of CIWS for those dicey moments, and a couple of SeaHawks for the CO on the go ain't bad. Too bad they got rid of the towed arrays though...

I'm going to second the idea of virtual plotting board in an effort to make things easy to start and stop (and avoid the wife/dog wiping out both a multiregimental Backfire raid and its multiple CVN strike group at the same time) and the Stratsims Combat Plotter is an awesome tool for that (along with an attentive and interested developer!). I'd also recommend either making your own or looking up (or even asking around) about computer assists to some of the number crunching. An excel spreadsheet and a couple of notes can go a long way to easing some of the load on the player.

That only works with setups that have reasonable replacements... Some sources have suggested that the guy at the top now is acting as a brake on hardliners. Start assassinating enough hardliners and you have the classic use-it-or-lose-it situation.

Which is why SK (or anybody else) won't actually do much about NK... They've got a non-nuclear WMD hanging over Seoul and such with little apparent compunction about using it if pushed. 'Course, letting them get much in the way of a nuke would be adding a real nuke to the non-nuke "nuke" of the population of SK... That is an area just doomed unless there is some miracle (or spooky work) in the wings.

I dunno about an obsession but that list certainly makes me want to explore a career in breaking and entering... 'Course, I've always had a problem with finding an opponent... Panzer Leader solo as a kid was fun but I lacked the rigor you've shown, Pete!

How could I resist a PBEM like this... Email inbound!

Now *that* would be a SAM!

I'm definitely interested but I can't commit until closer to the actual day... If the little one is still packing dual ear infections, woe be unto the Brains and may SWMBO have mercy upon his free time!

There is an old saying about this... Something along the lines of "If you can see it, you can hit it. If you can hit it, you can kill it." Left unstated is the obvious conclusion that the best idea is not to be seen...

There is a rail nexus (and maybe a rail yard?) in nearby Norwood... Rail is always a good target.

It isn't so much that I like tangling with the escorts, but it is like the song says: