I've mentioned in Shore Leave that I would be using Avalanche Press's USN Plan Orange to do the operational part of their scenarios and use Naval Thunder Battleship Row to game out the tactical parts with a little more granularity.

 

A Naval Thunder turn is about 4 minutes and each inch represents 500 yards.

 

A quick step through this afternoon pitted IJN battleship Nagato vs USS Nevada (BB-36). Nagato's 16.1"/45's out range Nevada's 14"/45's so that at an arbitrary 35" (17,500yds) Nagato is firing at Medium Range (a +1 to hit) whereas Nevada is firing at Long Range (no mod). Nagato also has eight single tube 5"/40's that although can come to bear in this engagement were ineffective due to distance.

 

I'll fill you all in later, but after needless to say Nevada took it on the chin in this 1:1 face off.

The rules provide for firing by platform type (battleships fire, then cruisers...usw). Within each of these "phases" fires are resolved simultaneously. this does mean that should, for example a destroyer take one for the team by a battleship, it would not have a chance to fire when its turn came around. That said, this was mano on mano BB vs BB.

 

Range was an arbitrary 35" or 17,500yds. The ships were headed directly at each other, but each turned, one to port, the other to starboard and opened up on each other. Battleships have a base 6+ to hit. Nagato brings 8 barrels of 16.1"/45's at Medium Range (+1) while Nevada has 12 barrels of 14"/45's at Long Range (+3). No other mod's other than range play a roll. Nagato hits Nevada on 7+, Nevada hits Nagato with a 9+.

 

Nagato strikes Nevada twice while Nagato is hit once by Nevada. The rules rate Nevada as having an armor value AV of 19 while Nagato has AV 17. The Nagato's 16.1/45's have a penetration value of 14 and a Damage Rating of 11 while Nevada's 14"/45 has a pen of 11 and a Damage Rating of 9. At Medium Range there is a +1 penetration modifier...there is 0 mod for long range. Pen+Mod+d10 determines if Full Damage (+critical), Half Damage, or No Hull Damage.

 

Nagato's first hit causes half damage, rounded down = 5. The second hit penetrates, so full damage = 11 and rolls 2d10 on the critical table, in this case the result is Rudder Damage. 16 Damage Points are subtracted from Nevada's Hull "strength = 116-16=100. Two Rudder chits are to be placed beside Nevada.

 

Nevada's one hit causes half damage or simply 4 damage points reducing Nagato's initial hull strength from 156 to 152.

 

At the end of the turn, Nevada's Damage Control roll removes one Rudder chit. Nevada will be forced to turn 90 degrees halfway though its next movement phase until it solves its rudder damage. A roll on the damaged rudder chart determines a turn to starboard. This is both beneficial and deterimental to Nevada, positioning it as smaller, linear target, but limiting the firepower it can bring to bear.

 

The second round of firing results in three more hits for Nagato and zero hits for Nevada's 6 unmasked guns...its two rearward main turrets. The Japanese shells slam into Nevada causing one half damage and two penetrations for a total of 27 Damage Points (100-27=73). The two criticals both result in Fire. Turn 2's damage control phase leaves Nevada still with a damaged rudder, and the fires 1/2 contained (one fire result was removed by the Damage Control Parties aboard Nevada. Looks like Nevada will need to attempt to break contact if it can.

 

Quick moving and entertaining rules set. See about it at Naval Thunder.

Sounds like fun Pete, but the US still seems to have a chance. Any possibility you'll game both a retreat and a fight to the death for us?

 

Thanks!

The rudder damage required 90 degree starboard during Turn 3 will unmask all of Nevada's main batteries again, we'll see what happens at lunch today.

Due to Nevada’s rudder damage induced turns, Turn 3 saw all of Nevada’s main guns unmasked again. Due to the combatant’s relative movement, range is now 39” (19,500yds) and considered to be Long Range for both combatants. To hit will now be the basic 6+, +3 for both.

 

For the fires segment, Nevada has all twelve 14”/45 and Nagato has all eight 16.1”/45 guns available to fire. Nevada scores three hits while Nagato gets two. All hits turn out to be non-penetrating ½ damage hits. Nevada is down to 63 Hull Point left, while Nagato is down to 140.

 

During the turns Damage Control segment, Nevada’s rudder is repaired, but the fire spreads causing the ready ammunition of a secondary gun mount, a 5”/38, cook off, eliminating that mount, randomly rolled on the starboard side, and causing 5 more Hull Damage Points bringing Nevada in at 58, very close if not 50% of its capacity. Nevada’s skipper decides to try to retire from the battle area. An escape roll is made d10+Cmd Rating-Crew Rating for each side. IJN gets a +3 for remaining in the battle area, declared the victor. The rolls are compared and Nevada loses. It is randomly rolled that Nevada is sunk the next day by Japanese naval air.

 

The rules give any of these four possible reasons. I broke them down into randomly rolled results.

 

1 = Foundered

2-5 = Torpedoed

6-9 = Air Strike

10 = Scuttled