MBS Podcast Episode 13

[Ruckdog]

http://www.manbattlestations.com/blog/2016/12/05/episode-13/

Lucky Episode 13! For this episode, Greg and Andy tackle the concept of boarding in naval games, and then do their second Naval Gaming Year in Review. Later, Andy chimes in with some lessons from Pearl Harbor that are applicable to naval gaming, and then Greg and Andy round out the episode with a discussion of the DW Kickstarter!

Naval Boarding: 29 Min

Year In Reveiw: 1 hr 13 Min

Ruckdog’s Report: 2 Hr 14 Min

DW Kickstarter Discussion: 2 Hr 23 Min

[Dakkar]

I've churning through an audiobook right now, but eager to get back to listen to this and the Pearl Harbor discussion.

I've wondered a few times how a PH scenario could be balanced out for DW or Firestorm. The defender would have terrible field position, but perhaps even outnumber the attacker. And all the Defender must do to win is save a certain portion of his own forces, or damage the attacker to a certain level. Never quite sure where that balance is...

[Ryjak]

Games typically emphasize balanced forces to make the game competative/fun, while war very rarely features evenly matched sides.  A Pearl Harbor scenario would be something like one player having a 1000 point force, and the other having a 2000 point force... and a time limit? Piecemeal arrival?  There has to be something to bring it back to balanced, or it won't be fun.

[Ruckdog]

The funny part is, in actuality it would be the Americans with the 2000 point force! I think one direction that could work is illustrated by the old Ambush scenario from BFG; the defender is caught flat-footed, and has to pass a test before they can do anything with their ships for the first two turns. So, in other words, imagine having to roll a command check for each squadron in a game of FSA or DW; if you pass, you can activate as normal. If not, then you can't activate and essentially "lose" your activation. Or, perhaps you can activate, but suffer some kind of penalty (like suffering a -1 to shooting rolls or some such).

[Landlubber]

The funny part is, in actuality it would be the Americans with the 2000 point force! I think one direction that could work is illustrated by the old Ambush scenario from BFG; the defender is caught flat-footed, and has to pass a test before they can do anything with their ships for the first two turns. So, in other words, imagine having to roll a command check for each squadron in a game of FSA or DW; if you pass, you can activate as normal. If not, then you can't activate and essentially "lose" your activation. Or, perhaps you can activate, but suffer some kind of penalty (like suffering a -1 to shooting rolls or some such).

That's a pretty good idea for an ambush mechanic. Might have to incorporate that into a DW game sometime.

[Quickdraw]

I toyed with that idea in some scenarios I wrote. In a few of them the defender has ships docked. Rolling Command checks for activation in the first turn but anything that fails takes a low speed token.

[Dakkar]

Maybe this can be my Genghis-Con event...

1000pts per player in dock, 500pts per attacker.

Docked ships must test to activate as indicated above, for the first 2 turns. And will start mostly in dock positions that require backing out.

Very limited air and ground defenses, but attacker will have extra air support (10 Bombers per player)

[Quickdraw]

I think t works well. They'll be slow getting started, they can still defend themselves effectively, but a +1 to enemy gunnery is nothing to sneeze at.

[Dakkar]

but a +1 to enemy gunnery is nothing to sneeze at.

That's what a Low Speed token does? I haven't actually seen one used before ;-)

Tradition would dictate I work in the Martians somehow, but the defenders will be hurting enough as is.

Then again, a Martian Pearl Harbor would be a fitting response to the last counter-invasion scenario.
"We can ill-afford another Klendathu!"