Quote from: paulr on 23 May 2016, 06:47:58 PM
That is a brilliant way of handling one of the biggest challenges of refighting Jutland or any large multi-force naval game, consider it "borrowed"

You might also like to borrow the idea from the same game that when a new table was needed it was selected randomly from those not in use, so knowing where in the North Sea a table had represented an hour ago told you nothing about where it represented now.

Quote from: paulr on 23 May 2016, 06:47:58 PM
The really frustrating thing was the number of cruisers that were able to see both the Battle Cruisers and the Grand Fleet and didn't report

From the fairly limited reading I have done, the lack of reporting up the chain of command, and the lack of good* orders back down the chain of command seemed to be a massive problem for the RN. * there certainly seemed to be lots of bad, or irrelevant,  orders, from the Admiralty.


The table idea is genius - really adds in a true fog of war. Must have been hard work for the umpires to keep track of the real position of each battle group, and then the position of stuff on different tables.

There was an article last year or so, in Miniature Wargames, about a very big Napoleonic battle which had different forces converging on a town, and this used separate tables to represent each force as it moved and encounter the enemy (or not). As contact was made, and other forces marched to the sound of the guns, then tables would be brought together, as forces got close to each other. In the end they had a massive set piece battle across many tables, but the timing of troops entering (and their positions) was due to the earlier manoeuvring.

Quote from: Ithoriel on 23 May 2016, 06:13:32 PM
I sent a message to Beatty asking for his position and that of the enemy and got back the information that the enemy battlecruisers were so many thousand yards  to starboard of him and the high Seas Fleet about 20 miles astern of him.

I provoked much hilarity with a tart reply along the lines of "And where the f**k are you, Beatty, you bl***y twonk!? Better reports or court-martial expected." Perhaps if the real Jellicoe had been as testy the result of the battle might have been significantly different.

Classic

I would look forward to his reply of "at about 15 fathoms, m'lord"

Quote from: fred. on 23 May 2016, 07:48:04 PM
The table idea is genius - really adds in a true fog of war. Must have been hard work for the umpires to keep track of the real position of each battle group, and then the position of stuff on different tables.

The Umpires (there were 3) had a map of the North Sea covered in little transparent polypockets (originally designed for conference delegate nametags) about the size of a playing card stuck on to the map. A card with the table number was slotted in to the relevant pocket. Occasionally umpires would amble up to a table look for a moment or two and call back, "Table 15 Fast Battleship Group" or whatever, so clearly even they didn't always remember what was where!

In our game the Fast Battleships entered the Battlecruiser fight far earlier and in the end  2 German battlecruisers were sunk, one scuttled and the other two badly knocked about. Two British battlecruisers limped away with flooded magazines and significant damage with Lion being ignominiously towed backwards away from the fight by those two with no working guns, engines or rudder. The other three were still able to move and fight but were badly damaged enough that they were ordered to return to Rosyth.

Also in our game we were penalised if the British light cruisers and destroyers were judged to have "communicated unnecessarily" which lead to there being almost no reports from the players commanding them.

No battleships on either side were sunk and very few actually got into action let alone got damaged.

Sounds like they got the feel of the game just right.

The use of plastic pockets and cards to track the tables is very clever too.

My complements to the Umpires

They appear to have come up with some really simple and effective ways to deal with several complex issues

Some very useful ideas to tuck away for future use

Quote from: Ithoriel on 23 May 2016, 06:13:32 PM
I provoked much hilarity with a tart reply along the lines of "And where the f**k are you, Beatty, you bl***y twonk!? Better reports or court-martial expected." Perhaps if the real Jellicoe had been as testy the result of the battle might have been significantly different.

Drinking my nightly tea (iced!) and just passed a substantial quantity through my nose. Thanks for that! 

As has already been said some really great ideas for fog of war. Scouting forces might actually get to scout.

Quote from: Ithoriel on 23 May 2016, 06:13:32 PM
I provoked much hilarity with a tart reply along the lines of "And where the f**k are you, Beatty, you bl***y twonk!? Better reports or court-martial expected." Perhaps if the real Jellicoe had been as testy the result of the battle might have been significantly different.

Do you think "F**k" and "twonk" are in the flag directory, or would they have to be spelled out?

Given the distances involved it would have had to be Morse Code communication using wireless telegraphy - hopefully encoded!

Quote from: fsn on 24 May 2016, 07:10:41 AM
Do you think "F**k" and "twonk" are in the flag directory, or would they have to be spelled out?

This might be the pertinent signal hoist:

Picture of HMS Caroline nearly ready to receive visitors. I think the Torpedoes still have to arrive

Looking good, Steve. Is that a very recent photo? When I was in Belfast last Friday the deck area from the bow to the bridge was covered in canvass. Will you be visiting her soon?

I remember when she used to broadcast illicit pop music.