In my 1/700 Pacific War gaming, my experience of attempting to regulate anti-Kamikaze
AA defence on WW2 U.S. Navy warships, most of which were festooned with myriads of 20mm and 40mm guns to supplement their 5 inch Dual Purpose secondary battery, was to give up on gun-by-gun systems, and also on gun mount groupings, but instead to concentrate on area defence, grouped by available fire direction equipment.
For example:
a 1941 vintage 1/700 scale U.S. battleship model kit, such as the U.S.S.
'North Carolina', presented with a battery of ten 5 inch guns on each side (5 x twin turrets), with sixteen 1.1 inch automatics (4 x quad mount "Chicago Pianos", two on each beam), and twenty single 20mm Oerlikon cannons, ten per side.
I had the 5 inch guns fire by Director (4 carried, diamond layout, so up to 3 on one beam) - one die roll for each shot.
The 1.1 inch fired by mounting, so two rolls on either beam, 4 guns to each single die roll.
The 20mm guns fired by groups, from single mounts up to 3 guns per die roll (assumed to be under the orders of the senior officer in each location).
This was quite easy, even for a battleship, and each "shot" engaged a declared target model aircraft. Up to 8 aircraft could be engaged on one beam, leaving a maximum of 6 shots available on the other beam.
Of course, the great majority of warship models had considerably fewer gun mountings (some destroyer model kits had none at all
beyond the 5 inch single mounts, and usually only 4 or 5 of those, mounted on the centreline and controlled by a single fire-director, so only generating a single defensive
AA die roll each turn).
By 1945, the 1/700 scale U.S.S.
'North Carolina' kit still carried the 20 5 inch guns in two 10-gun batteries, with 4 directors, but now had 15 quad-mount 40mm guns, plus some 55 single 20mm Oerlikons; far too many to adjudicate by die rolls based on gun groupings - more than 20 separate aircraft targets could be simultaneously engaged on
each side simultaneously, so 40 die rolls per game turn!
My solution was to divide the defence fire into "zone defence" die rolls - long range (5 inch), medium range (40mm) and close range (20mm).
Attacking aircraft could be engaged by any or all of the available "zones", depending on range: at close range, a lone attacking plane could thus draw the fire of ALL the defence zones on that beam!
eg.
Port Beam
2 x 5 inch "zones" Long Range, 2 and 3 turret groups of 5-inch twin mountings
4 x 40mm "zones" Medium Range, 2 x 40mm quads together
4 x 20mm "zones" Short Range, 6 single 20mm guns together
if a lone attacker moves to close range, all 10 "zones" will engage it (and it WILL be destroyed!)
If 5 planes approach, 2 @ Close, 2 @ Medium and 1 @ Long, the battleship could choose to engage the Long Range target with both 5inch "zones", and both Medium Range targets with 2 "zones" each of 40mm, and also the two Close Range targets with 2 "zones" each of 20mm, thereby bringing all 5 attackers under fire. Ten die rolls in total.
Alternatively, she could elect to engage only the two closest targets, with FIVE "zones" onto each (1 Long, 2 Medium and 2 Close) to make sure of killing them, and ignoring the other three.
The "re-imagined" 'Galactica' would be easier to run; only two ranges, Long and Short.....
Idea #1
Long-range guns can engage individual fighters or ships (Base Stars!), not both simultaneously, and may not engage missiles at Close Range.
Point Defence guns spray out ordnance in "curtains" of area fire into their fire arc, without targeting individual fighters and/or missiles (may NOT engage Ships).
Assign fire arcs to the 'Galactica' (I suggest 6, in line with the hex cards) but with the broadside arcs double-sized; so Front Port, Front Starboard, Rear Port, Rear Starboard, Port Broadside (double size), Starboard Broadside (double sized).
Long Range guns can track into any fire arc into which they can traverse - player choice.
Short Range Point Defence can never engage outside their own arc.
In the TV series, at the Battle of Ragnar Anchorage, 'Galactica' emerged from the storm and
immediately turned broadside-on to the Cylons, presumably to maximise the number of weapons she could bring to bear, both for offence and for defence.
Apollo advised the Viper pilots: "For Frak's sake stay out of 'Galactica's firing solution!", which to my mind implies that the Point Defence weapons will engage ANY small target in their fire "zone", friend or foe.
Having the Long Range guns targeting specific models and inflicting Asteroid chits sounds good, but could result in mass chit-draws which will bring the game to a halt.
Having the Point Defence guns inflict regular chits also sounds good, but the sheer number needed to be drawn and applied might be a problem?
My idea - have the Point Defence in a Broadside "zone" inflict, say, 30 chits, but have 5 chits
auto-destroy a single target, without needing them to be physically drawn.
Thus, if three Cylon Raiders enter the Broadside zone firing solution, they are all
automatically destroyed, without needing any chits to be drawn (3 x 5).
However, if the 3 Raiders each launch 2 missiles, there are now 9 targets (3 x 3) so they cannot all be auto-destroyed (this would need 9 x 5 = 45 chits).
The Colonial player might choose to auto-destroy all 6 missiles (6 x 5), and assign Long Range Guns to engage the 3 Raiders (drawing Asteroid chits).
The Cylon player would therefore need to position his Raiders and missiles in such a way as to swamp 'Galactica's defences, since penny-packet attacks will always fail.
The Colonial player will need to keep his Vipers out of harm's way - they will be engaged by 'Galactica's Point Defence!
If the number of targets in the broadside "zone" exceeds 6, the Point Defence should eliminate targets one by one, starting with the closest, expending 5 chits on each (without drawing them) regardless of whether they are Raiders, Vipers or missiles.
Obviously, if the Cylons can attack from one of the smaller "zones" they will face much less Point Defence fire, perhaps only 10 chits, so a smaller number of Raiders will be able to achieve some successes.
Idea #2
As above, but with "Dradis" fire control.
This would allow the Colonial player to allocate defence assets against specific, selected targets of his own choice, regardless of Range.
For instance, against a Cylon attack consisting of 3 Raiders, 2 missiles and 1 "Nuke" missile @ Long range, 5 missiles and 2 "Nuke" missiles @ Close range, a "Dradis" defence could allow 10 chits to kill the 2 Close "Nukes" (greatest threat), 5 more against the distant "Nuke" and the remaining 15 taking out 3 more Close missiles; Long Range guns can target the Raiders and the last 2 Close missiles ae allowed through to impact the ship, hopefully on the Armour.
Sorry to waffle on, but you
did ask for thoughts, and mine are a bit scatter-shot at the moment!
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