Der Tag (Minden Games) : The Holy Grail of WWI North Sea HSF v GF Wargaming is found!

For the better part of thirty years I have been searching and experimenting with various rule systems that allow me to play WWI naval games, specifically North Sea actions between the Royal Navy (RN) Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet (HSF). This encompassed and included a vast fleet of 1/3000 Navwar ships (the Jutland Battle Pack and much. much more [ahem]) for use with General Quarters (I and II). I have acquired a shelf load of books and various boards games (Avalanche Press - The Great War at Sea Vol II - The North Sea and the Baltic and SPI Dreadnought to name two). There is the History of Wargames project's reprint of Fletcher Pratt's rules, a copy of "Si Vis Pakem" (Prof David Manley's WWI rules), an old copy of A&A's Sea Wars [1894-1945] and teh Jutland scenario booklet, XTR's Command Magazine Jutland zip-lock game and many other things I bet I have forgotten about, but all of which make me think "Jutland". The wilderness years are now over as Minden Games "Der Tag" officially does it for me (see below, a simple and brilliant game, designed originally as a solitaire game, but it was cleverly expanded by a ingenious friend to a multi-player system which we played over Zoom for myself (as Admiral Scheer) and some friends as the various RN "fleets" [most of the Grand Fleet at Scapa, some Grand Fleet elements at Cromarty Firth, at Rosyth the BCF and the "Wobbly Eight" of the Dover Patrol]):   

It is a high level operational game, German action cards initiating missions but there is a huge emotional buy-in during combat, from a simple but effective combat system that "gets it right". It is set in the 1916 Jutland year and plays for four turns of nerve racking play. We ran the game twice on consecutive days, each game lasting just over an hour of playing time. It was also a great conversational piece and highly entertaining to play as everyone got into teh mood. I can only say "I highly recommend it to you" if you are of a similar disposition as myself to WWI naval warfare. I just wish I had found it sooner! Please also see Board Game Geek's review (and if you get it, enjoy the solitaire version, but do think about translating it to a multi player version to spread the joy): 

• https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/316075/der-tag-1916-solitaire-ww1-naval-game

Footnote: My WWI naval addiction. I must also give a shout out to Paul Hague's two books of naval wargame rules. The first I discovered as a teenager in the Public Library and I ended up making 1:3000(ish) WWI ships out of bits of balsa wood (looking back I am amazed at the fortitude and ambition of that young man, I think I got the BCF, 5th BS and 1st SG of the HSF). The second book was purchased some twenty years later and was a welcome reunion to somebody returning to his hobby's "second life" in his late twenties. 

Board Game Geek Comments: 

• https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3168818/der-tag-is-der-game
• https://boardgamegeek.com/video/542479/der-tag-1916-solitaire-ww1-naval-game/coffee-with-kilroy-panzerschreck-issue-17-fall-202

Notes to self for WWI Naval Historical Scenario: December 15/16th 1914, TheScarborough-Whitby-Hartlepool Raid

The Phases of Battle (Sequence of Play)

Stage 0: The Scenario Set-Up and Historical Conditions

German Forces:

1st Scouting Group:

• Position: In Enemy Home Waters 
• Mission: Bombardment (Hartlepool/Whitby/Scarborough)
• Screening Force Cruiser/Destroyer (Alert)
• Battle Cruisers Status (Alert)
• Weakness: Dispersed Formation (Hartlepool, Whitby, Scarborough)
• Incorrect Assumption: High Seas Fleet will stand and fight

High Seas Fleet:

• Position: Distant Covering Force: Distant (Home Waters)
• Screening Force (Alert)
• Battle Squadrons (Complacent)
• Weakness: "Do not engage superior forces order"
• Weakness: Withdraw in face of superior or equal foe

German Intelligence: 

• Weakness: Complacent, over confidence
• Weakness: Assumption "No Battle Cruiser Force (BCF) or Grand Fleet (GF) at sea"
• Zeppelins (Inactive)
• Submarines (Inactive)

RN Forces

RN Intelligence: 

• Status (Active)
• Room 40 Advanced Warning of German Raid (Jellicoe)
• Weakness: Thinks HSF in Jade

Early Interception Force Battle Cruiser Fleet (BCF): 

• Position: Distant (Closing)
• Screening Force Destroyers/Cruisers (Alert)
• Battle Cruisers (Alert)
• Restriction: "Do not enter enemy home waters order"
• Special Ability: "Pursuit of 'Enemy Fleeing' override"
• Weakness: Rashness "Close with enemy"
• Weakness: Poor Signalling

Covering Force: Grand Fleet (GF):

• Position: Distant (Closing) 
• Screening Force Destroyers/Cruisers (Alert)
• Battle Squadrons (Alert)
• Weakness: Partial Deployment of 2nd Battle (Warrender) Squadron only
• Weakness:  "Do not enter enemy home waters order"
• Weakness: Submarine/Torpedo Trap Fear
• Weakness: Mine Trap Fear
• Weakness: "Do not needlessly endanger Grand Fleet"

Local Defense Force Land (Hartlepool):

• Advantage: Heugh Battery Gun camouflage
• Weakness: Complacent Status
• Weakness: Recognition - German Ships Assumed RN
• Local Defense Force Naval (Hartlepool)
• Destroyer Patrol at Sea (Alert)
• Cruiser Force in Harbour (Complacent)
• Submarine Force in Harbour (Complacent) 

Stage 1: German Advanced Penetration

• Forces Identified/Engaged 
• Mission Start Point - Local Defense Activation
• Naval Patrol (Destroyers)
• Turn Restriction (Iterate) to Achieve Mission Objectives
• Bombardment Damage Counting
• Defensive Shore Battery Fire
• Naval Force Escalation (Cruise/Submarine)
• Cessation of Bombardment

Stage 2: The Chase

• Initial Position - BCF Light Forces v 1SG Light Forces
• Screening Rolls for Contact (Visual)
• Strategic Map Positioning
• Command Dice Activation
• Tactical Map Positioning
• Simultaneous Movement
• Fate and Weaknesses

Stage 3: Tactical Engagement

Possible Outcomes of the The Engagement Phase
Repeat sequence until break out of loop

• Fight/Movement
• Force/Asset Commitment
• Gunnery
• Torpedo
• Morale/Confusion Status
• Tactical Orders
• Tactical Movement
• Break off (beyond visual contact)

Stage 4: Strategic Movement

• Chance to Evade or to Escape
• Return to The Chase Strategic Map
• If no Escape (break contact) implies chance to Escalate or End of Strategic Play and game
• Return to Stage 2: The Chase Screening Rolls for Contact (Visual)

To be continued: Solitaire Decision-Making Process considered  

Any comments or thoughts (including requests for more explanation) on the above appreciated ;)

2013 Reflections and 2014 Resolutions and Predictions

2013 Reflections

Last year seemed to be a WW2 themed "project year", aka 'Battalion Attack' (from  Phil Sabin's, Simulating War) and finally painting my platoon of Platoon 20 late war British Infantry - which tied in nicely with the "Chain of Command" rule set I picked up from the Two Fat Lardies. One frustration of 2013 was too few quality wargames taking place during the 52 weeks and how long it took to learn 'Battalion Attack' and in turn spread the knowledge out to half a dozen fellow wargamers (we never got past the learning scenario in the book) and then get on to road test it with randomly generated scenarios (still a WIP continuing for 2014).

Even more remiss was the opportunity to do a comparative study against other miniature rule sets (Command Decision, Spearhead, WWII BattleFront and BGC).However the project has built up its own momentum that should be able to do this in 2014.

2014 Resolution and Predictions

Having said all the above I seemed to have acquired in 'dribs-and-drabs' during the year a fair amount of miscellaneous wargaming material in the process had a rather 'naughty' (guilty secret feeling) as my eye falling on three boxes of 20mm WWII and Modern models bulging out my loft space when I was digging out the Xmas decorations. So I need to make or discard, so my first resolution is to .. make (not necessarily paint) all those AFV kits still boxed this year or discard then to a better home (shock horror eBay). 

What follows naturally enough on from this is my first prediction that 2014 will become the year of the spray can (undercoating at least all the above and perhaps going as far as to lay down a base shade too), perhaps going as far as mastering the Army Painter painting technique

My second resolution is to assemble the few 28mm plastic Ancients (Impetus), Dark Ages (Saga) and Renaissance (Impetus) figure kits I have

My third resolution (on a roll now) is to stage The Fist Battle of Mantinea (418 BC) in 15mm using BBDBA rules, then convert my Ancient wargaming games to Phil Sabin's "Lost Battles/Strategos 2" for a more historical/realistic or sophisticated game. Related Note: An interesting solitaire board game I have is The Peloponnessian War from Victory Games which I hope to semi-automate the game process with my computing skills.

My forth resolution is to also return to a WWI (North Sea BCF Battles) and WW2 (Pacific/Med cruiser battles or a "Sink the Bismarck" hide and seek) naval theme and play with my little ships :)

Naturally my second prediction is that anything past the first New Year's resolution should be viewed as a complete and unexpected bonus ;)