Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Battleship Turning Circle and Movement Gauge

Here's how ships are manoevred in my Cotton Wool Ball Wargame.

Ships have four speeds apart from Stopped. Full, Three Quarter, Half and Quarter Speed.

Ships can only use Full Speed a few times (usually three) in a game. The Captain has a Full Speed card(s) which he must hand over when Full Speed is ordered. Ships normally steam at Three Quarter Speed.


Engine damage will incremently reduce the speed options available to Captains.

When a turn is ordered the Turning Circle (actually an octagon) is placed in line with forward edge of the ship base, red for turns to port and green for starboard.




The ship is then moved round the Turning Circle according to the speed the ship is capable of steaming. Sharp eyed observers will note that a ship can only complete a full reversal of course at Full Speed.







Movement ahead is fairly straightforward (no pun intended).




Leading to something like:





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6 comments:

  1. Fitz-Badger22 February 2012 at 01:55

    I love the look of your ships, as well as the various "play-aids"! It all looks like great fun and simple (in a good way). Would certainly draw me in if I were wandering around a convention trying to find a game to play. And I've never really had much interest in naval games.

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    1. Jim Duncan Wargamer22 February 2012 at 10:59

      My routine playing group is 4-5 strong and this game needs 12 Captains. I don't recall having difficulty finding enough players to take part.

      So yes it is different enough from a 'normal' wargame to attract interest and participation.

      Jim

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  2. David Crook22 February 2012 at 05:33

    Hi Jim,

    Love those models - they really capture that period feel of what a warship looked like. They just look, I dunno, Victorian! The blast/hit markers are also a neat idea and I may well have to 'borrow' the concept!

    Any plans to expand the fleets at all - perhaps with some other ship types?

    All the best,

    DC

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    1. Jim Duncan Wargamer22 February 2012 at 11:08

      Hi David

      Feel free to 'borrow' any of my ideas, they cost nothing to enter my head in the first place. I do like to share them just as much as I will 'borrow' good ideas from other players.

      I don't have any plans to expand this particular collection. They seem to have met a dead end in my aspiration for something better.

      I did try upscaling one of these ships to more like a 'dreadnought' but once I got the hull made I was disillusioned by its overall size and the effect it would have on the playing area.

      My next effort in this area will no doubt involve magnetism. I am a dab hand at magnetising my figure collection using magnetic tape and steel paper although I may use these little powerful magnets that are available these days.

      Watch this space.

      Jim

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  3. Bluebear Jeff22 February 2012 at 21:39

    The neodymium magnets are great . . . just be warned that you will probably need to glue them into the hull so that they won't "jump" to each other.


    -- Jeff

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    1. Jim Duncan Wargamer22 February 2012 at 22:44

      Thanks Bluebear

      I'm kinda aware of the attractive power of these magnets already. I will have to perform some tests to see how much they mutually interfere with each other. If, for example, I have two turrets, a bridge and two funnel sections with a magnet embedded in each so that the hull will also have five magnets in various locations will the overlapping magnetic fields have a detrimental effect on the placing of each piece.

      I will tell all when I get there.

      Jim

      PS

      Hope you are better now after your recent health scare!

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