themattcurtis
02-22-2008, 08:25 PM
I wanted to ask folks for feedback on a house rule the local group wants to use with Dreadnought Rising. The current rules are great for actions involving a few destroyers per side (we tried our hands at the game for the first time last night and played two small WWI med actions). But we were hoping there could be a way to represent large flotillas -- while minimizing the paperwork. A flotilla would be represented by a single stand with 2-3 DDs. And the ideas we're batting around are below. I just want to see if you can see any major problems that would keep them from being suitable for what we're trying to do. The idea is that the pro is the ability to concentrate the firepower of your destroyers, while the con is that they lose some of the flexibility you get with single hulls.
The house rules may suck. But we'd appreciate any pointers that would help us simulate larger formations.
>
> Thanks
> Matt
Flotilla Rules
Movement
To represent the problems associated with command and control (coordinating the actions of multiple boats rather than a single destroyer), flotillas lose some of their maneuverability:
Flotilla Size Turn Mode Turn Deceleration
< 10 boats 180 deg max Treat as AC/CL
> 11 boats 120 deg max Treat as BB/BC
Target Size
Remains unchanged. Just because a single stand now represents a collection of small hulls, doesn’t mean that enemy gunners would have an easier time targeting a lone vessel. They’re still small, fast and nimble. Spotting also remains unchanged.
Structure and Floatation Rules
Base SDC is calculated by taking the value of a lone destroyer and multiplying it by n, where n is the number of hulls included in the flotilla. FDC is eliminated because damage has to be abstracted somewhat (it’s feasible to represent lost guns and torpedo tubes, but not to represent a list or flooding in an asset that includes multiple boats, there should be nothing that slows its speed as ships too crippled to keep up will drop out – represented in the lost guns).
So a flotilla of six Huszar class destroyers would have a base SDC of 18 (6x3).
10% SDC = 1.8
20% SDC = 3.6
40% SDC = 7.2
60% SDC = 10.8…………….
Battle damage is limited to a flotilla’s SDC. Torpedoes simply aren’t a viable target against such units. To compensate for this, any magazine hit suffered as a result of gun fire removes a number of SDC points equal to an entire hull on TOP of what has already been rolled. This might force a second series of rolls on the Structural Damage Table, but that’s OK.
Secondary guns from an armored cruiser inflict 5 points of damage on that Huszar flotilla. A magazine hit would inflict an additional 3 points for a total of 8.
Gun Batteries
The Firepower Rating is calculated by taking the value of a lone destroyer and multiplying it by n, where n is the number of hulls included in the flotilla. Then take that value and multiply it by .667, rounding to the nearest integer when you’re done. The idea here is that while the destroyers in the flotilla are assumed to be facing in the same general direction, there’s bound to be some disruption in that formation (a ship that’s just finishing it’s turn, fallen out of place or isn’t oriented in just the right way).
The difference is that the whole idea of arcs is discarded. This new, modified rating can be projected in any direction.
So a flotilla of six Huszar class destroyers would have a base Firepower Rating of 6x3 = 18 x .667 or 12.
Torpedoes
The number of torpedoes available is calculated by taking the value of a lone destroyer and multiplying it by n, where n is the number of hulls included in the flotilla (that Huszar flotilla would have 12). This is not reduced along the same lines as Firepower, because the destroyer’s only legitimate weapon against capital warships is its ability to launch torpedoes.
The house rules may suck. But we'd appreciate any pointers that would help us simulate larger formations.
>
> Thanks
> Matt
Flotilla Rules
Movement
To represent the problems associated with command and control (coordinating the actions of multiple boats rather than a single destroyer), flotillas lose some of their maneuverability:
Flotilla Size Turn Mode Turn Deceleration
< 10 boats 180 deg max Treat as AC/CL
> 11 boats 120 deg max Treat as BB/BC
Target Size
Remains unchanged. Just because a single stand now represents a collection of small hulls, doesn’t mean that enemy gunners would have an easier time targeting a lone vessel. They’re still small, fast and nimble. Spotting also remains unchanged.
Structure and Floatation Rules
Base SDC is calculated by taking the value of a lone destroyer and multiplying it by n, where n is the number of hulls included in the flotilla. FDC is eliminated because damage has to be abstracted somewhat (it’s feasible to represent lost guns and torpedo tubes, but not to represent a list or flooding in an asset that includes multiple boats, there should be nothing that slows its speed as ships too crippled to keep up will drop out – represented in the lost guns).
So a flotilla of six Huszar class destroyers would have a base SDC of 18 (6x3).
10% SDC = 1.8
20% SDC = 3.6
40% SDC = 7.2
60% SDC = 10.8…………….
Battle damage is limited to a flotilla’s SDC. Torpedoes simply aren’t a viable target against such units. To compensate for this, any magazine hit suffered as a result of gun fire removes a number of SDC points equal to an entire hull on TOP of what has already been rolled. This might force a second series of rolls on the Structural Damage Table, but that’s OK.
Secondary guns from an armored cruiser inflict 5 points of damage on that Huszar flotilla. A magazine hit would inflict an additional 3 points for a total of 8.
Gun Batteries
The Firepower Rating is calculated by taking the value of a lone destroyer and multiplying it by n, where n is the number of hulls included in the flotilla. Then take that value and multiply it by .667, rounding to the nearest integer when you’re done. The idea here is that while the destroyers in the flotilla are assumed to be facing in the same general direction, there’s bound to be some disruption in that formation (a ship that’s just finishing it’s turn, fallen out of place or isn’t oriented in just the right way).
The difference is that the whole idea of arcs is discarded. This new, modified rating can be projected in any direction.
So a flotilla of six Huszar class destroyers would have a base Firepower Rating of 6x3 = 18 x .667 or 12.
Torpedoes
The number of torpedoes available is calculated by taking the value of a lone destroyer and multiplying it by n, where n is the number of hulls included in the flotilla (that Huszar flotilla would have 12). This is not reduced along the same lines as Firepower, because the destroyer’s only legitimate weapon against capital warships is its ability to launch torpedoes.