Russo - Japanese War Action

public domain

The wishful thinking of Russian propagandists...!

I've had a soft spot for pre-dreadnoughts since I first laid eyes on them; probably because they look like some kids made them from random bits of legos!  The inventive, unusual and even experimental ship styles are interesting to look at, while [depending on the rules] the various limitations of the weapons involved can make for some tough player decisions and interesting fights.

Also, the shorter ranges and slow speeds of pre-dreads means they can realistically fit onto a smaller table with an easy-to-manage time / distance scale. It can be tough to get a battleship with a 36,000m range fighting on an average gamer's table!  Pre-dreads are a bit more friendly, altho ironclads and age of sail are even more friendly, of course.

Even though the most famous naval battle was a disaster for the Russkies, hey, it didn't have to be that way... turn the lights out on those hospital ships for starters! Well, there may have been a few other problems, also.  Still, as a full naval campaign, the Russo-Japanese War  of 1904-5 is quite dynamic and complex, and both sides skillfully scored some victories through a variety of creative means.

My long-term weekly miniatures club has one person who agrees with me. Dave has decent fleets for both sides, and has been experimenting with various rules dynamics and mechanics for a while. This was his latest offering.

It was something of a running fight, with the Russians - in the distance, top - trying to circumnavigate a Japanese fleet - bottom - among an island group. I always pick Russians for their unpronounceable ship names, lacklustre quality, and the low expectations that go with picking the underdog. Still, the bigger the challenge, the more credible the genius if you win!   Plus, I like vodka more than saki, so when the battle goes south, my admiral has a palatable way to wash away his woes as well as his career. 

Above, the Russian cruisers are trying to keep the Japanese from engaging their battle ships. Unfortunately for the cruiser squadron, the Japanese take the bait!

Below, a Japanese battleship squadron supporting a cruiser attack on the Russian cruiser squadron - an island appears just to the right.

Below, return fire on the Japanese has mixed results. Next to the island, boldly handled Japanese torpedo boats lurk to keep the Russians from closing in on the Japanese cruiser squadron. Japanese gunnery being better, they will likely win the dual. Overall, the Russians are struggling with a complicated situation.

Below, most of my Russian cruiser squadron, and a stray battleship apparently beached to prevent sinking. We did take out a Japanese Armored Cruiser, which will be the highlight of my report to the Czar!

The ships are interestingly based on plastic Games Workshop cavalry slotta bases, 25mm x 50mm. This does make it a bit easier to pick them up. The water is cleverly printed from a picture of actual ocean printed in color! The wakes were painted on with white, and look quite realistic, IMHO.

The rules were a modified version of Brian deWitte's "When Dreadnoughts Ruled the Seas". Brian is a great guy and Dave the host had met him at a game he through at Historicon several years ago.  The rules are a good balance of crunchy and abstraction. Dave modified it for hexes and a bit more simplification of gunnery and a couple other things. For an occasional game on a weeknight, it was tough for some of the non-naval buffs to follow. In my opinion, game periods that rely on technical ability are tough to get right: the balance of technical differentiation makes the ships and period what it is, but players get confused by the arcane terminology.

Overall, the game was fun, but a bit too streamlined for me - I like naval games to be plenty crunchy, as that gives them good feel.  I don't like detail for detail's sake, or just to prove we know something. Details need to fit into the command level of the game, and illustrate critical differences in ship design and crew quality. But if it gets too simple, it may be tough to notice what period it is at all, which is not what I'm after..."a battleship is a battleship is a space battleship is an aeronautical battleship..." etc.

Just looking at these pics has me checking out my old Spanish-American war project. I like the boutique nature of the Avalanche Press naval games, they fit into a small space and don't take that long to play out. The abstraction does remove the maneuvering details, but replaces it with a "leadership skill" test that determines if one will fight at close or distant ranges.  That was a neat design trick. I may have to pull those out of a box at some point soon!

So...we'll see what happens next time, Adm. Togo!  Meanwhile, I toast you with the last of the *unbroken* vodka as the ship tilts slowly on its side...