Re: strike the colors rule

Continuing this a little further--an extreme example:

A German cruiser during Jutland (can't remember the name) was basically
knocked out of action (severely reduced speed, most weapons not
functioning)
but even though it was passed (and shot at) by just about every Brit
ship,
it continued to fire when it could--and even ended up sinking a Brit
vessel
via torpedo--until it finally sank the next day.  Or something like
that--read about the incident in a 1980 book called "Cruisers."

Either a perfect example of a vessel making all its morale rolls or a
good
example of why not to use morale rules for "modern naval" combat.  I
prefer
the latter (and to write victory conditions that force players to behave
wisely with regards to losses).

Rob

----- Original Message -----
From: "Beth Fulton" <beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au>
To: <gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2001 5:44 PM
Subject: Re: strike the colors rule

> G'day guys,
>
> Derek was interested to here about this thread as he's been reading
some
> naval history just recently, so he's asked me to pass this along to
you.
>
> Enjoy
>
> Beth
>
>  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>  >>Striking colours (suggest a check every turn at last hull box and
get
>  >>damaged - score must equal the number of hull boxes left, but a 6
always
>  >>fails)
>  >No, no, a thousand times no. I hate this rule. This is not the
wooden
>  >ships and iron men era. How many ships "struck their colors" in
>  >WW1 & WW2? And what do you mean "a 6 always fails"? That
>  >they surrender on a 6? This would be way way too often. Our games
>  >have had people flee when on the last roll of hull boxes and have a
>  >working FTL drive, but this is at the player's discretion and not on
a
>  >fluke of a die roll. Make it a 2D6 possibility and I MAY accept it.
>  >I'm glad it's optional because I ain't playing with it as is.
>
> Recently I just finished reading a book from the state library (sorry
I
> forget the title, it was a couple of months before Christmas) on the
> development and evolution of the battle fleet which made a interesting
> observation. At the beginning of the WWI the Royal Navy was surprised
by
> the behaviour of the German Navy, the British were prepared to accept
a
> surrender if the Germans struck their colours during an action. But
the
> Germans with something to prove to the Royal Navy weren't about to
strike.
>
> Just because it didn't happen, doesn't mean it never will, but why is
this
so?
>
> For instance, one reason the striking of the colours may have become
less
> prevalent was because of the advance in technology, the replacement of
> wooden hulls and solid shot with armour plate and explosive shells.
Ships
> like HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship were difficult to sink. Shot from
> cannon fire would puncture the wooden hull with little structural
damage
to
> the ship itself, but the effect of splinters and the like plus the
passage
> of the cannon ball inflicted grievous damage on the crew. Once enough
> causalities were inflicted a captain of a ship wouldn't have enough
crew
> left to fight the battle, so he had little choice, strike the colours
> withdraw from the fight and tend to the wounded. So through accident
or
> design the weapons of Nelson's day were man killers but by WWI they
were
> designed to defeat the armour plate protecting a enemy hull and
explode
> inside it wrecking the ship. Not much chance of surrendering there.
>
> Derek
>
> Derek Fulton
> 12 Balaka st.
> Rosny, Hobart.
> Tasmainia, 7018.
> Australia
> Phone; (03) 62459123
> Email; derekfulton@bigpond.com
> URL: http://www.users.bigpond.com/derekfulton/
>
>
>
>