Re: Small Ships--Why?

On Fri, 22 Jun 2001 10:38:26 -0500 "Galen Thies" <fldmrshl@hotmail.com>
writes:
>To the Wise and Venerable list,
<snip>
>When addressing ths problem, I find myself thinking about ocean 
>navies.  Why 
>can't carriers be armed to operate without escorts?  Perhaps in the 
>answer 
>to this question, an answer an be found to the game question.
>
Ever looked at the cost of a Nimitz?  Want to use one for picket,
patrol,
escort of a convoy?  

Ever wonder why the Battle ships were so seldom engaged in duels/battles
like occur in miniatures games?  Perhaps they were too
expensive/valuable
to be risked without great need?  

Watched a great amphibious campaign once (very early 1970's - home
brewed
game/research/development rules) where a player took over a minor power
when the original player quit the campaign - When he was promptly
attacked by a second tier power opponent, he ambushed the lone BB, an
'old' BC and all the Players 4 (?) CA's in a fjord (hey it was fantasy
WW2 but the principle works) at point blank range with a single 'almost
Long Lance' armed hidden fortress (The previous player expended research
points/years for the torpedoes but did not spend the research to make
them ship borne)  and multiple	SP 8" howitzer batteries.  It was all he
had;  Great torpedoes (land launched only),  reasonable CL's, a handful
of mediocre CA's, fast 4" armed DD's,  "Super Howitzers", and his MBT's
were Stuarts backed up by truck carried infantry and 57mm equivalent
ATG's!	His replacement rate was much better then even the larger
attacker's large ship yards (building Escort class ships took  less time
then Capital ships.)
 
The bait CA's, CL's and DD's were (all,  most, some) sunk by the
ambushee
but he withdrew the invasion convoy  (outnumbered and marginally
outclassed) and by the time he finished/replaced his big ships (Game
years) the original ambusher had finished the previous owner's pocket
battleship, mounted the torpedoes on ships, grew to a second tier power
by adroit battle and diplomatic (with the players) skills, developed
significant  manufacturing capacity, strung together an alliance of
other
minor powers to screen his home country, and was cranking out pretty
decent (improved) CA's in relatively large numbers (large enough to be
better then 1.5:1 with the original attacker who put 90% of his
resources
into building a second set of capital ships.) 

 The second invasion attempt did not need an ambush in a a fjord...  And
failed equally badly, if not worse.

In Game Terms:
The dreaded threshold check (even leaving out core systems from same)
with a 'cursed' die (perhaps the only time Beth rolls 6's??) syndrome.

If all you do is "xxx" points meeting engagements then the appeal to not
use small ships in a mix is understandable.

Of course their is always the scenario where the large ship being
'recovered' after a major accident/incident is attacked by 150% plus of
points worth of small ships...

Gracias,
Glenn/Triphibious
This is my Science Fiction Alter Ego E-mail address.

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