Battlestations Rules

Sounds good. I was looking at the Arkansas stats and realized that the monitor has a deeper draft than a Flushdecker. The DD has more freeboard though.

I am not sure how to limit the rule though. Should it be based on the draft of the original vessel or the displacement?

 

How about an application process? ie if you can convince other people like the tech officer, or half the club, that your ship needs extra depth, then you get the extra depth and a note is added to the ship list saying "this ship is allowed extra depth".

This way you avoid having unbuildable ships that are just outside the extra-depth limit that cannot compete with inferior opponents that are just under the extra-depth limit, like what sometimes happens in Big Gun.

 

That sounds reasonable. The whole Battlestations rules process is very much a work in progress. We can grandfather in things as needed after every thing settles.

 

We were discussing the hull window rules this weekend at the build session, and since we didn't have a copy of the rules we kind of winged it. I looked up our questions when I got home and discovered there are two items that the rules are silent on. I don't know where in the rules process we are, but I thought I would bring them up for discussion.
First, does the bow solid area follow the line of the bow, or does it have to be perpendicular to the waterline? For instance, the Baltimore uses a vertical bulkhead to define the back of the solid area and has plenty of area below the -1" line to keep the bow strong. However, on ships with less displacement depth and a raked clipper bow, (as we found on the Artemis) you end up with a very little hull left if you use a vertical line, creating a weak spot. Based on this observation, I recommend the rules allow the bow solid area to follow the forward line of the bow as in fast gun and Treaty.
Next, there is no rule that allows the builder to move the bottom of the windows to the 45 or 60 degree turn of the bilge in the back. Again, I think that if we follow the -1" line the whole way, there will be a weak spot in the stern, especially for low draft vessels. The Baltimore is set up for the 45 degrees and we also cut the windows for the Artemis on this line. So I'm recommending allowing the builder to follow the 45 degree turn of the build for the bottom of the windows.
So I don't know if these omissions were intentional or accidental but I'm interested in what people think should be in the rules.

 

Thanks, Tugboat!
BTW, those items were missing in the original Battlestations! ruleset, too. I mistakenly cut the Shimakaze's bow using the straight vertical line because of that, and then found out after talking to Joe Kutz that he meant for the rules to follow the bow. Then I started trying to build back up the Shimakaze's bow with fiberglass and West Systems Epoxy because my cuts had made the hull only 1/4" thick at the bow!

Carl

 

EDIT!! This post by Nikki has been moved to its own thread in an appropriate forum. Not to bust your chops, Nikki, just don't need to discuss that in the Battlestations rules thread k? Tugboat the Forum Fascist

 

OK, here's another rules question.

The rules specify what thickness of balsa to use based on the ship's armor, but do not specify if we are to silkspan one side of the balsa or both sides.

As I recall, Joe Kutz, the original founder of Battlestations!, was always for having silkspan on only one side of the balsa skin. However, I think Treaty does silkspan on both sides of the balsa skin.

So what should we use for Battlestations!? Silkspan on just one side, or on both sides?

Carl

 

Silkspan on both sides should be just fine. Putting it on the outside tends to leave a nice clean hole on the outside, even if balsa armor behind it gets knocked away (weakening that section of armor). Silkspan on the inside tends to reduce splintering, so the damage is more likely to remain in the area that was hit. Both of those effects become more noticeable with thicker balsa armor.

 

I agree with Clark and Eric for the reasons mentioned. I know that the Mogador and New Jersey were done on both sides and I think that the St. Goerge and Strausborg were too. The interior layer shouldn't stop any penetration that was going to happen anyway and should result in less re-sheeting.

 

At the Indiana build session, Bats was recommending we silkspan both sides. The outside for the reasons already mentioned, and the inside to limit the amount of debris getting sucked into the pumps...

Carl

 

Speed and maneuver in Battlestations.

• Can a multi-prop ship use variable thrust and direction from the different props to assist in maneuver?
• Speed controls, can systems be used to maintain speed in turns and such?

As automated systems are allowed in firecontrol, think of the above functionality as an automated helmsman looking after these functions.
Steve

 

Variable direction as in a pivoting prop mount? I would have to say no to that.
There is certainly plenty of historical precedent for using prop speeds to aid in turning. So that is fine with me.

Using a speed controller to maintain speeds while turning. Interesting concept but I don't care for that. Ships tend to scrub off speed in turns historically and I think the hobby should reflect that.

These are just my opinions and in no way official.

 

Interestingly enough, I do not see anything in the rules that would prevent differential prop speeds to aid in turning. Very very interesting ...

 

I think the differential steering should be allowed, real ships can reverse opposit shafts to try to help tuning, and seeing how I have a 111" battleship, I need all the help turning I can get

 

115" in the Big H-39's case...

 

I think with that beast a fleet of harbor tugs might also be advised.
OK, so I see differential steering being allowed. Caveats being that thrust from any individual prop cannot exceed max forward or reverse speed performance (IMHO). To me this makes sense as it's used in the real world. We call this tank steering or single stick mixing in the tank hobby.
A speed control to maintain speed in turns is not allowed as it circumvents real world performance. I'm ok with that...