Limits on MB guns in Big Gun

Beaver, the pocket battleships are among the few heavy cruisers I would consider running. They have almost all of the disadvantages of the Baltimore, except for two. They have 11" (7/32") cannons, which makes it easier to damage thicker armor or below the waterline. She is 6" shorter, which actually makes her smaller and a bit easier to transport, store, and launch than the Baltimore (which was the essentially the same length as the SoDak). The stats don't show it, but they are a bit built a bit tubbier, I think, which makes it easier to work on. The downside is that they are slow (28 knots), with middle weight armor and less pumps, so they can be caught and eaten up by battleships, same as I said for the Baltimore.

I have seen them built with two rotating triples and torpedoes, with two rotating triples, and with a single rotating and a single fixed triple. The more stuff crammed in there, the harder it is to get them to operate reliably and perform maintenance and patching. The boat with the fixed triple was the most reliable, because it didn't have a rotation mechanism jamming up the cramped aft end. I would personally build one with a single rotating triple up front, but only if I were planning another battleship after that. It would be a stepping stone to learn from, then use as a relatively simple loaner boat or for gunnery and maneuvering events. The single rotating gun handles just like a battleship so you can learn how to fight, but leaving the aft turret unarmed keeps the cramped aft end clear to simplify the systems and make it more reliable.

Are they good starter boats? Yes, but mostly for smaller clubs or those getting started. They are a great learner boat, a stepping stone to greater things. They can then get passed along to the next new guy, either sold or as a loaner. They struggle to find a place on the battle pond in larger clubs with a larger population of battleships and torpedo boats, both of which like to snack on pocket battleships.

Gunner, if there are no clubs near you , you can start one. It's not easy, but it can be done. A good start would be getting a fiberglass hull from Strike Models. They don't have a SoDak, but they've got the North Carolina. North Carolina was the class just before the SoDak, and is almost identical. The other possibility is to scratch build a SoDak, but that is a very big challenge if there is nobody near you to help and provide advice.

 

Battler's Connection makes a SoDak hull (if you want one) http://www.battlersconnection.com/html/southdakota.html

 

I think sometimes people forget about Battler's Connection because Stephen & Keri are so cool, and have a splashier website.

 

So, the Lutzows are the better, smaller ships, right? I'm probably going to stick with torpedo destroyers and such. They're a lot simpler.

Beaver

 

For most folks new to this sport/art/insanity/addiction I would suggest that your first boat should be a simple cargo ship. Cheap/simple/easy/cheap....did I mention cheap. Learning how to avoid getting sunk is pretty important regardless of the class of ship you build later on. Learning how to manoeuvre your boat, how ships react to rudder movements, getting over the idea of getting sunk is also very important. Your first ship will be rough, if not down right ugly, but being a target, oh well - it won't matter.

After this you'll have enough experience of the various ship types out there to make a good choice. I would consider a larger cruiser or smaller battleship to be a good second ship to build. Stick with the main guns only....at first, then if you're into "Big Guns" and you are certifiably crazy, demented and have more spare money than you know what to do with.....you can look into arming everything!

Seriously. Get on the water! The quickest and easiest way to do that is with a transport/cargo ship. Get a feel for the sport/hobby and get a chance to drive other ships before you decide. A capital ship is a big investment in both time and money - well worth it, but be realistic about what you want and what you can do. You don't put a capital ship together overnight. And most important of all....remember this is supposed to be FUN!!

 

Good advice for those going Big Gun. Fast Gun rulesets generally have much less expense (and far fewer uses for convoy ships), so for those, building a heavy cruiser ("CA") or battlecruiser ("BC") are generally considered the best way to start

 

Another thought on this matter. If you start with a cargo ship, remember that it was very common for merchant's to be armed with a small bow and stern deck guns. So it is well within the realm of the game to arm a cargo ship. Not sure how much damage you might actually be able to inflect on an attacking warship but flinging a bb back in defiance now and again be entertaining to watch if nothing else.

 

It's always more fun to shoot back, no matter the caliber. In the latter part of WWII, USN ships were commonly armed with as many as four 5" guns. In Big Gun, that means you can arm something like the Cimarron or other large auxiliary ship with as many as 4 bb guns. If you work out the mechanics of reliability, that means you could - in theory -fire 4 bbs every 4 seconds. I eventually scrapped the forward rotating guns on my Cimarron below, but kept the rotating cannon in the stern. I've had a lot of fun over the years with it.