War Games?

Has there ever been a war game played where there are two opposing grand admirals with two subordinate admirals wigh a taskforce each where each side has a shared map and a referee that knows where both sides are and if both side come with a pre determined distance there is a action between the two sides to play out a war. Has this been done before, if so how did it work out?

 

I imagine that would take a body of water you don't want to retrieve a sunken boat from

 

You could re-enact the Dogger Bank battles if you could find a 1 mile by half mile body of water, preferably 4 feet deep (fog generators optional)...

 

I have seen tabletop games played like this. Games played on a grand scale, with fog-of-war, grand commanders assigning forces to tactical commanders who fight the actual tactical-level battles, and can only communicate via messages. The youtuber Lindybeige made a video about one such game, played over a weekend with players from around the world. Very interesting stuff. But I don't think it would work well in our hobby. Playing on such a large scale requires enormous organization and huge assets, to properly represent the various fleets. And ultimately it would only result in just another battle with some extra administration.

 

I mean I have a tabletop game named victory at sea which can be played with warships from WWII and you can play certain missions where if something happens on one table it can affect how the other table plays it have everything from planes to aircraft carriers to subs and convoy ships. You can play a scenario where you can make fleets a head of time with a certain point value in mind (ie 500 or 1000) so you don’t know what the opponent will bring which kind of adds a bit to the fun of the game.

 

The encounters them self would be determined by map only if and when any of the fleets come with in a pre defined distance, when a action is going to happen battle it out, take talley the losses in a win/retreat/total annialation of fleet, go back to the map and continue on the war till the next action acounting for the losses and what ships are coming in to service by time, that sort of thing. In total 6 fleet admirals and the referee that is seeing a complete map with both sides.

 

Sounds interesting : )

 

Sounds like a combination of both?

Tabletop toy boats run around on a map, when 2 fleet detachments meet, send out the pond toys to battle it out to see who wins the skirmish between them.

 

I can see it a bit. If all the tabletop stuff was worked out before hand for like a smaller day battle. I don't know how you would include anyone that shows up later, didn't make it, or isn't apart of the tabletop actions, but maybe one battle bright and early to make up for that action. Unless it's just a few guys with a ton of ships that all have agreed beforehand and work out a few different actions before the next "phase" of movements happen.

It could work, but yea, I wouldn't want to have to sit and wait out, especially if the tabletop action is being done pondside. I suppose if you took the scores of just the ships involved for the tabletop action part, it would also kinda work. Still score every ship as if it was a regular battle and do all that, but have the tabletop campaign as like a side bet or something. that would probably be the easiest way to go about it, but could end up a mess at the same time.

would take a lot more planning and thought to do it, but I can see the vision

 

More of a map with tacticians standind over it with move and counter more sort of a D&D moderator to say that intelligence or scouting plains have spoted ships then commanders determine if they want to engage the enemy fleet, then everyone gos to the pond for the action.

 

This is a game a friend and I set up about 8.5 years ago, but never got to play: Back story: In May 1945, Captain of PE in Copenhagen was ordered to Surrender his ship. But before he can, Admiral Doenitz Sends Relief for him, with new Orders to Escape and Attempt a Break out to friendlies that are in the North sea just north of were she and Nurmberg are.

But before the new captain can carry out his orders, a RN task force let by HMS Dido, HMS Devonshire, HMS Savage, Iroquois show up with orders to escort the ships to Scapa flow naval base, NOT Germany as like the real event.

So PE and Nurmberg are forced to fight there way past the Allied cruisers to the open sea. But the one thing that forcing Admiral Helmuth Brinkmann hand, is the fact that he has the lives of both crews in his hands, however an old and welcomed face to Eugen's crew. As he was Eugen's first CO from when She and her larger brother Bismarck, tried to made a break out into the Altanic in May 1941. With Hans help can he be the biggest hero or will they be Re-captured!

This is the V@S game game. At a later date. Then the W@S game is set up like this: Waiting for them are there class sisters Admiral Hipper, Blucher for Prinz and Leipzig the smaller yet older sister to Nurmberg.. But blocking the exits out of the north sea is a massive allied fleet, centered around a cruiser force of USS Baltimore who us the US flagship, her sister USS Pittsburgh, HMS Exeter, USS Boise, HNMS Java, USS Atlanta, USS Juneau, USS Phoenix, USS Allen M Sumner, USS Cooper, HMAS Camberra, HMAS Sydney, HMNAZ Ajax, HMNZS Achilles, HMNZS Leander, HNLMS De Ruyter, USS San Diego, IFN Gloire, HNMS Sumatra, IFN le Terrible, how ever coming in from behind are HMS Dido, HMS Devonshire is the flagship of the British, HMS Iroquois, HMS Savage. In a pintcher move.

Group one will go after DKM Prinz Eugen, hipper and Blucher. That will be USS Baltimore, USS Pittsburgh, HMAS Camberra, USS Phoenix, HNMS Sumatra, USS Juneau, HMS Dido, HMNAZ Ajax, HMNZS Leander,HNLMS De Ruyte, USS Allen M Sumner, HMS Savage.

Then Group 2 will go after DKM Nurmberg and DMS Lipzig. That will be HMS Exeter, HMS Devonshire, HMS Iroquois, HMAS Sydney, USS Boise, USS Atlanta, USS San Diego, IFN Gloire, HMNS Java, HMNZS Achilles, USS Cooper, IFN Le Terrible.

But the super Destroy le terrible is Destroyer leader, with USS Pittsburgh be side her in the event that there able to capture the five ships intacted.. But the big question now is. Will the five ships be able to protect each other or will they all be sunk this is going to be another game by it self.. just bear in mind, if a pride driven game.
Nikki

 

Thats a cool idea, might be fun to hunt more rogue raiders in the Atlantic. Only problem is in real life, the allies would just bomb them into oblivion lol.

 

Nibble,
just bear in mind, its a pride driven game. A lot of the guys, on here that know me, know how i am with her.. but its still a pride driven game..
Nikki