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Diplomacy
Generated Wargame (First Campaign) - Fall Move '03
Battle for Venice Resolved Using a Hypothetical US Civil War Naval Encounter using Smoke on the Water Rules |
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Diplomacy
Generated Wargame (First Campaign) - Fall Move '03
Battle for Venice Resolved Using a Hypothetical US Civil War Naval Encounter using Smoke on the Water Rules |
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| figure 1 | figure 2 | figure 3 | figure 4 |
| Scenario & Objective | Game Narrative | Miniature Details |
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| figure 5 | figure 6 | figure 7 | figure 8 | figure 9 |
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Click flames for Diplomacy Map (This game was from the first camapaigb and is no longer showing in the campaign link) |
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The scenario was set up on a 9' by 5' ping pong table (fig 1) and was a muddy river running past a Union fort. The Confederate objective was to get supplies on barges pulled by tugs up the river past the fort. In acordance with the campaign rules, a decisive victory (meaning a side would win the Venice supply dot) for the Confederates (Austrians) required all barges to get safely off the other end of the table. For the Union, (Italians), a decisive vistory would be declared if all barges were sunk.
Smoke
on the Water rules were used. The forces were as follows:
| Confederate (Austrian)
Commanded by Tim Marshall |
Union (Italian)
Commanded by Joe (Italy) & Stu |
| USS Virginia
USS Fredericksberg Cottonclad sidewheeler gunboat (with pivot mounted medium smooth bore on bow deck) 3 tugs, each with bow deck mounted light rifled smoothbore 3 barges (pulled by tugs) |
USS Canonicus
USS John Paul Jones Monarch (Ellet Ram) 1 5 gun fort with super heavy rifled guns |
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| Smoke and Flame erupted on the Canals of Venice today as Union (Italian)
and Confederate (Austrian) forces exchanged iron. The two navies engaged
in a somewhat comical demolition derby while trying to move supplies to
the invading Austrian forces. Three barges loaded with supplies tried to
slip by a fortified Union (Italian) gun position. Escorted by three
men-of war, two casemate ironclads and one side-wheeler, the Confederates
(Austrians) charged forward to attempt to silence the fortification and
disperse the defending fleet.
While the tugs, their cargo, and the cottonclad took refuge from the guns of the fort behind a river bend, (fig 1) the ironclad CSS Fredericksberg took the wrath of one of the fort’s guns. The shots bounced off and the Fredericksberg soon put one of the river’s islands up as a shield (fig 2) and the angry fort (fig 3) turned its attention to the larger of the Confederate (Austrian) ironclads, the CSS Virginia (fig 4). The Virginia took considerable damage from the fort’s huge guns, suffering several critical hits that knocked out a gun (lucky shot through a broadside gun port), jammed the hapless ironclad in a starboard turn with a damaged rudder and holed the ship below the waterline. Although the fort burst its centre gun and had taken a large amount of damage from both the Fredericksberg, before it slid behind the island, and the Virginia, its remaining two front guns continued to pummel the Virginia relentlessly. The Fredericksberg exchanged some long range fire with the Union ships as they closed. Soon, the USS John Paul Jones came around an island (fig 5) and began to bear down on the turning Virginia. The Virginia responded by continuing in its locked turn to bring its port broadside armament to bear on the Paul Jones and its heavy bow gun to engage the fort. The Paul Jones took a lot of damage and had its port side-wheel destroyed. With its remaining paddlewheel, it careened headlong into the Virginia’s side, ramming it solidly causing little damage to itself (fig 6). However, the ships locked together and the Virginia suffered increased flooding…The Paul Jones had to break away or risk being dragged to the river bottom by the sinking Confederate (Austrian) ironclad. Closer to the fort, the USS Canonicus, followed by the Monarch, steamed toward the Fredericksberg (and the cottonclad, which put on steam and left the safety of the river bend, moving towards its comrades). Both ironclads were directly bows on; both captains roared for full steam ahead! A head on collision between these two leviathans was imminent! With the sinking Virginia likely to pull the Jones down with it, victory for the Confederates (Austrians) seemed within grasp! Alas, it was not to be…the eager captain of the cottonclad also put on full steam and maneuvered to loop around the Fredericksberg’s starboard in order to hit the Canonicus’s port broadside in concert with the Fredericksberg’s ram. However, he misjudged and collided with the Fredericksberg’s starboard quarter, locked, and the resulting tangle and the two cursing captains drove themselves onto the shore of an island in full view of the fort's guns! Just as they ran aground the Union (Italian) Monarch Ellet ram crashed into the side of the Confederate (Austrian) side-wheeler inflicting a mortal wound to its side (fig 7). Yet another Union ship was locked with a sinking vessel as the cottonclad began to sink very rapidly in the deep water around the island… The USS Canonicus, former target of the now stricken Fredericksberg and cottonclad, serenely sailed past the island jumble of snarled ships, untouched (fig 8). It began to close with the small barge pulling tugs (fig 9), its two heavy smooth bores glowing like infernal eyes bright with anticipation of a great feast… At this point the game was called…as an Italian decisive victory. |
All ships used were Thoroughbred miniatures painted by me, Dave & Sir Chrissems.
The river was coloured scrap cloth (from the Wal-Mart fabric scraps bin) covered with a sheet of vinyl (again from the redoubtable Wal-Mart fabrics department - it's the stuff commonly used for covering picnic and patio tables). Hills were made by April, and also fashioned from rolling grass mat over and around towels.
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Click flames for Diplomacy Map (This game was from the first camapaigb and is no longer showing in the campaign link) |
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