Silent War - December '41 - Week 3

The first serious week of the war commences.

December '41 - Week 3

Strategic Segment

War Event: No roll on Ultra.


Triple "R" Segment:

• Pearl: Cachalot -> Repair 2

Operations Segment
Bad Torpedoes affect efforts this turn, although the sinking of a several good-sized Maru and the sheer number of subs on Patrol (35) gets the war off to a very good start.

Highlights of combat operations:

• In the Gilbert Islands, Tautog gives away her position early and undergoes attack from escorts. She is able to slip away, however, and lines up a shot on a 5T Maru, which is soon at the bottom of the ocean.

• In the Solomons, S-39 slips into a small convoy and lines up a 5T Maru. Unfortunately, no explosions are heard and the convoy disappears over the horizon, unharmed.
• In the Carolines,
• Sailfish finds a small unescorted group of Maru. The first attack run leads to a hit on a 2T Maru, but the torpedo fails to explode. Extremely poor work with the TDC prevents prevents any follow-up attack and a golden opportunity slips away.
• Sargo lines up a 15T Maru and scores a hit, however the torpedo only damages the target. Undaunted by the convoy's escorts, Sargo lines up a second attack on a 5T Maru, but gets the same result.
• Saury has better luck, sending a 5T AF to the bottom.

• In the Marianas, Sturgeon draws a bead on a small 1T Maru, but is let down by the torpedoes which either run too deep or fail to explode on impact. They do not, however, fail to attract the attention of escorts, which damage Sturgeon, forcing her back to port, where the damage turns out to be immediately repairable (Broom Box).
• In the Bonins, ASW forces and bad torpedoes wreak havoc on the submarines' efforts:
• Spearfish thinks herself lucky to find a small convoy with a 15T Maru, scoring a hit on the fat Merchatman, only to be let down by the torpedoes, which do no damage. Swarming escorts force Spearfish deep and depth charges damage the submarine, albeit not severely (Broom Box)
• Swordfish locates a smaller 3T Maru, but suffers the same cruel fate at the hands of defective torpedoes. In her case, a Betty swoops in unexpectedly, stifling any follow-up attack and damaging the sub enough that she has to return to base for minor repairs (Broom Box).
  

• The Marshall Islands provide the final successful chapter for the week.
• Salmon lines up on what looks to be a 2T Maru, and scores a crippling hit. As the rest of the convoy moves off, leaving the ship to its fate, Salmon surfaces to find that the ship was larger than it appeared, more like a 4T Maru.
• In a week where two 15T Maru escaped as a result of bad torpedoes, Skipjack gets the final word, sending the 15T Maru in her periscope to the bottom with a perfect spread of torpedoes, despite the presence of escorts and a less than perfect firing solution.

End of Turn Summary (Turn / Total)

• Subs on Patrol: 35 / 43
  
• Ships Sunk: 5 / 5
  
• Tonnage Sunk: 32 / 32
  
• Lost Subs: 0 / 0
• Damaged Subs: 3 / 3
  
• Dud Torpedoes: 6 / 6
  

Silent War - December '41 - Week 2

I have recently started playing Compass Games' Silent War. I have found the AAR's available interesting to read and instructive to differing degress (depending on the intent of the AAR).

While I don't have time to keep an extensive running commentary, such that it would help understanding of the rules (or help propagate my misunderstandings of the rules), I wanted to contribute my experience of what seems like a very interesting game.

December '41 - Week 2

Triple "R" Segment:

• Manila: Seadragon & Sealion -> Broom
• Pearl: Narwhal -> 2

Combat Phase
During the first turn, only TF contacts are allowed in general, so very little happens this turn. There are several TF contacts made, and a opportunities present themselves. However a combination of sub-standard TDC work insures that the Submariners do not score a single hit. About the only important thing that happens is a teeming of submarines into the shipping lanes, meaning that 35 submarines will be on patrol next turn.

End of Turn Summary (Turn / Total)

• Subs on Patrol: 8
  
• Ships: 0 / 0
• Tons: 0 / 0
• Lost Subs: 0 / 0
• Damaged Subs: 0 / 0
• Bad Torpedoes: 0 / 0

Update: New Blogger

Finally able to update this to the new version of Blogger. So from now on, instead of having to have a single monolithic post per game that I keep updating, I can do smaller bite-size updates and use tags to associate them with an individual game, and these tags can act as the Index of games for the site, a control you can now find on the right side bar.

I am hoping this will make it easier for me to update the site on a more frequent basis.

That said, as people I am currently playing games with will attest, my recent work schedule has been very hectic and I have been having trouble keeping up with the games, let alone the site.

I will slowly but surely migrate my current ongoing games to this format:

• Pax Romana, Sc.5 - 102
• Pax Romana, Sc.5 - 104
• Here I Stand - 105
• Here I Stand - 110
  

Pax Romana 104: Scenario 5 - Turn 2 (AM 5-8)

The East is up next as well.

• Major Move: Activate Elite 3-5 leader. He breaks an LI into 2 Garrisons, then sails to Seleucia in Asia Minor picking up 2HI. The force debarks in Myra, marches overland to Xanthus, where it reboards ships before sailing through Rhodes (paying 1T to do so) on its way to Crete. 1Gar and 1HI are dropped in Cnossos, while the other Gar and HI end the turn in Gorton.
• Minor Move 1: Build town in Cnossos.
• Minor Move 2: Build town in Cyrene.

Greece is up next, and with her turn comes a 7BI, with 2-5 leader, Barbarian Invasion from the German Tribes area. The Barbarians sweep south into the Danube, attackng the 4BI tribe in Virunum 3 times before finally eliminaing them with no losses of their own.

Greece, in her turn, recruits 2HI in Corinth.

Rome has the next AM.

• Major Move: Rome's streak of bad luck on movement rolls continues, activating the 1-5 leader in Rome but getting only 6MP. He resumes the assault on Tarentum, finally breaching the city walls at a loss of 2BI, reducing a Legion.
• Minor Move: Rebuild the Tarentum walls.

Greece is up again, her 3rd AM of the turn and this turn is accompanied by a Famine and Drought that affects Greece, reducing her stability to -2.

• Minor Move: Upgrade Corinth to a City.
  
• Major Move: Barbarian Army moves to attack the 4BI tribe in Coricum. The tribe repels their attack, losing 1BI against the Barbaains 2BI and the Barbarians move off to Mediolanum to lick their wounds.
  

Rebellion occurs in Carthage, and the fleet in Thapsos mutinies.

The East is up again, her 3rd and final AM of the turn (having lost one in the Baghdad Booty Call).

• Major Move: LI in Memphis embarks ships and sails to Myra.
• Minor Move 1: Build city in Cnossos.
  
• Minor Move 2: Build city in Arsinol.

(390)

Pax Romana 104: Scenario 5 - Turn 2 (AM 1-4)

Turn 2

Rome has the first AM, and it comes with Revenues and Stabilities which has no effect.

• Major Move: Activate 2-3 leader in venusia and attack Tarentum. Rome loses 2LG and Greece loses 3I and 1 Wall point. But Greece maintains control of the city and Rome does not have enough movement points to renew the assault.
• Minor Move 1: LG Rome to Venusia

Carthage is up next. A Traitor betrays The East, taking their remaining card to Carthage's hand.

• Major Move: Activate 1-3 leader in Merida. Leaving a garriso behind, the remaining force moves to Emporiae.
• Minor Move 1: Garrison in Barcino activates, but does not move.
  
• Minor Move 2: Cav in Thevestis move to Carthago.
  

Greece is up next and her emissaries reveal a Conspiracy in Rome, involving Rome's 2-5 leader. That leader is removed and Rome's stability drops by 1.

• Minor Move 1: Cav in Tarentum moves by sea to Dyrrhachium.

The East is up for the final AM. The reveal Galley Tech - Artillery Engines, which will raise the value of their Galley Squadrons to 3 from now on.

• Major Move: The 1-4 in Phasis activates. Leaving a garrison behind, the remaining force boards ships and sails to Phanagoria, where they drop 1G/1HI, and then to Heraclea, where they also drop 1G/1HI. Having occupied The Chersonese, they return to Nicomedia.
• Minor Move 1: Break LI in Cnossos to 2 Garrisons.
• Minor Move 2: Build town in Arsinol.
  

(340)