On His Majesty’s Naval Service – A Rule the Waves AAR

[grumbler]

Really entertaining read, grumbler. Thanks for writing this.

I see that the game lists Bs and BBs as different ship classes? I thought they were the same and they just added the extra B to differentiate them from BCs.

BBs are dreadnought battleships.  B are predreadnoughts.  That's a pretty standard gaming convention, but it has no historical basis. 

Historically, the US used B for all battleships until 1920, then BB after that.  The US never used BC.  The Lexington class were CB.

The RN didn't use hull signs for capital ships, just pennant numbers.  Thus, Hood for instance was just "51." Smaller ships used a single-letter designation. 

So, the game uses a modified classification system that is a wargaming standard because it is pretty clear.  I don't recall the first game to use the distinction, but it may have been SPI's old Flight of the Goeben.

[celedhring]

Fair enough, I have never played naval-centered wargames so wasn't aware of this convention.

[PDH]

Fun read.

[The Minsky Moment]

No alliances?

[The Brain]

No alliances?

Maybe in upcoming Inca DLC, even if its focus is small craft.

[grumbler]

No alliances?

Not yet.  They had alliances at game start (Russia/France and AH-Germany), but took them out before release.  In fact, they took out AH before release.  My feeling is that they made the move to a more sandbox free-for-all strategic campaign kinda late in the design process. 

[Alcibiades]

Feel unpolished or?

[Tamas]

No alliances?

Not yet.  They had alliances at game start (Russia/France and AH-Germany), but took them out before release.  In fact, they took out AH before release.  My feeling is that they made the move to a more sandbox free-for-all strategic campaign kinda late in the design process.

Not true. I have played AH several times already, and there are alliances.

[The Brain]

[katmai]

Really brainiac? 

[The Brain]

Really brainiac?

You think it can be settled by words?

[grumbler]

Not true. I have played AH several times already, and there are alliances.

I see now my error - the extant countries depend on which country you choose at the start.  If you play the UK, there is no AH, but at the start you can choose AH (in which case there is no Japan).  AH starts with a German alliance, I believe.

[grumbler]

1903  The Year of Peace

In January, we get news that the army isn't fairing so well against the French.  We in the navy are unsurprised.  Yes, it costs us something, but what's a hundred VP here or there?  Even a marginal naval victory will give us that.



The same month, though, the PM sees me about some peace feelers the French have extended.  I am torn.  On the one hand, it is clear that the French will not come out and fight a major battle, so the war cannot be won by decisive victory, and maybe we should end it.  On the other, we can't really lose the war and the war isn't harming the nation.  I opt for the middle ground; we will need to negotiate a settlement, but there is no hurry, and time is on our side.



Faced with our determination, the French capitulate.  We decide to push the French completely out of the South Pacific by taking New Caledonia and Polynesia.





There is a cost, though; the Navy budget, with the victory, gets slashed by $100 million annually, or about 1/3.  It is now the lowest it has ever been.  On the other hand, tensions are also lower than they have ever been.  Maybe the US and Russia will also cut spending.  I hope so (especially in the case of the US, because we can't keep up even the 3-battleships-building program with this budget. 





In April comes an "uh oh" in the form of vigorous US actions in Haiti.  I don't want a war with the US just yet, so pick the middle ground.  Maybe this will wake up the navy league.  The US backs down and tensions with the US rise by one to four.



By May, I begin cost-cutting measures to reduce the budget deficit.  I end the special gunnery training, stop the espionage campaign, and send the 16 oldest destroyers to the reserve fleet.  I also don't follow the last of the Agamemnon CL with a new design, and take a CL-building holiday (because 31 are in the fleet already). This gets me to within a sustainable budget deficit (my total surplus is still more than a month's spending, which isn't good in the eyes of the Exchequer).



The only other significant event this year is a December Liberal attack on the naval budget, which I rebuff, knowing that will raise tensions.  Tensions are low enough that I think I can afford this more than the loss of budget.



The end of the year sees the RN at a low for ship construction: 5 ships.  The two Edinburgh class CA are probably the last two CA I will be building for a while; their one knot speed advantage and 15% maintenance savings just don't seem superior enough to the Admiral class battleships to make them worth buying.



So ends a fairly quiet year.

[Syt]

Good stuff grumbler. Nothing to add, really, just enjoying the ride.

[celedhring]

I was going to ask how the land war component is abstracted in the game, but now I see it seems governed via events.

Anyway, great stuff. Eagerly awaiting for more