Wednesday, June 3, 2026

First Time At Sea With Torpedoes and Tides

 It took me a while but I finally put some boats on the table and took these rules by Thomas Brandsetter for a spin, and they were a lot of fun!

I started modestly, two British Fairmile MGBs (aka "Dog Boats" going up against two Kriegsmarine E-boats or S (for Schnell) Boats in the English Channel.  It was night, but rolling for the environment gave me two fog banks, a full moon on the south edge of the table, and one section of coastline.    Here the Germans, still on blinds, spot the first of the two Dog Boats, outside of gun range (torpedoes against such small craft would be pointless so it's all gun combat).



I was using earlier war stats for the S Boats, when they aren't equipped with bow guns, so the Germans turned broadside on as the British approached.   There was much inconclusive shooting.  The gunfire mechanics basically mean both boats roll a die, with apporpriate modifiers, and the side with the higher value either inflicts suppression or damage, or successfully defends.   I had forgotten to add the Combat Value of the ships (3 in both cases) to the results of the die rolls.   In T&T all ships have Traits or characteristics, and the S Boats have the Hard to Hit Trait, which means that sixes become ones.   This trait proved handy as the Germans, who were undergunned compared to the Fairmiles, evaded damage and both sides came away unscathed.

My 3D printed Fairmilles and the Skytrex German S-boats blaze away in the darkness.  The playing mat is by Geek Villain.



Having learned the basics of the spotting, moving, and combat rules, I ran out of time.  The undergunned Kriegsmarine ships raced off into the darkness.  

Most of what I've read of these coastal forces encounters was that they were quick and often bloody, but in this case everyone gets back to base with inflated stories of glory.
 


Next time I'll add some more boats and use the later war S Boat stats to make it a fairer fight vs the Fairmiles.   I have some larger ships in the dockyards so hopefully I'll put some fish in the water.

A fun and positive introduction to an interesting set of rules.

Blessings to your die rolls!

MP+






8 comments:

  1. Nice kit and AAR - I have models that I tried with Cruel Seas and am looking for something different .. these might be the ones

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  2. Actually I also have a collection of Skytrex like yourself!

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  3. Man, they look good! One can imagine all kinds of campaigns and narratives one can develop with kit like these!
    Cheers,
    Ion

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  4. Very nice ๐Ÿ‘ once you get hooked on boats you can easily get carried away , in my view ๐Ÿ˜‚

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  5. I'm liking yours and James' recent posts on boat/ship combat. I won't jump on another project, no not at all. (But I want to.)

    Good stuff mike, looking forward to more posts on this game.

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  6. Lovely looking table there Padre! Having built a nice collection of coastal forces, I'm still looking for good and fun rules - need to give these a go.

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  7. Very nice boats! Dog boats are tough customers... Glad you like the rules! Looking forward to seeing more of your collection.

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  8. This is splendid.
    Now you need some litko torpedo and flare markers! ๐Ÿ˜‰
    And dive into naval camouflage! ๐Ÿ™ƒ

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