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General Discussion / Re: Some thinking on Naval Movement
« on: February 05, 2013, 10:34:25 AM »I don't know. I think you may be missing the bigger picture here. I have given this a lot of thought since I first saw this post.
"Better simulation of Naval Movement" may not be the best goal.
This game is basically a hugely improved version of Axis & Allies, with trade offs of longer play times for improved realism and historical simulation. That is a balancing act. I would love to play a big game of Europa, but I don't have an empty airplane hanger for the map or 8 friends who can take a month off to play with me. So, your two games are an excellent alternative.
When I think of WW2 naval engagements, I think of the Bismarck hiding in the thick fog off of the coast of Norway, trying to avoid the high seas fleet. Or the desperate battles of UBoats vs convoys and escorts, or the dash of the Gneisenau and Scharnhorst up the English Channel.
In the Pacific, it is a whole 'nother ball of wax. The constant hunting for the enemy, hoping to spot his carriers before he spotted yours, the battles of Midway, or the nighttime raids up the Slot in Guadalcanal.
What you REALLY want to recreate is the excitement of those kind of things.
In the European and Mediterranean theaters, increasing the movement to 4 makes sense.
I would replace the "Snap Fire" rules with an Interception system, instead. Say, add the number of ships trying to intercept, to the number of ships trying to "slip by", and roll that on a d12 or less to successfully intercept. It would be easier to slip past a few pursuers with a few ships than to have two Giant Fleets slip past each other. You could add planes that can exert a ZOC into the interception sea zone to the roll. You have one or two places that have modifiers, like the North Sea.
In the Pacific, I would almost suggest a Fleet Marker system, with a certain number of "Dummy" fleets available. You could have search rolls to determine what is or is not inside of a fleet marker. I would almost suggest specific long-range search planes added to the mix, like Catalinas and Mavis and Emily Flying boats.
Just some random thoughts...