Anti-Submarine Warfare #1
An Alfa class submarine performs a ‘move and attack’ action
and moves two zones, crossing the SOSUS line. Per the SOSUS Line rules, NATO can interrupt the move and either roll a single die or roll a unit’s
normal amount of dice +1.
NATO wants to kill the Alfa, so decides to roll 4 dice with
Churchill. The rolls are 1-5-8-9. Adding Churchill’s Tactical
Value of +1 to each roll, two hits are scored (8 becomes 9 and 9
is already a hit – Alfa has a defence of 9). Normally this would
cause two step losses, killing Alfa, but she has the save notation
(large circle around her defence value)
which allows a 6+ roll against each hit to cancel it (representing
her great speed and deep diving capability) The Soviet player rolls
two dice – 5 and 7, cancelling one hit. Alfa is flipped.
Now, Alfa can attack. The reduced side of the counter has an ASW value of 1, so one die is rolled. Alfa rolls an 8, which has no effect (a 9 would be required to hit Kobben, or a 10 to hit Churchill. Alfa and Churchill are both Spent.
Detection of a Task Force Task Force Hammer moves into a zone containing a RORSAT during movement. The RORSAT rolls one die on the Task Forces Detection Table, rolling a 4 which is “Poor detection. May upgrade any Poor to Good. Placed by TF owner unless upgrading”.
No detection can be upgraded (from Poor to Good) since there are no Detection markers. Therefore, the TF owner can place a Poor detection. If there were more than one Task Force in the zone, there would be a choice as to which to give away. Since there is not, TF Hammer is marked ‘Poor’ detection. A Poor detection reveals the presence of a Convoy and an F-8 Fighter. With this information, the Soviet knows that there is a French carrier but no US carriers (due to RADAR intercepts).
Maritime Patrol detection and CAP Response The Soviet knows that a Good detection gives positive modifiers to all attack types and so in the Soviet player’s next action, a Bear-D is flown to the zone. The F-8 may perform CAP prior to the Bear resolving its mission.
The F-8 will use ‘Fighter vs Maritime Patrol’ combat to try to shoot down the Bear. It rolls its number air to air dice (1) minus 2 dice, but to a minimum of one. So, one die. To this, it will add its Tactical Value of +0, so an unmodified die. The die is a 9, which causes the Bear to lose one of its two dice when searching – the Bears are put off by the F-8’s constant harassment. Following this, the Bear rolls a 3 (with only one die instead of two) on the Task Forces Detection Table. The Poor detection can be upgraded to Good. This causes the Task Force make-up to be revealed. The Bear returns to its base and is marked Spent.
Submarine attack against a Task Force
A Victor II submarine moves to attack the task force and will roll
its two dice on the ‘Submarine vs Task Force Attack Table’,
adding one extra die for the Good detection.
The rolls are 5-6-8. The 5 is a miss and is discarded. The 6 is a hit
but can be upgraded because of the (H) super heavy torpedoes
carried by Victor to ‘PM / Amph / Con’. And the 8 is the same
result. This will allow two hits to the Convoy or any other noncapital
ship in the Task Force.
Before hits are allocated the Task Force can defend itself – we
add the ASW value of all the ships present 1-1-4=6 and then
add +2 for the carrier’s helicopters for a total of 8. This generates
three dice each with no DRM.
The dice are rolled and the result is 2-7-8. no die is high enough
to kill the Victor, but any roll of 8 or above is a ‘disrupt’ which
allows the TF to force to choose and cancel one attack die. The
TF removes one of the dice that will produce a hit – so the TF
succeeds in scaring away a Victor and disrupting its attack. The
remaining hit can be allocated by the Soviet player who chooses
to take out the excellent US-7 ASW unit which has only a
single step. This will allow further submarines to face less ASW
opposition. The Victor is marked Spent.
Two Regiment Missile Attack on a Task Force
Two Backfire regiments are attacking a US Task Force at range 3. The F-14’s roll 1-6-8-10, with a +2 modifier for their Tactical Value. That is two hits scored, since 8+2 = 10 and one natural 10 result. If the Task Force been marked Good detection, the strike air would receive a 6+ save against each hit, but because they are not there is no saving throw – For the 10 result, the Soviet flips a Backfire and that step does not attack (a natural ten means the unit was caught with missiles still on the rails!) Since the flip side of a two-step backfire is 3 missiles at range three the counter only attacks with 3 missiles. For the 8+2, the Soviet player flips the other Backfire (or could remove the flipped one) but as it’s not a natural 10 this takes place after the missiles are launched.
That’s 9 missiles in the air. Additionally, the roll of a 1 with F-14’s shoots down one incoming missile, so there are now 8 missiles. This can be tracked as you calculate with the appropriate Missiles marker. NATO fires 5 SAMs, shooting down 5 missiles. The Soviet player rolls a 1 for the remaining pair and a 5 for the single remaining missile, for a total of two hits scored. The Soviet player rolls two dice for allocation and manages a 9 which allows the first missile to be allocated by the Soviet player, who picks the carrier. The second missile, NATO allocates to US-8, which is flipped. Consulting the capital ship damage rules, 2 dice are rolled for a Soviet black missile – a 5 and an 8. A US carrier is (H) Huge and requires a 10 to be sunk, so the carrier is damaged and flipped. There are 4 steps of Air Units on the carrier currently – two F-14 and two CAG, so half of them (two) must roll and take a step loss on 6+.
Blue Water Navy is published by Compass Games, 2019.