A Dystopian Wars Encounter

Howdy do folks, had a game of Dystopian Wars 2.0 today,  between myself and Sandy Dewer, just my second go at the new rules and Sandy's first, one thing I have noticed is that it flows a lot quicker, at we actually got to fight to a finish.


So I as is my usual went the Prussians in my usual guise of Vice Admiral Rudolf von Der Goltz on board his flagship SMS Bismark, Sandy the Russians as White Navy (And most of his ships were very white) Admiral Nikolai Kerzhakov on board their flagship the Gagnut.

The Order of Battle:

Prussian Imperial North Atlantic 7th Iron Fleet

SMS Bismark, a Blucher class dreadnought with escorts ESC-327, ESC-345 and ESC-351, Wachter class
SMS Brandenburg, an Emperor class Battleship
SMS Lützow, a Konigsbeg class Battle Cruiser
Cruiser Squadron 1 (Reiver class Light Cruisers)
SMS Prinz Heinrich, Furst Bismark, Prinz Aldebert
Cruiser Squadron 2 (Reiver class Light Cruisers)
 SMS Agir, Elbing, Falke
 Destroyer Squadron (Stolz class)
  SMS Viper, Stoltz-II, Sachesen, Wuttenberg
Frigate Squadron 1  (Arminius class attached to Graf Zepplin)
  SMS Borther, Berlin, Rothe Lowe
Frigate Squadron 2 (Arminius)
  SMS Morian, Chur Prinz, Kur Prinz
Corvette Squadron (Saxony Class)
  SMS Stoch, Biene, Eber,
 Air Contingent
  SMS Derflinger  Imperium Class Sky Fortress
  SMS Fritzjof Gewitterwolke class Airship.

Russian Coalition 23rd White fleet
RCS  Gagnut, a Moskova class Dreadnought with RCS Escort Squadron 87 (3 Veliky class escorts)
RCS Navarin, a Borodino class Battleship with RCS Escort Squadron 91
RCS Sevastopol, a Dudinka class Assault carrier with RCS Escort Squadron 121 (We used the Kostroma model but the Dudinka stats)
RCS Minin, Gerzog Edinburgski, Rurik, Tambov class Gunship Squadron
RCS  Pallada, Makarov, Varyag, a Suvorov class cruiser squadron.
RCS Askold, Kagul, Oleg
RCS Sokol, Havock, Yastreb, Gagara a Novgorod class frigate squadron
RCS Korshun, Voron, Nyrok, Sova, a Novgorod class frigate squadron


 

The opening moves of the battle were mostly jockeying for position from all but the Borther's Arminus squadron who battered the Sova to kindling and scrap, and the Agir, Elbring and Falke opened fire on the
Minin, damaging the ship but not able to break past the ablative armour.

The second turn, the initiative was seized by the Coalition and the Korshun, Voron, Nyrok,
opened fire killing the Stoch and Biene, Commander Von Hagen in command of the Eber saw his sister ships fall but held his nerve.

In return the Borther, Berlin and Rothe Lowe killed the Voron and Korshun and in boarding the Nyrok left it adrift at sea.

With all guns blazing the Sokol, Havock, Yastreb, Gagara killed the Chur Prinz and Kur Prinz  forcing the Morian into beating a hasty retreat.

The Agir and it's consorts flew through the water, turning their cannons once more into the Tambovs this time firing on the Gerzog Edinburgski, causing critical damage and then proceeded to board and derelict the Havoc and Yastreb.

In return the Minin, Gerzog Edinburgski and Rurik caused a Sturginium flare in the Agir's engines causing it to teleport almost back to the fleet starting lines, and shredded the Falke's defences.

In turn 3 the Prinz Heinrich, Furst Bismark, Prinz Aldebert opened fire on the cruisers Makarov & Varyag, causing both serious damage and engine failures.

The Russian cruisers returned fire and returned Prinz Heinrich the favour and taking a chunk out of the Furst Bismark's armour.

The next two rounds of firing saw the death of the Prinz Heinrich and Furst Bismark and the repairing of the Varyag only for the Brandenburg to open it's three main guns and hammering it to death much to the delight of Commodore Conrad Klose, it's captain, his broadside gunners gave the Pallada it's first Damage.

Vice Admiral von Der Goltz cackled in maniacal glee when the Bismark opened fire for the first time, three of the main turrets smashing the Navarin's hull to bits, as rounds exploded all over the place causing the fusion engine to leak all over it and killing Russian marines in the process, the final rear turret killing off the Pallada.

Admiral  Kerzhakov's own gunners got some semblance of their own back when the Lützow was blasted into scrap metal and the killing of the Stoch by the 87th Escort..

The Sevastopol annihilated the  Dive bombers that came screaming at it before they could cause any damage.

The Stolz squadron drove forward and blew chunks out of the Minin and Gerzog Edinburgski and the fusion leak burned away a vast majority of the rest of it's armour.

The fourth turn, the Initiative was seized by the Empire and the Vice Admirals cackles could be heard throughout the Bismark while he geed on the gunners of the Flagship as it went all out against the Gagnut, not before zapping the last of the Battleship's marines to death with it's fore tesla, when they did open up at the Russian flag it was a full barrage of all four main guns and the broadsides, blasting apart armour and locking the navigational controls down, with it's auxilliary weapons it put down a pair of bombers and it's escorts killed off one of the dreadnoughts escorts.

The Dive bombers of the Imperial Airforce killed off the Navarin in an act of precision bombing, as they exploded left right and centre sinking the already stricken ship.

The fire across the sea born ships was bloody and viscious, leaving just the Agir as the sole Prussian cruiser, all of the Russian Frigates dead and the only escorts left those attached to the carrier. The Rurik's engines malfunctioned with a Sturginium flare and teleported onto the small island, scrapping it.

Turn five was very short as the damage that the Gagnut took while repaired down was returned to it by the Bismark and the Bombing run conducted by the Fritzjof and while the Gagnut took yet more chunks of armour from the Brandenburg, it's Marines were the ones that took the Russian Flag as a Prize, and Admiral Kerzhakov as their prisoner. Commodore Rostovic on the Sevastopol ordered the remaining Russians (Not that there were many) into a hasty retreat.

Overall loses

Prussians

Battlecruiser

Squadron +2 Reivers

saxony squadron

4 arminus

Russians

Cruiser Squadron

2 Escort groups,

Battleship

Both Frigate squadrons and 3 as derelicts
Dreadnought as Prize.

It was a good game that lasted a good number of hours and it's the first game we've played at Glasgow where we have actually got it finished, which highlights the fact that the game plays faster, it probably would have run even faster if we hadn't stopped for a while and I hadn't stopped to take so many notes and pictures, plus looking for rules that I couldn't remember.

Battle of the Marianna trench

As promised the first battle report from Glasgow using Dystopian Wars fleets.

Facing off against each other were myself in the guise of Vice Admiral Rudolf von Der Goltz in charge of the main Prussian Fleet, Sandy Dewer as Air commodore Johan Müller in charge of the Prussian Air contingent and my younger brother Andrew in the character of Kaigun Shōshō Enomoto Sukeyuki of the Kappa Division of the Sword army of the Empire of the Blazing Sun, on the other side Bill Robertson in the as Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Northbury of the Brittannia Naval Armada and Ian Beal (Yes, that's really his name) playing the part of commodore Josiah Tattnal of the Federated States of America's Navy with attached units of the FSA air fleet.

The Prussian order of Battle:


IPNS Bismark a Blucher Class Dreadnought and Admiral Von der Goltz's flag ship
IPNS Graf Spee a Blucher Class DN
IPNS Graf Zepplin a Rhine class Fleet Carrier
IPNS Brandenburg an Emperor class Battleship
Cruiser Squadron 1 (Konigsberg class battlecruisers)
IPNS Moltke, Vonder Tann
Cruiser Squadron 2 (Reiver class Cruisers)
IPNS Prinz Heinrich, Furst Bismark, Prinz Aldebert
Cruiser Squadron 3 (Reiver class Cruisers)
IPNS Agir, Elbing, Falke
Destroyer Squadron (Stolz class)
IPNS Stoltz-II, Sachesen, Wuttenberg
Frigate Squadron 1  (Arminius class attached to Graf Zepplin)
IPNS Borther, Berlin, Rothe Lowe
Frigate Squadron 2 (Arminius)
IPNS Morian, Chur Prinz, Kur Prinz
Corvette Squadron (Saxony Class)
IPNS Stoch, Biene, Eber, Stien, Viper
A Metzger-B class Robot commanded by Brother Theodore Janus of the Teutonic order
Air Contingent
IPAS Derflinger  Imperium Class Sky Fortress
IPAS Fritzjof Gewitterwolke class Airship Air commodore Johan Müller Flagship
IPAS Geifon, Goeben, Pflicht class Scoutships
2 Geier Class Bombers

Kappa Division of the Sword army of the Empire of the Blazing Sun
EBSN Asahi a Sokutsu class BS and  Kaigun Shōshō Enomoto Sukeyuki's flag ship
Cruiser Squadron (Nakatsu class CR)
EBSN Furutaka, Kitakami, Mogami
Frigate Squadron (Uwatsu frigate)
EBSN Kaiyo Maru, Shohei Maru, Kaiten
2 DFA-17 Bombers

Brittannia Naval Armada
HMS Vanguard  a Majesty class DN and ice Admiral Sir Thomas Northbury's flagship
HMS  Courageous, Furious Avenger class Carriers
HMS Repulse, Superb Ruler class Battleships
Cruiser Squadron 1 (Tribal class CR)
HMS Cavendish, Hawking, Raleigh
 Cruiser Squadron 2 (Tribal Class CR)
HMS Trobisher, Effingham, Cumberland
Frigate Squadron 1 (Attacker class Frigates attached to Repulse)
HMS Heda, Pomone, Shannon, Leonidas
Frigate Squadron 2 (Attacker Class Frigates attached to Superb)
HMS Briton, Tenedos, Thetis, Lively
Corvette Squadron (Swift Class)
HMS High Flyer, Esk, Pylades, Cossack, Tartar
Frigate Squadron 3 (attached to Furious)
HMS Havock, Ferret, Hornet, Lynx
Frigate Squadron 4 (Attached to Courageous)
HMS Decoy, Boxer. Dasher, Haughty 
Frigate Squadron 5 (attached to Vanguard)
HMS Fearless, Nike, Harold, Hastings
Destroyer Squadron
HMS Lightening, Banshee, Dragon

 FSA Battlegroup
FSS Ranger a Saratoga class Fleet Carrier flagship of commodore Josiah Tattnal
FSS Indiana  an Independance class Battleship
Crusier Squadron (Lexington Class attached to the Indiana)
FSS Atlanta, Chicago, Harvard
Corvette Squadron (Revere class attached to the Ranger)

FSS Cayuga, Chippewa, Chocura
Air contingent
FSAS Polk Valley class Airship
FSAS Davis, Beuregard Lee class Scoutship
FSFR Huron, Kineo John Henry class robots
2 A-17 class Bombers

The fleets at the beginning of the game.

The first turn the Grand Coaliton won the roll (As they did the only two other turn we actually got in, note for next time, use less ships)

The Vanguard and CruRon 1 moved forward first  and along with the FSA Airships and were out of range when they stopped, next came the Prussian Destroyer squadron that fired and hit the Chippewa front scoring the armour,  the Geier's moved forward from the Air Contingent, and the Furutaka, Kitakami, Mogami moved forward and unleashed their rocket batteries at the Cavendish, Hawking, Raleigh hitting the Hawking's ammo hoppers blewing it to smitherines, the debris smashing into the Cavendish putting a hole in it and the Raleigh which survived intact, the squadron's morale didn't waver however..

The Vanguard battered the Mogami for a critical hit, damaging the engine.

The Graf Spee, Prinz Heinrich, Furst Bismark and Prinz Aldebert combined their turret fired on the Davis and battered a hole in it's side

The Graf Zepplin Bombard launched shells at one of the A-17's and sliced open it's armour.

The Brandenburg, Moltke and Vonder Tann fired their Main Batteries on the Polk slicing open it's frontal armour but missed with the  of the Battle cruisers.

This was it for the first turn

On turn 2 the Repulse and it's escorts pounded the Elbing to scrap and it's consort likewise sank the Falke forcing the Graf Spee and Agir into retreat before they could even fire a shot.

The Prussian's returned the favour however when the Brandenburg, Moltke and Vonder Tann's Main Batteries trained on the Polk hitting, the Prussian Capital ships mimicing their allies in their smashing of the ammo stores of the airship, it exploded taking with it the Beuregard and almost the already damaged Davis, the Moltke and Vonder Tann turned their Speerschleuders upon one of the US A-17's killing it and making it's brother run away.

Firing after this pretty much sucked as the Ranger's fighter wing was decimated from AA from the Brandenburg, Moltke and Vonder Tann as it prepared to launch torpedos at the Emperor class leaving just one squadron that broke off and headed back to the carrier. Eveything else couldn't hit the broadside of a Dreadnought, and they tried.

Turn three really turned the game against the Coaliton though started so well when the Huron and Kineo scored a hit on the Bismark, annoying Admiral Von der Goltz, his shields didn't even turn on.

The Corageous and it's escort took out the Kaiten though the squadron's morale held.

The Stoltz-II, Sachesen and Wuttenberg fired on the Thetis and their gunners jumped for joy when they landed a dozen shells on the poor ship until they realised the Superb's Guardian generator had stopped the lot.

This wasn't the only time in the turn where a Guardian saved a ships bacon it happened a few times and greatly annoyed the Prussians and Japanese.

Though the Cavendish was also saved from death by it's own shields as fire rained down from the EotBS cruisers rocket batteries, it set the ship on fire but it would survive. The targets of the Nakatsu class ships broadsides in the High Flyer, Esk, Pylades, Cossack, Tartar couldn't say that when the High Flyer, Pylades and Tartar were hulled, forcing the rest of the squadron into retreat. They fired their torpedos at the Vanguard's escort but did no damage.

The Furious and it's escorts fired upon the Geifon and Goeben killing Prussian Air Marines on the Geifon and setting fire to the Goeben in addition to almost hulling them and damaging the engines.

The land based fighters of the Coaliton took out the remaining Uwatsu's with torpedos and bombs.

The Superb and it's squadron managed to land another hit on the Bismark further infuriating the Vice Admiral though he got some measure of revenge on the Coaliton when he virutally hulled the Ranger as FSMC personnel were killed and the ship went on fire.

The Morian, Chur Prinz and Kur Prinz took down the Briton and damaged the Thetis and the final firing of the game came in from the Stoch, Biene, Eber, Stien and Viper who were deadly the Viper took the Heda, Stoch put a hole in the Repluse, Biene killed off the Pomone, Eber hulled the Shannon, the Leonidas was lost with all hands as the Stien beat it to death, forcing the Repulse into retreat

 The state of things at the end of play on turn three.

Essentially we of the Imperial Bond won the game because of the damage we had done versus what we had recieved, it would probably have continued to go our way because we had pretty much and intact centre barring the tremeandously lucky attacks on the Elbing and Falke and Bills Guardian generators constantly saving his behind, the Ranger was scrap metal in at most another turn and so were the FSA bomber and remaining airship, probably the John Henry too, the Prussian fleet would do a burly on the island and come into the side of the remaining American forces then pile down on the Brits.

The consensus of everybody was it was good fun but we had far too many ships on the board. We'll have to cut it down to probably about half the next time we play it, and it's going to take us a while to get the rules down, so hopefully by next year at Carronade we can do a display.

Next up me and Ian are going to have a game at the Falkirk club two weeks tomorrow and hopefully we can arrange something in March or April for the Glasgow club. Maybe by then I'll have some Russians too and have them painted.