::Felix, Ferdinand and FRUPAC:: obvert (A) v Greyjoy (J)

[obvert]

[font="Times New Roman"]HRs[/font]
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Ok. So he got me to me quickly as usual.

The HRs are as follows:
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Strat bombing:

manpower strikes allowed during daylight
manpower strikes allowed during night with sliding scale:

25 planes/target in 41
50 planes/target in 42
100 planes/target in 43
200 planes/target in 44
400 planes/target in 45-46.

CV strikes allowed for any strategic target at any time

Night bombing port/airfield:

50 planes/target for the entire war.

Aerial mining:

50 planes/target only at night for the entire war.

First turn:

No restrictions on port strikes for IJ
No new TFs for Allies but existing may move
No air groups changing location, but can change CAP settings
No crazy deep *TF moves (Mersing)

Altitude of CAP/sweep:

15k in 41
20k in 42
25k in 43
32k in 44-46.

PP for borders:

Minus Thai and Burmese units

Ground bombing:

No 4E ground bombing

Settings:

DBB scen 30 (with Symon's air mods), PDU OFF, Realistic RnD OFF, Replacements OFF, expand OFF, 7th Dec Surprise ON, Historical Start OFF, Auto Subs OFF, Advanced Weather ON
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The compromises on strat bombing and ground bombing seem fine to me. I proposed the sliding scale and I think this could give it a better 'feel.' Some spots don't have much manpower, but others do. Oh, well. I'll deal with it. Letting strat bombing of manpower be an option in the day gives us both opportunities and turns manpower centers into real targets, as they were in the war. The rules still allow massive bombing in late war over strategic targets and if I want to hit individual factories not in big manpower centers I can go for them with CVs at any time! Fun! Plus it means he'll ALWAYS have to think about a 'Doolittle Raid.'

I have some ideas of how I'd like to use them and this all should work. With PDU-off the number of really good airframes will be a lot smaller for most of the war anyway, so this only makes sense and it fits with the way things were used. Just to clarify though, I'm not looking to 'play historically.' Just to set up situations where the restrictions still allow creative solutions to the problems presented by my opponent and where the game does not move toward concentration of power only.

Most of the HRs and the use of the DBB scen 30 mod lean toward lessening and broadening activity instead of increasing frequency and concentration. This should allow for more use of mobility, more maneuver on land with stacking limits, and greater need for unusual solutions to the situations presented. It might also give the fleet air groups more emphasis in areas they did focus on more in the war including shutting important bases, ground support and even strategic bombing of major facilities. Of course this comes with risk, but with PDU-off I know the risks will be more acceptable and still create interesting opportunities for both sides.

We may not need the CAP/sweep restrictions with Symon's air changes but we'll try it out anyway to see before deciding if we want to change it to allow everything. I think this should work well for both sides.

We've agreed to allow minor airfield and port bombing at night. This should allow the Allies to get better through the war as plane loads and capabilities get better and keep the option for the Japanese as they historically used these strikes, yet no big one turn nuking of an entire base or port at night. DBB flak should limit these strikes as well. I also though will have to think about them, especially at forward 4E bases and ports.

[veji1]

Very interesting, looking forward to it ! Good luck to both of you guys.

[Barb]

Just a hint for squadron upgrades re using PDU-OFF rule - upgrade only when you have to, or after pool reserves are "safe" - and think about "releasing" one model of the plane from the upgrading squadron, to the pool or as replacements for other squadrons.

If you have enough old planes at hand, don't rush to upgrade to the next model - one can still have half-empty squadrons flying P-40B guarding Pearl instead of precious P-40Es [;)]

Old saying "think twice before cutting" has its own worth.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Barb

Just a hint for squadron upgrades re using PDU-OFF rule - upgrade only when you have to, or after pool reserves are "safe" - and think about "releasing" one model of the plane from the upgrading squadron, to the pool or as replacements for other squadrons.

If you have enough old planes at hand, don't rush to upgrade to the next model - one can still have half-empty squadrons flying P-40B guarding Pearl instead of precious P-40Es [;)]

Old saying "think twice before cutting" has its own worth.

Thanks Barb. I have a feeling this will be a logistical issue throughout the game; how to manage the meagre numbers of frontline airframes in groups that have restricted paths.

In 42 there are so may groups withdrawing my hands will be tied from what I can tell, but later things will open up as more 'keeper' groups arrive and airframes increase both in type and number. A game within the game.

I don't think Allied logistics will be easier than the Japanese economy with all of this management in addition to the multiple nation pool of airframes and pilots, withdrawing groups and ships and the massive amount of stuff to move. I will also be dealing with the unit structure in DBB for the first time. Should be fun!

Does anyone know if DaIronBabes-3 (Scen 30) has any significant differences in OOB to normal DBB for the Allies?

[JocMeister]

Are you not allowed to hit oil/HI/LI/Factories directly?

[Chickenboy]

Well, I'm sorry to see you take the Allied side, Obvert. As entertaining as it would be to follow, I must stay faithful to his Imperial Majesty's forces via GreyJoy. Cheers for a good game, mate!

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Are you not allowed to hit oil/HI/LI/Factories directly?

I can with CV air, which means that between those I can hit in daylight bombing manpower and those I can at least threaten with CV strikes, he'll have a lot to cover. As I know from our game, if the Allies late want to hit something, they can.

Also, the thing you did that ground my Japanese forces down was losing the big supply generating centers at Tokyo and Osaka. Those are well within the rules. Places where I can't hit manpower to destroy oil as easily I can hit the port, which will reduce the ability to get it out anyway. I think that is Balikpapan and Miri/Brunei, plus Magwe. All of those will also be within goo CV range at some point if I can do the rest of the job right, so I'll get there eventually.

I'm not too concerned though with hitting absolutely everything. I know what will cause the most pain. [:)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Well, I'm sorry to see you take the Allied side, Obvert. As entertaining as it would be to follow, I must stay faithful to his Imperial Majesty's forces via GreyJoy. Cheers for a good game, mate!

Still have a game going with the Empire, so I am now mutually conflicted. [:)]

Enjoy GreyJoy's AAR. It'll be fun I'm sure.

[obvert]

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[font="Times New Roman"]November 24, 1941

2330 SW Nebraska Street, Portland, OR

Martin eased his new black ‘41 Chevy Special DeLuxe sedan out onto the slimy pavement at 5AM on a wet Monday morning. Coffee was just starting to have its effect. The house had been quiet. Elsie and the kids still asleep. Only the sound of starlings and chickadees. The smell of percolating coffee. The soft patter of rain on the shingles. Oregon in November.

Martin was an experienced shop foreman, mechanic and construction specialist after years working dredge and sluice gold mines just outside Fairbanks, Alaska. He’d gone up at age eighteen, shoveling coal in a locomotive to pay his way off the farm in Hockinson, WA. He’d grown up one of twelve; picking, plowing, threshing, thinning and pruning, maintaining and fixing just about anything with an engine. The family led a minor agricultural industry, renting out drying houses, the first threshing machine in the county, tractors and power saws and anything else a farmer might need to get jobs done. All of the Holkkola children worked hard, long hours.

Yellow globes of the sparse streetlights glowed through the mist as he eased onto Hwy 26 and drove drove out of town to find work in the timber country of Clatsop county. They’d come down from Alaska a month ago and he couldn’t find anything but mechanic work since. He liked to think he was worth more than a few dollars a day, and after the wages up in Alaska, working as a foreman in a machine shop, cleaning carborators and changing tires didn’t seem appealing. They’d had a good life up north, or at least he thought so. Elsie wasn’t so convinced. She missed family, missed light in the winter, and didn’t much like the harder life in a cabin miles from town. She was a city girl, from Portland, and she finally convinced Martin to give it a shot in the lower forty-eight. Now that wasn’t looking so good.

If he found something they’d have to move out of Portland. He didn’t like that much. They had savings. He’d made good money, and didn’t have much to spend it on other than a new car every few years and drinks at Ivory Jack’s on Fridays. He liked the countryside up north, but down here it felt dark. Trees too big, air too damp, men too shifty. In the city they had people, too, and that wasn’t all bad. It meant they had a few nights to themselves when Elsie’s sister could take the kids.

The day was shaping up like most. Slow, constant drizzle pushed aside by the wipers and damp air that went right through a wool jacket. He’d felt warmer in forty-below. The road was empty this time of day other than a few logging trucks. His heart sunk lower the farther he drove. Finally, nearing the small timber town of Elsie (which he found unusually funny) he turned into a trucker’s café and had another cup of coffee and a piece of pie. In spite of the marionberry pie, which was fresh out of the oven, and the coffee, which was black and strong, it just didn’t feel right out here.
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[koniu]

Oh, this will be that king of AAR.[:D]
Looking forward. Job coffee break will be great.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants
6) Use PP to buy out the two large Dutch BF (100 Aviation Support) at Batavia and Soerabaja. A fragment is transported by PBYs to India from Batavia and the one at Soerabaja has a fragment go to Darwin and then march down to Sydney. The extra Aviation Support comes in handy! I use PP to buy about 5 of the small Dutch BF and the AA at Lautem to go to Australia for rebuilding, but not to recombine. Those little 15 Aviation Support help at some smaller bases.
Good Luck!!

Do the two large Dutch base forces exist in DBB? I know they do not in IronBabes C.

The Dutch get a plethora of small base forces instead.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: ny59giants
6) Use PP to buy out the two large Dutch BF (100 Aviation Support) at Batavia and Soerabaja. A fragment is transported by PBYs to India from Batavia and the one at Soerabaja has a fragment go to Darwin and then march down to Sydney. The extra Aviation Support comes in handy! I use PP to buy about 5 of the small Dutch BF and the AA at Lautem to go to Australia for rebuilding, but not to recombine. Those little 15 Aviation Support help at some smaller bases.
Good Luck!!

Do the two large Dutch base forces exist in DBB? I know they do not in IronBabes C.

The Dutch get a plethora of small base forces instead.

I still have to get it set up. Struggling for time this week, but I'll check when I do in the next few days.

[obvert]

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[font="Times New Roman"]November 24, 1941

Kanoehe Bay, Hawaii

The air was clear in the East but a late afternoon storm rolled slowly in from the southwest and settled over the mountains of central Oahu as PBY-5 No. 2420 (14-P-1) descended onto the calm water of Kanoehe Bay.

Patrol group VP-14 had moved in during April, but construction of the new naval air station had been slow. The facilities were still meagre for the air crews and base personnel alike. The location made up for some of hardship. A quiet bay surrounded by nearly vertical peaks cut with sinewed ravines. The beach and the water were pristine, and clear to the bottom. Only the daily afternoon showers broke the monotonously flawless weather.

Photographer's mate 3rd class Frank Church sat in his starboard side blister as the Cat angled in around Ulupa'U crater and into the glass calm bay. The building clouds were impressive moving in over the rest of the island. He never got tired of these views. You didn't become a navy photographer for the glamour, peering through the blister for hours on a patrol over endless stretches of ocean, then coming back in to work for a few more hours in the darkroom while the other guys relaxed, played cards and shot the bull. You had to love what you did, and Frank was no exception. He thought about cranking out a few shots of the towering clouds with his new Fairchild K-20 but thought better of it. He had too much work already documenting base construction and he saw a hundred pictures a day this good.

The Cat splashed down easily and settled into the bay for a slow taxi into base.

"Whah d'ya think's for lunch today, Frankie," yelled Joe from the other dimple. "Spam 'n slaw again most likely?" The temporary canteen hadn't been too creative with the menu in their few months at Kanoehe. They looked forward to getting off base for a steak and a few beers once a week.

"Yeah, Joe, I reckon it'll be the same ol' chow. I'll take it though. Beats chipping ice off the wings in Nova Scotia!"

"I'll say! Although I hear the girls in Iceland ain’t so cold."

As the cat slid up to the temporary dock Frank hauled the K-20 into it's case and slung the strap over his shoulder to head back to the darkroom.

"See ya there in a minute Joe."

Frank felt the sandy soil under his feet and the warm air on his face and could only imagine what it was like over the Atlantic right now. A few Cats a week were lost out there between the Brits and the USN. It was a different world to this one. Nothing wrong with a little more spam, he thought.

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[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: obvert

[font="Times New Roman"]November 30, 1941

...Nothing wrong with a little more spam, he thought.
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Ah, the innocence of the world before e-mail ... [:D]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: obvert

[font="Times New Roman"]November 30, 1941

...Nothing wrong with a little more spam, he thought.
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Ah, the innocence of the world before e-mail ... [:D]

[:D]

Good to see you around!

[obvert]

Just got the DaIronBabes-C loaded up and the extended map installed. Opened a new H to H while I wait for GJ's first turn. Cool to see it all fresh. It's a new game, with ships I've never heard of and new units to consider. Ran a test PH and with the stock strike the USN got hit hard. One BB taking 7 TT and another taking 8! [X(]

Holy Kates! I thought this mod had better flak! When I saw the results though only two BB sank outright, with another most likely on it's way down, and with 5 having major float over 80! [X(]

Interesting.

I'll be digging around for differences in the next few days as I prepare. Getting excited for this one.

I also had a look at Symon's changes for the IJ planes. Good thing we're PDU-off. The Jack looks like a monster with speed in the 390s for all versions, although up high the maneuver drops off a cliff. The Franks get a little bump as well, and the George also looks like a beast with even the N1K1 up above 390. Yeeeouch. I'll be watching for those in the game. The Spits, Corsairs, P-47 and P-51 should be better up high but the P-38, Hellcats and the trash I'll still be flying in 44, like the 331mph FM-2, should suffer. Good thing they'll be a lot of Oscars and zeros around. [;)]

[obvert]

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[font="Times New Roman"]November 24, 1941

RAF Toungoo, Burma

The sound of a high flying plane woke up most of the base Monday morning. The Japanese had come twice in a week, always at sunrise, and had a look around. Daniel rolled out of bed for a look.

“It’s ‘nother Babs. Same as Friday,” George drawled. He was from Savannah, GA and was pretty relaxed about most things here. He also took the weather more easily than the guys from up north. He and Daniel had been on the Jagersfontein coming over together with a bunch of the pilots and support staff that made up the ground crews for the American Volunteer Group, as it was called. He and George had hit it off on the journey. They’d had some adventures together already in the seedy back streets of Rangoon and here roaming the teak plantations on the edges of the encroaching jungles in between fixing up the continually damaged and poorly running P-40Bs. The jungle heat made their 100mph landing speed even more of a problem for the pilots here, and there were almost daily accidents. One day a few weeks before eight planes were damaged on landing or on the ground, the last by a mechanic on a bicycle. They’d managed to piece them back together, but parts were scarce and the fighting hadn't even started yet.

An elephant blast punctured the air from a nearby hillside as the villages awoke. Burmese monks and villagers were already traversing sections of the base on unknown agendas. There was no love lost between the Burmese and the British, and there was a constant tension in the air as no one really knew what they were doing or who they were talking to. There was rebellion bubbling up, and no one wanted the Japanese to get their hooks in from a distance and bring the pot to a boil. There was enough heat here already.

“Think my insides are starting to get back in order. These Chinese cooks aren’t what I’d choose myself, but they’re sure as s*** better than the fishheads we had to start. Coulda scoured me out with railroad grit and I woulda felt better than I did last month.”

“I know it. At least I’m only in the can two or three times a day now!”

“Nearly six o'clock. We’d better get over for exercise or the Colonel’ll have us scrubbin’ pots.”

The drone of the Japanese patrol faded into the sounds of the waking camp. Smoke rising from the canteen kitchens and men slowing moving to the open ground in front of the HQ building. It was already around 80F and would get to over 90F and stay there until the sun dropped into the jungle haze that evening.

“Another day in hell.”

“Could be worse. Could be be a war on,” said George with a chuckle.

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[BBfanboy]

Thanks for creating characters in multiple theatres - makes the read more enjoyable.

The picture is funny. Why doesn't the guy in the black beret in the foreground just excuse himself and go to the latrine?
And why isn't the balding guy with the little black purse [X(]wearing his pith helmet? [:-] Poor discipline!

[ny59giants]

You will need this....

Engineers:
The “name” of a device does not matter, only the device data matters. Any Eng unit can always build, but if it has Anti-Armor <1, it cannot reduce forts. If it has Anti-Soft <9, it cannot AV. If it is “named” Construction or Labor Eng, but is a Type = 23 (squad), it will not build. If it also has a-a <1, and a-s <9, it won’t do anything but eat (i.e., nothing but ‘bodies’). So there is a matrix of different Eng squads that represent a mix of abilities; build stuff, reduce forts, able to AV, some of the above, none of the above. DaBigBabes uses this matrix (according to our appreciation as to how it falls out) to help limit in-game tempo, by limiting in-game infrastructure.

Shore Party:
Shore Party is a sub-set of Nav Sup. Shore Party devices assist in loading/unloading but do not assist in repairing or rearming. Repair/rearm bases were very far and few between, for both sides, and thus with BigBabes, but both sides recognized an imperative for stevedoring and non-integral lift capability. Thus Shore Partys and a skoosh of code that lets them give an unload bonus to TFs. A Shore Party switch may be set for a Vehicle, such as an LVT-2 Amph Trac; It may be set for a Type = 24 Eng squad, like USA Port Srvc Sq, in which case it may also help build; It may be set for a Type = 23 Squad, like USA Amph Sup Sq.

Check the editor often, and become familiar with all the different kinds of units available. For example:

USMC Pioneer Sq – Squad type – No Build, Yes AV, Yes Shore Party, No Reduce Forts
USN Constr Eng Sq – Eng type – Yes Build, Yes AV, No Shore Party, No Reduce Forts
USN Spec Eng Sq – Eng type – Yes Build, No AV, Yes Shore Party, No Reduce Forts
USN Base Eng Sq – Eng type – Yes Build, No AV, Yes Shore Party, No Reduce Forts
USA Port Svc Sq – Eng type – Yes Build, No AV, Yes Shore Party, No Reduce Forts
USA Amph Sup Sq – Squad type – No Build, Yes AV, Yes Shore Party, No Reduce Forts

IJA Shipping Eng Sq – Squad type – No Build, No AV, No Reduce Forts, Yes Shore Party, LC = 17
IJA Cmbt Eng Sq – Eng type – Yes Build, Yes AV, Yes Reduce Forts, No Shore Party, LC = 17
IJA Const Eng Sq – Eng type – Yes Build, No AV, No Reduce Forts, No Shore Party, LC = 17
IJA Const Labor Sq – Squad type – No Build, No AV, No Reduce Forts, No Shore Party, LC = 20
IJN Const Eng Sq – Eng type – Yes Build, No AV, No Reduce Forts, No Shore Party, LC = 17
IJN Const Labor Sq – Squad type – No Build, No AV, No Reduce Forts, No Shore Party, LC = 20

So IJ Const Labor doesn’t 'do' anything and, what’s more, has a larger load cost. This represents the large manual labor component (Chinese/Korean) that results in 1000 man Eng Bns/Rgts without giving much additional capability. Typical IJA Const Bns/Rgts have 32 Const squads (590 ‘men’, 1088 total with the support, etc.), but 16 squads are Const Eng, while 16 are Const Labor. It's a way to have 32 squad (1000 man) Bns/Rgts with half the capability of a corresponding 32 squad Allied unit.

Even though many squad devices don’t ‘do’ anything (and many Eng devices can’t assault), they are still marginally useful (apart from the Eng devices being able to build). Anti-Soft = 8 (typically) so these units may still ‘shoot’ during the pre-assault fire phase. They ‘shoot’ better than the default firepower of a 251 Eng or 252 Sup device, so that’s something.

Different load costs also allow Const Bns/Rgts to be tailored as to troop count and, therefore, loadability and troop population on atolls and small islands.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Thanks for creating characters in multiple theatres - makes the read more enjoyable.

The picture is funny. Why doesn't the guy in the black beret in the foreground just excuse himself and go to the latrine?
And why isn't the balding guy with the little black purse [X(]wearing his pith helmet? [:-] Poor discipline!

It is funny isn't it?

I couldn't find out exactly when it was taken, but the AVG P-40s don't yet have shark teeth, so it's most likely in Sept-Oct/41 at Toungoo.

There will be a few more characters. Just realizing now how much the back ground set-up takes. Don't want to get the details completely wrong, so I'm taking it slowly to start.