Memoir of Battle at Sea: The latest draft

MEMOIR OF BATTLE AT SEATurn Sequence
At the beginning of each turn both sides throw a D6 die. The side with the lowest score moves first that turn. During each turn both sides fire – guns first and then torpedoes – and then move their ships. Gunfire is deemed to be simultaneous, and a ship that has been hit and sunk may fire its guns and/or torpedoes that turn – as it sinks – if a suitable target is in range.

Ship Data
Firing Dice
The six faces of the D6 firing dice are marked as follows:

• 1 x Major hit (worth two Flotation Value points) = White
• 2 x Minor hit (worth one Flotation Value point) = Blue
• 3 x Miss = Red

Firing Guns
If the target ship is not ahead or astern of the firing ship (i.e. it is in a hex that is not wholly in a hex that is within a sixty degree arc either side of the hex ahead or astern of the firing ship), the firing ship may ‘fire’ with full effect. The number of dice thrown is reduced by one for every hex the target ship is distant from the firing ship.

For example, a modern pre-dreadnought firing at a target ship that is abeam of it ‘fires’ by throwing eight dice. The number of dice thrown depends upon the range, and is counted down as follows: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Therefore if a target is at point-blank range (i.e. one hex) she 'fires' (or throws) eight dice, but if it is five hexes away, the pre-dreadnought ‘fires’ (or throws) four dice.

If the target ship is ahead or astern of the firing ship (i.e. it is in a hex that is wholly within a sixty degree arc either side of the hex ahead or astern of the firing ship), the firing ship may ‘fire’ with half effect (i.e. it only throws half the number of dice it may normally throw). The number of dice thrown is reduced by one for every two hexes the target ship is distant from the firing ship.

For example, a modern pre-dreadnought firing at a target ship that is ahead of it ‘fires’ by throwing four dice. The number of dice thrown depends upon the range, and is counted down as follows: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1. Therefore if a target is at point-blank range (i.e. one hex) she 'fires' (or throws) four dice, but if it is five hexes away, the pre-dreadnought ‘fires’ (or throws) two dice.

Firing Torpedoes
Only ships equipped to fire torpedoes may do so. No ship may fire more than one torpedo each turn and a maximum of four torpedoes during a battle. Ships larger than destroyers are only able to fire torpedoes directly ahead, astern, or abeam (i.e. at ninety degrees to the ship’s side). Destroyers and torpedo boats with trainable torpedo tubes are allowed to fire at targets that are anywhere that is abeam of them (Only destroyers and torpedo boats with fixed bow tubes are also allowed to fire ahead).

Torpedoes have a range of 3 hexes and throw three dice regardless of the number of hexes the target ship is distant from the firing ship.

For example, a destroyer fires a torpedo at a target ship that is three hexes away (the maximum range for torpedoes). It throws three dice and scores one ‘white’, one, ‘blue’, and one ‘red’. The torpedo has therefore caused three points of damage to the target ship.

Damage and Sinking
All hits are cumulative. When a ship’s Flotation Value reaches the Critical Point, the ship must break off from battle. When a ship's Flotation Value is reached, it sinks.

For example, a light cruiser has suffered three points of damages, and its Flotation Value has been reduced to three. It is hit again by gunfire and suffers a ‘Minor’ hit. As a result its Flotation Value is reduced to two, which is the ship’s Critical Point. Next move it must break off from the battle it is taking part in and sail to safety … if it can.

Movement
Movement is measured in hexes. Ships may turn sixty degrees after moving forward one hex, the turn 'costing' one hex of movement.

For example, a destroyer has a movement rate of five hexes. It can move forward one hex, turn sixty degrees (= one hex of movement), move forward another one hex, turn sixty degrees again (= one more hex of movement), and move forward a third hex.