Memoir of Battle at Sea (MOB@S)

Over lunch today I managed to put some ideas for my version of MEMOIR OF BATTLE AT SEA (MOB@S for short) down on paper. They are as follows:

MEMOIR OF BATTLE AT SEA
At the beginning of each battle both sides throw a D6 die. The side with the highest score moves first each turn.

During each turn both sides move all their ships and then both sides fire. Gunfire is deemed to be simultaneous, and a ship that has been hit and sunk may fire its guns that turn as it sinks if a suitable target is in range.

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.

The six faces of the firing dice are marked as follows:

• 1 x Major hit (worth two points)
• 2 x Minor hit (worth one point)
• 3 x Miss

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’ four dice.

If the target ship is ahead or astern of the firing ship (i.e. it is in a hex that is 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 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’ two dice.

All hits are cumulative, and when a ship's point’s value is reached, it sinks.