tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post9007421775116269776..comments2024-03-29T11:57:40.881+00:00Comments on Wargaming Miscellany: The initial stages of the Battle of Jutland: A Fletcher Pratt Naval Wargame battle reportRobert (Bob) Corderyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-24562096667374540762021-12-28T21:05:39.543+00:002021-12-28T21:05:39.543+00:00Charles Litka,
Ah! That makes lots of sense! It m...Charles Litka,<br /><br />Ah! That makes lots of sense! It must have made things a lot easier in the absence of an umpire or umpires.<br /><br />I use slightly shorter castle golf tees designed for lifting the ball at a particular distance above the grass. They are much more stable than normal tees when inverted.<br /><br />Like you, getting down on the floor is easy … but getting up is problematic.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-48986370915527484602021-12-28T20:32:49.135+00:002021-12-28T20:32:49.135+00:00Hi Bob,
Oops, this comment slipped my mind until n...Hi Bob,<br />Oops, this comment slipped my mind until now. Our "rangefinders" did not indicate range,but were merely used for targeting. We did not have umpires, to determine if your ship was aiming accurately. The proof was in the wire "rangefinder", which basically consisted of the wire of a clothes hanger bent into two end posts fore and aft for aiming with a straight stretch of wire between them along which the tape measure was laid and run out to the target.Some sort of foot was also included to keep the posts upright. This device was taped down to the floor to insure that it wasn't bumped in the measuring process. We also used golf teas to indicate the fall of shells.<br /><br />It would be fun to get down on the floor to sail a fleet again -- getting up, however, would be problematical these days):Charles Litkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15182265039055575093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-82052371508704915282021-12-10T21:52:41.056+00:002021-12-10T21:52:41.056+00:00Mike Hall,
During one of Fletcher Pratt’s games a...Mike Hall,<br /><br />During one of Fletcher Pratt’s games a team of US Navy officers were trounced by a team of seamstresses who - thanks to their professional expertise - were able to estimate ranges very accurately.<br /><br />When I took part in naval wargames during the Madasahatta Campaign, I gained a reputation for being able to estimate ranges quite accurately … using the method that you suggest.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Bob Robert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-25657863140965040842021-12-10T21:23:55.014+00:002021-12-10T21:23:55.014+00:00Any sign of a player who commands a good knowledge...Any sign of a player who commands a good knowledge of trigonometry with a facility for mental arithmetic and a careful study of floor geometry? I vaguely recall at least one account from ancient wargaming history of such an individual achieving exceptional gunnery results. As no artificial aids were involved and any opponents could have done the same it seemed to be perfectly fair.Mike Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05231537324248937676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-76030853882554116862021-12-10T14:24:50.231+00:002021-12-10T14:24:50.231+00:00Adelaide Gamer,
It was … and we hope hold a simil...Adelaide Gamer,<br /><br />It was … and we hope hold a similar event next year.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-44689079079251291692021-12-10T14:23:05.394+00:002021-12-10T14:23:05.394+00:00Steve-the-Wargamer,
Even the novice naval wargame...Steve-the-Wargamer,<br /><br />Even the novice naval wargamers enjoyed it, if only because of the spectacle.<br /><br />The small red boxes are the aiming points for the lasers.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-55988018750008499442021-12-10T13:52:54.810+00:002021-12-10T13:52:54.810+00:00Looks like jolly good fun.Looks like jolly good fun.Adelaide Gamerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052999343460635401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-6066616915428390782021-12-10T12:39:37.127+00:002021-12-10T12:39:37.127+00:00I am not really a naval gamer but that was most ex...I am not really a naval gamer but that was most excellent..<br /><br />Can you tell me what the boxes by some of the ships signify?Steve-the-Wargamerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077311120172727690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-85737567503244451722021-12-10T08:34:45.350+00:002021-12-10T08:34:45.350+00:00Geordie an Exiled FoG,
Perhaps you might get a ch...Geordie an Exiled FoG,<br /><br />Perhaps you might get a chance to take part in such a game one day. I do hope so.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-33496762511207610762021-12-10T08:33:55.391+00:002021-12-10T08:33:55.391+00:00Charles Litka,
Perhaps putting on this sort of ga...Charles Litka,<br /><br />Perhaps putting on this sort of game and writing blog posts about them might revive some interest in Fletcher Pratt's rules. I do hope so ... and then your fleet might get another chance to see some action again!<br /><br />I'm interested to know more about how you made rangefinders out of clothes hangers ... although they would not have been allowed in the game I took part in.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-18559061524228783362021-12-09T23:29:45.267+00:002021-12-09T23:29:45.267+00:00Absolutely brilliant Bob, I am completely envious ...Absolutely brilliant Bob, I am completely envious :) <br />You lucky man :) Geordie an Exiled FoGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01002743056274635657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-5884958075491165742021-12-09T15:46:09.537+00:002021-12-09T15:46:09.537+00:00Like some of the other commentators, this takes me...Like some of the other commentators, this takes me back 50 years to the Fletcher Pratt WWll sea battles my friends and I fought on our basement floors. We used a lot more elaborate range finders made out of clothes hangers. Each of us collected a different navy in 1:1200 scale and we had quite an naval arms race... I still have my Royal Navy fleet and every so often take it out and admire it.Charles Litkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15182265039055575093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-85547956746304670622021-12-08T08:11:02.083+00:002021-12-08T08:11:02.083+00:00Delta Coy (Greg),
Cheers! Its great to hear from ...Delta Coy (Greg),<br /><br />Cheers! Its great to hear from you again!<br /><br />It was a memorable battle, and the use of the laser measuring devices considerably speeded up the adjudication of gunfire. Conventional tape measures are either too flexible (surveyor's tapes) or not long enough (metal builder's tapes) and take too much time to get right.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-6678863518106248392021-12-08T08:08:00.605+00:002021-12-08T08:08:00.605+00:00Mr. Pavone,
The strip of paper has the ship's...Mr. Pavone,<br /><br />The strip of paper has the ship's name on it as an aid to the umpires.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-10768883912365670542021-12-08T06:09:37.922+00:002021-12-08T06:09:37.922+00:00Excellent report Bob. Certainly a game to remember...Excellent report Bob. Certainly a game to remember and the use of laser measuring devices was a very clever idea. Cheers GregDelta Coyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991890687374165828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-90315832415069081982021-12-08T02:51:44.474+00:002021-12-08T02:51:44.474+00:00"A German battleship of the Helgoland-class i..."A German battleship of the Helgoland-class is hit three times by 15-inch shells."<br /><br />In the third picture up from the comments, there's a strip of paper(?) or something between the funnels and the masts? Was that part of the ship, just the model or was it something to aid in the game?Mr. Pavonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13286558267156792637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-35872032005988783082021-12-07T22:09:43.349+00:002021-12-07T22:09:43.349+00:00Pete.,
Now that the speed of play has been improv...Pete.,<br /><br />Now that the speed of play has been improved by the use of laser measuring devices, the game is even better.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-69968768210524805962021-12-07T21:26:47.365+00:002021-12-07T21:26:47.365+00:00That looks fantastic. I do like a good FP naval ga...That looks fantastic. I do like a good FP naval game.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Pete.Pete.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06668389518826053090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-88141373469757868222021-12-07T20:21:05.020+00:002021-12-07T20:21:05.020+00:00Unknown,
You were fighting your Fletcher Pratt ba...Unknown,<br /><br />You were fighting your Fletcher Pratt battles at about the same time I was taking part in the Madasahatta Campaign, where all the naval actions were fought using the rules.<br /><br />Your Tuna Wars sound as if they were great fun, and very much in the tradition of the original games.<br /><br />If you have access to a large enough space, the rules do give you the feel of a real naval battle.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-62061560331949660762021-12-07T19:11:56.980+00:002021-12-07T19:11:56.980+00:00This brought back some fond memories for me. When ...This brought back some fond memories for me. When I lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth Texas area during the 70s and early 80s, I belonged to a group that played Fletcher Pratt pretty regularly. We actually had a fictional series of wars set in the 1930s called the Tuna Wars. We presumed a famine that was so severe that nations were fighting over the world's fisheries and we proceeded to provide navies using the historical ships of the time for the various combatants and fight the battles on basketball courts or in large empty office building rooms. It was great fun.<br />William A. Sumruldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02416032195587924813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-47742303631644529352021-12-07T15:53:29.365+00:002021-12-07T15:53:29.365+00:00Rthingley,
I'm glad that this blog post has r...Rthingley,<br /><br />I'm glad that this blog post has reminded you of such a memorable event! I hope that you dust off your model of the <i>Lutzow</i> and that she sees some tabletop action soon.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-90578005893059953132021-12-07T15:50:32.198+00:002021-12-07T15:50:32.198+00:00Rob,
It would have been great to actually seen th...Rob,<br /><br />It would have been great to actually seen the two opposing fleets in action against each other, but we would have needed at least another five or six hours to get to a conclusion ... and we just did not have the time.<br /><br />The lasers were relatively inexpensive (I think they cost about £20.00 each) and when checked against standard metal tape measures, they were as accurate.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-34983421170782421212021-12-07T15:45:19.661+00:002021-12-07T15:45:19.661+00:00Kev Robertson (Kev),
It was a magnificent sight t...Kev Robertson (Kev),<br /><br />It was a magnificent sight to see so many model ships in action together, and taking part is a memory that will last with me for a very long time.<br /><br />It is not clear in the photos, but each model had a very small paper label underneath it showing its name. This helped everyone to keep track of which ships were being damaged.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-45513221125298297972021-12-07T15:42:46.807+00:002021-12-07T15:42:46.807+00:00David Crook,
You really ought to come to the next...David Crook,<br /><br />You really ought to come to the next Fletcher Pratt naval battle; you would thoroughly enjoy it!<br /><br />I understand that the models were bought as and when they became available at a reasonable price ... and having seen a couple of examples of 3D printed ones that cost less than £5.00 to make, such large fleets are now not beyond the pocket of most wargamers.<br /><br />I didn't take part in nay of the shooting, being confined to the admiral's chair!<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6933470253715910366.post-71929340756873391642021-12-07T15:38:41.404+00:002021-12-07T15:38:41.404+00:00Steve J.,
The gunnery system can be a bit slow to...Steve J.,<br /><br />The gunnery system can be a bit slow to use if the umpires have to use tape measures, but the introduction of lasers speeds everything up. It also simulates the real life problems experienced by naval gunners at the time, namely getting the range and direction right! I left all the difficult bits (i.e. kneeling down etc.) to my younger colleagues.<br /><br />I suspect that within the next year or so, another large naval action of this sort is likely to be staged somewhere in the UK. I only hope that I get the opportunity to take part!<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />BobRobert (Bob) Corderyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13109130990434792266noreply@blogger.com