Callsign - modern carrier warfare

 John came across this interesting free game, 'Callsign' published by the Center for Naval Analysis. Website here: https://www.cna.org/centers-and-divisions/cna/ow/gaming-and-integration

It is an abstract representation of modern carrier warfare in microgame format.

As you can see, it is pretty compact! You can download the full rules from the link above, along with some other games.

Each side has a carrier which can sustain two hits, and various types of air units. Combat elements are a pair of fighter wings and a bomber wing (more strictly, anti-shipping) plus wings of airborne tankers, ECM and C2 aircraft.

You need to sink the enemy carrier while protecting your own, and the game is largely about balancing attack and defence as well as optimising the utilisation of the various types of aircraft. As fighters can only fly two hexes without running out of fuel, use of the tanker is pretty much mandatory! It dispenses with abstract searching etc, it is more about managing the combat capabilities, and about as far from WW2 carrier warfare as you can imagine in a world of GPS, satellite imagery etc.

John had run a session the previous evening, but both Tim and I were busy down at Shedquarters, so instead we rocked up on Wednesday with Jim as an observer. I was 'Blue' (US) and Tim was 'Red' (I really cant imagine who red might be, except he had a Soviet Admirals hat on).

Verdict from Tuesday was that it was a bit slow, air attrition very high and the game had ended indecisively with just a single unsuccessful strike on one carrier. Well, lets see how we get on today.

John put it up on a shared screen having converted the game to PowerPoint.

One of the main abstractions is that each side can only do one thing a turn - move one unit, launch one unit, attempt to restore a damaged unit etc. The C2 plane allows you to move two units however, if they are in range of it.

We both spent the first few turns launching air wings and figuring out what we might do. We both put ECM planes up over the carrier, Tim put both fighter wings up while I put up a fighter and the C2 plane, figuring it would allow me to move more stuff in future turns. Planes are limited to a one hex move (imagine a series of sorties and a patrol area), and if the fighters get out of fuel range, they are removed (abort to refuel) at the end of the turn. The other aircraft have longer ranges.

More planes up in the air and we are starting to reach out across the ocean. I had a big stack with bomber, fighter and tanker with the C2 plane one hex behind. I had worked out that the bombers optimum position was hex D2 northwest of the Red carrier as its anti-shipping missiles had a range of two, and from there I could keep the tanker back two hexes to fuel a fighter escort for the bombers.

We had an early air-air encounter mid ocean and I managed to down one of Tims fighters. Downed planes can be recovered quite easily (imagine it being an aborted sortie), but takes a whole action. I'd gained an operational advantage by getting my C2 plane up quicker so I had more force at the point of contact.

Red adopted a more defensive pose. They still haven't got all their planes in the air as responding to my actions is consuming theirs. I seem to have got inside their OODA loop.

Time to attack, the bomber and its fighter escort head south to D2 while the other fighter tries to protect the tanker. In this setup the tanker can keep both fighters fuelled while the C2 plane (in B4) is just in range (3 hexes) to control the air wings.

There is another fight mid ocean, and I get lucky and the Reds miss the bomber. An oddity of the combat system is you cant use fighters to screen other aircraft. What I should have done of course was use the ECM plane to escort the bombers as it dramatically reduces their hit chance. Another oddity is that bombers get a range of 2 in air-air combat, even if they only hit on a '1'.

My bomber punts a shot at the Red carrier but it is jammed by their ECM plane (ECM has a 66% chance of working).

Red is looking a bit thin in the air. I've moved a couple of the support planes to make them less vulnerable, but then a Red fighter flew right into a Blue hex! I didn't realise they could do that. One of my fighters goes for the Red carrier as well and tries to down the ECM plane, but with the active ECM it is a pretty hopeless attack. My fighter is shot down.

However things look up when my bomber manages to hit the carrier! (50% vs ECM).

Next turn Red regenerates one of his fighters which pops up next to my unescorted bomber and promptly shoots it down. However as combat is simultaneous, the bomber gets a shot off at the carrier and manages a magnificent hit! The ECM failed this turn, but the bomber rolled sufficient to have hit anyway.

As my bombers headed back to base, with two hits on the Red carrier, it was a victory for Blue.

That was a very interesting little game and surprisingly challenging considering how few pieces there were. You need to think abut the placement of each and every one, and while I was a bit dubious about only having one activation a turn, it actually worked very well in terms of decision making and maintaining or losing momentum.

We had a bit of a chat afterwards and added in a couple of addendums, that fighters could screen other units in a hex and that bombers couldn't initiate air-air combat. Otherwise it is well worth a revisit and will no doubt join our stable of regular games.

Hoplite revisited

 I was planning on attending the Society of Ancients Conference this year and I usually like to put a session on at conferences I go to. Unfortunately I've not done much Ancient gaming recently after doing Alexander the Brief a couple of years ago. It is one of those periods I have lots of stuff for but my enthusiasm waxes and wanes, mainly as I have yet to come up with a system I'm happy with which would work remotely.

Anyway, I had a moment of inspiration when I remembered Mark Cordones 'Hoplite', a simple campaign system to fight the Peloponnesian Wars. I played it a few times when it was published on the Portable Wargames Facebook Group, and I had wondered how it would work with using Dominion of the Spear for combat resolution.

Once more unto the breach dear friends. The contents of the Hoplite 'box' (actually an A4 box file).

We have here a simplified map of Greece with six key cities, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, Chalkis, Delos and Athens. The three little grey blocks are Spartan armies while the brown ones are Athenian. Each side has a fleet block too. As long as the Athenian fleet is in play, Athens cant be directly attacked. Armies move along the marked lanes. Each turn is two years starting in 431. Players win by capturing Sparta/Athens or destroying all the enemy armies. 

Any battles are resolved in a battle board. I'm going to use Dominion of the Spear. The armies are randomly generated but consist of six units, ranging from one cavalry, two peltasts and three hoplites up to five hoplites and one peltast. To reflect Spartan military superiority, they can re-roll their army.

If an army loses a battle it is removed from play (they can be replaced on the game map under certain circumstances).

Each turn players roll for initiative and may take one action. Athens wins and attacks Corinth from Delos. 

Battle time! Spartans nearest the camera, Athenians furthest. The Athenians have got five hoplites and one peltast, Sparta has two peltasts and four hoplites. I'm just going to use standard Dominion of the Spear ratings for these  - so peltasts are unarmoured missile infantry, while hoplites are armoured melee infantry.

Things don't go too well for Sparta. I'm using automatic combat resolution in all three sectors from right to left to keep things fast. Turns out peltasts needing a 6 to hit aren't very good against hoplites needing 3+! Whereas peltasts vs peltast needs 5+ each and may go on for some time.

The writing is on the wall pretty soon. Those peltasts are still going for it, but Athens has turned the Spartan right and still has a unit in reserve. In the final round of combat Sparta was reduced to 1 unit and lost. Corinth falls to Athens.

The Spartans immediately counter attacked from Thebes. It would be a high risk strategy to attack from Sparta, as if they lost the Athenians could just march in next turn! Assuming they won the initiative and Sparta didn't manage to raise a replacement army.

2nd Battle of Corinth. Athens rolled badly and ended up with three hoplites, two peltasts and a cavalry unit. Sparta got four hoplites and two peltasts. Sparta puts a hoplite phalanx up front while, while Athens tries skirmishing with the peltasts. 

And we can see how well that went. Two dead peltasts and no Spartan losses.

The Athenian centre and left collapse and they only have their cavalry left, still no Spartan losses. 

The Athenian cavalry do manage to ride down one unit of hoplites, but it is game over. Sparta retakes Corinth! What a bloody year 431 was.

After the bloodbath in 431, both sides are more circumspect in 429. Athens takes Thebes, and Sparta takes Delos. Neither side rolled high enough to replace a lost army (needs a 6 on the initiative).

427 saw a tied initiative roll, and an event.

Revolt in Ionia! The normal turn is replaced and Athens is forced to send an expedition to suppress the Ionian Revolt. If Athens loses, they will permanently lose one army, so this a high stakes operation. 

The rebels automatically get an army with three hoplites, two peltasts and one cavalry (a modification to the original). Athens rolls up four hoplites, one peltast and one cavalry.

A fairly bloody opening as Athens loses two units to one rebel.

Things got worse. Athens was reduced to one cavalry and one hoplite, while the rebels maintain a rather ragged line and their cavalry outflanked the Athenian left.

Suddenly the battle became symmetrical.... both sides cavalry flowed around the remaining hoplites in the centre.

But Athens managed to pull it off by routing the rebel centre as its own hoplites held off the rebel cavalry. Athens manages to hold Ionia!

In 425 Sparta managed to roll a 6 for initiative and raised a replacement army in Corinth. Athens rolled a 5.

A '5' lets you fight a naval battle, so the Athenian fleet attacked the Spartan one. Now, you could fight a battle with your favourite galley rules, but I just ran a dice off. Higher wins, draw is no result. However I gave Athens +1 as their fleet was generally better than their opponents. Athens defeated the Spartan fleet which was removed.

Having destroyed the enemy fleet, Athens is virtually immune from attack. The Spartans need to raise a new fleet AND beat the Athenian fleet to be able to attack Athens.

Sadly for the Athenians, their victory at sea was short lived. 423 saw a truce rolled, both sides could replace a unit. Athens built an army at Chalkis, but Sparta rebuilt its fleet.

Hostilities resumed in 421 and the Athenians occupying Thebes attacked Corinth (again).

3rd Battle of Corinth. Both sides have four hoplites, but Athens has two peltasts while Sparta has one peltast and a cavalry. Both sides opt to just put a line of hoplites up front and keep their lighter troops in reserve.

Hard pounding for a few turns sees both armies reduced to half strength!

But eventually the Spartans turn the Athenian right and it is all over. Sparta holds Corinth. They pursue the beaten remnants north and occupy Thebes.

In 419 the Spartans get the initiative and their army on Delos attacks Chalkis.

1st Battle of Chalkis. Athens rolled a 1, so just three hoplites and a bunch of light troops. Sparta has four hoplites and two peltasts. Again, both sides went for a hoplite phalanx up front.

And you can see how well that went for Sparta....

Oh dear! The Athenians hold Chalkis. Having defeated the Spartans, the Athenians just sailed from Chalkis and retook Delos.

The strategic situation going into 417. Corinth is wide open, and having won the initiative, the Athenians on Delos simply sailed across the Aegean and took the city.

The Spartan Army in Thebes was hastily recalled and attacked the Athenians in Corinth. 

4th Battle of Corinth. Both sides have identical armies, four hoplites, one peltast and one cavalry.

Athens sooned gained the upper hand, and shortly after, defeated the Spartans. Corinth fell to Athens.

In 415 Athens gained the initiative with a mighty 6. The safe option would have been to raise another army, but Athens was garrisoned and this was as close to Sparta as the Athenians had got so far, so they attacked Sparta directly.

The Battle of Sparta. The Athens rolled up five hoplites and a peltast. Sparta could muster four hoplites, a peltast and cavalry.

The Gods favoured Sparta and the Athenians took heavy losses.

And pretty soon it was all over, the Athenian attack was repulsed.

To add insult to injury the Spartans used their 5 to initiate a naval battle and attack the Athenian fleet.

Which they promptly won. What a reversal of fortune! Both sides now looked utterly exhausted after 16 years of warfare.

In 413 Sparta moved its last army to Corinth, while Athens occupied Chalkis.

In 411 Sparta rolled a 6 and raised a new army in Thebes. Athens withdrew from Chalkis back to Athens.

In 409 The Spartans in Thebes occupied Chalkis. All the Athenians could do was hold in the city.

407 and the Gods smiled on Athens, They rolled a 6 and raised a new fleet and the city was safe. Sparta moved its army from Corinth to Delos. Athens was now thoroughly besieged.

405, stalemate. Athens couldn't risk attacking Chalkis and Sparta couldn't attack Athens in the face of the fleet.  

403. Sparta initiates a naval battle against the Athenians. Athens wins and the Spartan fleet is destroyed.

401. The Spartans get lucky and raise another fleet. The Athenians immediately attack it, but are defeated by the Spartans.

399. With the way clear, the Spartans on Chalkis attack Athens directly.

The battle of Athens, 399. Athens gets four hoplites, a peltast and a cavalry. Sparta four hoplites and two peltasts. Both sides line up in the inevitable hoplite phalanx.

After a few turns of pushijng and shoving, it all goes horribly wrong for Sparta. Athens repels the attack and defeats the Spartan army. Rather than wait to be bottled up again, Athens advances out of the city and takes Chalkis.

397 sees the Spartans sieze the initiative and their last army faces the last Athenian army at Chalkis.

Chalkis. The Athenians rolled a 6 for army selection, the Spartans rolled 1. Twice. So the Athenians end up with five hoplites and a peltast, while Sparta has a mere three hoplites, plus two peltasts and a cavalry. Obviously scraping the barrel.

The Athenians put up the usual hoplite phalanx, but the Spartans decide to gamble and lead with their peltasts on the left and centre. The cavalry and two hoplites are in reserve.

Amazingly it pays off. After a couple of turns battle the Athenians have lost two hoplites but the Spartans are down just one hoplite.

More pounding ensues, leaving the Spartans having to commit their cavalry, but now the Athenian centre is wide open.

The Spartan cavalry succumb to the Athenian hoplites, but the Spartans on the right easily overwhelm the isolated hoplites. Athens is defeated and loses its last army.

And with Sparta having completely destroyed the Athenian forces and poised to occupy Athens, it is a Spartan victory!

Well that actually went very well. The war lasted a couple of years longer than the real one, but it did actually feel like I was making strategic decisions. I've played this four times now and I think Athens best hope is an early game blitzkrieg, longer term, geography is against them. Plugging in Dominion of the Spear worked very well and my few other tweaks were OK. It was just a shame we only had two random events, I'm minded to change the probability to whenever either side rolls a '1', which would make it more likely.

I think that is good enough to take to the SOA conference though, although it might be a bit ambitious to try with six players, I will give it a go.