Gentleman, I have been number crunching - mostly because it does seem that the Union get all the carvery on turn 1.
So I have looked at the points cost of HI ships in the piggy rules (which includes a formula costing guns etc) then compared a selection against the campaign cost (which seems to ignore anything other than length and width of vessel) and have a proposal for your agreements
comstar and
tango .
First some working (ignoring smoke on the Water as I don't have a handy IBM mainframe to crunch possible points costs)
Ship | Piggy Points
| Anaconda value
| Conversion Ratio
|
| Proposal is 15 piggy points = 1 campaign point
|
Virginia
| 2145 | 101
| 21 |
| 143 - this column is campaign points cost
|
Monitor | 1345 | 38 | 35 |
| 90
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Benton | 1585 | 85 | 18.5 |
| 106
|
Arkansas | 1450 | 44 | 33 |
| 96
|
Cairo | 1330 | 55 | 24 |
| 89
|
Passaic | 1300 | 46
| 28 |
| 87
|
Gen Lovell
| 867 | 19 | 45 |
| 58
|
Miami
| 896
| 35 | 25.5
|
| 60
|
Gen Bragg
| 685
| 26
| 26 |
| 46
|
signal
| 630
| 30 | 21 |
| 42
|
Harford | 1406
| 50
| 28
|
| 94
|
Sumter | 454 | 19
| 24 |
| 30
|
Webb | 495 | 26
| 19
|
| 33
|
Mortar Schooner
| 170
| 5
| 34 |
| 11
|
This means that the Union may not start with 19 Ironclads, which was possible before. Hopefully both sides will deploy some wooden ships as well.
Your fighting fleets should be between 3 and 9 ships anything else may prove to be unwieldy. Oh and don't forget that shallow draft monitors are likely to sink in the gulf of mexico -- another hint at horses for courses.
I'm thinking that a pilot just gives a +1 to the running aground roll and we will use the optional rules from our refight of Hampton Roads for tows on and off sand bars.
Smoke in the Water allowed for something not covered in Hammering Iron - Boarding actions and I'm sure you would like to give this a go. So if you can get along side and in the same hex you might try and capture the vessel so my KISS proposal is.............................
Note: these are suggestion in need of play testing
Boarding Actions - Keeping in the Spirit of Piggy games it is to be a roll off,
most pigs win if you have boarded you can't also do opportunity fire, your busy doing this insteadEach player rolls 1D6 for each complete 5 or part thereof hull points remaining and also
add those dice to the pool [Modifiers (HDP = Current Hull Points)]
Attacker's HDP > 3x Defender's HDP (not cumulative) +3D6
Attacker's HDP > 2x Defender's HDP (not cumulative) +2D6
Defender's HDP > 2 x Attacker's HDP (not cumulative) -2D6
Defender's HDP > 3 x Attacker's HDP (not cumulative) -3D6
If you have a special boarding party +1D6 per party on board (you we need to have spent campaign points on these and show on the fleet rosta where their assigned: these are 5 points per party and are unlimited but can not exceed the number of current dice you roll for hull points)
Per Light or pivot deck gun on defending vessel -1 D6 for the attacker
Defender is Ironclad -3D6 for the attacker
Result Total Difference in pigsDefender rolls 5+ more pigs :Attacker is Repulsed losing 1d6 HDP.
Defender rolls 3 - 4 more pigs :Attacker is Repulsed. Both sides lose 1d6 HDP
Difference of 0 or 2 pigs either way: Stalemate, both sides lose 1d6 HDP and continue next
turn unless attacker withdraws.
Attacker rolls 3 - 4 more pigs :Defender defeated, but attempts to scuttle ship (see
Morale Rules below).
Attacker rolls 5+ more pigs : Defender Defeated. Attacker captures ship.
scuttle ship. Morale Test -- lifted straight from Smoke on the Water so may need more work
Method : Defender rolls (Roll 2d6. Fails on 2 or less)
Cause / Modifier
Vessel on fire / -2 to the dice score
Vessel flooding / -2 (if taken damage from a ram attack this game)
Captain killed this turn / -2 (read as Pilot House hit)
Lost Captain killed in a previous turn / -1 (read as Pilot House hit)
Per enemy vessel seen sunk or surrendered, struck colours / +1 [assume table is line of sight unless blocks by ships, islands as per the HI rules]
Per friendly vessel seen sunk or surrendered, struck colours / -1 [assume table is line of sight unless blocks by ships, islands as per the HI rules]
Flagship seen surrendered or sunk, struck colours -1
½ to ¾ HDP taken -1
over ¾ HDP taken -2
Torpedo detonated in contact with vessel this turn -2