From Mon Jun 09 22:56:11 1997
>X-Authentication-Warning: ecom2.ecn.bgu.edu: mslrc owned process doing -bs
>Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 00:55:24 -0500 (CDT)
>From: “Louis R. Coatney”
>X-Sender: mslrc@ecom2.ecn.bgu.edu
>To: consim-l@listserv.uni-c.dk, mahan@microwrks.com
>cc: “Louis R. Coatney”
>Subject: IlliniCon’97 debriefing: BISMARCK survives, HOOD *sunk*, >beautiful, Russian girl.
>Precendence: bulk
>Sender: mahan-owner@microworks.net
>
>I got to Illinicon in Champaign-Urbana at 3:30 PM. Gregg H. had the
> 1ST ALAMEIN tournament scheduled for 3:30, so it worked out nicely.
>
>Noone entered the tournament. A lot of people stopped by the table, to
> look over 1ST ALAMEIN and the new Russian Front game’s map and units,
> though. I went up to my room, took a nap, and prepared for my 1:700
> “Battle for the Malayan Shore.”
>
>We had 6 other guys in the game, which had its own special room and
> viewing area.
>
>I SANK THE HOOD! — which I had stayed up all Friday night
> trying to finish … the (Tamiya) kit is *beautiful* … but all those
> pieces … and all that detail to paint around! — in the 1:700 “Battle
> for the Malayan Shore” game-on-the-floor, Saturday night.
>
>Of course, I *was* commanding HMAS PERTH and HMS JUPITER … but I did
> get that Japanese destroyer I was aiming JUPITER’s 10 torpedoes at …
> umm … too. (After all, HOOD was already heavily damaged. I was just
> anticipating the scuttling order, you see.
>
>Any other good rationales I could offer at my Board of Inquiry hearing?)
>
>It is intriguing: Computer games are far more “realistic” than manual
> games with models/miniatures … but there is just something about the
> models themselves … especially the larger-scale 1:700, 1:600 models
> … that fascinates people. While there were only 7 of us actually
> down on the floor “pushing boats,” Saturday night, half the
> conventioneers must have dropped in — we set up a viewing gallery —
> to watch, at one time or another.
>
>NAVAL ACTION — my miniatures rules — was *not* “finalized,” as it turned
> out. Coupled with the “plunging-fire-against-old-battleship-deck-armor
> rule,” the sinking possibility became 33%! against the battlecruisers
> — wayyyy too much. … and PRINCE OF WALES executed HARUNA, ATAGO,
> and TAKAO in short order … with the help of our battleship commander’s
> INCREDIBLE die rolling! (He had already sunk KONGO with HOOD, before
> … ) Soooo … the Royal Navy *saved* Malaya! 🙂
>
>When I got onto the elevator to go down to the game, I encountered 6
> Russian students: 4 guys and 2 girls. One girl is *tall*, dark-haired,
> and STATUESQUE. We’ll see if she looks up the poem on my webpage. 🙂
>
>Sunday morning, we did the “Rescue of the BISMARCK” game with CinC’s
> superb 1:4800s. “Kurt” wanted to be the BISMARCK captain. Tim …
> our unbelievably lucky battleship admiral from the night before …
> wanted to be Vian’s 4th Destroyer Division, hectoring BISMARCK.
> (There were 5 of us, but a shapely wargamerette left for a fantasy
> game she had pre-committed to.)
>
>BISMARCK’s heading determination is random, of course, and Kurt rolled
> luckily and evaded Tim’s opening barrage of torpedoes in the one
> direction he could. After expending his torpedoes, Tim moved over
> to harrass SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU, when the came on the tabletop
> under *my* command.
>
>We played 11 turns. In one of the final rounds, Kurt … who had had
> amazing “damage control” luck (Good-type), scored a 1:216 roll on
> KING GEORGE V, heavily damaging it. As we broke up, I had the
> fellows with damaged ships go ahead and roll away, to find out the
> ships’ fate. BISMARCK survived, albeit heavily damaged. KGV did
> not! We won! 🙂
>
>It was getting late, so the one fellow signed up to play my new
> Russian Front game was ready to call it a day … too. He *did*
> seem to like the map, though.
>
>Lou Coatney, mslrc@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu
> www.wiu.edu/users/mslrc/ … for your free game of 1ST ALAMEIN and
> your free cardstock model U.S. Destroyer Escort (plan)
Posted via email from mahan’s posterous