Snapshot Submarine Rules

[GeoffQRF]

Stumbled across these on the Free Wargames website and they look ok, simple enough for my son, fun enough for me 🙂  http://snapshotmodernsub.webs.com/

The website has the rules and enough datacards to have some fun with, but it seems to be missing the turn charts.

The rules say, “A Submarine can turn using the turning circles provided. There is one for Diesel/Electric, One for SSN, One for SSGN/SSBN and one for torpedoes. Some subs may have particular characteristics such as the Russian Alfa which turns like a Diesel/Electric sub”

The only reference I can find is from a 2012 TMP thread, but the authors account there seems to be dormant. At the bottom of the TMP thread it refers to turn radius (I assume) of 14cm, 11cm and 8cm (which seems odd as the movement rates are in inches, but there you go). Logically that would seem to be 14cm for SSGN, 11cm for SSN and 8cm for D/E (and Alfa, although the data card seems to fail to mention that), but I’m not sure which one was intended for the torpedoes.

Anyone played this?

QRF Models Limited
www.quickreactionforce.co.uk

[Sparker]

Alfa had (have?) a much smaller reactor but which produced more power than normal thus allowing its overall length and beam to be far smaller than most Soviet SSNs, making it faster and more agile – perhaps this is a nod to that characteristic?

http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com.au/
'Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall need to be well 'ard'
Matthew 5:9

[Russell Phillips]

I’ve not played it, but it looks interesting. There is an email address given on the website ([email protected]). Have you tried emailing him?

Military history author
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[GeoffQRF]

I wasn’t questioning the Alfas ability to turn tighter (cheers for the explanation though!) so much as it hints at it in the rules, but doesn’t mention/confirm it on the datacard.

I’ve (just) emailed – I hadn’t before as I couldn’t seem to find any postings after 2012 and the TMP account had been dormant that long so kind of assumed the email was too.m

Play tested a couple of games. Was simple but fun. Need to work on a system of blind dummies, I think, otherwise you are just waiting on the right dice roll. We played on just a small table area, probably too small. That close it does tend to go from a hush, hush creep to manic manoeuvre once the fish hit the water, and is pretty deadly at that point – so it’s probably reasonably correct!!

Tried sub on sub (LA v Akula, very similar characteristics) then with a boat… that’s where the blinds are really needed, otherwise you can simply drop a helo over the sub with an active SB followed by an active fish or two….

I think a few more games and we will see some different strategies develop!

QRF Models Limited
www.quickreactionforce.co.uk

[Sparker]

Yes you need blinds, and somehow each needs to generate a percentage chance from possub to probsub to certsub – the difficulty in ASW is prosecuting the right contact from the myriad of datum returned by sonar, dipping sonar, sonobuoy screen, sosus arrays, sl decoys etc!

Someone said that war was 99.99% boredom followed by 0.11% sheer terror – well they must have been thinking of ASW!

http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com.au/
'Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall need to be well 'ard'
Matthew 5:9

[GeoffQRF]

Snapshot does that by requiring you to have positive passive contact for 3 turns in 5 before you can try for a firing solution.

There is a system for using umpires, which is probably the best way of doing hidden movement, but without an umpire it could do with a series of possible/probable dummies.

Helos are quite well done, as they must move randomly until a contact is made, but once found prosecution can be quite swift and deadly

QRF Models Limited
www.quickreactionforce.co.uk

[Sparker]

Hmm, sounds as if you have a good set of rules there then…Personally I’d rather stick pencils in my eyes than play ASW wargames – in fact sticking pencils in my eyes to stay awake during CASEXs was the most interesting aspect of ASW!

http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com.au/
'Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall need to be well 'ard'
Matthew 5:9

[GeoffQRF]

Ah, warfare, you spend hours and hours waiting for something to happen, then seconds in sheer terror wishing nothing was happening 🙂

No response from the authors email – think I will make them up. How quickly can torpedoes turn?

QRF Models Limited
www.quickreactionforce.co.uk

[Sparker]

Can’t find anything open-source so want to be reticent. But think small and high powered vssl with a large control surface to prop ratio…….If wire guided, however, the operator will/should be more cautions to avoid snags and snaps…

http://sparkerswargames.blogspot.com.au/
'Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall need to be well 'ard'
Matthew 5:9

[GeoffQRF]

Cheers, I will make some small rules adjustments, possibly not entirely realistic, but will make game play more challenging

QRF Models Limited
www.quickreactionforce.co.uk

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