Cruel SEas

[bangorstu]

So played my first game of Cruel Seas yesterday in a long while - play testing a scenario for a friend.

Well we discovered the scenario was horribly one-sided as US ELCO boats are horrifically over-armed and, with this being our first use of torpedoes, really very effective indeed.

But we enjoyed the game. As with all Warlord Games rules they are half-developed and poorly written .... and the model selection half done and then abandoned as WG are seemingly incapable of seeing any project through before abandoning it.

Now I think I've asked this before, but can't find the reply - does anyone else do 1:300 scale WW2 ships? I know about the limited range of Heroics and Ros and there's lots of 3D printing files about, but I don't have a printer.

And indeed same question for 1/700 Napoleonics as some of my friends are getting into that as well...

Thanks!

[Spanner]

G'day, Stu.

Not sure what you're after, mate, but there's a lot of 1/300 models out there, from battleships to fast attack craft. Some will need to be modified, but there's a lot of choice. Scalemates gives a good list https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?f ... 0crafts%22. You can click on any that interest you to see whether they are still in production, see instruction sheets, etc.

PS 1/350 has a lot more- see https://www.kingkit.co.uk/shop.php?sear ... cale=1^350. I've used Kingkit before and they give good service- and they're a lot closer to you than me, mate.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Stu - Several things to comment on here:-

1) I fully agree about Warlord; the moment those rules were released, people who had been enthusiastically awaiting them were complaining about the obvious lack of play-testing and glitches. Ditto Warlord abandoning them once the initial "got-to-have" purchase frenzy was over and folk started noticing the obvious gaps in the system. I believe that the ship range has now been taken over by Skytrex, which is another manufacturer to look at for 1:300 ships of their own that have been out for some time.

2) In terms of rules, have you tried TFL's Coastal Patrol (it's in one of the 2011 Lardy Magazines - Summer, I think, but check)? It's more of a "beer-and-pretzels" game, but none the worse for that; and frankly, if you want serious coastal warfare games, I would go for one of the rule sets by David Manley, who is an absolute guru on the subject.

3) Spanner's link is to a manufacturer that focuses primarily on modern stuff and also the bigger, capital ships - the mind boggles at what sort of space you'd need for that Jap aircraft carrier in 1:300!!! I may be wrong, but I suspect also that a lot of them are not waterline models, from the fact that you can get name-plates for many of the ships, which means some quite extensive surgery..... This might be a more useful link:-

https://www.wargaming3d.com/2019/01/16/ ... ruel-seas/

This lists virtually every type of vessel you will need for coastal warfare, and who to get them from. Most of them will print and post to you (for a price), but many sell STL files. Doug on here has a 3D printer and has certainly been generous to me in the past - he may well be open to negotiation for future assistance!

4) Don't write off 3DP! I've gotten some superb little boats from an eBay seller called <<dobsonhouse>> (I think he's also called "Magpie" commercially) and another called <<3dprintstudio>> - typing either of those into an eBay search, minus the chevrons, but plus "1:300 model ships", will give you their listings.

If you know somebody with a 3D Printer, this collection is useful for slightly less common types:-
https://www.thingiverse.com/hendrikdc/c ... -300-ships

These guys are US-based, but produce a very wide range:-
www.wargaming3d.com/product/fairmile-b-sub-chaser/

5) In terms of vessel size/category, I wouldn't go larger than a Flower Class corvette or a Hunt Class destroyer in 1:300, or you will need to start borrowing dining tables (and a warehouse to set them up in)! Both vessels, when equipped with the more powerful surface radars available towards the end of the war, were used to control small groups of MTBs/MGBs. Once you get past that stage, drop down to 1:600, where you will find manufacturers easier to source - Skytrex in the UK and PT Dockyard in the US are two that I have used extensively.

6) If you PM me your email address, I can send you two articles written in support of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers forum, involving coastal patrol skirmishes in the Med. Unfortunately, neither seems to still be available via that forum. Frankly, these are much more interesting - and less one-sided - than the normality of USN v IJN actions, although the second article does involve a lot of Elco's and other US craft, so you can still get to use what you already have.

I hope that was helpful - if you want any other links, let me know and I'll see what I can dig out (my own 1:300 collection is more or less complete now, so I haven't consulted the list for a while!).

BvW

[Jeremy]

Haven’t Warlord acquired Skytrex?

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Just found these in my "stache" from the prolific Rudy Nelson:-

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=537527 (this has the link to the SOTCW).

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=493715

Not sure if it's still valid, but contacting him on the email address he gives at the end might be worthwhile.

[Etranger]

Haven’t Warlord acquired Skytrex?

Yes - they seem to use the Skytrex brand for 'orphan' games. Cruel Seas is now sold through the Skytrex site.

I'd second David Manley's rules - his Action Stations are a simple but enjoyable set. David is indeed the go-to man for coastal forces & very approachable.

There's another manufacturer in the USA - PT Dockyard, although they're mostly 1/600 & smaller, with only a couple of boats in their 1/300 range https://ptdockyard.com/.

THE SOTCW website seems to have imploded a couple of years ago. I'm not sure of the background, not being a recent member, but I got the impression that there was some factionalism & infighting going on.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

What's that you say? Factionalism and in-fighting amongst re-enactors or wargamers? Who could possibly have guessed......?

I've dealt with the chap at PT Dockyard and he is extremely helpful with ancillary stuff, such as camo schemes - ask him nicely and he'll even chuck some miscasts in with your order to use as sunken vessels or wreck markers.

[Spanner]

I suspect also that a lot of them are not waterline models

They're the modifications I'm talking about- probably some of them will come with waterline options. 1/300 means huge ship models, but I'm not familiar with the rules.

PS If Stu's after small craft then Aoshima do 1/350 PT boats and an S Boat. https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?q ... 0crafts%22

You can get Vospers as well, but they are all 1/350. https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?q ... 1:00350%22

[bangorstu]

Thanks all - very useful info there.

I'll definitely look up the TFL rules,