Action Stations! (Third Edition) (2002)

Naval Wargames Rules for Coastal Forces
1914 – 1953

by David Manley

Current Edition 3.2

40 pages; recommended scale 1/600; complexity: 7/10; level of detail: 6/10; avg game length 2 hours; dice required: D10, D6

View Summary of Contents

These rules are designed to fight actions in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. They provide the opportunity to re-fight skirmishes in the Channel, the Med and the Pacific with MTB attacks on Convoys and similar furious engagements. They are designed for use with models currently available in various scales, and come complete with a data annexe covering 140 vessels and 90 aircraft. (All that you could possibly wish for in your games.)

Summary of Contents

INTRODUCTION: Scales; Required Material; Model Bases; Conventions; Designer’s Notes

SHIP AND CREW CLASSES: Ship Classes; Damage; Crew Quality; Weather; Weather Change

ORDER OF PLAY: Damage Control Rolls; Initiative and Order of Movement

MOVEMENT: Crash Starting Engines; Drifting; Speed Loss through Hull Damage; ‘Silent’ Engines; Collisions; Running Aground; Towing

VISIBILITY AND DETECTION: Gunfire; ‘Darkened Shores’; ‘Superior Camouflage’; Starshells and Flares; Searchlights; Illuminated Areas; Audio Detection; Smoke Floats; Radar; Dummy Markers

GUN ATTACKS: Determination of Damage and Surprise; Rates of Fire; Changing Targets; Lines of Fire; Firing Procedure; Hit Location; Armour; Effects of Hits; Weapon Hits; Damage Control; Shore Batteries; Weapon Applicability

TORPEDO ATTACKS: Launching Torpedoes; Hitting the Target; Effects of Torpedo Hits; Reloads; Homing Torpedoes; Circling Torpedoes; Stern Launched Torpedoes; Torpedoes in Shallow Water

LAND FORCES: Troops; Vehicles; Buildings; Dock Gates

SUBMARINES: Diving; ASW Attacks; Damage whilst Submerged; Limitations on Submarine Offensive Actions

Q SHIPS: Hidden Weapons; Special Weapons; Special Features; Q Ship Scenarios

MINE WARFARE: Types of Mines; Hits on Minelayers; Mine Laying; Detonation; Minesweeping

AIRCRAFT: Taking Off and Landing; Air to Air Combat; Surface to Air Combat; Air to Surface Combat; Aircraft Damage

SPECIAL RULES: Survivors; Boat Transfers; Sinking Vessels; Holman Projectors; Depth Charge Attacks on Surface Ships; Swamping

WORLD WAR TWO DATA TABLES: Typical Merchant Vessels; British Vessels; German Vessels; Italian Vessels; Japanese Vessels; Russian Vessels; United States Vessels; Minor Nations Vessels; British Aircraft; German Aircraft; Italian Aircraft; Japanese Aircraft; Russian Aircraft; United States Aircraft

WORLD WAR ONE DATA TABLES: World War 1 Vessels; World War 1 Aircraft

REFERENCES; TEMPLATES; LARGE CRAFT DATA SHEET; SMALL CRAFT DATA SHEET