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Mediterranean Campaign rules

victory conditions:

1. Victory between the Entente and the Central Powers is determined by the scoring of MPs, short for military points. You score MPs primarily for sinking merchant ships and bombarding installations - see operations chart for more details. You may also score MPs in other ways such as capturing territory and succeeding in special missions assigned by your government. When the game ends the side with the most MPs wins. In the unlikely event of a draw the Central Powers win. 

2. Victory between the players is based on PPs, short for prestige points. Prestige is gained by  sinking major warships, winning naval battles, raiding major bases and capitals and generally engaging in flashy operations that tend to be covered in international newspapers. Prestige is generally not gained by the many mundane operations which gain MPs. If you are on the losing side as determined in #1 your prestige value is halved. This makes it nearly impossible for a player on the losing side to come in first. Ties are won by the player with the weaker navy. Players may at times have to decide between operations that make military sense versus adventures designed to generate prestige. Note that the players represent the respective heads of their admiralties and prestige determines how you will be remembered in history. 

3. APs (Atrocity Points) tend to negate PPs. Early successful use of submarine and mine warfare may be viewed as an atrocity. Same for bombardment of an undefended city... or one that is alleged to be undefended. Expect other atrocities to occur at the whim of the GM. 

4. International Law: At the start of the war it is considered illegal to use mines in international waters, to bombard civilian targets by sea or air, or to use submarine warfare against unarmed merchant ships. You are advised to get permission from your government before engaging in such actions. (Your government is roleplayed by the GM.)

strategic turns:

1. Each strategic turn players email their strategic turn sheet to the GM. (In special cases methods other than email will be considered, but generally email is required for the ease of the GM.) This is the phase where players spend their RPs (Resource Points) and when necessary assign and reassign ship crews. During peacetime resource points may be accumulated, during wartime they must all be spent or lost. Most purchases are not effective until the next turn, i.e. if you buy a coastal sub it will be available for orders next turn. If your order is not in on time your staff will cheerfully use their best judgment. Once orders are in they may not be changed. 

operational turns:

1. Each strategic turn players email their operational turn sheet and written orders, if any, with the same considerations as for strategic turn sheets. 

2. All ships must be assigned to a task force. Some task forces exist at start, players may create any number of TFs and name them as they wish. Task forces may consist at the most of all the ships in a port or of as little as a single ship. It is recommended however that TFs consist of at least 2 ships for morale purposes. 

3. Each TF must have a base indicated at which they start the turn. This is done by placing the TF abbreviation in the base column of the operational turn sheet. Note that bases have a maximum capacity controlling how many capital and light ships may operate from the port. If there are excess ships in port they just sit in the port unable to do anything.

3. Toulon, Sevastopol and all Central Powers major ports have a capacity of five capital ships and ten light ships. Other major ports have a capacity of  three capital ships and six light ships. Minor ports have a capacity of six light ships. DNs, BCs, BBs, and ACs are capital ships. All other ships are light ships. The only special case is ACs, at the owner’s option an AC may be based as if it were 2 light ships. Capital ship capacity may be used for basing light ships, but not of course vice versa.

4. Control of a port is determined in the strategic phase, allies may voluntarily give up control of a port to another ally. Note that this is the only way the Germans can base their ships as they start with no controlled ports. Whoever controls a port controls all of the ships in the port, excepting only if the ships are transferring to another base that turn.

5. Task forces may be given orders. The minimum order is to simply write the TF abbreviation in the operations column of the operational orders sheet. In this case the TF would proceed to the indicated area and the commanding admiral (i.e. the GM) will do whatever seems best. Or on a separate sheet the player may list the name of the task force and a description of the mission. A description may contain as little as a single word (such as "raid" or "defend") or consist of up to a page of detailed orders. Players may wish to instruct their admirals as to which circumstances to engage or avoid engagement with enemy forces. 

6. Ships engaged in transfer missions may attempt to defend the sea zones they begin and end in and possibly adjacent areas unless ordered otherwise. Ships engaged in refit, upgrading and repair may also act defensively defending on the circumstance. Ships engaged in transfer, refit, upgrade and repair may not be assigned other types of missions.

7. Note that players have the least control of their ships at the moment they encounter the enemy. Whether or not a battle develops is determined by the GM based on all relevant factors, especially TF speed and orders. If a battle develops and the GM considers it one sided or lacking in interest he will adjudicate the results. For example if a slow, weak ship encounters a fast, strong ship likely the GM will rule that the small ship is sunk. If the battle seems of interest it will be played out at Tim's house. Preferably the owning players will be able to attend, but the GM reserves the option of assigning other commanders or playing the ships himself in the interests of keeping the game moving.

8. It is possible and advisable to arrange for reconnaissance. The usual method is to indicate that some or all of the cruisers in a task force are "scouting". In this case the GM will compare the scouting forces of each task force, if one side is superior it will likely "out-scout" the other side. Superiority is determined by number of cruisers scouting, with speed of the cruiser being very important. Slower cruisers may be caught and engaged by enemy scouting cruisers or even by fast elements of the enemy fleet. If your scouting is superior you are more likely to have a choice as to whether or not to engage, and if you engage you are more likely to have an advantageous starting position. Historically fast light cruisers were especially prized by the British and Germans.

9. Other methods of scouting include seaplanes, zeppelins and land based aircraft, seaplane carriers operating as part of the fleet being most effective. Radio intelligence is useful especially in reacting to enemy fleet movements, spies giving you the enemy orders would be best of all. Submarine picket lines or subs stationed just off enemy ports also have potential.   

ship status sheets:

1. Ship status sheets keep track of....ship status. At the start of each turn players receive a ship status report from the GM. The GM only modifies this sheet, excepting that the player may change around assignments to TFs. A ship status sheet is sent to the referee with the strategic and operational orders, unless it is unchanged from the sheet provided by the GM. Optionally simple changes may be indicated in an email, such as "I assign the new dreadnought to TF 1". 

2. Ship status sheets are used to track TF assignment, construction, repairs, improvements and refits. These sheets are only provided to the owning player and are not posted on the website. The owning player may share the sheets with his allies if desired. The owning player may modify the sheets prior to sharing, in other words allies may lie to each other.   

Tactical considerations:

1. Most ships start the game lacking "eg" meaning elevated guns. New ships being built all have eg. Ships lacking eg have a maximum range of 30. You may still buy such ships fire control but this will not allow firing at longer ranges. The problems is that in most pre-dreds the guns cannot elevate high enough to fire at the longer ranges that have become possible with the newest fire control systems. 

2. The number in the projected refit column is how many strategic turns are left before a ship is due for regular maintenance. You don't have to refit your ships although lack or refit will eventually lead to slower speeds and possibly other problems. Aggresive operations will likely result in the due date for maintenance being moved up.

some general considerations:

1. FUBAR. (It's German.) Expect things to get unreasonably screwed up. This is WW1 and people are struggling with new technology that is barely understood if at all by their leaders. For example major warships would sometimes just blow up. The good news is the enemy will be equally tormented by incompetence, random misfortunes and confusion.

2. Research may be general, which is more likely to actually produce something; or you may look for something specific which is more likely to get you useful results. Examples of specific research would be to attempt to improve a weapons system such as submarines or seaplanes, try to produce a technological breakthrough like sonar or rockets, or anything else you come up with.

3. Diminishing Returns: As a game mechanic most things suffer from diminishing returns. Some examples - 6 subs raiding 6 identical convoy routes are will likely generate more kills than 6 subs raiding 1 convoy route; ordering the construction of one seaplane will always work while suddenly ordering the construction of 10 seaplanes, in other words putting all resources into seaplanes, will likely result in delays and inefficiency; attempting in 1 turn to give all your ports anti-submarine nets will likely result in some ports with delayed or ineffective nets.

4. Well painted or at least adequately painted ships have of course the best morale. Crummy paint jobs such as for instance spray painting all the ships gray will result in crummy morale. And for unpainted ships we will assume that both ship and crew are horribly neglected by their government. 

5. It is illegal to communicate or collaborate in any way with members the enemy alliance except through the referee. Remember that you are the admiralty not the government, you may not for instance attempt to change sides. While you are in competition with your allies for prestige points you are presumed to have a sense of honor. You may not in major ways sabotage your allies, for instance when commanding allied ships you will not be able to order them to engage while your own ships flee. If in doubt contact the GM. The GM may assign atrocity points or other penalties for significantly dishonorable behavior.

6. Some examples of legal competition with allies which are not quit dishonorable: Spying on your allies government, changing your ship status sheet to minimize or maximize your forces, asking for RPs that you don't really need, making claims that your ships "won" a battle even if your ally did most of the work. Examples of illegal and dishonorable competition are: exposing an allies plans to the enemy, playing out a battle to maximize allied ship lose rather than playing to win, and gross lies as to your on situation such as claiming the enemy has sunk a TF which is in fact operational. Your government and your own sense of honor make winning the war the top priority and truly damaging dirty tricks against your friends unthinkable.