Introduction: Otto von Flaschmann in An Austrian Lake?
You are Kapitan Ferdinand von Flaschmann, recently appointed Flag Kapitan to Admiral Graf von Grummpel of the Adriatic Fleet of the KuK Navy ; your outspoken views on the incompetence of the more senior admirals has hampered your rise through the ranks; you have achieved this position on the back of heroic service in the Boxer Rising, boyhood friendship with the Heir to the Throne and the influence of your Aunt Lisl.
Based at KuK SeeArsenal Pola, the vessels in your squadron are Sankt Georg and Kaiser Karl VI, two quite modem Cruisers and Zenta, Aspern and Szigetvar, three rather outdated light cruisers. Your Admiral may also be able to shift flag to the pre-dreadnought, Erzehog Karl if you can persuade the High Command to let her out to sea. Your job is to make as many of the ships available for action as possible and to encourage your Admiral to take aggressive steps against the enemy. You and your crews are keen to get to grips with the Allies, especially the perfidious Italians who are yet to venture out in force. You are hampered in this by the cautious and hidebound views of the Naval High Command and the seeming inability of the supply service to keep your ships fuelled, armed and in working order.
Who gives the orders? For the purposes of the game, you do. This reflects your ability to slide orders under Von Grummpel's nose to get them signed; you have got the schnapps sodden fool out of enough scrapes with actresses and waitresses for him to go to you for advice before his other officers. If there is a failure though, you may find yourself posted to the III Danube Gunboat Flotilla - the KuK sleepy hollow and graveyard of promising careers.
THE CAMPAIGN
Each turn represents roughly one week.
Each turn roll for your orders and the ships available.
-
1,2 - None, remain in port
3 - Defensive patrol
4 - Bombard shore positions
5 - Offensive patrol
6 - Intercept enemy force
Erzehog Karl
1 - Undergoing essential repair, not available
2 - A Visting Imperial Personage visits Pola and wants to view this symbol of Imperial might
3 - The relevent orders get lost, the ship does not actually leave port
4 - Low on fuel, on a 4,5,6 you can "find" some via your friend in the Dockyard Office
5,6 The old rust bucket steams gallantly into action
The Big Guns
You can alway rely on one of the Heavy Cruisers; roll for the other:
- 1 Your orders are countermanded by the High Comand as "A concentration of such vessels may attract unwarranted enemy attention"
2 The ship is on exercises, as target vessel for the Kuk U-Boat service
3 Essential Repairs to Captain`s Schnapps Cabinet
4+ Available for action
The light cruisers are always available.
Influence
You may exert your influence and add +1 to one of the above rolls; this will make you unpopular with the High Command. Keep a record of how many times you do so. At the end of every fourth turn, roll above this number on 2d6. Fail and you are transferred to the III Danubian Gunboat Flotilla. You reduce your unpopularity by 1 for every enemy vessel sunk; there is no bonus for a successful mission, officers of the KuK Navy are expected to carry out their orders or die in the attempt.
The Mission
None, well not quite nothing, something usually happens:
-
1,2,3 Nothing really does happen
4 You argue with the Port Admiral over the allocation of snuff to Croatian Marines, +1 to unpopularity with High Comand
5 You help the Harbour Adjudant (Supplies) have a really good night out and give him the address of Aunt Lisi in Vienna, +1 to a roll for a ship without worrying about popularity. You may store up these favours.
6 The Italian Regia Aeronautica attacks the harbour! Roll to see what happens:
-
1 - one of your ships is hit and crippled for the rest of the campaign
2 - one of your ships is hit and has to miss the next mission
3 - the stores depot is hit, -l roll for availability of ships for next mission
4+ - lots of explosions, mainly in the water, the seagulls get badly strafed
Bombard shore positions
Roll to see where you are shelling, roll for an encounter there and on the way back
- 1,2,3,4 On the Isonzo Front, takes one week
5,6 Down in the Balkans, takes two weeks, roll an additional encounter each way
For the bombardment, roll to hit twice per ship; if you get more hits than misses, you succeed. If you have more misses than hits, you fail, this will result in complaints from the Armee about you and 1 is added to your unpopularity.
If you fail to score any hits, you have in fact managed to shell the HQ of a Brigade of Hungarian Jagers and are posted to the III Danubian Gunboat Flotilla.
Offensive Patrol
Roll for area, then for an encounter
- 1,2 The Upper Adriatic
3,4 Lower Adriatic
5 Italian National Waters, +1 for encounter
6 Off Venice, looking for trouble, +2 for encounter
Defensive Patrol
Roll for area, then for an encounter at -1
- 1,2 Inshore (light cruisers only), -2 for encounter
3,4,5 Upper Adriatic
6 Lower Adriatic
Intercept
- 1,2 The Italians are bombarding our troops on the Isonzo; drive them off. The enemy force is d3 light cruisers and 50% chance of a heavy cruiser. Finding them is not a problem, you roll for advantage as per 5 below.
3,4 The Italians are planning to seize a barren lump of rock in a fit of belligerence. Roll d6: 1,2 it is a rumour, 3 they get lost and land on Corfu, 4,5 you intercept them, 6 you miss them and the Italian Flag is run up on the island of Kjnf or something. Nobody is amused and you are now en route to the IV Danubian Gunboat Flotilla. If you catch the Italians, there are d3+1 light cruisers, 1 heavy cruiser and d3 merchants or destroyers carrying troops. For each vessel damaged by more than 2 points, the landings have a 1/6 chance (cumulative) of being cancelled.
5 A light Italian squadron is at sea, roll d6. 1,2 you miss each other, 3,4 they find you, 5,6 you find them. There are 4-6 light cruisers, 1 heavy cruiser
6 A reinforced Italian squadron puts to sea, roll as per the above, but there are 6 light cruisers, I heavy cruiser and a dreadnought.
General Encounters
Encounters for patrols, moving about or if you are bored
- 1,2 Sorry, no trade today
3 An Italian seaplane! Shoot it down on a 1 per ship. If you do not hit it, there is a 5,6 chance of a submarine attack.
4 One of our seaplanes transmits emergency orders - roll an intercept mission now!
5 A submarine attack, roll a ship at random, 1,2,3 miss, 4,5 takes d6 hit, 2d6 hits and a critical hit
6 D3 enemy light cruisers and 50% of a heavy on patrol, if you outnumber them they will try to evade. Good hunting.
Encounters, roll for position and then bearing of enemy vessels in relation to yourself:
- 1 = 12 o'clock,
2 = 2 o'clock,
3= 4 o'clock,
4 = 6 o'clock,
5 = 8 o'clock,
6= 10 o'clock
Roll for range, 4d6 (or more or less depending on your playing table) and multiply result by 1000 to find yards.
The campaign ends when you either go down with your ship, run out of ships or get transferred to the Danube. In the event that you get your unpopularity below -1 you get promoted, enobled and are lionised by fashionable Viennese Society. Make the most of it because the Hapsburg Comic Opera, with all it's follies, flamboyance and heroic failures is facing imminent closure.
DAVCO do most of the named Austrian vessels in their 1/3000th WW1 naval range along with the usual destroyers and such-like. The Italians are also well represented, whilst makeweights can be combed from the extensive lists German and British ships.
Related
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© Copyright 1997 by Craig Martelle Publications
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