Coastal Guns

[geoffrebman]

Re: Coastal Guns

So I have a thought on these coastal guns. I did some research on them and how powerful they were compared to other artillery and fortifications and I came up with this: same rules as AA guns where each gun would roll up to 3 dice for every 3 ships consisting of battleships, cruisers and transports and score a hit on a 3 or less. This being the fact that battleships take 2 hits to destroy and in the house rules I use, cruisers also take 2 hits to destroy. Any ship in said sea zone can be a casualty, not just the ones performing the shore and amphibious assault. Unlike AA gun rules, coastal guns can choose the casualties giving each side involved more emphasis on strategizing out the assault.
What’s everyone’s thoughts?

[SeaYa]

@geoffrebman - Wow, this sparks so many questions and thoughts!

Would this be a purchased unit? Or an upgrade purchase to an existing base, such as any naval base? If purchased:
-Thoughts on cost?
-Is there a stacking limit? I could see having two or three of these in a territory being very devastating as they hit on 3.
-Fixed position? I would think so as a shore battery in a casement is not something picked up and moved, which leads to, captured or destroyed if enemy seizes territory?

All that brainstorming, perhaps a purchaseable token, that remains fixed, like a naval base, and can take damage like bases, say +2/-2. Meaning a pre-invasion air raid could knock ot out of action. Destroyed if territory captured. Single stack limit with same placement restrictions as a minor factory (as this could get out of hand quickly on places like Gibralter.) Cost feels like 12 if hitting on 3, but more likely to purchase if cost was 8, hitting on 2. Would want to simulate probability of hit and IPC damagr dealt to mirror value of AAA guns.

Also interested to hear others’ thoughts so as to add a historical dynamic to shore combat, but also not allow the “balance cat” out of the bag.

[geoffrebman]

@SeaYa yes it is a purchasable unit. Between 8 and 9 IPC. Takes 2 hits to destroy. Used for amphibious defense only. For every 3 naval ships involved, rolls 3 dice @ 2 and for every 3 land units coming to shore via water blund transport, rolls 3 dice @ 1. Obviously would only shoot at naval units for 1 round. Acts like a fortification and can participate the entirety of the land portion of the amphibious assault. However to be able to be used in both phases of the assault, need at least 2 operational coastal guns in the targeted territory. Historical Board Gaming sells 3d printed coastal guns.

[geoffrebman]

@SeaYa I made a typing error in the original post. It rolls 3 dice at 2 against naval units and 3 dice at 1 against the transported ground troops.

[geoffrebman]

@SeaYa another edit I forgot to put in the original post, for added strategizing, if the attacker has other sea units in addition to transports battleships and cruisers, those other surface ships can be used as casualties. To help the defender, there’s no limit to the number of coastal guns that can be placed in territories.