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Issue #23 October 2002
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16
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Products:
Product Updates
Noble Miniatures Press Release
2
2
Rules Changes and Clarifications:
Director Fits for FG&DN22
Harpoon4 ESM Rule Change
24
Magazine Explosions in WW I
26
FG&DN Gun Errata
27
FG&DN Belt/Deck Armor
Hit Determination
29
Offensive Jamming in Harpoon430
Harpoon4 Air Refuel Notation
32
Departments:
Alerts17
Book Reviews:
Stalin’s Ocean-Going Fleet31
The Silent War32
Cover: KM Georg Thiele, Z2 (Type 1934
class) at Swinemünde,Germany, in 1941
National Archives
Noble Miniatures, a US company,
announces the purchase of Hallmark Miniatures. Hallmark, famous for its Figurehead
1:6000 line of WW I, WW II and modern
ships, as well as its CAP Aero 1:1250 scale
aircraft, Coastal Forces 1:1250 scale ships,
Main Force 1:300 scale infantry and League
of Augsberg 15mm troops and equipment,
has operated for well over a decade, and customers have come to count on the quality
of their products. Noble will both manufacture and package the miniatures.
For collectors of Hallmark’s naval figures, maintenance of quality is top priority.
Noted sculptor Andy Rawlings will continue in his design capacity, and already new
pieces are being added to the line. 1:1250
scale HDML, Fairmile C, Fairmile D,
MTB/MGB, Fairmile B, Fairmile B ASR,
and Fairmile B Ambulance have all been
put into production and will be ready for
purchase by the end of September, 2002.
It is Noble Miniature’s policy that if a
customer is not happy with the quality of
a purchased model, that they may receive a
replacement at no charge.
Noble Miniatures, a miniatures foundry in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, will produce
not only the Hallmark lines, but also the
Perrin Miniatures lines, well-known for
their 10mm World War II armor, American
Civil War figures and several other lines. In
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4
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CaS Scenario:
Fight for the Fjord
Annex A Listings
HMS Nottingham Grounds
Harpoon4 Scenario:
Monster’s Ball
Godzilla Attacks Indianapolis!
The 21st UJ Flotille, Part 2
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Features:
PRESS RELEASE:
Hallmark Figures Bought by Noble Miniatures
Sa
Table of Contents
addition, Noble Miniatures will produce
other lines under contract, such as the
Sovereign Stone 28mm Fantasy Line for
Sovereign Press and 28mm Battle Cattle
(Moo-Cows with guns).
Don Perrin, President of Noble Miniatures, said, “Mr. Royen, the former owner
of Hallmark Miniatures, spent two weeks
with us, ensuring that our quality was to his
standards. He went home satisfied that we
will maintain his high level of craftsmanship.”
Customers should not worry that
Hallmark or Perrin Miniatures lines will be
harder to acquire. They can order directly
from any of our full-line stockists, such as
the Last Square at 5944 Odana Road, Madison, WI 53719 (800) 750-4401 or (608)
278-4402 fax. Email [email protected]
for product or ordering questions.
Retailer accounts can acquire Hallmark, Perrin Miniatures, Heroics & Ros
Miniatures, Howard Hues Paints and
NavWar Miniatures through Regal Distribution at (866) 776-6739. Email info@
regaldistributors.com for account terms and
shipping costs.
Regal Distribut.: www.regaldistributors.com
Noble Miniatures: www.nobleminis.com
Last Square: www.lastsquare.com
BT
Product Updates
Harpoon
South Atlantic War II is out. We’ve
gotten a lot of questions about the new
ground combat rules, and they will
be published separately, with data for
ground weapons, sample TOEs and
sample campaigns. We’re trying to set
up a clearinghouse for TOEs so players
can submit ones they’ve researched, and
save some research time as well.
High Tide is in draft and should be
out by the end of the year. It has over
thirty scenarios set in the 1980s, with
about three-fourths of them a linked
campaign. Sidebars cover a wide range
of 1980s topics, including doctrine,
naval technology, and personalities.
Dr. John F. Lehman, Secretary of
the Navy from 1981 - 1987, will write
a foreword.
The Naval SITREP is edited by Larry
Bond and is published biannually
by Clash of Arms Games (www.
clashofarms.com). U.S. and Canadian
subscriptions are $21.00 for three
issues. Overseas subscriptions are
$28.00 by air. Subscriptions and article
contributions should be sent to Clash
of Arms Games, 1804 Hoffmansville
Road, PO Box 212, Sassamansville,
PA 19472-0212. Contributions can
be in print or on electronic media.
They can be emailed to llbond@aol.
com. Include name, postal address, and
phone number. Harpoon is a registered
trademark of Larry Bond and Chris
Naval SITREP Page 2
Command At Sea
Mighty Midgets is in draft and will
be out soon. The 96-page booklet will
cost $28, but has a pre-release price of
$24. It includes scenarios, rules (including a role-playing section), statistics for
small craft, and a sample role-playing
campaign.
For the Computer
Work on SSI’s Harpoon4 continues.
They must be making progress, because
they keep asking different questions.
BT
Carlson. Command at Sea is a registered
trademark of Larry Bond, Chris
Carlson, and Ed Kettler. Fear God &
Dread Nought is a registered trademark
of Larry Bond, Chris Carlson, Ed
Kettler, and Mike Harris.
Issue #23 October 2002
CaS Scenario: Fight for the Fjord
Environment: Wind from either 090°
or 270° (see setup) at 10 knots, sea
state 1. Visibility 25%, clearing to 40%
with dawn at 0609.
Attacking Player
Defending Player
file
Operational Situation: Last night
around 0200, a small surface force
escorted three troop transports past
submarine patrols guarding the entrance to Norseberg Fjord. The three
transports have gone pierside, but
will not start offloading troops until
daylight, because of severe icing of the
piers and town.
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Location: Norseberg, located in a fjord
on the west coast of Norway, 1940,
0600 hours local time.
Setup: All attacking forces must be
placed within 2000 yards of the channel entrance. Because of the unknown
water conditions, initial speed is 15
knots. The speed restriction is removed
within the channel or after dawn.
m
German and Allied forces are
engaged in a sharp struggle for control
of Norway in 1940. Forces are balanced
and any new troops could tip the balance one way or the other. The sleepy
port village of Norseberg is the next
target for the struggle between the two
invaders.
This scenario has one player defending merchant ships as they unload
at the head of a fjord. The other player
is the attacker and tries to disrupt the
landing. Either player can defend or
attack.
The Norwegian campaign is one
of the few occasions when the French
Navy actually operated against the Axis,
and while French and German ships
never exchanged shots, it was possible.
Victory Conditions: Decisive: Sink
or destroy half the cargo on all three
transports and no more than half of
your own ships sunk or crippled. Tactical: Sink or destroy half the cargo two
transports and no more than half of
your own ships sunk or crippled.
Tactical Situation: A hostile surface
force is approaching the mouth of the
fjord. All your ships are anchored (with
steam up) near the head of the fjord,
except for two picket destroyers.
Sa
by Michael W. Harris
Operational Situation: Last night
around 0200, an enemy surface force
escorting three troop transports managed to sneak past submarine patrols
guarding the entrance to Norseberg
Fjord.
Defender’s Orders: Protect the transports so that invasion troops can be
safely landed. Do not lose more than
half of your force in the operation.
Tactical Situation: A strong surface
force is covering the transports. The
three transports are berthed, but have
not begun unloading yet.
Victory Conditions: Decisive: No
transport is sunk or has more than half
its cargo destroyed and no more than
half of your own ships sunk or crippled.
Tactical: One transport is sunk or has
more than half its cargo destroyed and
no more than half of your own ships
sunk or crippled.
Attacker’s Orders: Attack the enemy
transports before the invasion troops
can be safely landed. Do not lose more
than half of your force in the operation.
Attacker’s Force: See separate OB.
Defender’s Forces: See separate OB.
Setup: Lay out the fjord as a rectangle 5+D6 thousand yards wide and
10+D10 miles long. The western end is
open. There is a marked channel 3000
yards wide in the center of the fjord
leading to Norseberg harbor at the head
of the fjord. The fjord walls are steep
but not vertical, and shoal water starts
1000 yards from the sides.
Allow the players to pick which
will be French and German and who
will attack and defend. The defending
player chooses the wind direction,
either 090° or 270°.
Place the three merchants at the
head of the fjord, tied up at the pier. All
the defending ships except two destroyers are anchored within 2000 yds of
the piers. Two picket destroyers are on
two patrol. The near patrol is steaming
side-to-side across the fjord at 15 knots
18 kyds from the piers. The far patrol
is on patrol 36 kyds from the piers.
All anchored ships have steam raised,
but are not at action stations until the
alarm is sounded.
Place the lead ship of the attacking
force 2000 yards from the mouth of the
fjord (which is also the entrance to the
marked channel).
Special Rule: The transports are Size
Class C, are unarmed and will unload
at a rate of 1% per Tactical Turn (or five
hours to unload) starting at 0609. If an
attack is detected the rate will increase,
starting the next turn, to 3%.
French Force:
Emile Bertin (Emile Bertin class CL)
Montcalm (Le Galissoniére class CL)
L’Indomptable, Le Malin, Le Triomphant
(all Le Fantasque class DD)
Maille Breze, Tartu, Chevalier Paul
(all Vauquelin class DD)
German Force:
Admiral Hipper (Adm. Hipper class CA)
P. Jacobi, T. Riedel, B. Heinemann,
W. Zenker
(all Type 1934A class DD)
D. von Roeder, H. Lüdemann,
H. Künne, A. Schmidt
(all Type 1936 class DD)
BT
Naval SITREP Page 3
Issue #23 October 2002
Annex A Listings for Fight for the Fjord
CA
Type 1936 (Roeder)
DD
Type 1934 (Maass)
DD
Displacement: 2232 std
In class: 16
Size class: C/Small
In Service: 1937
Crew: 315
Propulsion: Steam Turbine
Weapons:
Armor Rtng: 0
2F/P&S/2A(1)5 12.7cm/45 SKC/34//1 FuMO 21C
P&S(4)2 533mm TT w/4 G7a torpE
4 K-guns w/4 WBF or WBG DCD
6 DC Rail w/1 WBF or WBG DCD
Light AA: (2)2 3.7cm SKC/30, 4 2cm Flak 30
(.8)
Sensors:
FuMO 21 Seetakt radarG
SB (Bug S), GHG (64 element) sonarsH
Remarks:
Z1 - Z16. Can carry 60 mines. Carried one set of reloads for each
TT, can be reloaded into both mounts at once in 6 minutes. Carried
32 DC total, later up to 64.
• 1944: Z5, Z6 Lt AA armament changed to (1)4 4cm/70 Flak 28,
(4)2 2cm Flak 38, (2)2 2cm Flak 38, (2)2 3.7cm/69 Flak M42.
• 1944: Z5, Z10, Z14, Z15 FuMO 61 Hohentwiel added.
Z4, Z5, Z6, Z10, Z14, Z15 FuMO 21 replaced by FuMO 25.
• 1944-45: Z10 modified: received (2)6 3.7cm Flak M42
• 1944-45: Z15 modified: received (2)7 3.7cm Flak M42, (1)4 2cm
Flak 38.
Damage and Speed breakdown:
Dam Pts:
0 21426375 83
Surf Speed: 38281910 0 Sinks
La Galissoniére
CL
Displacement: 7600 std
In class: 6
In Service: 1935
Size class: B/Medium
Propulsion: Steam turbine
Crew: 540
Weapons:
Armor Rtng: 11/7
2F/A(3)3 M1930 152mm/55C
P/S(2)4 M1926 90mm/50C
P/S(2)2 550mm TT w/2 23DT Toulon torpE
1 Aft catapult (atop Y turret), 4 Loire 130M floatplanesB
Area AA: (2)4 M1926 90mm/50(.9)
Light AA: 8 13.2mm(.5)
Remarks:
La Galissoniére, Jean de Vienne, Marseillaise, Gloire, Montcalm,
Georges Leygues.
• 27 Nov 42: La Galissonnière, Jean de Vienne, Marseillaise scuttled at Toulon; the three remaining units join Free French forces.
• 1942: Radar added, catapult, seaplanes removed, light AA replaced by 24 20mm, 16 20mm.
• 1943: Three remaining units refitted in US.
Damage and Speed Breakdown:
Dam Pts:
0 57 114171205 228
Surf Speed:34 26 17 9 0 Sinks
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Displacement: 14050 std
In class: 2
Size class: B/Medium
In Service: 1939
Crew: 1600
Propulsion: Steam Turbine
Weapons:
Armor Rtng: 9/6
F/A(2)4 20.3cm/60 SKC/34//2 FuMO 22C
PB&P/SB&S/P/S/P&PQ/S&SQ
(2)6 10.5cm/65 SKC/33C
P/S(3)4 533mm TT w/6 G7a torpE
1 Midships Catapult, 3 Ar 196
B
(3.1)
Area AA: (2)6 10.5cm/65 SKC/33
Light AA: (2)6 3.7cm SKC/30, 8 2cm/60 Flak 30 (1.9)
Sensors:
FuMO 22 Seetakt radarG
SH (Mob S) sonar, GHG (64 elements)H
Remarks:
Adm. Hipper, Blücher. Reloads carried for all TT mounts, reload
time 6 minutes, all mounts can be reloaded simultaneously. Adm.
Hipper can carry 96 mines.
• 9 Apr 40: Blücher lost in Oslo Fjord to Norwegian shore batteries.
• 1941: Admiral Hipper had 6 2cm Flak 38 added, FuMO 22
replaced by FuMO 26. Degaussing device MES against magnetic
mines added.
• 1942: Admiral Hipper had 4 2cm Flak 38 added.
• 1944: Admiral Hipper had 6 4cm Flak 28 and FuMO 25 added.
Damage and Speed breakdown:
Dam Pts:
0 88 175263315 350
Surf Speed: 322416 8 0 Sinks
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Admiral Hipper
Sa
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Displacement: 2411 std
In class: 6
Size class: C/Small
In Service: 1938
Propulsion: Steam Turbine
Crew: 313
Weapons:
Armor Rtng: 0
2F/P&S/2A(1)5 12.7cm/45 SKC/34C
P&S(4)2 533mm TT w/4 G7a torpE
4 K-guns w/4 WBF or WBG DCD
6 DC Rail w/1 WBF or WBG DCD
Light AA: (2)2 3.7cm SKC/30, 7 2cm Flak 30
(1.3)
Sensors:
FuMO 21 Seetakt radarG
SB (Bug S), GHG (64 element) sonarsH
Remarks:
Z17 - Z22. Can carry 60 mines. Similar to Type 1934A with lengthened bow. Carried one set of reloads for each TT. Carried 32 DC
total, later up to 64. Z20 was sole survivor after 1940.
• Apr 40: Five of class lost in 1st and 2nd Battles of Narvik.
• 1944: Z20 light AA armament increased by 4 3.7cm Flak M42 and
12 2cm Flak 38. FuMO 61 Hohentwiel added, FuMO 21 replaced
by FuMO 25.
Damage and Speed breakdown:
Dam Pts:
0 22456780 89
Surf Speed: 38291910 0 Sinks
Emile Bertin
Displacement: 5886 std
Size class: B/Medium
German Type 1936 Destroyer
Naval SITREP Page 4
CL/CM
In class: 1
In Service: 1934
Issue #23 October 2002
Propulsion: Steam turbine
Crew: 711
Weapons:
Armor Rtng: 2/5
2F/A(3)3 M1930 152mm/55C
P/S(2)2 M1926 90mm/50C
A(2)1 M1926 90mm/50 AAC
P/S(3)2 550mm TT w/3 23DT Toulon torpE
1 Midships catapult, 2 Loire 130M floatplanesB
2 Mine racks w/200 mines
G
Area AA: (2)1 and (1)2 M1926 90mm/50(.4)
Light AA: (2)4 M1933 37mm, 8 13.2mm(.9)
Remarks:
Can carry 200 mines.
• 1942: Radar added, catapult, seaplanes, TT removed, Area AA
augmented to 8 90mm/50, Lt AA upgraded to 16 40mm, 20 20mm.
Damage and Speed Breakdown:
Dam Pts: 0 48 97 145174 194
Surf Speed:37 28 18 9 0 Sinks
HMS Nottingham Runs Aground
DD
Sa
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Displacement: 2569 std
In class: 6
Size class: C/Small
In Service: 1937
Crew: 220
Propulsion: Steam turbine
Weapons:
Armor Rtng: 0
2F/P&S/2A(1)5 M1934 139mm/40C
P/S/P&S(3)3 M1928 550mm TT w/3 23DT Toulon torpE
2 DC rail w/8 DCD
Light AA: (2)2 M1933 37mm, 4 13.2mm(.5)
Sensors:
Type 128 ASDICG/GB
Remarks:
Possibly the fastest steam-driven ships ever built. All units exceeded 43 knots on trials. Reduced silhouette.
• 27 Nov 42: Two units scuttled at Toulon; four units survived to join
Free French forces.
• 1943: Refitted in USA. P&S TT removed, Lt AA changed to 8
40mm, 10 20mm.
Damage and Speed Breakdown:
Dam Pts: 0 24477185 95
Surf Speed:
42322111 0 Sinks
VauquelinDD
Displacement: 2480 std
In class: 6
Size class: C/Small
In Service: 1932
Crew: 230
Propulsion: Steam turbine
Weapons:
Armor Rtng: 0
2F/P&S/2A(1)5 M1927 139mm/40C
P&S(3)1 M1928 550mm TT w/3 23DT Toulon torpedoE
P/S(2)2 M1928 550mm TT w/2 23DT Toulon torpedoE
2 DC Chutes w/8 220 kg DCD
2 K-guns w/4 100 kg DCD
Light AA: (1)4 M1925 37mm/50, (2)2 13.2mm(.5)
Sensors:
Type 128 ASDICG/GB
Remarks:
Cassard, Chevalier Paul, Kersaint, Maillé Brézé, Tartu, Vauquelin. Also called “2400 ton” class. 8 220 kg and 12 100 kg DCs in
reserve.
• 1940: AA upgraded. Cassard received (4)1 M1933 37mm/50, all
others (1)1 25mm and (1)4 8mm mg.
• Apr 40: Kersaint received British Type 128 ASDIC.
• 30 Apr 40: Maillé Brézé blown up by accidental torpedo explosion.
• Dec 40: Vauquelin received British Type 128 ASDIC.
• 16 Apr 41: Chevalier Paul torpedoed by British aircraft during
Syrian campaign.
• Aug 41: Tartu received British Type 128 ASDIC.
• Dec 41: Cassard received British Type 128 ASDIC.
• 27 Nov 42: Cassard, Kersaint, Tartu, Vauquelin scuttled at Toulon.
Damage and Speed Breakdown:
Dam Pts: 0 23466983 92
Surf Speed:36 27 18 9 0 Sinks
There’s a saying in the navy that after every grounding there are
always three hangings: The skipper, the navigator, and the conning
officer. Commander Richard Farrington, 41, Captain of HMS
Nottingham, certainly thought so on the morning of 8 July.
On the evening of the 7th, Farrington had accompanied a
medevaced sailor ashore and was returning in the ship’s helicopter.
As it approached the ship at 2200, the junior lieutenant in temporary command turned the ship to allow the helicopter to land.
With the helicopter just touched down, the wind and swells forced
the destroyer onto Wolf Rock, off Lord Howe Island in Australian
waters. By all accounts, Farrington was still on his way from the
helo deck to the bridge when they felt the crunch.
Moving at 25 knots, the ship ripped several large gashes in
her hull and then hung up on the rocks. Many compartments were
flooded, including forward engineering, the Sea Dart and 4.5 inch
gun magazines, the junior rating’s mess, and several berthing compartments. Several ratings were asleep, but everyone escaped safely.
According to the salvage master and every other expert who
has surveyed the vessel, by rights she should have sunk. That she did
not has been credited to the training and swift actions of the crew
and the leadership of the captain. They kept the ship afloat, shoring
up weak bulkheads, patching holes, and pumping out flooded compartments.
The morning after the grounding, Farrington was quoted as
saying that he would “be court-martialled as sure as the sun comes
up in the morning.” He was only repeating common wisdom, and
certainly reflected his mood after watching his beautiful ship grind
on the rocks all night.
In the aftermath of the grounding, salvage tugs and other
ships arrived, but were delayed by bad weather until Nottingham
was finally freed on July 11. She was towed stern-first to Newcastle,
New South Wales, where her waterlogged gun ammunition and Sea
Dart missiles will be removed and the extent of her damage assessed.
Loaded on a heavy lift ship, the crippled ship will reach home sometime in December.
And Commander Farrington has earned praise, not condemnation. Now judged to be not responsible for the ship’s grounding
(he’d just come aboard, after all), his actions afterward probably
saved the ship and the lives of many of its crew.
Calum Gibson’s website, Gib’s Naval Pictures at http://www.
gibstuff.net/warships/index.html has many photos of Nottingham
after the grounding, down by the bow, and also pictures of the
engineering spaces, filled with water. The photo above is taken from
his site, showing the grounded destroyer off Lord Howe Island.
file
Le Fantasque
BT
Naval SITREP Page 5
Issue #23 October 2002
Harpoon4 Scenario: Monster’s Ball
Lizard with an Attitude
Naval SITREP Page 6
m
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file
Beads of sweat dropped from my
forehead onto the keyboard as my
quivering fingers flew over the keys. My
eyes absorbed web pages flashing onto
the screen (I just got a cable modem,
it’s so cool) and the data passed directly
from my optic nerves down my arms.
My brain sat above the frenzy, coolly
observing and watching for patterns.
My first search at the many
Godzilla web pages was fruitless. I
searched bioengineering sites with no
luck, then I searched movie sites, looking for links between Toho Productions
and the military-industrial complex.
I didn’t find anything there,
although it had seemed like a brilliant
idea when I thought of it, .45 milliseconds earlier. But then I noticed something, under “friends” on a Raytheon
web page. It was a link to a reptile
fancier’s site. Were a lot of Raytheon
employees reptile fans? I hacked into
the site’s server and discovered a Mr.
Tahakaha listed as the administrator.
My überbrain, suspecting the name was
an alias, burrowed through two and a
half layers of random encryption and
discovered that the site administrator’s
real name was Smith!
This was highly significant. I had
seen Smith’s name earlier on a bioengineering web site, and also listed as Key
Grip on the very first Godzilla movie
(also under a clever Japanese alias). Of
course, the first names were different in
each case, but that was just part of the
villain’s cover.
Quickly encoding a global search
routine (OK, I used Google), I discovered hundreds of thousands of hits for
the name Smith. The man was everywhere! Beyond that, I began to detect
a pattern within the occurrences of his
many first names. I don’t believe it was
a deliberate attempt to communicate
by the Smith, but his subconscious
had definitely influenced his choice
of “random” first names. By finding
the hidden message, his subconscious,
possibly clinging to some vestige of
Goodness, would tell me what evil plan
his frontal lobe was hatching.
Sa
by Larry Bond
Godzilla’s Operational Situation:
Godzilla’s origin as a result of
the A-bomb testing of the 1950s has
always seemed too pat to me. He’s
big, powerful, and very lethal. There
are no horrible, misshapen limbs, no
vestigial writhing tentacles. Everything
has a single purpose - destruction. If he
was a machine, I’d call him a “mature
weapons system,” and that description
is what sent me on a hunt through the
Internet.
The truth may be out there, but
it’s not easy to find. First, I don’t speak
Japanese, and second, although I can
use word processors and page layout
programs, I don’t have the expertise
to hack though the layers of high-tech
security I expected to find.
Since Godzilla is a creature of the
movies, I decided to solve my problem
with movies. I embarked on a 36.5hour movie marathon, alternating
Japanese-language Godzilla movies with
cyberflicks like Hackers and The Net.
I drank Jolt and ate skittles to supercharge my neural activity.
At 3:37 AM, after finishing Johnny
Mnemonic and popping Monster Island
into the player, the “ready” light came
on in my brain’s control room. I could
write a web search engine in hirigana
haiku. I could decode Nostradamus. I
could write a Kabuki play that taught
the user how to safely clean his keyboard and mouse.
I started the decryption by arranging the first names in order of discovery, then by top to bottom. Although
the Smith had chosen only men’s
names, I began to wonder if this, too,
was part of the pattern, an attempt to
lead me away from the terrifying truth
that the Smith might be a woman! Or
maybe he was just a guy.
No matter. I tried substitution
and encoded keys, date-time patterns
and algorithmic syncopation. I did
the hokey-pokey and I turned myself
around. After an eternal 7.52 minutes,
I felt I almost had the answer, when my
hexadecoder suddenly emitted cybersmoke and left charred ones and zeroes
all over my desktop. But I was too close
to give up.
I started again, with a backup
copy, and resigned myself to seconds,
and possibly minutes of tedious repetition and probable failure. But as I came
to the critical step, I realized what I
had to do – what always worked in the
movies. I reversed the polarity.
Suddenly, the screen turned
phosphor green, and a string of pale
yellow characters swam into view. They
danced and rearranged themselves, then
did a victory lap around the edge of
the screen. It was a web address: www.
secretbiomonster.org/Godzilla.
My throat dried, my heart shriveled, and my feet stank as I typed in the
characters. It was true. Godzilla wasn’t
the product of man’s reckless use of the
atom bomb. He was the product of
man’s reckless use of bioengineering.
He was a hyperbiotic weapon,
created by the Japanese as a doomsday
response to Hollywood’s domination of
the movie industry in the 1950s. They’d
started out trying to create an army of
Toshiro Mifune clones, but had ended
up with a giant lizard instead. They
decided to keep the lizard, because it
didn’t ask for a piece of the overseas
rights.
I started downloading data at
breakneck speed, because the site detected my presence (the number of hits
counter went from 0 to 1) and began to
self-destruct.
Issue #23 October 2002
Godzilla’s Tactical Situation:
He’s been asleep, but now he’s
awake. In accordance with his genetic
programming, he’s going to go stomp
Tokyo.
Godzilla’s (Genetic) Orders:
Left! Right! Left! Right!
Godzilla’s Forces:
1 Type 14 Attack Lizard. He’s 150
feet tall, by the way.
Godzilla’s Victory Conditions:
Tactical: Destroy 50 points of
buildings
Decisive: Destroy 100 points of
buildings
Catastrophic: Destroy 150 points of
buildings
Each block of low buildings is
worth one point, medium buildings are
worth two points, and tall buildings are
worth three points.
Each block of the Imperial Palace
grounds (Low buildings) is worth 50
points.
m
ple
file
Japanese Operational Situation:
The Japanese Self-Defense Force
is aptly named in this case. Once again
they face a monstrous opponent that
they cannot destroy or even injure. All
they can do is interpose their frangible
bodies between their enemy and its
goal.
With some ceremony, the Self-Defense Forces General Staff has removed
from its secret place the Gudoju Kendan
Godzilla, the distilled (and unfortunately extensive) knowledge of how to fight
Godzilla.
Japanese Tactical Situation:
The Japanese Air and Naval
Self-Defense Forces will bear the brunt
of Godzilla’s attack. The Ground
Self-Defense force is fully occupied
evacuating the population of one of the
world’s biggest cities into the relative
safety of the countryside. Cups of
sake have been drunk and hachimaki
donned. All air and naval units are
deployed.
Sa
Part of the site listed Godzilla’s
genetic history, while another discussed
his previous attacks and their steps to
market them as movies. Another covered his destructive capabilities, with
a huge number of links to Tokyo construction companies. One page detailed
their plot to ruin Matthew Broderick’s
career.
The most interesting data described the failure of Godzilla’s movie
career when it was discovered that he
was genetically programmed to destroy
any human construction he encountered. He didn’t need to eat, which was
good for the caterers, but he was hell on
the props and sets. Hence his replacement by the guy in the cheesy rubber
suit.
The Japanese armed forces immediately stepped in. Combined with
his invulnerability to conventional
weapons and his amphibious nature,
he was a perfect weapon to be used
(in self-defense, of course) against
any of Japan’s neighbors, all of whom
had coastlines and cities. Part of the
Self-Defense Force’s budget was secretly
earmarked for the Kaiju Dosido project,
which loosely translates as “aiming the
bugger.” So far it’s been unsuccessful,
which is why the Type 14 Attack Lizard
hasn’t been included in recent armed
forces reviews.
A cleverly concealed link (it was in
English) led me to more recent and useful information, It revealed Godzilla’s
current location, outside Tokyo Harbor,
and more alarmingly, that he might be
ready to rise again. Seismic readings,
camouflaged as a techno soundtrack,
show increasing activity.
Japanese Forces:
All of them.
Japanese Orders:
As Godzilla approaches, harass and
delay him at all costs. Several plans to
destroy him are being rapidly assembled. All are risky, and nobody knows
if any of them will work. You must give
them time to try.
Japanese Victory Conditions:
Tactical: Godzilla destroys less than
50 points of buildings.
...and he never flosses.
Decisive: Godzilla destroys less
than 25 points.
Singular: Godzilla destroys less
than 10 points.
Setup:
Godzilla starts the game emerging
from the water at the spot marked X on
the map. He is submerged to the waist
at that point. He is facing NE when he
emerges from the water, and will begin
“wading” toward shore.
Special Rules:
How Godzilla Moves: In the
Plotting phase, the person controlling
Godzilla plots Godzilla’s movement. He
will always head for the center of the
city (most and tallest buildings), unless
he is distracted by the defenders.
Godzilla swims pretty well for a
two-legged lizard, making 20 knots in
deep water. He swims with the top of
his head and eyes out of the water, like
an alligator.
When swimming, his only attack
is to bite, with a 50% chance of hitting
a ship or sub (the only eligible targets
when he’s swimming).
Godzilla moves “majestically”
(slowly) when he walks. Wading though
water does slow him down as well.
Godzilla has eight facings corresponding to the eight points of the
compass. He’s not terribly agile, so he’ll
either walk/swim or turn 45°, but not
both.
The facings are numbered 1
through 8, and are always oriented relative to his facing, i.e., 1 is always ahead
for Godzilla.
Godzilla takes 30 seconds to turn
45°.
(continued on page 9)
Naval SITREP Page 7