Blue Water Navy - Scenario 1a Yankee Hunting AAR - Turn 3 (last turn)

 The last turn - roll for weather first:

West: 3 - clear - nowhere to hide for the Yankees
Mid: 5 - clear
East: 1 - clear
North - 9 - still stormy let's see where… 1, 9, 10
Bad weather in the Bastion - cover for the Allied SSNs from the TF as they get their last shot…

Set Soviets and US to 7 ops and the Soviets are up first.
The IL38 from Kola flies to the Bastion in the midst of bad weather to help the TF ASW ops.

The TF resolves its first ASW ops of the turn.
2 (Krivak) + 3 (Udaloy) + 1 (Kiev) + 0 (for carrier bad weather) + 1 (IL38 Patrol bad weather) = 7
3 dice no modifier - 4,4,6 - gotta love those rocket torpedoes…
The US selects which submarine takes the hit - one of the LAs
Evasion roll - 9 - gotta love those countermeasures…

The US needs to sink a Yankee SSBN per the victory conditions - and to increase the units/odds will start with the Roosevelt Roads P-3. Will the Yankees evade now, or in response to the follow on SSNs? And where should the Yankees evade to?

Can't take the chance - rolling for evasion - 4. Not this time.
The P-3 rolls 3 dice - 7,7,8 - and the damaged Yankee SSN is gone.

Back to the Soviets. In hindsight, it's good the Yankee did not evade.
The remaining Yankee SSBN puts the pedal to the metal and takes advantage of the Roosevelt Roads P-3 not being on Patrol and drives to Mid-4. This is still adjacent to a Yankee First Strike zone but out of range (SSN move 2 areas and attack or move 3 areas no attack) of the US SSNs for an attack. But still, the Yankee is still in range of the Bermuda P-3.

The Bermuda P-3 goes after her…

But the Yankee can roll for evasion, now it is 8+ since she is spent - 8!!
The Boomer with 9 lives. And as predicted the game may have come down to an evasion roll.
She has to stay adjacent to a Yankee First Strike area (Bermuda) but at least 3 spaces from the US SSNs - north off the coast of Nova Scotia works.

Back to the Soviets again.
With both P-3's Spent the remaining Yankee SSBN hits the accelerator and joins up off Nova Scotia.
Now both Yankee SSBNs are out of attack range of the US SSNs off Jamaica…

Did not expect that twist - if I understand the victory conditions correctly since both Yankee SSBNs escaped destruction it doesn't matter at this point what happens in the Bastion?

Back to the US - at this point it's time for the SSNs in the Bastion to start taking their shots.

First LA - 2 dice +1 - 1,6 - just not enough.

Back to the Soviets - even though bad weather reduces their effectiveness need to start loading up the Bastion with more MPs/Bears on Patrol first to help with the next round of TF ASW ops.

Then the next LA attacks for the US - 2 dice +1 - 6, 8 - 1 hit
The Soviets choose the damaged Delta I/for the minimum payload points lost.

The Soviets fly one more Bear On Patrol to get to TF ASW 3+1 dice after the US next ops.
In hindsight maybe each Bear should have just attacked with 1 die and hoped for a 10, but the US would have taken the hit from the damaged LA's that have already attacked. At least they get 2 chances - aid with TF ASW, then a later solo attack.

Now the Swiftsure attacks - 2 dice +1 - 1, 4 - whiff.

Since Ops is on a SHIP space-time for TF resolution - the Soviet TF will conduct its second and last ASW Ops with the Patrolling MPs assistance. But the Bad weather reduces all 3 MPs to 1 ASW point and no Carrier bonus.

They get 9 ASW points which translates to 3 dice +1 - 2, 7, 8 - whiff, and no rockets either.

Back to the Soviets for the next Ops point - the MPs will start taking their 1 die shot and returning to base.
First Bear - 9 - so close.

Next, the last US SSN takes her shot - 2 dice +1 - 2, 2 - whiff, and no US rocket torpedoes.

The second Bear takes her shot - 6 - miss.

Back to the US, and the long-range Nimrod in England flies to the Barents to go after the Foxtrot hopefully to prevent her from entering the Bastion.

3 dice - 4, 4, 7. another miss.

And the last MP in the Bastion (IL-38) - 5 - miss.

With nothing else to attack the US LA off Jamaica attacks the Yankee SSN before she can run to escort her fellow Yankees off Nova Scotia.

3 dice +1 - 3, 4, 9 - 1 hit, and she is damaged.

The Soviet has 1 op left. Either the damaged Yankee SSN can run to safety or the Foxtrot can enter the Bastion and take one last shot at the US SSNs. Going for that last shot in the Bastion.

The Foxtrot gets 2 dice - 8, 8 - bummer, she has no rocket torpedoes so a final whiff.

Finally, the Sturgeon takes one last shot at the Yankee SSN

3 dice +1 - 3, 4, 9 - and the Yankee SSN is gone.

And that's all she wrote…

US Losses - 4 damaged SSNs in the Bastion.

Soviet losses:

12 payload points including the damaged Yankee SSBN - possibly subtract 2 points for the Alfa and November points that crossed the SOSUS barrier.
That would still be 10 payload points which are enough for a US win but…
No Yankee SSBNs were sunk so the Soviets pull a victory from the jaws of defeat.

And here is what Soviet victory looks like.

Hopefully, this AAR was helpful in seeing the game in action.

Even though this was an intro/training scenario, it begins to reveal all the decision-making and trade-offs that need to be considered when playing. Also, the way the systems/adjustments/procedures work seems to 'feel' true to life - for a hypothetical conflict. Finally, being an ex-submariner from this time in history reminds me of what could have been, but luckily for all our sakes did not happen.

Designer Comments:

Some quick questions on scenario victory conditions:
- US still needs at least 8 payloads - and the Yankees can add to that?
Yes

- US also needs to sink (2 hits and out) 1 Yankee SSBN - even if the US damages both then still a US loss. The game can potentially come down to a Yankee evasion roll then...
One step is enough to win the game - so in your case, actually a glorious capitalist victory

One last (but important!) thing - note the scenario special rules:
"The Bastion cannot have Bad Weather (ignore any such results)"
This is good and bad for both sides as the Soviet air becomes much more effective. However, it was a balancing mechanism for this scenario only - in the full game of course the bastion can have storms, so you didn't do 'anything wrong' but it probably skewed the game away from the Russians a little.

Epilogue:

From my other favorite - hunting a Typhoon.
She evaded the Mark 48's in the end.
Sounds like those missed ASW rolls by the US SSNs.