Ship Forms

by Larry Bond, Marc Miller

The joys of naval war gaming are in the chase and the battle. The tension of not quite knowing the adversary’s exact force structure reproduces an essential feature of real-world naval action. The moment of truth comes when the battle is joined. SHIP FORMS is published to provide materials to make both the chase and the battle easy-to-produce and easy-to-play parts of Harpoon. It does so by providing two prepared ship and aircraft forms, and a scenario generator. Prepared Ship and Aircraft Complete sheets with information about selected ships and aircraft are included in a form which can be photocopied to prepare for a scenario. When reproduced, they serve as the ready reference sheet for the action. Each form includes statistics, rules reference sheet for the action. Each form includes statistics, rules references, notes, and other information. For better visual reference, both a side view and an overhead deck plan view of the ship was incorporated into the form. Hit boxes allow easy damage check-off were also included. The final product was intended to facilitate fast, easy-to-play Harpoon situations. Scenario A Harpoon scenario generator is provided to assist in the specification and resolution of naval wargame situations. Specific rules for movement, search, and other details are part of the generator, which is structured to produce encounters between the task force operating in the North Atlantic, and to produce motivations for the two opposing commanders during these encounters. The result is a short, easy-to-play chase sequence in which both sides are involved in search for (or possibly avoidance of) the other side, followed by one or more tactical engagements using the Harpoon game system. Harpoon is To use SHIP FORMS and play Harpoon scenarios with SHIP FORMS, a copy of the Harpoon modern naval wargame rules is required.

56 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

About the author

Larry Bond is the author of several bestselling military thrillers, including Crash Dive, Cold Choices, Dangerous Ground, Red Phoenix and the Larry Bond’s First Team and Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising series. He was a naval officer for six years, serving four on a destroyer and two on shore duty in the Washington DC area. He's also worked as a warfare analyst and antisubmarine technology expert, and he now writes and designs computer games, including Harpoon and Command at Sea. He makes his home in Springfield, Virginia.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/larrybond