Mayan Storyline War

[Kaiser Kirk]

Ok,

I will send out the Month 7 stuff either tonight or tomorrow (Weds).
IF Tac can not participate this week,
we will wait one more week before Mo 7.

However as the holiday season approaches,
we will run out of time. 

[TacCovert4]

Enemy fleets are too numerous and too powerful.
Pacific and Caribbean Mayan fleets remain in port to avoid total destruction.

Yeah

Mayans are just scared when they don't outnumber their victims 10 to 1

[snip]

Enemy fleets are too numerous and too powerful.
Pacific and Caribbean Mayan fleets remain in port to avoid total destruction.

Yeah

Prepares shipment of marshmallow and chocolate to Havana. Its smore time boys

[Kaiser Kirk]

There's a certain irony that the only nation managing a 3:2 intelligence ratio this turn
was the Parthians over the Mayans.
I wonder what I'll tell myself.

And much as the Mayan fleet may want to hide, the Mayan high command may have
other ideas... or not...

[Kaiser Kirk]

Originally I was hoping to start this war in Late August or at least by Labor day and end it in Mid-October.

We are now in November. I am running out of weekend time prior to the holiday season.
Tac has also indicated he is jammed up timewise.

There was potential for a pair of fights, but after consideration of various factors the ships would not be in the right place the first time, and would have not sought action the second time due to preconditions.

There is no serious action, and looking at the various sides orders.... I am not seeing signs there is going to be serious action,  yet I am having to spend my free time processing...sparring orders.

I am not willing to continue spend hours processing orders and trying to track ships and roll for detection and outcomes...... when there is no apparent strategic purpose.

So this month, I went ahead and did most of it, but somewhat hand waved the commerce aspect as most of the effort is aimed at the Florida straits area, which I already stated the Mayans seem to have quit using when Rome declared.

I think at this point a truce should be declared.

If folks want to continue sparring operations, make it a storyline, and just don't sink warships.

[snip]

I guess at this point it does become more of a question of what are the workable endgames for the involved parties and can those be reached without additional sim work. Is that something you would prefer to be worked out OOC as opposed to IC at this time?

[Kaiser Kirk]

Something like that.

I think OOC resolution of the 'goal' followed by whatever IC posts are needed to get there.
Obviously things will need to meet the 'reasonableness' test.

For example, the Mayans may be a Poliburo willing to sacrifice large numbers of citizens
...but they have no feasible means of retaking Alabama, and without that, it's simply not reasonable.

Now, historically you did see nations rip off chunks, but pay some compensation for the concession- think
of the US ripping off the Northern half of Mexico, and then paying the Mexican government to recognize...
which supposedly also removed the future causus belli. 

But yes, that pretty much can all be storylined against a backdrop of non-conclusive skirmishing
as each side does not want to risk a decisive engagement and the storm season interferes with operations.

Anyhow a

[The Rock Doctor]

So is there a verdict or still discussion ongoing somewhere?

[Jefgte]

So is there a verdict or still discussion ongoing somewhere?

I gave instructions to Kaiser for a Mayan army operation in the Caribbean...
Apparently, the Fleet, in escort, only encountered trawlers...

=> Kaiser must be very busy.

[Kaiser Kirk]

So is there a verdict or still discussion ongoing somewhere?

Not really.
This is where my 'proper role' is difficult to say.
I aim to be a moderator and facilitator/ clarifier.

Declaring how the war ended is more of a 'Game Master' type thing
I don't think that's my role.

I view that as for the involved players storyline it themselves.
Which was part of what my post was supposed to spur.


Past
The August 2023 results were posted last week, along with my post above.

That I expect to be the end of the war.
It might resume in a couple years...

Future

Tac is busy in RL,
Haven't seen Foxy post or PM


The only one who posted or contacted me was Snip.
Rome-Maya had already had some tentative discussions in August.

The Rome-Mayan aspect of the war will rumble on into the fall, with talks occurring
with the 5 tribes hosting.

This will allow Rome to post some storyline elements.

[The Rock Doctor]

Thanks for the update.

[Desertfox]

Had a busy couple weeks, catching up now.

[Desertfox]

Just an observation, but its been quite frustrating that just about all my wars have been decided by non-SS3 stuff, first MTBs, then subs, finally aircraft. Its ironic that we started this to play with SS3 designs and we keep avoiding a good ol' fashion ship on ship engagement!

[Kaiser Kirk]

Interesting observation.

I'm not sure how to 'fix that'.
Personally I much prefer surface units exchanging gunfire and torpedoes, want to see more of that.

I keep expecting some cruiser actions, or independent squadrons, but not much of that.
Certainly I have plans for the Parthians to have some independent or widespread units.

Fleets are big expensive things and folks don't want to loose them, so they are careful.


The 2nd Battle of Chedju-Do  started with MTBs, but your revised defences did a number on them....
it was really the destroyer strike that crippled your battleline as the Chinese main fleet arrived.

The player-sounding board really wanted me to give you options to end the war
without loosing your main fleet and then all your colonies.....which you took,
so the major gun battle never happened.

The Philippine war was scripted between two players, so that ending was on you :)

This past one....
There were opportunities for main fleet engagements.
Sometimes, the forces just were not in the right areas at the right times, or did not see each other.

Jefgte's orders allowed for forays and engagements under certain conditions.... but also required the other sides reactions to be just right.
That combination didn't come up often.

For the Mayan Caribbean fleet, it did most of it's damage by denying the Coalition the ability to reinforce at the sheltered harbor on the Carrib side.
For the Mayan Pacific fleet, it was hopelessly outnumbered by the Coalition, but he still looked for opportunities - and did slip out to start a raid only to spot the Coalition main force and return to port.

Tac's orders did seek a main engagement for his Carrib force, but he also wanted a very particular fight - so only clear weather - so sea haze, no nighttime - and his fleet had very limited time on station due to Destroyer range limitations, and then he'd have to spot the Mayans, catch them....AND have the right weather and visibility.

Shame, it would have been interesting to game that one out. I really suspect the reliance on long range fire would prove disappointing for those guns and that deck armor.
Meanwhile the Mayans had taken 2 "+1 step" tech boosts, FC and heavy torps. So they could return fire, just no spotting bonus, they have a 1-2% chance, but with more guns, so they'd
get hits too....with the same problem.

Meanwhile Jefgte kept the fleet in harbor for a bit for repairs, then missed the Aztec fleet (left for fuel) and so went to Martinique and then would have continued to Guyana to engage the Japanese ships... except for the torpedo bow hits and coast artillery FC hits. As I recall they had fueled at Cumana first, so they just headed back across the middle of the Carrib, passing the Panama-Hispanolia trade route at night. That damage delayed the return, as they hid in the lee of Provedincia island off Nicaragua  and patched a little bit.
Then pinned them in harbor during repairs. 

During that time, one of the Mobile cruisers was sunk, and so the remaining Cruiser and DDs and an Airpoint were withdrawn from Mobile.
That helped replace a bit of the losses from Veracruz.

Shortly after they were ready to go hunt Aztecs again, Rome declared, and so the Mayan fleet pulled in.

[Desertfox]

It all makes sense, it just sucks. So I had a thought...

Why don't we just split off battles and call them "exercises"? Yearly we can pick or randomly select two or more to have an exercise, random location, random scenario, and fight it out? We all get to see how our ships function without actually risking them and we can do scenarios that would be impossible otherwise (ie IJN Philippines littoral fleet vs Wilno Baltic Fleet). We can rotate who runs the battles so that everyone gets to fight.