Wargaming the Battle of Idu

In the GDW wargames Fifth Frontier War and Invasion Earth, there is significant strength in numbers: massed naval units hit much harder than smaller groups of ships. Hitting harder means eliminating opposing forces more quickly while taking less casualties; the longer a battle runs the more attrition saps both combatants. But the more a player concentrates forces into massed units, the less territory can be protected or attacked. A player must therefore trade off unit strength with geographic coverage.

For our wargame, the Anise system has four distinct areas that naval units can occupy: (1) Anise, the mainworld, (2) Pinella Confederation Naval Base in the Idu Belt, (3) Pala, the innermost and largest gas giant, and (4) deep space. A defender that concentrates all forces in one of the three worlds gives good protection to that one world while leaving two worlds vulnerable; splitting forces between all three provides only poor defense to each world.

Order of Battle

Defense of the Anise system was entrusted to Solomani Confederation Commodore Dinis Yating. Once Darrukesh fell Yating realized that Anise was the likely next target for the Imperials; he sent dispatches to Sector Fleet Command at Keyor (1521) requesting reinforcements. He also recalled all other regular navy assets in the subsector to assist with the defense of Anise.

The local Anise navy, commanded by Fleet Commodore Terrance Stav, split the system defenses across the three main areas. The Makkima SDB Wing was located at the gas giant Pala, to deter refueling efforts there. The Mirama SDB Wing and PatRon were located at Anise, the mainworld. The Khidasa SDB wing was placed at Pinella Base along with the regular Confederation squadrons and the Pinella defense squadron of monitors.

Solomani Forces

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
19th CarrierRon	13	3	1-2-4
47th FleetRon	13	3	4-0-5
38th FleetRon	14	4	5-0-4
Mirama SDB Wing	13	0	0-1-2
Khidasa SDB Wing	13	0	0-2-4
Makkimla SDB Wing	13	0	0-2-4
Mirama PatRon	13	3	2-1-2
Pinella Defense Squadron	13	0	0-0-5

The entire Imperial force, under the command of Admiral Miiri Elixabeth Kemper, jumped into the outer system and immediately made for Pinella Base.

Imperial Forces

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
226th CruRon	14	4	3-2-3
236th CruRon	14	4	1-2-3
239th CruRon	14	4	1-2-3
285th BatRon	14	4	6-5-6
337th BatRon	14	4	6-3-6
484th BatRon	14	4	6-1-3
513th BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
568th BatRon	14	4	4-0-4
91st CarRon	14	4	1-1-4
214th CarRon	14	4	1-1-5
587th CruRon	14	5	2-2-2
602nd CruRon	14	5	2-2-2
492nd BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
495th BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
51st ScoutRon	14	4	0-3-4

Resolution

In Invasion Earth,

Each combat round consists of a simultaneous exchange of fire between the opposing naval units. At the start of each round, the players must divide their naval units into two groups each if the Solomani player has both squadrons and SDB wings present . . . . For the Solomani player, all squadrons must be placed in one group and all SDB wings in the other. The Imperial squadrons are divided into two groups as the Imperial player wishes . . . and each group is then allocated to attack one of the Solomani groups. If the Solomani player has only squadrons or SDB wings . . . then each side’s naval units remain in a single group.

For an attack by a group of squadrons upon a group of squadrons, their attack factors are totaled. The total attack factor of a group determines which column of the space combat table: attack is used. A player uses the column that most closely approximates without exceeding his total attack factor. . . . One die is rolled, and the number rolled is cross-indexed with the correct column on the table to determine the combat result.

An attack by a group of naval squadrons upon System Defense Boat wings is resolved in a similar manner, but uses Bombardment factors instead of Attack factors and a separate table. While Attack factors are calculated based upon the number and quality of spinal weapons in the squadron, Bombardment factors are calculated by fighters and missiles. Presumably, missiles and fighters are much more effective against swarms of small SDBs than large spinal weapons.

After attack rolls are complete then damage results are determined. In Invasion Earth, “The battle damage taken by the naval units is the (minimum) number of defense factors that must be eliminated by eliminating some or all of the affected naval units. The owning player chooses which naval units are eliminated.” Because this is an all-or-nothing operation, the butcher’s bill can become quite steep. (Fifth Frontier War allows for units to become reduced in strength before being eliminated.)

For the Battle of Idu, Admiral Kemper divided the the attacking Imperial force into two groups: Rear Admiral Frida Arrighetti commanded the 91st CarRon, 214th CarRon, 587th CruRon, 602nd CruRon, and 51st ScoutRon against the Khidasa SDB Wing, while Kemper herself commanded the remaining Imperial squadrons against Yating’s regular naval squadrons.

• Turn One
  • All Imperial units move into the space around Pinella Base and engage the defenders there
  • Attack
    • Admiral Kemper’s force rolls a 1, does 5 damage
    • Commodore Yating’s force rolls a 3, does 1 damage
    • Admiral Arrighetti’s force rolls a 4, does 1 damage
    • Commodore Stav’s force rolls a 6, does 1 damage
  • Damage
    • Eliminates Confederation Pinella Defense Squadron
    • Eliminates Imperial 239th CruRon
    • Eliminates Confederation Khidasa SDB wing
    • Eliminates Imperial 91st CarRon
• Turn Two
  • With the SDB wing destroyed, Kemper consolidates her forces and presses the attack against the Confederation squadrons
  • Attack
    • Kemper’s force rolls a 3, inflicts 8 damage
    • Yating’s force rolls a 2, inflicts 0 damage
  • Damage
    • Eliminates Confederation 19th CarrierRon and 47th FleetRon
• Turn Three
  • The Confederation 38th FleetRon disengages and jumps outsystem

After Action Report

The Battle of Idu exacted a heavy price for both sides. Commodore Yating was killed when his flagship was lost with all hands. Pinella Naval Base was utterly destroyed after a short but brutal seige. Meanwhile the Imperial 239th CruRon had been broken, with all of its Effendi heavy cruisers disabled or destroyed. The INS Lianma, the enormous fleet carrier that anchored the 91st CarRon, was crippled and left adrift in the Belt.

But the Anise mainworld, which had been ambivalent to the Solomani cause and consequently labored under military rule, quickly capitulated without a fight—giving Admiral Kemper an intact Class A starport and attendant shipyards. The numerous planetoid habitats in the Idu Belt surrendered in the following days. The Anise system was hers, and Magyar sector lay wide open.

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