Matrix Games Forums

Forums  Register  Login  Photo Gallery  Member List  Search  Calendars  FAQ 

My Profile  Inbox  Address Book  My Subscription  My Forums  Log Out

Navy Books?

 
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [Modern] >> Harpoon 3 - Advanced Naval Warfare >> Navy Books? Page: [1]
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
Navy Books? - 1/16/2007 10:49:06 PM   
JohnO


Posts: 268
Joined: 6/8/2005
From: Colorado Springs, CO
Status: offline
The reason my subject title is "Navy Books" is that I will emit I'm a landlubber give me a tank and I will shoot at other tanks, but put me on a ship and I haven't a clue on what to do. I need a book that will give a landlubber like me where the starboard and where the poopdeck is located on a ship and how to fight another ship with their weapons.

JohnO

_____________________________

Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.
Post #: 1
RE: Navy Books? - 1/16/2007 11:49:28 PM   
Flankerk

 

Posts: 417
Joined: 6/21/2006
Status: offline
Going to stick my neck out somewhat, and be controversial. ( Like thats something new  ).

Essentially naval combat tends to be more technical than land combat. By that I mean those with the highest tech weapons tend to have a significant edge. The same doesn't always hold true for land combat. If you have superior tanks, but the attack is wholly behind your flank and by surprise, you are likely in trouble. I'd argue that the same doesn't necessarily follow for naval combat in the same way. A naval group that is "outflanked", might manouevre to unmask batteries, but it isn't in the same amount of trouble as a land force in the same situation.

As an introduction to naval tactics etc, the manual stands out as pretty good to me. I agree both the above books are good. However they tend to be most useful for doctrine and so forth. They are great for scenario design and for trying to reproduce known tactics. They are less good as an introduction in my honest opinion. I found at times that Janes or Combat Fleets made easier reading too!

Harpoon as a wargame is pretty good at introducing players to increasingly complex scenarios. The training missions work decently enough, while even complex scenarios are a good introduction, you just tend to play them in lower speed settings/compression. Would particularly recommend the FOST series on HHQ plus the RED Flag set up for testing there also. Even if you dive in and get hammered, its a good introduction and I seem to recall I just kept replaying scenarios until I finally won them.

Overall, there is a dearth of books that actually cover Naval Tactics as such. Those that do tend to be fairly heavyweight.

_____________________________



"Alas poor Yorick,I knew him Horatio"

#1 Quote of the Harpoon Community.
Post #: 2
RE: Navy Books? - 1/17/2007 12:36:13 AM   
alcazar


Posts: 15
Joined: 6/5/2005
Status: offline
If you can find them at sensible prices, I'd recommend getting the Official Harpoon II or III Strategy Guides. They teach you naval tactics and how to implement them in Harpoon. I have the H2 version by Ed Dille & Tom Basham and it's worth having for ANW.

<checks Amazon> : they have copies from $6.95 - you can't go wrong!


_____________________________

Nigel

(in reply to Flankerk)
Post #: 3
RE: Navy Books? - 1/17/2007 3:44:11 AM   
TonyE


Posts: 1551
Joined: 5/23/2006
From: MN, USA
Status: offline
I'm even a fan of the Harpoon II manual, it covers the basics of weapons systems and ships in general but is a tad weak in how to actually go about winning a naval battle.  Still a great primer.



_____________________________

Sincerely,
Tony Eischens
Harpoon (HC, HCE, HUCE, Classic) programmer
HarpGamer.com Co-Owner

(in reply to alcazar)
Post #: 4
RE: Navy Books? - 6/30/2007 4:41:03 AM   
ClaudeJ


Posts: 1213
Joined: 3/8/2006
From: Belgique
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: alcazar

If you can find them at sensible prices, I'd recommend getting the Official Harpoon II or III Strategy Guides. They teach you naval tactics and how to implement them in Harpoon. I have the H2 version by Ed Dille & Tom Basham and it's worth having for ANW.

<checks Amazon> : they have copies from $6.95 - you can't go wrong!




do you know what are the differences between the two version? The Harpoon III is more difficult to find, does it worth it?

PS/ it seems that there's also an earlier version Harpoon Battlebook: The Official Strategies & Tactics Guide by James Degoey published in 1991. Do you know it?

cheers,

Jan

< Message edited by Jan Masterson -- 6/30/2007 5:07:02 AM >


_____________________________

reporter at Gazette du wargamer.fr
(Previously known as JanMasters0n)

"A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open."
Frank Zappa

(in reply to alcazar)
Post #: 5
RE: Navy Books? - 7/10/2007 1:36:00 PM   
ClaudeJ


Posts: 1213
Joined: 3/8/2006
From: Belgique
Status: offline
i've received today the book Harpoon II: The Official Strategy Guide by Ed Dille and Tom Basham, it seems a very valuable read! ;)

cheers,

Jan


_____________________________

reporter at Gazette du wargamer.fr
(Previously known as JanMasters0n)

"A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open."
Frank Zappa

(in reply to ClaudeJ)
Post #: 6
RE: Navy Books? - 8/31/2007 6:30:22 PM   
BurntFingers

 

Posts: 155
Joined: 6/28/2004
Status: offline
If you want the best publicly available - Janes.

Suggest selling your first born child to afford them, though.

(in reply to ClaudeJ)
Post #: 7
RE: Navy Books? - 8/31/2007 7:16:56 PM   
MarkShot

 

Posts: 7089
Joined: 3/29/2003
Status: offline
Jan,

Glad to hear that. I just finished with the game manual and order that strategy guide (an hour ago) after realizing that I still have no idea what I am doing! :)

_____________________________

(於 11/13/21 台北,台灣,中國退休)

(in reply to BurntFingers)
Post #: 8
RE: Navy Books? - 8/31/2007 7:19:03 PM   
MarkShot

 

Posts: 7089
Joined: 3/29/2003
Status: offline
Seems that the H3 guide cannot be found anywhere only H2. However, H2 can be found for the less than the cost of shipping. I suppose it should be good enough.

_____________________________

(於 11/13/21 台北,台灣,中國退休)

(in reply to MarkShot)
Post #: 9
RE: Navy Books? - 9/3/2007 12:50:40 PM   
BurntFingers

 

Posts: 155
Joined: 6/28/2004
Status: offline
If you do a search for "documentation" you should find the old H2 manuals listed in PDF form.

They include some ideas on basic naval strategy.

(in reply to MarkShot)
Post #: 10
RE: Navy Books? - 9/16/2007 12:14:09 AM   
MarkShot

 

Posts: 7089
Joined: 3/29/2003
Status: offline
I received my guide by Dille and Basham. Really useful stuff and an interesting read.

I also received an older book by DeGoey. It seems to be based on the Classic version of the game as opposed to the above based on H2. I have yet to really examine the book, but I expect that it will be worthwhile.

These days, if you don't count shipping, the above books can be had for no more than $2 USD. You can hardly lose at that cost.

_____________________________

(於 11/13/21 台北,台灣,中國退休)

(in reply to BurntFingers)
Post #: 11
Page:   [1]
All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [Modern] >> Harpoon 3 - Advanced Naval Warfare >> Navy Books? Page: [1]
Jump to:





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI

2.969