Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lockmart Lawndart

Specifically, What are they good for? I'm currently midway through my first ever WITP campaign and I'm playing against the AI. I've had quite a few successes and currently hold Iwo Jima (year is July 1943, Ive had it since may of 43). And I am using Iwo to great effect as a 4E Bomber base. Excellent position for interdiction. Which meanders to my question, what are battleships good for other then Shore Bombardment?

I've tried using them in a number of different roles with little success. As area denial they are absolutely atrocious if there is even a remote betty bomber presence in the area (Battleships have an allergic reaction to torpedos) which is damn near everywhere within 19 hexes of land. And everywhere else, they are at the mercy of any carrier that happens to be crusing within 3-6 hexes(took only one carrier for me to sink the Yamato). So whenever I take my battlewagons anywhere, I have to give them at least 2-3 carriers worth of air cover or they will be torpedoed and sunk.

So basicly I might as well just park the battleships and send carriers around as I would have to send them in anyway battleships or not. Not to mention, battleships (especially the old ones, newer ones make good flak barges) are slow. So all they end up doing is slowing my task force down.

So Basicly are they just lumbering dinosaurs, best parked in a harbor until needed for shore bombardment (which unless far away from another island, can be easily accomplished by legions of 4E bombers)?

So what are they good for? other then perhaps bait or targets?