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BATTLEFLEET 1900
PRE-DREADNOUGHT NAVAL WARFARE: 1890-1905



Battlefleet 1900 Scenario: Sylvia Basin - The Japanese Nightmare

Location – Southeast Coast of Korea. March, 1905.

Background – The Russian Pacific Fleet held out and the Russian Baltic Fleet raced on without waiting for reinforcements. The Japanese concentrated near the Sylvia basin in the long hope of catching the Russian fleets one at a time, but it didn't work.

Beginning Russian Order of Battle
Baltic Fleet Commander - Admiral Rozhesvenski
Battle Division 1: Suvarov, Borodino, Alexander III, Orel.
Battle Division 2: Oslyabya, Sissoi Veliky, Navarin.
Cruiser Division 1: Oleg, Aurora.
Beginning Japanese Order of Battle
Fleet Commander - Admiral Togo
Battleship Division 1: Mikasa, Shikishima, Asahi, Fuji, Kasuga, Nisshin.
Cruiser Division 1: Azuma, Izumo, Tokiwa, Yakumo, Asama, Iwate, Chihaya
Cruiser Division 2: Kasagi, Chitose, Otawa, Niitaka
Cruiser Division 4: Suma, Chiyoda, Akitsushima, Idzumi
Destroyer Division 1: Four destroyers

Scenario rules – All Russian Pacific Fleet ships have half of their normal secondary armament and no tertiary armament. Sevastopol has one main turret destroyed. Rough weather is predicted for the evening, so only a few destroyers are out.

Recommended optional rules
502 - Thin barbette shields
102 - Simplified gun patterns
304 - Mistaken evolutions (for Russian Baltic fleet).
104 - Stormy seas (beginning on turn 20, with a +3 modifier to the die roll beginning on turn 30 - if the game lasts that long).

Setup – Russian Baltic Fleet begin the game on the southern side of the board on a northern heading. Ship formations are at player's discretion.
Japanese Fleet begins game on northern side of board on a southerly heading. Ship formations are at player's discretion.
Closest setup proximity: 4 Nautical Miles


Reinforcement Die Rolls (1D6)
Russian Pacific Fleet - Battle Division: Sevastopol, Retvizan, Peresviet, Pobieda, Poltava and Cruiser Division: Pallada, Novik, six destoyers. Roll once at the start of turn 1 and each turn thereafter. On any die roll of 6 or greater the entire fleet arrives in two lines ahead (one for the battle division and one for the cruiser division) on western edge of board during the movement phase.
Japanese Cruiser Division 3: Naniwa, Takachiho, Akashi, Tsushima. Roll once at the start of turn 8 and each turn thereafter. On any die roll of 6 or greater the division arrives on eastern edge of board during the movement phase.


Victory Conditions
The Russians must pass to the north until the Japanese give up trying to stop them. They win if two or more of their battleships pass to the north (toward Vladovostok). The Japanese must force all of the Russian battleships to turn around and abandon their attempt to pass to the north. Note that this does not mean the northern edge of the board, it means northward movement in general.
 
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