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After Action Reports for 2002, 2003 and 2004
Contact Ryan Schultz, TANG Coordinator: oceanweatherataol.com
 
Last update: 20 Ocrtober, 2007
 

This month marks the seventh year of TANG's existence. I look forward to your continued participation and ask you bring a historical-minded friend to some future TANG event.  You will be glad you did.

 

 

Some numbers might help you get a feel for how TANG faired in 2007.  We met 18 times over the year (Oct 06 through Sept 07) with the following statistics and games played:

 

 

 

Close Action 8

 

The Royal Navy / Iron Bottom Sound II 4

 

Trireme 2

 

Air Force 2

 

Ironclads 1

 

Victory in the Pacific 2

 

Seventh Fleet 1

 

Macro-Panzer Leader 1

 

Diplomacy 1

 

Number of events:  18

 

Total number of attendees over the 18 events:  154

 

Maximum attendance: 19 players (set by an Atomic Comics Close Action game)

 

Minimum attendance: 4 players

 

Average attendance: 9 players

 

Median attendance: 8 players

 

Nodal attendance: 8 players

 

Greatest distance traveled to attend a TANG event: from Okinawa (Kevin T.)

 

 

Average attendance is way up over previous years, a very good thing, as we usually averaged four or five per event.  This is balanced by the reduction in the overall number of TANG events in the year, down to 18 from a usual 24 to 26.  This is due to my unusually heavy work requirements and upcoming climax of my night MBA program, both demanding an excessive amount of my free time.  By far the best attended TANG events are the Close Action games where we use a large floor map and GHQ 1:1200 scale miniatures, including setting of a new TANG attendance record of 19 players. Close Action also drew 14, 12, 11, and 10 players at other events, cementing its position noted in previous State of TANG emails as lead draw.  Remaining TANG events covered a large number of other games from IRONCLADS to Diplomacy.  This year saw five “on the road” TANG events with one trip to Maryland to play in a Mark Campbell, the game designer, Close Action event (6 TANG members attended), two trips to the Atomic Comics in Hampton, VA for Close Action and a Trireme event, and two trips to Tracy J's house in Hampton, VA.  This year marked some unusual games including Air Force and a four player Macro-Panzer Leader, both of which I greatly enjoyed.

  

Highlights for me were:

    * Six TANG members showing for a 36 player Close Action event in Maryland (1 in 6 participants were form our group - not bad for game that is over 4 hour drive away!)

    *  A hypothetical US, Confederate, Mexican IRONCLADS action that had a surprise showing of the Mexican gunboat fleet that attacked both sides.  It is good to be a GM sometimes.

    * A Betty/Zero Air Force attack over Guadalcanal in August 1942 that was shredded by the defending Wildcats.  My Zeros proved very fragile indeed.

    * A pirates TRIREME action which had all seven players against each other.  There are no allies among pirates!

    * A four player Macro Panzer Leader game which had surprise armor offensives on opposite ends of the game board, resulting in a swinging-door type battlefield.

    * Numerous other games which I simply lack the time to give a proper write up.  You *should* have been there!

 

The TANG website at www.navalwargamers.com still exists though I have not updated it in a spell due to lack of free time.  Our TANG Yahoo email group is very active thanks to Tracy J. and checks in at 33 members.  To join this group you can go to http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/TANG/.  The TANG membership roster has also fallen on hard times as I have not had the time to update.   This lack of administrative updates has me feeling somewhat guilty.

 

 

For the coming TANG year I plan to keep the schedule at one event per month through at least May.  In May my night MBA program will end and I can then dedicate significant time to putting on more TANG events as well an updating of the group membership list and naval wargamer web site.  I am open to member’s ideas and comments on the games we should play at the events though this will, for sure, include:

 

  1. More Close Action.  I will repair and rebase my fleet thus allowing for our large floor games to resume, probably in the May 08 timeframe.  I plan to play a large number of the scenarios (some of which we have play tested for Mark Campbell) from his new very, very cool Monsoon  Seas module.  You guys show for this game and I am to please.  If attendance grows beyond the Schultz household comfort level (around 15 is the probable maximum) I will seek out alternative venues.  I tried this earlier this year but lacked any substantial lead and did not follow through on obtaining location that would be free or cheap, clean and able to handle a large group for an extended period of time.

     

     
  2. IRONCLADS with miniatures on a hex map.  Much like our Close Action games.  I have a line on some ship miniatures but need the time to purchase and paint.  Think this will add a huge amount of flavor to our Civil War afloat games.

     

     
  3. Increased play of air games like Air Force and Dawn Patrol – a personal new interest of mine.  These games are easy to set up (a huge benefit to me) and have flexibility to handle a large number of players (a huge benefit for our group play).  I want to get repeated play, say once a month going so we can record pilot rosters, experience gain and losses over a time, much like a campaign game.  I am just now doing research on miniatures that might be used to increase the visual appeal.

     

     
  4. Play of my favorite BISMARCK, FLAT TOP, and MIDWAY did not appear this year.  I truly want to get these games back on the table and hope with an increase in number of events I can get an opponent arranged.

     

     
  5. A delayed project using a simple operational level game called Black Sea Fleet 1914-1918 (grand daddy to the Great War at Sea series) combined with The Royal Navy to fight out the resulting tactical battles.  I have researched and created the needed Russian battle ship logs and information that will fight the German Goeben and Breslau backed up by a smattering of interesting and unusual Turkish ships.  A way cool project I had to put on the back burner due to night school.

     

     
  6. Your ideas and inputs? I am open to your ideas of games, events, and venues to play.  Open play?  Host an event at your house?  Group meetings to plan future events?  Meet on Friday evenings?  Let me hear from you please!

I have been truly blessed by such a quality, active group of dedicated gamers and I thank each and every one of you for taking time to attend – this group is a success only because of you.  Please drop me an email or give me a call and chat about what you see the future of TANG to be.

 

 

Ryan