R/C Laker Tonnage Game Guidelines

By: Scott Tomlinson 

Introduction;

The following is an explanation of how to hold what I have dubbed “the tonnage game” with your own R/C lakers.  I was introduced to this concept by others and have altered it slightly to what I personally feel is the best method. You may find your own tweaks to change the game to your own liking.

Step 1; Picking the port’s to be used

Before selecting ports you may want to consider the type of laker your models represent. If you have Seaway Max Canadian Lakers for example you may wish to include St. Lawrence River ports. Another example is if you are running cement carriers Alpena is a must.   If a broad range of vessels are to be involved the best idea might be to include the major ports of each cargo type or trade route.

As the Inland Seas Transportation vessels are all US flagged self-unloaders I chose to have just about all the ports on the US side of the lakes served in the modern age of Great Lakes Shipping. Everything from Duluth to Buffalo, even the smaller ports such as Brevort.

Once your ports are selected you’ll need to make port markers. These are to be placed around the pond to mark each port your ships will visit. I used to use Popsicle sticks but found small plastic marker flags at Home Depot. Write the name of each port on its own marker flag.

Step 2; Making Port and Cargo Cards

Port and Cargo cards form the heart of the game. You’ll need to buy a stack of 3 x 5 cards. On each card you’ll write the loading port(s), cargo and unloading port(s). 

Example;

Loading Port; Superior, WI SMET dock

Cargo: Western Coal

Unloading Ports; St. Clair, MI & Monroe, MI DTE docks (split load)

The number of cards you make depends on how long you want your games to last and how many boats you will have involved so be your own judge. Go on the excessive side, it is better to have many cards to allow a greater variety of trips.

Step 3; Game set up

Now you are at the local pond and are ready to go head to head with your competitors. First you will need to place your port markers. This can be tricky depending on the pond. Place the ports in a manner where they are somewhat resembling the proper distance relationship between the respective ports. Depending on the pond layout you may have to play around with this a bit.

Now you need to deal the trip cards. Decide how many trips each vessel should have based on the time you have to work with. For a fun game I feel that six is as low a number you can go. Shuffle them up and deal away. Also pick the starting ports for each ship. This MUST be done before the players view their cards. The port picked should be a realistic lay-up port. Example; Lakers don’t generally lay-up at the Drummond Island stone dock.

Now you must select game types. You have two choices; Individual ship or fleet actions. If you have 2 or 3 participants the choice is clear, by default you must go for the individual ship. If you have an even number of participants numbering 4 or more you can go for fleet actions. The fleet format is very cool. The players divide up into teams of equal numbers of ships.

Step 4; The Dispatcher’s office

If playing in Fleet Action format each team member will combine their trip cards with those of his teammates. Together the team will come up with the most efficient method of completing the allotted trips. Do the same type organization in single ship mode. Keep in mind that ships don’t get paid to haul ballast. Try to arrange the trips an order that keeps your time running in ballast to a minimum. It is not advisable show your cards to players who are not in your fleet.

Step 5; in the middle window

With organized trip cards in hand you are ready to take the helm of your laker. As Captain of a Laker it is your job to carry cargo as quickly as possible while keeping your ship safe. To start your boat needs to be “docked” in her starting port. This means she must be broadside to the shore and as close in as her draft allows. All ships are to depart their docks at the SAME time. Designate a person to do a count down for start time to avoid confusion. .

Now underway proceed to your first port of call. Be mindful of other vessel traffic while underway. Make your intentions known via radio (speaking with) calls with other Captains. Arrange for passing (1 or 2 whistles) and other maneuvering situations.

When entering a port to load or unload you must also “dock” your boat in that same way described above for the starting port. Be sure to give a security call before entering port. If another vessel is docking in the place you need to be you must wait for your turn at the dock.  Once docked you must remain stopped for a few seconds. Then you may depart for your next port of call. Docking ability is a VERY important part of this game. You must be able to properly dock your ship without taking too much valuable time. Use wind and currents to your advantage in docking. Consider these factors when making your approach and you will save time, even if it requires you to steam slightly past the port to make the easiest approach.

All you have to do is continue going to your designated ports while honoring the above. It should be mentioned that you can alter the order of your trips at anytime in the game in an effort to avoid a delay. A situation may arise that you are heading for Duluth but you can see that another boat will be beating you to the needed dock, but another trip you have is to load in Two Harbors, where there is no other boat in the way. Go ahead and take that Two Harbors load then and delay the Duluth trip. You may also trade trips with team members during the game in that same type of effort.

Step 6; End of the Season

Now that you have reached your final unloading port check with your fleet mates, if you have them, to see if there are any cargos they could have you carry to help your fleet finish quicker. If not, steam from your final unloading dock back to the port you started your season at for lay-up. The ship or fleet to finish hauling all of their cargos first wins the game.

Additions to the game;

Over the various times I have played this game I have tried various additional things in an effort to spice things up. Some proved to work, others were not as good. I am going to include these additional rules that worked well here.

Addition #1) Shipyards;

If a player slams a dock rather hard or ships are involved in a collision of some type would be required to steam to a shipyard facility for repairs before proceeding on their trip. This can cause you to loose time while heading to the nearest port with a yard. Once at the yard the player must wait 1 minute before departing.

Addition #2) Straight Decker VS. Self-unloader;

We all know that it takes much longer to unload a straight decker than a self-unloader. A player with a straight  deck vessel is required to wait at the unloading dock for 30 seconds before departing, instead of the typical stop and go docking.

Addition #3) Size restrictions;

In the real world of lake shipping the large vessels are not able to make it into all ports due to size restrictions. Usually in the game I choose to ignore this fact to give a person running a “footer” model the fun of having a verity of trips.

This addition is to be used in the Fleet Action mode only. When fleet mates are organizing trip cards ports they would have to consider what vessels of their fleet would fit into the given ports.

Example;

I am running the 1,004 foot M/V Richard B. Lernoult, my team mate is running the 649 foot S/S Sir Isaac Brock. There is a trip going into the Saginaw River to the Wirt Stone Docks. “Footers” such as the Lernoult would not be able to reach that dock, thus the Brock must make the trip.