Credits

Design: Richard H. Berg
Development: Keith Schlesinger
Playtesters: David Fox, John Gettel, John Lazauskas, Jack Polonka, Pete Van Wooten, and the "Perlas Before Swine Crew" (led by Peter Perla).
Graphics: Jon Compton
Editing: Keith Schlesinger, Jon Compton, Dave Wood

Note: Counters, Map, and Charts are unavailable on MapWeb.com--RL

1. Introduction

Chicken of the Sea is a game of oar-driven galley warfare in the First Punic War, the struggle between Rome and Carthage for domination of the western Mediterranean Sea. Although it is not an in-depth simulation of period naval tactics, it does provide players with a pretty good sense of how these lumbering sea contests were fought. Each hex on the map measures about 300 meters (250 yards) from side to side. Each turn represents about five minutes of real time.

Why the odd title?

It was the habit of Roman sea commanders -- in this case Consul Claudius Pulcher -- to consult the auguries for an auspicious preview of the upcoming events.

Unfortunately, the Roman augurs at the nearby Roman naval base of Lilybaeum must have had a close look at the recently dragooned Roman crews. Sensing an impending disaster, they informed Claudius that "the chickens would not eat." Claudius, anxious to get to Drepanum at daybreak, was not pleased. In a fit of pique he picked up the two oracular chickens and tossed them into the sea, saying that if they would not eat, then "let them drink."

This was indeed an omen of things to come, and very un-Roman like of Claudius to be Foul to the Fowl. At least half of the ancient historians of the last century think the story is a lot of "chicken feed," but it makes for a unique game title. Now, let's ram a few fivers, shear off a few banks of oars, drown a few crewmen, and have some fun.

II. Preparing for Play

A. Game Pieces

A complete copy of the game includes:

1 11" x 17" map, stapled into the magazine.
1 counter sheet with 100 counters, about half of which are fleet units.
1 set of rules, also bound into the magazine.

You need to provide one six-sided die (1d6).

B. The Map

The map shows the harbor at Drepanum, on the northwest coast of the island of Sicily. Units may always enter Sea hexes safely, plus Coast hexes if they avoid "running aground." Ships may never enter hexes containing only land.

C. The Counters

Carthaginian units are yellow, Roman are red. Markers used by both sides are light blue. Each counter represents 6 ships.

III. Getting Started

A. Carthage

1. Initial Setup. The Carthaginian Navy starts docked in hexes 2102, 2201, 2302, 2401, and 2502. Place four galley units in each hex, with the Flagship in 2102. Admiral Adherbal is placed inside (beneath) the Flagship. Initial Speed is 0 for all galleys. 2. No Roman Surprise (optional). Historically, Claudius Pulcher hoped to catch the Carthaginians in port. Unfortunately, he must have brought the rooster relatives of those chickens he tossed into the sea along for the ride. Adherbal and his men in blue spotted the Romans from quite a distance and were thus able to embark, form up, and get into position to attack the enemy before the Romans knew what was happening.

To recreate this advantage, the Carthaginian Player gets a free Movement Phase after Rome sets up (see below). All normal game rules must be obeyed during the phase.

Given that this advantage greatly helps the Carthaginian cause, use it only when the Carthaginian player is less skilled, or when playing solely for historical insight.

Historical Note

Carthaginian ships were more maneuverable than the heavier, slower Roman galleys. The infamous Roman boarding mechanism, the corvus, seems not to have been in use at this battle. It was a clumsy apparatus, anyway, that depressed the bow and made the ship susceptible to sinking. It also slowed the galleys down far too much to be of use against the wily Carthaginians.

B. Rome

1. Initial Setup

Place one Roman galley in hex 2522, 2523, and 2424 with initial Speeds of 2 each. The bow of each ship must face directly north, towards Drepanum. When using the optional Command rules (VIII), one of the three must have a Line Commander (i.e., a 2 inside a circle in the top right corner). 2. Reinforcements. The remainder of the Roman Fleet enters in a single line through hex 2424 during the first Roman Movement Phase. The first ship's speed may be set at 1 or 2. All units in the line are considered to have the same Speed as the lead galley.

When using the optional Command rules:

• The first ship in the line must be a Line Commander and all ships must have the same Orders.
• The Roman Flagship, with Admiral L. Claudius Pulcher on board, must be the 15th unit in the line. Other ships may be placed in whatever order the owner desires.

IV. Winning

Ancient naval warfare was quite simple: Completely destroy your opponents before they do the same to you! The game continues until all of one side's naval units are destroyed, captured, or run aground. The instant that happens, the other side wins the game. If one side announces that it is resigning, then of course the other side wins.

Historical Note

The Romans enter so slowly because it was still dark and the galleys were hugging the coast to maintain formation. Had they been able to go at top speed, the fleet would easily have caught the Punic ships embarking from port. History would have changed, at least a bit.

V. Sequence of Play

Each turn is played out in phases that must be performed in the order listed below.

A. Mutual Speed Assignment Phase. Both sides determine what speed each of their fivers will have for this turn.

B. Carthage Movement Phase. Move all Carthaginian galleys their full, assigned Speed, resolving Ramming and Shearing attempts as they occur. Roman ships targeted for Ramming or Shearing may attempt Avoidance.

C. Carthage Boarding Phase. Each Carthaginian ship that is adjacent to any Roman galley may attempt a Boarding action.

D. Roman Movement Phase. Same as Carthage Movement Phase, but this time Roman units may move and Carthaginian units may avoid.

E. Roman Boarding Phase. Same as Carthage Boarding Phase, but this time Roman units perform Boarding actions.

F End of Turn. That finishes the turn. Start another turn if both players still have any galleys that have not run aground, sunk, or been captured. There are no set num- ber of turns.

Terms

Command Range. The maximum number of hexes away that a galley can be and still receive orders from an Admiral or Line Commander. Fiver. Nautical term for a quinquereme galley.

Flagship. The galley unit with the Admiral beneath it (on board), when using the optional Command rules.

Line Commander (1,C). A galley unit with a Command Range of 2 printed on it. When using optional Command rules, it acts exactly like an Admiral, but may not transfer to another ship.

Movement Point (MP). Each MP allows a unit to move straight ahead into the adjacent hex. MPs can also be spent to turn a ship or back it up.

Ram Number (RN). Used to determine the success of a Ramming or Shearing attempt. Add the Speed and Crew Quality of the target ship, then subtract it from the ramming ship's Speed and Crew Quality total.

Run Aground Number (RA#). Used to determine whether a galley becomes beached after entering a Coast hex. Calculate by subtracting the crew quality from the current speed.

VI. Speed

Naval units must be assigned a speed marker and be faced in a particular direction before they can move.

At the beginning of each turn, each fiver must be given a Speed marker for that turn. (A formation needs just one marker; see IX. Command (Optional).) The number on the marker is the number of Movement Points (MPs) the galley must use during that turn. Place the marker under each galley. to indicate its Speed. The opponent may not look at a galley's Speed marker until after it has completed movement.

A. Changing Speed:

A galley may do one of the following during Mutual Speed Assignment: Increase speed by one, but never higher than 5. Decrease speed by two, but never lower than 0. Retain the same Speed marker. Change to a Backing Water (BW) marker if its current marker is 0, 1, or 2. Change to a "1" Speed marker if its current marker is "BW." Thus, a fiver with Speed 3 may go up to 4, down to 1 or 2, or remain where it is at 3.

B. Crew Fatigue:

A galley with a current Speed of "5" that does not reduce its speed during Mutual Speed Assignment must immediately check for fatigue. If the die roll is less than the galley's Crew Quality, replace the "5" Speed marker with a "3" marker. If the result is the same as or lower than the Crew Quality, it remains at 5.

C. Crippled Ships:

A Crippled galley receives a Crippled marker and cannot have a Speed marker higher than 1 (this is indicated on the Crippled marker itself, as a reminder). A Crippled unit retains its Crew Quality rating found on the galley's counter. As long as the unit has a Speed of 1, it may either turn in its hex or move through either of the two Flank hexsides adjacent to its Front. A crippled unit may not move directly forward or use Backing Water like a normal unit. If a Crippled unit's speed becomes 0 for any reason, it must immediately Drift. Roll the die and find the result on the Drift Compass printed on the map to determine the hexside toward which the unit's bow must point.

VII. Movement

A. Facing The bow (front) of a ship always points toward the top of the counter. See the illustration to see the Front hexside, Stern hexside, and four Flank hexsides (two on each side). Unless a galley uses Backing Water (see 4 below) or Turns, it must always move across its Front hexside.

B. Turning A unit may turn before leaving the hex in which it begins the friendly Movement Phase or when in any hex it enters during movement. There is no limit to the num- ber of hexes in which a unit may perform turns during movement. 1. Rome: A Roman galley spends 1 MP to turn 1, 2, 3, or 4 hexsides in a hex. 2. Carthage: A Carthaginian galley spends 0 or I MP to turn 1 hexside in a hex; the owner must decide whether to spend the MP. It must always spend 1 MP to turn 2, 3, 4, or 5 hexsides. (This rule accounts for superior Carthaginian maneuverability due to lighter ships and better crews.) 3. Maximum Turn Radius: A unit may not turn 6 hexsides (360 degrees) in a single hex.

Historical Note:

It took a galley about one minute to make a complete 360- degree turn within a radius of about 90 meters (80 yards). Or at least that's what naval historians guess - and I do mean guess! That's why you are prohibited from doing things like orbiting in a single hex, using up movement points. You can bet this kind of "test track" behavior didn't happen in a swirling naval battle.

C. Moving An uncrippled galley moving forward can exit the hex it currently occupies only through its Front hexside. A crippled galley can exit only through one of the two Flank hexsides adjacent to its Front hexside. A galley that is Backing Water (see 4 below) exits only through its Stern hexside. The hexside crossed must contain at least some water; the hex entered must be either entirely Sea or a Coast hex. It costs one MP to enter any hex. The following rules cover various situations and conditions that will arise in the confusion of battle.

1. Running Aground:

Each time a galley enters a Coast hex (one containing both water and land) there is a chance it may run aground. Subtract the Crew Quality from the current Speed to obtain the Run Aground number (RA#). Roll a die and subtract one if the bow is pointed at an all-land hexslde or if the galley Backs Water into the hex. If the result is the same as or lower than the RA#, the galley runs aground: place a "Crippled" marker on top of it and write down its ID number to dis- tinguish it from other units crippled by combat.

Grounded galleys may attempt to free themselves during every friendly Movement Phase after the one in which it ran aground. Roll the die; if it is the same as or lower than the grounded galley's Crew Quality, remove the Crippled marker and replace it with a "1" Speed marker.

Design Note:

Yes, all that die rolling and calculation for running aground can be something of a pain, but that will help remind you to stay away from the coast unless you purposely want to beach your fiver!

Example: A galley has a Speed of 3 and a Crew Quality of 2. It moves from 1304 to 1403. The player must now roll for Running Aground. The RA# is 3 - 2 = 1. The roll is "3," so nothing happens, and the unit may continue to move. If he had rolled a I he would have Run Aground in 1403. If it had moved from 1303 to 1403, one would have been subtracted from the die roll.

2. Fouling. Only one galley unit may normally occupy a hex at the conclusion of movement, except when docked in port (as the Carthaginians are at the start of the game). Each time a unit enters an occupied hex (enemy or friendly) while attempting to "pass through" to the hex on the other side, Fouling is possible. Fouling happens if both of the following occur:

The moving ship enters one of the other ship's Flank hexsides.

The occupied hex contains an enemy galley, and the combined Speed and Crew Quality values of the moving galley are greater than the Speed and Crew Quality of the enemy galley.

Fouled galleys remain together in the same hex-, are assigned a common Speed marker; and, for each unit, a die is rolled to determine, on the Drift Compass, which hexside the bow is faced toward. Fouled galleys may face in different directions. The fact that the units are stacked (something no other ships can do) indicates that they are Fouled.

Design Note:

Don't think Fouling will ever happen? Remember that both sides have to pick Speeds at the beginning of each turn, and must expend all the MPs somehow. Things can get out of hand very quickly, but that's the charm of ancient naval warfare.

3. Unfouling: A galley that begins a Movement Phase stacked (fouled) with another ship may exit the hex, but the unit may not turn in the hex where it begins move- ment unless it would be forced to exit the map. In that one instance, it must pay the normal MP cost and turn so that it can remain in play.

4. Backing Water: A galley with a current Speed of 2 or less may change to a "BW' Speed marker during the Mutual Speed Determination Phase. A galley using BW may move either one or two hexes directly through its Stern hexside, without chang- ing facing. It may not enter a hex occupied by another galley. If there is a unit pre- sent in the hex directly to its Stern, the BW unit may not enter at all, even to Foul. Units attempting Avoidance of ramming or shearing (see 7 below) use a special form of Backing Water.

5. Ramming: Ramming is part of movement that is resolved immediately after it occurs during a unit's movement. Before a galley begins movement, it must announce the target unit it intends to ram, at which point the target may attempt Avoidance (see 7 below).

A ramming galley may turn no more than one hexside in each hex it enters, and it may not turn at all in the hex adjacent to the target. The rammer's speed must be high enough to allow it to enter a hex adjacent to the target. The ramming galley may not enter a hex occupied by another unit, enemy or friendly.

Ram attempts may not be made against hexes occupied by Fouled ships from opposing sides. Ramming may be tried against Fouled galleys belonging to the same side, in which case the ramming side chooses one of them as the target. If the target is sunk, the other ship automatically becomes unfouled.

To resolve the Ram attempt, each side declares its Ram Number (RN) by adding Crew Quality and current Speed together. Subtract the target's RN from the rammer's RN. If the result is zero (0) or less, Ramming has failed. Other-wise, roll a die and make the following adjustments:

• add two to the die roll if the ramming unit is adjacent to the target's Front hex.
• add one if the ramming unit is adjacent to the target's Stern hex.
• subtract one if the ramming unit is an original Carthaginian (not captured durmg play).

If the adjusted die roll is the same as or lower than the difference in RNs determined above, the target sinks immediately, and the ramming ship has its Speed reduced to zero. Any other result means the ram attempt has failed.

If a ram falls, the target stays where it is, the ramming galley passes through the target hex to the hex on the opposite side, and continues moving if it has any MPs remaming. A ramming unit may turn normally after it passes through the target hex. If the ramming unit lacks enough MPs to pass through, it stacks with the target and becomes Fouled.

6. Shearing.- A moving galley may attempt to cripple an enemy galley by shearing off its oars. The shearing unit must have enough MPs to enter the target hex and move through to the adjacent hex on the opposite side. It must also enter and exit through the target's Front or Stern (not Flank) hexsldes. There are no special turning restrictions, aside from the normal Turning rules. If the shearing galley cannot meet all these requirements, it may not make an attempt on the target hex chosen. If the hex the shearing ship ends up in is occupied, check to see whether Fouling occurs after the Shearing attempt is resolved.

To resolve a Shear, interrupt the moving unit after it reaches the hex on the opposite side of the target. Subtract the target's RN from the shearing unit's RN. Roll the die, and subtract one if the shearing unit is an original Carthaginlan (not captured during the battle). If the result is the same as, or lower than difference between the two RNs, the target loses its oars and receives a Crippled marker. Regardtess of the outcome, the shearing unit must resume moving and use the rest of its MPs for normal movement, additional Ramming and Shearing, etc.

7. Avoidance: If the galley targeted for Ramming or Shearing is moving at a Speed 2 or less, and is not Fouled with another ship, it may attempt Backing Water the instant the Ramming unit moves adjacent. The target's owner rolls the die: if it is the same as or lower than the galley's Crew Quality it may perform Backing Water (see 4 above). The number of hexes it can move is determined as follows:

• one hex if Speed 2 or unit is Fouled.
• two hexes if Speed 0 or 1.

VIII. Boarding

A player may attempt to have marines on friendly ships board enemy fivers to capture them. (The game doesn't include marine counters, which are not needed to do this, so don't look for them.)

A. Who Can Board

A galley must begin the friendly Boarding Phase adjacent to an enemy target's Front or Flank hexside. Boarding through a galley's Stern hexside is not permitted. Each defending galley can be attacked only once during each Boarding Phase. Fouled ships may not attempt to board any ships, including each other, but Fouled ships may themselves be boarded by units that are not Fouled.

B. Launching a Boarding Action

The attacker rolls the die, and subtracts one if at least one attacking unit is originally Roman, not captured. If more than one galley attempts to board a single target, combine the Crew Quality ratings into a single value. If the final result is the same as or lower than the boarding unit's Crew Quality, the enemy ship has been boarded and Hand-to-Hand combat occurs (see section C below); if the result is higher than the boarding side's total Crew Quality, the Boarding Action has failed and proceeds no further.

Counterattack: If the die roll is 6, the Boarding action automatically falls, and the defending unit has the option to attempt its own Boarding action. This counterattack is resolved normally, except that the defender assumes the role of attacker, and a die roll of 6 is treated normally; it does not permit another counterattack.

C. Hand-to-Hand Combat

Successful Boarding results in hand-to-hand combat between the marines and crews aboard the galleys. These affairs were something like a floating land battle. 1. Resolving Combat: All units involved on both sides receive a "0" Speed marker. Then each side rolls a die. If more than one galley is attacking, roll once for each but use only the highest result.

Add one to the Roman total if at least one of the attacking units was not previously captured during the battle. If the attacker's result is higher than the defender's, the defender's galley is Captured; if the defender's result is higher, the boarders have been beaten back, and the defenders remain in control of their galley. In case of ties, roll again.

2. Captured Prizes: The instant a unit is captured, flip it over to its captured side and place a Speed 0 marker beneath it. Captured units lose their special abilities, including die roll modifiers and Carthage's superior turning and maneuvering. Captured units may be recaptured, at which time they are flipped back over to their front sides and resume normal functions (including any special modifiers and abilities).

IX. Command (Optional)

For those who want something more than a "QuickFix," here is an optional command- control system to sink your teeth into. The main problem fleets had was in figuring out what everyone was supposed to be doing; with "every ship for itself," things fell apart quickly. Unfortunately, communication between galleys was limited to yelling (not very helpful), flags (easily misinterpreted and not always seen), and playing "follow the leader" (the usual policy).

For obvious reasons, galley battles almost always dissolved into confusing, swirling melees. The rules encourage you to pay attention to formation planning and the use of commanders (at least for as long as you can). Naturally, it also adds a bit to the length and complexity of the game.

A. Admirals

1. Placement:

Each side has a single Admiral counter. Each always begins the game aboard the friendly galley unit marked "Flag." Place the Admiral beneath the Flagship to indicate that he is aboard.

2. Transfer:

An Admiral may transfer from the galley he is currently aboard to any other friendly galley, as long as the two units begin the friendly Movement Phase adjacent to one another. Each unit's condition, speed, and facing do not matter. Remove the Admiral from beneath one unit and place it beneath the other. Whichever unit an Admiral is aboard is treated as the Flag unit for command purposes.

3. Death, Capture, and Grounding:

If the galley unit an Admiral is aboard sinks or is captured, the Admiral is killed or captured and never returns to play. If the galley runs aground, the Admiral remains with the ship until it frees itself (if that ever happens) or another ship becomes adjacent to its hex, permitting a Transfer.

4. Command Range:

Command depends on the location of the Admiral and his Flag unit. The number on an Admiral's counter is his Command Range, the distance in hexes over which the Admiral can make his win known to other ships using flags, trumpets, and occasionally shouts. Count each galley's hex but not the Admiral's hex when determining the distance.

B. Line Commanders

Certain galleys have "2" printed inside a circle in the top right corner. This indicates that the unit contains a Line Commander, with a Command Range of 2 hexes. All the rules for Admirals apply equally to Line Commanders, except that they may not transfer from one galley unit to another.

C. Formations

The Admiral and his Line Commanders influence the effectiveness of the formation they are in, or individual units a certain distance away.

1. Types of Formations: Galleys can assume either of the following formation

Column. This is a single line formed by two or more units, in which each 'nit's bow points directly at another adjacent unit's Stern hexside or at a Flank hexside adjacent to the Stern. (The one exception is the lead unit, whose bow naturally cannot point toward another friendly unit.)

Line Abreast. Two or more units are in this formation if each shares a Flank hexside in common with an adjacent unit and their bows are pointed in the same direction. Also, each unit must be adjacent to two other units, except for the two units on the end of the line. These units must be adjacent to one other unit.

2. Formation Movement: All ships in a formation are assumed to have the same Speed assigned to the lead ship of a Column or to the Line Commander or Flagship commanding a Line Abreast. In some instances ships may fall behind due to the turning maneuvers undertaken while in Line Abreast. When this occurs, galleys may exceed the formation's speed limit in order to catch up enough to remain in the Line Abreast.

3. Breaking Formation: A break develops within a formation in each hex that be- comes vacant, contains a friendly galley facing in the wrong direction, or contains a Fouled or Crippled ship.

Units on either side of a break may still be able to operate in separate formations. If the Admiral is currently on his "enhanced command" side with the higher Command Range number (see D.2 below), he is flipped back to his normal side the instant a break occurs in a Line Abreast he is commanding.

D. Command Control

Command control represents passing of Orders by signals, noise makers, or word- ofmouth in Line Abreast and playing "follow the leader" in Column. Communication was never good, but it hardly worked at all in a column because the draft caused by moving galleys muffled sounds and made flags blow in a way that rendered them virtually invisible to those viewing from behind.

1. Column Full Command: A column is considered to be in Full Command as long as one of the following is true:

• The lead galley unit or the second in line has the Admiral on board or has a Line Commander number printed on it.
• The column's Speed is 0, 1, or 2 (indicated by the Speed marker aboard the lead or second ship.)

If the Admiral or Line Commander is sunk or captured, transfer the speed marker to the new lead unit.

2. Column Limited Command: A column that does not qualify for full command at the beginning of the Mutual Speed Determination Phase or a friendly Movement Phase must check the lead galley unit for Command Breakdown (see 5 below). if this check causes the galley to cease being part of the column, give the galley its own Speed marker, place the old Speed marker on the unit immediately behind it, and check that unit for Command Breakdown. The process continues until all galleys are forced to leave the Column, or until a galley does not suffer Command Breakdown and assumes effective leadership of the Column. (Note that a unit need not be a Line Commander or contain the Admiral to lead a Column.)

3. Line Abreast Full Command: The Admiral or one Line Commander present in the formation assumes command of the entire line and receives the formation's Speed marker. The Admiral or LC can be located anywhere in the formation, as long as his Command Range reaches all the units in the Line Abreast. Units that fall outside Command Range are not part of the formation, and must be checked for Command Breakdown (see 5 below). Unlike Columns, there is no "limited command" for Line Abreast.

4. Line Abreast Enbanced Command: During any turn in which a Line Abreast begins the friendly movement phase in Full Command and has a Speed marker of 0, 1, or BW, flip the Admiral over to his "enhanced command" (back) side with the higher Command Range. If these conditions are not met at the beginning of a friendly movement phase, the Admiral must be flipped back over to his normal side. 5. Command Breakdown: At the beginning of each Mutual Speed Determination Phase and each friendly Movement Phase, any unit capable of changing Speed or moving must check to see whether it can perform normally during the phase. The following units do not check for Command Breakdown:

• A galley in a proper Column or Line Abreast formation.
• A galley with an Admiral aboard.
• A Line Commander galley.
• Any galley within the Command Range of the friendly Admiral, if he is not being used to command a formation. (Line Commanders may not do this.)

To check a galley for Command Breakdown, roll the die:

• A result the same as or lower than its Crew Quality number permits normal change of Speed or direction, if desired. The unit remains "in command."
• If the result is 6, the galley must roll again and turn one hexslde to the left on an odd die roll or one hexside to the right on an even die roll. The unit cannot change speed or direction for the rest of its move. It has suffered Command Breakdown.
• Any other result means that the unit cannot change speed or direction at all. It has suffered Command Breakdown.