The era of sail is covered by several popular sets of
rules. As with everything else, the rules vary in quality of
workmanship, research, and playability. Each set also
possesses its own focus. Some emphasize the grand
sweep of fleet action, while others concentrate upon the
microcosm of single ship encounters. Rules designed to
fleet action scale will not pay much homage to the subtler
nuances of ship-to-ship duels. Highly detailed rules
intended for play at the minor tactical level can completely
bog down when applied to large scale battles. In order to
provide the wargamer with some assistance in selecting a
set of rules coincident with his own preferences, we have
conducted a short review of 4 rule booklets covering the sail
era.
NAVWAR NAVAL WARGAME RULES FOR THE NAPOLEONIC WARS 1793-1815 (Navwar, 48 East View, garnet, Herts, EN5 5TN, England L1.6 -- about $3.50) This venerable item has been on the scene for 9 years. It is aimed at a play scale of 1 ship per player. With effective gunshot 1 foot (maximum 3 feet) and average move distance 4 inches, small games can be accomodated on a kitchen table without cramp. Although the rules specify use of 1:1200 scale models, the game is entirely playable with 1:2000 scale craft.
The rules are cumbersome. The player must assign individual crew members to duty stations. Gunnery resolution is a multi-step affair worthy of the late Rube Goldberg. And movement can be a painstaking operation involving single millimeters of distance and single degrees of angle. The rules fail to cover ancillary subjects such as fire ships, land fortifications, or amphibious operations. On the plus side, the rules feature an excellent section on weather, accurate differentiation of the effectiveness of varying gun calibers, plus a helpful painting guide. Although the Navwar rules are not as fast or complete as some modern offerings, they will provide some enjoyable and challenging evenings for those willing to brave the bookkeeping chores.
SHIP O' THE LINE, MINIATURE RULES FOR NAVAL WARFARE 1793-1815. This set of rules is unswervingly aimed at the fleet action level. The game system has been kept simple, and the bookkeeping to a minimum, in order to permit play of 3-S ships by a single player. Scales can be varied to allow use of 1:1200 or 1:2000 scale models. Since maximum ball shot, even in the 1:1200 scale is a mere 15 inches, even good sized games are possible within a modest space.
Great thought is evident in efforts to speed and simplify play. All crew and gunnery strengths are reduced to numerical factors, damage is graphically recorded, and movement is upon a "ridded field, which in this author's opinion sacrifices too much in the way of aesthetics for the ease of play it renders. The apparent simplicity of the game belies the comprehensive coverage it provides: land fortifications, amphibious operations, fireships, signalling, smoke, towing, and repair are all fully integrated into the rules. These are the types of things that provide color and variety to the weeknight games and proper flexibility for campaigns.
These rules are recommended to both the beginning wargamer and to the advanced gamer intent upon staging battles of the Cecil B.DeMille scale. For the beginner, the skeleton of the rule system is simple enough to permit immediate participation in the play, allowing for addition of further complexity as mastery improves. Given the traditional difficulty in amassing large numbers of players to a game, these rules allow the re-enactment of the largest battles by enabling a relatively small number of players to control large numbers of ships without ruining the pace of play.
QUARTERDECK, TACTICAL NAVAL WARFARE IN THE AGE OF SAIL. A space the size of a quarterdeck will be needed to play this game. With an average wind, vessels will move nearly a foot per turn, quickly leaving the average 6X8 foot gaming table over the horizon. Effective gun range is only about 1 foot and with ships capable of such move distances, keeping them in your gunsights is a challenging task. Quarterdeck's game system appears to draw on the Navwar rules for its weather and gunnery and on Ship o' the Line for its damage control system. Overall play is more akin to the Navwar rules, cumbersome and frought with arithmetic. Coverage is incomplete, omitting mention of land fortifications, amphibious operations, or fireships.
Although the rules allege to cover tactical naval warfare in the 18th and early 19th centuries, ship characteristics are provided only for the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. Speaking personally, these rules do not inspire me.
HEART OF OAK, RULES FOR NAVAL WARFARE 1755-1815. These rules can tritely but aptly be likened to a close encounter of the 3rd kind: physical contact with an entity never before met. Heart of Oak presents a scope of detail never before encountered in wargame rules. There is no doubt that this is the result of laborious research in the field. If the author's proclivity for clever phraseology can be forgiven, the rules are worth the purchase price just for the background information incIuded.
The game system is complex due to the amount of applied detail and the extensive interjection of explanatory remarks. The movement and gunnery sections present some heretofore unknown concepts which will require study. The movement section covers points on sail settings and handling, never touched upon in other rules, which show why lines of battle were always formed on a beating heading.
The gunnery section abandons the idea of strict broadside and introduces a method of representing the rolling, uncontrolled fire at will which commenced after the initial ordered broadside. After playing a few games, you will be surprised to see how your tactics have metamorphed into a very historical style.
These rules can be played on an average size wargame table, although the kitchen table may prove a bit small. Per turn movement does not exceed 8 inches and ships will usually be travelling at a far slower pace. Although maximum gun range is upwards of 5 feet, effective range is only in the 2-3 foot zone. Recommended ship scale is 1:1200 placing the models in more or less direct correlation with the 1:1000 distance scale.
Coverage of peripherals is excellent. Every conceivable, and some inconceivable, rule option is covered. Furthermore, Heart of Oak is the first set of rules I have seen which pays more than title page lip service to the very colorful pre-Napoleonic period (see THE COURIER Vol 1, No 3).
Heart of Oak boasts an engrossing companion volume PROMOTIONS and PRIZES, which deals with role playing and campaigning in the historically contemporary Royal Navy. This booklet could stand a review in its own right, but suffice it to say in the limited space available that it is a trove of information and trivia on the period.
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