Battlefleet Naval Miniature Rules 1890-1918

1890-1918

review by Steve Roper

For the average wargamer the romance of early Twentieth Century naval miniatures is contained in the image of long lines of massive battleships pounding each other with volleys of heavy shells. If your favorite wargaming experience is the firing of guns and the resulting damage allocation, you should try the Battlefleet Naval Miniature Rules 1890-1918, by Terry Manton and Ralph Cato.

The rules are contained in a 31-page (plus appendices) digest-sized booklet. Ground scale is 1" = 200 ycls., requiring a recommended minimum table size of 6 feet by 8 feet for daylight actions, using 1/2400, 1/3000, or 1/4800 scale ship models. The authors state that 111200 ships may be used by doubling all distances. Movement is alternating. The side with initiative moves half the allowed distance, the opposing side moves all its ships, then the first side completes its movement. Simple rules for submarines, mines, crew morale, destroyer and torpedo boats are included, but the heart of the game is the system of capital ship gunnery.

A probabilistic system is employed. The range is measured and the result is given in the number of "draws" from the "hit deck" allowed per gun. Multiplied by the number of guns, and modified by tactical factors, a total number of "draws" results. The" hit deck" contains 80 "miss" cards and 19 "hit" cards, as well as one firing ship misfire. Each of the "hit" cards specifies the precise location of the shell hit, as well as the different effects depending on if the armor present is penetrated or not. The advantage of this approach is that the varying areas of ship vulnerability are accurately represented. A ship with only one "protection factor" has no Achilles heel, whereas even the most heavily armored ships usually had some spot where a lucky hit could cause damage out of proportion to its normal effect.

The rules cover the period 1890-1918, using one set of charts for the pre- Dreadnought Era and another for the 1910-1918 Dreadnought Era. Even the beginner can easily handle a squadron of 4 ships, and experienced players can play with considerably more.

The other rather simplistic rule mechanisms exist to support the unique gunnery system. The effect of using cards to specify individual hits is excellent - one really has the feel of participation in a gunnery duel, rather than a dice- rolling mathematical contest.

A set of 30 ship data sheets and 4 historical scenarios come with the rules. Additional ship data sheets for all ships of the period are available from the author for a very reasonable 30 cents each, and I recommend that anyone purchasing the rules order some ship data sheets at the same time.

The period of pre-Dreadnought gaming has been fairly neglected up to the present. it is hoped that this quick, easy-to-learn, and enjoyableset of rules may remedy this. They are available for $10.00 plus $2.50 S/H from Terry Manton, 172 Scoles Ave., Clifton, NJ 07012

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