1. Movement:
| Ram | Cruise | Strategic (a) | #'s of Turns Permitted (b) | Ship Selection (c) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinquiremes Tiremes Biremes & anything else Special Ships (16er) |
8" 12" 16" 16" |
4" 6" 8" 8" |
2" 3" 4" 4" |
2 turns/turn 3 turns/turn 4 turns/turn 4 turns/turn |
5 pts 3 pts 2 pts 1 pts |
|
|
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2. Recommended Turn Sequence:
a. Side A moves, receives any missile fire from Side B, then resolves its rams/melees. This sequence is then reversed with Side B moving, receiving missile fire from Side A, and resolving its rams/melees.
b. Backing off ships is always done at strategic speed. Players may only shift from cruise speed to strategic, or visa-versa. After an actual ramming a ship may back off in its next turn at strategic speed. Regardless of movement mode used deduct a 1/4 inch for each oarbank not manned (double respectively for cruise and quadruple for rams). Ramming mode may not be utilized at a speed less than an inch above its maximum cruise mode.
3. Combat:
Order of combat consists of shearing, ramming boarding. Missile fire consists of ballistas and bow fire.
a. Shearing - takes place anytime a ship moves past another (no more than one-eight inch between models). It is also possible to shear oars of two ships or more where the distance between ships is very slight (friendly ship models may not be placed closer that 1/4", unless intending to shear an ally, etc., as a means of escape). Each ship so attacked may (immediately) attempt to try to grapple with it's attackers. To avoid having one's oars sheared, roll two dice, "7" or better avoids the shear. A successful shear reduces the victim to half movement. A second shear immobilizes it's victim, even if on the same side.
b. Ramming takes place when a shop moving at ram speed strikes another ship. To successfully ram, roll two dice:
-
7 or better: From the side.*
9 or better: from head or tail or down one if moving at a faster speed.*
12 or better: roll again, a 1, 2, or 3
- one sinks one's own ship (Roll on next table) if head on.
To determine # of turns in which the rammed ship will sink, roll one die:*
1 = 1 turn, 2-4 = 2 turns, 5-6 = 3 turns
Modifier (on both charts*):
-down 1 if moving at a faster speed
-down 2 if bigger than the victim
-up the difference if purchase pts is smaller than the victim.
Rammed ships may not move and may take between one and five moves to sink. A rammed ship will sink at the end of its own turn. When a ship has rammed its victim, it must attempt to disengage, backing off before it's victim sinks at the end of it's next turn, dragging it to the bottom as well, or before it can try again. Both sides may attempt to grapple during this time.
c. Boarding: Ships must be in contact or within one-eight inch of each other to grapple. To grapple, roll two dice: 9 or better if resisted; 5 or better if both want to grapple; 3 or better if Roman Corvus or herpex and resisted, 5 or better if bother want to grapple. Corvus has a range of three-eight's inch.
Melee: The side whose turn it is to melee, rolls for each crew factor not at the oar banks or designated bow in advance (Crew originally at the oar banks must be designated at the end of their turn as joining the next turn's melee). Add one for elite and subtract one if green - a die roll of 5 or 6 eliminates an enemy crew factor. If an enemy crew factor is eliminated, the saving throw is a 6, plus the modifiers. A ship surrenders once reduced to the crew presently serving at the oars or is only capable of missile fire, presuming the ship remains grappled.
Note: If the side that is to melee has declined or refused to grapple (as in the instance of shearing), and then is grappled anyway, it forfeits the right that turn to melee. Breaking grapples posses the same odds as grappling, except whoever attempts to break away must be the last side to inflict melee casualties.
d. Missile Fire:
- Bow Fire: Has two ranges - short (0-2") and long (2-4"). Each ship may shoot a maximum of two times per side of the ship, unless shooting from a tower, which permits one to shoot one more time per turn. At short range a roll of 5-6 eliminates permits one to shoot one more time per turn. At short range a roll of 5-6 eliminates a crew factor, and at long range a roll of 6 eliminates a crew factor. Add one if elite and subtract one if green. At short range, shooting party designates target and picks who takes the loss. At long range, both parties designate in advance a target, and the higher roll gets to choose which crew member takes the loss.
- Ballistas: Short range (0-5"), long range (12-20"). Six or better to hit at close range with two dice; eight or better to hit at medium range, and 11 or better at long range. A ballista takes one turn to reload and on crew factor to man. A ship hit by ballista fire must make its morale throw or sink in the same number of turns as if rammed (without modifier for eliteness or size of ship). If fire darts are not used, only one morale throw is permitted, but if unable to make the morale throw, the ship must leave the battle routed in the most direct manner possible to its entry position, even if it means ramming friendly ships.
4. Ship Size and Crew Factors:
Class of crew may be varied by type, but not within the class, bowmen, crewmen, and armed Marines soldiery.
| # of oarbanks/ship | Maximum # of Crew Factor |
|---|---|
| 1-3 4-9 10 plus |
double # oarbanks +1 double # oarbanks +2 double # oarbanks +4 |
5. Morale:
a. To avoid routing roll two dice for the lowest class of crew on board. Elite need "3" or better, regulars need "5" or better, and green need "7" or better.
b. Check morale whenever previously stated or whenever taking casualties, as successful ram or shear, or whenever a clear view of friendly ships which are routing is obtained. Roll also if an admiral is killed, or leaving the battle area.
c. Ships which rout may hoist their artemon or boat sail and move at the following rates in the direction of the wind or to 45 degrees of it: 5er - 8"; 3er - 8"; everything else - 7"; special - 6". Wind shall be determined by the judge before.
6. Fatigue:
May be kept track of on an individual basis by ships, or in the case of large fleet actions by navies or even divisions in a navy by using the highest expenditure. The judge or players may vary the limit depending on the space and time available. Each ship or fleet should start with a reserve of 20 fatigue factors (as a recommended figure).
| Type of Movement | Fatigue Factor incurred/saved |
|---|---|
| Ramming Cruising Strategic Stationary |
-8 -3 -1 (+1 if not within enemy sight = 25") +2 |
Comments are solicited: Stuart Schoenberger, 144-1228th Ave., 1st Floor, Flushing, New York, 11354
Final Comments:
Myth # 1: Ancient naval warships were powered by the sweat of slaves. 99% wrong. City-states and kingdoms often placed as crews their own citizenry and freed slaves as a last resort, in the absence of trained sailors supplied by the allied states or tributerico. Their navies were too important to be crewed by unreliable slaves. This among other reasons readily explains the unwillingness on part of admirals to commit their fleets in the absence of overall superiority or compelling reasons, such as the need to protect grain fleets or supplies to a besieged city or garrison.
Myth # 2: Ancient fleets would upon seeing each other would rush to ram one another. Eventually they would come head to head, but it was not a preferred tactic. In a style reminiscent of the Seven Years War of the Wars of Marlborough, more emphasis was placed on maneuver, threat and counter-threat, to achieve one's aims. Fleets and their crews were too expensive a resource to replace, and head on ramming tactics being very risky, were used as a last resort.
Historic Tactics: The game is designed t reward the fleet commanders and players who attempt to duplicate their historic counterparts. Failure to consider sound tactics in making one's approach will result in blood routs and swift defeat. For the two popular tactics of the day, dickplous and periplous, demand the players to eschew individual maneuver unless the numbers are small. In the former, the approach is to be achieved by envelopment, preferably on two flanks, and in the latter, called for a sharp rupture and penetration of the line through use of a possible larger craft or more likely missile fire. To forestall overlapping of flanks by superior numbers of successful massing in line by the opposing side, fireships and light maneuverable craft would serve as a break water and also shoot simultaneously missiles into the milling mass of ships. The result invariable was chaos for the opposing side and an uneven approach in which the opposing fleet failed to bring its possibly greater numbers to bear. An uneven approach in turn permitted possible penetration into the van of the opposing fleet at a critical jundure, possibly the division between two units, one of being different city-states.
Tips to the Game Master: In the absence of historic scenarios, the game master is advised to let players choose their own ships and crews in non-competitive or demonstration games. In tournament games, players should be restricted to ships costing within two points of each other, leaving the number of crew and ship to the players, of course considering the number of ships.
Bibliography:
R.C. Anderson's Roman and Greek Naval Warfare.
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© Copyright 1985 Hal Thinglum
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