Introduction

These rules are intended for the period roughly 650 1400 A. D. and are based for the most part on different ancient naval rule systems, especially Tony Bath's in Naval Wargames by Donald Featherstone, and a none too in depth study of maritime history. I will begin by admitting that, as one who has never seen a fair sized lake let alone a sea or ocean, I am the least qualified to fill this glaring gap in the wargaming hobby. I would encourage any of my betters to replace these scratchings with a worthy work, but in their derision they must remember that their indolence is to blame for the existence of these rules.

I have tried to include some of the factors that made sea warfare in the Middle Ages distinct from earlier and later periods, such as the inherent tactical differences of long ships (into this classification would fall most oared craft, such as the dromon, Viking long-ship and galley) and round ships (the knorr, cog and Mediterranean lateeners). The general nature of Medieval sea fights was also taken into account.

The ships were drawn up in lines facing each other and often lashed together. There was usually some preliminary manuever and missile exchange and even the employment of some wily stratagem, but the day was usually decided when the crews came to blows and the slogging combat began.

Tactical Priorities

Frederic C. Lane identified the tactical priorities of Mediterranean galley warfare as follows: boarding and hand-to-hand combat were first, ramming and missile fire were subordinate. There are two factors that I'm not sure I have properly addressed. First, it seems that capturing a ship should be more important than sinking her, as timber supplies were running short in the Mediterranean coast lands and the ram (or "beak" as it should now properly be called) had been moved above the water line since ancient times.

There were instances, however, where most of the ships of the losing fleet were sunk, for example, Meloria, in which only 25 of the 72 - 103 Pisan ships were captured, most of the rest going to the bottom. Second, when two vessels did come to grips, among the Vikings and in the early wars of the Italian trading republics at least, the great bulk of the fighting force was provided by the oarsmen, who left their benches, snatched up weapons and joined the fray (slaves, convicts and prisoners of war straining at the oars were a Rennaissance degeneration); this should, I suppose, somehow form a connection between the size and fatigue of a crew and movement. I have been unsure as to how to aproach these areas and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have made an attempt to keep the required materials simple. All that is needed is a kitchen - or smaller - sized table, some coasts and islands of foam sheet with rocks and brown-paper-bag beaches, an ordinary die, a measuring tape or stick in inches, a tally card for each player and two fleets of 1: 1200 scale ships. The tally card is more or less a grid; along the side are marked these headings: bow, stern, port, starboard, masts, crew; along the top are written the names of each ship in the fleet.

Navwar (11 Electric Parade, Seven Kings Road, Ilford, Essex, 1G3 8BY) has a good selection of 1:1200 ancient and Renaissance ships, even dromons, long ships and Saxon craft, but alas, no cogs. [Also try Steve Jamison at 19th Century Miniatures-Fish] To my great horror, however, I discovered that not even the dromons have lateen sails, but are given graceless looking square ones.

I had thought that in respect to the importance of melee it would be more realistic to outfit two fleets of 6mm scale ships (I know these are available - galleys and long-ships from Irregular Miniatures) and beef up the hand-to-hand combat rules, but all this realism became a bit messy - 1:1200 scale ships are easier to paint anyway.

I would suggest the use of octagonal bases roughly concentric to the hull of the ship. These make it easier to show what part of a target vessel has been attacked and add an apearrance of realistic proximity. The results of combat are determined under two headings: damage to the ship's structure and casualties among her crew.

Dividing Lines

The ship itself is divided into five sectors: bow (including the forecastle), stern (including the sterncastle and steering apparatus), port, starboard and masts. Each sector has ten structure points. Damage is calculated against these points using the Damage Table, a dice roll and the pertinent factors and is recorded on the tally card. The damage has a different effect depending on what sector is hit. When all ten structure points in any sector except the masts are lost the ship begins to sink. All ships have 20 crew points except one suitably large vessel designated the flagship, which has 25. Some missile shooting and all melee results are tabulated against these crew points.

If a ship looses all of its crew, crew points may be transferred to it, either from an attacker (who takes priority) or another vessel of the same side as long as it is in contact. I make no apology for not having a single ship flee or recoil as it meets with melee mishaps and loses crewman, before all hands are annihilated (i.e. treating it as an element or body of troops in a land battle), as there is ample evidence for ships being cleared before they were taken and doesn't Froissart even say that sea battles are "more dangerous and fiercer than battles on land, for on the sea there is no retreat or fleeing; there is no remedy but to fight and to abide the fortune." (The battle lines of most fleets were literally bound together and too congested for such baulking anyway.)

Before the game commences, a sketch of the table should be made for each admiral who draws on it his intended dispositions and lays down his actual ships accordingly - on his honor. He also draws any hidden obstacles and any ships skulking about out of sight of the enemy (behind an island, say). They remain without any marker until the opponent comes in contact with or in sight of them. After the ships are laid down the game is played with alternate turns for each player. The two turns, one for each player, are a bound.

Wind and Weather

I would advise my readers to research the prevalent weather patterns in the area they are gaming and to include these in their play. Otherwise employ the following.

Before the game begins a dice is rolled to decide the direction of the wind:

1,2: from the north
3,4: from the south
5: from the east
6: from the west

Every two bounds (four alternate turns) thereafter a die is rolled to determine changes in wind and weather:

1: shift
2: drastic shift
3,4: constant (same as last wind if interrupted by calm)
5: calm
6: storm (wind from the same direction as last wind).

If there is a shift in the wind, roll a die for direction:

1,2,3 wind moves 1 compass point clockwise
4,5,6 wind moves 1 compass point counter-clockwise

If there is a drastic shift, roll one die for direction as above and another which gives the number of compass points it has moved in that direction.

In the event of storms:

All ships move 11' with the wind before engaging in any other activities, unless they are oared, in which case they roll a 4, 5 or 6 and subtract 1" from any further move progress.
All ships in the process of sinking, sink immediately

Roll one die for every ship each turn that the storm continues and include the factors below in the result; if the final score is 3 - 6 the ship stays afloat, if 1 or 2 it sinks

-1 if the ship is a Mediterranean galley
-1 for every 5 damage points lost in any sector of the hull
+1 if the ship is on the leeward side of an island or part of the coast
a die is rolled every move and the storm ends if a 4, 5 or 6 is rolled.

Missile Fire

Anti-ship distance weapons include tension and counterweight engines of the sort used in siege warfare, catapults, etc. (classified as "artillery") and cannon, very primitive weapons that had only begun to be used at sea in the 14th century. Before play begins each ship must be distinguished as carrying artillery or cannon and archers or crossbowmen or none of these.

For fire from artillery or cannon, go through the following process:

At long range (4-8"):

-dice for a hit (1,2,3 required), +1 if target moved last turn or cannon fired
-dice to see what part of the target is bit (1-bow, 2-stern, 3-port, 4-starboard, 5-masts, 6-crew)
-dice for effect and count the score against the relevant structure points of the target ship.

At short range (0-4"):

-dice for a hit (1,2,3,4,5 required), +1 if target moved last turn or cannon fired
-artillery may select target sector, cannon must dice as above
-dice for effect as above

Archers and crossbowmen may be used against personnel only. Dice for effect alone and include following factors:

+1 for archers capable of plunging fire (i.e. longbowmen)
+1 if the target ship has lower decks
-1 if the target ship has higher decks
-1 if the target ship is crewed by crossbowmen
-1 for every 5 crew points lost by aggressor ship
-1 if long range

Each ship is allowed one target per turn for each of artillery or cannon and archers or crossbowmen. No shooting of any missiles is allowed when a ship is engaged in direct combat, either attacking or defending.

These same rules apply to shore-based artillery and cannon, which also must be laid down at the beginning of the game.

Medieval Naval Wargame Rules

Movement, Obstacles, Rocks, Sandbars, Collisions and Running Around, Ramming and Smashing
Fire and Pyrotechnics, Holing with Rocks, etc., Damage Table and Effects of Damage
Grappling, Direct Personnel Combat, Captures and Rescues, Morale

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