Players 2
Playing Time 2 hours plus
Period First World War era, Naval
Scale Tactical Turn approximately 6 minutes
Map 1000 yards
Unit individual capital ships; two per unit counter for light cruisers and destroyers

Components

1 ziplock bag or plastic box
1 12 page rules booklet
400 back-printed die-cut counters in 12 colors
1 22" x 28" one-color featureless map representing a section of ocean

Counter Manifest

60 red British counters
14 dark blue French counters
72 green German counters
6 crimson Spanish counters
12 yellow Italian counters
44 blue US counters
24 brown Japanese counters
14 pink Russian counters
10 light green Austro-Hungarian counters
62 white informational counters

SimCan says:

“Line of Battle is a game type simulation of tactical capital ship combat during the period just prior to, during, and immediately following World War One. Battles are presented in the form of scenarios, recreating historical situations in which the players must use the weapons of the period and their tactical skills to duplicate or improve upon the historical outcomes. However, since battleship combats were rather rare, unit representations are included covering early every capital ship built during the period so that players may construct hypothetical scenarios. [It] is the first part of a two part game system [the other is Battleship] designed to cover the concept of the all big gun ship. Its integrated combat system covers shell strengths, immune zones, armor placements, gun ranges, and angle of incoming shot without resort to complicated calculations. Detailed rules on movement, command, and other vital factors complete the game. It is completely compatible with Line of Battle (covering 1914 - 1924) but can be played separately. 10 historical scenarios and 400 counters are included to cover every European, American, and Japanese dreadnought and major reconstruction of the period.”

The Reviewer says:

“The game is built around a pretty basic system, with all movement occurring and then ship-by-ship combat. There are rules for sighting ranges, torpedo attacks (there are cruiser and destroyer squadrons in the counter mix), formations, and secondary armaments. But where the focus of this game really can be found is in the classic theory of Dreadnought design: the immune zone. Each ship has significantly different defensive values for each of short, medium, and long range fire from opposing ships. The key is to be fired at in the medium range zone of the opposing gun while you are firing at the target in either your short range or your long range zone. The fact that ship design was mostly centered on medium range defense has been somewhat overlooked in tactical naval designs, and is where Steve Newberg stakes his claim. Line of Battle could prove to be an interesting study in the ‘Age of the Dreadnought.’ ” --Staff in F&M 51.

Comments

One of the last two in a long line of tactical naval games from SimCan, this was one of their last board game releases. It joins with Battleship to provide a profile of tactical naval combat in the era of the battleship from the Dreadnought to the Yamato. It includes five historical scenarios and 10 hypothetical scenarios. Numerous others can be gleaned from other, similar titles on the same scale. With patience it can be found at a discount when compared with similar ones being produced today. Moves 61 includes two scenarios by James C. Gordon for Line of Battle and Battleship.

Collectors Notes

Compared to some other SimCan titles, this one can be regularly found on eBay at a reasonable price. Boone lists low, high and average prices of 2/20/8.67 at auction and 11/25/18.00 for sale.

Errata

In the Dogger Bank scenario (11.11), units 21 and 36 should be in B0409, and units 501 and 502 should be in B0108.

Steve Newberg says:

[Refer to the notes for Battleship on page 10.]