Broadside
Naval Battle GameMilton Bradley Company, 1962
Players 2
Playing Time variable
Era Age of Sail
Scale abstract grand strategic
Time abstract
Distance abstract
Units individual Cutters, Brigs, Frigates, Ships of the Line, and merchant vessels
Components box 13¼"x20"x1½" cardboard accordion, with rules printed on the inside box top
1 19½"x24" tri-fold mounted map 34 1" tall 3D plastic pieces
1 32-page 5"x7" historical booklet
Unit Manifest 20 Generic ships requiring masted sales (10 each blue and red)
4 merchangt ships with fixed masts (blue)
4 Coastal artillery (blue)
6 mines (blue)
lots of Masts with sails (white)
The Game
Broadside is slightly less abstract than Battle-Cry. There are no dice involved, so movement and combat results are predefined, and luck takes last place to good planning. The four types of combat ships are differentiated by the numbers of masts of sails, a cutter having only one and a ship of the line having four. These are used to indicate how many hits are left on the ship before it loses its last mast and is sunk. Otherwise, all ships have the same movement (unlimited in any one of the four cardinal directions) and the same ability to cause damage (one broadside removes one mast of sails). The mapboard represents a large harbor on a seacoast, marked off in a square grid. The sides are asymmetrical: blue is the defender, with four merchant ships to defend with a force of smaller combat ships, balanced out by four fixed coastal batteries and six mines. Red is the attacker with a force of larger combat ships, and the task of eliminating the four blue merchant ships. This is a game of maneuver. Ideally, you want to maneuver your ships so that they “cross the T”, thus being able to fire a broadside without receiving one in reply. The possibilities for maneuver are endless, and the rules are simple enough for rank beginners to understand and appreciate right away. Be warned, there is only a very superficial similarity between this game and Broadsides & Boarding Parties.Collector’s Value
Collector’s Value Boone lists low, high and average prices of 16/68/33.71 at auction and 20/ 125/40.44 for sale. The biggest problem with collecting this game is being certain that there are sufficient masts of sails. These masts are small, and easily mislaid over the years. Fortunately the plastic used in these games rubbery, so breakage is not the same issue as it is with the more recent MB board wargames.Games Reviewed
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