The naval side of the Civil War has fascinated me since I began playing Yaquinto's IRONCLADS boardgame twenty years ago. Then, a decade ago at Historicon, I played in an extremely enjoyable game of Mobile Bay using 15mm wooden ship models and a rules set called COMMAND OF SOUTHERN WATERS.

USS HARTF0RD VS. THE CSS TENNESSEE AT MOBILE BAY, 1864. 1/600 PEWTER FIGURINES FROM THOROUGHBRED FIGURES PHOTO BYTOBY BARRETT

At the same con I saw Thoroughbred's 1:600 ship models, and then later the not-quite-as-nice-but- cheaper-and-fill-in-some-gaps models by Peter Pig, and I was hooked. The past several years have combined the purchase and painting of dozens of ships with a prolonged search for the ideal set of rules. I have tried and enjoyed AGE OF IRON and HAMMERIN' IRON, and I have cobbled together my own rules using data and concepts from all of the above; but none of these completely suited me. I believe now, however, that in SMOKE ON THE WATER I have found the rules I will stick with.

When reading accounts of Civil War naval actions, one is struck by how many unpredictable, lucky or unlucky, or downright bizarre events or factors might determine the outcome. What rules set could provide for the MIAMI firing at the ALBEMARLE at pointblank range, and the shell bouncing up off the ironclad's side and landing right beside the gun which fired it, where it explodes killing the ship's captain? If one looks at the ships' statistics one can see that the CSS ATLANTA might well have been a match for the two PASSAIC-class monitors it fought; but it ran hard aground at the start of the battle and had to surrender with scarcely a shot fired after the monitors steamed into its deadzone at pointblank range. When Admiral DuPont attacked Charleston, the North's most powerful vessel, the NEW IRONSIDES, ran aground directly over a huge Confederate electric torpedo which could not be detonated because a wagon on the beach had just run over the wire leading to the battery.

SMOKE ON THE WATER is faithful to this historic unpredictability. The general philosophy of these rules reminds me of John Hill's JOHNNY REB; the basic mechanisms of moving and shooting are simple enough, and outcomes are generally predictable in the middle range of dice rolls; but there are a lot of dice rolls, and sooner or later something weird is going to happen. The result is an exciting, enjoyable game which can keep the invariably outmatched Confederate players interested even as they go down (or up) in flames.

Ships are rated in terms of speed, maneuverability (turning radius), and draught. Movement is simultaneous using plots. Ramming is very difficult to achieve in single-ship duels, but happens fairly often in fleet actions such as Plum Run or Memphis, and can be devastating. (Accidental collisions are also common, and dangerous.) Running aground is a very real possibility in shallow water, depending on draught and speed, and rolls for breaking free can become quite suspenseful. Even more suspenseful is to have one's own ship locked to an enemy ship, which is on fire and has been abandoned; will you break free before the fire reaches the magazine?

THE QUEEN CITY: 15MM RESIN MODEL FROM MERRIMAC MINIATURES PHOTO BY JOEL GREGORY

Artillery fire is simultaneous and involves several rolls per shot: roll to hit, with modifiers for distance and target size and movement; roll for location of hit; roll to see if armor is penetrated; roll to see if shells explode. A special or critical hit calls for additional rolls.

After firing there may be tests for morale, for fires, for repairs, and so forth. just about every imaginable eventuality is possible in these rules. About the only factor missing is sharpshooter fire, which was important in some situations; but I found it easy to modify the sharpshooter rules from Yacquinto's IRONCLADS.

The game system works very well for single ship duels and small fleet actions. I have played Memphis successfully several times, with several players per side sharing the ships (about 8 or 9 on each side). If one gives the ARKANSAS to the Rebels - it might conceivably have been there if the Confederacy had put a higher priority on finishing it - then Memphis is not a totally one-sided affair.

THE UNION TIMBERCLAD TYLER & THE CSS IRONCLAD ARKANSAS PHOTO BY JOEL GREGORY OF HIS 15MM RESIN MODELS MERRIMACK MINIATURES

Plum Run demonstrated that the Rebel rams could sink the CAIRO-class ironclads, and I have seen a Rebel victory at Memphis once (out of four playings) under these rules. I have done a BIG game of the Battle of New Orleans, which strained the rules' playability; the players claimed to enjoy it, but there was so much to do each turn that we weren't able to finish after 10 or 12 hours of play.

These rules were written by Jason Gorringe and Simon Thomas, and are published by Canis Publishing, an English firm. They are available in the US from Grandiosity and perhaps other dealers, and cost about $25. Highly recommended by this reviewer.

Canis Publishing Langton Miniatures
North Trendeal
Ladoc, Truro
Cornwall, TR2 4QQ UK
Tel +44 (0) 1726 882805
rodlangton@compuserve.com

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