Back in 1979 Yaquinto Games released their "Ironclads" game, followed about a year later by their "Ironclads Expansion Kit". Both games covered naval warfare of the American Civil War era exclusively, with the latter adding many of the vessels of the various European nations to the gaming system. Yaquinto has long since gone under and the aforementioned games are now collectors items, but are still available I'm sure to any gamer with enough interest in the period and a bulging wallet from which to extract the cash necessary to obtain these classic boardgames of yesteryear. It is indeed a fitting tribute to these games to note that many of the wargame conventions in this country still find that there is enough interest in the games to hold "Ironclads" tournaments as part of their scheduled activities. Luckily for all of us ACW naval gamers and "Ironclads" enthusiasts, 3W has just released a game entitled "Shot and Shell" to add a new chapter to the history of the "Ironclads" system.
Shot and Shell contains six heavy paper map sections each measuring 13 1/2" by 19 1/2", a 38 page rules booklet, a 34 page scenario booklet detailing 27 different scenarios and instructions for creating design-your-own scenarios using a point system, about 50 vessel data cards, Confederate and Union gunfire arc templates, two sheets of counters for naval vessels and other units, and numerous charts and tables.
The one thing that immediately becomes evident upon inspecting the game's components is that 3W has attempted to make this game identical and compatible with its predecessors, the "Ironclads" games. The maps, counters and charts and tables are virtually identical to those of the "Ironclads" games. The rules include and emphasize the important combined arms operations that took place during the war.
The scale of S&S is: 1 turn = 3 minutes and each hex = 100 yards. Naval counters represent individual vessels and land units are regiments and batteries. This is very much a tactical level game of considerable depth and detail that can take a considerable amount of time to play, but the time and effort expended is well worth it for those interested in simulating a detailed naval engagement of the ACW period. Each vessel is represented by a log sheet that, once filled out by the players, contains the vessel's pertinent data and characteristics (obtained from the Vessel Data Cards). Forts also have a log sheet that must be filled out to describe each gun, its armor protection, its crew size and morale.
The offered scenario collection is impressive, including the engagements at Island No. 10, Roanoke Island, Bayou Teche, Fort Hindman, Galveston, Port Hudson, Charleston Harbor and Port Royal Sound as well as actions including the blockade privateer Sumter and commerce raider C.S.S. Florida. A lot of the scenarios involve wooden vessels and lightly armored vessels, which can result in some rather dramatic gunfire resolution in comparison to more heavily armored vessels which for the most part usually seem unaffected by all but the luckiest of hits.
Naval vessel movement is first written on the vessel log sheets and both sides then perform their move simultaneously. There are several alternate methods described in the rules for movement other than the time consuming strict plot method. Special sections in the rules deal with sail powered vessels, submarine movement and transporting army units.
During the gunfire resolution phase, guns are fired individually, or Concentrated Naval Gunfire can be used to quickly resolve the fire of many guns in a large engagement. CNG is a new concept and is a direct attempt by the game's designer, Roger Nord, to speed up the play of the game. Another realistic new concept is the Smoke Obstruction On Target (SOOT) Table, which gives gunfire a detrimental modifier caused by the thick billowing black smoke generated by one or more naval vessels (the more vessels in the vicinity of the target, the worse the modifier is likely to be). Once hits have been made on targets, the damage caused by the hits is determined. Special hits and critical hits can be made and are often dramatic, with results such as monitor turret jammed for a specified number of turns, guns destroyed, boiler hits and explosions, jammed rudders, jammed gunport shutters, steering system damage, fires started on damaged vessels, steam engine failure, and magazine hits just to mention a few. Naval vessel crew morale is well covered with a full page in the rulebook devoted to it. Mines, torpedoes, obstructions, grounding, ramming, collisions and just about everything else conceivable in naval combat is addressed in the rules and is possible during play.
Land unit movement and combat is covered in unprecedented detail and this is a major new addition to the game system. Land units take incremental losses (a 500 man regiment would take 8 steps of damage before it would be eliminated, a full strength 6 gun battery would take 4 steps of damage before it would be eliminated) which brings into mind the possibility of campaign games or sieges using the game system. Assaulting forts and the resultant melees are well covered in the rules. It is very evident that the intent of the game is to allow the simulation of battles involving combined operations of land and naval units, and in this respect the game succeeds admirably.
I'd like to take a little time to discuss the new concept of Concentrated Naval Gunfire now. CNG is executed by land or naval Fire Groups, each of which is composed of one or more fort batteries or one or more naval vessels, respectively. The composition of the various Fire Groups is rigidly defined in the guidelines for the individual scenarios. A naval Fire Group is made up of a lead vessel and one or more support vessels. A Fire Group will always inflict damage onto its target, the amount generally varying proportionally with the range to the target, and the damage is inflicted on the same portion of the target. I personally feel that the use of individual gunfire will put more damage, albeit scattered, onto the target, than by the use of CNG. The primary benefit of CNG is in faster resolution of gunfire, but it appears to be a trade-off of faster resolution in lieu of the slower but perhaps more effective individual gunfire method. Naval Fire Groups as well as land Fire Groups can be forced to disband if their losses become severe. Naval Fire Groups can reorganize and reform after disbanding, but land Fire Groups that are forced to disband must use individual gunfire for the remainder of the scenario. A nice Scenario Conversion Chart has been included in the game so that "Ironclads" owners can try the CNG concept with the old scenarios.
Naval vessels must attempt to withdraw from combat once their damage reaches a certain level as defined in the various scenario rules. This is a realistic rule that keeps vessels from staying in action too long and risking sinking when the real life Captain would have certainly been trying to skedaddle his vessel to safety.
I could go on and on, but I think by now you have a pretty good idea about the game and that I like it a lot. It does take a bit of effort to get everything set up for play (filling out vessel log sheets, etc.) and to play through the often lengthy scenarios, but like all games the playing time required will decrease as one gains familiarity with the system. No true enthusiast of ACW naval combat will find much to complain about in this game, for the system has withstood the test of time due to its predecessors. It is truly naval miniatures without the miniatures, and is certainly no more complex or time consuming than the rules sets we miniatures gamers have grown accustomed to over the years. Many thanks to 3W for their excellent efforts in publishing this important game, which will hopefully provide a much needed shot in the arm for ACW naval wargaming.
For anyone who is interested in purchasing this game and cannot find it locally, the address and price for mail orders is as follows: 3W, P.O. Box F, Cambria, CA 93428. Price is $20.00 plus $3.00 shipping. 3W also accepts Visa/Mastercard telephone orders at 805-927-5439. (1 have learned that 3W has sold all but about 100 copies of the 2,000 that were initially printed, so if you want this game, don't wait any longer to order it).
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© Copyright 1988 The American Civil War Society
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