Panzerschiffe is yet another company that produces Civil War ironclads. They have been in business for at least a decade or more and specialize in naval miniatures. The unique aspect of the company is that it produces its ships in epoxy castings rather than lead or pewter. Unlike most companies that make ships only for World War II or modern naval naval combat, Panzerschiffe has five different lines of ships: the American Civil War (both Union and Confederate ships), the pre-dreadnought era (for the Spanish-American, Russo-Japanese and Sino-Japanese Wars), World War I, World War II and a few modern ships and some ships that were never completed.

All their ships are waterline models made in 1:2400 scale, which is especially nice because it allows larger battles to be played on a tabletop rather than on the dirty floor. The ironclads include twenty-four Confederate and twenty-seven Union ship classes. Many of the models can double for sister ships in the same or similar classes (such as the Union Passaic and Canonicus classes and the Confederate Chicora and Albemarle classes).

A variety of different ship types are available; from the traditional casemate ironclad rams, to sidewheel rams, cottonclads, ocean-going raiding cruisers, blockade runners, turret ironclads, double-enders, mortar rafts and steam frigates. This allows a large number of riverine, coastal and high seas scenarios to be played.

By far the best feature of these models is that they are the most inexpensive ships available today. The Panzerschiffe pricing structure lists five different prices for their models, depending on their size. The largest models (such as World War II battleships and carriers) are $4.80 each, and prices go down from there. Being the smallest models, the ironclads sell for $1.35 each. These cheap prices have allowed me to build a respectable and versatile fleet of over eighty Confederate and Union ships for less than $120.00! In today's tight economy, it's more important than ever to make every penny count, especially when financing a hobby, so I appreciate these low prices.

I must be truthful and offer one warning, though. Because these are small epoxy castings, they do not have the detail that can be sculpted onto metal ships (even those of the same scale), and this is the one disadvantage of all the Panzerschiffe products. Prominent features such as paddleboxes, funnels, pilot houses, turrets, casemates, deck guns, gunports and of course the general shape of the hull are all recognizable, but that is all the detail that you'll find on these models. It's important to note and understand that these models are all business, meant for years of rugged play rather than to be shown off as finely detailed, super accurate reproductions.

So, if you're on a tight gaming budget and want to build a large fleet relatively cheaply but don't necessarily need highly detailed ship models, the Panzerschiffe line is definitely worth looking at.

Naval Rules

Several of the older naval rules sets weren't mentioned in the first article, but unfortunately, they are out of print and can only be found by perusing private games-for-sale classified ads in the gaming magazines or by searching for used games at the various game conventions.

One of the oldest rules sets is Ironclad & American Civil War Naval Wargaming Rules, by Keith French and John Wallis, published by the Naval Wargames Society (U.K.) and copyrighted way back in 1971. These rules cover not only the American Civil War but all naval warfare (of which there was very little, although there was a great deal of ship building competition going on between countries) through the 1870's and 1880's, just before the pre-dreadnought era. Ships are divided into general types; (ocean-going turret or barbette ships, broadside ships, coastal monitors, gunboats, etc.) They are treated as being in one of five arbitrary rating levels (with rating being determined by ship's length, which then determines how fast it may move per turn as well as its turing radius).

A ship's armor value is based on the thickness of its iron armor as well as any wooden backing it may have. Twenty-eight different guns (both smoothbore and rifled) are listed along with their penetration values and rates of fire.

Two rolls are made for combat. The first is a "to hit" roll in which the rating of the target is compared to the type of gun (smoothbore or rifled) and the range to the target. If the gun hits, the Damage Chart is referenced according to the ship type, and a second die roll is made to determine the amount and type of damage. Damage can be taken on the hull, turret, pilot house, funnel and paddle wheels. Obviously, these affect buoyancy, weaponry, control of the ship and speed. Special damage can also be rolled for if the original result requires it. Rules for ramming and using spar torpedoes are also included.

These rules were written in the abbreviated style of many amateur miniature games systems, so a prior knowledge of the principles and concepts of gaming is required to interpret them. Still, these are easy-to-learn basic rules that could quickly be taught to a new gamer by a competent referee.

Next Set

The next set of rules to be examined was produced on this side of the pond. Ironclad Civil War Naval Rules, by Tom Wham and Don Lowry, was published by Guidon Games and copyrighted in 1973. The rules are just as easy to learn and play as the first game I mentioned, but they are written in the more verbose style common to board game rules and thus don't require special interpretation to understand partial sentences and short rules phases.

The players must first record important features of their ships on individual ship cards. The number, placement and types of guns and their penetration factors are diagrammed, and strings of boxes are drawn to graphically represent the draft (buoyancy), speed, armor, hull and funnels of each ship. Turning radius arcs in various angles are supplied for movement, as well as a template for resolving plunging mortar fire.

In this game, all shots hit their targets, but dice must be rolled to see if the shots penetrate; then the amount of damage is determined. If the penetration factor is less than the armor, another chart is used. In most cases, the target's owner decides how to distribute the hits he takes, but some rules specifically require armor hits to be sustained. The obligatory Critical Hit and Lucky Hit charts (which seem to be a "given" for games covering this type of warfare) also require other special results.

Ships are sunk when all their draft boxes have been marked off. Chrome rules include running aground on shoals, ramming, using torpedoes, submarines, and mortar ships. Optional armor rules allow the players to divide ship armor into two sections, bow/sides and stern. This then makes angle of fire and maneuvering to fire on weak spots very important.

Like the U.K. rules mentioned earlier, this is another rare game that would require diligent searching to acquire. But, I believe, the searcher would be well rewarded in the end.

For those gamers who enjoy ironclad battles and either don't have the time to play a major engagement or don't want to wade through detailed rules, a very simple set of rules was published way back in issue number fourteen of the British magazine Miniature Wargames. In that issue, Andy Callan had a three-page article devoted to a quick set of rules he called Noddy Rules for ACW Riverine Actions. These rules are about as simple as you can get (sort of like the rules published in MWAN).

Ships are divided into three categories: riverboats, ocean-going vessels or monitors, and ironclad rams. All the various gun sizes and types are reduced to three categories: those up to l8 pounders are "baby-sized", the "inbetweenies" are "mummy-sized" and those over 8 inches or 100 pounds are "daddy-sized." Six different armor classes very simply simulate such detailed armor as that which was found on the monitor turrets, casemate ironclads, tinclads, woodclads, cottonclads, and unprotected ships. Each gun category and armor class has a specific numerical value.

For combat, the attacking player rolls one D6, and adds the value of the individual gun that is firing, plus any necessary die roll modifiers, and compares the final total to the armor value of the target. A hit results if the armor value is equalled or exceeded. (Another die is then rolled to see if the target loses a gun, has its speed reduced, or if it becomes the victim of a special effect.) Special effects include penetration of magazines (and automatic destruction of the ship); killing officers; making the ship list to port or starboard (and losing guns in the process); damaging steam pipes, smoke stacks, steering mechanisms or the paddles or screw and thus reducing speed, crippling turning ability or the rate of acceleration and deceleration. Quick rules for ramming and mines are also included.

Unless you own or can somehow acquire a copy of this issue of the magazine, you'll probably never see these rules. But if you want to get a new gamer into Civil War gaming without intimidating him with lots of arcane charts, detailed rules for specific situations and large rules books, this would definitely be a good set of rules to look for at the next gaming convention you attend. Maybe a dealer might have the magazine available as an inexpensive back issue.

For those brave gamers, such as myself, who play both board and miniature games and aren't afraid to convert tactical board games for miniatures use, the old Yaquinto classics Ironclads and Ironclads Expansion Kit (which were briefly mentioned in the previous article as being excellent for miniatures use) have recently been reprinted and revised by Excalibre Games. For those of us who have been searching diligently for these old games, the search should be a lot easier now.

In addition, several years ago 3W (World Wide Wargames) published Shot and Shell, which was essentially a second expansion kit for Ironclads. Though the rules are virtually identical to the original [Ironclads] game, it is worthwhile to get these rules because new vessels ar represented (though some of the counters are printed incorrectly), twenty-five new historical scenarios are included and new rules for land units and multi-ship fire are introduced. Unlike the Excalibre reprints, though, this game is now out of print and is probably as hard to acquire as the original Yaquinto games. The persistent gamer who can find all three of these items, in whatever editions are available, will be lucky indeed and will definitely be set for life.

The Reference Books

I own and have read the majority of the books listed in the "References" section of the previous ACW naval gaming article and heartily recommend the first two books in that list for their beautiful illustrations, as well as their informative and fascinating internal illustrations and cross-sections of selected ironclads. But these are not the only books on the subject.

An excellent companion to Tony Gibbons' Warships and Naval Battles is a book by Paul H. Silverstone, Warships of the Civil War Navies, published by the Naval Institute Press and copy righted in 1989. Whereas the Gibbons book goes into detail of a select number of ships on both sides, this book attempts to list every single ship and boat used during the war. Reading through the table of contents gives a slight idea of what I mean. U.S. Navy warships include armored and unarmored steam vessels, sailing vessels, acquired (captured) steam and sailing vessels, and a special section on just the Mississippi River fleet. U.S. Revenue Cutter Service steamers and small schooners are listed as well as Coast Survey steamers and sailing vessels.

Categories of the Confederate Navy include: ironclads, cruisers, sailing vessels, gunboats, spar torpedo boats, blockade runners, and six separate sections of different coastal and riverine areas. A short service record (including battles fought) of each vessel is presented, as well as the builder; the dates the ship was laid down, launched, and commissioned. Tonnage, dimensions machinery, armament and armor are all recorded. This is definitely a must-have book for all referees and scenario designers.

William C. Davis is a prolific author of Civil War books and articles. His Duel Between the First Ironclads, from Louisiana State University Press, copyright 1975, is an exciting in-depth story of the construction of and the battle between the C.S.S. Virginia and the U.S.S. Monitor, their inglorious endings, and their effect on future naval warfare and warship design.

The Confederate Privateers, by William Morrison Robinson, Jr., was originally copyrighted back in 1928, but was recently reprinted in 1990 by the University of South Carolina Press. This is a collection of tales of the privately operated Confederate commerce raiders that were issued letters of marque in the early months of the war. This is a subject poorly covered in most naval histories of the war, but it's also ripe for exciting and interesting gaming. Another USC reprint, this time going back to 1952, is Stephen R. Wise's Lifeline of the Confederacy, copyright renewed in 1988.

This book recounts the exhilarating game of blockade running, with all its attendant danger and secrecy. Since most Civil War naval scenarios concentrate on battles between the powerful ironclads, an excellent change of pace would be games based on the cat-and-mouse searches and chase between Federal blockaders and Confederate blockade runners, or the lightning strikes of Confederate commerce raiders (private or government owned) on Federal shipping and the attempts of the Federal fleets to bring the raiders to ground. These long neglected aspects of the naval war could open up a whole new world of gaming to jaded players and those referees looking for something new and different to run.

All the books mentioned so far have been twentieth century works, but many of us forget that a tremendous amount of books, journals, articles and letters were produced in the nineteenth century just after the war by those who had been intimately involved with it.

Campaigns

In 1882, Charles Scribner's Sons commissioned and published a seventeen volume history of the war (narrated mainly from the Federal viewpoint) under the title Campaigns of the Civil War. While the majority of the books were devoted to the land battles, three of them dealt with operations at sea and on the rivers. As its title suggests, Daniel Ammen's The Atlantic Coast chronicled the major operations by the Federals against the Eastern coastline of the Confederacy. The Port Royal expedition, the various attacks on Charleston and vicinity, the campaigns against Hatteras Inlet, Roanoke Island, Newbern, and Fort Fisher are all featured, as well as lesser battles such as the engagement of the Virginia and Monitor, the battle with the Albemarle, and the attack of the C.S.S. Hunley. The Blockade and the Cruisers, by James Russell Soley, tells the story of the Federal attempts to prepare for and enforce the blockade against the Confederacy. Operations of the Atlantic and Gulf squadrons are featured and separate chapters are devoted to the Confederate blockade runners and commerce raiders. The last of the three books, The Gulf and Inland Waters, by A. T. Mahan, concentrates on the campaigns up and down the Mississippi culminating in the surrender of Vicksburg. Two separate chapters cover the Red River expedition and the Battle of Mobile.

Compared to today's writings, these books have a rather pedantic and uninspiring writing style. Also, even though each book was kept to one general subject, those subjects were so vast that the authors were unable to include very much detail without making the books larger than they were originally contracted for. Even so, despite their dryness, they are still excellent introductions to the vast subject of Civil War naval operations. The problem is, since these books are over one hundred years old, the only way to get them (or the entire set) is through second-hand book stores or antique shops. The Archive Society has reprinted this set of volumes and periodically advertises it in some of the contemporary Civil War history magazines. Some years ago, The Blue & the Gray Press reprinted this series as inexpensive paperbacks. But again, you'd have to search for them in second-hand book store.

I hope this second article has given you additional ideas for resources to draw upon for your Civil War naval gaming. I apologize for the fact that many of the items mentioned here are out of print, but we shouldn't discard or ignore things just because they aren't new or available from your favorite hobby store or through the latest mail order catalogue. Serious Civil War gamers (or gamers of WWII, Napoleonic, or the American Revolution, etc.) will usually go out of their way to acquire something that will enhance their gaming experience or allow them to learn more about their chosen period of military history. Usually, the best things in gaming, as in life, are worth looking for. And besides, half the fun is the search itself. I trust this material will be of use to you.

Addresses

Panzerschiffes, P.O. Box 26074, Akron, Ohio 44319.
Excalibre Games, 1177 Ottawa Street, Windsor, Ontario, N8X 2E4, Canada.
World Wide Wargames, 8795 La Riviera Drive, #183, Sacramento, California, 95826.
U.S. Naval Institute Operations Center, Customer Service Dept., 2062 General's Highway, Annapolis, Maryland 21401.
Louisiana State University Press, P.O. Box 25053, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70894.
University of South Carolina Press, 205 Pickens Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208.
The Archive Society, P.O. Box 940, Hicksville, New York 11802 (and) 130 Locust Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101.

Related

Iron at Sea: Civil War Naval Gaming

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