Heart of Oak

From the World of
WiCCium
~im P.O. Box 1082
Astolfo Geremia (Order #44436889) GILBERT, AZ. 85234-1082
HEART OF OAK covers all aspects of naval combat and tactics in de
make for a more detailed and accurate simulation. Crews must deal with sail
handling to maneuver into combat.
Perhaps the best way t o judge the realism in any simulation is t o compare the
tactics used successfully in a game with those used historically. Players will note
the same evolution in combat tactics occuring amongst their foes as was seen on
the oceans of the world in the 18th and early 19th century. Line of Battle will
be understood and will be introduced and finally true Nelsonian tactics will
develop to break battle lines. While the age of fighting sail ended historically
before the real advent of steam powered ships, this need not be the case for
players as peaceful interludes will not interrupt the evolution of combat tactics
to go beyond even those of Nelson.
Here, complete in one volume, is all you need to understand and enter this
exciting area of miniatures simulation. The workings of the ships and crews are
fully explained. Rules cover crews, crew quality, weather, ship classifications,
handling characteristics, etc. Sample ship classes for all major powers in the age
of sail are included to assist players to easily set up scenarios. Campaign and
tournament rules are also included.
FANTASY GAMES UNLIMITED INC.

P.O.Box 182
Roslyn. N.Y. 11576
Astolfo Geremia (Order #44436889)

Heart ofOuk
PLAYTESTING
Rob Pruden William Chasko Per B j o r k h d
Victor Milan Sean Kane Phil Hernandez
Jenny Carpenter Kevin Reagen
Special Thanks to:

Bob Prestridge, Harry Morris, Rob Pruden, Rudy Kraft Ill, Constance
Ash, Peter Guzzardi, Cherry Weiner.
Dedicated to the Memory of:

Commodore David Porter, USN
(1780-1 843)
Founder of Naval Wargaming

2
INTRODUCTION CONTENTS
When HEART OF OAK was first published in 1978. the f i r s t few MECHANICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
chapters of what was t o become t h e PRIVATEERS AND GENTLE- THE COMPASS ROSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
.
MEN Series had already been written In the following four Years while
HEART OF OAK leaped. by a series of tentative short rushes. into the
. HOWTOSAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tacking ...................................
3
4
consciousness of the wargaming community. PRIVATEERS AND Wearing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
GENTLEMEN had been sold t o Dell. the first three novels had ap- Backing Sail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
.
peared in print. and two more had been written and sold Due t o these HeavingTo ................................. 5
activities. I was not able t o devote as much time t o the promotion. sel- HOWTOFIRE ............................... 5
ling. and marketing of m y games as l wished. despite the fact that in- HOW TO MAKE A SHIPCARD ...................... 7
formed response t o HEART OF OAK and i t s companion games was HOW TO SET UP ENGAGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
positive . RULES OF PLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
But now. thanks t o t h e folks at Fantasy Games Unlimited. the SeC- I. TURN SEQUENCE & RULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
.
ond Edition has at least seen print Those who are familiar with the .
II F L Y SIGNALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
First Edition will find that. although the basic game system is un- .
Ill WRITE ORDERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
changed. certain ambiguities have been clarified. much additional in- .
I V ATTEMPT TO CUT FREE, CUT WRECKAGE. etc . . . . . . . . 10
formation has been added. and a number of additional advanced rules .
V REPAIRS ................................ 10
have been offered. Those who are coming t o HEART OF OAK for the .
V I FIGHTFIRES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
first time will. I hope. have their path into an unfamiliar game system .
VI1 R O L L INITIATIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
soothed by my four years' experience at answering the questions of V I I I . MOVEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
puzzled first-time players . .
I X FIRING SEQUENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Designing a game with such a detailed historical background. much X.BOARDlNG .............................. 16
of which was either unknown or misunderstood by the gaming public. XI . TAKING POSSESSION ....................... 17
necessitated the amassing of considerable amounts of raw data. the re- .
XI1 TRANSFERRING CREW ..................... 17
duction of that data into game terms. and the presentation of the pro- .
X I I I END OF TURN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
cessed dates t o the reader . It is t o be hoped that t h e process has re- ADVANCEDRULES ............................ 17
sulted in the creation of a game that any intelligent. reasonably exper- Bow and Stern Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
ienced gamer. knowing little about the period. may read. study. and Gun Damage ................................ 18
play with a minimum of confusion . Towing ................................... 18
Because the period is so unfamiliar. the rules t o HEART OF OAK Camel .................................... 18
are arranged differently from other wargame rules with which the
.
reader may be familiar The first part of the rules is composed of a ser-
Fortifications ............................... 18
Red Hot Shot ............................... 18
ies of brief essays. informing the reader in an informal fashion of basic
background necessary t o play. such as how t o sail a ship. basic sailing
Kedging .................................. 18
Shoals, Shallows. and Casting the Lead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
.
tactics. gunnery. how t o set up a game. and so on The second half of Repairs t o Masts .............................. 19
the book is actually composed of the rules themselves. arranged i n the
. Firing t o Windward ............................ 19
order in which players will need t o consult them as they play the game Advancing New Weather ......................... 19
It i s recommended that beginning players start with a modest battle.
. Jury Masts ................................. 19
say one frigate versus another. a sloop vs corvette action. or a pair of Wetting Sails ................................ 19
sail of the line . This will enable players t o learn the art of sailing on a Bomb Vessles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
small scale before attempting t o apply their knowledge in a largescale ShiPs Boats ................................ 20
fight . Rifles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The question of play-balance should also be addressed There are . Small Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
rules for randomly assigning crew quality on the basis of nationality.
. Flintlock Firing .............................. 20
and these will provide a good and balanced game nine times out of ten Sheet Lead Cartridges .......................... 20
The tenth time. however. may result through exceptionally good or Clearing for Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
abysmal die-rolling by the players i n a flagrantly unbalanced game It is . Initial Broadsides ............................. 20
always helpful t o have an impartial third party or referee balance the Manning the Masts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
combat ahead of time . Heroic Boarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Over the years. it has been particularly gratifying t o observe a very Spaced Broadsides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
historical evolution of sailing tactics among beginning players A t first . TOURNAMENT RULES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
the players were often lost. and their games degenerated into a free-for- Advanced Ship Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
.
all slugging match. all fleet tactics and order lost Then. as the players Boxhauling ................................. 22
became more experienced. mid-18th Century linear tactics began t o Advanced Heaving To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
evolve. the ships forming in disciplined. unbreakable lines This has . Razees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
usually been followed by the Nelsonian attack aimed at breaking an Xebec-Frigates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
enemy line . . . and the Nelsonian attack (historically the epitome of Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
sail tactics) has. in turn. often been supplanted by a more sophisticated Club Hauling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
brand of linear tactics aimed at countering t h e Nelsonian full-bore as- Storm Tactics ............................... 23
sault. tactics that may historically have evolved if steam had not sup- Fore-and-Aft Vessels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
.
planted the age of sail
Ramming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
I would like t o thank those who wrote me concerning the First
Leeway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Editlon rules. and who offered suggestions. questions. or criticisms.
Starting Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
many of which resulted i n clarifications and improvements in t h e pres- Reversing Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
ent edition . Advanced Boarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Boarding from Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Jon Williams RULES FOR CAMPAIGNS ........................ 29
June. 1982 . Game Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Strategic Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
GAME SCALE: Grand Tactical Rules ........................... 29
1 minute = 1 turn
APPENDIX 1 : DEFINITIONS ...................... 31
1 millimeter = 1 meter (1:1000)
APPENDIX 2: PERMISSIBLE ORDERS ................ 33
PRIDE &PREJUDICE: A N AFTERWARD ............... 34
Lest We Forget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
U.S. Copyright Notice
Copyright 1978 and 1983 by Jon Williams . APPENDIX 3 : TYPICAL SHIPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
.
All rights t o this book are reserved No part of this book may be used
or reproduced i n any manner whatsoever except in t h e case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews .
Interior illustrations so indicated are copyright 1983 b y Mike Gilbert .
For information contact Fantasy Games Unlimited Inc .

J
HEART OF OAK
THE COMPASS ROSE stay, line, and yard of his vessel, and might have served on the ship for
The standard compass in regular use the world over has 32 compass years; whereas a participant in a naval game will probably not have a
'points', obtained by subdividing the cardinal directions (North, South, single subordinate, and might well command more than one ship.
East, West) into 28 other subdivisions (North Northeast, West by Nevertheless, most of the above factors have been accounted for in
North, West North West, etc.). the game: ballast, hull, rigging, and a ship's personal quirks are ac-
HEART OF OAK also uses a compass. It is a l b p o i n t , simplified counted for by the introduction of the roll for Ship Quality. Other
version of the standard nautical compass. Players will have t o construct rules will account for the quality of the crew; and the movement rules
one or more of these compasses, or copy them from the rules. The dir- account for the actual, mechanical sailing of the vessel.
In HEART OF OAK, ships derive their movement abilities from
ections indicated on the compass are N, NNE, NE, EN€, E, ESE, SE,
their sail setting, the strength of t h e wind, and the ship's angle to the
SSE, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW. These compasses will be
wind. The sailing ability of the ship's commanders will be the single
placed on the playing surface.
most critical factor in the playing of HEART OF OAK- - - in general,
The compass will be very important in determining movement. The a good sailor will win his engagements, a poor sailor, one that depends
wind will always be coming out of one of these 16 directions. The solely on luck, or good dice, or battering-ram tactics more suitable t o
ship's heading will always be pointing in one of these 16 directions. the 5th Century B.C., will most likely lose, An understanding of the
Therefore, by cross-indexing the heading of the ship with the wind dir- mechanics of sailing is the prime requisite for an understanding of naval
ection, an easy interrelationship between the wind and ship will be pro- tactics.
duced, in order to determine movement. The first determinant of sailing ability is the type of sail a ship can
These 16 compass directions are often referred to in the rules as
.
'point8 NW is one compass point; so is NNW and ESE. Ships are for-
-
set. The more sail, the more speed- - but the more speed, the less man-
euverable a ship becomes. A t the higher sail settings, a ship may zip past
bidden, in the game, t o sail any closer to the wind than a certain num- i t s opponents and have to spend many turns trying t o work i t s way
ber of points, usually two: such a ship, with the wind coming from N, back into position. The Sail Settings are as follows:
cannot sail any closer t o N than NW or NE. Changes of course are also 0. No Sail. Ship will drift unless anchored.
expressed in points: a ship heading E and altering course two points t o 1. Minimum sail. Generally headsails and driver. Barely enough sail
starboard will be heading SE. t o give the ship headway, allow the rudder to bite, and allow for fine
Most of these subjects will be further developed later in the rules. maneuvering.
2. Fighting sail. Generally reefed topsails. A good setting for battle,
as it provides a stable gunnery platform and allows for fine maneuver-
ing.
3. All plain sail. Generally mainsails and topsails. Easy to manage.
NNW 4. Full sail. Topgallants and royals. Fast, difficult t o manage, lacks
NE
easy maneuverability.
5. Extra mil. Courses, studding sails, gaffsails, staysails, and other
weird creations of the sailmaker's art. Hard t o handle, very fast, with
ENE very l i t t l e maneuverability.
During the course of the game, a ship may alter i t s Sail Setting by
1, in either direction, each turn: from 3 to 2 or 4, but NOT to 1 or 5.
The second determinant of sailing ability is the strength of the
wind: the stronger the wind, the faster the vessel will move; but a very
E
strong wind can destroy a ship i f it sets too much sail. Possible Wind
Strengths are as follows:
1. Calm. Ships will not move unless they move under oars, or are
being towed by boats.
2. Light gusts, Some ships may 'catch a wind' and move, others will
have t o row, or be towed by boats.
3. Light wind.
SE 4. Normal breeze.
S'SE 5. Heavy breeze. Ships may not use Sail Setting 5 without losing
masts.
6. Gale. Ships may not use Sail Setting 4. Lower gunports may be
awash.
7. Storm. May not use Sail Setting 3. Lower gunports may be
awash.
HOW TO SA1L 8. Hurricane. May not use Sail Setting 2. No combat allowed.
The sailing of a ship during the 18th Century was a complicated bus- The third, and probably the most important, determinant of the
iness that hinged upon literally hundreds of factors, among them being sailing ability of a vessel was i t s angle to the wind. This was complicated
direction and strength of wind, angle of t h e ship t o the wind, type of by the fact that no sailing vessel could sail directly into the wind. The
hull, ballast, peculiarities of the ship's personality and rigging, and the angles t o the wind are measured by the number of compass points the
abilities of the men who sailed her. stern is from the wind. (See COMPASS ROSE, above). The possibilities
Most of these factors are impossible t o recreate realistically and ful- are as follows:
l y in a game- --
or a t least any game that would be playable: keep i n 1. Wind Astern. The wind is DIRECTLY astern. This is NOT the
fastest possible position, as the mizzen- and mainmasts will keep the
mind that a real shids captain had hundreds of officers and men t o
handle the ship for him, would be intimately acquainted with every foremast from drawing i t s full amount of wind.

Wind Astern Movement in Legs.
WIND-- 4 $7
2. Quarter Reach. The wind is from 1 t o 3 points from the stern.
This i s the fastest possible position, since all sails are i n a position t o
catch the wind.
TURN
When sailing a ship, first find the appropriate Sailing Chart for the
ship. 1 s t Rate Ships of the Line, for example, use the 1st Rate Chart,
whereas a 4th Rate 44-gun frigate would use the chart for 4th Rates.
Once the proper chart has been located, find the chart for the a p
propriate angle t o the wind: Wind Astern, Quarter Reach, etc. Then
cross-index the Sail Setting with the Wind Strength t o produce a move-
ment speed i n millimeters, This number is the movement factor of the
ship, and will be moved straight forward, I N A STRAIGHT LINE, for
one leg of movement. After the first leg, the ship may alter course,
tack, wear, or change the Sail Setting; it will then find a NEW move-
ment factor on the Sailing Chart, and move THAT number of milli-
meters straight forward IN A STRAIGHT LINE.
3. Broad Reach. The Wind is 4 or 5 points from the stern. Fairly Much simplified, the movement sequence i s as follows: Move 1st
slow, since not all the sails will draw, and the wind i s working directly leg, change course, change Sail Setting, move 2nd leg, change course.
against the action of the keel against the water.
EXAMPLE ONE:
Broad Reach The wind i s from N, and the CONSTITUTION, a 4th Rate ship, is
WIND heading E. This is a Broach Reach. CONSTITUTION is at Sail Condi-
I t tion 2 (Fighting Sail), at a Wind Strength of 3. The movement for i t s
1st leg is 32 millimeters. CONSTITUTION moves 32 millimeters
straight forward. CONSTITUTION then increases i t s Sail Setting t o 3
while turning t o ESE. It is now at Quarter Reach with a new sail set-
ting, and moves 72 forward i n a straight line. It then turns to point E
once more, and will begin the next turn in a Broad Reach.
EXAMPLE TWO:
1,!
WIND
CONSTITUTION, above, continues i t s move. Wind i s from N at
Strength 3, CONSTITUTION i s Broad Reaching at Sail Setting 3. Dur-
ing i t s 1st leg, CONSTITUTION moves 56 forward in a straight line,
then alters course t o NE. It is now Beating, and moves 28 straight for-
ward for i t s 2nd leg.
A ship MUST move its full movement allowance, with two possible
4. Beating. The stern is 6 or 7 points from the wind. (Note that exceptions: (1) it might collide with another ship, and (2) it might be
most ships can not sail with their sterns 7 points from the wind). The backing sail (see Backing Sail, below).
slowest possible position. A t this position, the sails cease t o act as a kite A Ship May Not Move Less Or More Than The Combination Of Sail
and begin t o act as an airfoil. The passage of the wind over the sails Setting, Wind, Angle T o The Wind, And Sailing Qualities Of The Ship
creates a vacuum (actually a low pressure area) in front of the ship that Permit.
'sucks' the vessel forward. A t this angle t o the wind, a ship may tack When a ship is Beating, although it is moving at the slowest possible
(pass i t s bow across t h e wind i n order t o change direction), wear angle t o the wind, the ship is allowed certain maneuvers that other sail
(change direction by passing i t s stern across the wind), heave-to (stop settings will not allow. These are Tacking, Wearing, Backing Sails, and
and drift without taking off all sails), and back sails (spill wind from the Heaving To.
sails and slow the ship, giving very exact control of movement).
Beating
TACKING :
Tacking is a method of crossing t h e wind b y passing the bow across
the wind. It requires a disciplined crew and good timing. A t the com-
mand 'Helm's Alee', the helm i s put down, pointing the ship directly
into the wind, while t h e yards are quickly braced around t o catch the
The fourth consideration in sailing a ship is the sailing qualities of wind from the other direction.
the ship itself. These include ballasting, the age of the ship, the skill of In t h e game, tacking is performed as follows: A ship moves i t s 1st
the ship designers, hull construction, the qualities of t h e rigging, t h e leg while Beating. Instead of moving a 2nd leg, the ship i s turned direct-
amount of weed and barnacles on the hull, and so forth. This is deter- ly into the wind. Die rolls are made t o see whether the ship succeeds in
mined by a roll of the percentage dice, resulting i n a ship that i s either -
tacking, or whether it is 'taken aback' and 'goes in irons'- - a ship in
'smart', 'average', or 'A Hooker'. 'Smart' sailers increase their speed b y irons will drift slowly backwards, helpless, and may lose masts- - -this
25% over 'average' sailers; 'Hookers' decrease their speed b y 25% over is bad at any time, but in battle it can b e disastrous, which explains
'average' sailers. why ships rarely tacked i n battle.
In HEART OF OAK, the ships move in 'legs' of movement; there If t h e tack is successful, it will continue into the next movement
are t w o \egs per turn. A t the end of any leg of movement, a ship may turn, Instead of moving a 1 s t leg, the ship is turned onto the opposite
change i t s course. tack, It then moves i t s 2nd leg, Beating on the new course heading.

TACKING: BACKING SAIL:
TURNS ONE AND TWO Backing Sail can only be done effectively while the ship i s Beating.
There i s no hope of Backing sail a t ANY OTHER ATTITUDE t o the
TURN ONE wind; movement must be controlled by altering the Sail Setting. While
Backing Sail, a ship may move i t s full Movement Allowance, OR it may
move ANY NUMBER LESS than i t s movement allowance, to zero. I f it
moves zero, it will drift.
For example: USS CONSTITUTION i s Beating t o the NE. Wind i s
from N a t Strength 3. The Sail Setting is 3. CONSTITUTION'S move-
ment allowance for i t s 1st leg i s its full allowance of 28. But on the 2nd
leg, CONSTITUTION elects t o only move 10. I t s move for the entire
turn is thus 38, instead of the normal move of 56.
HEAVING TO:
TURN
Actually, a ship that heaves t o i s referred t o as 'hove to', not 'heaved
INTO
to', but the more regular English forms are observed throughout these
WIND
rules for those who do not have the benefit of a nautical education.
'Hove' as the past tense of 'heave' i s a word that would make Miss Prun-
ella Mossmoon, your 7th Grade English teacher, quake with righteous
fury.
9 A ship that heaves t o must start the turn while Beating. It then sim-
I ply Backs Sail, reducing i t s movement allowance t o zero. It then falls
off from the wind, presenting i t s broadside to the wind, without mov-
I
II ing. Heaving To i s the only way of stopping without reducing sail.
When a ship that has heaved t o desires t o move, it simply Broad
Reaches away a t whatever Sail Setting it has set.
WIND
TURN TWO HEAVING TO
, WIND
4 TURNTO
/ NEW HEADING TURN BROADSIDE TO WIND
/
HOW TO FIRE
Ship's gunnery, as an art, was fairly static during the period covered
by HEART OF OAK: guns had been standardized, as had ammunition;
the sole changes were the introduction of carronades in the 1780's and
the change, on British ships, t o flintlock firing mechanisms about the
same time.
Many legends have evolved about the difference in gunnery practice
between British ships and their Continental opponents. British tactics
were t o fire a t the hull, it i s said; French preferred t o fire a t the rigging.
Like most legends, it is only partly true.
French naval theory and practice involved the use of fleets as STRA-
WEARING: TEGIC weapons; they were sent out for specific purposes, to support a
landing, raid commerce, escort a convoy, or whatever. Anything that
Wearing is another method of crossing the wind, this time by passing
the stern across the wind. It i s a slower method than tacking, and the would get in the way of such a purpose, such as a battle, was t o be
ship will end up far downwind from where it started; but it is somewhat avoided. Therefore French STRATEGIC doctrine permitted French
safer since there is no chance of the ship being taken aback. ships t o avoid combat, and the easiest way t o do this was t o cripple an
opponent's rigging. And so, in order t o avoid combat, they frequently
fired 'on the up roll', and used dismantling shot, in hopes of crippling
an opponent and allowing themselves t o escape.
But once a battle was inevitable, French gunnery practice differed
l i t t l e from that of their opponents. The French were not stupid; they
Since wearing was a maneuver that the ship's crews practiced con- realized that once committed t o a fight, it was better t o smash the
stantly, during the performance of which they developed split-second enemy before the enemy smashed them. Firing shot a t the hull, at close
timing, wearing is also a method of making a turn faster than is normal- range, was a better way t o cripple an opponent than any other- - - the
ly allowed. shot could eat away a t the masts below decks, causing much more hav-
I n the game, wearing is done as follows: Move 1 s t leg while Beating. oc than plinking away a t topmast spars; and besides, it had the advant-
A t the end of the 1st leg, turn the ship i t s FULL TURN ALLOWANCE age of killing crew and smashing guns.
downwind. Move 2nd leg a t the new course and speed. A t the end of In fact, once the range had shortened, the French had no choice but
the 2nd leg, turn the ship ANOTHER TWO POINTS in the direction of t o aim a t the hull; except in unusual circumstances, such as when the
the wear. These two points are a bonus that can only be gained while ship was heeling far over, they could not elevate their guns enough to
wearing. fire at the masts. Long-range fire tended t o hit the masts, i f it hit any-
In subsequent turns, continue moving the 1st leg, turning the full al- thing, since the shot would be dropping and likely to hit the rigging be-
lowance, moving second leg at new course and speed, and turning an fore it hit anything else. This has been reflected in the Long Range and
additional two points, until the ship i s now Beating a t the opposite Extreme Range Critical Hit Tables. A t Medium Range, the players have
tack. At that point, the Wearing maneuver i s complete. a choice whether t o fire High or Low; a t Close Range, they MUST fire
After a ship has worn for a time, it may abandon the maneuver low.
without completing it, sailing off in whatever direction the wear has Anyone desiring t o use historical French tactics will open fire a t
pointed him. In this case, wearing can be used t o make a tighter turn Long Range, and do his utmost t o keep the range Long- - - or, a t worst,
than is otherwise allowed by the rules. Medium.

6
WEARING
WIND
i
I
I
.1
Turn 2, 1st Leg
FINAL ATTITUDE TO WIND
COURSE OF SHIP WHILE WEARING
\\
'\ Turn 3,Ist Leg
\
We have allowed for the use of dismantling shot (chain shot, lang- Sail conditions also effect accuracy. I f the firing ship is travelling at
ridge, grapple shot, etc.) i n the rules, but i t s use reflects a sort of opti- Sail Setting 4 or 5, he moves too fast for his gunners t o take proper
mism on the part of a player that one would frankly LIKE t o see in aim. Likewise, i f a ship is anchored, i t s gunnery will b e better since it
opponents; it's much easier t o beat them if they're not paying attention will make a more stable gun platform.
t o the percentages. Historically speaking, the use of dismantling shot Raking broadsides are VERY effective. A raking broadside, simply,
was almost completely ineffective; there were a LOT of braces and is one that is fired directly into t h e bow or stern of a ship at close
shrouds holding up the masts and the odds of cutting A L L of them range- - - the shot can travel the length of a ship, and the target will not
were very large. In many battles, the British ships were well cut-up be able t o return the fire. A rake into the stern of a ship- - - fired
aloft, but they didn't notice it until long after they'd boarded and cap- straight into the stern windows- - - DOUBLES the effect of the shot; a
tured their enemies. rake into the bow only increases t h e broadside effectiveness by 150%
The quality of gunnery in HEART OF OAK is a reflection of the since the bluff bows of t h e ship, and the forward bulkhead, protected
quality of the crew. The better a crew was drilled i n gunnery, the faster the ship from a percentage of the cannonfire.
they could reload, run out, and fire;and their fire was likely t o be more In short, t o have good gunnery, first of all get a good crew. I n
effective. HEART OF OAK, this is determined by a throw of the percentage dice
or The Wishes of the Scenario Designer; in the role-playing game, it's
British experimenters invented the carronade in the late 1770s. It
different.
was a short, light, large-bored cannon capable of heaving a huge projec-
But once the crew quality is determined, the players can do much
t i l e for a very short distance. I n HEART OF OAK, carronades are limit-
t o effect the worth of their gunnery. By far the most important factor
ed t o firing at Point Blank and Close ranges.
in the game will be sailing tactics; a good sailor will maneuver his fleet
The first broadside fired b y a ship is by far the most effective: after-
so as t o bring maximum effectiveness of his gunnery. A good com-
wards, the noise, smoke, confusion, and the fact that the enemy is fir-
mander will save his opening broadside for an effective range, and will
ing back effects reloading speed and accuracy. It is recommended that
take instant advantage of any Critical Hits he may inflict on his enemy;
players hold their first broadsides until the enemy i s within close
he will also take advantage of any mistakes made by his opponent.
enough range t o be effective. Afterwards, players may choose t o fire
But, all these things failing, a good commander will remember these
either a Continuous Broadside, or a Reloaded Broadside.
words from Horatio Nelson: 'No captain can do very wrong if he places
A Continuous Broadside i s a percentage of the original broadside
his ship alongside that of t h e enemy'.
fired i n any consecutive turn; the percentage increase with the quality
of the crew. A Continuous Broadside may fire every turn.
A Reloaded Broadside is also effected b y Crew Quality. I n firing a SAILING TACTICS
Reloaded Broadside, a commander will wait until EVERY GUN ON The following are helpful hints, and as such may be ignored:
THE SHIP i s reloaded before firing again. This takes time, again a re- 18th Century sailors found that the most convenient formation for
flection of Crew Quality in that each gun must be sponged out, re- ships in the age of sail was 'line ahead', or 'line of battle'. A ship's most
loaded, and run out- - a well-drilled crew will do this faster.
~ vulnerable points were i t s bow and stern; an enemy firing into the bow

7
or stern would not receive any return fire, while i t s shot could travel GUNS
the length of the ship. In order t o protect the bow and stern, ships The number o f long guns carried by a ship, the chief identifying
would form into lines, one behind the other, the so-called line o f battle. characteristic of a warship. This number i s distinct from the Long Gun
During the Dutch Wars o f the 17th Century, the British line o f battle Factor, used in playing the game; the Gun rating is for historical pur-
consistently proved superior to the Dutch squadron formations- - - an poses only and i s not used i n the game.
unbroken line of battle could protect the ships in it far better than any
other formation. The line had its drawbacks: it was unsuitable for pur- NAME
suit, and unweildy if a large number o f ships were involved- - - under a The name given in the Ship Chart i s a typical name for a ship o f that
series of unimaginative admirals, tactics became stereotyped and most class; players may give their ships any name they choose, historical or
engagements indecisive, a situation that changed considerably under fanciful.
imaginative naval leaders such as Hawke, Hood, Howe, and Nelson.
The line of battle almost always contained large ships, since the DECKS
Dutch Wars showed that small ships in the line were easily demolished The number o f gun decks in a given ship, used in boarding proce-
by their larger opponents. During the 7 Years' War, a 50-gun ship was dure and for purposes of historical identification. Ships with decks
the smallest thought suitable for the line, but experience showed that given as (1 ), in parentheses, have a single gun deck, but for the purposes
even 50 guns was too few, and the smallest ship allowed in the line es- of the boarding rules (See Rules, Section X.) are considered t o have
calated throughout the century, t o 54, 60, 64, and eventually to the zero decks.
74-gun ship, the most widely-used throughout the latter half o f the
18th Century. Ships fit t o stand in the line o f battle were referred t o as CREW
'Sail of the Line', 'Line o f Battle Ships', or- - - briefly, 'Battleships'. The number o f Crew Factors a ship may normally carry. A Crew
Factor i s ten men. This number may be varied at will by scenario de-
signers. On the Ship Card, a running total of Crew Factors i s kept as the
Line of Battle
WIND number o f Crew Factors i s reduced b y enemy action.
HULL
The number of 'Hull Factors' possessed by a given ship. Generally
this is equal t o the Gun rating, a handy measure for the ship's size and
strength. Gunnery hits are subtracted from the total of Hull Factors;
when a ship begins t o run out o f Hull Factors it may surrender or sink.
This number may be varied by scenario designers i f they wish, t o reflect
fragile or massive ship construction.
Ba LONG GUNS
Given in 'Broadside Factors', this number i s used i n the game t o
determine a ship's weight of broadside, reflecting the relative firepower
of the ship. The number given i s used for both broadsides; i.e., VIC-
Tactical manuals, particularly those written in the 20th Century, TORY has a larboard broadside of 21 and a starboard broadside o f 21.
after the art of managing sailing fleets had become extinct, frequently If the number i s given before or after a slash ('l/O') the first number
recommend taking the 'weather gage', that is, being upwind of your op- represents the Broadside Factor before the introduction o f Carror,ades;
ponent. This has i t s advantages, t o be sure: one can deny combat, and the second number i s the Broadside Factor after the introduction of
with luck choose when and where t o strike. When attacking, however, carronades.
formations will become disordered rapidly. The weather gage is a stra-
tegic 'advantage, therefore; i t s tactical advantages are strictly nil. In CARR ONAD ES
actual combat, it i s t o your advantage t o be leeward, that is downwind, The British navy began t o use carronades in their broadsides about
of your opponent. This is because crippled ships cannot sail upwind, 1780, and was imitated at a later date by the French, Americans, and
and will almost certainly be captured i f there are enemy ships down- sometimes t h e Spanish. Carronades are given in 'Broadside Factors',
wind of them, t o intercept them as they try to limp away. They were a short, light gun of large bore capable of firing only at
Ships sailing in formation are much easier t o manage i f they are Short or Point-Blank ranges.
Beating, This is because smart-sailing ships can Back Sail i n order t o
keep station with their Hooker brethren. Otherwise formations will be- NUMBER O F MASTS
come disordered rapidly, since all will be sailing at different rates of This i s found by looking up the type of vessel ('ship', 'brig , 'xebec'
speed. (NOTE: this is completely historical, Nelsonian legend t o the or whatever) in APPENDIX ONE: DEFINITIONS at the end of the
contrary). rulebook. 'Ships', a type that included frigates, all had 3 masts.
It i s highly recommended, when entering combat, t o reduce sail con-
siderably; otherwise ships will sail past one another very rapidly, ex- DRAFT
change one or two broadsides, and then spend the next eight o r ten The amount of water (in feet) required for a ship t o float. I f a ship
turns trying t o get .into position t o fight again. Slow speed allows for requires 22 feet, it will go aground in 21 feet of water or less.
maneuverability, cohesion of firepower, and the practice o f good naval
tactics. WIND
The number of compass points a vessel must sail from the wind. If a
vessel has a wind factor of 2, it may not sail any closer t o the wind than
2 points.
SAIL
HOW TO MAKE OUT A SHIP CARD The Sailing Chart used by the ship t o calculate movement.
For every ship sailing in an engagement, players must make out a
Ship Card. Players may copy the sample given, or may invent one o f TURN
their own. Most o f the information o n the t o p of a Ship Card will come The Turn Allowance of the ship, expressed in terms o f compass
from the appropriate Ship Chart. Each combatant nation has a Ship points. I f the turn allowance is 2, the ship may not alter i t s course by
Chart, giving typical ships and their characteristics. These character- more than 2 compass points per turn. (Exception: see Wearing, Rules
istics must ,be entered o n a Ship Card. They are as follows. Section VII1.F).
When filling out a Ship Card, players must also include the following
RATE information not available on the Ship Chart:
Ships were 'rated' o n size and the number o f guns carried. 1st
through 3rd rates were considered 'Sail of the Line', represented by SHIP QUALITY
'sol' o n the Ship Charts. Smaller frigates are given as 'fr '. Yet smaller This is assigned by the scenario designer or obtained b y rolling per-
ships, sloops, brigs, cutters, etc., were not rated; o n the Ship Chart their centage dice o n the Ship Quality Chart. A 'Smart' ship increases i t s
rating i s given by their vessel type. This information i s for historical movement factor by 24%; a 'Hooker' decreases i t s movement factor by
purposes only and has no effect on play. a like amount.

8
CREW QUALITY HOW TO SET UP AN ENGAGEMENT

This i s either assigned by the scenario designer or obtained by roll- Setting u p an engagement i s best done b y an impartial referee. Lack-
ing dice o n the Crew Quality Chart. Find the appropriate nationality ing a referee, the players may join i n setting u p a scenario, or the scen-
and date, then roll percentage dice. ario may be designed by a single player. I f only one player sets u p the
game, the other players have their choice of which side t o play.
RELOAD NUMBER Balancing the game is a critical question- - - probably the critical
This i s obtained from the Reloading Table. Cross-index the Crew question. Due t o the overwhelming advantage in crew quality possessed
Quality with the Rate ot the ship; this will result in a percentage. For by the British and Americans, any balanced game will result in the Brit-
example, a 1st Rate ship with a Good Crew has a Reload Factor o f 4. ish o r Americans being outnumbered. Fortunately for game designers,
this was often the situation in real life.
CONTINUOUS BROADSIDE FACTOR The Americans generally fought the British, but they also fought an
This i s obtained from the Reloading Table. Cross index the Rate of undeclared naval war with the French around 1800, mounted an extra-
the ship with the Crew Quality; this will result i n a percentage. For the ordinary campaign against Algerian corsairs, and from time t o time also
effect of this and the Reload Number, see the rules for Gunnery and fought pirates. England almost always was fighting America or the
the preceding essay, How t o Fire. French- - often America A N D the French. Spain was generally allied
~
with France, but also fought against France on the side of the English
SHIP'S LOG at one time; Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and the Netherlands tried their
During the course o f a game, each ship's captain will want t o keep best t o stay neutral, but were sometimes dragged in on the side of the
track of his ship's actions through the use of the Log portion of the French. EVERYBODY fought pirates, when they could spare the time.
Ship Card. The following i s an explanation o f the various headings on Given the above, the usual scenario will be English versus somebody
the Log: else. Count u p the total number of Broadside Factors on each ship,
Long Guns and Carronades, if any. Figure one English gun is worth one
T U R N NO. American, 1% French, Danish, or Dutch gun, and 2 Spanish guns. To
The number of the current turn. balance the scenario, either give the French, Spanish, etc. more ships, or
larger ships, or some combination o f more and larger ships. Two British
WEATHER 74-gun ships might be balanced against 3 French 74's. or two 110's and
Current barometer, wind strength, and wind direction. one 44, or four Spanish 80-gunners.
Once the ships have been assigned, lay them out in their starting
RUNNING T O T A L O F CURRENT CREW FACTORS positions- - - as far away as the playing surface (or Weather Conditions,
The current number of Crew Factors available t o assign t o duties o n below) will allow. Make out a ship card for each ship, rolling for Crew
the ship. As the Crew Factors are reduced b y enemy action, the running Quality and Ship Quality. The latter qualities will sensibly be kept sec-
total should reflect that fact. ret for at least the early part of the action; or at least the players will
t r y to keep them secret i f they have any sense, since the fact that your
CREW ASSIGNMENTS opponent doesn't quite know how each of your ships will fight i s one
The current number of Crew Factors assigned t o various tasks of your enduring advantages.
aboard the shio. Lay out the Compass Rose, and wind marker, and decide what the
starting Wind Strength and Wind Direction will be- - - or, roll on the
MOVEMENT Wind Tables given, rolling on the appropriate prevailing wind columns,
While writing orders for a turn, players should write the heading o f Westerlies, Northeast Trades, etc. Europe i s i n the Westerlies, as i s most
their ships (the compass direction t o which the bow will point, NNE, of North America; the West lndies are i n the Northeast Trades; the
SW, etc.) for t h e 1st and 2nd Leg of movement. In those cases i n which Mediterranean i s Mediterranean; the East lndies and India are in the
a ship changes i t s course at the end of i t s turn, write i n the 1st Leg Monsoons, Any good atlas will provide a map of world wind patterns if
heading for NEXT turn: for example, if a ship turned t o ESE at the questions should arise.
very end of turn 21, its course would be ESE for t h e 1 s t Leg of Turn Once the Wind Strength and Direction have been decided, roll for an
22. Players may also want to use this space t o record the ship's speed i n initial Barometer reading. I f it has been decided t o play with weather
millimeters for each leg of movement, t o avoid having t o look it u p and visibility rules, roll o n the Visibility and Sighting Range table for
more than once. the starting Visibility.
Also included in Movement i s current Sail Setting. Since Sail Setting Once all that i s done, start writing orders, making signals, and shoot-
i s changed between the 1 s t and 2nd Leg, the Sail Setting number i s re- -
ing at each other- - only in the game context, or course. It i s suggested
corded here. that beginning players adhere strictly t o the Turn Sequence; run down
the Turn Sequence item b y item, even i f it gets tedious. It's SUPPOSED
BATTLE DAMAGE t o get boring and repetitious; repetition i s a good, if not exactly stimul-
A running total of damage repaired and inflicted i s recorded here. ating, way t o learn- - - you will soon find that you have all memorized
Also the Strike and Sink Percentage the ship has successfully passed i s the Turn Sequence Chart, and can play with only occasional reference
recorded t o aid the memory. t o it.
Victory conditions are based solely on the number of enemy ships
BROADSIDE POINTS F I R E D T H I S T U R N captured, on the basis of their official Gun rating (74, 110, 44, etc). A t
The number of Broadside Points manned and fired this turn i s re- the end of the action, each side counts the number of ships they have
corded here, for ease in computing Reloaded Broadsides on future CAPTURED from the enemy and sailed away with (not just those that
turns. have struck without being captured). Add the total Gun rating, and the
highest number wins. Usually the victory will be quite clear cut.
MlSCE LLANEOUS
Any unusual crew assignments, a record o f critical hits, a record of RULES OF PLAY
signals, the number of turns a ship i s afire or the number of turns till it The following rules are given in the order of Turn Sequence, for
sinks, may all be recorded here. easier understanding and ease of play. If a rule question should ever
arise, find the appropriate rule heading o n the Turn Sequence Chart.
SHIP VARIATIONS On the Turn Sequence Chart will be given a number relating t o the
Ships in this period were far from standardized, particularly the section and paragraph o f the rules; that section and paragraph contains
smaller craft. The number of guns, 'hull factors', and crew were all vari- the section of the rules in which the instructions for performing that
able; and these rules t r y t o show only average ships o f that type. I f any act are written. For example: instructions o n how t o fire a broadside
change i n the information on the Ship Charts seems reasonable or inter- are given under section 1X.F. The Firing Chart i s also numbered IX.F.,
esting t o the players, they should feel free t o introduce it. as it relates t o that section of the rules. In most cases, charts and tables
Players interested in such variations should consult rules for Ad- will bear the same number as the section of the rules in which they are
vanced Ship Design in t h e Tournament Rules. explained.

9
I. T U R N SEQUENCE A N D RULES
A. LogKeeping C. I F THE WIND STRENGTH FALLS

Roll every turn for changes in the weather. I f the Wind Strength falls t o 1, there i s no wind. Ships do not move
At the beginning of a scenario, Wind Strength, Wind Direction, and at all, unless under oars, or towed by boats, or by kedging. See approp-
Barometer will have been rolled, or determined by the scenario de- riate sections of the rules for instructions.
signer. Every turn there i s a chance one or more of these factors will I f the Wind Strength falls t o 2, this means that there are intermit-
change. tent gusty winds which may benefit some ships, but fail t o benefit
Due t o last turn's Barometer reading, players are given a certain others. For every friendly ship, throw a percentage die: 1-20, the ship
chance to anticipate changes in wind strength: a Falling barometer on manages t o catch a wind. The wind is coming from the normal Wind
the previous turn may mean an increase in wind strength; a Rising ba- Direct ion.
rometer may mean the opposite. A Stable barometer gives an even I f a ship catches a wind, roll on the following table:
chance of the wind falling or rising, though not very drastically.
Roll every turn on the Weather Change Chart (1.1). This will give a GUSTS
percentage chance, every turn, of one or more of the weather elements 1-40. . ........................... Wind lasts 1 turn.
changing. 41-80. .......................... .Wind lasts 2 turns.
I f the Wind Strength changes, roll on the Wind Strength Chart (1.21, 81-100 .......................... .Wind lasts 3 turns.
taking into account Last Turn's barometer setting, whether falling,
stable, or rising. Effects are immediate. I n other words, a ship may get up t o 3 turns'movement, while other
I f a change in the Barometer setting is called for, roll on 1.3. This ships get none at all. This is, like real life, unjust. A ship that has cur-
new reading will b e the setting a t which Wind Strength changes will be rently caught a gust may not roll for another gust until i t s current gust
rolled On The Following Turns. I f the last Barometer was falling, sub- has expired.
tract 20 from the roll; i f the last reading was Rising, add 20 t o the num- A ship so catching a gust will move the first turn a t i t s lowest sail
ber rolled. setting, no matter what i t s real sail setting may be. It will move the sec-
I f called for, roll for changes in Wind Direction (1.41. This table is ond turn at Sail Setting 2 (unless i t s real Sail Setting is lower), i t s third
specially constructed t o reflect conditions in the Northern Hemisphere, turn a t Sail Setting 3 (unless i t s real Sail Setting is lower), after which it
where wind tends t o shift in a clockwise direction. I f a scenario is being is again becalmed.
set in the Southern Hemisphere, simply reverse the direction of wind The Wind Strength of a gust i s assumed t o be 3.
change; i f the table reads 'clockwise' change t o 'anticlockwise' and vice I f a ship has not caught a gust, it may only move under oars, towed
versa. by boats, or by kedging. It may not sail under a gust, and move under
oars, by towing, or by kedging simultaneously.
B. I F THE WIND STRENGTH RISES. D. I F T A K E N ABACK

I f the Wind Strength rises past 8, treat as 8. If, due to a shift in the wind, a ship finds itself heading directly into
The Wind Strength may rise past the point at which the current Sail the wind, or into the wind a t an attitude a t which it may not sail, it
Setting of a ship is safe. I f the cross-indexingof Sail Setting and Wind then rolls on Mast Falling Chart II t o see if the sudden wind change has
Strength results in an asterisked number on the Sail Chart; immediately brought disaster. I f no mast falls, it is turned until i t s original attitude
roll on the Mast Falling Chart I (I.B.), for a basic 10% chance of a mast t o the wind i s regained; in other words, if the ship'was Beating with the
falling. This chart must be rolled on the first turn the asterisked sail set- wind over i t s starboard quarter, it i s placed in that position again, with
ting i s set, and every turn a ship with that sail setting is fired upon. the wind coming from the same relative direction. This change of head-
I f a mast falls, roll on Mast Falling Chart II to see i f another topples. ing i s 'free', and does not effect the ship's turn allowance.
A very unlucky ship may find all i t s masts toppling like dominoes. I f a mast falls, the ship is in irons. Resolve using rule VIII. E.
If the Wind Strength rises t o a point a t which a ship's current sail
setting i s forbidden, 1 mast automatically falls. Roll on Mast Falling II. F L Y SIGNALS (Optional)
Chart II t o see i f others fall; otherwise, all surviving masts are assumed The rules for Signalling are optional, and are intended t o heighten
t o be set at the highest safe setting. realism during multi-player actions.

10
Each side should designate an Admiral, Commodore, or Senior Cap- enemy ship.
tain, depending on the size of the scenario, and the personal preferences
of the players. Each Admiral should command only one ship. Subordin- To Cut Grapples:
ates should command a l l the rest, even if one subordinate has t o com- 1 Crew Factor may be allocated to cut grapples holding the ship to
mand more than one. an enemy.
Each player should have a copy of the Signal Chart. The Signal
Chart i s composed of a list of orders and signals, plus vertical row 1-18 To Cut Wreckage:
and horizontal row A-G. Each Admiral should construct a Signal Code 1 Crew Factor may be assigned for every Mast fallen over the side,
for his fleet by filling in the blanks. Codes may be as elaborate as the in order t o cut it free.
admirals wish; a good and simple code, however, might b e t o assign
each blank a simple letter or number, starting randomly in the alphabet. To Take Possession:
For example, if Column B is coded 'V', and Line 3 i s coded '81', then Crew Factors may be allocated to go aboard a surrendered enemy
the signal 'V-81' would mean 'Decrease Sail', cross-indexing Column B ship, and take possession.
with Line 3.
Once the scenario has started, players may not communicate with To Fire Guns:
one another except through signals. Admirals may use the blank spaces For every broadside factor of long guns t o be fired, 3 Crew Factors
on Lines 13-18 t o add any signals they wish, or t o assign each ship in must b e allocated t o fire it. For every broadside factor of carronades to
their squadrons a code for use in signalling t o that particular ship. be fired, 1 crew factor must be allocated.
Example: IV. ATTEMPT TO CUT FREE, CUT WRECKAGE, AND CUT

1. An Admiral shows the signal IV-DD, LX-V. Decoded, this means GRAPPLES
'Rear Squadron' (IV-DD) 'Tack' (LX-V).
2. An Admiral shows the signal B-66.81-LIV, G-14, N-21. Decoded, A. CUT FREE
this means 'All Ships' (6-66) 'Wear Simultaneously' (81-LIV) 'Engage' A ship fouled to another ship (see Section VIII. C., Collisions),
(G-14) 'Enemy Rear'. The Admiral had flown 81-LIV before, 'Wear which has allocated 1 crew factor for the purpose, throws percentage
Simultaneously', and his opponent had made note of it. Therefore, his dice t o see if they can unfoul. 1-50, they cut free. Every ship involved
opponent knew that he was going t o wear all his ships; his opponent in the collision may roll; i f one succeeds, both are cut free. I f both fail,
corrected his own dispositions, anticipating the wear, and caught the neither ship may move.
Admiral's ships in a raking fire, thus winning the battle.
B. CUT WRECKAGE
B. LIMITED SIGNALLING Ships with masts fallen over the side throw percentage dice t o see if
Before Keppel and Howe perfected English signalling procedure in they succeed i n cutting free. 1-50, they succeed. See IX. G., Critical
the early 1780's. the possible signals were very limited. Accordingly, in Hits, for details of the effects of a mast over the side.
any scenario assumed to take place before 1780, only those signals
actually on the signal chart may be used; Admirals may not add signals C. CUT GRAPPLES
of their own. This will restrict tactics, but also leave more t o subordin- Any ship grappled t o an enemy may attempt to cut free with a roll
ates' initiative. of 1-30. I f any one ship succeeds, both are free. Ships may not attempt
NOTE: Subordinates may, of course, feel free t o disobey their ad- t o regrapple until VIII. D., Grappling.
miral's instructions. They will do well t o remember, however, that real- I f one of the ships has been captured and taken in possession, or if
life captains could be shot for it. both grappled ships are friendly t o one another, the grapples are cut
automatically, assuming one of the ships allocates a crew factor for the
I l l . A. WRITE ORDERS purpose.
Players now write orders for the current turn, having received their
signals. Orders should always include the following things: the course V. REPAIR
heading the ship will be on a t the end of the 1st and 2nd leg of move- See Ill, 6 , Repair, for effects.
ment, the sail setting, and any other orders the ship i s expected to per-
form. See Permitted Orders Sheet for, all possible orders. VI. FIGHT FIRES
6.ALLOCATE CREW A. FIRES

While writing orders, players must also allocate crew on every ship. Fires may be started by friendly or enemy gunnery, or by being ad-
Crew may be allocated as follows: jacent to a ship whose fires have gone out of control.
In order t o put out a fire on the first turn, players must roll 1-70 on
To Repair: a percentage dice. This 70% chance i s modified as below:
Sail of the Line may allocate 2 crew factors t o repair; all other ships
may allocate 1. Each crew factor will repair 1 point of damage a t the Green Crew ............................... -20%
beginning of every turn. Poor Crew . ............................... -1 0%
Good Crew. ............................... +lo%
To Sails: Crack Crew ............................... +20%
At Sail Setting 1-3, allocate 1 Crew Factor per mast.
A t Sail Setting 4, allocate 2 Crew Factors per mast. If a fire i s not put out, it can still be extinguished on the next turn,
A t Sail Setting 5, allocate 3 Crew Factors per mast. but the chance of putting it out decreases by 10% for every turn the
I f insufficient Crew are allocated to managing the Sails, the ship will fire i s not put out until it reaches zero.
move normally, but every turn the situation continues, players must In other words, a Green crew will have five chances to put out the
roll on Mast Falling Table II for every mast inadequately manned. fire during four turns: the first chance a t 50%. the second a t 40%, the
third at 30%. the fourth at 20%. the fifth at 10%. An average crew will
To Capstan: have 7 tries over 7 turns; a Crack crew 9 tries in 9 turns, and so on.
I f the ship is raising anchor or kedging, crew must be assigned to the I f the chances of putting out a fire reach zero, the fire i s assumed t o
Capstan. See VI I I. A. for details. be out of control; it may then set fire to adjacent ships and begin to
take hull damage.
To Boats:
Crew factors may be put in boats. See VIII. J. for details. For every turn a fire blazes out of control, the ship's Hull Points are
reduced by 10% of i t s original total. In other words, an 80-gunner will
lose 8 hull points each turn. Players must roll on the Strike or Sink
To Fight Fires: table (IX. I) for this damage, treating it as i f it's damage from gunnery.
1 Crew Factor must be allocated t o fight each fire on the ship. No A burning ship that strikes will abandon ship.
more, and no less crew may be allocated. I f there is a fire aboard, the For every turn another ship i s adjacent to a ship with i t s fires out of
Crew Factor must be assigned; it i s not optional. See VI, Fight Fires, control (adjacent means within 5mm), 1-10 fires will be started aboard
for details. the other ship. These fires may be fought normally. Roll a 10-sided die.
I f a ship's Hull Points reach zero as a result of fire, the ship blows
To Cut Free: up. The ship i s sunk, and all aboard are killed. Other results of the ex-
1 Crew Factor may be allocated t o cut a ship free from a friendly or plosion are as follows:

-__I ~ ............. .... .
.
. .......... .......-_I_
11
All ships, whether friendly or enemy, within Point-Blank range, re- ber t o be moved in millimeters by cross-indexing Angle to the Wind,
ceive the following damage: 1-20 Hull Points (roll a 20-sided die), 1-10 Sail Setting, and Wind Strength. Increase the number by 25% i f the ship
fires started, and a Critical Hit from the Point-Blank Critical H i t table is a Smart sailer; decrease the number by 25% i f the ship is a Hooker.
(IX. G.). Move the ship the required number of millimeters in a straight line.
All ships, whether friendly or enemy, within Short Range, have 1-10 I f the ship is Beating, it may Back Sail and move less than i t s re-
fires started aboard. quired number of millimeters; this number, however, must be written in
the ship's orders.
B. FIRE SHIPS
Navies sometimes used fire-ships t o destroy enemy formations, or
t o burn enemy ships a t harbor. An Admiral may designate one of his C. RESOLVE COLLISIONS
ships as a fire-ship simply by saying so. A fire may be set on a fire-ship I f ships have hit one another while moving their first leg, roll a per-
a t any time: it will automatically burn out of control on the first turn, centage die. 1-50, the ships have collided.
and need not be fought by the crew. Fires other than those deliberately If a moving ship strikes a stationary (anchored, drifting, heaved to)
set must be fought like normal fires. vessel, collision i s automatic, and no dice need be rolled.
Before a fire ship is set alight by i t s crew, all crew must abandon I f the ships have not collided, move normally, even i f this would r e
ship save those required t o work the sails. The rest must abandon ship sult in vessels passing through one another.
when hull damage from fire reaches 50%. After the last crew has aban- I f the ships have collided, then stop movement. Neither ship rnay
doned, the ship will drift downwind unless it has been grappled t o an move for the rest of the turn.
enemy. I f the ships have collided, roll percentage dice. 1-50, the ships are
afoul. Neither ship may move until one or both of them cut free (see
VII. ROLL INITIATIVE IV.A., Cut Free).
Each player rolls a ten-sided die. I f there is a tie, roll again. The I f the ships have collided, roll on Mast Falling Chart II for t h e mov-
highest-rolling player has the Initiative; he may move and fire first, or ing ship only. I f a mast falls, roll again; if a second mast falls, roll again,
decline and allow his opponent t o move or fire first. and so on.
For each mast that falls, roll a percentage die: 1-50, the mast falls
VIII. MOVE overboard in the direction towards which the wind is blowing; other-
Movement is performed first by the player who has the initiative; i f wise, it falls straight down. I f it falls overboard, the ship may not turn
he declines, the other must move first. The moving player moves one in the opposite direction to the side over which the mast has fallen,
ship i t s full movement, interrupting his move a t any time t o fire or t o and must turn a t least 1 compass point in that direction. I n other
receive fire. Then the other player moves one ship, interrupting his words, i f a mast has fallen over the right side, the ship may not turn
movement as necessary to fire and be fired upon. The two players alter- left, and must turn at least one point t o the right. This situation contin-
nate moving one ship until one player has run out of ships; his oppon- ues until the wreckage i s cut away (see IV.B., Cut Wreckage).
ent will then move and fire his remaining ships until there are none left. If the wind i s directly from astern, the mast will not fall overboard,
At any time in the movement phase, either player may order any of but will fall straight down.
his ships, whether moving or not, t o fire. At this point, the moving I f any mast falls, the Crew Factors working that mast are lost.
player marks the point in the movement sequence a t which he fires or If vessels which pass through one another wish t o fire on one an-
i s fired upon, the firing is resolved, and then the moviny player contin- other, use the following procedure t o determine rakes:
ues movement. No ship may fire a broadside more than once in a given If the Non-Moving Vessel has not moved in the turn, his opponent is
turn, even if given opportunity. (Exception: i f a broadside is fired out- considered t o be able t o bow-rake him.
side of carronade range, and later an opportunity for the carronades t o If the Non-Moving Vessel has already moved this turn, his opponent
fire i s given, the player may fire his carronades separately from the rest may stern-rake him.
of the broadside). I f both players want t o fire a ship simultaneously, If the Moving Vessel passes completely through his opponent such
the player with the initiative fires first; they then alternate, as with that his stern is vulnerable to raking fire, he may b e stern-raked at his
movement. opponent's option. If he has only passed partway through his oppon-
Movement is performed in the following sequence: ent's vessel, he may not be stern-raked on that turn (although if he
moves first on the next turn, exposing his stern, he might b e stern-raked
A. RAISE ANCHOR on the following turn).
Ships wishing t o raise anchor throw a six-sided die, adding 5 t o the
result, t o determine the number of turns necessary t o weigh, that is, t o
raise the anchor from the bottom. Depending on the ship, different
D. GRAPPLING
I f ships have collided, or if at any time during the movement of the
numbers of Crew Factors must be assigned t o the capstan or windlass
leg have moved t o within 5mm of one another, they rnay attempt t o
in order t o raise the anchor. These are as follows:
grapple. Throw percentage dice: 1-50, they have grappled. They may
not move until one or both cut grapples (See IV.C., Cut Grapples).
l s t , 2nd Rate Ships: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Crew Factors There is no chance for masts falling if ships have grappled one another.
3rd. 4th Rate S. 0. L.: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Crew Factors
4th Rate Frigates:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Crew Factors
5th. 6th Rate Frigates: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Crew Factors E. TACKING
Unrated vessels: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Crew Factors Tacking i s a two-turn procedure.
On the first turn of tacking, point the ship directly into the wind. It
Once the anchor has been weighed, the ship may set i t s sails at Sail will not move a second leg. Roll on the Tacking Chart (VIII.E.1.) t o see
Setting 1 for another 5 plus D6 turns, representing the number of turns i f the vessel is taken aback; there is a basic 5% chance, modified by
required t o raise the anchor a l l the way t o the ship and cat it home. Crew Quality, Wind Strength, and battle conditions.
When a ship begins movement, it will be Beating a t whichever angle I f a ship has been taken aback, it immediately goes in irons and
t o the wind it prefers. drifts straight back 1-lOmm out of control for every leg of movement.
A ship rnay be held by more than one anchor, or by an anchor and a For every turn the ship remains in irons, roll Mast Falling Chart II t o
spring cable. Each additional anchor is dealt with as above, while the see i f masts have fallen.
ship remains stationary. The ship will have only one capstan, and can- I f a ship starts the Tacking Phase (VII1.E.) i n irons, roll on the
not deal with more than one anchor a t a time. All other anchors must Taken Aback Chart (Vlll.E.2.) every turn. The ship may continue in
be catted home, and its last anchor weighed, before the ship may move. irons, or fall off t o the left or right, then move normally.
To unfix a spring cable, a boat must be put in the water, after which I f the die roll indicated success during the second turn of tacking,
it will take from 1-10 turns t o take the cable in. the ship will not move a 1st leg. During this phase, it will complete the
If a vessel wished t o cut i t s cables, it may do so simply by stating tack, turning 1 or 2 points downwind in the direction of the tack. It
that it has; it rnay then move immediately, but it is considered t o have rnay then move i t s 2nd leg normally.
lost i t s anchor and cable.
F. WEARING
I f any ships are wearing, turn the bow of the ship its maximum turn-
ing factor i n the direction o f the wear. It may turn less, i f its com-
0. MOVE 1ST LEG mander has written such in his orders. It may never wear so far as t o
Each player checks heading, sail setting, and wind strength. Find the face directly into the wind, or any attitude t o the wind not normally
appropriate Sailing Chart for the ship in question. Determine the num- allowed.

G. ALTER COURSE M. MOVE SECOND LEG
I f a ship wishes to turn, point i t s bow t o the new heading, within Check new heading, Sail Setting, and Wind Strength. Move the 2nd
the limits of B given ship's Turn Allowance. It may not face closer t o Leg a t new course and speed, in a straight line.
the wind than normally allowed; such movement is covered under rules
for Tacking (VII1.E.). N. RESOLVE COLLISIONS
As VII1.C.
H. HEAVE T O
I f a ship is Beating, it may heave to. Turn i t s broadside t o the wind. 0. GRAPPLE
It will not move a second leg, but it will drift. As VII1.D.
1. INCREASE OR DECREASE SAIL P. ALTER COURSE

In accordance with the orders of i t s commander, a ship may In- A vessel may turn t o a new heading, using any remaining turning al-
crease or Decrease Sail by one Sail Setting; a ship a t Sail Setting Three lowances. No ship may exceed i t s turn allowance during a movement
may change i t s Sail Setting t o Four or Two, but not t o One or Five. turn, unless it is Wearing and gains a Wear Bonus.
A ship may not, under any circumstances, increase sail to a Sail Set- In other words, i f the ship's Turning Allowance was 2, and it altered
ting forbidden under current Wind Strength. course two points during Segment VIII.G., it may not turn during
I f a vessel increases sail t o an area on the sail chart that has been VII1.P. I f a ship's Turning Allowance was 3; and it moved 1 point t o
asterisked, there is a chance a mast may fall. Ro!l on Mast Falling Chart starboard during VII1.G.. it may move 2 points either t o starboard or
I to see if a mast falls; i f any mast falls, roll on Mast Falling Chart I I for larboard during VII1.P.
any further disasters.
I f a mast falls as a result of setting an asterisked Sail Setting, the Q. HEAVE TO
new Sail Setting is not considered t o be set. As VII1.H.
Sail Settings 4 and 5 are both asterisked a t Wind Strength 5. I f a
ship increases sail from 3 t o 4, it must roll; it must roll again i f it in- R. DROP ANCHOR
creases sail from 4 to 5. I f the ship decreases sail from 5 t o 4, it need As VII1.J.
not roil.
A ship moving in the asterisked zones of i t s Sail Chart will roll on S. D R I F T
Mast Falling Chart I only in the following instances: Vessels who have been dismasted, collided, grappled, or who have
1. The first time sail i s increased t o a new asterisked zone. reduced their Sail Setting t o zero during one or more of the movement
2. Every time the ship takes damage from enemy action. This i s t o legs, will drift. For each leg in which they failed t o move, they will drift
simulate the difficulty a ship's crew had in managing extra sail while straight downwind the following number of millimeters, depending on
fighting the ship and being fired on. the size of the ship, and the strength of the wind.
Wind Ship Rating
J. DROP ANCHOR
Strength 1. 2.3 4 5.6 Unrated
I f a ship has heaved to, decreased i t s Sail Setting t o zero, or been
dismasted; and if the sea is designated as shallow enough t o drop an-
chor, a vessel may drop anchor. 1. 0 0 0 0
I f it drops a bow anchor, it will turn until i t s bow faces directly into
3-5. 1-10 1-20 1-20 1-20
the wind. It will turn 1 compass point per turn. I f a vessel drops a stern
anchor, it will similarly turn i t s stern into the wind. I f a vessel drops
67 1-20 1-20 2-40 2-40
more than one anchor, the vessel will stay at i t s current attitude t o the
wind,
8 2-40 2-40 3-60 4-80
A vessel, once anchored, may fix a spring cable t o the anchor cable,
thereby allowing it t o pivot a t i t s mooring. In order t o do this, a boat The Drift movement i s done during VIII.S., not during either leg of
must be lowered. After the boat is in the water for 20 turns, the spring the movement phase. I f any vessel drifts aboard another, resolve col-
cable i s assumed to be fixed. lisions as normal. No mast will fall i f the ships have collided, nor will
A vessel with a spring cable fixed may pivot off its bow or stern two the ships foul. They may attempt t o grapple normally, following Rule
compass points per turn, up t o a maximum of 4 compass points in VII1.D.
either direction. This will allow it to present i t s broadside in any direc- A ship drifting will gradually turn broadside t o the wind, 1 compass
tion. point per turn.
A vessel using an anchor spring must man i t s capstan with the ap-
T. LOWER BOATS. RECOVER BOATS
propriate number of crew. See Rule VII1.A.
As VIII.K., exept that boats may also be recovered. In order t o re-
K. LOWER BOATS cover boats, the vessel must be heaved-to, at Sail Setting zero, or an-
A vessel must be heaved to, anchored, or a t Sail Setting 1 t o lower chored. The crew of the boat may immediately go aboard the ship. I f
boats. Boats may not be lowered in Wind Strength 7 or 8. A t Wind the boat is t o be hoisted inboard, one Crew Factor must be assigned t o
Strength 6, there is a basic 10% chance of a boat being capsized as it's it; otherwise, the boat will be towed astern or cast adrift. After 1 turn,
lowered. Up t o two boats may be swung out and lowered per turn. the boat is assumed t o be out of the water, and the ship may proceed
Lowering a boat will take 5 turns. One Crew Factor must be as- normally; it will then take another 4 turns for the Crew Factor t o heave
signed t o lower the boat. Afterwards, the boat may be manned b y crew, the boat inboard.
or it may simply assumed t o be towed astern of the launching vessel,
Every vessel will have one jolly boat, with a maximum crew of 1 U. E N D MOVE SEQUENCE
Crew Factor (or ten men), and one long boat, with a maximum crew of The movement sequence is now over, Complicated multi-turn tasks,
2 Crew Factors (or twcnty men). I n addition, vessels will have one or such as Kedging, Towing, rigging Jury Masts, and other actions which
more cutters, with a maximum crew of 4 Crew Factors (or forty men). may b e performed, have not been covered here. See the Advanced and
Cutters are distributed as follows: Tournament rules for the performance of these and other actions.
A t any time during any of the above sequences, any player might
have fired any broadside from any ship, provided that the broadside
had not been fired before a t any time during the VIII. sequence.
Sail of the Line:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 cutters. Whenever a player decides t o fire, the movement sequence is sus-
4th, 5th Rate Frigates: ....................... 2 cutters.
pended and the firing sequence ( I X , below) i s commenced. Once the
6th Rate, 14-28 guns: ....................... .1 cutter.
firing sequence i s completed, the movement sequence (VIII.) is resumed
1-12 gunners: .............................. None.
from where it was interrupted.
I f both players wish t o fire simultaneously, the player with the initi-
ative has the choice of who shall fire first.
L. LIGHTEN SHIP
A commander may attempt t o lighten ship, increasing i t s speed a t a
IX. F I R I N G SEQUENCE
detriment t o i t s fighting ability. A ship may not fire while lightening, as
all crew are assumed t o be busily engaged i n throwing i t s guns over the A. Decide whether or not t o fire
side. For every four turns the order Lighten Ship is given, 25% of any A t any time during your or your opponent's movement sequence,
one broadside will be thrown overboard for an overall increase i n speed you may fire provided that the given broadside has not been fired be-
of 10%. fore during the same movement sequence.

I f both players wish t o fire simultaneously, the player with the initi- Raking fire was a type of fire that was particularly devastating, in
ative has the choice of who will fire first. that a broadside fired into the bow or stern of a ship could travel the
I n deciding whether or not t o fire, you may not measure the range length of the vessel, without the target being able t o reply.
or calculate angles; you must measure it 'by eye' just like the real skip- A rake must be delivered a t Short or Point-Blank range: a Medium-
pers did. range rake, or a rake a t any further distance', is not counted as such.
A rake must b e delivered with any point of the friendly broadside
being within 22% degrees of the enemy ship's mainline. Of course, the
B. Measure the Range, Determine Eligibility and Raking Fire target must be within the friendly ship's broadside arc.
Range i s measured from Mainmast t o Mainmast, in millimeters. Hits from stern rakes will be doubled; hits from bow rakes will be
After measuring the range, determine whether a ship can possibly hit multiplied by 1.5.
i t s opponent.
Broadsides are fired out a t an angle of 60 degrees from a ship's C. Resolve Whether Gunports are Open
mainline measured from the mainmast. If a ship i s outside this angle, It Weather can affect whether the lower row of gunports can be
may not be fired upon, and if a player had decided t o fire on it, he will opened or not,
have automatically wasted a broadside. I n Wind Strength 6 (Gale), small vessels (gunboats, cutters, xebecs,
schooners, schuyts, luggers, etc.) may not fire. Brigs and sloops may
fire.
Broadside fire POSSl BLE TARGET In Wind Strength 6, all Ships of the Line may not open their lower
I
gunports without fear of sinking. 3rd and 4th Rate Sail of the Line (not
4th Rate Frigates) lose 75% of their broadside factor, exclusive of car-
ronades which were carried on the upper deck. 1st and 2nd Rate ships,
with three decks, only lose 50%. The reason for the heavy penalty is
that the heaviest guns were carried on the lower gundeck.
A vessel so affected may attempt to open i t s lower gunports on the
weather side (i,e., the side of the ship facing the wind), because the
ship is assumed t o be heeling in the opposite direction, bringing the
broadside further from the water. For every turn the weather lower
gunports are open, throw percentage dice. 1-25, the ship floods and
sinks immediately, no survivors.
I n Wind Strength 7, no single-decked vessels (frigates, brigs, sloops,
all unrated vessels) may fire. Sail of the Line are effected as above.
I n Wind Strength 8 (Hurricane), no combat whatever i s possible, be
it fire combat or boarding.
FIRING SHIP D. Resolve Setting Ship Afire

Ships were made of wood and caulked with pitch; they carried large
Certain ships have only bow armament; these include Galleys and
quantities of canvas, spars, paint, gunpowder, and other inflammable
Gunboats. Bow armament may only be fired within 22% degrees from
substances. Cannonfire tended t o produce chunks of flaming wad, bits
the mainline, forward.
of burning cartridge, and pieces of caked gunpowder that were bl-wn
randomly by the wind, and which, if lucky, could set the ship alight.
Bow Armament Fire Every time any gun i s fired aboard a vessel, it must throw percent-
age dice t o see whether it sets itself alight.
NOTARGET 1 There is a basic 5% chance; roll percentage dice, 1-5, the broadside
has started a fire. Subtract 20 from the die roll if there i s wreckage over
the side that the broadside is fired from. I n other words, if the ship
fires the starboard broadside while there is an uncleared mast hanging
overboard to starboard, there is a 25% chance of starting a fire due t o
burning wads being in immediate proximity t o canvas and cordage.
Once a blaze is started, it i s fought normally. See Section VI.
FIRING SHIP \4 E. Resolve Continuous Broadside, Reloaded Broadside, and Crewed

Broadside
While creating a Ship Status Chart, you should have consulted the
Reloading Chart t o discover the Reloading Time and Continuous Broad-
side Percentage.
All broadsides are either Reloaded or Continuous. The Reloading
One Broadside, or bow armament factors, may not be split between Time is the number of turns necessary to reload a full broadside. I f the
two or more targets. Any given broadside must fire a t a single ship. Reloading Time i s 5, it will take 5 turns before a ship can fire a full
Lay a straightedge from mainmast t o mainmast. I f the target is ob- broadside once more. This number depends on the type of ship, and on
scured by a friendly or enemy ship, or by intervening terrain such as Crew Quality.
islands, peninsulas, or so on, the target ship may not be fired upon. I f a ship cannot fire a Reloaded Broadside, it may fire a Continuous

14
Broadside. The Continuous Broadside factor is expressed as a Percent- Good Crew, and so forth. Note thata target vessel does not have t o be
age. This percentage i s the percentage of the original broadside that anchored t o receive the bonus of 10;it must merely be stationary - - -
may be fired. For example, i f the broadside factor is 20, and the Con- heaved to, grappled, aground, anchored, fouled t o another ship, or a
tinuous Broadside Factor is 50%, the ship may fire a broadside of 10;i f land target.
the Continuous Broadside Factor is 60%. the ship will fire a broadside After adding or subtracting all appropriate die roll results, read the
of 12. results from the table, This i s expressed either in terms of a Miss, in
The first broadside of any ship is always fully loaded. which case the broadside has done no damage t o the enemy, or as a per-
I n order t o fire, a gun must be crewed. For every factor of long guns centage. Multiply the modified broadside factor by the percentage t o
being fired, three Crew Factors are necessary t o man it; otherwise the obtain the number of hits.
long gun cannot be fired. For every factor of Carronades, one Crew If, due to die roll modifiers, the die roll is modified t o zero or be-
Factor must be Dresent. low, there has been no damage. I f die roll modifiers bring the die roll to
above 100,treat it as a roll of 100. I f a modified roll is 0 or less, treat as
F. Fire Broadside a miss.
To fire a broadside, roll percentage dice and consult the following Once the number of hits has been obtained, multiply it by applic-
table: able Outcome Modifiers: i f the broadside is a bow rake, multiply it by
1.5;i f a stern rake, multiply by 2.0. This will obtain the final result.
Firing Table (IX.F.1 The result having been obtained, subtract the final number (round-
ing .5 and above up) from the opponent's Hull Factor. For every three
Extreme Range (1001-1400mm) Long Guns only. points of hull damage inflicted, remove 1 Crew Factor. This is cumula-
Natural 100:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Critical Hit. tive; Hull Damage for purposes of crew casualties i s carried over from
Modified 1-95: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Miss. turn t o turn.
Modified 96-100:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........ 10%
Long Range (701-1000mm): Long Guns only.

Natural 98-100:.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Critical Hit. EXAMPLE ONE:
Modified 1-35: ............................. .Miss. The French ship Tornade (80 guns) i s firing upon the HMS Beller-
Modified 36-60:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% ophon (74)a t medium range. The French commander throws the dice
Modified 61-85:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25% t o see if he sets himself afire, and throws a 66:he is not afire.
Modified 86-100: ............................ .50% He decides t o fire low. His broadside factor is 20, all in long guns
(his carronades are out o f range). He has a Poor Crew, and has fired
Medium Range (201-700mm): (State whether firing High or Low). this broadside once before, and so must fire a continuous broadside.
Long Guns only. He checks the Reloading Chart, and finds his continuous broadside
Natural 95-100:.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Critical Hit. factor i s 30%. He multiplies his 20 broadside points by 30% and ob-
Modified 1-20: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miss tains 6.
Modified 21-60:.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25% The French captain then throws the dice, and rolls a natural 97. He
Modified 61-90:.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50% checks the Firing Chart and finds that he has obtained a Critical Hit.
Modified 91-100:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100% He then modifies his die roll by 10 for his poor crew, and has a modif-
ied 87, which results in 100% damage. He multiplies his modified
Short Range (101-200mm): Long Guns or Carronades. broadside factor of 6 by 100%. and the Bellerophon's captain marks
Natural 86-100: ......................... .Critical Hit, that his ship has lost 6 hull factors. Bellerophon also loses 2 Crew Fact-
Modified 1-25: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25% ors for the 6 damage points t o the Hull, and a third Crew Factor as a
Modified 26-75:.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50% result of the roll on the Critical Hit Chart.
Modified 76-100:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100%
Point Blank Range (1-100mm) Long Guns or Carronades.

Natural 71-100:. ........................ .Critical Hit. EXAMPLE TWO:
Modified 1-15: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25% Bellerophon, above, moves in his turn, and crosses Tornade's stern
Modified 16-35:.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50% a t Pointblank Range. He chooses t o fire during his movement phase and
Modified 36-85:*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . loo% immediately instigates Fire Procedure. On his first throw, he fails t o set
Modified 86-100:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150% himself . _.
- fire
.. on
Bellerophon has a Crack crew and a broadside factor of 20,counting
Die Roll Modifiers:
carronades. It i s his second broadside, and so he multiplies his 20 points
Green Crew:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -20
by 60% t o obtain his modified broadside result of 12.
Poor Crew:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -10 He throws the die and obtains a 67. There is no Critical Hit. He adds
Good Crew: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 20 t o his die roll for his Crack crew and obtains a 87. He has inflicted
Crack Crew:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +20 150% damage, or 18. This number is doubled because of a stern rake,
Firing Ship Anchored: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +15 t o 36. Tornade loses 36 Hull Factors, and 12 Crew Factors, one Crew
Target Ship Stationary: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 Factor for every 3 hull hits.
Firing Ship Sail Condition 4: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -10
Firing Ship Sail Condition 5: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -20
Firing Dismantling shot: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -20
Outcome Modifiers (Short and Point-Blank Ranges only) G. CRITICAL HIT PROCEDURE
Bow Rake:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hits x 1.5 I f a Critical Hit has been obtained, find the Critical Hit Chart. I f the
Stern Rake: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hits x 2.0 fire i s a t Medium Range, determine whether the broadside has been
fired High or Low; i f the player fails t o state, it is fired low. ( A t Long
Optional, advanced firing modifiers: and Extreme Range, the player has no choice but to fire high; a t Short
Ship with 25 or less hull points firing t o windward, wind strength 4 and Point Blank range, the player has no choice but t o fire low).
or greater: -15, and must fire High a t Medium Range. When firing High at Medium range, the broadside has less chance t o
Continuous Broadside t o windward, wind strength 1 through 5: inflict a Critical Hit, but an increased chance of doing damage t o masts;
-10. when firing Low a t Medium Range, the player has a greater chance of
inflicting a Critical Hit, but a smaller chance of doing damage t o masts.
I f firing High, discover whether the player i s firing Dismantling
PROCEDURE: Shot. I f so, he may add 5 t o his Critical Hit die roll, but subtracts 20
Roll percentage dice and cross-index with the appropriate Range. from his firing table dice.
Note that results are given in terms of 'natural' and 'Modified' dice. I f Roll the percentage dice, consulting the appropriate Critical Hit
the die roll, unmodified by any firing modifier whatever, i s the num- Table on the Critical Hit Chart (1X.G.). Add Dismantling Shot Modifier,
ber required for a Critical Hit, then a Critical Hit has been achieved (See if any. Critical Hits are applied immediately. I f a player cannot carry
Critical Hits, below, Section 1X.G .). out his orders as a result of critical hits, then the vessel will attempt t o
After determination bf Critical Hits, apply the Die Roll Modifiers t o carry out i t s orders insofar as it is possible. I f this leads to arguments,
the roll as given in the chart: subtract 20 for a Green Crew, add 10 for a simply move it in a straight line.

15
CRITICAL HITS (1X.G)

Extreme and Long Ranges
1-85 Miss
86 Ship's Officer hit
87 Anchor cable parts
88 Wheel or tiller smashed
89-90 Fire on target ship
91-95 Lose 1 crew section
96-100 Lose 1 mast
Medium Range
Firing High Firing Low
+5% i f firing dismantling shot
1-50 Miss 1-35 Miss
51-52 Ship's officer hit 36-38 Ship's officer hit
53-65 Lose 1 crew section 39-50 Lose 1 crew section
66-70 Lose 2 crew sections 51 -60 Lose 2 crew section
71-72 Anchor cable parts 61 -75 Wheel or tiller smashed
7380 Fire on target ship 7680 Rudder smashed
8183 Wheel or tiller smashed 81-88 Fire on target ship
84-85 Rudder smashed 89-90 Anchor cable parts
86-100 Lose 1 mast 91-100 Lose 1 mast
Short Range Point-Blank Range

1-10 Miss 1-10 Anchor cable parts
11-20 Target ship afire 11-20 Target ship afire
21-25 Ship's officer hit 21-25 Ship's officer hit
26-30 Lose 1 crew section 26-35 Lose 2 crew sections
31-35 Lose 2 crew sections 36-40 Lose 3 crew sections
36-40 Lose 3 crew sections 41 -50 Double hull damage
41-45 Rudder smashed 51-57 Wheel or tiller smashed
46-50 Wheel or tiller smashed 58-60 Rudder smashed
51-60 Lose 25% broadside 61-70 Lose 25% of one broadside
61-65 Anchor cable parts 71-75 Waterline damage
66-70 Double hull hits 76-100 Lose 1 mast
71-80 Waterline damage
81-100 Lose 1 mast
H. CRITICAL H I T RESULTS
The following are explanations of the possible Critical Hits, and
their consequences:
Fire on Target Ship

Target ship follows Fire Procedure (VI.) one fire only.
Wheel or Tiller Smashed

I f the ship's head is t o the wind, the ship will not move. It will turn
downwind one point each turn until it lies broadside t o the wind, at
which point it may move off at Sail Setting 1, Broad Reaching at right
angles t o the wind. I t s Turn Allowance i s reduced t o 1. It may turn
downwind, but never put i t s head into the wind. It may increase sail
after the first turn.
I f Quarter Reaching or with the Wind Astern when the damage i s
inflicted, ship may move normally, save that i t s substitute turn allow-
ance is reduced t o 1, and it may not put i t s head into the wind.
Sail of the Line (2-deckers and above) have a tiller on their lower
gundeck. I f 2 crew factors are supplied t o man the tiller, the vessel may
move normally, except the vessel's Turn Allowance is reduced to 1.
One Crew Factor may be assigned t o repair the wheel or tiller (This
Crew Factor is separate from others assigned t o repair), and will repair
the damage in 1-100 turns (roll percentage dice).
Rudder Smashed
The effects are the same as the Wheel or Tiller being smashed, ex-
cept as follows: t h e damage may not be repaired while the ship is stilk
in battle; and Sail of the Line may not use their lower gundeck tiller.
The Rudder may not be smashed during a bow rake; i f this happens,
roll again for another critical hit.
Ship's Officer Hit

This is for the role-playing game only; otherwise roll again. Number
each officer, warrant officer, and midshipman. Roll t o see which i s hit,
then follow Hit Procedure in the Role Playing Game. S hip-of-the-line.
Waterline Damage tmasted Ships 2-masted Veaels Single-masted Vmmlr
2 Crew Sections removed from fight t o affect repairs in from 1-100 1-30 Foremost 1-40 Mainmast 1-75 Mainmast
turns. 31-60 Mainmast 41-80 Foremost 76-100 Bowsprit
61-90 Mizzenmast 81-100 Bowsprit
Lose Mart 91-100 Bowsprit
Roll for each mast lost. I f a vessel has already lost that mast, roll
again: For each mast lost, an increment of speed is lost, as follows:

16
3-mastedShips 2-masted Vessels Single-masted Vessels

Foremast: Lose 25% movement Mainmast: Lose 50% Mainmast: Lose 100%
Mainmast: Lose 50% movement Foremost: Lose 50% Sprit: Lose 50%
Mizzenmast: Lose 25% movement
Certain masts lost may cost the ship dearly in other ways, too, as I f the damage given t o a ship reached above 12096, for every 10 per-
follows: centage points past 110%. roll on the 110% table. In other words, i f in
one turn a ship receives damage from 104% t o \40%,ro\\ on the 110%
Loss of foremast or bowsprit table four times.
Loss of headsails means the ship may have difficulty when heading If a ship strikes, it immediately ceases firing; even i f ordered to fire
into the wind. For every turn the ship lies any closer t o the wind than in that turn. I f it i s fighting a boarding action a t the time, the boarders
90 degrees, roll dice during the Tacking Phase (VII1.E.). 1-30, the ship immediately take possession.
will point directly into the wind and go in irons. See VII1.E. for going I f a ship strikes, it will reduce sail t o Sail Setting 2 (if a t Sail Setting
in irons. zero or one, it will remain there), turn one point downwind each turn,
The ship may not tack or wear. and sail merrily off with the wind astern.
Loss of Mizzenmast, or Mainmast on a 2-masted vessel A struck ship will not resist capture. That does not mean it must
Loss of driver means the ship rnay no longer head into the wind. simply wait to be boarded, or cooperate with the enemy, or obey an
The ship may move no closer t o the wind than 90 degrees. I f already enemy's instructions. It i s the responsibility of the victorious ship t o
headed into the wind, the ship i s dead in the water, and will turn 1 take possession of a ship that has struck; it must maneuver t o come
point each turn until broadside to the wind, a t which point it rnay aboard, lower boats with a prize crew, or let the ship get away.
move normally. If a struck ship cannot sail downwind due t o reefs, shoals, or land,
it will heave to.
Loss of Any Mast
I f a struck ship finds itself in a position where there are no longer
I f a mast has been lost, roll Mast Falling Table II t o see if it drags
any (unstruck) enemy ships within 1000mm. it will hoist i t s flag and
any other masts with it.
sail away. It is considered t o have made a successful escape, and may in-
When a mast falls, there is a 50% chance the mast may fall over-
crease sail t o make certain of i t s lead. Under no circumstances may it
board to leeward, pushed by the wind. Otherwise the mast will fall
return t o the battle, or fire i t s guns.
straight down. I f the wind i s from directly astern, the mast will fall
A ship without any crew remaining will strike automatically.
straight down.
Any ship may strike voluntarily, simply by writing the order t o
With a mast over the side, the ship may not turn in the opposite
'Strike' in i t s orders.
direction; and must turn a t least 1 point i n the direction of t h e mast
during each turn of movement. This is due t o the drag of the wreckage
of the ship's masts. For example, if there are one or more masts over X. BOARDING
the starboard side, the ship rnay not turn t o larboard, and must turn a t Ah, those boarding actions. Readers of a nautical fiction will re-
least one point to starboard. This situation will continue until the member a lot of them - - - the brave captain, outgunned and outnum-
wreckage i s cut away (See 1V.B.). bered, his ship pounded into a mastless hulk, decides on one last desper-
If, by a weird twist of fate, there is wreckage over both sides, the ate tactic. He steers aboard his enemy ship and calls for a boarding
ship does not have to turn; on the other hand, i t s Turn Allowance is party. A swarm of desperate men, armed with cutlasses and boarding
reduced by 1. pikes, battles its way t o the enemy quarterdeck, hacks down the skip-
I f there i s wreckage over the side, the ship must turn, even i f this per, and haul down the enemy colors. Victory i s ours!
would result in the ship's heading into the wind and going in irons Actually, it didn't happen that way.
(See VII1.E.). It was quite difficult t o board. There were those troublesome board-
ing nets, for one thing, strung up all over the enemy ship t o catch
COMBAT EXPLANATIONS boarders like flies i n a spider's web, t o be killed a t liesure by the de-
The following are things t o keep in mind when conducting combat; fenders. The defenders were armed, too, and there were probably more
they are further explanations of items already existent in the rules: of them. Plus, when the defenders began t o mass on the gunwale prior
Crew Casualties are cumulative; for every three hu!l hits inflicted t o scrambling over the rail, they were easy targets for enemy gunners;
upon a vessel in a single or subsequent turns, remove one Crew Factor. packed together, one cannonball could kill a score.
Crew losses cannot be repaired as Hull Hits can; once a Crew Factor is It was even more difficult with large ships. Ships of the line, and t o
lost, it is lost forever. I f three hull hits are inflicted on separate turns, a a lesser extent other rated ships, were constructed with a 'tumblehome',
Crew Factor must s t i l l be lost. which i s t o say that the ship's sides fell inward as they rose from the
All losses, casualties, and damage are taken immediately; they are waterline. Two ships of the line whose flanks might be touching below
inflicted a t the instant of fire. The owner of the vessel may determine the water might have a gap of twenty feet between their upper decks- - -
which Crew Factors are t o be lost, taking them from either those on the a difficult gap t o bridge, unless the boarders are practiced a t performing
rigging, guns, or any other employments. the standing long jump while carrying cutlasses and pistols.
Critical Hits may only be inflicted with the appropriate natural die There were very few successful boarding operations involving capital
roll; no modifiers are ever applied t o Critical Hits. ships. I n fact, a t the battles of Minorca, Quiberon Bay, Ushant, the
Guns must be manned in order t o fire, but they are loaded auto- Chesapeake, Dogger Bank, the Saintes, the Glorious First, Camper-
matically, without any crew needed t o be assigned. A ship firing Re- -
down, the Nile, and Trafalgar - - in short, all the major battles of the
loaded Broadsides only has t o man the guns on the turn of firing. epoch but one (St. Vincent)- - - not a single ship was taken by boarding.
For those who find that the rules below lack color, if not realism,
I.STRIKING AND SINKING rules for heroic-style boarding actions will be given in the optional
If hull damage goes over 50% of the original hull value,the ship may rules, below. Also, a more detailed, realistic, but extremely complex set
strike (surrender) or sink. See the Striking and Sinking Table (1X.I.). of boarding rules will be given with the Tournament Rules.
Find the appropriate percentage of hull loss. Roll a tensided die,
making the appropriate modifiers for crew quality. I f the result is an A. BOARDING RULES
'S', the ship has struck. I f the result is an 'X', the ship is sinking. Ships that have come aboard one another, grappled, or are fouled
Roll for each table applicable. By this, I mean t o say that if the hull may call for boarders. Each side rolls percentage dice, with the follow-
loss, in a given turn, has gone from 40% t o 85%. the player rolls on four ing modifiers:
tables, the 50% table, the 60% table, the 70% table, and the 80% table.
I f a player has already rolled on one table for a given ship, he does Attacker's dice
not have to do it again. I n the above example, i f the player had already +50 enemy not cleared for action.
rolled on the 50% table, he does not have t o roll again, even though he +50 Navy vs. Merchant crew (not Indiaman)
must roll on the other three tables. This rule applies even i f t h e player
has repaired damage so the hull i s now above the limit. For example, a Defender's dice
player may have reached 62% damage, and rolled on the 60% table. He +20 For being a defender.
then repaired his losses t o 55%, was shot a t again, and reached 65% los- +15 For each Sail of the Line involved, friendly or enemy.
ses. He need not roll on the 60% table again, having succeeded once. +30 Ships broadside t o broadside. (easier t o board through bow
I f a ship is found t o be sinking, roll the percentage dice. The ship or stern).
will inevitably sink that many turns in the future. If it has not struck, +10 For each difference in decks; Le., a 3-decker trying t o board a
it may continue t o fight until the turn it sinks. 1-decker adds 20 t o the defender's dice.

17
The terms 'Attacker' and 'Defender' are arbitrary and may be as- I f a ship wishes t o take possession of a vessel that has struck, he may
signed t o any player. give the order 'Lay Alongside', written on the Ship Chart along with the
Subtract the attacker's die roll from the defender's. If result is zero turn number. I f the capturing ship can legitimately maneuver alongside
or less, resolve the boarding action immediately. I f the number is 1 or without violating any of the movement rules, he is assumed t o have
greater, it will take that many turns t o resolve the boarding action. Dur- automatically grappled and put a prize crew aboard. Even if the ships
ing that time, the ships can fire, cut free, fight fires, repair, and do any- collide, neither will lose any masts.
thing else that comes t o mind. I f the ships cut free, the boarding action The capturing ship may elect t o destroy a prize; i f it does so, it must
is over - - -without ever having begun, as it were. take off all surving members of the original crew before setting it afire,
I f another ship enters the boarding action, it is that player's option or sinking it by gunfire.
t o roll the dice again, or let them stand.
Unless another ship enters the boarding action, under no circum-
stances can the ships involve reroll their boarding dice. XII. TRANSFERRING CREW
I f a ship, due t o fire combat, strikes while fighting a boarding The order 'Lay Alongside' may be given in order t o lay alongside a
action, the boarding action is concluded in favor of his opponent. friendly ship. In no case may 'Lay Alongside' be given in an attempt t o
come aboard an unstruck enemy ship; you'll have t o work for that one
B. RESOLVING BOARDING and risk ramming or fouling.
When the turn arrives t o resolve a boarding action, multiply all crew Friendly ships laying alongside one another may exchange crew fac-
factors involved by the following numbers: tors, even i f this means completely aba?doning one of the ships. A ship
may take off crew from a friendly surrendered ship in this manner.
Greencrew ................................. xl Neither ship involved i n a crew transfer may ever fire while it is ex-
Poorcrew.. ................................ x2 changing crew.
Average Crew ................................ x3
Good Crew, ................................ x3.5 XIII. E N D OF T U R N
CrackCrew ................................. x4 I f all ships that can move have moved, and a l l that wished t o fire
and were able t o do so have fired, then the game turn is a t an end.
Privateers, Merchants, and any Ship without a body of Marines
aboard, are considered t o have 1 step worse crew; Good become Avg, ADVANCED RULES
Avg. become Poor, and so on. Green Crews become no worse. The following are rules designed t o add 'color' and realism. Some of
After multiplying the crew factors by the numbers in the above them detract from playability. Any one, or none, may be added a t the
chart, the one with t h e highest resultant number wins the boarding wish of the players.
action. I f it's a tie, start again. From the top.
BOW A N D STERN GUNS:
All rated ships have bow and stern 'chasers', guns able t o fire direct-
XI. TAKING POSSESSION ly ahead or astern. They may fire at targets within 22% degrees of the
Ships that strike, through gunfire or boarding, must be taken into bow and stern.
possession in order for them t o be counted as part of the Victory condi-
tions. The victor must place enough crew on board t o work the sails,
after which the ship is said t o be his. He may not fire the ship's guns. Chasers
He may, i f crazy enough, attempt t o board another ship; Nelson got
away with it, you probably won't.
A ship taken into possession is said t o be a prize; the crew aboard is
the prize crew. An enemy may fire at a prize, hoping t o recapture it;
the prize crew must throw on the Striking and Sinking table t o see i f
they in turn strike or sink; if they strike, the enemy must place yet
another prize crew aboard t o take possession, after which the original
crew i s assumed t o be liberated, and may reman the ship. I n no case
may a ship, once it's struck, fire i t s guns, even if the original crew has
been liberated.

18
Bow and stern chasers may not fire Continuous Broadside; they t o move ships i n a calm, to move ships upwind, or to help move ships
must take the time to reload fully. They do not do any hull damage; off an obstacle once it has gone aground.
they roll for Critical Hits only. Once a boat has been lowered, it will take 5 turns t o drop an anchor
Small ships, such as brigs or sloops, i f armed with long guns, may in it, This may not be attempted i n a Wind Strength of 7 or 8,and in a
haul a couple around t o act as chasers i f the player so designates a t the Wind Strength of 6 there i s a 20% chance of the boat's swamping.
start of the scenario. Once the anchor is dropped into the boat, it will then move in any
Carronades may never be used as chasers. direction up t o 500mm away from the vessel, then drop the anchor.
The capstan must then be manned (See Section VIII.A.), and the ship
GUN DAMAGE: will move 40mm per turn, during the Drift Phase (VIII.S.), until it rests
I n the Basic Game, the actual broadsides may not be damaged in over the anchor, a t which point it may weigh normally, drop another
battle; the only way t o reduce a broadside is by de-crewing it. This is anchor, or kedge again.
not a t all realistic. This rule will add some more math t o the game, and For details of how t o kedge off an obstacle, see below, TIDE.
i f players do not have calculators handy they may wish t o fudge the
realism a bit.
For every 25% damage to the hull, lose 25% from any one broad- SHOALS, SHALLOWS, AND CASTING THE LEAD:
side, Damage will be taken from the broadside currently being fired at; Shoals and shallows are a particularly difficult problem for a game
or, i f the ship is being raked, throw a die t o decide which broadside is in this period, the more so because shoals were of critical importance in
affected. Gun damage i s repaired normally, as the hull damage causing many battles; Quebec, Quiberon Bay, the Nile, and Copenhagen, to
it is repaired. name a few. Shoals and shallows are best used with a referee, who can
impartially inform a player when he is in danger of running aground.
TOWING:
I f there is no referee, it i s best t o allow one player (presumably the
Ships may be towed by boats or by other ships. Ship's boats will
'defender', i n whose home waters the action is being fought) to have an
tow a t the speed given them in the 'Under Oars' movement chart; they
accurate chart, showing depth in feet or fathoms. The attacker would
must rest 5 turns out of every 60 in order to recrew the boats and re-
have a less accurate chart, showing major terrain features, the better-
fresh parched throats. A ship must be towed by i t s cutters.
known shallows, reefs visible a t low tide, and so forth. Most charts of
It will take 5 turns t o rig a cable t o the boats, in addition t o the
the day showed a 'five fathom line', five fathoms marking the thirty-
time required to put the boats into the water.
foot mark inside of which it was dangerous for a ship of the line to ven-
A ship towed by another ship must take a cable passed to it by one
ture.
of the towing vessel's boats. This will take 5 turns. Afterwards, the ves-
A ship may avoid grounding on shallows by ordering a leadsmen
sels will move a t 75% of the speed of the towed vessel, up to the limit
into the fore part of the vessel to 'cast the lead'. The ship must be mov-
of the towing vessel's maximum movement. The towing vessel must
ing a t Sail Setting 1 or 2, and may not fire as the leadsmen could not
start the tow a t Sail Setting 1, and may not tow a t Sail Setting 4 or 5.
be heard. Any ship casting the lead will be informed of the depth of the
CAMEL: water over which it is sailing; the ship will also be told whether it is sail-
A ship whose draft will not allow it to pass over shallow water may ing over Mud, Sand, or rock (Reefs).
attempt t o use 'camels' to get it over. This is a very lengthy procedure, Any ship entering water too shallow for i t s depth will go aground. I f
involving lashing two heavily-ballasted barges or other small craft ad- the type of shallow has not already been determined, roll on the follow-
jacent to the ship, then removing the ballast so that all three vessels ing table:
float higher in the water. This entire operation will take 180 turns to
perfrom, during which the wind must not rise above 5; otherwise the 01-50.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mud
mission will abort. No ship involved in the operation may fire. The ship 51-70... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reefs
may be raised up to 10 feet above i t s normal draft, 71-00.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sandbar
FORTIFICATIONS: Roll on the following table for damage to the ships:

Players may wish t o add land fortifications to recreate certain his- Ship has struck on:
torical battles, or merely to add a new element to play.
Assign Hull, Crew Quality, and Broadside factors, just like a ship. Mud
Assign the number of Crew Factors manning the fort. A large fort, for 01-50,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No damage
example, might have 200 Hull Factors and 25 factors of long guns. A 51-80. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10points damage
small battery might have 50 Hull Factors and a broadside of 10. 81-00.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20points damage
Forts, just like ships, have morale and may strike t o an enemy. They
do no sink, but strike instead. For Reload and Continuous Broadside Reefs
purposes, a fort is considered as i f it were Sail of the Line. 01-20.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No damage
The range of the guns in a fort i s doubled, as they are sighted higher 21-50.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10pts damage
and do not roll or pitch. A fort on a high elevation may have the ranges 51-80.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20pts damage
of i t s guns tripled. 81-90.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-100pts damage
91-00.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .bottom ripped out
RED-HOT SHOT:
Red-hot shot was a particularly unpleasant invention of the period, Sandbar
designed t o set ships afire. It can only be used by fortifications and land 01-30.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No damage
batteries, as it was extremely dangerous t o light a furnace aboard a 31-60.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10pts damage
wooden ship. (A particularly sadistic referee might want to recreate the 61-90.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20pts damage
French experiments with red-hot shot aboard their fleet, all of which 91 -00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .bottom ripped out
resulted in their own ships going down in flames).
It will take 60 turns to get the furnace hot enough to use red-hot If the ship has struck, it may take damage to masts. Roll percentage
shot. Every time red-hot shot is fired, there is a 50% chance of each dice, and add t h e following modifiers. 1-20,a mast has fallen. Roll on
Hull hit inflicted on a ship starting a fire. Throw dice for each hull hit. Mast Falling Chart II t o see if another mast joins the first.
Once fires are started, they are fought normally by the crew.
Red-hot shot cannot be fired as a Continuous Broadside; this would Modifien:
result in red-hot shot rolling around a t the same time the powder cart- -20. .............................. .Wind Speed 6
ridges were being carried from the magazine, resulting in a magazine ex- -40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wind Speed 7
plosion that would kill everybody. -70. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wind Speed 8
Red-hot shot must be fired as a Reloaded Broadside, taking an extra -20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sail Setting 4
turn to reload due to the complexity of the operation. In other words, -40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sail Setting 5
a Green crew, which normally takes 7 turns to reload, would take 8 i f +40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ship being towed
using red-hot shot. +20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ship drifting
+lo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sail Setting 1
KEDGING: Damage from shoals i s considered waterline damage, and may not be
Kedging was a method of moving the ship by using the ship's boats repaired until a ship can be careened in a friendly port. For every 10
t o drop an anchor a t some distance from t h e vessel, and then hauling in points of waterline damage, 1 Crew Factor must be assigned t o the
on the cables until the ship was moved over the anchor. It can be used pumps to keep the ship afloat.

- ~ . .- ~ l_l_
..................................... -
19
I f the shoal is upwind of the ship when the latter runs aground, ADVANCING NEW WEATHER:
there is a 50% chance the vessel will drift off the next turn; otherwise Weather does not, of course, instantly change everywhere in the
it's stuck fast. world a t once. This especially applies at sea: in a spread-out battle,
In bad weather, a ship may continue t o receive damage. Every turn some ships might receive the new wind before others.
the ship is aground in Wind Strength 6, 7, or 8, roll again for damage. When a new wind condition is called for by the Weather Change
Usually this will result in a ship's eventual disintegration. Chart, discover first of all the direction from which the weather is com-
For getting a ship off the shoals, see TIDE and KEDGING. ing, i.e., the wind direction.
Decide which of the ships on the board is nearest that compass
TIDE: point from which the new weather will be coming. This ship will be the
Keep in mind, please, that the tide shifts every 6 hours, not every first affected. Place a meter stick or dowel just downwind from the
12. ship, at right angles to the approaching wind. This dowel will represent
I f the players ever need tide information, throw a twelvesided die: the advancing weather condition.
1 and 12 are high tide; 6 and 7 are low tide; 1-5 are ebb tides; 8-1 1 are After signals have been flown and orders written, advance the dowel
rising tides. downwind a t four times the speed, for a single leg, that would be
I f a ship is aground, a rising tide may float it off. I f a ship has struck travelled by a 5th Rate Average Frigate, a t the highest possible sail set-
at high tide, there i s a 10%chance the next high tide will float it off; ting. I f the Wind Strength i s 5 or greater, treat as a Wind Strength of 4.
the vessel must wait 12 hours, or 720 turns. In other words, the wind will move four legs a t the fastest possible
I f the ship has struck on an ebb tide, it must wait for the tide t o rise speed on Sailing Chart Ill.
past the point a t which the ship struck. Use the following table t o help After the dowel has been moved, any ships that s t a r t their move
visualize this: ment to windward of the dowel spend their entire turn moving under
the new weather condition, whether their movement takes them t o lee-
ward of the dowel or not. Any ships starting their movement to leeward
of the dowel move their entire turn under the previous weather condi-
high
tion, whether or not their movement takes them to windward of the
1 12
dowel.
2 11
No players may measure the dowel's movement ahead of time in
ebb 3 10
order to determine which of their ships will be affected.
4 9 rise
5 8
6 7 JURY MASTS:
low I f a mast is unrepairable, boat's masts, spare topmasts, spare main-
yards, and other assorted bits of lumber may be assembled by the ship's
I f the die roll indicated that the ship struck a t 3 (third hour of the Sailing Master, Carpenter, and other specialists into a jury mast.
ebb tide), it must wait until 10 (7 hours, or 420 turns) t o roll for i t s at- Wind may not be a t 6, 7, or 8. I f the wind rises t o these strengths,
tempt to float off. It may roll a t 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, and 3, and then must there is a 50% chance t h e jury mast will fall.
wait another 420 turns. I f the ship struck at 5, it must wait until 8, and Rigging a jury mast will take 30 turns. It will only perform a t 50%
then may roll a t 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 1,2, 3,4 t o see i f it gets off the shoal. of the normal capacity of the mast it is intended t o replace. The jury
I f the ship struck on a rising tide, it may roll right away: if it struck mast will take 2 Crew Factors to rig. The jury mast may be rigged even
at 8, it can roll a t 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2,3,4,5, and then must wait till during a battle, although it may be shot away, like any masts, even be-
8 again. fore it's fully rigged.
Roll every hour. There is a basic 10%chance the ship will float off.
Add 10% for every hour the tide rises past the point at which the ship WETTING SAILS:
struck. Add 10% if the ship's boats have taken it i n tow. Add 20% if Wet sails hold more wind than otherwise. Captains, in order t o coax
the ship is trying to kedge off (see KEDGING, above). Add 20% i f an- the last knot of speed from their vessels, would send bucket brigades
other ship is towing. The ship's boats may not be used to tow, if a aloft t o dampen the sails.
kedge or another ship tow i s being used. Kedging and a ship tow may be This tactic may not be used during Fog or Rain. Commanders must
used simultaneously. Add another 10% if the wind is pushing the ship assign one extra crew factor per mast. The increase i n speed will be
off the shoal. 10%. This tactic must not be used in Wind Strengths 5 8 .
Example: BOMB VESSELS:

INDEFATIGABLE, has run aground on mud shoals while trying to Some vessels, usually ketch-rigged, were equipped with large mortars
make Truro in the fog. Captain Sir Edward Pellew rolls the 12-sideddie where their foremasts would normally be; they were difficult sailers,
and rolls a 4; it i s an ebb tide and the ship must wait. A t low tide, two but usable for special missions.
hours later, local women walk out from a neighboring village and sell Mortars have a maximum range of 2000mm, and a minimum range
Cornish pasties t o the crew. Five hours after the ship ran aground, the of 200mm. Anything inside t h i s 200mrn minimum range may not be
water has risen t o the normal waterline; the captain rigs kedge anchors, fired a t by the mortars, but it may be fired upon by the bomb vessel's
giving himself a 30% chance of pulling the ship off. He fails. He waits broadside, i f it has one.
an hour for the tide to rise, giving himself a 40% chance. He fails again. A bomb vessel will not have bow chasers.
Yet another hour later, he has a 50% chance, and finally slides off. Each mortar takes 20 turns to reload, regardless of crew quality.
Relieved, he decides not to court-martial the ship's Sailing Master. I f the bomb vessel i s not anchored when it fires i t s mortar, only a
score of 100 on the decimal dice is considered a hit. Anything else is a
REPAIR TO MASTS: miss. Unanchored, there can be no consecutive shots.
Mast damage, in the context of the game, refers to damage to top- If a bomb vessel is anchored facing i t s target, with a spring on the
masts as well as lower masts. There is a 60% chance for e a c h w t hit cable t o assist in aiming, throw on the following table for each shot:
that only the topmast will be damaged, and that there are enough spare
topmasts and yards aboard t o attempt repair. Repair will take 90 turns, 01-10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Right 150mm
during which time the ship must drift, be heaved to, anchored, or sail- 11-20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Left 150mm
ing at Sail Setting 1. Wind may not be at 6, 7, or 8. Sail Settings 4 and 21-30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Left 50, overshot 100
5 may not be set on the new mast until repairs are completed in port. 31-40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Right 50. overshot 100
41-50. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Left 50, undershot 100
FIRING TO WINDWARD: 51-60. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Right 50, undershot 100
There were certain disadvantages in firing to windward. Small ves- 61-70. ........................... Overshot 150mm
sels could be heeled far over by wind pressure, which would result in 71-80. .......................... .Undershot 100mm
their shot going high, where it would not do much damage. Ships firing 81-95. ........ Misfire, dud, or shell hit the water before going off
continuously would find their gunsmoke blowing back into the gun- 91-00. ....... Hit. I f ship was target, also Point-Blank Critical Hit.
ports, blinding the gunners.
Accordingly, use the Advanced firing modifiers given on the Firing I f a miss happens, by chance, t o put a shell directly over a possible
Table (1X.F.). Ships with 25 or less hull points, a t Wind Strength 4 or target, then it is hit.
greater, subtract 15 from their gunnery roll. Ships firing a Continuous I f the bomb vessel can see its target, or i f signals are being relayed
Broadside (only) t o windward, a t a Wind Strength o f 1 through 5, sub- from another ship or observation point that can see the shot, add 10 t o
tract 10. each die roll for each consecutive shot from the same bomb vessel, up

20
to a maximum limit of 50. SMALL ACTIONS:

If a hit has been scored on the vessel, either deliberately or by the HEART OF OAK i s principally designed for fighting ship of the line
random fall of a shot (hit is defined as within 5mm), a Point-Blank Crit- engagements, or frigate actions. When fighting with small ships, brigs,
ical Hit has automatically been scored. The ship also receives 1-10 Hull schooners, xebecs, cutters, and the like, players may find it difficult to
Hits, and 1-10 fires will be started aboard. get any hits.
If the ship i s firing on a land target such as a building or fort, 1-10 When using this rule, Multiply by 10 the Crew, Hull, Long Gun,and
points of damage will also be done. 1-10 fires will be started, if there Carronade factors. A hit that would be regarded as .3, and therefore
are structures that can burn. Fires on land are fought just like fires a t rounded down and couxed as 0, would now become 3.
sea. I f a powder magazine is set on fire, it will explode the turn the fire Players may still have a hard time resolving small battles, as crews
goes out of control. could repair faster than damage might be.inflicted. This is actually fair-
I f the bomb vessel is firing on a fort, every time a hit is scored roll a ly accurate;small ship battles could go on for hours. But in the interests
die: on a natural roll of 100 the powder magazine is hit, and the fort ,of playability, refuse t o allow unrated ships t o repair until the battle is
and everyone in it are destroyed. over, or allow them t o repair only half the normal amount of damage.
Damage from mortars to forts cannot be repaired while the fort i s
undergoing bombardment. FLINTLOCK FIRING:
The British and Americans began introducing flintlock firing mech-
SHIPS' BOATS: anisms on their ordnance in the 1780's; no other navy used flintlock
In the basic rules, ships'boats cannot be shot a t : this might conceiv- ignition systems during the period of the game. Flintlock mechanisms
ably result in the peculiar situation of a vessel being boarded from small were more efficient than the old system of applying a match t o a touch-
boats without a chance to use gunnery i n reply. hole; there was a greater chance of the gun's going off when it was sup-
posed to, as opposed t o a few seconds later.
Ships" boats were small targets, but they were also lightly built: they
Many conservative British gunners opposed the introduction of such
were hard t o hit, but easy to destroy.
newfamgled equipment, and lack of finances prevented the entire U. S.
During any turn, a ship may use all or part of i t s broadside t o fire a t
Navy being so equipped. To discover i f a ship has been equipped with
boats. This is the only exception t o the rule that a broadside cannot
flintlock firing mechanisms, roll on the following table:
split i t s fire between one or more targets.
Each broadside point is fired individually. At each range, players 1780-1805 1806-1815
must score the number below, or better. Normal firing modifiers (See
Chart 1X.F.) apply, including Crew Quality.
British US. British us.
30% Unrated 10% 75% Unrated 50%
_- 50% Frigates 25% 75% Frigates 65%
Extreme Range ............................... 40 % Sol 5% 65 % Sol 40%
Long Range ................................. _-
Medium Range .............................. .95 Any British or American vessel who roll the above percentage or
Short Range. . .............................. .80
lower are equipped with flintlock mechanisms, and may add 10 t o their
Point-Blank ................................ .60
firing dice when rolling for broadside fire; this is a modifier cumulative
with other firing modifiers and is not added to rolls for critical hits.
Each broadside point is aimed a t a particular boat. I f hit, the boat
and all in her are destroyed.
SH €ET- LEAD CARTRIDGES:
RIFLES: One of the innovations introduced by the US. Navy during the War
British captains were prone t o credit American captains with rather of 1812 was the use of sheet-lead cartridges, replacing the old-fashioned
unsportingly arming their Marines with rifles, rather than muskets. flannel sort. The new cartridges more or less eliminated the necessity of
Whether the Americans actually did so is debateable; Captain Pearson worming and sponging the gun after each shot, in order t o remove
of the SERAPIS claimed that American riflemen were responsible for smouldering bits of flannel that might ignite the next cartridge pre-
clearing the upper decks of his frigate, but John Paul Jones' marines on maturely. The new cartridges created a radical increase in the speed
that occasion were mostly French, and armed with muskets! Those few with which a gun could be loaded and fired.
American Marines that he did have were also armed with muskets. Any U.S. vessel in 1810 or afterwards may increase i t s Continuous
Be that as it may, the American Marine and his long rifle have be- Broadside Factor by 20%. I n other words, a Crack may fire i t s Contin-
come a naval legend, and l shall not gainsay it. American records are uous Broadside a t 80% instead of 60%. and so on.
sketchy on this matter, but presumably rich American captains could British vessels in 1815 may be armed with sheet-lead cartridges i f 20
arm their Marines with rifles i f they wanted to, and at least some Amer- or less is rolled on percentage dice.
ican marines had rifles in the War of 1812.
Any ship designated as having rifle-armed Marines will inflict one
Crew casualty for every two Hull Hits, instead of one for three, but CLEARING FOR ACTION:
only a t short range or less. Before commencing a battle, a ship had t o perform certain tasks
necessary t o turn it from a place t o live into a place i n which t o fight:
mess tables were hoisted t o the beams, hammocks rolled, boarding nets
-rigged, chains slung on the yards, the magazines manned, guns loaded
and run out.
Clearing for action takes five turns plus the roll of a ten-sided die;
from 6-15 turns, in other words. During that time a ship may not en-
gage in any combat, neither firing nor boarding. A ship being boarded
before it clears for action is considered 'surprised'.
I N I T I A L BROADSIDES:
It took many men t o work a gun efficiently, but only a few to train
and fire it once it had already been loaded.
Accordingly, any Gun Factor being fired for the first time, or any
gun factor that has been fully reloaded, may be fired by a single Crew
Factor, rather than three.
MANNING THE MASTS:

Assuming wind conditions and course setting remained stable, the
masts did not have t o b e constantly manned in order for the ship t o
proceed, as they do in the game.
Therefore, i f the ship does not turn so as t o change i t s attitude t o
the wind (Wind Astern t o Quarter Reach, Quarter Reach t o Broad
Reach, etc.), and if the Sail Setting remains constant, the crew normally
sent aloft t o man the masts are not required. Masts must be remanned
in any of the following eventualities:

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CHART 19: WIND
WESTERLIES NORTHEAST TRADES
direction strength direction strength
summer winter summer winter
01-10 NW 01-1 0 1 01-10 3 01 -20 NE 01-08 1 01-05
1 1-20 WNW 11-20 2 11-40 4 21 -35 NNE 09-15 2 06-15
21 -30 W 21-50 3 41-80 5 36-50 ENE 16-35 3 16-30
31 -40 wsw 51-80 4 81 -93 6 51 -70 N 36-55 4 3 1-55
41 -50 SW 81-90 5 94-96 7 71-90 E 56-85 5 56-85
51 -60 NNW 91-95 6 97-00 8 91-95 sw 86-90 6 86-95
61-70 SSW 96-00 7 96-00 NW 91-95 7 96-99
71 -80 E 96-00 8 1 00
81-85 ENE
86-90 ESE MEDITERRANEAN
91-95 NE winter
96-00 s direction strength
01 -20 NNE 01-10
SOUTHEAST TRADES 21 -30 N 1 1-20
direction strength 31-40 NE 21-40
summer winter 41-50 ENE 41-60
01-20 SE 01 -05 1 01-20 3 51 -60 E 61-85
21 -35 SSE 06-15 2 21 -50 4 61-70 NW 86-92
36-50 ESE 16-30 3 51 -80 5 71-80 WNW 93-97
51 -70 s 31-65 4 81-89 6 81-90 SW 98-00
71 -90 E 66-85 5 90-96 7 91-00 s
91-95 NW 86-94 6 97-00 8
96-00 SW 95-98 7 summer
99-00 8 direction strength
01-10 s 01 -1 0
HORSE LATITUDES, DOLDRUMS 1 1-20 SE 1 1-20
direction strength 21-30 E 21 -40
01 -1 0 NE doldrums winter 31-40 NE 41-70
11-20 SE summer horse horse 41-50 N 71-90
21 -30 E lat. lat. 51 -60 NW 91-95
31 -40 ESE 01-15 1 01 -05 1 61-70 W 96-98
41 -50 ENE 16-30 2 06-15 2 71-80 NNW 99-00
51 -60 NNE 31-50 3 16-50 3 81 -90 NNE
61-79 ssE 51-86 4 51 -70 4 91 -00 sw
80-85 NW 87-95 5 71-80 5
86-90 SW 96-98 6 81-90 6 MONSOONS
91 -95 W 99-00 7 91-95 7 winter
96-00 N 96-00 8 direction strength
01 -20 NE 01-05 1
ROARING FORTIES 21 -30 NNE 06-10 2
direction strength 31 4 0 ENE 11-30 3
summer winter 41 -50 E 31-70 4
01-60 w 01 -1 0 3 01-10 4 51 -60 N 71-90 5
61-80 WNW 11-30 4 11-30 5 61-70 NE 91 -96 6
81 -00 wsw 3 1-60 5 31-60 6 71 -80 NNE 97-00 7
61-70 6 61-80 7 81 -90 ENE
71-90 7 81 -00 8 91-00 NE
91 -00 8
summer
direction strength
01-40 SW 01-10 3
41-60 SSW 11-50 4
61-80 wsw 51-80 5
81 -90 W 81-87 6
91 -00 S 88-96 7
97-00 8
Chart 17 MOVEMENT UNDER OARS (per Leg)

Minimum Crew
Required to Man Sweeps
Type Vessel Movement Turn or Man Towing Boats
Brig, Sloop, Corvette 12 1 3
Schooner, Bomb 12 2 2
Cutter, Lugger 16 2 2
Xebec, Gunboat 24 3 4
Galley 36 4 20
Ship's Boat 20 4 1
lst, 2nd Rate (towed) 4 1 10

3rd Rate (towed) 6 1 8
4th Rate (towed) 12 1 6
5th, 6 t h Rate (towed) 16 2 6

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TACKINGNII.E.1 CHART 18.2: SEQUENCE OF PLAY
Basic 5% chance of being taken aback, modified below: I. Log-keeping. Check wind direction and speed, check barometer.
-10 Green Crew II. Fly signals.
-5 Poor Crew lll.Write orders. Allocate Crew.
+5 Good Crew IV.Cut free, clear wreckage, cut grapples.
+10 Crack Crew V. Repair.
-10 Ship fired upon during move, or has been fired upon since VI. Fight fires.
last moved. VII. Roll initiative.
-20 Wind 6 V I I I . Move.
-40 Wind 7 A. Raise Anchor.
-80 Wind 8 B. Move First Leg.
-1 0 Wind 3 C. Resolve Collisions.
-20 Boxhauling D. Grappling.
E. Tacking.
TAKEN A B A C K / V I l l . E 2 F. Wearing.
If a ship has been taken aback and i s in irons, roll on the following G. Alter Course.
table before moving second leg: H. HeaveTo.
01-33 Ship falls off t o the right. I. Increase or Decrease Sail.
33-67 Ship drifts straight back, remaining in irons. J. Drop Anchor.
68-00 Ship falls off t o the left. K. Lower Boats.
Every turn that a ship remains i n irons, roll on the Mast Falling L. Lighten Ship.
Table II. M. Move Second Leg.
N. Resolve Collisions.
0. Grappling.
MAST F A L L I N G 1h.B P. Alter Course.
If a ship is moving a t the asterisked rate on i t s Sail Chart, roll on Q. Heaveto.
t h e following table the first turn sail i s raised; and subsequently on R. Drop Anchor.
every turn the ship i s fired upon. S. Drift.
There is a 10%chance of a mast falling with t h e following modifiers T. Lower Boats. Recover Boats.
-10 Green Crew U. End move sequence.
-5 Poor Crew
+5 Good Crew IX. Firing Sequence.
+10 Crack Crew A. Decide whether or not t o fire.
B. Measure Range, Determine Eligibility and Raking Fire.
MAST FALLING I I C. Resolve Whether Gunport are Open.
If a ship has collided, ran aground, fallen in irons, or if another D. Resolve Setting Ship Afire.
mast has fallen on the same ship for any reason, roll on the following E. Resolve Continuous Broadside, Reloaded Broadside, and Crewed
table. Broadside.
There is a base 20% chance of a mast falling with t h e below listed F. Fire Broadside.
modifications t o the die roll: G. Critical Hit Procedure.
+10 Wind 3 H. Apply Critical Hit Results.
-20 Wind 6 I. Roll for Striking or Sinking.
-40 Wind 7 X. Boarding.
-60 Wind 8 XI. Taki ng Possession.
-30 Sail Setting 4 XII. Transfer Crew.
-60 Sail Setting 5 XIII. End of Turn.
CHART 2: CREW Q U A L I T Y
British, Americans 1775 - 1794,
Americans French t o 1795, Dutch,
after 1794 Swedes, Privateers, lndiamen
01-10 Poor 01 -20 Green

11-40 Average 21-40 Poor
41 -70 Good 41 -60 Average
71-00 Crack 61-80 Good
81-00 Crack
French from 1796, Spanish, Turks, pirates,

merchantmen, Russians corsairs
01 -25 Green 01-30 Green
26-50 Poor 31-60 Poor
51 -75 Average 61-90 Average
76-94 Good 91-95 Good
95-00 Crack 96-00 Crack
SHIP QUALITY
01-33 Smart
34-67 Average
68-00 Hooker
Modifiers t o Ship Quality:

-20 privateers or pirates
+20 merchantmen or lndiamen

CHART 4: WEATHER CHANGE CHART 18: VISIBILITY AND SIGHTING RANGE
Weather Change Chart I.1 Wind Strength:
Roll every turn. If Chart I.1a indicates a weather change, roll on
Chart 1.1 b t o determine which sort of change, then proceed t o further 1.2.3 4
tables as necessary. 01 -20 Fog 01-10 Fog
21-30 Rain 11-30 Rain
I.la 31 -00 Clear 31-50 Haze
01-97 No change 51-00 Clear
98-00 Weather change
5 6
I.lb 01-10 Mist 01-20 Mist
01 -40 Possible change in barometer. Roll 1.3 11-30 Rain 21 -40 Rain
41 -59 Change in wind direction. Roll 1.4 31-60 Haze 41 -80 Haze
60-79 Chane in wind strength and barometer, Roll 1.2 and 1.3 61-00 Clear 81-00 Clear
80-00 Change in wind strength, barometer, and wind direction.
Roll on 12, I .3, and I.4 7 8
01-10 Mist 01-10 Mist
11-50 Rain 11-80 Rain
Wind Strength 1.2 51-00 Haze 81-00 Haze
Barometer Barometer Barometer
Falling: Stable: Rising: Sighting Range during Conditions:
01-70 Wind up 1 pt. 01-50 Wind down 1. 01-70 Wind down 1 pt. Other effects
71 -99 Wind up 2 pts. 51-00 Wind up 1. 71-99 Wind down 2 pts. Clear 30,000mm none
100 Wind up 3 pts. 100 Wind down 3 pts. Haze 20,000mm none
Rain 1600mm may not fire open deck guns,
carronades.
Barometer 13 Fog 800mm -1 0 from firing dice.
01-30 Falling Mist 1OOOmm
31 -70 Stable Night 3000mm
71-00 Rising
Every 10 turns of condition Fog, roll dice: 1-5 on the percentage
Subtract 20 if barometer was Falling after last roll. Add 20 if Baro- dice, Fog l i f t s and becomes Mist.
meter was Rising after last roll. This will produce a realistic tendency
for a Falling barometer to continue falling, and vice versa. Every 10 turns during condition Rain, roll percentage dice: 1-10.
rain becomes Haze, and all special Rain effects are lost. Continue t o roll
Wind Direction 1.4 percentage dice every 1 0 turns: 1-10, it begins to rain again.
01 -45 Wind veers clockwise 1 pt.
46-65 Wind veers clockwise 2 pts.
66-75 Wind veers clockwise 3 pts.
76-89 Wind backs anticlockwise 1 pt.
90-00 Wind backs anticlockwise 2 pts.
RELOADING TABLE
Continuous Broadside Reloading Time
Crew 1st-4th Rates Others Ist-4th Rates Others
Crack 60% 60% 3 3
Good 50% 60% 4 3
Average 40% 50% 5 4
Poor 30% 40% 6 5
Green 20% 30% 7 6
CHART 18.1: STRIKE AND SINK TABLE IX.l
Modifiers: Percentage Hull Damage

Die
-2 Crack Roll 149% 50-59% 60690X 7079% 8089% 90.99% 100109% 110120%
-1 Good (1@sided)
+1 Poor -1 -
+2 Green 0 S
1 S S
2 S S
3 - - S S S
4 - - S S S
5 - S S S S
6 - S S S X
7 - S S X X
8 - S S S X X
9 - S S X X X
10 S S S X X X
11 S S X X X X
12 S X X X X X
Results:
s = Ship strikes immediately.
x = Ship i s sinking (rnay sink and strike simultaneously). Roll percentage dice for the num-
ber of turns taken t o sink. If a sinking ship has not struck, it rnay continue t o fight.

21
1. I f the ship turns during the course of i t s move t o place it i n a new SPACED BROADSIDES:
attitude t o the wind, the masts must be manned a t the beginning of the As the rules stand, a ship may fire a t the very end of i t s movement
turn. on Turn 1, then fire again at the very beginning of Turn 2, without
2. If the wind shifts so as t o place the ship at a new angle t o the either t h e firing ship nor the target moving in the meantime. The fol-
wind, the masts must b e manned in that turn. lowing rule is meant t o help eliminate such instant broadsides. I do not
3. If a mast falls or is shot away, the masts remaining must be recommend it for very large engagements; too much bookkeeping will
manned during the following turn. be necessary, and too much of a strain placed on the memory.
4. I f the Sail Setting is changed, the masts must be manned during Before firing a subsequent broadside, either the firing ship or the
that turn. target ship must move a t least 1 leg of movement. I f a ship fires during
5. I f the ship Tacks or Wears, the masts must be fully manned for the second leg of movement on Turn 2, it may not fire during the first
the duration of the maneuver. leg of movement on Turn 3, unless the target ship has moved a t least
one leg.
For each mast not manned, or manned inadequately, roll on Mast Ships that are anchored, drifting, or which have heaved to, and thus
Falling Table II for every turn the situation continues. which are not moving legs, may fire whenever they wish, so long as
other rules for firing are obeyed.
'HEROIC' BOARDING:
For those wargamers who simply cannot play a naval game unless it BALANCING UNBALANCED ACTIONS:
provides plenty of mental images of men with kerchiefs wrapped Some historical battles- - - possibly most of them- - - just weren't
around their ears swinging from ship t o ship with cutlasses in their fair. HM JAVA was simply not going t o beat USS CONSTITUTION no
teeth, desperate, exquisitely-choreographed swordfights by Hessian- matter how well i t s captain conducted the action; Quiberon Bay was
booted men leaping and stomping on the ends of yardarms, and of going t o be a victory for the British even i f a less talented admiral than
devil-may-care buccaneers with pencil-thin mustaches grinning as they Hawke was in command.
slash Basil Rathbone t o ribbons on his own quarterdeck, I provide the Yet some of these battles would make interesting games. JAVA vs.
following rules. So long as we all understand that they're not meant t o CONSTITUTION was a classic frigate action, with both ships being
be historical, and are just for fun. .. handled brilliantly, and Quiberon Bay is worth a simulation. Attempts
When ships are grappled or fouled, either side may call for boarders. a t play balance can be made by deciding the victory not on which ship
Both sides allocate any crew members they wish t o the task of fighting surrenders or sinks, but rather on the amount of punishment each ship
the boarding battle. Multiply the crew factors by the following num- inflicts with respect t o the limitations on i t s armament, and the quality
bers: of i t s crew. Use the following formula:
Green: .................................... xl Percentage of Enemy Hull Points Damaged Opponent's crew

Poor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x2 Own Long Gun Factors + Carronade Factors quality factor.
Avg.: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x3
Good: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x35
Crack: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x4 The crew quality factor i s the same number used i n HEART OF
OAK t o resolve boarding engagements.
The result will be known as Boarding Points. The one with the most In other words, set up a simple ratio of damage done t o the enemy
Boarding Points will be known, arbitrarily, as the 'Attacker;' the one over the size o f your broadside armament, then multiply by the ene-
with the least will be known as the 'Defender'. Ratio the Boarding my's crew quality t o compensate for differences in crew. I f the result-
Points of the Attacker versus those of the Defender. Round off the ing number is higher than your opponent's, then you've won.
odds ratio in favor of the Defender t o conform t o one of the simplified
odds categories on the Boarding Results Table, below. Roll the die and
cross-index the die-roll number under the proper odds column.
Losses are i n Crew Factors, not in Boarding Points. Unless a CE is
rolled, there may be up t o 6 rolls on the Boarding Results Table. Board-
ing may be terminated by the surrender of one ship, or by mutual
agreement among the players. As long as ONE player wishes t o con-
tinue the boarding battle, it must continue, even if that player has
fewer Boarding Points and will technically be considered the 'De-
fender'.
I f one side has, a t the end of any single boarding round, a superior-
ity of 4-1 or greater in Boarding Points over his opponent, then his op-
ponent has struck, and he may take possession of the enemy ship.
I f six boarding rounds have been fought, or both players agree t o
end the boarding contest, any Crew Factors that have been used in the
boarding battle may not be used next turn for anything except renew-
ing the boarding battle.
'HEROIC'
BOARDING RESULTS TABLE
Die Odds Ratio: AttackerIDefender
result 1-1 3-2 2-1 391
1 A4 A4 A2 A2
2 A4 A2 A2 A2lD2
3 A2 A2lD1 A2lD2 A2lD2
4 A2/D 1 CE A2lD2 A2lD4
5 CE A2/D2 A2lD4 D2
6 A2lD2 A2/D2 D2 D2
7 A2lD2 D2 D2 D4
8 D2 D2 D4 D4
9 D4 D4 D4 D6
10 D4 D4 D6 D8
KEY:
A2, A4 etc: Attacker loses the appropriate number of Crew Factors.
D2, D4 etc: Defender loses the appropriate number of Crew Factors.
CE: Combat Ends for that turn. No more Boarding Combat until the
next turn.

22
All of the following rules increase the complexity of the game a t the ADVANCED HEAVING TO
expense of playability. In the basic rules, a ship that has heaved to, when it desires t o move,
simply sails off a t whatever Sail Setting it has set. A ship changing from
ADVANCED SHIP DESIGN a dead stop to, say, full speed in an instant i s not realistic, but I thought
French, Spanish, and American builders preferred t o design their it would be simpler than the alternative, which is given below:
ships using scientific principles ('King Lod ), whereas British shipwrights A ship that has finished Heaving To may move off a t a speed equiva-
were a hereditary caste who built their ships on antique and often ir-
lent t o that speed it makes a t Sail Setting 1. This speed will increase to
rational principles that had been handed down from generation t o gen- Sail Setting 2 a t the next leg, and 3 a t the leg after that, until the nor-
eration ( ('King Thumb'). French and American ships were generally mal speed is achieved. (The ship is allowed t o achieve speed more quick-
larger than British ships of the same class, and frequently sailed better
ly than normal because the ship does not actually have t o send men
and faster. The superior French design was often sabotaged by inept aloft t o set more sail).
construction at the shipyards, however; they often overused green
timber, and their ships fell apart a few years after their initial con-
struction. RAZEES
When rolling for Ship Sailing Ability, subtract 10 from the die roll The French generally led the field in building large frigates. When
for Sailing Quality for any ship built in French, Spanish, or American the class of 'frigate' was standardized in 1750, and the first laid down
yards, including any ships captured by the British and used by them. in British yards, they ran in size from 28 t o 36 guns. The French and
Thus, they have a better chance of being 'Smart' sailers. Spanish built the first 38's. and the British began building copies after
Some time i n the latter part of the 18th Century,the French began capturing a few. The French than began building the 40-gun frigate,
extending the planking around their bows instead of ending it a t the which had no English equivalent.
bulkhead. This protected the ship against bow rakes by stouter con- But when the French laid down the 44-gun POMONE in 1794, panic
struction. For any ship such constructed, a bow rake will do 1.25 times set i n a t the Admiralty. POMONE carried 24-pound guns instead of 18-
the normal amount of damage, instead of 1.5. pound armament, and it could demolish anything it couldn't run from.
The British then made use of an old trick; they took three 64-gun
Since French ships were larger, their gunports were farther from the
water than their British counterparts. I f such a ship opens i t s lower sail of the line, cut off the top deck, and equipped them as 44-gun frig-
gunports in a Wind Strength of 6 or 7, the ship will sink on a roll of ate 'razees'. One of them was Sir Edward Pellew's famous INDEFATIG-
1-15, rather than 1-25. ABLE.
American sail of the line have the same advantages as French ships, INDEFATIGABLE aside, razee frigates were not, as a class, particu-
with some additions. After 1824, beginning with the BRANDYWINE larly successful: the compromises necessary t o create a frigate out of an
44-gun frigate, U.S. ship designers began adding rounded sterns t o their old two-decker did not always work t o the ship's advantage, particular-
ships, thus making them more resistant t o stern rakes. Any American ly insofar as speed and handling was concerned.
ship after 1824 (this includes the PENNSYLVANIA) only multiplies When rolling for Ship Quality, add 10 t o any frigate designated as a
stern rakes by 1.5 rather than 2, and multiplies bow rakes by 1.25. 'razee'.
XEBEC-F R I GATES
COPPERI NG Another unusual class of ships was the Xebec-frigate;so far as I can
The British began experimentally coppering the bottoms of their
determine, they were used only by the Spanish. They carried two entire
ships in 1769, and in 1780 ordered that their entire fleet be coppered. sets of yards, square-rigged for use in the Atlantic, and lateen-rigged for
This coppering, despite the war and expense, was carried out in the use in the Mediterranean. In order t o handle all that rigging, the xebec-
next two or three years. The coppering of the ship's bottom was chiefly
frigate needed very large crews: increase the crew factory by 50%.
t o protect it against the ravages of the Teredo worm,which would bur- It will take 40 turns to change from one rigging pattern t o another;
row into a ship's planks and could theoretically rot an entire ship's during that time, the ship must have heaved to, or must be anchored.
timbers in a few short months. But the coppering also had an effect on This may not be attempted during Wind Strengths 6, 7, or 8.
the ship's speed, since barnacles and other underwater obstacles (which, When lateen-rigged, the xebec-frigate may Beat 1 point from the
on a wooden vessel, would often cluster four deep) have an aversion t o wind, and will use rules for fore-and-aft vessels.
copper.
These rules chiefly envision wooden-bottomed ships fighting against
wooden-bottomed ships, and copper-bottomed ships fighting copper-
bottomed ships; but during the early 1780's, the British had a definite
CREW
Ships were not always able t o maintain their complete establishment
advantage. When rolling for Ship Quality, subtract 20 from the die roll
of crew, particularly before an understanding had been reached con-
of any British ship 1781-1783.
cerning the origins of scurvy, and before vaccination for smallpox be-
BOXHAULING came common practice. When setting forth on long voyages, captains
Boxhauling i s a maneuver used in crowded channels, rivers, and tried t o overcrew their vessels as much as possible, expecting t o lose a
other obstructed areas where there i s not enough room ahead t o tack, large percentage from disease. Roll on the following table for each ship,
and where the loss of ground in wearing is not acceptable. The evolu- and multiply the standard crew factor by the resulting percentage.
tion combines a tack and a wear and is more difficult than either.
On turn 1, proceed as per tacking: move 1st leg, then head directly Before 1790
into the wind instead o f making a 2nd leg. 01-10 .................................... 50%
On turn 2, roll on the Tacking Table (VIII.E.l), subtracting 20 from 11-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60%
the die roll due t o the complexity of the maneuver. If the roll is unsuc- 21-30.. ................................. .70%
cessful, the ship will drift backward (see VIII.S., Drift), and a roll must 31-40 .................................... 80%
be taken on Mast Falling Chart II. The ship is considered in irons (See 41-50 .................................... 90%
V1II.E.) and it may not continue the maneuver. 51-85.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100%
If the maneuver i s successful, turn the ship 180 degrees around, 86-95.. ................................. 120%
pivoting from the stern, until it points directly downwind. This con- 96-00.. ................................. 140%
cludes turn 2.
Starting on Turn 3, proceed as per Wearing, VI1I.F. The ship re- 1790 and after
ceives a wear bonus until it abandons the maneuver or ends up on i t s 01-20. .................................. .70%
new tack. 21-30 .................................... 80%
Ships who fail t o tack may try t o Boxhaul instead. If a ship i s in 31-40 .................................... 90%
irons, and if no masts have fallen as a result, throw percentage dice. 41-90.. ................................. 100%
Crack crews have an 60% chance of succeeding, Good crews 50%. Aver- 91-95.. ................................. 110%
age 40%. Poor 20%. Green not at all. I f they succeed, proceed from 96-00.. ................................. 120%
Step 2 above. If not, the ship remains in irons. This die roll need only
be taken by ships who have failed in a tacking maneuver; ships who Subtract 20 from the die roll i f the ship is serving in the tropics. El
wish t o boxhaul without attempting a tack do not need to make this Vomito Negro (Yellow Fever) was a disease that was not understood
die roll. until the 20th Century.

23
CLUB-HAULING ROGUE WAVES

'A method of tacking the ship by letting go the lee-anchor as soon A 'rogue wave', for the purposes of this game, is considered t o be a
as the wind is out of the sails, which bring her head t o wind, and as large wave moving a t nearright angles t o the line of waves, an unusually
soon as she pays off, the cable is cut and the sails trimmed; this is never mixed or choppy sea, a wave moving in line with other waves but much
had recourse to but in perilous situations, and when it is expected that larger, or any other unusual or dangerous weather condition. Rogue
the ship would otherwise miss stays'. - - - A SAILOR'S WORD-BOOK, waves were very dangerous, first because they were impossibleto antici-
Amiral William Smyth. pate, and second because they forced the helmsman into immediate
Club-hauling was such a rare nautical maneuver that it was never action in order t o avoid or prepare for them.
mentioned in nautical manuals until 1781,and even then was practiced For every Game-Hour the wind remains at Wind Strength 8, roll per-
very rarely: when Captain Williams successfully club-hauled DICTA- centage dice: 1-5,a rogue wave has occurred. For each ship in the area,
TOR (74)in February 1811, when caught on a lee shore near Inch- roll on the Disaster Chart, below:
keith, it immediately became an event that has gone down i n nautical
history. Ship's Ship's No. of Hull Points
Club-hauling is not an occurrence that would normally be of use in a Strategy 1-4 513 14-27 2869 70+
war-game, but the situation might arise by accident during the course of Scudding 55% 80% 85% 90% 95%
an engagement, or by design of the referee. Club-hauling would only be Beating 45% 75% 80% 85% 90%
used when it i s necessary t o tack in avoidance of being driven ashore by Heave To 45% 65% 75% 80% 85%
a storm, and when the wind is so high as t o make a regular tacking man- Sea Anchor 50% 70% 80% 85% 85%
euver very unlikely with regards t o success.
In the game, it is performed just like a tack, but without recourse t o Die roll Modifiers:
the tacking table. Roll a percentage die: Crack Crews have a 50% Green Crew ............................... +20%
chance of performing it successfully, Good Crews 30%, Average Crews Poor Crew. ............................... +lo%
10%. and other crews not at all. Failure t o meet this die roll means the
ship i s in irons;see Section VII1.E. for the results of going in irons.
Good Crew. ............................... -10%
Crack Crew ............................... -20%
Ship Knocked Down. ......................... +20%
The ship must roll the given percentage or less t o avoid disaster. A
roll of 100, no matter the strategy used or the crew quality, is always a
STORM TACTICS
disaster.
Storm tactics will normally be unnecessary in an engagement, but in
If a ship has encountered a disaster, roll on the following table, ap-
the campaign or role-playing game they often arise. When Wind
plying the same modifiers as before:
Strength 8 occurs, players will have t o close one of the following four
tactics for each of their ships.
01 -40.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ship knocked broadside t o wind
SCUDDING 41 -60.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ship knocked down
The ship reduces i t s Sail Setting t o 1 and runs before the wind. Must 61 -00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ship capsized
be Quarter Reaching or with the Wind Astern. This i s by far the safest
possible tactic, though a fleet will probably be scattered over many The results are as follows:
miles of ocean. The ship is s t i l l moving quite quickly, with the weather
coming from astern. Should any rogue waves or unusually dangerous Ship knocked broadside t o wind: Ship must roll on the Disaster
weather conditions arise, the ship can see them coming and have Chart for every turn the ship remains broadside t o the wind. For this
enough speed to maneuver t o avoid them. turn the ship must roll to see i f it was damaged, on the Mud section of
the SHOALS, SHALLOWS, AND CASTING THE LEAD section of
BEATING these rules, above, adding 10 from the die roll i f the ship was Beating.
I f there is land to leeward a ship cannot Scud downwind; instead the (In other words, the ship has taken damage from i t s knocking such that
ship must reduce Sail Setting t o 1 and Beat or Broad Reach into the it was the equivalent of running aground on mud).
wind. This i s s t i l l a fairly safe maneuver, though in the event of a rogue Ship knocked down: The ship is 'on her beam ends', in other words
wave or other dangerous condition, reaction time will be lessened. Beat- riding on her side with her masts in the water. It i s perfectly possible t o
ing through a storm will also put unusual strain on the hull, mast, and survive in this position, although it will be very uncomfortable for all
rigging, increasing the chance of mast failure. concerned, and i f the guns begin t o break loose the ship will be holed
and sink.
HEAVE TO First, roll to see if the ship h k sustained damage on the Reefs sec-
The ship simply heaves t o and drifts, waiting for the end of the tion of the SHOALS, SHALLOWS, AND CASTING THE LEAD section
storm. Under most conditions this is quite safe, though since the ship of the rules. Apply any damage points necessary. I f the ship sustains
i s not under way it has no way t o react t o a rogue wave or other danger- more hull damage than it has hull points, the ship disintegrates and all
ous situation. The crew will most likely get very seasick from the ship are killed.
rolling through the waves. Second, roll for mast damage on Mast Falling Chart II, adding 10 i f
the ship had been Beating. If the ship is completely dismasted there is a
SEA ANCHOR 50% chance it will turn upright, and will then be broadside t o the wind
until such time as a Sea Anchor is deployed. Treat as if it had been
This is the only option for a ship that has lost masts as a result of
Knocked Broadside t o the Wind, above.
the storm. I t ' s a variation of Scudding, except i t ' s done a t a Sail Setting
I f the ship is not dismasted or destroyed, it will continue t o float in
of Zero. The ship tows a sea anchor (otherwise known as a drogue)
i t s knocked-down position. I f struck by another Rogue Wave, it will roll
astern. A sea anchor can be a speciallyconstructed parachute of canvas,
on the Heave To section of the chart, with the modifier for being
or it can simply be a long loop of anchor cable. Towing a sea anchor
Knocked Down.
will turn the stern into the wind and slow a ship so it won't pitch down
If the wind moderates t o 5 or less, the Knocked-Down vessel may
the face of a wave. The ship is also moving fast enough so that it can
try to right itself.
react t o any rogue wave or unforseen disaster, though it won't b e able
If the vessel has been dismasted, the job is a difficult one. There is a
t o react as quickly as if it were scudding.
5% chance every game-day that it may right itself sufficient t o get jury
A ship will take 5 turns t o deploy a sea anchor, using 2 crew factors
masts up and set Sail Setting 1 (no more) t o get itself t o port.
for the purpose. Once the sea anchor is deployed, the stern will turn
If the vessel has not been dismasted, it may try t o sail out of i t s dif-
into the wind 1 point each turn until the ship is drifting Wind Astern.
The ship will drift a t HALF i t s normal drift rate. ficulty. As Sail Setting 1, roll percentage dice for every game turn the
sail i s set: 1-10,ship rights; 96-100,must roll on Mud table for damage.
DlSMASTlNG Ship capsized: ship destroyed with all in her.
If a ship loses masts as a result of the storm, it will have to put out
a sea anchor. During the turns in which the anchor i s being deployed,
the ship will turn 1 point each move until it i s broadside t o the wind. FORE-AND-AFT VESSELS
Once the ship is broadside t o the wind, it will have t o roll on the Disas- HEART OF OAK i s chiefly concerned with simulating battles be-
ter Chart, below, on the Heave To line, for EVERY TURN the ship tween square-rigged ships of war: sail of the line, frigates, and the like.
remains broadside t o the wind. If the ship succeeds in putting out a sea But there were other ways of rigging vessels, and vessels so rigged be-
anchor, then proceed normally. have fundamentally differently from square-rigged vessels. All different

rigs, for the purpose of simplicity, are lumped together here under the Type II boats throw on the Tacking Table (VIII.E.1.) when tacking,
designation fore-and-aft rigs. but add 5 t o the die roll, making it easier t o succeed.
Fore-and-aft rigged ships had their sails deployed i n such a way as t o Type II boats use the Quarter Reach Sailing Chart when Broad
take advantage of the aerodynamic possibilities of the sail, using the sail Reaching, and use the Broad Reaching chart when Beating. When sailing
more as an airfoil than as a kite. Because of this, they could sail nearer with the Wind Astern they use the Wind Astern Chart.
t o the wind. Type II boats may not Back Sail, nor may they Heave to.
For the purposes of these rules fore-and-aft rigs are divided into t w o
types:
Type I: schooners, sloops, cutters, ships' boats, Atlantic and Ameri-
can gunboats.
Type II: xebecs, galleys, Mediterranean gunboats, luggers, lateen- Topsail Schooners:
sailed vessels, Chinese junks. Topsail Schooners were fore-and-aft rigged on t h e lower masts, and
had square topsails on their topmasts. Therefore they are a combination
Rules for Type I boats: of t h e standard square-rigger and the Type I boat.
Due t o the more efficient deployment of sails, vessels use the Quart- When at Sail Setting 3 or less, the topsail schooner acts just as a
er Reach Sailing Chart when Broad Reaching. They use the Broad Type I boat, except that it can back sail and heave t o normally.
Topsail schooners gybe as do Type I boats. They must also roll for
Reaching chart when Beating.
tacking, but add 5 t o the roll.
Because the most inefficient angle t o the wind for these vessels was
A t Sail Setting 4 or 5, t h e square sails are assumed t o be fully de-
t o have the wind directly astern, the Beating table i s used with the wind
ployed. The vessel may sail no closer t o the wind than 2 points.
astern.
A topsail schooner uses the Wind Astern chart when sailing with the
Because Type I vessels have no trouble tacking, they do not need to
Wind Astern.
roll on the Tacking Table when tacking across t h e wind. The tack i s
performed normally, and always succeeds. This class of vessel includes t h e Clipper.
Because Type I boats have trouble gybing- - - moving their stern
across the wind- - - they may have mast damage in so doing. There was
a distinct chance that the wind shift might come earlier than antici-
pated, and swing the sail, gaff, and boom across t o the other side of the SLOOPS, BRIGS, AND SO FORTH, lor, problems in 18th Century
ship, with quite dangerous results. Semantics)
When moving i t s stern across the wind, or when moving t o the Wind 18th Century sailors tended t o be sloppy i n their naval terminology.
Astern position for the first time, throw on the Tacking Table Terms like Brigantine, Brig, and Barquentine tended t o get confused,
(VIIi.E.l.), using the same modifiers as per Tacking. If the result is 0 and used for t h e same ships. A Schooner could be identical t o a Brig or
(zero) or less, then the vessel has suffered an uncontrolled gybe. Roll on Snow. This was made worse by Royal Navy terminology; they called a
Mast Falling II for possible damage. Brig a Sloop, Naval Sloops were generally not sloop-rigged; Snows were
Type I boats may not heave t o in the standard fashion, nor may called Brigs, Naval Brigs often had three masts, like the 'Bounty', and
they back sail. therefore were not technically brigs at all. Cutters were generally sloop-
Type I boats, with a Sail Setting of 2 or less, may heave t o by point- rigged.
ing their bow directly into the wind. They will drift backwards until A Brig, nowadays, is a two-masted vessel with a fore-and-aft main-
anchored or until they decide t o set sail again, simply by turning t o sail, square-rigged topsails, and a square-rigged foremast. A Schooner
Beat on one tack or t h e other. can have two or three masts, fore-and-aft rigged; a topsail schooner has
square-rigged topmasts.
Ruies for Type I 1 boats: The Navies of the 19th Century changed their system for rating
Type II boats have little trouble gybing, but when tacking must con- ships almost continually, but a few rules remained fairly steady. A Ship
duct a unique procedure: they have t o haul their yards clear around the was square-rigged and had three masts; anything else was not a 'ship',
masts in order t o redeploy the sail. This is a cumbersome procedure, but a 'vessel'. Sloops of War generally had an open gundeck, whereas
but the fact that Type II boats can sail closer t o the wind than square- Brigs of War generally had an enclosed gundeck- - - even this rule was
rigged ships makes it easier t o cross the wind. violated with a fair frequency.

I have inadvertently made this situation more confusing by creating Ships will make leeway during the Drift phase of their movement. I f
Sailing Chart IV, for Brigs, Sloops, and Two-Masted Vessels. This chart a ship i s drifting, both the drift and the amount of leeway will be added
is the slowest-moving one of the book, and leaves Brigs and Sloops in together. Cross-index the depth of the ship's keel (DRAFT on the ship
dire trouble if faced with fast-moving enemies like frigates-- - even ships chart) with the strength of the wind, and move the ship directly down-
of the line sail faster. This is generally historical: there were many cases wind the appropriate number of millimeters.
of fast sail-of-the-line capturing enemy brigs and sloops, who couldn't
get enough canvas aloft t o make their getaway. Wind Strength
But there were brigs and sloops that were as fast as a frigate, part- Draft 3 4 5 6 7 8
icularly those specifically built for war, as opposed to converted mer- 1-5 8 12 16 20 40 60
chantmen. To help solve this difficulty, roll on the table below: 6-10 4 6 8 16 20 32
11-15 - 4 6 8 12 20
16-20 - - 4 6 8 16
Sloops 21 -25 - - - 4 8 12
1 2 Ship-rigged, Table I II. 26-30 - - - 4 6 8
3 Ship-rigged, Table II.
4 Ship-rigged, Table I
5 Ship-rigged, Table I V STARTING WATER
6 Two-masted, Table Ill When being pursued by an enemy force, one of the tricks a crafty
7 Snow-rigged, Table II captain might use would be to start his water casks and man the pumps;
8,9,10 Two-masted, Table IV in other words, he would send men below with axes to smash the water
casks, allowing his water to run out into the bilges; he would then
Brigs pump the water out, lightening his ship and allowing it t o travel faster
1 Ship-rigged, Table I II through the water.
2 Two-masted, Table III The drawback to this trick was that sometimes smashing the water
3 Snow-rigged, Table Ill casks would ruin the ship's trim, slowing it down and allowing it to be
4 Ship-rigged, Table I V captured: this happened to Captain Manley, the famous American com-
5,6 Snow-rigged, Table IV modore, when his HANCOCK, said to be the fastest ship in the world at
7,8,9,10 Two-masted, Table IV the time, was captured by the British during the American Revolution.
Any captain wishing to start his water must detail one crew factor
Schooners to smash his water casks. This will take 10 turns. Following this, two
1.2 3 masts, f-&-a, Table III crew factors must man the pumps for the following 5 turns. After this,
3,4 2 masts, f-&-a, Table Ill percentage dice are rolled:
5,6 2 masts, topsail schooner, Table III
7,8 2 masts, f-&a, Table IV 01-50.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Successfu1,speed increased by 10%
9,lO 2 masts, topsail schooner, Table I V 51-60.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unsuccessful, speed decreased by 25%
61 -00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .No effect.
REVERSING COURSE
During her action with the British CYANE and LEVANT, the USS
CONSTITUTION was i n danger of being stern-raked. Her captain,
Charles Stewart, ordered CONSTITUTION'S yards laid aback and act-
ually sailed her rudder-first through the water until the danger was av-
erted.
In the Battle of Malaga, in 1704, Admiral Sir Clowdisley Shovel1
ordered his entire squadron, 'All ships back astern', and sailed the
squadron backwards into battle to relieve Admiral Rooke, who was
hard-pressed.
Anyone wishing to reverse course must be Beating. No fore-and-aft
rigged ship may reverse course. The Sail Setting must be 3 or less.
The order 'Reverse Course' (or RC) must be written into the Ship
S loop-of -War. Card, together with the turn number. Crack crews have an 80% chance
of performing the maneuver successfully; Good crews 60%, Average
Crews 50%. Poor crews 30%. and Green crews not a t all.
Ship-rigged ships have 3 masts, square-rigged.
Throw percentage dice during the first turn in which the ship at-
Snow-rigged vessels technically have 3 masts, but since the mizzen is
tempts to reverse course; if unsuccessful, the ship will Heave To, turn-
so short the commander will only have to man 2 masts.
ing broadside to the wind without moving, and must throw on Mast
Vessels marked f-&-a are purely fore-and-aft rigged, and may sail 1
Falling Table I (1.B.).
point from the wind.
During the turns in which a ship i s sailing rudder-first, it will move
normally in the Second Leg, but will not have a First Leg; in other
words, i t s movement speed will be cut in half. I t s Turn Allowance is
reduced t o 1. It may never sail a t an angle that would normally place
RAMMING it i n irons, nor may it turn i t s stern t o the wind a t an angle that would
In the basic game, when one ship runs into another, only the mov-
normally be considered Quarter Reach or Wind Astern: it must remain
ing ship has a chance of getting hurt. This is not quite realistic, but I Beating or a t Broad Reach.
wanted to penalize clumsy sailors who kept running into other people's When the ship desires to end the maneuver, it must Heave To and be
ships. A ram was capable of doing damage to the ship being hit, of turned broadside to the wind, without moving; on the turn following, it
course, particularly if the rammed ship was smaller. may move normally.
I f a ramming ship's Hull Points (beginning hull points, not after re-
duction by gunfire) exceed the rammed shiP s Hull Points by a ratio of
three to one (3/1) or greater, roll on the Sandbar Table for damage, and ADVANCED BOARDING
also roll on Mast Falling Table II. In other words, being rammed by a The following i s very complex, and i s not recommended a t all ex-
larger ship i s the equimlent of running aground on a sandbar. - -
cept for very small engagements- - four ships a t most- - for fighting
boarding actions in the role-playing game, or for masochists.
LEEWAY For any except the above, 1 recommend the basic boarding system
Ships were constantly making leeway; that is, they were always given in the basic game. It i s an abstract of all the concrete factors be-
moving slightly downwind, even when ostensibly moving in the oppo- low. The following i s very realistic: captains will face all the horrible
site direction. The amount of leeway made depends chiefly on the decisions facing real-life captains. They will try to achieve some kind of
strength of the wind, and the depth of the ship's keel. In most cases, it balance among their crew by taking boarders from the men a t the guns,
would behoove the players to ignore this rule, but in order to play cer- increasing the strength of the boarding parties a t the expense of fire-
tain historical scenarios, particularly those in which a ship is i n danger power, and will probably fail. Orders t o form boarding parties will go
of being driven onto a lee shore during a storm, add the following: astray, or boarding parties will fail t o assemble themselves, or will ar-

26
rive too late. Boarding parties may be assembled and ready to launch Section, or set aside as Marines, must beused to crew guns.
themselves a t the foe, only to find that a never-to-be-sufficiently- First, the captain of the ship assigns any men he wishes to the Star-
damned 10-foot gap has opened between the two ships. Boarding part- board and/or Larboard carronades.
ies may gain a lodgement on enemy decks only t o find that the ships Then, he assigns crew factors t o the Starboard and/or Larboard long
have drifted apart, and that they are cut off. guns. The long guns on the lowest deck (2nd in a 2-decked ship, 3rd in
If this kind of abuse seems for you, then read on. a 3decked ship) must be given crews first. If any are left over, they
may be put on the upper decks, taking care to fill the lowest decks first.
Preparation: All of this calculation having been completed, the boarding captain,
Players must fill out a Boarding Schematic (below) for each ship if he has not torn his Boarding Schematic t o shreds i n frustration, may
engaged in boarding. To be eligible for boarding, ships must be grappled proceed to t r y to board his enemy.
or fouled to one another.
The Schematic is a representation of a ship's gundecks. Ships with Mobilization :
1 deck use only the 1 s t deck representation; 2deckers use the 1st and Only Mobilized crew factors may fight in a boarding melee. Mobil-
2nd deck only; 3deckers use the l s t , 2nd, and the 3rd. izing crew involves taking them from whatever tasks they may be doing,
First, take 10% of the surviving crew to represent the ship's Marines, organizing them into boarding parties, giving them weapons, placing
and put the resulting number i n the Marines blank indicated. Privateers, them under officers, and moving them to that part of the ship where it
merchant ships, and lndiamen will not have Marines. Marines are very will be possible for them t o fight the enemy.
wluable i n boarding actions. At first, only the ship's Marines (if any) are considered mobilized.
The Boarding Schematics of each deck are divided into Fore, Mid- A captain, when declaring a boarding action or any turn thereafter,
ships, and A f t sections. The armament of each ship must be divided may attempt to mobilize any of the crew factors that are manning any
into these areas in order to discover the number of crew who are man- -
given deck section- - 1st Deck Fore Section, for example, or 2nd Deck
ning the guns. Mid Section. To mobilize, he rolls percentage dice on the table below:
All crew not manning guns on the turn boarding i s declared are put
into the Tasks section. This includes those manning sails, fighting fires, Crew Mobilization
cutting wreckage free, and so on- - - all who are not either Marines or Normal Enemy on Board
actually fighting guns. Those i n the Tasks section may never fight a 1st Deck 1-40 Automatic
boarding action. Those from the Guns sections may be moved into the
Tasks section, and vice versa; boarders may be moved into the Tasks Lower Decks 1-20 1-40
section, but never the reverse. Any crew factors mobilized by the die roll are moved from the Gun
Divide the total number of Starboard and Larboard carronades by sections of t h e Schematic to the Boarders sections. Once in the Board-
3, and place them in the CAR sections on the 1 s t Deck Boarding Sche- ers sections, they may not fire guns or engage in any other task except
matic. All fractions are added together and added to the MID section. boarding. They may, however, be moved either t o the Gun sections
If the ship i s a singledecked vessel, follow tho same procedure for again, at will, or moved to the Tasks section. If moved into the Gun
the ships' long gun factor, and place them in the L.Gun boxes. sections once more, they must be mobilized with another die roll.
If the enemy have succeeded in gaining a lodgement on the decks,
If the ship has 2 or 3 decks, then the situation gets a good deal more then the crew factors on the 1 s t Deck are mobilized automatically.
complicated. Long Guns must be divided between all possible decks. I f the enemy succeed in gaining a lodgement on the 2nd or 3rd
If the ship has 2 decks, then 75% of the Long Gun Factors will go decks, then any crew factors on those specific decks are considered
on the 2nd Deck, and 25% on t h e 1st Deck. mobilized automatically.
Total all fractions and assign them to the lowest deck. Once mobilized, any crew factors on the 1st deck may be used to
Once the Long Gun armament is divided up between the decks, div- fight boarding battles. Any crew factors on the 2nd or 3rd decks must
ided each deck's armament into thirds, as above, assigning accumulated be moved t o the 1st deck before boarding, unless the enemy is actually
fractions to the MID section. invading the 2nd or 3rd deck.
Now the guns must be crewed. Any crew factors not in the TASKS Crew factors may be moved 1 deck per turn.

27
I TASKS:
BOARDING SCHEMATIC
MARINES:
FORE, MID AFT
G. Crew G. Crew G. Crew
L. Guns L. Guns L. Guns
Carr. Carr. Carr.
boarders mobilized:
Carr. Carr. Carr.
boarders mobilized:
boarders mobilized:
Boarding Opportunity:
Once the boarding parties have assembled, the captain will have t o Once a Boarding Opportunity has been rolled, each captain must
await a boarding opportunity. This may mean a piece of wreckage decide whether or not t o commit his available force t o a boarding battle
bridging the gap between the two ships, a moment when the ships are or not. He must write down secretly 'Attack' or'Defend'. If both play-
actually touching, a moment when the enemy marines are distracted, or ers write 'Defend, then neither i s making any moves t o board his op-
when enemy boarding nets have fallen. ponent, and no boarding action takes place on t h a t turn. If either or
Roll, once per turn per boarding action, on the following table: both captains write 'AttacK, then proceed t o Boarding Battle, below.
Boarding Opportunity Boarding Battle:

If the ships are lying flank-to-flank, the captains may commit t o the
Ships Flank-to-Flank Boarding over Bow Boarding over Stern boarding battle all available mobilized crew factors on the 1st deck,
1-20 1-50 1-50 regardless of which section they are in.
If the boarding is over a shiu s bow, each captain may commit only
Modifiers 4 crew factors t o the initial fight.
Each difference i n decks .......................... +5 If the boarding is over a ships stern, each captain may commit only
Mast falls on that turn .......................... -20 8 crew factors.
Opportunity on previous turn. ..................... -1 0 Any committed crew factors are multiplied by the following:
If the ships are flank-to-flank boarding opportunities are hard t o Green: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x i

come by, due to the tumblehome keeping the upper decks apart. Poor: ..................................... x2
Boarding opportunities are much easier t o come by boarding over Avg.: ..................................... x3
the bow or stern, but the number of crew factors that can be commit- Good: .................................. .x3.5
ted t o such a fight are limited, due t o the narrowing of the field of bat- Crack: .................................... x4
t l e as the boarders try t o squeeze over the bowsprit or through the stern Marines: ............................... bonus x2
windows.
Incidentally, if anyone thinks it's easier to board if your decks are Round any fractions upward. Results are i n Boarding Factors.
higher than those of the enemy, he is invited t o arm himself with a cut- Marines, being most useful in this kind of fighting, are doubled.
lass and charge down a 75degree slope onto pikes held by myself and a Roll on the Advanced Boarding Table, below, cross-indexing the
half-dozen friends, and see how confident he feels about gaining a number of Boarding Factors with the roll of a losided die. The result
lodgement. i s the number of enemy casualties, i n Crew Factors. Both sides roll. I f

28
the total number of Boarding Factors i s over 100, players roll once on Lodgement
the 91-100 table and again on any other charts, Until the appropriate ships flank-to-flank boarding over bow boarding over stern
number of Boarding Factors are all rolled for. 1-40 1-30 1-50
Every odd-numbered casualty (the 1st. the 3rd. etc.) i s taken from
t h e Marines, as the Marines will be prominent in the fighting. Apply the following modifiers:
After casualties are taken, either side, a t its option, may try t o roll vs, merchant crew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -25
for Lodgement on Enemy Decks. Roll below: ship with marines vs. ship with no remaining marines . . . . . . . . -20
3-1 or better advantage in Boarding Factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . -25
If both captains succeed in obtaining Lodgement, then the two

Lodgements cancel each other and no one has gained Lodgement.
ADVANCED BOARDING TABLE

number of Boarding Factors
die
Roll: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100
1-2 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4
34 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4
5-6 0 1 1 I 1 2 2 2 3 3
7-23 o o 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2
9-10 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2
No.: Number of enemy crew factors eliminated.
If neither vessel succeeds in gaining lodgement, then the boarding captured section will be Mid. If the initial lodgement was in Mid, the
battle for this turn i s over. Continue to next turn,and if players are wil- capturing player may have his choice.
ling the whole procedure is gone through once again. Unless the invader was driven off, continue fighting Boarding Melees
If one player succeeds in gaining Lodgement, then proceed t o melee, until one of the following occurs:
below.
If it i s not obvious which part of the enemy 1st Deck the lodgement 1. The defender drives the enemy from his decks.
is gained upon (Fore, Mid, or Aft), then roll the following table. Of 2. A total of six Boarding Melees have been fought.
course, if the enemy i s boarded through the stern then the lodgement is 3. The attacker succeeds in capturing the entire 1st Deck.
in the Aft section, and if over the bow i s i n the Fore.
In cases 1 and 2 the boarding battle is over for that turn, but will be
01-30. . ................................. .Fore continued on the next turn.
31-70.. .................................. Mid In Case 3, which may be brought about either by the invader gain-
71-00.. .................................. Aft ing successive lodgements, or by wiping out his opponent, the defender
must make an immediate 80% Strike and Sink roll t o see i f his remain-
The successful force is assumed t o be in possession of whichever ing crew give up (if there are any remaining crew - - - i f not, the ship has
section (Fore, Mid, A f t ) he has gained his lodgement in. Any unmobil- struck). Read any 'Sink' results as 'Struck'.
ized forces in that section, and any boarders in that section, will move If the ship strikes, then the boarder has taken possession.
t o the adjacent section. Any unmobilized crew factors are considered If the ship doesn't, the boarding battle continues. Any survivors
mobilized if they have been dislodged. from the 1st Deck action are considered t o have run below t o the 2nd
Deck, if there i s one. I f not, the ship surrenders.
Melee: The invader now has a choice t o make: he can attempt t o charge be-
Now things will happen swiftly. The captain who has been boarded low and seize the 2nd deck, or not. If he does not, he may not roll on
will fling every man available t o drive the enemy from his decks, and the Lodgement Table. If he does, he automatically mobilizes any un-
his opponent will hurl as many of his own men as possible over the mobilized Second Deck enemy crewmen.
bridge in order to take advantage of his lodgement. The fight will be The defending player has l i t t l e choice. He can strike voluntarily or
with pistols and cold steel, and will probably not last long. It takes a he can attempt t o capture the 1st Deck.
steadfast man indeed t o stand up t o the prospect of mutilation and Unless the defender strikes, both sides roll once more on the Ad-
dismemberment for more than a few seconds before breaking. The side vanced Boarding Table for enemy casualties. Any side wishing t o rolls
managing t o avoid having i t s men stampede for safety for the longest for Lodgement, rolling on the Lodgement through Bow table.
time will succeed. If either side succeeds in gaining a Lodgement, then fight normally
Once a lodgement has been reached, Boarding Melees will be fought. until one of the three conditions above i s reached.
There are six Boarding Melees i n any one turn. If the defending player does not succeed in regaining a section of
First, each captain gets a free Crew Mobilization roll for any of his the 1st Deck, then he rolls again on the 80% Strike and Sink table. If he
crew he may wish t o mobilize. The captain who has been boarded will does not strike, and none of the three above conditions have been met,
mobilize any 1st Deck crew automatically, and will have the Enemy on then the Boarding Melees will continue.
Board modifiers for any others. After every Boarding Melee (not Game Turn) in which the captain
The captain who has been boarded may throw any and all 1st Deck owning a ship fails t o regain control of a portion of his own 1 s t Deck,
forces into the Boarding Melees. The captain doing the boarding may he must roll on the 80% Strike or Sink table.
throw any of his own 1st Deck forces, including any recently mobil- I f six Boarding Melees have been fought, then the Boarding Battle
ized, over his lodgement. is over until the Boarding Phase of next turn.
There are no limitations t o the number of crew factors that may be
used in a melee once a Lodgement has been achieved. Note:
Multiply all meleeing Crew Factors by the multipliers given above, These rules are complex. Players who commit t o boarding battles
under Boarding Battle. Then roll on the Advanced Boarding Table for using these rules will rapidly find the situation sliding out of their con-
any enemy casualties, taken in Crew Factors. Then each side roll on the trol, which, as I read the histories, is more or less what happened histor-
Lodgement Table, on the flank-to-flank chart. I f both succeed, the ically.
further lodgements cancel each other out. I f a boarding battle lasts more than one Game Turn, other ships,
If the defending captain succeeds in his Lodgement roll, then he has and the ships involved in boarding, may cut free, maneuver, fire their
driven the enemy from his decks. The enemy crew factors are returned guns inflicting normal casualties, and so on.
t o their ship, and the boarding battle is over for this turn. If a boarding battle lasts more than one turn, and the attacking
If the attacking captain, the captain who initially gained the lodge- player fails t o make his Boarding Opportunity roll for any subsequent
ment, succeeds in gaining another lodgement, then he i s considered t o turn, then he may not reinforce his boarders on the enemy decks for
have driven the enemy back and may capture another enemy deck sec- that turn; the ships are considered to have drifted too far apart, but
tion (Fore, Mid, Aft). If the initial lodgement was in Fore or Aft, the may come together again on subsequent turns.

29
BOARDING FROM BOATS fender succeeds in gaining a Lodgement onto a boat, they are consid-
Boats attempting to board an enemy vessel board normally, except: ered not t o have actually put men aboard, but are considered t o have
They may choose which section they wish to board, and; if the de- sunk the boat and all aboard her.
With an imaginative and vigorous referee, it should be possible t o Before any movement, the referee must determine wind direction,
assemble an entire naval campaign, from fitting-out, t o scouting, t o barometer, and weather. Rather than roll for every minute of the day,
combined-arms operations, t o the final concluding broadsides of a naval the referee will roll for the average weather for the entire day,assuming
action. minor variations.
In designing a campaign, some thought could be paid t o the sort Of The players may move their forces as follows:
strategic thinking the French were often doing. As has been pointed out
elsewhere, French strategic thought emphasized the notion of naval Sail of the Line Downwind Upwind
units being sent out on specific missions: landing operations, convoying Hookers 28mm 16mm
merchantmen or troopships, and so forth. In setting victory conditions, Average 35mm 21mm
points might be given to the French for successfully convoying a mer- Smart 42mm 26mm
chant flotilla t o home ports (as they did during the Glorious First of
June Campaign; although Lord Howe beat the French fleet and cap- Frigates Downwind Upwind
tured a few prizes, the grain flotilla from the Americas safely made it to Hookers 43mm 22mm
France, where it fed the starving French population and saved the Rev- Average 58mm 30mm
olution.), or landing troops on an enemy shore (Newport, Bantry Bay, Smart 72mm 37mm
Yorktown). The British could gain points by preventing such a landing,
or by bringing the French to battle and capturing their vessels. Convoys 17mm 1Omm
Players need not feel too constrained by reality; mythical kingdoms
can be created t o battle one another on the high seas, or the French
might succeed in getting a squadron t o New York, where it i s manned Fleets wishing t o keep together must move a t the speed of the slow-
by superb American crews - - - this last i s not far-fetched; it was a legit- est ship. Fleets escorting convoys must move a t the speed of the con-
imate worry of the British during the War of 1812. voy.
The requirements for a good wargame referee, particularly where Ships not given on the charts, such as brigs, should be assigned one
campaigns are concerned, are imagination, obstinacy, and intelligence in of the above categories. A brig, for instance, may be assumed t o travel
a t the speed of a hooker sail of the line.
about equal proportions. The campaign has t o be very strictly defined
in order that the enemy fleets won't simply sail off into the open sea Ships moving within 45-90 degrees of the wind use the 'upwind'
and never encounter one another; contending players will have t o be column; ships moving greater than 90 degrees use the 'downwind' col-
umn. No ship rnay sail closer than 45 degrees t o the wind. If necessary
managed; realistic and balanced victory conditions will have t o be set.
admirals rnay plot a zigzag course (assuming a tack or wear) into the
Running a campaign i s far more challenging than participating in one,
wind.
and i f luck can be transferred by good wishes turned into print, any
A t wind strength 2 ships rnay move 1/3 normal; a t wind strength 1
referees using the following system have my best wishes for their cam-
ships may not move a t all.
paign.
Each turn on the strategic map i s 24 hours. The speed given is an
average speed for that 24-hour period, assuming cracking on sail in the
GAME SCALES day and shortening sail, for safety's sake, a t night. Players may attempt
A campaign will be fought i n three scales, the Tactical, the Grand t o increase speed by 10% with moderate risk, or by 20%with increased
Tactical, and the Strategic. These are explained below. risk. I f increasing speed by 10%. each ship has a 10% chance of having
to roll on Mast Falling Chart II t o see i f spars were damaged. If increas-
Tactical ing speed by 20%. there is a 20% per ship of having t o roll on Mast Fal-
1 meter =.lmm, the scale of HEART OF OAK and the scale a t ling II.
which tactical battles will be fought on the table-top. Turns .equal one Sighting range, in normal weather, is as follows:
minute.
ship to ship . .............................. .6mm
Grand Tactical ship t o island ............................. .16mm
The Grand Tactical scale i s used when opposing vessels have actually
sighted one another, but have not closed t o the point where they can Details of enemy fleets will not be available a t extreme sighting
be put on the tabletop. Scale: 1 turn = % hour. Movements are made on range. Extreme range for observing signals is 2mm.
graph paper ruled in millimeters, each 10 millimeters representing 1 Turns are assumed t o be local dawn t o local dawn. The last 10%or
kilometer. thereabouts of each turn will be in total darkness.
Visibility will also be reduced by weather, a t referee's determina-
Strategic tion.
The Strategic scale is used when fleets are attempting t o locate one When opposing fleets have sighted one another, and commence mov-
another on the open sea. The scale is 1 turn = 1 day, and l c m = 50 kilo- ing t o an engagement, the referee will have the players move t o the
meters. Grand Tactical Scale.
Referees will wish, first of all, to construct a strategic map. The map
should be constructed on the scale of l c m = 50 kilometers, and should Rules for the Grand Tactical Scale:
include a compass rose. It may be on graph paper, depending on refer- Referees who do not have the time or inclination to stagean entire
ee's preference, but a t any rate should have some grid or border which campaign, but who still desire a more involved engagement than that
can be matched with duplicates of the map. A sample map, of some provided by the tactical rules, may wish t o use a Grand Tactical game
mythical Caribbean islands, i s given here. to provide the maneuvering before an actual engagement. For instance,
The referee should then photocopy the map. He will need lots of the tactical maneuvering leading up t o the Glorious First of June, in
copies. which the fleets were actually in sight of one another for several days
Opposing players are put in different rooms, where their opponents before engaging, could easily be recreated with the Grand Tactical Sys-
cannot overhear them, and are provided with their ships, objectives, and tem.
a copy of the map. The players will give orders t o their ships,and move Maps for a Grand Tactical engagement will have t o be improvised by
them on the map with pencil and paper. The referee will coordinate the the refereee on the spot, unless he can somehow anticipate which areas
moves of the opposing players, and any random factors he controls of the Strategic Map the opponents will decide t o fight their battles in.
such as neutral forces, privateers, merchant flotillas, and so on. The Map should include (if relevant) coastal formations, visible reefs, towns,
best way t o do this i s simply t o hold the maps up t o the light, matching harbors, forts, and so forth.
them, to see if the opponents are within sighting range. The scale i s 1 turn = % hour, and l m m on the map = 1 kilometer.

30
Sint Grier
La Pocelle
flQ
Sint Renssaeler
St Swithin
- 100 km.
Note:
The referee will place t h e fleets on the map, using a pencil, at maxi- Referees using t h i s system will have. t o define campaign objectives
mum sighting range (30mm or 30 kilometers i n good weather). Each very well, and provide some central focus, such as a landing, or captur-
player will give the referee his orders in seciet, and the referee will ing a port or island, otherwise he will find the opposing fleets sailing
move the fleets as indicated. When they get close enough, tactical play continually out of sight of one another, groping about in the open sea
will commence on the tabletop. Exactly when 'close enough' might be for an opponent.
will depend on the size of t h e table. Referees will also have t o limit the number of detachments a given
Ships move at the following rates: fleet can make, because keeping track of two dozen separate ships will
drive him mad. The referee will also have t o decide what t o do about
TYPE OF SHIP DOWNWIND UPWIND ships that depart from the main body and cannot consult with t h e
Sail of the Line: admiral. It is suggested that the admirals provide a set of standing
Hookers 14mm 8mm orders for detached vessels, and that the referee move these on a separ-
Average 18mm llmm ate map. If the standing orders allow a ship t o sail o f f on a separate
Crack 22mm 13mm mission and not return, then the referee can save himself some trouble
b y allowing it t o do so, and removing it from t h e campaign entirely.
Frigates: (Sea captains, it will be remembered, loved t o operate on initiative).
Hookers 23mm 12mm Although sea-land interlinkage is really beyond the scope of this
Average 30mm 18mm game, a sea campaign could be fought, of course, with a land campaign,
Crack 37mm 24mm using both naval and land miniatures, and any of the many sets of 18th
Century or Napoleonic miniature rules o n the market.
Convoy: 9mm 6mm For those who want t o stage a combined-arms operation, but have
no wish to set UP an entire land miniatures campaign t o go with it, I
Movement will be exactly as i n Strategic Movement, again with the might report that I have had some success with fighting land battles
possibility .of increasing sail by 10% or 20%. rolling every turn (things with Avalon Hill's 1776, a board game, which has an excellent tactical
are happening more quickly and are more tense) for possible damage. matrix for resolving period land combat, which i s fast, entertaining,
Roll for weather changes every half-hour turn. suspenseful, and within i t s limits realistic.

31
Appendix 1
DEFlN ITIONS
SHIP XEBEC
Any vessel with three masts, square-rigged. All rated vessels (sail of Also spelled 'Chebec'. A Mediterranean vessel with a prominent
the line or frigates) are ships. Anything not a ship i s a 'vessel'. In these beak and a pronounced overhang aft resembling an 'aftersprit', rigged
rules, 'ship' and 'vessel' are used, for the most part, interchangeably. with three lateen masts, and also propelled by oars. The favored vessel
of Algerian corsairs.
SHIP OF THE LINE
A ship large enough t o stand in the line of battle, with two or more RAZEE
gundecks. Also known as sail of the line, line of battle-ships, or battle- A frigate created by cutting away the top gundeck of a two-decked
ships. man of war.
FR I GATE UDEMA
A rated man of war, almost always with a single gundeck, used for A shallow-draft, three-masted vessel built for coastal defense.
pursuit, convoy escort, commerce raiding, and so forth, with between
22 and 44 guns.
GALLEY
A chiefly Mediterranean vessel propelled by oars and lateen sails,
often used by French and Spanish as prison vessels, and used by Maltese
and Algerian corsairs as pirate and raiding vessels.
BOMB
A two-masted, ketch-rigged vessel, carrying, in place of a foremast,
one or more large mortars. Also called a 'bomb ketch'.
GUNBOAT
A small, one-masted vessel, with various rigs, capable of moving
under oars or sail, with one or more large guns mounted t o fire directly
forward, used for harbor defense, and for commerce raiding on wind-
less days.
CLIPPER
A very fast topsail schooner with a narrow hull and tall masts, used
by Americans during the War of 1812. Also called 'Baltimore Clipper'.
SCHUYT
Square-rigged figute. A fast, shallow-draft Dutch boat, used chiefly for commerce raiding
and smuggling, usually fitted with lugsails.
SLOOP PRAM
1. A 'sloop-rigged' vessel has a single mast, rigged fore-and-aft. A floating battery, often fitted with sails and used as a troopship.
2. A 'sloop of war', in the British and American navies, i s a single
decked man of war with two or three masts, square-rigged, and usually STARBOARD
with an open gundeck. From loading board, the side of a ship through which it discharged
cargo. The left, as opposed t o right, side of a ship, facing forward. The
CORVETTE forward.
The French and Spanish equivalents of a sloop of war, or small frig-
ate. LARBOARD
From 'steer-board', the side of a ship through which it discharged
BRIG cargo. The left, as opposed t o right, side of a ship, facing forward. The
1. A two-masted vessel with a fore-and-aft mainsail and a square- term 'port', meaning left, was not used until the middle of the 19th
rigged foremast. Century .
2. A 'brig of war', in all navies, i s a singledecked man of war with
two or three masts, usually with a closed gundeck, usually with i t s LEEWARD
aftermost mast fore-and-aft rigged. The direction towards which the wind i s blowing,
SCHOONER WINDWARD
A fore-and-aft rigged vessel with two or three masts. A 'topsail The direction from which the wind is blowing.
schooner' has square-rigged topmasts.
HOOKER
SNOW A contemptuous term for a slow, unweildly ship. A corruption of
A brig with a short mizzenmast just aft of the mainmast, the miz- the Dutch 'howker', a round-bowed, curvedsterned, ketch-riggedvessel
zenmast holding the trysail or driver so that both the driver and a renowned for i t s clumsiness.
square maincourse may b e set. I n the game, t r e a t as a two-masted vessel
for purposes of crew allocation.
SQUARE-RIGGED
The arrangement of sails in a vessel where the majority of sails are
LUGGER fixed t o yards that lie square t o the mast; during the 18th century the
A three-masted vessel with lugsails; a very fast, narrow vessel. most common rig, used on sail of the line, frigates, sloops of war, and
brigs.
PINK
A three-masted vessel with lateen sails, generally a Mediterranean GUNDECK
rig. A deck, usually running from the bow to stern, on which a row of
guns was fixed. Ships with 3 gun decks were referred t o as '3-deckers:
CUTTER those with 2 were '2-deckers,' and so on. An open gundeck was one in
A small vessel with a single mast and a running bowsprit, with a which the guns were placed on the uppermost deck, and were thus open
fore-and-aft mainmast and square-rigged topsails; a very fast vessel. t o the weather; a closed gun-deck was roofed by the deck overhead.

32
EXPLANATION OF T H E REFERENCES O N THE P L A T E FOR E-AND-AFT

The arrangement of sails on a vessel so that the sails are attached t o
DELINEATING THE SQUARE SAILS OF A T W E N T Y G U N SHIP. gaffs or stays in the midship line o f the vessel.
I Fore courfe. 35 Fore topfail bowline bridles.
Main courfc.
LATEEN SAIL
1 36 Main topfail buntliner.
A triangular sail attached to a long curving gaff set forward on a
3 Fore topfail. 37 - bowlines.
4 Main topfail. 38 - bowline bridles. mast, a very successful combination of the square rig and the fore-and-
5 Mizen topfail. 39 Mizen topfail buntlines. aft rig much favored in Arab and Mediterranean countries.
6 Forc topgallant fail. 40 bowline.
7 Main topgallant fail. 41 bowline bridles. LUGSAIL
8 Mizen topgallant fail. 4a Fore topgallant bowlines. A four-sided sail set on a fore-and-aft yard that extends forward o f
9 Fore royal. 43 bowline bridles. the mast, used chiefly on small fast vessels (many smugglers and priva-
to Main royal. 44 Main topgallant bowlines. teers) in northern Europe.
I I Mizen royal. 45 bowline bridles.
1 2 Driver. 46 Mizen topgallant bowline. BOWSPRIT
1 3 Fox Rudding fails. 47'Fore royal haliards. Originalls 'Boltsprit'. A large spar projecting over the bow of large
14 Main Rudding fails. 48 Main royal haliards. sailing vessels, used for staying the masts and for setting the headsails.
15 FORtopnuR h d d i n g fails. 49 Mizen royal haliardr.
16 Main topmrR Rudding fails. A 'running bowsprit' is one that can be run in the vessel by sliding it in-
50 Driver haliards.
17 Fore topgallant Rudding fails. 51 -ficet. board.
18 Main topgallant Rudding fails.
19 Spritfail courfe.
52 - down hauler.
53 Fore Rudding fail inner haliardr. FOREMAST
ao Spritfril topfail. 54 Main ltudding fail inner haliards. On a ship with more than one mast, the foremost mast.
21 Forefail ihms. 5 s ForeRuddingfail boom guy.
- tach. 56 tack:. MA1NMAST
22
23
14
-
-
leech lines.
buntlinea.
57 fieetr.
$ 8 Main Rudding fail tacks.
On a vessel with one mast, the mast.
On a vessel with t w o masts, the aftermost and largest mast.
i s - bowlinn. 59 Fore topmalt h d d i n g fail down hauler. On a vessel with three masts, the middle and largest mast.
26 - bowline bridles. 60 tack.
17 Main Iheetr. 61 Main topmalt ltudding fail downhauler.
MIZZENMAST
a8 - uck.
29 Mailfail leech liner.
61 tack.
63 Fore topgallant Rudding fail tack. On a vessel with three masts, the aftermost and smallest mast, usual-
30 - buntlines. 64 Main topmallant
.- Rudding fail rack. ly carrying the driver.
3' - bLlWliiC& 65 Spritfail clue line.
31 - bowline bridles.
33 Forc copfail buntlines.
66 -
67 -Iheets.
buntline. BEAK
An overhang o n the bow of a vessel, often used t o support the bow-
34 -bowlinn. 68 - topfail hmr. sprit.

33
HEADSAILS REEF
Any sails placed forward of the foremost mast, t o help balance the The operation of shortening sail in a vessel by reducing the area ex-
ship's rig and assist the ship in working upwind. In our period, chiefly posed t o the wind, performed usually when the strength of the wind
jibs and spritsails. rises t o the point where it might either tear the sail apart or do serious
damage t o the masts. A sail upon which this operation has been per-
DRIVER formed i s referred to as reefed. During our period, only topsails and the
A large fore-and-aft sail placed on the lower part of the aftermost larger fore-and-aft sails were capable of being reefed.
mast. In the beginning of our period these were probably lateen sails,
which were gradually replaced by a loose-footed (boomless) driver, BALLAST
which in turn were replaced by the more efficient spanker, which had Additional weight (in our period, usually in the form of roundshot)
both gaff and boom. carried in a ship t o help trim her fore and aft, or t o provide stability.
Appendix 2
PE RM lSSl BL E 0R DERS
Simple Orders: Any number of simple orders rnay be performed in Complex and conditional orders: The following orders take more-
one turn. than one turn t o perform, or have conditions attached t o them that
make them impossible t o perform alongside other orders.
MOVE
Ship will move in a straight line a t the appropriate heading and
speed.
ALTER COURSE RAISE ANCHOR

Ship rnay turn up t o the limit of i t s movement allowance. Requires the crew t o man the capstan. May take 2-20 turns per
anchor.
TACK
Ship attempts t o tack across the wind. A two-turn maneuver. The CAST LEAD
ship must start the turn Beating. Ship i s casting the lead to determine depth of water. Ship may not
fire, as no one could hear the leadsman.
WEAR
Ship moves from one tack t o another by passing its stern across the STRIKE
wind. I t must start while Beating. A ship rnay strike (surrender) as a result of an unfavorable die roll
on the Strike and Sink table, or i t may strike voluntarily.
CUT CABLES BOARD

, Ship cuts i t s anchor cables in order to get under way in a hurry. The A vessel's crew attempts t o seize another ship by boarding.
ship will lose all anchors that have been let go.
KEDGE
BACK SAIL A ship's boats drop an anchor in the direction the ship wishes to
Ship must be Beating. It may move less than its alotted speed. move, and the anchor i s hauled in. The capstan must be manned.
HEAVE T O TOW
Ship must be Beating. It backs sail to zero, turns broadside t o the A ship's boats, or another ship, tow a vessel that i s either dismasted
wind, and does not move until i t s commander wishes. Ship will drift. or without wind.
INCREASElDECREASE SAIL
CAMEL
Ship may increase or decrease sail by one Sail Setting.
Ship attempts t o use 'camels' t o drag it over shallow water. Very
Complicated. Ship rnay not fire.
FIGHT FIRES
Ship alots crew factors to fight fires.
LIGHTEN SHIP
Ship attempts to increase speed by dropping armament over the
LOWER BOATSlRAlSE BOATS
side. May not fire.
Ship must be heaved to, drifting, or a t Sail Setting 1
CLEAR FOR ACTION
FIRE Uqtil a ship is cleared, it may not fight. Clearing takes from 6-15
The ship rnay fire a t the enemy during i t s own or opponent's move- turns.
ment.
REPAIR MASTS
DROP ANCHOR If a mast i s repairable, crew may be assigned t o repair it,
Ship will drop one or more anchors.
JURY RIG
CUT FREE Crew attempt t o rig a jury mast t o replace one lost in action.
Ship attempts to cut free from another ship to which it has become
fouled. SEA ANCHOR
A vessel that has lost masts in a storm or gale may attempt t o set
CUT WRECKAGE out a sea anchor t o keep from getting swamped.
Ship attempts t o clear wreckage that has fallen over the side,
WET SAILS
CUT GRAPPLES Bucket brigades may be sent aloft t o wet the sails, increasing speed,
Ship attempts t o cut grapples holding it to another ship.
CLUB-HAUL
DRIFT A ship being driven onto a lee shore attempts t o club-haul in order
Ships without masts or without sail set drift broadside t o the wind. to increase i t s chance of tacking successfully.

34
L A Y ALONGSIDE
A special order given to take possession of a ship that has surren-
dered, or t o come aboard a friendly ship.
START WATER
Ship will smash i t s water casks and pump the water from the bilges,
hopefully lightening and increasing speed.
REVERSE COURSE
Ship turns i t s yards around t o sail rudder-first, a complicated man-
euver, and a slow one.
BOX HAUL
Orders the ship t o perform a maneuver similar t o a combined tack
and wear, t o bring it across the wind in a small space.
DIAGRAM KEY
This diagram shows the plan of the hull of an American sloop-of-
war. Some of the areas identified include:
3. A bread locker.
4. A coal locker.
6. Water casks.
11. Casks of rum.
9. A shot locker.
10. A sheU room.
15. Powder magazine.
Remaining areas were used for storage of gear and tackle.
PRIDE A N D PREJUDICE
a n afterward
HEART OF OAK reflects a good many of the author's prejudices
and biases, and the author admits it. But he would also like t o point
out that they are informed prejudices, and are thus worth a t least a lit-
t l e more than common, garden-varietypartisan opinion.
The game also reflects the author's bias towards gaming, and what
he thinks a game should be. Where I have inhibited realism a bit, it was
usually t o produce a better game, one that can be played without the
use of a battery of Apple computers.
For instance, the decision not t o include simultaneous movement
for all ships was prompted by the realization that, in a fleet action with
a lot of ships crowding into a small area, simultaneous movement would
be so complicated as to drive most of the players temporarily insane.
The decision was t o use a movement system that gave the illusion of
simultaneity, but an illusion it remains.
Because ships are s t i l l moved one a t a time, and thus collide with
their fellows less often than would be the case if the same tactics were
used alongside simultaneous movement, the game tends t o reward bold-
er tactics than was true in real life. This minor divergence from realism
was accepted on the grounds that bold tactics tend t o make more inter-
esting games anyway.
Another area in which realism was bent slightly awry was in regard
t o the combat system. Most of the criticism of HEART OF OAK'S first
edition tended to mention the fact that the combat system seemed per-
functory. Where, they wondered, were all the nitty-gritty details about
gunnery, in which the worried captain gets to decide whether to con-
tinue firing roundshot, switch t o chainshot i n the hopes of bringing
down enemy masts, or load with doubleshot in the hopes of closing
with the enemy on the next turn?
The combat system in particular represents a good many of the
author's prejudices all rolled up into one. I personally feel that once
you've seen a 24-pounder being wormed, sponged, loaded, aimed, and
fired, you've pretty much seen them all. Although, as a writer of fic-
tion, I find combat interesting insofar as it reflects on human nature, I
frankly don't find the weaponry itself, craftsmanlike though i t may be,
t o be worth of all that much attention.
I designed a sailing game, and most of my attention went into the
movement system. I was fascinated by the sailing tactics of the period,
and I wished to create a game i n which the player who uses the most
intelligent and imaginative sailing tactics would most often win.
I also decided not t o bother with all those gunnery details about
types of ammunition and whatnot, instead abstracting it into the game.
I assume that the ships' gunners knew better than present-day naval
scholars what t o fire, and wilt load the appropriate rounds a t the ap-
propriate range.

- - I I -- -- __ __ .-- -
35
My decisions, I think, resulted in a fast, clear system that also pro- this pitiable situation, the agonished boy lifted up both hands, as if
vides realistic play and exciting action. imploring relief, when a passing shot instantly p t him in two. ..
A man
Players who want an absolutely realistic game of HEART OF OAK named Aldrich had one of his hands cut off by a shot, and almost a t
should make two changes. Introduce simultaneous movement, firstly, the same moment he received another shot, which tore open his bowels
and secondly divide all gun and carronade factors by 6. This will result in a terrible manner. As he fell, two or three men caught him in their
in an uncommonly long and tedious game, and probably a good many arms and, as he could not live, threw him overboard. .. Our men kept
arguments between players as to how and when various ships came cheering with all their might. I cheered with them, though I confess I
crashing into one another, but the survivors may congratulate them- scarcely knew for what. Certainly there was nothing very inspiriting in
selves on having achieved the ultimate i n realism. the aspect of things where I was stationed. Not only had we several
.
As for me, I think 1'11 go sailing. And a very good day to you all. . boys and men killed and wounded, but several of the guns were dis-
abled. The one I belonged to had a piece of the muzzle knocked out.. .
The brave boatswain, who came from the sickday t o the din of battle,
was, fastening a stopper on a backstay, which had been shot away,
LEST WE FORGET: when his head was smashed t o pieces by a cannon-ball; another man,
The following passage was written by a 14-year-old boy after surviv- .
going t o complete the unfinished task, was also struck down. .A fellow
ing his first battle: named John, who for some petty offense had been sent on board as a
'The whole scene grew indescribably confused and horrible. I was punishment, was carried past me wounded. I distinctly heard the large
busily supplying my gun with powder, when I saw blood suddenly fly drops fall pat, pat, pat on the deck. Even a poor goat kept by the offic-
from the arm of a man stationed a t our gun. I saw nothing strike him; ers for her milk did not escape the general carnage; her hind legs were
the effect alone was visible.. .the third lieutenant tide his handkerchief shot off, and poor Nan was thrown overboard. Such was the terrible
around the wounded arm, and sent the groaning wretch below to the scene, amid which we kept our shouting and firing. I felt pretty much
surgeon. The cries of the wounded range through all parts of the ship ... as I suppose everyone does a t such a time. We all appeared cheerful, but
those more fortunate men who were killed outright were immediately .
I knew that many a serious thought ran through my mind. . I thought
.
thrown overboard. . Two of the boys stationed on the quarter-deck .
a great deal of the other world. . but being without any particular
were killed. A man, who saw one of them killed, afterwards told me knowledge of religious truth I satisfied myself by repeating again and
that his powder caught fire and burnt the flesh almost off his face. In again the Lord's Prayer'.

36
Appendix 3
CHART 5: BRITISH SHIPS
Rate Guns Name Decks Crew Hull L. Guns Carronades* Draft Wind Sail Turn
1sol 120 Caledonia 3 90 120 25 4 24 2 1 2
1sol 100 Victory 3 85 100 21 2 23 2 1 2
2sol 98 Impregnable 3 82 98 19 2 22 2 1 2
3sol 80 Caesar 2 67 80 16 7 21 2 1 2
3sol 74 Venerable 2 60 74 15 6 21 2 1 2
3sol 74 Bellerophon 2 63 74 18 2 20 2 1 2
3501 64 Ardent 2 55 64 12 1 19 2 1 2
4sol 54 Cumberland 2 34 54 9 I5 8 19 2 1 2
4sol 50 lsis 2 35 50 8 2 18 2 1 2
4fr 44 Indefatigable 1 35 44 8 2 17 2 II 3
5fr 38 Active 1 27 38 5 5 17 2 Ill 3
5fr 36 Amazon 1 25 36 5 4 16 2 Ill 3
5fr 32 Ambuscade 1 23 32 4 2 15 2 Ill 3
6fr 28 Hussar 1 21 28 2 1 14 2 Ill 3
Sloop1 18 Cherub (11 12 18 211 6 8 2 IV 3
Brig1 16 Reindeer (11 10 16 211 4 8 2 IV 3
Schooner 12 St. Lawrence (1) 6 12 1 IO 2 6 2 IV 3
Bomb1 10 Hecla (11 7 10 1IC2 1 6 2 IV 1
Cutter1 8 Speedy (1) 4 8 110 2 4 2 Ill 3
* No carronades before 1780.
1 Ship may move under oars,
2 Plus 2 Mortars.
110. 210 The number to the left of the slash indicates the number of long guns before the introduction of car-
ronades; the number t o the right of the slash indicates the number of long guns after the introduction of carronades.
CHART 6: CONTINENTAL i3 STATE NAVIES (AMERICAN REVOLUTION)

Rate Guns Name Decks Crew Hull L. Guns Draft Wind Sail Turn
4sol 42 Bonhomme 2 30 42 6 1 9 2 1 2
Richard
4frig 40 South Carolina 1 40 40 7 18 2 Ill 3
5frig 32 Alliance 1 30 32 4 15 2 Ill 3
sloop1 18 Ranger (1) 12 18 2 8 2 IV 3
sloop1 16 Hyder Ally (1) 11 16 2 7 2 IV 3
brig1 6 Macaroni (1) 5 8 1 4 2 IV 3
schooner1 12 Hannah (1) 6 12 1 5 1 IV 3
1 Vessel may move under oars.
CHART 7 : U. S. SHIPS (1795 - 1820)

Rate Guns Name Decks Crew Hull L. Guns Carronades* Draft Wind Sail Turn
1sol 120 Pennsylvania 4 110 120 33 11 26 2 1 2
3sol 74 Independence 2 78 74 13 19 23 2 1 2
4fr 44 United States 1 44 44 1017 8 19 2 II 3
4fr 44 Constitution 1 44 44 1017 7 19 2 II 3
5fr4 36 Chesapeake 1 38 36 815 5 16 2 Ill 3
6f r 28 Adarns 1 22 28 2 - 12 2 Ill 3
corvetl 24 Portsmouth 1 22 24 4 - 9 2 Ill 3
ship 24 Ganges 1 22 24 2 - 9 2 IV 3
5f r 32 Essex 1 26 32 511 14 16 2 Ill 3
ship1 22 Peacock (1) 17 22 1 6 8 2 Ill 3
ship1 18 Wasp (11 14 18 1 5 8 2 Ill 3
brig1 18 Argus (11 10 18 1 2 7 2 IV 3
brig1 14 Enterprise (1) 10 14 1 3 6 2 IV 3
schooner1 12 Experiment (1) 9 12 1 - 5 1 Ill 3
gunboat1 6 no. 12 (1) 9 6 22 - 4 1 IV 3
gunboat 1 3 no. 163 (1) 8 4 12 - 4 1 IV 3
bomb1 Spitfire (11 3 4 3 - 6 1 IV 3
* No carronades before 1800.
1 Ship may proceed under oars.
2 Fires only forward.
3 Plus 1 mortar.
4 When fighting without carronades, Chesapeake reloads on the 1st-4th Rate Chart due to extra-heavy armament.
NOTE: Brigs of the ENTERPRISE class are actually EXPERIMENT-type schooners converted, around 1809, to
brigs, given heavier armament, and much strengthened. Before 1809 consider the class as schooners; afterwards brigs.

37
MERCHANT VESSELS
Type Decks Crew Hull L. Guns Carronades*Draft Wind Sail Turn
Large lndiaman 2 24 40 6 4 19 2 II 2
Small lndiaman 1 18 32 4 2 16 2 II 2
Ship, barque 1 6 26 1 - 16 2 II 2
Brig, Snow (1 4 16 - - 8 2 IV 3
Schooner (1) 4 12 - - 6 1 IV 3
Sloop (1 2 4 - - 6 1 IV 3
Lugger (1) 4 12 - - 6 1 Ill 3
No carronades prior t o 1785.
CHART 8: RUSSIAN SHIPS

Rate Guns Name Decks Crew Hull L. Guns Draft Wind Sail Turn
1sol 110 Poltava 3 85 110 32 24 2 1 2
1sol 100 Saratov 3 80 100 28 23 2 1 2
3sol 80 Kir lonn 2 75 80 21 21 2 1 2
3sol 74 Vseslav 2 70 74 19 20 2 1 2
3sol 66 Tver 2 60 66 18 19 2 1 2
4frig 44 Berislav 1 35 44 8 17 2 II 3
5frig 40 Skoryi 1 30 40 7 17 2 Ill 3
5frig 38 Sv. Nikolai 1 30 38 5 17 2 Ill 3
5frig 36 Aleksandr 1 28 36 5 16 2 Ill 3
5frig 32 Sv. Feodor 1 25 32 3 15 2 Ill 3
6frig 28 Malyi 1 20 28 3 14 2 Ill 3
6frigl 24 Boristen 1 18 24 3 13 2 Ill 3
Brig1 20 Potemkin (1 16 20 1 8 2 IV 3
Brig1 14 Letutchii (1) 10 14 1 6 2 IV 3
Bomb1 12 Grom (1 8 12 12 5 2 IV 1
G‘boat 1 2 (1) 6 6 13 3 2 IV 3
The Russians never used carronades.
1 Ship may move under oars,
2 Plus 2 mortars,
3 Forward firing only.
CHART 9: TURKISH SHIPS

Rate Guns Name Decks Crew Hull L.Guns Dlaft Wind Sail Turn
1sol 110 Masudiya 3 126 110 25 25 2 1 2
3sol 84 Sadd al-bahr 2 97 84 21 22 2 1 2
3sol 74 Jebelandaz 2 80 74 19 20 2 1 2
4sol 50 Nessim 2 58 50 8 18 2 1 2
4sol 44 lnkenderiya 2 54 44 9 18 2 1 2
5sol 40 Rahbar-i alam 2 54 40 7 17 2 1 2
5fr 32 Metelin 1 31 32 4 15 2 Ill 3
Sloop1 16 Alimat i Nusrat (1) 20 16 1 7 2 IV 3
GalIey 1 (1) 16 8 12 6 1 IV 4
Gunboat (1) 8 6 12 4 1 IV 3
The Turks carried no carronades.
1 Ship may move under oars.
2 Guns bear directly forward.
CHART 1Q DUTCH SHIPS

Rate Gum Name Decks Crew Hull L.Guns Carronadd Draft Wind Sail Turn
3sol 74 Staten-Generaal 2 55 74 17 - 16 2 1 2
3sol 64 Haarlem 2 45 64 14 - 15 2 1 2
4thsol 50 Batavier 2 25 50 8 - 14 2 1 2
4fr 44 Monnikendam 1 30 44 12 - 14 2 It 3
5fr 36 Argo 1 25 36 5 - 13 2 Ill 3
5fr 32 Heldin 1 22 32 5 1 13 2 Ill 3
6fr 28 Sirene 1 18 26 5 1 12 2 Ill 3
Brig1 (11 10 16 1 - 7 2 IV 3
Schuytl (1 4 3 1 2 5 1 IV 3
No carronades prior t o 1800.
1 Ship may also proceed under oars.
2 Floating battery.

38
CHART 11: DANISH SHIPS

Rate Guns Name Crew Hull L. Guns Carronader' Draft Wind Sail Turn
3sol 80 Christian VI1 67 80 27 - 23 2 i 2
3sol 74 Trekroner 60 74 11 - 21 2 i 2
3sol 74 Saelland 55 74 14 - 21 2 1 2
3sol 60 Dennabrog 50 64 10 - 19 2 1 2
blockship Jylland 37 60 12 - 19 - - -
5fr 32 Frederikscorn 23 32 6/32 6 14 2 Ill 3
6fr 22 Hiaelperenl 27 22 62.5 - 11 2 Ill 3
brig 20 Nyborg 1 26 20 52 - 10 2 IV 3
Pram 20 Aagershuus 20 20 52 - 10 2 IV 3
Floating 22 Cromberg 22 20 4 - 10 - - -
battery
Schooner1 6 8 72 - 8 2 IV 3
Gunsloop Aal borg1 6 a 72 - 8 2 IV 3
Gunyawl Odensel 4 3 42 - 4 2 IV 3
Gunboat Stegel 4 4 13.4 - 4 2 IV 3
No carronades before 1800.
1 Ship may proceed under oars.
2 Due t o extra-heavy armament, use the 1 4 t h rate Reloading Table.
3 Guns bear forward only.
4 Due t o incompetent construction, 10% chance of shooting off own bowsprit every time gun i s fired; 15%
chance of setting boat afire rather than 5%.
5 Plus 2 mortars firing on each broadside.
CHART 12: FRENCH SHIPS

Rate Guns Name Decks Crew Hull L.Guns CarronadeP Draft Wind Sail Turn
1sol 120 Cote &Or 3 110 120 25 2 24 2 1 2
1sol 110 Bretagne 3 100 110 24 1 23 2 1 2
3sol a0 Juste 2 83 a0 20 2 23 2 1 2
3sol 74 Formidable 2 70 74 20 2 21 2 1 2
3sol 74 Genereaux 2 70 74 16 3 21 2 1 2
3sol 64 Fantasque 2 65 64 12 - 19 2 1 2
3SOl 50 Oriflamme 2 45 50 8 - 18 2 1 2
4sol 44 Otarde 2 40 44 a - la 2 1 2
4fr 44 Forte 1 40 44 a 3 19 2 It 3
4fr 44 Pomone 1 37 44 6 3 19 2 II 3
5fr 40 Sibylle 1 32 40 6 1 18 2 Ill 3
5fr 36 Themis 1 35 36 4 2 17 2 Ill 3
5fr 34 Ronornmee 1 30 34 4 1 17 2 Ill 3
5fr 32 Alceste 1 26 32 4 1 16 2 Ill 3
6 corvl 24 Tactique (1) 16 20 4 1 14 2 Ill 3
Corvette1 Furet (1) 16 18 2 4 14 2 Ill 3
Brig1 Lodi (11 16 18 2 - 8 2 IV 3
Lugger1 Oiseau (1) 7 18 1 1 6 1 Ill 3
Xebec1 (1) 7 a i - 6 2 IV 3
Gunboat1 (1 4 4 12 - 4 2 IV 2
No carronades on any French vessels before 1790.
1 Ship rnay also move under oars.
2 Forward gun only; no broadside.
CHART 13: NORTH AFRICAN CORSAIRS

Rate Guns Name Decks Crew Hull L.Guns Draft Wind Sail Turn
4fr 44 Crescent 1 44 44 10 19 2 II 3
pink1 14 Tripoli (1) 8 14 1 4 1 Ill 3
xebec (1) 8 12 2 4 1 Ill 3
gunboat1 2 (1) 6 4 12 4 1 IV 3
1 Vessel rnay proceed under oars.
2 Fires directly forward only.
European and American vessels, paid as tribute, can also be found i n the service of the Barbary
Corsairs. No carronades.

39
CHART 14: SPANISH SHIPS

Rate Guns Name Decks Craw Hull L.Guns Carronades. Draft Wind Sail Turn
1sol 130 Santissima- 3 110 130 23 - 25 2 1 2
Tr irnidad
lsol 112 Principe de 3 90 112 22 - 24 2 1 2
Asturias
3sol 80 Argonauta 2 66 80 18 - 22 2 1 2
3501 80 Neptuno 2 66 80 19 5 22 2 1 2
3sol 74 S. lldefonso 2 62 74 13 5 21 2 1 2
3sol 74 Montanex 60 74 13 - 21 2 1 2
5fr 40 Media 28 40 5 5 18 2 Ill 3
6fr 34 Mahonesa 27 34 4 - 14 2 Ill 3
corvette 1 14 7 14 2 - 12 2 Ill 3
Brig1 8 12 1/04 2 8 2 IV 3
Xebec1 7 12 2 - 6 1 Ill 3
Galley1 51202 4 53 - 6 1 IV 3
No carronades before 1790.
1 Ship may also move under oars.
2 4/20 First number i s crew; second number i s captive rowers.
3 Forward-firing guns only.
4 First number i s before introduction of carronades; second number is after carronades.
CHART 15: SWEDISH SHIPS

Type Gum Name Decks Crew Hull L.Guns Draft Wind Sail Turn
1sol 110 I
3 85 110 35 24 2 I 2
2sol 94 3 80 94 26 22 2 I 2
3sol 80 Gustaf IV 2 75 80 20 21 2 I 2
3sol 74 Gustaf I II 2 68 74 19 20 2 I 2
3sol 66 Tapperhet 2 60 64 18 19 2 I
4fr 44 Euredice 1 35 44 10 16 2 II
5fr 40 Froja 1 30 40 9 16 2 Ill
5fr 36 Jarramas 1 28 36 5 15 2 Ill
5fr 32 lllerim 1 25 32 3 14 2 Ill
6frl 26 Hector 1 20 26 3 13 2 Ill
udemal 14 (1) 16 14 2 6 2 IV
gunstoop1 (1) 6 8 2 6 2 IV
gunyawl 1 (1) 4 4 2 5 2 IV
* Vessels of this type are listed in the Swedish Establishment but were apparently never built.
1 Ship may travel under oars.
CHART 16: SOME TYPICAL ( A N D UNTYPICAL) PRIVAT'EERS

Type Guns Decks Crew Hull L.Guns Carronadw Draft Wind Sail Turn
Ship 24 1 13 40 3 - 15 2 IV 3
Ship 16 (1) 10 16 1 - 8 2 Ill 3
Ship 14 (1) 8 14 1 - 6 2 IV 3
Ship 14 (1) 6 14 1 - 6 2 Ill 3
Ship 16 (1) 10 16 110 2 8 2 Ill 3
Brig 14 (1) 8 14 2 - 6 2 Ill 3
Brig 14 (1) 10 14 1 - 6 2 Ill 3
Tops1 12 (1) 10 12 1 - 4 1 Ill 3
Schooner
Schooner 8 (11 8 8 1 - 5 1 Ill 3
Clipper* 12 (1) 10 12 1 1 6 1 Ill 3
Lugger 8 (1) 8 8 1 - 4 1 Ill 3
Schuvt 8 (11 8 6 1 - 4 1 Ill 3
Clippers are used by Americans exclusively.
Privateer crew and armament was subject t o wide variation. Virtually a l l figures here given are sub-
ject t o change a t the option of the scenario designer.

Players will probably want t o read the Privateers and Gentlemen
novels by Jon Williams which are published by Dell Books. This i s an
ongoing series with three books already in print a t the time of game
publication.
The series follows the naval and privateering careers of a New
England family during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
Future volumes will continue t o focus on the adventures of some of
the characters already introduced in the series as well as those of later
generations.
For those who are unable t o obtain copies of the books in the
Privateers and Gentlemen series from local book shops the following
ordering information i s presented t o enable you t o order directly from
Dell Books:
All orders should be sent to Dell Books, P.0.Box 1000, Pine Brook,
N.J. 07058. Each order should specify the book ordered by title and
stock number and must include a check or money order t o cover the
price of the book plus 75 cents postage and handling for the first book
ordered and 25 cents for each additional book ordered.
The titles and stock numbers of the currently available books in
the series are listed below (and are highly recommended).
Title Stock No. Price

Vol. I The Privateer 0-440-1 681 1-2 $2 -75
V O l . II The Yankee 0-440-1 9779-1 $2.95
Vol. Ill The Raider 0-440-1 7357-4 $2.95
We feel certain the garners will enjoy these novels as much as do the
editorial staff a t FGU. Please join us in encouraging Dell t o publish
more books in the series as quickly as possible. From our experience
with publishing schedules it is probable that adjustments can b e made
t o make more books in this series available t o us in shorter periods
of time.

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Wheel or Tiller Smashed

Ship's Officer Hit

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3-mastedShips 2-masted Vessels Single-masted Vessels

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Chart 17 MOVEMENT UNDER OARS (per Leg)

lst, 2nd Rate (towed) 4 1 10

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French from 1796, Spanish, Turks, pirates,

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CHART 18.1: STRIKE AND SINK TABLE IX.l