Digital Ships

Short animations of galleys. Very nice.
http://www.youtube.com/user/FreeTheModels

16000 ! ?

 Amazingly , 16000 people have looked at this blog now. This helps to give me some impetus to set order in the rules....  I have recently been looking at information about Homeric naval warfare i.e. Pre-Classical.
I will put something up about this shortly. It will make an interesting sub-period for games without reducing the models maybe- a lot of biremes and pentekonters can be fitted on a 6x4 table.
What this space...

BEAUTIFUL DRAUGHTSMANSHIP

If you haven't seen this yet go and look !

(The unpleasant situation of the thalamites
is accurately depicted!)

Version 1.x

After several versions I can now

• Use thirty ships in a solo game
• Control ships in squadrons after a battle plan as an 'admiral'
• Control ships individually with the 'feel' of ramming tactics as a 'captain' 
• Involve deck troops as more than just 'plus factors'
• Include land actions as part of the battle
• Include weather/sea factors affecting the battle
• Have varying quality crews
• Have varying quality ships

 I am happy I can have a game which creates something of the 'golden age of ramming' using galleys.
The rules should work just as well for 1/600 lead models or even smaller if some details are cut out.

Once the last diagrams are drawn to clarify exactly how to move and fight I will upload a pdf.

 Now, should they be called 'Blood and Splinters' ? or 'Now the fight is for everything!' or 'The Age of Ramming'...?  And next is to move on and cater for the Hellenistic period...biiiiig ships.

TURNS and TEMPLATES

Playtesting has shown that my dearly-beloved templates which I used with 1/300 in order to mimic the real movement of ships in water can be laid to rest. Instead, the pivot-turns and wheels seem to do the trick at 1/400 without much bother and when handling lots of ships.

The only things needed are an angle indicator to show what penalties are due for what turn and a rule which gives 'ship lengths'.The first made from a defunct CD and the other a piece of tommestok.

SHIPYARDS BUSY

 New ships enter the fray. Four biremes, a pentekonter, 2 fours and three 3's..phew.