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.

MAKING 1/400 SHIPS (11cm to 40m)

Having made a bunch I have some tips if you want to try it at home. Takes 30 mins for one ship.

Print at 66% from original files. You can get 2 triremes on one A4 card by printing non-centered and running the card in again bottom.first. Smaller is possible but that means a pentekonter will be a nightmare and troops become meaningless blobs.

Use clothes-pegs or some other small clamp to hold edges while gluing - especially prow and stern.
A pair of blunt-ended tweezers also recommended especially for after ship is on base if anything needs adjusting. Make it complete before sticking to base.

Rest of tips are scribbled on a trireme print below.

 

Glue the ships to the base along the hull lower edges. A bit of thick paint can give a hint of a wave and add 

some adhesion when dry. 

Oar sections can be horizontal as if out of water or edge glued to base with again 'paint foam' to help hide edges and glue them down.

Add a little oar-wake and lhull-wake on the painted base. The base should be 2-3mm thick.

Write ship name at rear of base in white marker so it looks like foam from a distance.

LIGHT RELIEF

After all the blood and splinters I thought a bit of light relief may be needed.
Here is a nice artistic picture of a trireme I found somewhere on the net. Apologies if it is your pic, or wife.

NAUSEOS : POST MORTEM

Overall results:

NAUSEOS : SUNK-4     SINKING -3  ABLE - 4

ATHENS: SUNK-2     SINKING -3     ABLE-5     FLED - 1

The Athenians get a bloody nose but still have enough muscle to cow the rebellious Nauseans..


Most aspects of rules worked ok.
I got through 10 turns alone without getting bored using 23 ships !
No record keeping and variable game turn sequence helped a lot in this.
Skill differences worked well to allow better ships to outmanoeuvre worse.
Attack results need tweaking, as ever.
Epibatai combat very inconclusive which forces emphasis onto ships which is what I wanted.
(Note to self - Make more ships !)

 Since concocting first set of rules there have been some changes in approach.

I now feel 1/300 is too big. I want a battle not a skirmish. 1/400 seems to work well. Though these rules would work for smaller lead ships with some detail removed and record-cards adopted.

Ships at smaller size are 'administered' in units BUT still possible to act alone.

Complex manoeuvreing is still possible in the manner of the original ships without using templates for moving or complex calculation.

Record-keeping is ELIMINATED - this is great! Ships status can be seen on-table.

The dogfighting nature of the ram battle can be re-created. Better ships having a distinct advantage after the formations break up.

Now to type the modified rules up in readable language, again...

Any comment from others interested in galley wargames appreciated.

ATHENS GETS THE UPPER HAND