Close Action: The Age of Fighting Sail Vol. 1
Close Action: The Age of Fighting Sail Vol. 1 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- 1.0 Preliminaries
- 2.0 Sequence of Play
- 3.0 Reinforcement and Weather Phase
- 4.0 Plotting Phase
- 5.0 Movement
- 6.0 Sail
- 7.0 Movement Execution
- 8.0 Collisions and Fouling
- 9.0 Poor Maneuverability
- 10.0 Illegal Movement
- 11.0 Gunfire
- 12.0 Gunfire Damage
- 13.0 Marine Fire
- 14.0 Maintenance Phase
- 15.0 Crew Quality and Morale
- 16.0 Striking the Colors
- 17.0 Boarding
- 18.0 Reorganization
- 19.0 Prize Crew
- 20.0 Operating Captured Ships
- 21.0 Signaling
- 22.0 Towing
- 23.0 Anchoring
- 24.0 Shoal Water
- Optional Rules
- Scenario Rules
- Sequence of Play Summary
1.0 Preliminaries
Each ship counter represents a single ship and occupies 2 hexes. One face shows the ship under fighting sail, the other under medium sail.
Each ship belongs to a class from 1 to 4 and carries a letter from A to Z; the letter and number may also appear in red or yellow. The combination of number, letter, and color identifies each ship in the game.
The game uses 2d6 and 2d10. The d6 give results between 2 (1-1) and 12 (6-6), and the d10 give results between 0 (0-0) and 18 (9-9).
Filling In the Ship Log
A ship log is filled in for every ship taking part in the battle. The green, blue, and red cards are used to do this.
At the top, record the class. There are 4 classes, 1 through 4 — see column C on the green card.
ID: Record the letter of the chosen ship counter, A through Z.
NATION: Record the ship's nationality.
RATE: The class according to the ship's original number of guns.
Finally, record the ship's name and the player's name.
DRAFT: The minimum depth the ship needs to sail in.
CH MODIFIER: Critical hit modifier. Ranges from +1 to -4. Found in the CH column of the green card.
V.P.: Each ship's point cost, depending on crew quality and morale.
CQ and MR: Crew Quality and Morale Rating, respectively. Quality ranges from A to E and morale from 2 to 6; both are given in the scenario. After entering the starting CQ level, cross off the row on the CQ/SK column for each letter that comes before it — so at level B you would cross off the row for A. Then enter the corresponding morale number in the MR box.
RIGGING: Every ship has 4 sections. The number of boxes not crossed off appears in the "rigging" column. Just above each section are letters showing the sail level set.
HULL: Every ship has 4 hull sections. The number of boxes not crossed off appears in the "hull" column.
CREW: Every ship has 5 crew sections. The first 4 work the guns; the 5th, besides being able to perform various tasks, also acts as marines.
Gun Area
The ship log has an area for managing everything related to the guns. There are 3 classes of guns: long guns, medium guns, and carronades. Most ships have no medium guns. The number of guns of each class is recorded, next to the letters LG, MG, and CR, taken from the green card. There are two numbers in parentheses in the F:L column; both numbers go in the "freeboard" and LDGM boxes.
Obtaining the BGN (Basic Gun Number)
There are 15 boxes; each box holds a number obtained as follows:
- Obtain the TGF (Total Gun Factor). To do this, multiply the number of guns of each type at each range by the indicated multiplier; sum the totals to get the TGF for that range.
- Once you have the TGF for each range, go to the BGN table on the blue card. Cross-reference the TGF for each range with the range itself to get a BGN for that range.
Notes:
- If a multiplier appears as "—," the ship cannot fire at that range.
- If the BGN box you land on is gray, the ship cannot fire at that range.
- If the BGN box shows two numbers, the smaller applies to French ships.
There are two columns for tracking gunnery modifiers: one for port (left) and one for starboard (right). At the start of the game the only modifier entered is the one for the crew's CQ, which appears in the CQ/SK column.
Movement Area
The ship log has an area for movement.
MANEUVER TYPE: Every ship has a maneuver type from "a" to "d." The maneuver type appears on the green card in column M. Acceleration and deceleration values depend on the ship's maneuver type (see the red card). The cost of turning in the same direction or the opposite direction also depends on maneuver type, and can likewise be found on the red card.
SPEED TYPE: Every ship has one of 3 possible speed types: L (ship of the line), F (frigate), and C (corvette/sloop).
Within each category there are 3 possible speeds: f (fast), s (slow), and vs (very slow). Combining speed type with speed gives 9 possibilities for determining a ship's speed without factoring in the wind.
ALLOWED MOVEMENT: Movement is expressed in movement points a ship may use according to its heading relative to the wind, its sail level, and wind speed. So each speed type is cross-referenced with wind speed and sail level to obtain the allowed movement for the ship's heading relative to the wind.
2.0 Sequence of Play
Each turn is divided into 5 phases; the phases can be further divided into sub-phases.
Phase 1. Reinforcement and Weather Phase. First, reinforcements are placed in the hexes indicated by the scenario. Then the changes in wind direction and strength rolled the previous turn take effect. Finally, the wind's change and direction for the next turn is checked.
Phase 2. Plotting Phase. Most ship actions must be plotted in this phase. This includes moving, changing sail, preparing to tow and anchor, all boarding actions, repairs, fighting fires, and writing signals. A few actions — firing guns, marine fire, grappling, and most efforts to clear fouling — do not need to be plotted.
Phase 3. Movement Phase. All ships now execute the movement plotted in the previous phase. Each ship uses its movement allowance simultaneously, 1 MP at a time, until every ship has used all its plotted MPs. Finally, in this phase all planned changes to sail level are announced.
Phase 4. Combat Phase. Combat is resolved by carrying out the following steps in order:
- Announce all planned boarding attempts. Targets of a boarding attempt may react by assigning crew sections to FB (forming boarders) if not already formed.
- Resolve all gunfire and any critical hits from that fire, and all marine fire.
- Resolve all boarding combat, ship pair by ship pair or by group of connected ships.
Phase 5. Maintenance Phase. The following actions are carried out in this order:
Drift & Tacking. All drift and tacking is resolved in this sub-phase. Check for grappling and rigging fouling if drift or tacking causes a ship to collide with another.
Anchoring & Towing. Ships that planned to anchor, cut anchor cables, or cut tow cables do so in this sub-phase.
Grappling. Every ship may attempt to grapple every adjacent ship it is not already grappled to.
Ungrappling. Every ship may attempt to ungrapple from every ship it is grappled to. Note: ungrappling attempts come after grappling attempts.
Clearing fouling and fixing unwanted situations. Check any actions that require consulting the fouling table. Most of these actions can be checked the same turn they occur, so long as they don't require crew sections (CS) to carry out.
Fire and explosions. Fires, fire damage, fire spread and growth, and explosions are resolved in this sub-phase.
Reconciliation. In this sub-phase, first the effects of repairs are recorded; then all ships that meet any condition for escaping, or that exploded, are removed from the map. Morale checks are now made and signals reach their destination.
Finally, each player checks their ship log to make sure any changes have been recorded.
3.0 Reinforcement and Weather Phase
Scenarios indicate the entry turn, entry hex, and direction for reinforcements. The entry hex is where the ship's bow is placed.
Weather affects wind direction and speed, and sea state.
The starting wind direction is given in the scenario. Set the arrow to match the same direction on the wind rose printed on the map.
Wind speed is also given in each scenario, and affects ships' sailing abilities.
Sea state affects gunfire; it never changes during a scenario.
Any change in wind direction and speed takes effect at the start of the Reinforcement and Weather Phase of the following turn.
Wind Direction
The frequency with which the wind changes direction can be "ocean" or "coastal." Roll 2d10; if there is a change, you may need to roll 1d10 to see which direction.
Even if wind speed is 0, you must still check whether wind direction changes, to know which way it will blow if its speed increases.
Wind Speed
The frequency with which wind speed changes can be "calm" or "gusty." Roll 2d10; if there is a change, check what the change is.
Wind speed ranges from 0 to 4. Changes that would exceed these limits are ignored.
Wind speed can drop to 0 only if the scenario begins with a speed ≤ 1.
In scenarios where speed equals 1, a result of -1 on the speed change table counts as "no change."
A wind speed of 0 means ships cannot move or turn, but they can still fire. Any change in speed means it increases by 1 without a die roll.
If wind speed increases by 1, ships with an L heading are not considered immobilized on the first turn.
Sea State
Sea state does not vary during a scenario; a sea state ≥ 3 can have negative effects on gunfire.
4.0 Plotting Phase
All ships secretly and simultaneously plot most of the actions they will take in the turn; this is done during the Plotting Phase. A few actions — firing guns, marine fire, and some Maintenance Phase activities such as grappling, ungrappling, and most fouling-clearing attempts — do not need to be plotted, since they arise from how the Movement Phase plays out.
Assigning crew to tasks. Every task requires one or more crew sections (CS). The ship log specifies what those tasks are, their code, how many turns they take, and how many CS are needed.
Tasks that take more than one turn to complete must be carried out by the same CS that began them; if the CS assigned changes, the task is not completed and the turns spent on it are lost.
Signaling. Each player may write one signal for other players on their side. Signals are delivered at the end of the turn.
Assigning Crew to Tasks
First you must establish which CS will perform which tasks. In general, each task is covered in the rules. The most important rule is that any CS can perform any task except boarding — when a ship is boarding or defending against a boarding action, the sections with the lowest order number must be used first.
Each CS can only do one task per turn. Once a CS is designated for a task, it cannot be assigned to any other task that same turn.
If a CS is eliminated, the task it was performing is not completed, and any accumulated progress recorded for that task must be crossed off.
Unassigned crew. CS not assigned to tasks can be used to fire guns; likewise, if the marine CS has not been assigned to a task, it can fire on adjacent enemy ships.
Even if all CS are assigned to tasks, the ship can still move normally.
5.0 Movement
Allowed movement is the maximum number of MPs a ship may use in the turn before factoring in acceleration and deceleration. A ship's allowed movement is determined during the Plotting Phase of each turn. Except for the restrictions imposed by acceleration and deceleration, a ship may use one, some, or all of its allowed MPs.
Allowed movement depends on 5 factors:
- Speed type. One of 3 types: L, F, or C.
- Wind speed. Ranges from 0 to 4.
- Ship's heading relative to the wind. There are 4 possibilities: L, C, B, and R.
- Sail level. There are 5 levels: PS (plain/full sail), MS (medium sail), FS (fighting sail), Furled, and dismasted. Furled and dismasted amount to the same thing.
- Sail damage. For each rigging section lost, a ship generally loses movement capacity. Losing a single box within a section has no effect unless it causes the loss of the entire section.
Using the Movement Table
The interaction of the 5 factors above gives a ship's theoretical maximum movement capacity, shown as a block of numbers. However, the number of MPs a ship may actually move is constrained by acceleration and deceleration, producing an ALLOWED MOVEMENT RANGE. This range runs:
- At the top, to the ship's speed the previous turn plus its acceleration.
- At the bottom, to the ship's speed the previous turn minus its deceleration.
- It can never exceed the ship's allowed movement for its heading relative to the wind.
After deciding how many MPs to spend, write the ship's movement in the space provided on the ship log for the current turn.
A ship may take one of 3 possible actions with each MP, each action costing 1 MP:
- Move straight ahead (recorded as the number of hexes moved straight ahead).
- Turn right 60° relative to heading (S).
- Turn left 60° relative to heading (P).
The maximum number of hexes a ship can move in a straight line is governed by the ship's heading relative to the wind. If a ship moves in a straight line up to the maximum allowed for that heading, it cannot move any further. If it moves less than that, it may turn to another heading and move until it exhausts its available MPs.
A ship that doesn't move straight ahead during a turn (even if it turns) is "stopped"; its speed is 0 for purposes of calculating acceleration and deceleration.
Turns
Turning into an L heading: A ship that turns onto an L heading immediately ends its movement. At that moment it spends no further MPs.
If a ship has 0 allowed movement it can never move forward, but it can still turn.
Ships have a maneuverability rating from "a" (poorly maneuverable) to "d" (highly maneuverable).
A ship can make a maximum of 2 turns per turn, and in some cases only 1 turn. Each turn is 60°.
Ships turn by pivoting on the bow — meaning the stern swings and the bow stays in the hex it occupied. Exception: anchoring with stern springs.
After turning, a ship must move straight ahead a set number of hexes before it can turn again; this number of hexes depends on the ship's maneuverability, its speed, and whether the turn is in the same direction as the previous turn. A ship can never make 2 consecutive turns, even across 2 turns of play (Exception: tacking).
On the ship log, in the movement area, record the number of hexes to move straight before turning in the same direction or the opposite direction.
The speed used to determine how many hexes must be moved straight before turning is the speed for the current turn — that is, the speed decided upon after applying acceleration and deceleration.
Note: All ships, regardless of maneuverability, have a 1* for a speed of 1. This means that even with only 1 MP, they must move 1 hex straight ahead before turning, or not move at all for a turn before being able to turn.
Turning with Allowed Movement 0, Tacking, and Immobilized Ships
Any ship that is not dismasted with 0 allowed movement may make a turn as long as it doesn't violate any movement rule. Unlike ordinary movement, this turn is not automatic — it must be checked against the "TACKING" table. If it fails, the ship may try again the next turn; the turn plot is erased since it did not occur, and 0 is entered instead, since there is no movement.
- Ships cannot turn when wind speed is 0.
- Dismasted ships cannot turn voluntarily; they can turn if being towed or while drifting partially.
Procedure for turning with 0 allowed movement. Roll 1d10 and modify it according to the "TACKING" table; if the total result is ≤ the required number, the turn succeeds.
Explanation of modifiers: Assume 3 CS are used and "T" is written for the turn in which the ship wants to tack. For each CS not assigned to the task, add 2, up to a maximum of +6 if no CS is assigned to the task (the table shows +8, but you should use +6).
A modifier of -2 must be added if the ship's heading is not L.
Ship With an L Heading (Tacking)
A ship that ends up with an L heading during movement stops immediately. On the following turn it may take one of 3 actions:
- Attempt to keep turning in the same direction — this is a "tack," an exception to the general rule that a ship cannot make 2 consecutive turns. A TACK is a form of turning with 0 allowed movement.
- Attempt to turn in the opposite direction — this is a "false tack," also an exception to the general rule prohibiting 2 consecutive turns. Ships attempting a "false tack" apply the "Reversing Tack" modifier.
- Set movement to 0, which could leave the ship immobilized.
Immobilized Ships
Any ship with an L heading that does not turn on the following Movement Phase is immobilized. There are 3 exceptions to this rule:
- Anchored ships.
- A ship that cuts its anchor cable is not immobilized on the turn following the turn it cut the cable.
- A ship is never immobilized when wind speed is 0, since there is technically no L heading. For this reason, ships with an L heading are not immobilized on the first turn after wind speed increases from 0 to 1; that turn, they must use the turning rules for 0 allowed movement.
Turning while immobilized. Like any ship with 0 movement, an immobilized ship cannot turn automatically. It must write "T" and check the "TACKING" table with a +1 modifier for being immobilized.
Remaining immobilized. A ship that fails its turn attempt may try again the next turn. The ship cannot turn or move, though it can drift, until it succeeds at turning, the wind direction changes, it is towed, or it lets go its anchor.
NOTE: A ship with an L heading that collided with or grappled another ship, even momentarily, is automatically immobilized, even if the ship has just turned onto an L heading.
Acceleration and Deceleration
Ships that have moved at least 1 hex in a straight line are "under way"; ships that spent no MP moving straight and only turned are "stopped."
A ship is also considered stopped if:
- It was grappled or fouled at any point the previous turn.
- Wind speed dropped to 0.
- The ship was involved in a collision the previous turn.
Stopped ships, for purposes of acceleration and deceleration, moved 0 the previous turn.
A stopped ship that turns on spending its first MP cannot move any further.
A ship's acceleration is reduced by 1 if it has lost 2 rigging sections, if it is towing another ship, if wind speed is 1, or if it received a "BRACES CUT" critical hit. For these reasons, a ship's acceleration can never be reduced to 0.
If a ship with acceleration 1 receives a "SHEETS CUT" critical hit, it is left with acceleration 0.
6.0 Sail
A ship's sail can be set in 4 ways depending on the level deployed: sails furled or dismasted, fighting sail, medium sail, and full sail. More sail means more speed but greater vulnerability to damage and other adverse effects.
FULL SAIL: The ship counter is placed reverse side up and a full-sail marker is placed on it. A ship can carry full sail until it loses its first rigging section.
MEDIUM SAIL: The ship counter is placed reverse side up. A ship can carry medium sail until it loses its second rigging section.
FIGHTING SAIL: The ship counter is placed obverse side up. A ship may use this configuration unless it is dismasted.
FURLED OR DISMASTED: When a ship does not need propulsion, it furls its sails. A ship may also have its sails dismasted through combat. A "FURLED" or "DISMASTED" marker is placed on the obverse of the ship counter.
Changing Sail Level
Ships can change their sail level up or down.
The change and the CS assigned to the task are recorded during the Plotting Phase. This task can take 1 to 3 turns and requires 1 to 2 CS continuously. A ship changing sail level must display a "MEN IN THE RIGGING" marker to show it is changing sail.
A ship can change FS→MS, MS→FS, FS→Furled, and Furled→FS using 1 CS over 1 turn, though crews of quality E, F, and G need 2 turns.
A ship can change MS→PS and PS→MS using 2 CS over 2 turns, though crews of quality E, F, and G need 3 turns.
Procedure: The task is written during the Plotting Phase, and in the subsequent Movement Phase it is announced by placing a "MEN IN THE RIGGING" marker on the ship; if the marker is not placed, it is as if the task had not been plotted.
The change takes effect in the Maintenance Phase of the turn in which the sail-change task is completed. Until then, the sail level prior to the change is used.
Each CS that begins a sail-change task must continue until the change is complete, unless one of the following situations occurs, in which case the other CS, if any, abandons the task:
- A CS suffers a critical hit that forces it to reorganize, or is eliminated.
- The ship becomes dismasted during the sail change.
- The ship receives a "LINES JAMMED" critical hit.
Blocked Wind
A ship has its wind blocked if its windward side is occupied by a ship carrying fighting sail or more sail. Thus:
Ships with a C or B heading must have both windward hexes occupied.
Ships with an R heading only need a ship carrying fighting sail or higher directly astern of them.
A ship with blocked wind has its allowed movement reduced by 1. A ship can never be left with no movement capacity for this reason alone — wind blocking is therefore applied after all other modifiers to the ship's allowed movement.
7.0 Movement Execution
During the Movement Phase, ships execute the movement plotted in the Plotting Phase. Ships must move exactly as set out during plotting, except when deviation is allowed by an emergency turn or forced by a collision.
There are 10 movement segments in each Movement Phase, since the maximum allowed movement is 10, so each segment consumes 1 MP.
Ships move simultaneously; this must be done carefully, since other ships can interfere with movement through a collision, a disputed hex, or an overlap.
The general rule is that only one ship may occupy a hex in a given segment, so cases where 2 or more ships try to occupy the same hex in the same movement segment must be regulated. These situations fall into 3 types:
- When a ship's stern turns into an already-occupied hex, or turns just as another ship is about to occupy that hex, an overlap situation occurs. If either ship continues moving, the situation is resolved in the next movement segment.
- When the bows of 2 or more ships try to enter the same hex simultaneously, it is a disputed hex. Only one of the 2 ships may enter the hex. The losing ship must resolve a potential collision. There is a special disputed-hex situation: it occurs when 2 or more ships use their last plotted MP to turn their sterns toward the same hex.
- When a ship's bow moves straight ahead into a hex already occupied by another ship, a collision situation occurs. The ramming ship may attempt an emergency turn, but cannot exceed its turn limit; this emergency turn is a "BEARING OFF." If it fails, or if the ramming ship does not wish to or cannot perform a "BEARING OFF," a collision occurs.
Overlap
There are several situations in which this can occur.
A ship's stern turns into a hex occupied by another ship, or one that is about to be occupied by another ship. This is an overlap situation if it happens in the same segment, and it is an exception to the rule forbidding 2 ships from occupying the same hex.
If the hex where the overlap occurs is not vacated in the next segment of the same turn, or if the ships move simultaneously in the next segment and the overlap continues, then one of the ships must change its plotted movement, as explained below:
- The hex was already occupied. If one of the ships was already in the hex where the overlap occurs, the ship that was trying to enter it stern-first returns to the position immediately prior to the overlap for its movement. If this would violate deceleration limits, it instead moves straight ahead the minimum necessary to satisfy deceleration limits. Adjust the movement plot on the ship log accordingly.
- Bow versus stern. The bow always has priority; the ship turning its stern reverts to its previous position. If this would violate deceleration limits, it instead moves straight ahead the minimum necessary to satisfy deceleration limits. There is no disputed hex here, since the bow always wins the position.
- Sterns turning simultaneously. If both ships turn toward the same hex at the same time, that hex becomes a disputed hex. Only one of the ships will get the hex, but there is no collision. Both ships' movement ends at that point. If this violates deceleration limits, the ship or ships move straight ahead the minimum necessary to satisfy their deceleration limits. All logs are updated to reflect the plotted movements.
Disputed Hexes
A hex is disputed if:
- The bows of 2 or more ships try to enter the same hex in the same movement segment.
- The sterns of 2 or more ships try to enter the same hex in the same segment, and neither ship intends to move any further.
Each ship involved rolls 1d6; whichever rolls highest enters the hex. If ships tie for the highest roll, they roll again until one achieves a higher roll. Modifiers to the roll:
- +1 for each CQ level better than the other ship.
- +1 for the ship with the higher plotted speed.
- +1 for each class higher than the opposing ship.
The ship that wins the disputed hex may choose who enters the hex.
Bow to bow: In this situation, the losing ship must make an emergency turn or collide with the winner.
Stern to stern: There is no collision; the ship that doesn't win the hex adjusts its plotted movement.
More than 2 ships: If there are more than 2 ships, the same procedure is followed; if all tie, all roll again; if only 2 tie, those 2 roll again, and the process continues until there is only one winner.
Emergency Turn
A potential collision occurs when a ship attempts to move straight ahead into a hex occupied by another ship, either because the hex was occupied by another ship at the start of the segment, or because it lost a disputed hex. In this case, the ship that lost a disputed hex may make an emergency turn to avoid colliding with the other ship.
Possibility of Making the Turn, and Procedure
To see whether the turn can be made, consult the movement executed so far, taking the following factors into account:
- A ship cannot turn twice in the same turn.
- A ship cannot make 2 consecutive turns.
- A ship must move straight ahead a set number of hexes to turn in the same direction as its previous turn, or in a different direction.
The speed used is the one plotted in the Plotting Phase of the current turn.
If, after making the checks above, the emergency turn is found to be possible, check the "BEARING OFF" table.
A ship may make only one emergency turn per turn.
If the emergency turn succeeds, it is carried out and the ship stops, unless this would violate deceleration rules, in which case it must move straight ahead the necessary hexes.
If the ship does not wish to make the emergency turn, or the attempt fails, it will collide with the other ship.
Deciding the Emergency Turn When More Than One Ship Is Involved
If two or more emergency-turn situations occur in the same turn but in different segments, the turn attempts and decisions to make them are resolved in order of segment number.
If turn attempts occur in the same segment, the order is determined randomly.
If the result is ≤ the required number, the ship may turn as planned; otherwise, it must move 1 hex straight ahead and then make the turn. The ship log must be adjusted to reflect the movement actually made.
Ships whose last plotted MP was intended for a turn, and that fail the poor-maneuverability table check, must move straight ahead, and the first thing they do the following turn is make the planned turn.
Poor Maneuverability and Turning With 0 Allowed Movement
A ship that, in addition to poor maneuverability, has 0 allowed movement must check both tables: Poor Maneuverability and TACKING. Only if it succeeds on both checks may it turn; otherwise the ship must wait until the next turn (with a modifier for being immobilized if it has an L heading), but it does not check the Poor Maneuverability table again, since in that case the turn happens automatically the following turn. Important: if the ship fails its check, the TACKING table process must be started over again on that following turn.
In a situation of 0 movement capacity, failing the Poor Maneuverability check does not mean having to move 1 MP in a straight line, since movement capacity is 0.
8.0 Collisions and Fouling
A potential collision occurs when a ship attempts to enter a hex already occupied by another ship.
If a ship fails or chooses not to make an emergency turn, the potential collision becomes an actual collision.
Ships involved in a collision stop their movement for the rest of the turn, even if this violates deceleration rules. Both ships are also considered "stopped" for purposes of the next plotted movement.
Loss of Rigging From Collision
A ship that collides with and rams another ship loses 1d6-1 rigging boxes if carrying fighting sail, 1d6+1 if under medium sail, and 2d6 if under full sail.
If both ships meet bow to bow, both check for rigging loss.
A ship that drifts into another ship loses no rigging.
The effects of rigging loss from a collision are the same as rigging loss from gunfire.
Possible Fouling
After collision damage is applied, check the collision table. On a result of ≥ 6, both ships become fouled: place a fouling marker between them and note that they are fouled in the current turn's notes area.
The sail level used is the one the ship had before the collision.
A ship that is dismasted at the start of the turn cannot become fouled with other ships.
A ship that is fouled with another ship remains fouled even if it subsequently becomes dismasted.
Fouled ships may attempt to clear the fouling by checking the fouling table during the Maintenance Phase. Each attempt to clear fouling must be recorded in the notes area on the turn it is attempted, since later attempts are easier.
9.0 Poor Maneuverability
Damage to a ship's steering gear reduces that ship's maneuverability.
Ships have poor maneuverability when the hull critical hit table specifies effects such as a destroyed rudder or a hit wheel, or due to special scenario rules.
Procedure: A ship with poor maneuverability must, each time it attempts a turn, roll 1d10 and check the Poor Maneuverability table.
10.0 Illegal Movement
If a player does not plot movement for a ship, the ship moves straight ahead using the previous turn's speed.
If a movement is illegal, it is not carried out, and neither are the subsequent movements plotted for the current turn — movement ends at that point. If this would violate deceleration rules, the ship moves straight ahead the minimum necessary to satisfy deceleration rules.
11.0 Gunfire
At the start of the Combat Phase, each ship individually and simultaneously decides:
- Whether it will fire. This is not mandatory.
- If there is more than one target, which enemy ship or ships it will fire on.
- Whether it fires at the hull or at the rigging.
- What type of ammunition it uses.
To make sure the choice to fire is simultaneous, either side may require that all fire be recorded at the start of the Combat Phase. To do this, write the following in the GUN FIRE column for the current turn on the ship log:
- Target of the shot. The target ship's identification letter may be used.
- Gunfire modifier (MGN).
- Ammunition type: round shot or chain shot.
- High fire (rigging) or low fire (hull).
- The die roll.
A ship may fire at one or two ships in the same Combat Phase. Marines may fire on any adjacent ship.
At short and medium range (≤ 9 hexes) a ship may aim high (rigging) or low (hull); if nothing is specified, it is assumed to fire low. At long range (≥ 10 hexes) it must always fire high.
Firing Arc and Line of Sight
Each ship occupies 2 hexes. For firing purposes, each ship is divided into 4 batteries: port side, starboard side, bow, and stern. Each battery can fire separately; the firing arc and line of sight (LOS) of each battery are judged independently.
For a battery to fire, 2 conditions must be met:
- At least part of the target ship must be within the battery's firing arc.
- The firing battery must be able to trace a LOS to the ship within its firing arc.
Each battery's firing arc is a 60° arc with a range of 15 hexes.
For an enemy ship to be a valid target, it must be wholly or partly within at least one of the 4 arcs. If at least one enemy ship is within a battery's arc, it must then be determined whether it is in LOS. Each firing battery independently traces LOS to the target ship. Note: it is common for one battery to be able to trace LOS to a target ship while another on the same side cannot.
Tracing LOS
LOS is determined by tracing a straight line from the center of the firing battery's hex to the centers of the target ship's bow and stern hexes.
The firing battery must have LOS to every hex of the target ship that lies within its firing arc in order to fire.
Important: the battery only needs to be able to trace LOS to the hexes of the target ship that are within its arc — it ignores any part of the target ship that falls outside its firing arc.
LOS is blocked if it passes through a land hex, along a blocked hexside, or through a hex occupied by a ship other than the target; a friendly ship that is too close can also block LOS.
Blocked hexside: LOS passing along a hexside is blocked if both hexes adjacent to that hexside block LOS.
Friendly ships blocking LOS: Friendly ships at certain distances (≥ 5 hexes) from the firing ship generate hexes that block LOS.
Friendly ships at 5-9 hexes: The hexes adjacent to the blocking friendly ship, at equal or greater distance from the firing ship than the friendly ship, are LOS-blocking hexes.
Friendly ships at ≥ 10 hexes: In this case, the LOS-blocking hexes are those adjacent to the friendly ship out to 2 hexes distant, that are at equal or greater distance from the firing ship than the friendly ship.
To calculate distance, use the shortest distance from the firing ship to the friendly ship causing the LOS problem.
It is enough for part of the ship to be within the battery's firing arc to block that battery's shot; friendly ships entirely outside the battery's arc do not block that battery's LOS.
A friendly ship blocks at a given distance if the whole ship is within that distance, or if only part of the ship is at that distance because the rest of the ship is outside the battery's arc.
Cannon Fire
A ship's fire against another ship depends on many factors, including the firing ship's BGN, damage suffered by the firing ship, ammunition type, and other considerations. Every factor affecting a ship's gunfire is found in the gunnery area of the ship log.
Artillery fire and marine fire are simultaneous; damage suffered by a ship during the Combat Phase does not affect its fire in that same Combat Phase.
After fire has been declared, it is resolved in any order, except that raking fire astern is resolved first, then raking fire forward, then the rest of the fire, including marine fire.
Gunfire Procedure
Each ship's gunfire is resolved as follows:
- Determine the range.
- Determine the BGN. Find the basic gun number.
- Determine the MGN. Find the gunnery modifier number.
- Roll 1d6 to get the FGN (final gunnery number).
- Determine damage. Cross-reference the FGN with the chosen target (hull or rigging) according to sail level to determine the damage caused to the target.
Range: Count the hexes from the firing ship to the nearest hex of the target ship, using the shortest path requiring the fewest hexes.
Determine the Basic Gun Number (BGN): Based on the range obtained, take the number shown in the box below that range.
Determine the (MGN) gunnery modifier number: Add or subtract all modifiers applicable to that side or battery; the result is the MGN. Modifiers are tracked separately for port and starboard.
Note: keep a running total of the modifier to the BGN for each side, so the MGN can be calculated quickly. The modifiers are:
- CQ artillery modifier for crew quality.
- Number of CS assigned to firing guns.
- Dismounted guns.
- Bonus for first broadside fired.
- Darkened side.
- Other modifiers.
- Raking fire.
Description of Gunfire Modifiers
CQ artillery modifier: Can range from +6 to -6. This modifier depends on crew quality.
Number of CS assigned to firing: The normal situation is that all 4 CS are assigned to firing. For each CS not assigned to this task, apply a -3. If all 4 CS are on other tasks, the ship cannot fire.
Marines cannot fire the guns, nor can CS assigned to another task.
Dismounted guns: When a ship loses a hull section, or when the hull suffers certain critical hits, a number of guns are dismounted. Dismounted guns must be allocated to one side or both sides. All dismounted-gun results are cumulative.
Bonus for first broadside fired: When a ship fires a broadside for the first time (whether the full broadside or just one battery) and the target ship is at ≤ 5 hexes, the BGN increases between +4 and +1 depending on range. At longer ranges there is no modifier, and if it fires at a longer range this bonus is lost. There is an indicator per side in the gunnery area that is crossed off when it fires, whether or not the bonus applied.
Darkened side (temporary): A side darkened by a rigging critical hit causes a -2 when firing from that darkened side (note as -2P or -2S). This penalty lasts until fixed with a die roll during the fouling-clearing and repair sub-phase. Each darkened side must be marked with a marker, and the fact recorded on the ship log.
Other modifiers: There are various modifiers that can apply to the BGN, such as:
Ship under full sail firing: A ship under full sail with wind speed ≥ 2 has a -1 for being heeled over more than normal.
Firing dismasting shot: A ship firing dismasting shot has a +1, but it only causes damage to hull and crew and causes no critical hit to the hull. Some rigging critical hits do not apply when firing dismasting shot. Dismasting shot has a range of 7 hexes. A ship may fire any type of ammunition at different targets. Round shot is always assumed unless dismasting shot (DS) is specifically indicated.
Wind speed: If wind speed is 4, there is a -1 to the BGN.
Anchored ship: An anchored ship, whether normally or with springs, has a +1 to the BGN.
Dismasted ship: If a firing ship was dismasted at the start of the turn, its BGN is reduced by the sea state number.
Full broadside vs. half broadside: If only one battery fires at a target, it is said to fire a half broadside. Firing a half broadside carries a -8 to the BGN.
Firing at two targets: If a ship fires at 2 targets, whether with a full or half broadside, it has a -10 on each shot. This modifier replaces the previous one — that is, it does not stack with the modifier for firing only one battery at a target. This modifier also applies if firing from both sides.
All modifiers are cumulative.
The firer may reduce the MGN modifier at will, in order to do as little damage as possible if intending to capture the ship.
After determining the MGN, roll 1d6 to get the FGN (final gunnery number). The table, cross-referenced by that FGN, gives results depending on whether the shot was aimed at hull or rigging.
12.0 Gunfire Damage
A ship can take damage to rigging (r), hull (h), and crew (c). If a "●" appears, there was no damage. The number before the letter indicates how many boxes are crossed off; a letter alone means only one box is crossed off.
Results separated by a slash: Results separated by a slash mean only one of the two adjacent results is recorded; roll 1d6 to decide: 1-3 takes the left-hand result, 4-6 takes the right-hand result. If more than one result is "slashed," each is checked separately.
The damage shown on the side of the slash indicated by the 1d6 roll is always applied. Example: r-c-h/● — you lose 1 rigging, 1 crew, and 1 hull (if you roll 1-3), or you lose 1 rigging and 1 crew (if you roll 4-6).
All damage is recorded in the section with the lowest ordinal number. Write the turn number in which the damage occurred in the affected box; this marks the box as crossed off.
Rigging Damage
Ships suffer rigging damage according to their sail level.
Dismasted ships. A dismasted ship takes no rigging damage, since it has no rigging left. However, any hit to the rigging cancels any rigging repair in progress.
Furled sails. This is the least vulnerable situation. A ship with furled sails consults the "FS" column whether fired on at hull or rigging, and the rigging damage caused is divided by 2. Where this results in a ½, meaning half a box would be crossed off, roll 1d6: 1-3 crosses off the whole box; 4-6 crosses off nothing.
FS: Damage is taken normally.
MS: Combine the FS damage with the damage shown in the MS column.
PS: Add the damage shown in the MS and PS columns to the FS damage.
Sail Status for Damage
Sometimes there is a difference between sail status for damage and sail status for movement.
A ship that loses the ability to carry full sail or medium sail continues at those levels for purposes of receiving damage, if that is the level shown in its most recent sail-status entry. In other words, a ship remains at, say, medium sail for damage purposes if that is what's recorded in its log, while for movement purposes it must check its actual movement capacity based on its real sail status.
To show the sail level for damage when it differs from the sail level for movement, place PS or MS markers near the ship. These markers do not indicate the ship's movement capacity; instead, they show its sail level for purposes of receiving damage.
The sail level for all other purposes (movement, drift, blocked wind, etc.) is determined by the sail status recorded on the ship log. Sail status for damage is changed using the normal sail-change procedure.
Exception: if a ship becomes dismasted, it is dismasted for all purposes, and any PS or MS marker is removed.
Loss of a Rigging Section
When a rigging section is completely crossed off, the ship must immediately check for a critical hit. Use the RC column and apply the result, then cross off the R inside the diamond next to the lost section to show that the appropriate critical-hit check has been made.
Hull Damage
When a hull section is completely crossed off, the ship:
- Must immediately make a hull critical-hit check using the HC column, applying the result and crossing off the H inside the diamond next to the now-lost section to show the check has been made.
- Must add the indicated modifier (-1, -2, -3) depending on which hull section was destroyed. This dismounted-guns modifier is added to both the port and starboard sides.
- Must make one or two morale checks (MC), depending on the number of M's next to the destroyed hull section. The number of checks made is recorded in the corresponding column on the ship log.
Crew Damage
Each lost crew box must be taken from either the sailor sections or the marine section.
Roll 1d6 and check the crew-loss table for each lost crew box. Use the "gunfire to hull" line when firing low with round shot, and use the "other causes" line for any other cause of crew loss: high fire, low fire with dismasting shot, marine fire, and boarding combat.
If only one type of crew remains, it takes the entire loss.
All crew lost from any cause must first be recorded in the section with the lowest order number.
Critical Hits
In addition to the damage taken, a ship may also suffer critical damage. Procedure: whenever a 6 is rolled in determining the FGN, there is a chance of a critical hit. If 1d6 ± CH (critical-hit modifier) ≤ the critical-hit number on the FGN line used, a critical hit occurs.
If there is a critical hit, roll 2d6 and consult the hull or rigging critical-hit table, depending on where the shot was aimed.
All critical hits take effect immediately in the Combat Phase. Like any other damage, critical-hit damage does not prevent the target ship from returning fire.
Extra box losses from critical hits: Some critical hits indicate the loss of additional boxes, on top of the losses caused by gunfire. The number and type of boxes indicated by the critical hit must be crossed off immediately. If the crossed-off boxes cause a section to be lost entirely, the rules for the total loss of a hull, rigging, or crew section apply.
Raking Fire
Raking fire occurs when the firing ship is able to fire more or less along the entire length of the target ship. This kind of fire does more damage than normal, since each cannonball penetrates the ship at its weakest point and smashes through everything in its path, reaching more men and guns than a ball striking the ship's side.
Definition of raking fire: If the target ship is at ≤ 5 hexes from the firing ship, and any of the following situations apply to the firing ship, it is raking fire:
- It can fire at the target and is outside all of the target ship's firing arcs.
- It occupies a hex adjacent to and ahead of the target ship's bow, or astern of it, and can fire at the target. In this situation the target may be able to return fire.
Raking fire provides a modifier to fire at ≤ 5 hexes equal to the first-broadside modifier. Both the raking and first-broadside modifiers may be used in the same turn.
Effects of Sternward Raking Fire
If the target ship is raked from astern, the effects are deadly, since the stern of most ships was built of light planking and glazing. Thus:
- All crew boxes lost are doubled (losses from critical-hit damage are not doubled).
- If a dismounted-guns result occurs from a hull critical-hit check, both sides are affected.
The "rudder destroyed/damaged" critical hit cannot occur from a cannon shot fired by a ship that is entirely within the target ship's bow arc. If this result occurs under such circumstances, this critical hit becomes an extra hull hit instead.
Lower-Deck Guns
A ship on which the wind strikes from one side may heel over in a way that hampers firing. To calculate this effect, compare the distance between the waterline and the line of the lower battery's gunports (the freeboard number) with the sea state.
- Sea state number < freeboard number: no effect.
- Sea state number = freeboard number: subtract the LDGM from the BGN for the side away from the wind. This does not affect ships with an L or R heading relative to the wind.
- Sea state number > freeboard number: subtract the LDGM from the BGN for both sides, regardless of the ship's heading relative to the wind.
13.0 Marine Fire
Only the marine section may fire, and only at adjacent enemy ships, or at those 2 hexes away with a +1.
Marine sections performing any task unrelated to boarding cannot fire that turn.
This means marine sections that have plotted FB, BR, or BD actions can fire, but marines performing BA tasks or engaged in an ongoing boarding action cannot fire.
Only one ship may be fired upon.
Procedure: Count the number of boxes available at the start of the turn and roll 1d6 on the marine fire table, applying modifiers cumulatively. The result is the number of crew boxes crossed off on the enemy ship. For each box, check whether a sailor or marine box is crossed off using the "other causes" line — this check must be made unless:
- The target ship has only one type of crew.
- The target ship is forming or has formed boarding parties consisting only of sailor sections, in which case the "fire at hull" line is used.
Modifiers. All are cumulative.
- If the firing ship (class) is larger than the target ship: -1.
- Marine quality is E or F: +1.
- Marine quality is G: +2.
- The firing ship is grappled or fouled with the target ship: -1.
- The target ship has boarding parties prepared or being prepared: -1.
All marine fire is simultaneous.
CORRECTION: They may fire on an enemy ship 2 hexes away, but for each hit scored, if 1d6 ≤ 3 a casualty is recorded; otherwise there is no effect.
14.0 Maintenance Phase
In the Maintenance Phase, ships carry out a variety of actions. These actions are done in the following order.
Drift and Tacking
A ship that is stopped on a turn and not aground may drift. Whether it drifts depends on its sail status and wind speed. If 1d10 ± modifiers ≥ the required number, the ship drifts. The smaller the ship, the more easily it drifts.
The order for checking drift is as follows: from greatest wind exposure to least — starting with ships at B heading, then R, then C, then L. Within each heading, ships are taken from smallest to largest class, i.e., 1 to 4.
A ship that drifts moves 1 hex in the direction of the wind, without changing its heading relative to the wind. Exception: partial drift.
If a ship drifts into a hex occupied by another ship, it cannot drift and stays where it is. Exception: partial drift. It may become fouled with the ship blocking its drift unless either ship is dismasted. Roll on the collision table to see if the ships become fouled.
Note: drifting ships never suffer an additional rigging loss.
Partial drift: If the drifting ship's drift path is partially blocked by the bow or stern of another ship, it may drift, but not the entire ship — only the part of the ship that can do so, pivoting on the part that cannot drift. In this case the ship's orientation relative to the wind may change.
The collision table must be checked to see if the ships become fouled, but no additional rigging loss is checked.
Grappled and fouled ships cannot drift partially.
Group of drifting ships: A group of fouled, grappled, towing, or towed ships always drifts as a group. Ships in a group cannot change their heading while drifting, nor can they drift partially. If the group's drift is blocked (wholly or partially), the whole group stays as it is, checking for fouling.
If a drift is possible, only one ship checks — the one with the lowest probability. If it succeeds, the entire group drifts.
Tacking: This is a controlled drift that anchored ships can perform.
Anchoring
Since anchoring is uncommon and occurs in very few scenarios, all anchoring rules are covered later. However, setting and weighing anchor happens during the anchoring sub-phase of the Maintenance Phase.
Grappling and Ungrappling
At the start of the grappling sub-phase, ships may attempt to grapple each adjacent ship once, provided that in the preceding Movement Phase both the grappling ship and the target of the grappling attempt each spent ≤ 2 MPs.
If a ship is fouled with another, this does not affect its chance of grappling.
Friendly ships may grapple each other, but check the same way as when attempting to grapple an enemy ship.
Procedure: Roll 1d10 on the grappling table. If successful, place a grappling marker between the ships. Only one grappling marker may connect each pair of ships.
Burning ships, and ships with F or G crew that have struck their colors, cannot attempt to grapple.
Grappled ships cannot move or turn; they can drift, but not partially.
Ungrappling: After grappling attempts are made, grappled ships may attempt to ungrapple by rolling 1d10 on the fouling table, applying only the modifiers relevant to the ungrappling attempt, as well as other modifiers. Ungrappling does not require the presence of CS.
Friendly ships do not ungrapple automatically — they check the table, even if the attempt is made by the ship that originally initiated the grapple.
A ship fighting in a boarding action cannot attempt to ungrapple from that ship until the boarding action is resolved.
A ship may attempt to ungrapple from all enemy ships with which it is not engaged in a boarding action.
There is a +1 to the ungrappling attempt if the marine section is not available, for example because it is engaged in a boarding action.
A struck ship is considered to have crew quality G. A ship attempting to ungrapple from a struck ship, with a crew quality better than G, gets a -1 for each level of quality difference in its ungrappling attempt.
Clearing Fouling
After all grappling and ungrappling attempts have been resolved, fouled ships may attempt to clear fouling from each ship they are fouled with. Each ship rolls 1d10 for each ship it wishes to clear fouling from, consulting the fouling table and applying the appropriate modifiers. No crew section is needed to attempt to clear fouling.
If two ships are fouled with each other, both ships may attempt to clear the fouling from each other. Both ships' attempts are not automatically successful, even if the two ships are friendly.
Tracking fouling-clearing attempts: A ship must keep a record of how many times it has attempted to clear fouling with each ship, since the chance of success increases with each successive attempt. Write "UF" alongside the ship's description in the turn log each time it attempts to clear fouling with that ship.
Clearing fouling during boarding actions: A ship fighting a boarding action against an enemy ship cannot attempt to clear fouling with that ship until the boarding action is resolved. It may attempt to clear fouling with the other ships it is engaged with in a boarding action.
Resolving other matters during the fouling-clearing sub-phase: In addition to ungrappling and clearing fouling, the fouling table is also used to resolve the consequences of a variety of critical hits. This includes darkened sides, cut springs, jammed cables, cut signal halyards, and a jammed rudder. Roll 1d10 on the fouling table; a successful result resolves the problem.
Fire and Explosions
A ship can catch fire for several reasons:
- Hull critical hits. Hull critical-hit results 10 and 12 can set the ship on fire.
- Spreading fire. There is a 50% chance that fire spreads to a ship fouled or grappled with a burning ship.
- Ship explosion. When a ship explodes, it throws burning debris out to a radius of 6 hexes. All ships within this radius may catch fire.
Fighting fires. A burning ship must fight the fire. A CS must be recorded as fighting the fire (FF) during the Plotting Phase. Each fire must be fought by a CS.
A CS must be dedicated to fighting the fire, even if this requires aborting another planned task before that task is complete. Exception: CS currently engaged in boarding or reorganizing (RO) do not abandon those tasks to fight the fire. However, crew sections that plotted FB or BR but are not yet engaged are automatically dispersed, and a CS may plot FF in the next Plotting Phase.
Getting ahead of it. Ships not yet on fire may voluntarily plot FF. The advantage is that if a fire does start, it can be put out before it causes any damage.
Checking whether a fire is put out. During each turn's Maintenance Phase, a ship that has plotted FF rolls 1d10 on the fouling table for each fire it is trying to put out. If the modified number is ≤ the required number, the fire is put out. Struck ships may attempt to put out their fires.
Fire spread. Fire can spread from a burning ship to every ship it is grappled or fouled with. During the fire-and-explosions sub-phase of the Maintenance Phase, there is a point (see the extended sequence of play at the end of these rules) where this situation is resolved. 1d10 ± SK ≤ 4 (using the crew modifier of the ship the fire is spreading to) — the fire spreads to the grappled or fouled ship.
Note: fire can spread to ships that are already burning.
Multiple fires. A ship can have more than one fire burning at once. There is no maximum number of fires. In addition to the normal causes of fire (hull critical hits 10 and 12, spread from burning ships, and burning debris), additional fires grow from existing fires if the original fire is not put out.
If a fire has been burning for 5 turns, including the turn it started, it generates an additional fire. An additional CS must be assigned to fight the new fire, and the ship must also check morale. The new CS must plot FF2 to track that section's firefighting.
The ship loses 1R and 1H per turn, per fire. In addition, each unextinguished fire generates another fire every 5 turns.
Not enough crew sections. A ship that does not have enough CS to fight all its existing fires must check morale every turn for each fire not being fought, until the ship collapses or all fires can be fought simultaneously.
If the ship loses all its hull boxes and the fire is still burning, the ship collapses and begins checking for explosion: 2d6 ≤ 2, the ship explodes.
If the ship continues burning, check for explosion during the fire-and-explosions sub-phase of the Maintenance Phase each turn, with a -1 modifier for each additional turn it has been burning.
Explosion effects. Exploding ships affect other ships in 2 ways:
- Damage from the blast wave.
- Damage from burning debris thrown into the air.
The blast wave affects all ships within ≤ 2 hexes range. This damage is calculated using the following table:
| Class of exploding ship: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range 1 hex | 40 | 35 | 30 | 25 |
| Range 2 hexes | 25 | 20 | 15 | 10 |
Cross-reference the class of the exploding ship with the range to the affected ship; the number is the FGN as a high shot to determine damage, modified only by 1d6.
All ships within ≤ 6 hexes of the exploding ship roll 1d6 to see if a fire starts. The ship catches fire if 1d6 ≥ the range to the exploding ship.
A roll of 1 never causes a fire.
Ships grappled or fouled with the exploding ship always catch fire.
Repairs
Two types of damage can be repaired: hull and rigging. In addition, the "broken shrouds" critical hit can be repaired.
Each type of repair is plotted during the Plotting Phase, and each type of repair requires one crew section over several turns. The repair codes are: rigging (RR), hull (RH), shrouds (RS).
A ship cannot begin repairing a type of damage until that damage occurs, or until the "broken shrouds" critical hit occurs.
Repairing rigging. Ships in the following sail statuses can repair: fighting sail, furled, and dismasted.
Only ships that move ≤ 4 MPs in a turn can repair hull.
Only one CS may be assigned to repair a given type of damage. Different CS can repair different types of damage at the same time. So, one CS can repair 1 RR while another CS repairs 1 RH, but there cannot be 2 CS each repairing 1 RR, nor 2 RR at once.
The number of turns required to repair is modified according to the crew-quality (SK) modifier.
For the repair to take effect, the repair turns must be completed without interruption.
Completing the repair. After the required number of repair turns is completed, the repairing ship recovers one box of the indicated type in the section currently taking damage.
If the current section has no damage, it must be cleared from the immediately preceding section instead. Note: if a section that has been restored is lost again, no morale check is needed, since one was already made when that section was first lost.
Repairing the rigging of a dismasted ship. Ships that have all rigging sections crossed off take longer to repair than ships that still have at least one mast. So, a dismasted ship that suffers a hit to its rigging cancels all accumulated rigging-repair turns.
Reconciliation
At the end of the turn, each player must review the situation of each ship and confirm that the markers and entries on the ship log match its actual situation. In this sub-phase, the following checks must be made:
- Review the markers the ship carries for darkened sides, sail changes, etc.
- Review completed repairs.
- Adjust crew status for reorganization or the formation of a prize crew.
- Check morale (M) and place a struck-colors marker on ships that surrender.
- Deliver signals. Signals written during the Plotting Phase are delivered.
- Remove ships. Remove from the map any ships that escape or explode.
- Review gunnery modifiers, for CS on tasks, dismounted guns, and crew quality.
- Review changes in allowed movement from rigging loss, broken springs, or any other cause.
15.0 Crew Quality and Morale
A ship's effectiveness is a mix of crew quality and morale. Quality measures the crew's effectiveness at handling a warship, including firing the guns, repairs, grappling and ungrappling, changing sail status, etc. The SK modifier reflects crew effectiveness (CQ) when performing certain tasks. See boarding combat and the skill-factor table.
There are 7 quality levels, A through G, with A being the best crew and G the worst.
A ship's morale measures how the men behave in a fight. Quality and morale are correlated, though not always — generally, good quality is paired with good morale.
Note: while quality tends to fall during battle, morale never changes.
Using the SK modifier. The SK modifier normally determines the duration of various tasks. It also affects a ship's chance of grappling or clearing fouling. This modifier ranges from -3 to +3, best to worst. When quality falls, this modifier falls with it.
Using morale. Unlike the SK modifier, a ship's morale is only used to check the crew's will to keep fighting. A ship's morale never changes.
A ship must check morale whenever a morale-check situation is reached. These moments are marked on the ship log with an (M). Losing a crew section or hull section requires a check. Cross off the (M) next to the lost section to show the check was made.
Morale is also checked in the following cases:
- A ship is dismasted — that is, the last box of the last rigging section is crossed off.
- A ship that was already dismasted at the start of the turn is raked. If the dismasted ship is being towed, it does not check morale unless the towing ship is also dismasted. Raking a dismasted ship that is anchored causes a morale check.
- A ship catches fire. Ships already burning that catch fire again check morale for the new fire.
- A ship does not have enough CS to fight all its fires.
- The ship receives a critical hit that requires a morale check.
Repairs and morale checks. If completing a repair adds a box to a hull section or to the last rigging section, the ship does not need to check morale if that section is lost again.
To pass the check, you must roll 1d10 ≥ Morale.
If the check fails, quality drops one level. Cross off the row corresponding to the lost quality level. The ship uses the new quality, and the new SK, for all purposes until it fails another check.
16.0 Striking the Colors
Before the 20th century it was normal and honorable for a ship to strike its colors when its commander judged the situation hopeless. A ship surrenders if:
- It has lost all hull sections.
- It has lost all crew sections.
- It fails a morale check while at quality G.
A struck ship can do nothing except fight fires; if it has no crew, it may explode.
Struck ships are treated as crew quality G; this quality is used to determine success for actions such as fighting fires or clearing fouling with other ships.
17.0 Boarding
Boarding can only occur between enemy ships that are fouled or grappled at the start of the turn. Ships of crew quality F or G cannot board. Burning ships cannot board or be boarded. Friendly ships cannot board each other.
Struck ships can be boarded; in this case the boarders win automatically and do not need to reorganize. One reason to do this is to capture the struck ship before it stops being struck.
Forming Boarding Parties (FB)
It takes time to organize the men who will form boarding parties: they must come up on deck, get boarding weapons, and go to their posts. Close Action simulates this by requiring CS to form boarding parties before they can board or defend against a boarding action.
A ship forming boarding parties plots the FB task for one or more CS during the Plotting Phase. Sailors must FB in order — that is, starting with the lowest-numbered CS.
The marine CS is a special case and can FB regardless of which CS have been assigned to FB.
Each CS must plot FB for one turn; those CS are then available to defend against enemy boarding parties during the boarding phase of that same turn, and can board enemy ships in any subsequent turn.
Boarding Parties Ready (BR)
CS on FB tasks are ready to board and remain so until they board an enemy ship or are dispersed. Each CS that plotted FB the previous turn must plot BR the following turn unless it boards (BA) or is dispersed (BD).
CS plotted with FB or BR can do nothing except board or defend against enemy boarding parties. Exception: marines can fire and are available to attempt grappling and ungrappling.
Dispersal
A ready CS may be dispersed if it plots BD (boarding party dispersed). Dispersal takes one turn; during this turn the dispersing CS can perform no task. Exception: marines can fire and are available to grapple and ungrapple.
The next turn, the CS may be used normally.
Note: a ready CS that is dispersed as a result of a combat outcome is considered dispersed immediately and may be used normally the following turn.
Reporting Boarding Parties
Any ship forming boarding parties must announce the number of CS formed to the other players and place a boarding-party-ready marker. The marker remains until the ship has no FB, BR, or BA.
Boarding Procedure
A ship with a boarding party ready (BR) that is also grappled or fouled with an enemy ship at the start of a turn must plot BA (boarding party going in) for one, or at most two, CS per turn. No more than 2 BR CS may plot BA in the same turn, even if more CS are ready.
Sailor CS that plotted BA must attack in order — that is, starting with the lowest-numbered section that still has boxes available.
CS that plotted BA must carry out a boarding action. Exception: the 4th CS can do FB and BR but cannot do BA; this represents the need to leave a minimum crew to work the ship.
Boarding occurs after all gunfire and marine fire. All losses from gunfire and marine fire are deducted before resolving boarding combat.
To defend against a boarding action, the ship must have plotted sailor crew sections as FB. These CS will be ready to repel a boarding action but cannot board a ship until the following turn.
If marines are performing any other task not related to a boarding action (such as FB, BR, or BA), they automatically leave it to repel a boarding action, plotting themselves as being on FB.
Determining the attacker. There is an attacker and a defender in every boarding action.
- If only one ship plotted BA, that ship is the attacker.
- If both ships plotted BA in the same turn, the ship with the higher total boarding combat factor (TBCF) is the attacker.
- If both ships have equal TBCF, the one with better quality is the attacker; if quality is also equal, the attacker is determined randomly.
Resolving Boarding
Each side must calculate its TBCF using the values given in the boarding combat table and the skill factors (BCF). The BCF, depending on whether it is sailors or marines, is multiplied by the number of boxes of each type.
The BCF number for each sailor and marine box depends on current crew quality. Add up all the boxes involved in the boarding action to determine the ship's TBCF.
Modifiers. Each side consults the ratio between attacker's and defender's TBCF and vice versa, rounding the ratio down to the nearest listed ratio. The ratio modifier applies to both attacker and defender.
The attacker applies additional modifiers related to the type of ship attacked and the size difference between the ships.
After calculating all modifiers, each side rolls 2d6 on the boarding combat table. The result is split into 2 parts: crew casualties and special results.
Crew casualties. Crew loss is a percentage, calculated from the side's own TBCF, that is applied in BCF to the enemy crew. So, if a ship has a TBCF of 70 and rolls a 7 on 2d6, 8% of 70 is applied to the enemy's BCF — that is, the enemy must lose boxes worth 5.6.
The BCF loss is converted into crew-box losses. Roll on the "other causes" line of the crew loss table and cross off the crew box obtained, sailor or marine. If only one type of crew is involved in the boarding action, cross off that type.
This process repeats until the required BCF loss is satisfied. Normally more BCF than required is lost, since the result usually doesn't match an exact whole number of BCF.
Special results. Only one side can receive a special result in a given turn. If both sides get a special result, only one is applied — whichever has the higher modified roll; the other result is ignored.
If both sides get the same result once modified, then the side with the higher TBCF value (before losses) takes the result. If both TBCF are equal, neither side takes the result. The special results are:
- Attacker repulsed. The attacker's CS are dispersed and must plot FB again before they can board. Any other attacker CS plotted as FB or BR are also dispersed. Cross off their previous plots.
- The attacker must check morale to see if it is repulsed.
- The defending ship is captured, or must check morale to see if it is captured.
CS involved in a boarding action suffer all negative results, and if their ship strikes its colors, they surrender.
Casualties From Gunfire
If a ship has only sailor crews (FB, BR, BA) involved in a boarding combat — that is, the marine section has not been assigned to any of these tasks — use the "fire at hull" line to determine crew losses from gunfire and marine fire. In all other cases — that is, when the marine section is plotted — use the "other causes" line to determine losses. For purposes of this rule, it makes no difference whether the gunfire was high or low.
Ungrappling/Clearing Fouling During Boarding
Ships involved in a boarding action cannot attempt to ungrapple or clear fouling with each other until the boarding action is resolved.
Winning the Boarding Action
Once a boarding action begins, it continues until one side wins. CS involved in a boarding action are "locked" in combat and cannot withdraw; only the defeat of one side ends the boarding action.
Additional CS can be added to the boarding action; they must first FB (if defending), and can then BA (if boarding).
The attacker wins. The attacker can win in 5 ways:
- If the defending ship has already struck.
- If the defending ship has no CS it can, or has, assigned to FB.
- If the defending ship strikes due to hull damage or by failing a morale check during a boarding action.
- If the attacker captures the defending ship through a "defending ship captured" special result.
- If all defending boxes are eliminated.
The defender wins. A defender victory means the attacker is repulsed. The boarding action ends and both sides return to their respective ships. The defender can win in 2 ways:
- If all attacking CS are eliminated.
- If it achieves an "attacker repulsed" special result.
Counterattack
On the turn after the attacker is repulsed, the former defender may plot the CS that were defending in the previous boarding action to counterattack.
The plot is BA, and all rules applicable to CS on BA apply, with one exception: all CS involved in the previous combat can BA, not just two — which, as noted, was the maximum number of CS that could BA per turn.
Boarding Actions Involving Several Ships
It almost never happened that more than one ship per side took part in a boarding action; nevertheless, the following rules allow boarding actions involving more than one ship at a time.
Whenever more than one ship per side is involved in a boarding action, the whole boarding combat must be split into a number of individual boarding combats. Each combat involves one attacking ship and one defending ship.
Each of these combats is resolved separately. Ships that board, or are boarded by, more than one ship must indicate which CS are engaged with which enemy ship. Each CS must be dedicated to a single, specific enemy ship. Therefore, a ship can defend against up to 5 enemy ships. If a sixth ship attacked the defending ship, it would be automatically captured.
Resolving multiple boarding actions. As with resolving a boarding action between 2 ships, a boarding action involving several ships, once begun, cannot end until it is resolved. All boarding actions are resolved separately but are considered simultaneous, and the results of one boarding action do not affect any other boarding action in the same turn.
18.0 Reorganization
After a successful boarding action, the defeated ship is chaos, with the crews of both ships mixed together on the decks, from the hold to the poop deck. It takes time to round up prisoners and post a guard over them and over vital points such as storerooms, and finally to detach a prize crew. The victorious boarding party can do none of this until its reorganization is complete.
All attacking CS that won a boarding action must begin reorganizing and cannot stop until they finish, unless attacked by a boarding party.
Since the attacker's CS are on the captured ship, if the captured ship and the ship the boarding party came from clear fouling or ungrapple from each other during the reorganization period, all of the attacker's CS are crossed off that ship's log.
A defending ship that repulses the attacker does not need to reorganize; instead, the defender's CS may plot to disperse.
To reorganize, each CS must plot RO; the time required equals 5 ± SK, in turns.
Actions Allowed During Reorganization
CS that are reorganizing can do nothing except defend the captured ship against boarding attempts. If the captured ship is boarded while reorganizing, that reorganization is aborted, and the original crew of the captured ship may take part in the new boarding action at quality G.
If the boarding party that captured the ship succeeds in defending its prize against the new boarding attempt, it can begin reorganizing again as soon as the new boarding action ends.
19.0 Prize Crew
The minimum prize crew depends on the class of the captured ship. Class 1 = 4 crew boxes; Class 2 = 3 crew boxes; Class 3 = 2 crew boxes; and Class 4 = 1 crew box. The capturing ship may assign more crew. The main reason to do so is to prevent the captured ship from being freed if the prize crew suffers losses in a later engagement.
After assigning the prize crew from the boarding party, additional crew can be taken from other CS of the origin ship that did not board, but those CS must also reorganize.
Assigning the Prize Crew
During the status-update sub-phase of the turn in which reorganization is completed, prize-crew boxes are crossed off from the lowest-numbered section, and from the marine section, of the victorious ship.
The crew boxes fill the crew and marine sections of the captured ship, starting from S4 up to whatever maximum it originally had. So, if the captured ship's sailor sections were 4-4-5-5:4 and it is assigned 7 prize-crew boxes — 6 sailors and 1 marine — the prize crew would end up as 0-0-1-5:1.
Quality and morale of the prize crew. The prize crew takes the quality and morale of the capturing ship. If a ship was captured simultaneously by more than one ship, the prize crew may be drawn from among the capturing ships, but it takes the lowest quality and morale (calculated separately) among the crews that formed the prize crew.
At the start of the turn after reorganization is complete, the boarding party minus the prize crew returns to its own ship and is fully functional again.
20.0 Operating Captured Ships
A captured ship is one that lost a defensive boarding action; since the ship is now friendly to the side that captured it, the side that originally controlled it is now the enemy and may fire on the captured ship.
Captured ships are not fit to sail or fight for hours after their capture. To reflect this, captured ships cannot move or plot any task other than boarding and repairing for the rest of the game. They can also clear fouling and grapple/ungrapple. Captured ships can also be towed by friendly ships.
Captured Ships and Crews
The original crew of a captured ship was sent below decks and the hatches sealed to prevent them from recapturing the ship. For this reason, the original crew of a captured ship can do nothing except work the bilge pumps (waterline critical hit) and fight fires.
All crew losses on a captured ship are taken from the prize crew. If the prize crew is reduced below the minimum allowed, the ship's original crew retakes control of the ship at the start of any turn in which the original crew has at least twice the number of crew boxes as the prize crew. The ship will have quality G and morale 6, but will be able to carry out all the normal actions.
21.0 Signaling
The biggest problem admirals faced was coordinating their fleets' actions without instant communication. Flag signaling provided a practical means of communication in this era, but this cumbersome system had serious limitations on how much control admirals had over their fleets. This problem explains, on its own, the use of the often-mocked "line of battle," which remained the standard formation for warships for 25 years.
The signaling rules apply only when a side has multiple players.
Players on the same side may transmit relevant information using the form included with the game for this purpose. Signals must follow exact rules regarding content and format.
Each player may send only one signal per turn. Talking between players on opposing sides is not forbidden, but must be limited to threats and insults.
Signaling Sequence
Signals must be written during the Plotting Phase. At the end of the turn, each signal may be given to the players it is addressed to. Players are allowed to read any signal sent by any other player on their own side.
Signal Form
Each signal consists of 2 parts: the recipient and the message. Signals can only be addressed to certain groups of ships, reflecting the inflexible signaling that was the hallmark of the era.
Signals can be addressed to one of the following groups of ships:
- To the whole fleet, writing "the fleet" as the recipient.
- To part of the friendly force. For example, the van, the center, or the rear. Another option could be ships to windward and ships to leeward. Players can use other divisions.
- To a single ship. A signal can also be addressed to a single ship.
The message area holds the information being sent. Messages can be 3 to 7 words. So:
Flagships: Up to 1802, all flagships can write 5 words per message. From 1803 onward, British flagships can send up to 7 words; flagships of other nationalities are limited to 5 words per message.
Players commanding any other ship can send 3-word messages.
Each word slot in the message can hold one word or number; contractions and hyphenated words are not allowed (ship names are allowed). Words must be written in capital letters; no emphasis via underlining, bold, or italics is allowed. Punctuation marks are allowed; each punctuation mark uses one word slot.
References to the movement system, numeric hex references, and speeds in MPs are forbidden. Numbers may be used to indicate distances.
Players Commanding Several Ships
These rules prevent a player commanding several ships from coordinating actions beyond what was historically possible.
No matter how many ships a player commands, they may send only one signal per turn. If they control a flagship, they may send 5 or 7 words per message; otherwise only 3 words.
A player may only send one signal per turn, but it may be sent from any ship they control, and they may also "read" signals sent by any of their ships.
- Struck and dismasted ships cannot send signals.
- If any of a player's ships receives a "signal halyard cut" critical hit, that player cannot send any message until it is repaired.
Talking Between Ships
When the sterns of 2 ships occupy adjacent hexes at the start of the turn, the players commanding those ships may communicate directly in the next Plotting Phase. One of the two players may write a 5-word message, which reaches the other player immediately; the other player may then reply similarly.
Direct communication between them is limited to this single exchange of messages. Randomly determine which player writes first.
22.0 Towing
Towing another ship was common, since it was quite useful for saving many ships that would otherwise have been lost to the enemy or to the perils of the sea. Indeed, several engagements were fought, in whole or in part, to protect a ship under tow.
Only friendly ships, including ships captured from the enemy, can be towed. A ship can only tow one other ship, and a ship can be towed by only one ship. A towed ship cannot tow another ship.
Preparing to Tow
A ship must prepare for 5 ± SK consecutive turns before it can tow. A CS must plot PT (prepared to tow) during the Plotting Phase to indicate this, and can do nothing else during those turns.
Beginning to Tow
To tow, the towing ship must first send the tow cable to the ship to be towed. This procedure is simulated as follows:
- The towing ship's stern must be in the hex facing the bow of the ship to be towed at the end of the Movement Phase. Both ships do not need to share the same heading relative to the wind.
- The towing ship then attempts to grapple the ship to be towed during the grappling sub-phase. Grappling is not automatic and must be checked normally, applying the towing ship's SK modifier. Neither ship can be grappled or fouled by any other ship (including each other) when attempting to begin towing.
- If the grappling attempt succeeds, the two ships are joined with a tow marker. From then on, the ships move as a single unit until the tow cable is cut.
Movement of Towed Ships
A towed ship follows the towing ship's path. In order of priority, highest to lowest, the towed ship:
- Must always be adjacent to the towing ship.
- Points its bow toward the towing ship if possible.
- May move straight ahead one hex and then turn in a single segment, or turn and then move straight ahead, to satisfy the two points above.
Plotting Tow Movement
Only the towing ship plots movement, since the towed ship must follow the towing ship.
The towed ship does not contribute its own allowed movement — only the towing ship's is used to calculate the speed of both ships. Note: if either the towing or the towed ship receives the "structural hull damage" critical hit, the affected ship rolls 1d6; on a 1, the tow cable is cut.
Towing ships move more slowly because they must drag the towed ship.
a. The towing ship loses 1 MP simply for towing. b. If the towing ship is a smaller class than the towed ship, the towing ship loses 1 additional MP per class of difference. c. If the towed ship is dismasted or has its sails furled, the towing ship loses another MP, cumulative with cases a and b.
Turning
A towing ship with 0 allowed movement may attempt to turn, but must check the tacking table the same way a ship with 0 allowed movement normally does.
Cutting the Tow Cable
Either ship, towed or towing, can cut the tow cable by plotting TX during the Plotting Phase. This task requires 1 CS. The cut takes effect in the Maintenance Phase of the same turn.
Disputed Hexes
When the bow of a towed ship and any other ship dispute a hex, the towed ship always wins the hex.
Collision Between the Towed Ship and the Towing Ship
The two ships can collide for two reasons:
- Because the towing ship decelerates more than the towed ship is able to decelerate.
- Because the towing ship collides with another ship.
In both cases the towed ship cannot make an emergency turn and automatically collides with the ship towing it. The towed ship suffers the corresponding rigging damage, and both ships may become fouled. The tow cable does not break.
23.0 Anchoring
Anchoring is useful for several reasons. The most important is to prevent the ship from drifting ashore and wrecking. In addition, anchoring makes ships more stable gun platforms and allows the sails to be furled, helping to reduce damage to them.
A ship can anchor normally or with springs. Ships anchored normally have a single cable connected to the ship's anchor. A normally anchored ship cannot turn, and for this reason warships only anchored this way when they did not expect to fight, or in emergencies.
Anchoring with springs lets a ship pivot and fire its broadsides in any direction, and was therefore preferred.
Generally, ships anchored by the bow; however, it was also possible to anchor by the stern.
A ship anchored by the bow will turn toward an L heading, while a ship anchored by the stern will turn toward an R heading.
Ships can anchor in one of 4 ways: normal bow or stern anchoring, or spring-anchoring by bow or stern.
Each ship can anchor up to 2 times in a scenario, regardless of the type of anchoring used.
Preparing to Anchor
A ship cannot anchor until it is prepared to do so. It plots PBA if anchoring by the bow, or PSA if anchoring by the stern. Both actions require 1 CS.
Anchoring by the bow (PBA) takes 2 to 3 turns depending on crew quality, and anchoring by the stern takes 6 ± SK turns.
Preparing a spring anchorage is a different task from preparing a normal anchorage. To anchor with springs, they can be prepared before or after anchoring; if done after anchoring, spring-anchoring takes effect once the springs are prepared.
A ship prepares springs by plotting 1 CS for the PBS task (spring-anchoring by bow) for 2 × (5 ± SK) turns, and for the PSS task (spring-anchoring by stern) for 2 × (6 ± SK) turns.
A ship can only prepare, or be prepared, to anchor by bow or by stern, either normally or with springs. That is, it cannot be anchored by both bow and stern at once.
Once preparation to anchor is complete, the anchors and springs remain prepared indefinitely until used.
Anchoring Procedure
A ship anchors using 1 CS, plotting A. The ship cannot plot any MP the turn it anchors (it can still drift, since drift is not plotted). If the ship plots any MP, the anchor plot is erased and does not occur.
Anchoring is announced during the Movement Phase but takes effect in the drift sub-phase of the turn the anchoring action is plotted. After checking drift, an anchor marker is placed in the bow or stern hex of the anchored ship, depending on whether the ship wrote PBA or PSA. The ship is now described as anchored by the bow or by the stern.
An anchored ship cannot use any MP until the anchor cable is cut. Anchored ships can tack, and must drift. Ships anchored with springs can turn.
Important: a ship automatically drifts one hex to leeward (the direction the wind is going) during the drift sub-phase of the turn following the one it anchored.
After anchoring normally, a ship turns toward L if anchored by the bow, or toward R if anchored by the stern. The ship turns 60° per turn during the drift phase until it reaches the appropriate heading. It must do so in the fewest turns possible.
If a ship is anchored by the bow and the wind strikes it at R, or anchored by the stern and the wind strikes it at L, roll 1d6: 1-3 the ship turns to port (left), 4-6 it turns to starboard (right).
Once it starts turning, it continues turning at a rate of 60° per turn until it reaches the appropriate heading.
Anchoring and Changes in Wind Direction
If the wind changes direction, the ship turns during the drift phase of that same turn to maintain the appropriate heading. The ship also drifts simultaneously so that its bow or stern remains directly in line with the anchor counter. This means it will drift at an oblique angle to the wind.
If the ship is anchored with springs, it does not turn into the wind — it keeps its heading until it voluntarily turns to a new heading. The ship, however, still drifts one hex as if it had anchored normally.
After anchoring with springs, the ship can turn 60° per turn; like any movement, this turn must be plotted. If the ship anchored by the bow, it turns on its bow; if it anchored by the stern, it turns on its stern.
These turns do not follow the normal turning rules, but as with any other movement, grappled or fouled ships cannot turn. In addition, to make a turn with springs, the ship must plot HS each turn it wants to turn, using 1 CS.
Paying Out/Taking In Cable (VO/VI)
Paying out cable (VO). Normally the ship's distance from its anchor is 1 hex, but a ship can pay out more cable — this is called paying out cable. Procedure:
- A ship plots VO using 1 CS for 1 turn.
- The ship drifts 1 hex per VO during the drift sub-phase of the same turn it plotted VO. Cable markers connected to the anchor must be used. These markers do not block other ships' movement through them.
- A ship can have up to 3 VO at a time.
- A ship cannot plot VO the same turn it turns.
Wind Speed 0
A ship can anchor and weigh anchor, but it stays where it was when the wind speed dropped to 0. Ships do not drift or pay out cable, nor can they use springs. They can, however, take in cable.
Cutting the Cable
There were 2 ways to get underway: weighing anchor or cutting the anchor cable. Anchored ships would always cut the anchor cable to save time when an enemy ship appeared. Cutting the cable was only allowed in this situation. The ship cannot tack or do VI or VO the turn the cable is cut.
A ship cuts the anchor using 1 CS for 1 turn, plotting AX during the Plotting Phase. The anchor marker is removed in the anchoring sub-phase of that turn, and the ship can move the following turn. If the ship has anchored twice already, it cannot anchor again for the rest of the scenario.
A ship oriented at L at the start of a turn after cutting the anchor cable is not considered immobilized that turn. In other words, it has one free turn to turn toward C. If it fails to do so, it will be immobilized at the start of the next turn.
24.0 Shoal Water
A ship's draft is shown on the ship data card or in the scenario. Draft is the water depth the ship needs in order to float and sail.
A ship runs aground if its bow enters a hex whose depth is ≤ the ship's draft, or if its bow or stern enters a land hex. In either case, the ship stops and loses rigging as if it had collided with another ship. Exception: a ship that runs aground or onto land while drifting loses no rigging.
Consequences of running aground: A grounded ship cannot fire its guns. Marines can still fire, and it can still board other ships. The ship may be considered destroyed (see the scenario's special rules), remaining on the map.
Sounding the Depth
Sounding the depth lets a ship check the water depth and thereby avoid running aground. A ship checks depth as follows:
The ship plots ≤ 2 MP and writes "cast" in the notes area during the Plotting Phase.
The water depth in each hex is determined just before the ship enters that hex. In most scenarios, depth can vary within a given range, and must be checked every time a ship enters a shoal-water hex. If the depth is too shallow for the ship's draft, it automatically makes an emergency turn instead of moving straight into the hex. The ship always succeeds at this emergency turn unless it has poor maneuverability, in which case it must check the poor maneuverability table.
Optional Rules
Impulse Movement
The standard movement rules let both slow and fast ships move at the same time. To avoid this, each Movement Phase is divided into 4 impulses. Each ship spends 0 to 3 MP per impulse.
The ship plots movement normally and follows that plot without deviation, except for emergency turns and collisions. All movement for an impulse must be resolved before moving on to the next impulse's movement.
Overlapping ships: A ship can still overlap with another ship, as long as the situation is cleared up by the end of movement.
Collisions and emergency turns: If two ships have plotted entry into the same hex in the same movement segment and the same impulse, the collision and emergency-turn rules apply.
MP spent per impulse, by total speed for the turn:
| Speed | Impulse 1 | Impulse 2 | Impulse 3 | Impulse 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Optional Firing Rules
In actions with 1 or 2 ships per side, players may fire at the end of each impulse. The following rules apply when using this method:
Each ship's movement must be read aloud at the start of each turn.
A ship may fire only once per turn.
A ship cannot fire in consecutive impulses, even across different turns. The number of impulses required before the ship can fire again depends on crew quality.
| Crew Quality | Impulses to Reload |
|---|---|
| A and B | 1 |
| C and D | 2 |
| E, F, and G | 3 |
Voluntary Surrender
If a ship of quality F or G has lost 5 sections in any combination of rigging, hull, and crew, it may choose to surrender before being forced to strike its colors. A ship that voluntarily surrenders is treated exactly like any ship that strikes for other reasons.
Therefore, the struck ship can do nothing except fight fires, and cannot be fired upon.
Struck ships can be boarded like any other ship that has struck its colors; this happens automatically, and once captured, a struck ship cannot recover.
A struck ship may attempt to recover at any time after surrendering. To do so, it must check morale. If it passes the check, it can begin moving and fighting normally again.
If it fails, the ship drops one quality level. The ship may keep attempting to recover until it succeeds, or until repeated failed checks cause it to strike its colors.
A ship cannot recover twice; if it strikes twice, the second time it remains struck permanently.
Limited Information
Players may only give the following information to friends and enemies alike:
- Rigging. Only the number of sections lost is stated.
- Hull. Only the number of sections lost is stated.
- Crew. Only the number of sections lost is stated, and whether it is the marine section is also stated.
- Guns. Full information must be given, since enemy players can verify the accuracy of gunfire.
Critical hits, repairs, and other such information must be given.
In tournament games, no player may withhold information.
Fatigue
After a ship has fired its guns for the 5th time, all of that ship's gunfire is reduced by 1. To reflect this, add 1 to the dismounted-guns modifier. Note that a record must be kept of how many times a ship has fired its guns.
Every 10 turns starting from the 5th turn on which the guns are fired, the ship gets a -1 for fatigue. This modifier is placed in the dismounted-guns section.
Historical Limits on Gunfire
The standard rules allow a choice, in most cases, between firing high or low:
French historical doctrine. Both the French and the Spanish tended to fire high. So crews of these nationalities with quality E, F, and G who wish to fire low have only a 50% chance of doing so (firing high is always possible). So, if 1d6 ≥ 4, they must fire high.
ALTERNATIVE RULE
Alternative rule for the French and Spanish (if this rule is used, the previous one is not, and vice versa). Ships headed into the wind at C or B that fire toward the windward side and wish to fire low have only a 50% chance of doing so (they can always fire high); so if 1d6 ≥ 4, they must fire high.
Scenario Rules
Weather Conditions
Wind direction. The number indicates wind direction at the start of the scenario. If both maps are used, map A's wind rose is the one used to determine direction. Wind direction can change during the scenario.
Wind speed. The number represents wind speed at the start of the scenario.
Sea state. This number comes right after wind speed. Sea state must be compared to each ship's freeboard to determine when the lowest battery is available to fire. Sea state does not change throughout the scenario.
Change in wind direction. Can be "ocean," "coastal," or "none." Both ocean and coastal identify the column used to check changes in wind direction.
The notation "none" means there were no significant changes during the historical action. If the players are new, checking for changes in wind direction can be skipped to make the game easier.
Change in wind speed. Identifies the column used to check changes in wind speed. Any value in parentheses is the allowed range for wind speed.
- ≥ Wind speed cannot fall below that number.
- ≤ Wind speed cannot exceed the indicated number.
Special Rules
Special rules are used to reflect the historical peculiarities of the scenario. These rules apply only in the scenario where they appear.
Starting sail level. Sail level is specified for some or all ships. These ships begin the game at that sail level. If a sail level is not specified for some or all ships, those ships may begin at any sail level of the player's choice. This is done by writing the sail level in the SS column for turn 1 of each ship log. Ships can begin a scenario in the process of changing from one sail level to another.
Anchoring. Anchoring is not allowed unless expressly specified.
Starting dispersed. Some scenarios indicate that ships begin dispersed. Each ship rolls 1d6, modified, to determine its final position (use the diagram in the scenario book). Modifiers:
- Crew quality: A +2, B +1, D -1, and E -2.
- Class: Class 3 +1 and class 4 +2.
- Speed: Fast +1 and very slow -1.
Conditions for escaping. Ships permitted to escape in a given scenario escape if any of the following conditions are met at the end of a turn:
- Map edge. The ship moves off the map through a map edge specified in the scenario.
- Distance. It must be ≥ 31 hexes from the nearest enemy ship.
- Relative speed. The escaping ship is between 20-30 hexes from the nearest enemy ship, and the maximum allowed speed for its current heading, assuming it were under full sail, is greater than that of any enemy ship of the same or a higher class at 20-30 hexes. Note: to determine the enemy ship's speed for this purpose, it must be compared at a sail level equal to the maximum sail level the escaping ship can carry, and assuming both are in the same position relative to the wind.
Escape procedure. Any ship wishing to escape must write "escape" in the notes area during the Plotting Phase. If, at the end of that turn, the ship meets any of the conditions listed above, it is removed from the map. Note that any ship that wrote "escape" and meets one of the escape conditions at the end of the turn must escape, even if it no longer wishes to.
Escaped ships and VPs. Ships that escape do not count as destroyed; however, the enemy still receives VPs for damage done, according to the normal victory-determination rules.
In some scenarios, the escaped ship also grants VPs to its owner for escaping.
Reporting escape attempts. Any ship that has attempted to escape — that is, any that wrote "escape" — must inform the enemy of this fact at the end of each turn it attempts to escape.
Special Victory Conditions
Ending a scenario. A scenario ends when any of the following conditions occurs:
- One side achieves a special victory condition.
- Both sides agree to end the scenario.
- All ships of one side, except those that escaped, strike their colors.
Normal victory determination. Each ship is worth a number of VPs, indicated in the scenario's order of battle. VPs are earned from enemy ships that are significantly damaged, destroyed, or captured. The portion of VPs earned from each ship depends on how much damage that ship suffered.
Striking colors vs. damaged ship. All ships fall into 2 categories for purposes of determining VPs:
- Ships that are damaged.
- Ships that have struck, been destroyed, or been captured by boarding — from now on referred to using the terms "struck colors" and "forced to surrender."
Each ship can give VPs under one of these two categories, but not both.
VPs from ships that struck their colors. A ship that has struck its colors gives 100% of its VPs to the enemy.
VPs from damaged ships. The VPs given by a damaged ship depend on how much damage was done to hull, rigging, or crew. Ships can give VPs in more than one area. A damaged ship only gives VPs for fully destroyed sections. No VPs are earned for boxes crossed off, or for sections not completely destroyed, or for sections that were destroyed but subsequently repaired.
The percentage of VPs a ship gives is detailed below:
| Damage | VP % |
|---|---|
| Rigging sections 1 to 3 destroyed | 5% per section destroyed |
| Rigging section 4 destroyed | 10% |
| Hull sections 1 to 3 destroyed | 10% per section destroyed |
| Each crew section destroyed, up to a maximum of 4 | 10% per section destroyed |
VPs from escaped ships. A ship can give VPs to its own side for escaping, and give VPs to the enemy for damage suffered. Both happen simultaneously.
Determining victory. Total VPs for each side are compared; whoever has more wins. Fractions are not rounded.
Special victory conditions. In many scenarios the forces are unbalanced; in these cases special victory conditions are given for both sides to even out the chances of winning. Changes to the order of battle can also be made for players who want to fight a more natural game and thereby avoid using special victory conditions.
If a side achieves a special victory condition, it wins automatically. This does not prevent the side that must achieve a special victory condition from also winning by scoring more VPs than the other side; however, in most scenarios the side with a special victory condition will be at something of a disadvantage unless it can achieve that special victory condition.
Order of Battle
All the information about each ship needed to play the scenario is shown in the order of battle. Each piece of data in the columns means the following.
Starting with the leftmost column, an entry such as A1635:3² means the following:
- 1st letter: The map on which the ship's bow is placed.
- The next 4 numbers: The hex where the ship's bow is placed.
- The number after the colon: The direction the bow points, using map A's wind rose.
- Last number: The game turn when it arrives on the map. If this number is absent, the ship begins at the start of the game.
Rate: Refers to the number of guns it originally carried. Small letters appear before and after this number. If before, it indicates the ship's original nationality; if after, it indicates its size within the classification (this was used for English ships).
Ship name: If a flag appears next to the ship's name, it indicates it is the fleet flagship, and if an X-flag appears, it is a subordinate flagship.
CQ/MR: Crew quality and morale.
The remaining columns match those on the ship data card.
Lost sections: In some cases, a ship may appear with entire hull, rigging, or crew sections already lost. Do not check morale or apply dismounted-guns modifiers in advance for these pre-lost sections. However, lost rigging sections still reduce movement, and lost crew sections still cause negative gunfire modifiers.
Reinforcements: All ships that enter the scenario after the game begins are reinforcements. They enter under full sail unless the scenario specifies otherwise, and are always understood to have moved straight ahead at their maximum movement capacity under full sail on the turn before they enter the map. They must accelerate, decelerate, and turn based on that assumption.
Translation: Jesús García Revision: Alberto Romero Questions and comments: www.clubdragon.com
Sequence of Play Summary
1. Reinforcement and Weather Phase
a. Reinforcements. Place ships entering this turn in the appropriate entry hexes on the map. b. Apply wind changes. Apply the changes in wind direction and wind speed obtained the previous turn.
- Wind direction. Roll 2d10 to see if there are changes to wind direction for the next turn.
- Wind speed. Roll 2d10 to see if there are changes to wind speed for the next turn.
2. Plotting Phase
a. Plot movement. Each ship simultaneously plots its movement for the current turn. b. Plot crew use. Each ship may plot one task per crew section for the current turn. All tasks require at least 1 CS over one or more turns (clearing fouling and ungrappling require no CS). c. Write messages. Each player may write 1 message.
3. Movement Phase
a. Turning with 0 allowed movement. Each ship with 0 allowed movement that plotted a turn checks the "tacking" table. b. Movement. Carry out all plotted movement. Each ship announces any plotted sail change, then moves and places a "men in the rigging" marker. Resolve movement conflicts by carrying out the following steps in order:
- Disputed hexes. Determine which ships get the disputed hex.
- Emergency turn. Any ship about to ram another ship may attempt an emergency turn if it wishes.
- Collisions. If the emergency turn does not occur, the collision happens. Determine rigging loss.
- Check fouling. Check whether ships involved in a collision become fouled.
4. Combat Phase
a. Boarding declaration. Every ship grappled or fouled with an enemy ship, with at least 1 CS plotted as BA, declares "boarding party going in." Every defending ship plots marines to FB if not already ready. b. Gunfire and marine fire. Each ship may fire its guns simultaneously at one or two enemy ships. Raking fire is resolved first. Marine CS not plotted for tasks other than FB or BR may fire on an enemy ship. Critical hits are resolved and morale checks are noted. Place a struck-colors marker on ships that surrender due to hull or crew losses. c. Boarding combat. Resolve boarding attempts.
5. Maintenance Phase
a. Drift and tacking. Resolve drift for every stopped ship, checking from leeward to windward and in a certain order based on the ship's heading relative to the wind and its size (1d10 on the drift table). If a ship collides with another while drifting, check for fouling. Simultaneously execute the plotted tacks for ships anchored with springs. b. Anchoring and towing. Ships plot anchoring, cutting anchor cables, or cutting tow cables. Place or remove markers. c. Grappling. Every ship may attempt to grapple every adjacent ship it is not already grappled to. d. Ungrappling. Every ship may attempt to ungrapple from any ship it wishes. e. Clearing fouling and fixing damage. All actions requiring a check against the fouling table happen now. Any of the following actions require no plotted CS and can be checked the same turn they occur: cut shrouds (BC), damaged rudder (RJ), damaged cables (LJ), cut signal halyard (SH), fouled ships, and darkened sides. f. Fire and explosions.
- Firefighting. Every burning ship with 1 CS plotted for FF rolls 1d10 on the fouling table to fight the fire.
- Fire damage. Every burning ship crosses off 1 hull box and 1 rigging box for each active fire.
- Fire growth and spread. For every fire that has burned for 5 turns, a new fire marker is added to the same ship. Every ship grappled or fouled with a burning ship catches fire on 1d6 ≤ 3.
- Ship explosion. Burning ships with no hull boxes remaining are checked for explosion. The chance of explosion is 2d6 ≤ 2, with a -1 from the 2nd turn onward that the check is made.
6. Reconciliation
a. Record repairs. Every ship that has completed a repair recovers one hull or rigging box. b. Remove ships. Remove from the map any ships that escaped or exploded the previous turn. c. Adjust crew. Note crew changes from forming a prize crew or completing a reorganization. d. Morale checks. Check morale. Place a struck-colors marker on ships that surrender. e. Deliver signals. Signals written during the Plotting Phase are delivered. f. Update status. Check whether the markers ships carry reflect their current status. Check gunnery modifiers to see whether they reflect the current situation.