War Galley: Naval Warfare in the Ancient World Rulebook

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Components
3.0 The Turn
- 3.1 Sequence of Play
- 3.2 Turn Initiative
4.0 The Galleys
- 4.1 Galley Designation Shorthand
- 4.2 Facing
5.0 The Squadron System
6.0 Movement
7.0 Galley Combat
8.0 Manpower Combat
9.0 Victory
- 9.1 Victory Points
- 9.2 Loss of Admiral
10.0 Tournament Rules
Credits
- Sources
Scenarios

1.0 Introduction

War Galley allows gamers to follow the development of naval tactics, ships, and weaponry by recreating the major sea battles fought in each of the major conflicts in the pre Roman Empire galley era.

The game is designed for two players. However, the games works nicely solitaire, or multi-player, by assigning squadron commands to different people.

The game's learning curve is moderate. There are two major aspects: maneuver and attack. It will probably take a couple turns of moving to see what the galleys can do and how to do it. The combat aspect is slightly steeper, because the Ram-Rake-or-Board trinity has a Rock/Paper/Scissors feel. As with the land games in the GBoH series, players will do better when they have a solid grasp of what their fleets/galleys can do best.

2.0 Components

The game includes the following components:

2 map sheets
6 sheets of counters and markers
2 Player Folios
1 Rules Book
1 Scenario Book
A pad of 4 record sheets each for the 13 battles

2.1 The Counters

The size of the counter—square or double-sized/rectangular—represents the relative size of the galleys. Each galley has the same group of ratings:

Type: Designates what "style" of galley the counter represents; e.g., 'Liburnian,' 'Quinquereme,' et al [4.0].

Crew: This represents the seamanship quality of the sailors.

Ram Capability: There are two Ram Ratings: Attack, for ramming capability, and Defense, for the ability of that galley type to withstand ramming attacks. The Attack Rating is usually greater when the galley is on its Maximum Speed side.

M (Marine and Missile Manpower): The Manpower aboard the galley used for boarding (Marines) and small-arms Missile fire. The rating reflects not only pure numbers, but training, armor, tactical style, etc.

E (Engines): Galley is armed with sufficient artillery engines to increase Missile effectiveness.

T (Towers): Galley has platform towers fore and/or aft, increasing its missile and boarding capabilities.

Speed: Galleys have two ratings: Cruise (front of the counter) and Maximum (reverse of the counter).

Squadron Commanders (SqC): Naval commanders whose presence denotes that his galley is a Command Ship.

Admiral: The Admiral is the SqC that is in charge of the entire fleet, even while functioning as a Squadron Commander. The Admiral counters have 2 flags; the regular SqC's have one. He has additional capabilities relative to his SqC's. The reverse side of the counter is used when transferring to a new galley.

Command Ship: Any galley that is carrying a Squadron Commander or Admiral. The Admiral's Command Ship is also called a Flagship.

Information Markers: These are used to denote a variety of ship statuses, including Fatigue, Depletions, On Fire, etc., all discussed, below, where they apply.

2.2 The Maps

The game includes two map sheets. One is totally devoid of any "land"; the other contains "land" markings used in scenarios that require them. The land is thus identified with a letter ID: e.g., "D" are the land hexes used for Drepanum, and "A" for Arginusae.

Where there is no land, and the battle requires only one map, use the "sea" hex sheet. For battles that require land, use only the land for that battle; ignore (treat as sea) all other markings.

2.3 The Fleet Battle Sheets

There are two methods of keeping track of information and galley status, a nod to the fact that the gaming community is rather divided about tracking information by markers as opposed to record sheets. Because of the nature of galley warfare, such information is necessary to simulate events at even this level.

Method #1. Use the Information markers, placing them atop the affected ship(s).

Method #2. Use the Fleet Battle Sheets. We have provided a pad of two backprinted sheets for each battle, with places to record all necessary information. (To that end, each ship has an ID number; see above). Their use is self-explanatory (or at least one hopes). Feel free to make copies as needed.

2.4 The Dice

War Galley uses two six-sided dice. "1d6" refers to rolling one die; 2d12 to rolling two dice and adding them together. When using 2d12, the usual requirement is that the player needs to roll within a given range (e.g., 8-12).

When Die Roll Modifiers (DRM) are applied to a 2d12, treat any adjusted result that is greater than '12' as a '12,' and any adjusted result lower than '2' as being automatically outside the required range.

2.5 Some Helpful Terms

Admiral. The Squadron Commander leading the entire Fleet. He has extra capabilities, in addition to those of a Squadron Commander.

Bow. The front, ramming end of the galley.

Command Range. The distance from a Squadron Commander, in hexes, that a ship must be within to be part of his Squadron.

DRM. Die Roll modifier, a standard gaming acronym, wherein the DRM is added to, or subtracted from, a dieroll to obtain an "adjusted" result.

Line Abreast. The galleys of a given squadron are lined up, flank-to-flank, like the line of scrimmage in a football game. The land battle version would be "line formation." There is no specific rule for this formation; its efficacy and usage arise from play.

Line Astern. A formation in which each galley is directly behind the one in front, so that the entire line can play "Follow the Leader" with the squadron's Command Ship, which must be 1st or 2nd in that line. The land battle version would be "column formation."

MP. Movement Points, or what each ship pays as it moves into a hex, or to change the direction in which it is moving.

Port. To the left of the galley.

Speed. The number of MPs a galley can use during its turn, as delineated by whether it is at Cruise or Maximum Speed and subject to adverse combat results. In War Galley, Speed represents not only the literal meaning of that word, but the maneuverability of that galley vis à vis others. Sources state that the "big galleys," the hepteres, octares, et al., could move straight ahead as fast as a trireme. Where they fell short was in their maneuverability.

Squadron. A number of galleys under one command, as delineated by the Command Range of the Squadron Commander.

Starboard. To the right of the galley.

Stern. The rear end of the galley.

3.0 The Turn

3.1 Sequence of Play

Each turn consists of the players undertaking the following phases, in the order in which they are given.

A. Wind Determination Phase. Either player rolls to determine the strength and direction of the wind. This phase is ignored in many scenarios.

B. Squadron Determination Phase. Players concurrently determine how many/which ships are in each Squadron [5.2].

C. Initiative Phase. The players dieroll to see who will choose which player goes first in phases "D", "E" and "F," below.

D. Speed Level Determination Phase: Players determine whether to use Cruise or Maximum Speed [6.11]. This is done by squadron with the players alternating their selection. Who goes first is given in C above.

E. Command Squadron Activation Phase: The player whose "turn" it is selects a Command Squadron. In doing so, he activates each galley in that squadron. Activated galleys may undertake the following (possible) actions:

Movement Segment. The player who was chosen to go first in the Initiative Phase moves all the galleys from any one squadron. Movement may include:
- Resolving Missile Fire (which may take place during or after movement)
- Grappling, Ramming, and Rake attempts. Opposing ships confronted by any of these may attempt Avoidance
- Grapple Disengaging
- Determining possible Fatigue for ships in that squadron at Maximum Speed [6.42].
Boarding Segment. After all galleys of a squadron have moved, the player resolves Boarding attempts.
Phase-Pass Segment. When that player is finished, play passes to his opponent, who repeats #1 and #2. If his opponent has no remaining squadrons, the current player continues the phase with his next, unused squadron.
End Segment. When all squadrons have gone, go to "F."

F. Individual Squadron Activation Phase. When all Command Squadrons have gone, each player activates one Individual Squadron (IS) at a time, alternating IS, starting with the player who went first in "E." Each IS performs segments E/1 though E/3. When all IS Squadrons have activated, play proceeds to Phase "G".

G. The Status Resolution Phase. This phase is mostly involved with determination of certain statuses, so players may undertake them at the same time. However, the segments must be undertaken in the order listed, below.

Disengage Segment. The players may attempt to disengage any of their ships that are "Fouled" [8.35].
Galley Recovery Segment.
- Attempt to put out any Fires on galley [8.54]
- Check to see if Fire spreads to Grappled/fouled ships
- Remove "Masts Down" from all galleys.
Fatigue Recovery Segment.
- Remove all "F1" markers; these ships are no longer fatigued
- Reduce (by using appropriate counters) all F# counters to their next lowest number.
Sinking Segment. Check to see if Rammed ships have sunk [7.17]. All ships that are "Fouled" and/or "Grappled" with ships that sink are removed from the game. They, too, have sunk.

H. Victory Phase. Players check to see if anyone has won.

There is no set number of turns, each of which represents—very loosely—about 5-10 minutes of real time.

3.2 Turn Initiative

The player who goes first in phases D though F, above, is determined by each player rolling one die, to which he adds his Admiral's Initiative Rating. High total gets to choose which player goes first in each phase. Ties? Roll again.

PLAY NOTE: The choice is made once and applies to all affected phases.

4.0 The Galleys

Each galley counter represents from 1 to 8 vessels, depending on the scenario. Vessels of about 75 ft. in length are given a single, square counter. The war galleys, which usually ran somewhere around 125-150 feet, get the double-sized counters.

A NOTE ON SCALE: The above scale does not mean that the counter should be considered to actually have all those ships. What the scale allows us to do is to portray all of the elements of a galley battle—deployment, maneuver, and the combat tactics—in a representative fashion.

HISTORICAL NOTE: The gigantic '40,' said to have been built by Ptolemy IV Philopater, Macedonian pharaoh of Egypt, supposedly ran 429 feet long and 60 feet in width, which would require a counter six hexes long, two hexes wide, and carried some 4000 men (an "M" rating of c. 80+) ... pretty much unusable for anything but "parade."

DESIGN NOTE: In line abreast formation, an individual war galley took up 50+ feet, the width of its beam + oars. However, each ship usually stayed at least 50, and sometimes 100, yards from those on either side, although they could shorten that distance when desired, and the admiral was willing to take the chance.

All galleys are rated as indicated in section 2.0. The use of each rating is discussed, in various rules, below.

4.1 Galley Designation Shorthand

Throughout the rules we often refer to the galley types by a numerical shorthand used in many sources. Thus, we might refer to a quinquereme as a "fiver." The terms used for these ships referred to the configuration of rowers as well as the number of rowing decks. The exact nomenclature methodology is still in dispute.

L — Lembi, small craft with minor military capabilities, something akin to land skirmishers
RL — Reinforced Lembi. Lembi rendered a bit more difficult to ram by adding more outer wood planks
T — Transports. No military value. Some were aged galleys converted to transport work
2 — Bireme
L2 — Liburnian Bireme, a sort of souped up, reinforced bireme
3 — Trireme; the classic war galley of early ancient times. The early triremes (Greco-Persian era) are different from those in later battles/years, as the naval powers found ways of improving their power. All things considered, the most maneuverable of the galleys
cat3 — A cataphracted trireme
4 — Quadrireme
5 — Quinquereme; the basic war galley from the Punic War to the end of the Republican era. It is a technological up-tick from a '4'
6 — Sexteres
7 — Hepteres
8 — Octares
10 — Dekares; by the end of the 1st century B.C., these rather large war galleys (6s to 10s) were quite common
Trm — Tremiola; oar plus wind galleys, designed to fight pirates

DESIGN NOTE: From about the mid -4th century B.C. on, all galleys were cataphracted. This meant that there was a "roof" over the rowing deck. This protected the rowers, and allowed for larger contingents of soldiers. We have not included any "adjustments" for being cataphracted, with one exception: the Greek triremes were the first galleys to use cataphract. We have, therefore, differentiated among the early triremes (3s) and the later version (cat3).

4.2 Facing

Galleys are always faced (see illustration below) so that their bow faces the flat side of a hex. The direction in which it is pointed determines its Front, Flank, and Rear.

Double-sized galleys are faced as below (left). They have two Bow/Flank hexsides, two Stern/Flank hexsides, plus two (Midship) Flank hexsides.

Smaller, single-counter sized vessels are faced as above (right). They have two Bow/Flank hexsides, and two Stern/Flank hexsides.

5.0 The Squadron System

5.1 The Naval Commanders

5.11 Squadron Commanders (SqC). SqC each have a single rating, their Command Range [5.23].

5.12 Admiral. The Admiral is the SqC that is in charge of the entire fleet, even as he functions as a Squadron Commander. In addition to his Command Range he has an Initiative Rating:

The Admiral uses his rating as a DRM for turn initiative [3.0].
The rating is also used when attempting a Double Activation [5.42].

5.13 Some scenarios have fleets with more than one Admiral (cf. Ecnomus). This is only a "problem" in terms of Initiative if they have different ratings. When there is more than one admiral per fleet, the Admiral used to affect the Initiative die roll must be the one whose squadron goes first, if that player wins the die roll and chooses to go. Otherwise, the player may choose which squadron goes.

5.14 Command Ship: This is any vessel that is carrying a Squadron Commander or Admiral. The Admiral's galley is the Flagship for the fleet.

5.2 Command Squadrons

5.21 The number of galleys that a player may move during any one Command Squadron Activation Phase is delineated by the definition of a Squadron. A Squadron is any/all ships within range of a Command Ship. A Command Ship is any ship carrying a SqC or Admiral.

5.22 Ships in Line Astern do not have to use Command Range to determine Squadron. The entire line is considered one Squadron as long as the Command Ship is either first or second in line. If a SqC is using Line Astern to define the squadron, only those ships in that line are in that squadron. There are two "forms" of Line Astern:

each ship's bow is directly facing another galley's stern, except for the first in Line (top right).
and/or, the line is bow-to-Stern/Flank hex—a form of echelon, (bottom right).

PLAY NOTE: We suggest that, given the vicissitudes of naval command, players interpret this fairly strictly. Also note that the Echelon pictured above is not the only valid bow to stern/flank arrangement. The only requirement is that the following galley's bow be in the stern/flank hex of the galley preceding it.

5.23 All Squadron Commanders have their Command Range printed on the counter [2.1]. Range is determined by counting hexes from any portion of the Command Ship to any portion of the other ship. The range may be traced through a friendly galley, but never through an enemy galley. Do not count the hex(es) the Command Ship is in.

DESIGN NOTE: Most inter-ship communication was by sound (lots of trumpet playing, yelling and hand-signaling, not a very efficient method of communicating complex tactical decisions) and/or small dispatch boats which rowed around like messengers/aides de camp. Dispatch boats were also used by the Squadron Commanders to convey orders personally.

5.24 In the Squadron Determination Phase (B), each player concurrently designates which galleys are in which Squadrons, based on their map locations.

If a galley is within a Command Ship's Range it must be part of that squadron and may not be activated "independently."
If a galley is within range of two (or more) different Command Ships, the player must state to which squadron it belongs.
If a galley is not within any Command Ship's Range, it is treated as an Individual Squadron and must be activated individually [5.21].
There are no numerical limits to the number of galleys that may be in a given Squadron. The only limits are command range and/or galleys in Line Astern [5.22].

PLAY NOTE: As an alternative to concurrently forming their Squadrons, the players may instead alternate their selections with the player with the lowest rated (or no) Admiral declaring first. Resolve any ties via a die roll.

5.3 Individual Squadrons

Galleys not in any squadron, as above, are considered to be their own, Individual Squadron. Use the "Individual Squadron" marker to so indicate.

5.31 Individual Squadrons are activated only in the IS Activation Phase, after all galleys in Command Squadrons have activated. In that phase, players alternate activating one IS galley at a time, starting with the player who went first in Phase D. When activating an Individual Squadron, the player rolls the die (1d6):

If the die roll is equal to or less than that galley's Crew Rating, the IS galley is free to do whatever the player wants (within its own limits)
If the die roll is higher than the Crew Rating, flip the ship to its Cruise Speed side (if not already there). The galley may not move adjacent to an enemy ship. However, if an IS galley starts its turn adjacent to an enemy ship, it may do anything any In Command galley could do.

5.4 Squadron Activation

5.41 In either Activation Phase, each player moves the galley(s) in the activated squadron, whether it is a Command Squadron or an Individual one, undertaking all, some, or none of the actions listed for that segment (E/1 and then E/2). Play then passes to his opponent, who does the same. This goes on, passing back and forth between players, until all squadrons have been activated.

A player may choose to have an activated squadron do nothing. It is still considered to have been activated.
If one player has no more squadrons to activate, the other player may then finish activating all of his remaining squadrons, one Squadron Phase at a time. Only one squadron may be activated per phase.
The galleys in a squadron do not have to move in the same fashion, or at the same speed, unless they wish to remain Line Astern [5.12].

5.42 Flagship Double Activation. When it is a player's Command Activation Phase, he may state that he is attempting to use his Admiral to affect a Double Activation. If successful, he may move two Command Squadrons in one phase. One of those squadrons must be the Admiral's own squadron. The other may be any squadron whose SqC's Command Ship is within the Admiral's Range. To determine if you may use a Double Activation, consult the Double Activation Table, roll the die, and cross reference under the Admiral's Initiative Rating. The result is either:

Success; you can use Double Activation, as above.
Failure ... and Confusion sets in (see Charts and Tables).
1. The non-Admiral Squadron is the one that must go now. However, the player rolls for Orders Confusion and applies any Speed adjustments required to each galley in the Squadron before proceeding with the activation.
2. The Admiral Squadron may go later in the turn; Confusion does not apply.

Only one Double Activation attempt may be made per game turn. Only one admiral may be used. Individual Squadrons may not use Double Activation.

5.5 Commander Transfer

5.51 A player may transfer the SqC or Admiral of any galley to the nearest (counting hexes; if there's more than one, player's choice) friendly (or Captured and now friendly) galley to which he may trace a path of hexes free of enemy ships. The decision to Transfer may be made at any time (and for any reason) during the course of play, but it may only be made as per 5.52. Only one Transfer attempt may be made for a commander per Turn. A SqC cannot transfer to Fouled or Grappled galley.

5.52 To affect a Transfer, the player rolls the die.

If the dieroll is 3-6, the commander may Transfer. Place his counter on the new ship, but flip him to his Reduced Effectiveness Side, and place the receiving galley on its Cruise Speed side. The RE side is flipped back to normal at the end of the activation turn in which that SqC first applies those ratings. The galley may not use Maximum Speed until the SqC resumes his normal ratings.
If the dieroll is 1-2, the commander is stuck with his original galley. If it sinks, he goes down with it.

5.53 If a Naval Commander is lost, flip his counter over to its RE side and place it with the nearest galley in his squadron (Ties are decided by the player.). That SqC is permanently RE for the remainder of the game. Already RE SqCs remain RE.

6.0 Movement

6.1 Speed: Oar-Driven Galleys

Most ships of the era were rowed, although many of those galleys often used some sail when traveling in calm waters and not threatened by enemy fleets. The speed of a galley, therefore, depends on how hard its rowers are working, as well as the maximum levels that galley can achieve.

HISTORICAL NOTE: Estimates for maximum (ramming) speed for galleys run from 7 to about 9 knots (about 1 land mile per turn), but only for very short distances. Their usual cruising speeds were a little more than half that.

DESIGN NOTE: The pure speed capability of most war galleys was about the same. Add more rowers for power and you increase size, weight and drag. It all seemed to even out, at least in terms of movement. Therefore, the Speed Ratings also take into account maneuverability.

6.11 Each galley has two selectable Speed Levels: Cruise (the front) and Maximum (the reverse). The side of the counter used depends on which status is chosen by the player in the Speed Determination Phase (D), and the Speed Rating is the maximum number of Movement Points [6.32] that galley may expend during its activation phase, as well as whether it may Grapple (Cruise Speed only), use the Diekplus or Anastrophe maneuvers (Maximum Speed only), Ram (either level); see the pertinent sections for details.

6.12 The Speed Level for each galley (which side of the counter to use) is selected in the Speed Level Determination Phase. Speed Levels are determined for each galley by Squadron, with the player who won the Initiative determining which squadron will go first followed by the players alternating. Galleys that are at Half Speed, Fatigued, Captured (or Recaptured), Crippled, or immobile (Fouled, Grappled, Rammed) cannot be placed at Maximum Speed. During the activation phases, a galley at Maximum Speed is immediately flipped to its Cruise Speed side if it is Rammed, Crippled, forced to Half Speed, or Fatigued.

6.13 The actual Movement Points (MPs) that a galley will use that turn are chosen and announced prior to actually moving the galley, and the galley must then use all of those announced MP, unless it either Rams another galley or Runs Aground.

EXAMPLE: A Liburnian Bireme is at Cruise Speed, which means the player may expend from 0 to 4 MP when moving the galley. The player decides to row at a speed of 3 MP, which he announces prior to moving. The bireme must now expend all 3 MP, unless it Rams another galley or Runs Aground.

PLAY NOTE: Galleys with Towers (T) usually have a Maximum Speed one less than similar galley types without Towers. [See 8.48.]

6.14 If a ship begins a Movement Segment at Maximum Speed, it must check for Fatigue [6.42], regardless of the number of MPs actually used.

6.2 Speed: Wind Assisted

Oar driven galleys of the day often used a rather simple system of sails to assist propelling the ship when there was no danger of being attacked. Where applicable, the scenario starts with a specific Wind Strength and Direction. At the start of each new turn, one Player rolls two dice (2d12) to see if the wind strength and/or Direction changes. See the charts and tables. If the result is Dead Calm, there is no wind (and Wind-Assistance may not be used by any ship.)

PLAY NOTE: Many scenarios do not include this rule, as wind was not a factor. Some scenarios state the direction of the Wind as steady throughout the battle. In that case, there is no need to check for Wind; it remains the same the entire game.

6.21 To make use of sails, a galley must either start the scenario under sail or raise the sails when activated. It costs 1 MP to Raise, or (Voluntarily) Lower Sails, and such action must be taken prior to any actual movement. A galley may not raise sails if it is adjacent, in any way, to an enemy galley; it may lower them if so situated.

6.22 A galley may Raise Sails only if it is using Cruise Speed; galleys using Maximum Speed may not Raise (or use) Sails (see 6.28 for an exception). Place a Sail marker atop the galley to indicate that it is under sail. A galley under sail adds one (+1) to its Cruise Speed (without incurring Fatigue) but only if it starts its turn with the wind blowing [3.1.A] into its Stern or Stern/Flank hexsides. Wind blowing in any other direction has no effect. A galley that has received a "Masts Down" result [6.24] may not Raise Sails for the remainder of the scenario.

6.23 A galley using sail incurs the following penalties:

it must use Cruise Speed (the tremiola is an exception, see 6.28)
it may not Change Facing (without movement) or Turn Around [6.34/5]
it may not Rake. It may Ram, but at considerably reduced capability (lower speeds and Ram Attack ratings).
it may Missile Fire, but with a –1 DRM.
it may attempt to Grapple, but with a –1 DRM.

6.24 If a wind-assisted galley has Collided [7.16] with another ship, flip the Sail marker to its reverse, Mast Down side. Galleys with Mast Down markers have their Cruise Speed halved, rounding up. The Mast Down marker is removed in the Galley Recovery Segment (G/2).

6.25 The tremiola combines oars and Wind very effectively, with the following rules:

In addition to their oar-powered Speed ratings, they may always add 2 MPs for Wind Assistance [6.22] to either Cruise or Maximum Speed.
They may raise or lower sails at no cost in MP. However, such a decision must be made before they start moving. If they do lower sails, they cannot use the W+2 addition.
The 6.23 restrictions still apply if the ship is wind-assisted.

HISTORICAL NOTE: Hemiola were the standard "pirate ships," because they could outrun virtually anything. Tremiola were designed as "convoy escorts" to protect against the hemis.

6.3 Moving

6.31 Galleys may move only into all-sea hexes. Any time a galley enters a land/island hex—as delineated in the scenario—it automatically has Run Aground. It stays that way until the player can extricate the ship, as below [6.36].

6.32 The costs of moving a galley, in terms of Movement Points (MPs) expended, are:

1 MP to move into a Bow (Front), or Bow/Flank, hex. These are the only hexes a galley may enter while moving forward.
1 MP to change direction, per hexside, without moving, within the hex [6.34]
2 MP to Turn Around within the same hex [6.35]
2 MP to Backwater directly into a Stern (Rear), or Stern/Flank hex [6.33]

When moving forward into a Bow/Flank hex, a galley must pivot its Stern such that its Bow faces the original Bow/Flank hex it wishes to enter. When using Backwater into a Stern/Flank hex, a galley must pivot its Bow such that its Stern faces the original Stern/Flank hex it wishes to enter.

EXAMPLE OF BOW/FLANK MOVEMENT: Galley in 2319-2320 wishes to move bow/flank, in order to change the direction in which it is moving. It moves into 2419-2319, changing the direction in which it is now facing as per the bow/flank hexside it moved through.

6.33 Backwater. A galley using Cruise Speed may Backwater when it is its turn. It costs 2 MP to Backwater each hex, and, in doing so, the galley must move directly to its Stern (Rear), or into one of its Stern/Flank hexes. It may not use any type of forward motion that turn. It may not use Facing Change [6.34], but it can change direction by backwatering into a Stern/Flank hex.

6.34 Facing Change (Double-sized units): Galleys may change facing without moving, either by swinging the back half of the galley counter around, or the front half. It costs 1 MP, per hex of adjustment, to change facing without moving forward or back. However, a galley that so changes Facing (without moving) must be using Cruise Speed for that turn. Ships at Maximum Speed may not use Facing Change; they must change their direction/facing by moving forward, into a Bow/Flank hex. They may not change facing without moving.

Facing Change (Square units): The principles for this are the same as for double-sized units. However, the smaller counters do not have to have half the counter pivot into another hex; the counter stays in the same hex and simply changes in which direction it is pointed.

Galleys "Under Sail" may not change facing (in a hex) without moving.

EXAMPLE OF FACING CHANGE: Ship in 4022-3. The player makes a Facing Change by pivoting the back half of the ship into 4122-4023. If the same ship (in 4022-3) had moved to 4121-4022, that would have changing direction as part of Movement.

6.35 Turn Around. Galleys (except those under sail) may turn around 180 degrees at a cost of 2 MP, simply by flipping the galley around, front-to-back. It may not do this if any enemy unit is in an adjacent hex, and the galley must use Cruise Speed. Galleys at Maximum Speed and those with Under Sail may not Turn Around.

HISTORICAL NOTE: It took a well-crewed galley about one minute to make a complete 360 turn within a radius of about 80 yards. Or at least that's what naval historians guess.

PLAY NOTE: Be aware of the difference between a Facing Change, which does not involve movement (just pivoting and/or (for smaller counters) repositioning the ship within the hex) and Changing Direction, which involves movement into a Bow/Flank hex.

6.36 Galleys that have Run Aground may attempt to free themselves, starting with the turn after they have run aground. To do this, the player rolls the die (1d6):

if the DR is the same as or lower than the grounded galley's Crew Rating, it has freed itself. Remove the "Run Aground" marker and Backwater one hex. It may move normally next turn.
If the DR is a '6,' the ship is permanently stuck and is considered eliminated.
On any other result, the ship remains grounded.

Aground galleys may not be rammed or raked; they may be boarded if the grappling takes place so that the ship attempting same does not enter a coastal hex.

6.37 Damage and other combat effects severely restrict a galley's movement ability:

Rammed, Fouled, Grappled, Run Aground galleys may not move
Crippled galleys may move one hex. However, they may never move straight ahead; they must always move into the bow/flank hex in the direction indicated by the Crippled marker [7.28]. A second Crippled result on the opposite side renders the galley immobile.
Half Speed galleys may use only one half (rounded up) of their printed Cruise Speed and they may not use Maximum Speed. Remove the "1/2 Speed" marker when the ship completes its next movement.
Fatigue prevents a galley from using Maximum Speed and reduces Cruise Speed [6.44]
If ship is Mast Down it must use Cruise Speed and its printed Cruise Speed halved, rounding up.

PLAY NOTE: The effects of Fatigue are not cumulative with other speed adjustments. Use the most limiting result. For example, a galley with a Cruise Speed of '4" has a Crew Fatigue of F1 and at is at Half Speed. The galley may use up to 2 MP in its movement segment. If at F3, it could use only 1 MP.

6.4 Crews

Crews refer to not the oarsmen, but to the contingent of sailors who "ran" the ship.

6.41 All galleys have a Crew, and each crew is rated on the counter from '1' (raw recruit) to '4' (elite professionals).

6.42 Crew Fatigue. The player must check for Fatigue for each galley in the activated squadron that began the Movement Segment at Maximum Speed. The check is made after each galley completes its actions for the segment. To do so, roll one die (1d6) and cross-reference that die roll with the galley's Crew Rating on the Fatigue Table. The following cumulative DRM may apply:

add the difference between the number of MP used and the ship's Cruise Speed. Thus, a galley with a Cruise Speed of '4' using 6 MP would add two (+2)
add one (+1) if the galley has made a Ram attempt that turn, whether successful or not
add one (+1) if the galley has made a Rake attempt that turn, whether successful or not

The following operations result in Automatic Fatigue:

A successful Avoidance earns an automatic "F-2"
An Anastrophe [7.3] attempt earns automatic Fatigue [7.36].

PLAY NOTE: Fatigue is only checked for activated galleys and only in their movement segment.

6.43 The possible results are either

No Effect, or
The number of turns that galley will be Fatigued. E.g., an F-3 will fatigue the crew/oarsmen for the next 3 turns. Place the appropriate "Fatigued-#" marker on the galley.

EXAMPLE: Galley with Cruise Speed 4, Maximum Speed 6, and a Crew Rating of '3' uses Maximum Speed and expends 5 MP to move. Player rolls a '3,' to which he adds the difference (+1). The DR of '4' cross referenced with the '3' Crew shows a No Effect. So the crew is not Fatigued. If the galley had used 6 MP (which is a DRM of +2), and the DR was a '5,' it would have been Fatigued-2.

PLAY NOTE: The Fatigue Chart has no F-1 result; that is a status the galley gets only through recovery.

6.44 The effect of Fatigue, regardless of the number on the marker, is that the galley:

cannot use Maximum Speed
cannot Ram, Rake, or use Avoidance
has its Cruise Speed is reduced by whatever the F# is. The galley may always move one hex.

EXAMPLE: Using the situation in the 6.43 example, with an F-2 marker, the galley's highest possible Speed next turn is '2'.

6.45 Crew Recovery. Recovery from Fatigue can be a fairly long process, with each step being undertaken in the Fatigue Recovery segment (G/3).

First, remove all "F-1" markers. These galleys have Recovered and are no longer fatigued.
Then, replace all F-2 and higher markers with the next lowest-numbered marker. Thus, an F-3 would be replaced by an F-2.

6.46 Galleys do not take Crew Losses; the Crew Rating remains the same, unless it is a Captured galley [8.25].

6.5 Avoidance

6.51 An inactive galley that is threatened—or thinks it is threatened—may use Avoidance the instant an active ship moves into a hex adjacent to it. The active player does not have to reveal what he intends to do next.

6.52 To attempt Avoidance, the player rolls the die (1d6):

If the DR is equal to or lower than the Crew rating, the galley may move one hex directly forward. If the galley is at Cruise Speed it may, instead, use Backwater to move one hex directly back. However, any successful Avoidance attempt results in the Crew being automatically F-2 [6.42];
If the DR is higher, the galley may not use Avoidance, and there is no Fatigue effect

PLAY NOTE: Galleys on their Maximum Speed may only avoid forward.

6.53 Galleys with Crews that are Fatigued, or galleys that are Crippled, Fouled or Grappled, may not use Avoidance. Galleys that are Half-Speed may use Avoidance, but add one (+1) to the attempt dieroll.

6.54 An individual galley may attempt Avoidance an unlimited number of times, as long as 6.51 applies (and it doesn't succeed and become Fatigued).

6.6 Stacking

Only one galley counter is allowed in any one hex at any time. An exception may occur when a moving galley attempts Pass-Through [7.24].

6.7 Defensive Reaction Ram (Optional)

Any time an active galley moves across the bow (into the bow/front hex) of an opposing player's galley, the opposing player may attempt to Ram the moving galley. The non-moving galley must be eligible to make the attempt (7.13) and pass a Crew check by rolling one die and comparing it to the Crew Rating of the non-moving galley. If the die roll is the same as or lower, the player may Ram using 7.14-7.16; if not, there is no effect and the moving galley keeps on moving.

If the Ram attempt is successful, the rammed ship is immediately stopped (with good reason). Apply Retraction results as required. If the Ram attempt is unsuccessful, apply the Collision result to the non-moving galley while the moving galley expends 1 MP. The active galley continues with its movement segment, but for any Ram or Rake attempt that phase, must subtract one (–1) from the die roll.

7.0 Galley Combat

7.1 Ramming

HISTORICAL NOTE: Ramming was a major tactic for much of the early "ancient" years, especially during Greece's heyday, when tactics evolved more around the excellence of the ships and their crews' ability to maneuver. However, with the rise of Rome as a sea power, and the concomitant rise of the supremacy of fighting personnel, the most desirable (and most-used) tactic became boarding.

PLAY NOTE: Ramming is a tactic best used by fleets with bigger/better galleys; great crews are not necessary. However, although Ramming destroys an enemy vessel, it also puts the ramming galley hors de combat for some time.

7.11 Ramming is part of Movement and is resolved during a player's Movement segment. A galley may make only one ram attempt per turn; moreover, a galley with a Ram Attack of '0' may not attempt to Ram. An inactive galley may be the subject of an unlimited number of Ram attempts, usually until one succeeds.

7.12 A galley may attempt to "Ram" an opponent's galley by either starting in, or moving into, an adjacent Flank hex (that includes Bow/Flank and Stern/Flank hexes)—never a Bow or Stern hex—with the bow of the galley pointing directly at the target ship. At no time during the turn may the moving galley change Direction [6.34] without moving forward (including Turn Around).

7.13 A galley that is Crippled, Fatigued, or at Half Speed may not attempt to Ram.

DESIGN NOTE: This rule is here to account for the Time/Space Continuum that this sort of warfare evokes, specifically that the galleys are always moving.

7.14 To resolve the Ram attempt, the active Player consults the Ramming Table, cross-referencing the moving galley's Ram Attack Rating with the Ram Defense Rating of the target. The result is the dice roll (2d12) range needed to successfully ram.

EXAMPLE: A moving galley with a Ram Attack of '6' that has targeted a galley with a Ram Defense of '7' will need a dice roll of 10-12. If the target was crippled, providing a +1 DRM to the rammer, he could roll a '9' and still be successful, as the DRM would make the '9' a 10.

DESIGN NOTE: The Ramming Table is not symmetrical, in that the relationship between Attack and Defense ratings is not the same as an odds/ratio. The numerical relationships are between absolute ramming power and the absolute ability to withstand, with the "mean" result of 8-12 occurring where attack power is the "same as" its ability to withstand a ram. Thus, the fact that an 8 attacking a 4 has a 4-12 chance, but a 4 attacking a 2 only a 6-12 reflects the point that the former is 4 "points" stronger, while the latter attack is only 2 "points" stronger.

7.15 The Ram Attempt die roll may be adjusted by the following:

Positive Die Roll Modifiers (help the Attacker):

+1 for each Movement Point actually used (that phase) in excess of the galley's Cruise Speed. Thus a galley moving 7 hexes with a printed Cruise Speed of '5' would add two to the Ram DR. To use the modifier, the galley cannot make more than one turn (i.e. enter more than one Bow/Flank hex).

PLAY NOTE: The above restriction is, hopefully, a "loophole closer" for those players who feel a galley can build up a head of steam by going in circles or zig-zagging.

+1 if target galley is Crippled, Fouled, or Grappled
+1 if target galley is mobile and at Half-Speed and/or Fatigued
+1 if attacking galley has a higher-rated Crew

Negative Die Roll Modifiers (help the Defender):

–1 if the target galley is at Maximum Speed
–1 if target galley has a higher-rated Crew
–1 if attacking galley has Towers
–1 if this is an Anastrophe attack [7.3], and the galley attempting Ram was unsuccessful in its Rake attempt.

7.16 The possible results from a Ram Attack are, in more or less the order in which events unfold:

Missed. The ram attempt doesn't occur because the target has successfully used Avoidance; the galley attempting the Ram must continue moving, as per 6.13.

Collision. The result is a "No/C," meaning the ram attempt was unsuccessful and the ships have Collided.

The ramming galley may move no further that activation
Flip both attacker and target to their Cruise Speed side
Place a Half Speed marker on the ramming galley (but not the target) to indicate it may move (in its next activation), at (most) one half (rounded up) of its printed Cruise Speed. At the end of the next time that galley activates, remove the marker,
The moving galley may not attempt to Grapple in the turn in which the collision took place; it may use Missile Fire.

Rammed: If the Ram Attempt is Successful, place a "Rammed" marker on the target. The target galley is Dead in the Water.

It may not move
It may Fire, but only at the galley that rammed it
It may Grapple, but only with enemy galleys with which it is Fouled
It may Board if Grappled
It may Sink

Retraction (after Ram): After successfully ramming, the attacking galley tried to disengage itself from its wounded (and possibly sinking) target. To determine whether a successfully ramming galley has retracted, the player uses the same unmodified DR he used to determine the success of the Ram. He may adjust that die roll by subtracting the Crew Rating of the ramming ship. There is no "new" dieroll.

If the previous Ram DR for a successful Ram (adjusted by Crew) is within a 7-12 Range (the Fouled Range) the galley has failed to Retract and is Fouled.
If it is lower than the Foul Range, the galley has Retracted. Flip the Retracting ship to its Cruise Speed side. The galley may Backwater one hex, if such hex is available. If not, it stays in place, but is free of the rammed galley. It may still Grapple, board and fire if it is adjacent.

EXAMPLE: Using the example, above, the ramming galley succeeded with a DR of '9' (target was Crippled). That is within the Foul Range (natural 7-12). However, that ship had a '3' Crew which, subtracted from the original '9,' produces a '6,' which is outside the Foul Range.

PLAY NOTE: Retracting galleys that have not used Backwater are still adjacent to the target ship, and, as adjacency is the only requirement for such, may be subject to grappling, boarding, missiles, etc. See the rules for those.

Fouled. If the ram attempt succeeds, but the ramming galley does not successfully Retract, the two galleys are Fouled (and the target is still Rammed). Both galleys should be flipped to their Cruise Speed sides. Neither galley may move. See 8.35 for disengaging from Foul.

7.17 That Sinking Feeling. In the Sinking Segment (G/4), each player rolls one die (1d6) for each of his galleys that have a "Rammed" marker.

If he rolls a 1-5, it remains afloat (but still Rammed)
If he rolls a '6,' the galley sinks. So do any galleys Grappled or fouled with it.

PLAY NOTE: The last sentence means that if "A" is Grappled with "B" and "B" is fouled with "C," and "A" sinks, so do B and C.

HISTORICAL NOTE: It was rare that a galley actually "sank." Most rammed galleys, awash with sea water, were useless, gradually falling apart while becoming an obstacle to other galleys. The ability to stay afloat, interestingly, had little to do with size. Triremes, because they were relatively light, had about as much "float" as the big Dekares, which, although far heavier, had water-tight compartments (then again, so did the "Titanic").

7.2 Raking Oars

PLAY NOTE: Raking is an action used to great advantage by galleys with better crews and ship mobility. It is used to cripple an opponent, especially the bigger galleys, with minimal chance of damage to the active galley. It is also a way to break through a solid line abreast of enemy ships. However, a successful rake still requires additional action to finish off the enemy ship (and get Victory Points).

7.21 A moving galley may attempt to cripple an enemy galley by shearing off its oars. To do so, the moving galley must either:

move into a target's midship/flank hex (not bow/flank or stern/flank) directly from the target's bow/flank or stern/flank hexside at some point during movement, or
if the target is a small/square counter, enter any flank hex from an adjacent flank hex.
When using Pass-Through [7.24]

PLAY NOTE: This restrictive rule represents the raking galley actually passing alongside most of the length of the target, so as to get most/all of the oars.

7.22 A galley that is Crippled, Fatigued, or at Half Speed may not attempt a Rake.

7.23 Whether the Rake attempt is successful or not, the active galley completes its move, using all its designated MP. [But, see 7.3.] The Rake attempt does not cost any MP. The moving galley may attempt another Rake (if possible), attempt to Ram, or Grapple (if eligible). And it may fire.

7.24 Pass-Through; The Diekplus Maneuver. Pass-Through is a mechanic by which a galley moves between two, adjacent enemy galleys (there is no clear hex lane between, or adjacent to, the two) solely for the purpose of attempting to Rake. To affect a Pass-Thru, a moving galley must:

be at Maximum Speed, and
Start in, or move into, the Bow (Front) or Stern (Rear) hex of the galley that will be the target of the Rake. The movement into those hexes must be straight ahead; a galley may not use Pass-Thru if it has to move to port or starboard to enter the enemy Bow or Stern hex.

PLAY NOTE: The Diekplus requires Maximum Speed to undertake; other Rake attempts do not.

7.25 To resolve the Diekplus, the following movement costs and requirements must be met (not including the MP cost to reach its position adjacent to, and pointing at, the target galley's bow/stern):

The moving galley expends 2 MP to move dead ahead, through that enemy galley, during which it attempts to Rake either galley (not both).
It must then have sufficient MP remaining so that it reaches a hex location not occupied by any other ships, usually two hexes beyond the non-moving galleys.

PLAY NOTE: The above is why fleets usually had a reserve line of galleys close to the first line. They pretty much negated use of Diekplus because of the none-occupied requirement.

After the Pass-Thru movement is complete, the active player continues to 7.26.

7.26 To resolve a Rake attempt, the player cross-references his attacking galley's Crew Rating with that of the target. He may target only one galley. The result is the 2d12 dice range needed for success:

If the Rake is successful, the sheared galley is now Crippled [7.28]. Otherwise,
If the attempt was Unsuccessful, there is no other effect, other than that the moving galley must obey 6.13.

7.27 Rake Dieroll Modifiers. These modifiers take into account the differences in mobility and agility between galleys. They refer to the printed Speed Rating (not what the galley used during the turn) for the side (Maximum/Cruise) which the galley is using at the time. They are cumulative.

if the raking galley has a higher Speed Rating than the target galley, add one (+1).
if the target galley has a higher Speed Rating than the raking galley, subtract one (–1)
if the target galley is Crippled, Grappled, or Fouled, add one (+1)
if target galley is mobile and at Half-Speed and/or Fatigued, add one (+1)

EXAMPLE: A Quadrireme at Maximum Speed ('6') has a lower Speed Rating than a Quinquereme at Maximum Speed ('7'), resulting in a –1 DRM if the quadrireme is attempting to Rake.

7.28 A Raked galley is Crippled. When that happens, place a "Crippled" marker atop the galley, with the arrow pointing to the flank side on which it was raked. Remove any Half Speed or Fatigue markers. A crippled ship may move a maximum of one hex per turn; however, it may move, or change facing without moving, only in the direction of the arrow (and not straight ahead). It may not Ram, Rake, or use Avoidance; it may Grapple and Board, if eligible. Its Ram Defense rating remains the same. A galley with Crippled markers pointing to both sides cannot move.

PLAY NOTE: Pass-Thru is used only against a line of adjacent (line abreast) enemy ships; if a galley has an unprotected flank, the player must use regular Rake.

EXAMPLE: Enemy galleys in Line Abreast in hexes 2812-2911, 2811-2910, and 2810-2909. A friendly galley starts its activation in 2512-2413. The galley is given Maximum Speed and will spend of '6' MP. It expends 2 MP to move, ahead, into 2711-2612, which places it in the Bow hex of the galley (A) in 2811-2910. The player now announces a Pass-Thru against "A," expending 2 MP to Pass-Thru, and then his two final MP to move into 3010-3109. If it had a Speed of '5' it could not have undertaken the maneuver, as it could not reach 3019 and would have been in the same hex as "A" (at least partially.) The Rake attempt is now resolved.

HISTORICAL NOTE: The Diekplus was the tactical attempt to attack a wall-to-wall line abreast of galleys. The defense for such was the double line, as noted above. However, that made a numerically even fleet susceptible to the Periplus, where the opposing ships simply rowed around their opponents' flanks, catching them from behind.

7.3 Anastrophe

The Anastrophe tactic combines the Rake and Ram (against the same target) in one turn. It was most successful when attempted by top-line crews. Moreover, the ability to use Anastrophe is reliant upon the high maneuverability of earlier galleys, as it supersedes normal movement and facing change rules.

7.31 Anastrophe is undertaken by an individual ship as its sole maneuver for its activation. It is available only to galleys with an asterisked Ram Attack Rating (e.g., 6*)—Triremes and Cataphracted Triremes and a few Biremes—which is available only at Maximum Speed. The Anastrophe does not use Movement Points, and it does not follow standard movement rules (as you shall see), but the ship is assumed to have used all its available MP for the tactic.

7.32 The Approach. To undertake anastrophe, the activated galley must start its turn:

at Maximum Speed,
adjacent to, and with its bow in, one of the Approach hexes opposite the bow of the target, facing the target (Anastrophe may not be undertaken by approaching through the enemy stern); or
within two hexes of the bow of the target, facing that target.

7.33 The Rake. The activated galley may now attempt to Rake the target. He may do this by an "adjacent" rake [7.21] or by Diekplus/Pass-Thru [7.24, although the latter restricts his turn-around ability]. Whether the rake is successful or not, the galley proceeds to the Turn Around.

7.34 The Turn Around. After the Rake attempt (successful or not), the attacking galley is placed in position to Ram [7.1]. No actual movement is undertaken; simply place the unit as indicated. However, this may be done (and the Anastrophe undertaken, for that matter) only if the Turn Around hexes are empty of any ships. that includes friendly galleys that would also be attempting Anastrophe that phase and using any of those Turn Around hexes. The Turn Around hexes are always the stern and both stern/flank hexes of the target galley, plus the hexes the Anastrophic galley must be in to attempt the Ram. The diagram, below, illustrates this principle.

PLAY NOTE: Although Anastrophe may be attempted using Diekplus, the line abreast of enemy ships makes it a bit more difficult, as it usually restricts the Turn Around.

7.35 The Sting. To resolve the Ram, the attacking galley is now placed, bow forward, against the target ship's stern/flank hexside on the side of the latter ship opposite to the rake. (See the example/diagram, above.) The attacking galley now undertakes a Ram attempt, using standard rules. For purposes of the Movement DRM, the galley has expended MP equal to its Maximum speed. If the Rake attempt was unsuccessful, the player subtracts one (–1 DRM) from the Ram Attempt DR.

PLAY NOTE #1: The targeted galley is always free to use Avoidance, if so capable.

PLAY NOTE #2: Any galley may always follow up a Rake with a Ram attempt. However, it usually takes a second turn to do so. Only the anastrophe-rated galleys have the maneuver capability to do so in limited space.

EXAMPLE OF DIEKPLUS & ANASTROPHE: Target galley "B" in 1917-1818, as above; other galleys from that fleet are line abreast in 1817-1717, 1918-1819 (galley "A"), and 2019-1919. The activated galley is in 1619-1519, the only hex from which it could attempt a Rake, as Rake requires a head-on, dead-ahead approach. Also, note that, given the configuration of the target line, galley "B" is the only target galley which has the required Turn Around hexes open.

Active galley uses Diekplus to move between "B" and "A," raking "B" in the process.
Active galley Turns Around (2017-8, 1916) and is placed in 1915-1916 for Ram Attempt.

HISTORICAL NOTE: Anastrophe—the word refers to the quick turnabout by the attacking ship—was a major tactic of the Greek triremes, which had the speed and maneuverability to pull it off. It disappeared with the advent of the larger, but less mobile, quinqueremes, whose personnel was more boarding-oriented anyway. For those interested, there is an excellent visualization of anastrophe—complete with marines ready to repel boarding and a bunch of nose-to-nose missile fire—in "Warfare in the Ancient World," edited by General Sir John Hackett (p.90).

7.36 Galleys that conduct an Anastrophe, regardless of success, are automatically Fatigued. The level of Fatigue is dependent on the Crew Rating. To determine this, use the "7A" row on the Fatigue Table. Thus, a 2-Crew attempting Anastrophe would have an automatic F3.

8.0 Manpower Combat

8.1 Grappling

Grappling is the prerequisite for Boarding and then Capturing a ship. It puts a premium on crew capability, with the subsequent Boarding attempt relying on Manpower. Both tactics are best used by fleets with inferior galleys but superior (or even equal) crews.

8.11 Any galley using Cruise Speed that ends its Movement sharing a common flank hexside with an enemy ship [and see 7.16] may attempt to Grapple the enemy ship so that it may be Boarded. Galleys at Maximum Speed may not attempt to Grapple. Grappling is undertaken in the Movement Segment; Boarding may take place only between (mutually) Grappled ships [8.2].

8.12 The player attempting to Grapple consults the Grappling Table, rolls the die, and cross-references that die roll with the Crew Rating of the galley making the attempt. They die roll is adjusted (cumulative) as follows:

if the target is Crippled, Fouled, or already Grappled, add one (+1).
if the target is under Sail, add one (+1).
if the target is moving in the opposite direction of the galley attempting to Grapple, and the target is not Fatigued, Crippled, or at Half Speed, subtract one (–1).
if the galley making the attempt is under Sail, subtract one (–1).
apply any scenario specific modifiers for such inventions as Corvus, Harpax, et al.

The result is either Success, and the galleys are Grappled (place a Grappled marker on both ships), or Failure, with no further effect.

8.13 An active galley may make only one grappling attempt per turn, regardless of how many enemy ships are adjacent. However, an inactive galley may be Grappled by more than one active galley in a given phase [8.23].

8.14 Neither Fouled, Collided, nor galleys that successfully Retract are considered Grappled. To attempt to Board, they must still make, if eligible, a successful grappling attempt.

8.2 Boarding

Boarding is the method preferred by the fleet with the better marines and, thus, the favorite tactic of Rome.

8.21 A player may have his marines (Manpower Rating) board a Grappled enemy ship to capture it. Boarding takes place in the active player's Boarding Segment of the Squadron Activation Phase. A galley must have a Manpower Rating of at least M1 to board. Galleys with ratings of M0 may not board, although they will defend.

8.22 In cases of multiple galleys:

All activated galleys of one player that are Grappled to the same target may take part in the Boarding attempt; simply total the ratings of all such galleys.
If one galley is Grappled to 2 or more enemy galleys, the former may, if the player wishes, Board more than one galley. To do so he distributes his Manpower Rating among the galleys he has designated. (Remember the M1 minimum, above.)

EXAMPLE: An M3 galley is Grappled to two enemy ships. The player decides to Board both enemy ships and divides his marines, M1 and M2. He could have boarded only one and retained the M3.

8.23 To resolve a Boarding attempt, the activated player consults the Boarding Table, cross-referencing his (Attacker) Manpower Rating with that of the target. That will give him the dice roll (2d12) he needs to be successful. The possible results are:

Captured: the target is Captured [8.25]
Repulsed: The defender has beaten back the boarding attempt [8.27]
Either result may incur Depletion [8.28].

EXAMPLE: Two galleys with M2 ratings are boarding a galley with an M1 rating. Cross-checking the '4' column with the Defender's '1' row, the attacker needs a DR of 4-12 to succeed. A DR of '3' or less will mean his boarding attempt was Repulsed [8.28].

8.24 The only DRM for Boarding is Height Advantage from Towers [8.47].

if Attacker has a Height Advantage, add one (+1)
if Defender has a Height Advantage, subtract one (–1)

8.25 If the target has been Captured, place a "Captured" marker atop the ship. Captured galleys, with their skeleton crews:

have Crew and Manpower Ratings of "0";
may not use Maximum Speed.

That player may now move that galley (after disengaging, to be sure). Captured galleys are treated like other galleys for all purposes.

PLAY NOTE: This means they can be used to Ram and Missile Fire. They cannot Board (although they can Grapple).

8.26 Once a galley has been Captured it is always treated as a Captured Ship. If it is retaken, flip the marker to "Recaptured."

8.27 If the result was Repulsed, the boarders have been beaten back and the defenders remain in control of their galley. The boarding attempt is finished for that turn. Another boarding attempt may occur in another turn, as long as the ships remain Grappled.

8.28 Manpower results from Boarding Attacks are expressed as Depletions [8.61] to the Manpower Rating. Depletions are indicated by using the appropriate Depletion marker, or keeping track on the Fleet Sheet. The basic premise is that any Captured result reduces defending Manpower to M0. Other than that, a (cumulative) Depletion of minus one (–1) occurs if:

the attacker captures ship on an adjusted DR of 9-12, the attacker suffers a Depletion
any Repulsed result gives the repulsed attackers an automatic Depletion
the Repulsed DR was an adjusted 2-5, the defender suffers a Depletion

The Depletion result applies to each attacking boarding party, if there is more than one.

8.3 Disengage

Disengage covers a ship's ability to detach itself from a ship with which it has become Fouled or Grappled.

8.31 The two types of Disengage each take place at different times within the Sequence of Play:

Grapple Disengage: This is part of the Movement Segment, prior to actually moving. Movement may occur only if the Disengage is successful.
Foul Disengage: This occurs in the Disengage Segment of the Status Resolution Phase (G/1).

8.32 Grapple Disengage. This is an attempt by any Grappled ship to cut the lines holding her to another ship. In order for a Grappled galley to move, it must Disengage first. Grapple Disengage is part of the Movement Segment and costs all available, or 2 MP (whichever is less), for the active galley, if successful. If unsuccessful the galley can't move anyway. The player consults the Grapple Disengage Table, rolls one die for each galley to which his ship is Grappled, cross-referencing that die roll with his galley's Crew Rating. The following DRM may apply:

if the galley successfully repulsed a boarding attack that turn, add one (+1)
if the galley has a better Crew than the one to which she is Grappled, add (+1). This DRM is not usable if the player is attempting to disengage from more than one galley **
if the player controls both Grappled ships in question — which usually happens when he has captured an enemy galley by boarding, add two (+2) **
if the galley is Crippled or Fouled, subtract (–1)
if the galley Grappled with help of Corvus or Harpax; see scenario.

** = Player cannot combine these.

PLAY NOTE: Galleys whose speed level has been reduced below 2 MP may still Grapple Disengage.

8.33 Results: Grapple Disengage. If the adjusted dieroll results in an "S", the Grapple Disengagement attempt succeeds. Remove the Grapple marker; the ship is free to move (and it has already used 2 MP to disengage) if it has sufficient MP remaining. Otherwise, the galley remains Grappled.

8.34 A galley that is Grappled to two enemy ships may attempt to Disengage from each/both of these in the same Movement Segment, all at the one cost in MP (8.32). However, the better Crew bonus may not be used in any of the attempts.

8.35 Foul Disengage. In the Disengage Segment of the Status Resolution Phase (G/1), each player consults the Foul Disengage Table and rolls one die for each Fouled galley he has in play, cross-referencing that DR with the galley's Crew Rating. If the Disengagement attempt succeeds, replace the Fouled marker with a Half Speed Marker. Otherwise, the ship remains Fouled.

PLAY NOTE: Unlike Grapple Disengage, there are no die roll modifiers.

8.4 Missile Fire

The Manpower Rating includes the ability to engage in Missile Fire. Although most combat personnel on the galley were boarding-oriented, small contingents of light, missile-armed troops (archers, slingers, javelinists) were present. Several ships have an "E" rating, indicating that the addition of artillery (catapults, scorpiones, and such) was enough to provide a (game) benefit when firing. Firing hand-held weapons while in a moving ship was never easy, and the stone/dart firing artillery was, by nature, quite light.

8.41 A galley may use Missile Fire against any ship to which it is either adjacent, or within two hexes, even if it is moving! Regular Missile Fire may be directed only through flank hexsides; never bow/stern hexsides. Flame Missiles may be fired through any hexside.

8.42 A galley may use Missile Fire:

once, during its own Movement segment (E/1), and
once per phase during an opponent's Movement segment as Reaction Fire. Reaction Fire may be used only against galleys that fired at it, or against adjacent enemy galleys that are attempting to Grapple, Ram, or Rake. If Reaction Fire is being used when an enemy fires upon that galley, the results of both missile fires are applied simultaneously. Thus, each galley gets to fire without applying the effects of the enemy fire.

8.43 If an active galley has finished movement, and is undertaking Missile Fire at the end of such movement, it may fire at more than one target, if eligible. To do so he divides his Manpower Rating among the targets as he sees fit. Thus, a galley with M2 may fire, using the '1-2' column, at each of two enemy ships. Ships with an M1 rating may not "split" fire; you cannot "split" so that a ship has M0.

8.44 To resolve Missile Fire, the player notes his Manpower Rating and states whether he using normal or his Flame Missile capability and then rolls one die, adjusting that die roll as follows:

if the firing galley has engines ("E" rated), add one (+1) to the die roll
if the firing galley has a Height Advantage, add one (+1) to the die roll [8.47]
if the firing galley has a Height Disadvantage, subtract one (–1) from the die roll [8.47]
if the firing galley is under Sail, subtract one (–1) from the die roll
if the firing galley has jettisoned towers, subtract one (–1) from the die roll [8.48]
if the target is Rammed, Grappled, Fouled, or Crippled, add one (+1) to the die roll
if the target is two hexes away, subtract one (–1) from the die roll.

DESIGN NOTE: The galleys that are E-rated are not the only ones with artillery; they are the ones whose missile capability had to be increased, vis à vis the Manpower Rating. By the 3rd century BC, virtually all ships used artillery of some sort.

8.45 There are two possible results from the Missile Fire Dieroll:

The target has suffered a "D" (Depletion) [8.61] or "D/F" (Depletion with possible Fire) [8.51] result. The additional "F" result applies only to galleys using Flame Missile capability.
No effect

HISTORICAL & DESIGN NOTE: The effect of missiles was not that great. Missiles (other than flame) had virtually no effect on the actual galley and the rowers were protected by the decks (for the most part). The only personnel that could possibly have been affected are the Crew. However, because of the way crews are rated, and their use, applying Depletions to crews would have added a layer of accounting complexity we were loathe to use.

8.46 Missile fire at a range of two hexes is blocked if there is any ship in between the firing galley and the target so that there is no clear, unblocked hex between the two.

8.47 Artillery Towers. Artillery Towers are indicated on the counter by the "T" rating. They:

provide the player with a Height Advantage—for both Boarding and Missile Fire—over all opposing ships that do not have them. However,
galleys with Towers suffer a –1 DRM when attempting to Ram.

8.48 At any time during its Movement Segment, a galley may Jettison Towers (at the cost of 1 MP):

Having done so it may add one (+1) to its printed Maximum Speed rating
It loses the Height Advantage
–1 DRM to Missile Fire Rating (to account for the loss of use of engines)
May not use Flame Missiles

HISTORICAL NOTE: The use of "towers" — more elevated platforms — to assist missile-firing troops, as well as the artillery engines they may have, became fairly standard after the Punic Wars.

8.5 Flame

Starting in the late 4th century B.C., the use of Flame Missiles as a minimal range weapon became popular. Another possibility, used only as part of a Ramming attempt, was Firepots. Scenarios in which these are available are noted therein.

HISTORICAL NOTE: This rule does not refer to the infamous Greek Fire, used by the Byzantines, which did not appear until around the 7th century A.D.

8.51 Use of Flame Missiles is a Missile Fire action usable only by galleys with Flame Missile Capability. Flame capability is not on the counter; it is noted in the scenario instructions. An "F" result on the Missile Table means that the player must DR again. If he rolls a 4, 5 or 6, the target is On Fire; 1-3 means No Effect.

8.52 The maximum range of fire for Flame Missiles is one hex.

8.53 Firepots were used as part of a Ramming attempt. Firepots were dropped, using an extended pole, onto the deck of an enemy ship. Ships that are Firepot-armed (noted in each scenario), roll for success as part of a Ram Attempt, if they so wish, but before resolving the Ram, thus the success of the Ram Attempt is not a factor. If the player rolls a '5' or '6,' the firepots have set the target on Fire.

8.54 If the Flame Missile fire or Firepot drop is successful, the target ship is now On Fire. A ship on Fire can do anything it could do without the Fire. During the Galley Recovery Segment of the Status Resolution Phase (G/2), its player determines the effect of the Fire. Roll the die and consult the Firefight Table. It is possible, as per the table, that galleys Grappled or fouled with the burning ship may also catch fire.

PLAY NOTE: Galleys that catch fire in the Status Recovery Phase are not eligible to roll on the Firefight Table until the next Status Recovery Phase.

8.6 Personnel Losses

8.61 Depletion is the major result of personnel-oriented combat: missile fire and/or boarding. Depletion affects only the galley's Manpower Rating; it has no effect on Crew, Speed or anything else. If a galley receives a Depletion Result, place the appropriate numeric marker atop the counter, increasing the Depletion level by one level for each such result.

8.62 The Depletion number is a negative result applied to the Manpower Rating, reducing it accordingly. There is no limit to how many Depletions a galley may incur, except that the "M" rating may never drop below '0'.

8.63 Depletion results take place immediately. If the causing agent is Missile Fire, and such Fire was simultaneous with enemy missile fire, any Depletions are applied after all fire is completed.

8.64 The following is a summary of how the various aspects of a galley take losses, and how such losses are incurred.

Manpower (M):

This rating is reduced by Depletion.
Captured ships have an M0 rating.
A ship with M0 may not board; it will defend, though, and it may Missile Fire, Ram and Rake.

Crew:

Captured ships have a Crew Rating of '0' and may not use Maximum Speed

PLAY NOTE: Fatigue does not directly affect the Crew rating, although it does temporarily Restrict a ship's attack [7.13, 7.22] and movement [6.44] capability.

9.0 Victory

9.1 Victory Points

Most scenarios use a Victory Point system to determine victory.

A player gets VP equal to the Ram Defense of each enemy ship he has Rammed (even if it does not Sink), or that has Run Aground, or has sunk by other means such as Fire.
A player gets VP equal to the Ram Defense +1 (the Capture Bonus) for each enemy ship he has captured. This does not apply to recaptured ships; if a player regains an enemy-captured ship, the opposing player "loses" those VP. If a Captured ship is subsequently Rammed, Sunk, or Runs Aground the Capture Bonus (+1 VP) is lost.
Players do not receive any VP for enemy ships that voluntarily leave the map. However, such ships may not return.

If neither Player reaches his VP total needed for a win because a player(s) has exited ships from the map, then the player with the most VP wins.

There are some minor exceptions for unusual items in a few scenarios.

A player may always see the handwriting on the coastal walls and cede victory to the other.

9.2 Loss of Admiral

If a fleet loses its only admiral (this does not apply to fleets with more than one active admiral) the player rolls one die (1d6) to see if his fleet will automatically end the battle by withdrawing (which sometimes happened). That DR is adjusted by:

Adding the Admiral's Initiative Rating
Adding one (+1) if that player has fewer VP than his opponent

If the adjusted DR is greater than '6', the fleet has withdrawn. Players now total their VP; the non-withdrawing fleet adds 25 VP to his total. High total wins, but if the withdrawing fleet happens to win, it's more of a draw than anything else, as the purpose of the battle was probably to clear the sea lanes for trade.

10.0 Tournament Rules

War Galley lends itself quite readily to tournament play. All of the rules apply, but you get to build your own fleet.

Players first decide how many Fleet-Building Points (FBPs) they want to use; (the more FBPs, the longer the game). Players should choose either 250, 300, 350 or 400. The points are used as follows:

It costs FBP equivalent to a galley's M + C + Ram Defense to purchase that ship. Thus a galley with '2' Manpower, a Crew of '3' and a Ram defense of '8' would cost 13 FBPs.
If a galley counter has a "T" and/or an "E" indicator, add one (+1) to the FBP for each such rating.
Players get to pick their own Admirals, no cost. The number of Squadron Leaders they may also pick (also free) is limited by the number of FBPs: 250 (2 SqLdr); 300, 350 (3 SqLdr); 400 (4 SqLdr).

Once the fleets have been assembled, players roll the die to determine who has the Initiative. The loser of that dieroll must set up first (use the all-sea map). None of his galleys may be more than 8 hexes from the map edge. The Initiative Player now may either deploy on the map or use his Initiative, first turn, to begin bringing his fleet in. He must deploy/enter on the map edge directly opposite his opponent (no flanking here). If he deploys, the 8 hex limit still applies.

The Victory levels are still counted as per the basic rule. The level of VP required is based on the FBP used:

250 FBPs = 55 VP
300 FBPs = 65 VP
350 FBPs = 75 VP
400 FBPs = 85 VP

Credits

NAVAL SYSTEM DESIGNED BY: Richard Berg

Was ably assisted by the following remarkably active and vocal Playtesters: Steve Sickel, Stefan Andersson, Volko Ruhnke, Kim Bergstrom, Al Ray, Alfred Wallace, Luke Holbrook, Tim Koneval, and David Fox.

2ND EDITION DEVELOPER: Alan Ray

ART DIRECTOR/PACKAGING: Rodger B. MacGowan

COUNTER ART/LAYOUT: Rodger B. MacGowan and Mike Lemick

MAP ART: Mark Simonitch

EXAMPLES: Gene Billingsley

2ND EDITION PROOFREADER AND INDEX: Kevin Duke

PRODUCTION COORDINATION: Tony Curtis

PRODUCERS: Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Andy Lewis, Gene Billingsley and Mark Simonitch

Sources

Most of the information came from:

Rodgers, W.L., Greek and Roman Naval Warfare
Nelson, R.B., Warfleets of Antiquity
Smith, E., Trireme (game)

... and the following ancients: Herodotus, Thucydides, and Polybius

For visuals, it's tough to beat the galley battle in Ben-Hur, which—aside from the Roman use of slaves in the picture, something they rarely if ever did—is very accurate as to the details of a galley battle. Looks like Roman Liburnians (although they appear to be somewhat bulkier than the Liburnians) against Macedonian pirate tremiolae. You do wonder, though, why the pirates would want to board a rammed, burning ship…And there's always the Actium recreation in "Cleopatra."

Scenarios

War Galley Scenarios

The battles, taken in sequence, portray the development of both the ships and the tactics used in the ancient world. The one major exception is the omission of the battle of Salamis from the Persian Wars with Greece which was published in a separate module.

The wars covered by the scenarios are:

The Ionian Revolt: Lade
The Peloponnesian War: Arginusae
The Sicilian Wars: Catana
The First Successor War: Salamis (Cyprus)
The First Punic War: Ecnomus, Drepanum, The Aegatian Islands
The Macedonian Wars: Chios
The War with Antiochus: Side, Myonessus
The Civil War: Tauris, Naulochus, Actium

The scenarios are rated for "Difficulty," that rating not so much reflecting how tough it is to play, but how tough it is to play well. The Ratings go from 1 to 4, Easy to Hard, those two labels being relative to the fact that War Galley is not a very complex game for this genre.

Galleys. The galleys for each scenario are listed by background color, type, and ID# (as there are often many different ships within a type. E.g., there are 12 differently-rated quinqueremes.) Example: 14 Red Cataphracted Triremes, ID 50-63, or 20 Green Quadriremes, ID 40-59. Galleys with Flame capability are noted in the Special Rules sections of each scenario.

A Note on Commanders. We know the names for all the Admirals and some of the Squadron Commanders in each battle. For those for whom such information was not available, we have assigned names, usually names of some local fame (if not necessarily at that time). These "ersatz" 'monarchs of the sea' are so noted with an asterisk (*) in each scenario.

Suggestion to Beginners: We suggest that those not overly impatient to show their naval prowess run through a couple of turns of the Aegatian Island scenario.

Lade — 494 B.C.

Persia vs. the Ionian League

Background. The Ionian League (Greek cities in what is now western Turkey) rose in revolt against the Persians, gathering a fairly large fleet of 360+ galleys (all triremes) to block Persian Lines of Communication in the Aegean. The Persians gathered an even larger fleet-some 600 triremes-and sailed against the Ionians. Given the numerical superiority of the Persians, her fleet had no problem in outflanking the Greeks, even when deployed in three lines.

Most of the Ionians approached in Column/Line Astern. But the size of the opposition was too much for their right wing; the squadrons from Samos and Lesbos, and most of those galleys simply turned and ran. The Ionian center, though, proved especially tough. The Chios squadron and the crack galleys of Dionysus of Phocaea (who after the battle decided that a life of Phoenician piracy offered more opportunity), created havoc in the center of the Persian line.

It was not enough, though. Both Ionian flanks collapsed, and the Chians and Phocaeans had to run to savor what minimal successes they had had. The Ionian fleet was destroyed, and the sea lanes were now open for the Persian invasion of Greece.

Maps. The game uses the "sea" map. The hex-ending xx28 row is North; the hex-ending xx00 row, South. Lade is an island off the cost of Ionia (western Turkey), East of Miletus.

Balance. This battle is included as a look at early naval battles: small, fast ships in huge numbers. The Persians had minimal trouble winning this one, and they're favored here.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 3-4 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. The Difficulty Rating is 2.0.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 10 galleys.

Initial Deployment: Persians. The Persian Player receives the following Green galleys: 62 Triremes; ID 1-62.

The Persian Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Aeaces [Admiral]; "Egypt," "Cilicia," "Tyre," "Sidon," and "Cyprus." [a]

The Persian Fleet is deployed in two lines as follows: 31 galleys in one line abreast, from 2007-6 to 5007-6, inclusive (all bows heading north). The second line of 31 galleys is in 2004-3 to 5004-3, also heading north. Squadron Commanders are deployed as the player wishes.

Initial Deployment: Ionians. The Ionian Player receives the following Red galleys: 35 Triremes; ID 1-35.

The Ionian Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: "Samos," "Lesbos," "Chios," "Teos," and "Miletus." There is no admiral. [b]

The Ionian Fleet deploys in Line Astern (column), by island squadron, all heading south:

Samos Squadron: Triremes #1-6; Samos SqC: 4815-4826.
Lesbos Squadron: Triremes #7-13, Lesbos SqC: 4415-4428.
Chios Squadron: Triremes #25-34, and Trireme #35 [c], Chios SqC: 3815-3828. The last 4 galleys will enter, in Line Astern, as the first 7 galleys move forward.
Teos/Priene Squadron [d]: Triremes #22-24, Teos SqC: 3015-3020.
Miletus Squadron: Triremes #14-21. Miletus SqC: 2815-2828, with the 8th galley entering behind the others.

a = there are no names provided for this battle, other than that of Aeaces. We have opted to label the Squadron Commanders as coming from the areas of the empire that provided squadrons.

b = same as 'a,' although much is made of the Phocaean admiral, Dionysius. Then again, there were only 3 Phocaean galleys.

c = this is the galley representing Dionysius and the Phocaeans.

d = this squadron was made up of galleys from Teos (17 historically), Priene (12 historically), and Myus (3 historically).

Special Rules.

Initiative: The Ionians have the Initiative for the first turn; after that, by dieroll.

Wind: Wind is not an issue. Players may not use sails (as they probably didn't have them).

The Ionian Fleet was a hodgepodge of squadrons from most of the Aegean Islands and ports, all of whom were far too independent to sail under one admiral. (They resented Dionysius mightily for his trying to drill the sailors and marines into some sort of shape.) To that end, the Ionians have no admiral. Thus:

When rolling for Initiative, the Ionian Player subtracts one (-1) from the DR.
No Double Activation is possible.

In addition, try to keep the squadrons together (as listed above). For example, Chian galleys may not become part of the Lesbian squadron.

PLAY NOTE: The Persian fleet was also made up of squadrons from various areas of the empire. However, they appear to have had overall coordination, and their fleet was more homogenous than the Ionians.

Treachery and Cowardice: The Ionian right wing (the Samos and Lesbos contingents) were mighty shaky, whether through treason or sheer fright on seeing the size of the Persian fleet is hard to tell.

The first time that either the Samos or Lesbos squadron is activated, the player rolls the die. The result is the number of galleys in that squadron that must, when they move, turn around and move off the northern edge of the map. Each squadron is rolled for separately (as it is activated).

Galleys that have sailed off the map, as above, do not count for victory.

HISTORICAL NOTE: 11 of the 60 Samosian galleys stayed and attacked the Persian left. All of the (70) Lesbians, seeing the Samosian defection, cut and ran.

This is an optional rule that gives the Persian a large break they little need. If playing "competitively," we suggest you ignore this rule.

Victory. The Persian Player wins when he has at least 70 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. The Ionian Player wins when he has at least 100 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Arginusae — 406 B.C.

Athens vs. Sparta

Background. This, one of the last naval battles of the Peloponnesian War, features a desperate Athenian fleet, manned partially by slaves and rabble from Piraeus, sailing to the aid of the main fleet, blockaded in Mytilene. The Athenians had more galleys than the Spartans (150 to 120), but their fleet was inferior. To overcome this disadvantage, and the Spartan predilection for the Diekplus, the Athenians formed in two lines (the Spartans were in a single line), which shortened their relative front vis a vis the Spartans. To compensate for that, the Athenians used West Arginusae Island as the center of their line.

The battle was a melee, free-for-all, with little maneuvering. The Spartan admiral, Callicratides, fell overboard when his ship was rammed, and the Athenians used their double line to smash the superior Spartans.

Maps. The game uses the "land" map, with only West Arginusae island ("A") representing land. Ignore all other land. The Arginusae Islands are just off the coast of Ionia (western Turkey), and SE of Lesbos.

Balance. In balance terms, a most interesting battle. The Spartans have a better fleet with better crews. The Athenians have only numbers and the island in their favor, because the island allowed them to spread their front line, complete with a reserve, so that it matched that of the Spartans. This one is fairly evenly balanced.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 3-4 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. The Difficulty Rating is 2.0.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 4 galleys.

Initial Deployment: Spartans. The Spartan Player receives the following Red galleys: 30 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 1-30.

The Spartan Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Callicratides [Admiral], *Pleistonax, *Mindarus, and *Dexippus.

The Spartan Player is deployed as follows: all galleys in one line abreast, from 4907-8 to 2007-8, inclusive (all bows in the xx08 hex). Callicratides is in 2308. The remaining SqC's are placed as the Spartan player sees fit.

Initial Deployment: Athenians [a]. The Athenian Player receives the following Green galleys: 4 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 1-4; 28 Triremes; ID 1-28; 7 Triremes; ID 29-35.

The Athenian Fleet receives the following Squadron Commanders: Aristocrates (Admiral/LW), Protomachus (Admiral/RW), Diomedon, Hippeus, Thrasyllus.

The Athenian Player is deployed [b] in five (5) squadrons [c], as follows:

Squadron #1: Aristocrates and 1 Cataphracted Trireme in 2220-2221; 3 Triremes in 2120-21, 2320-21, 2420-1; 4 Triremes two hexes behind (bow in the xx23 row).
Squadron #2: Diomedon and 1 Cataphracted Trireme in 2820-21; 3 Triremes in 2620-21, 2720-21, 2920-21; 4 Triremes two hexes behind (bow in the xx23 row).
Squadron #3: Hippeus (3520); Hippeus' squadron is comprised of the ID# 29-35 triremes, in 3120-1, 3320-1, 3520-1, 3720-1, 3920-1, 3323-4, 3723-4.
Squadron #4: Protomachus and 1 Cataphracted Trireme in 4220-21; 3 Triremes in 4120-21, 4320-21, 4420-1; 4 Triremes two hexes behind (bow in the xx23 row).
Squadron #5: Thrasyllus and 1 Cataphracted Trireme in 4820-21; 3 '3s' in 4620-21, 4720-21, 4920-1; 4 Triremes two hexes behind (bow in the xx23 row).

a = mostly Athenians, with contingents from her allies. This was a rather slap-dash Athenian fleet, made up mostly of patched up "old" boats that were inferior to those of the Spartans, using equally haphazard crews. Makes the Athenian victory all the more interesting.

b = there is some disagreement as to exactly how-or even if-the Athenians used West Arginusae Island. The most detailed modern description, in Rogers' book, smacks a bit of the parade ground mentality, one of those maneuvers that looks quite effective but is hell to pull off. Then again, compare this with the "lager" circle adapted at Patras (429 BC) by the Corinthians against the Athenians. Wonder how easy it was to get into that formation?

c = historically, there were nine squadrons (with eight "sub-admirals," including Pericles, son of the famous Athenian). However, bowing to a minor god of playability, we combined both lines of each group under one command.

Special Rules. Initiative: By dieroll. Wind: Wind is not an issue. Players may not use sails.

Victory. The Spartan Player wins when he has at least 80 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. The Athenian Player wins when he has at least 70 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Catana — 397 B.C.

Carthage vs. Syracuse

Background. This major naval action was part of the centuries-ongoing conflict over control of Sicily, between Carthage and, for the most part, Syracuse. This one is notable because it is the first (recorded) instance of the use of on-board artillery, as well as an early appearance of the quinquereme, soon to become the standard war galley for 300+ years. The battle was won by superior Carthaginian seamanship (the new quinqueremes were hard to maneuver), although it may be more accurate to say it was lost by Syracuse because Leptines refused to follow orders, attacking with his squadrons piecemeal.

Hovering over the battle, if not actually present, is Dionysius, Tyrant of Syracuse, one of the great men of the era. It is Dionysius (through his engineers) who is attributed with "inventing" mechanical artillery, the quinquereme, and, possibly, even the use of fire. It is interesting to ruminate on what Dionysius would have become had his center of power been a bit less restrictive.

The end result of Catana was that Carthage was able to bring her army to bear against Syracuse, an assault that turned into a disaster for the Punics.

Maps. The game uses the "all-sea" map; the right flank of the Carthaginians (the map edge along the 6000 column) is considered land (Sicily). Catana is directly north of Syracuse, on the eastern coast of Sicily.

Balance. The Syracusans lost this battle. However, it appears they lost because Leptines did not follow his brother's orders and attacked piecemeal-something few, if any players, will do. To that extent, the battle favors the Syracusans slightly.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 3-4 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. Difficulty Rating: 2.5.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 4 galleys. The ancient sources state that the Syracusans had c. 180 ships, the Carthaginians a bit more (not counting transports). Many modern historians say, based on economic evidence, etc., that that number may be inflated by 2x.

Initial Deployment: Carthaginians. The Carthaginian Player receives the following Green galleys: 20 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 1-20; 5 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 26-30; 10 Transports.

The Carthaginian Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Mago (Admiral), *Gisgo, *Himilco.

The Carthaginians deploy first, as follows: they may place the bows of all their war galleys in hexes that are no more than six (6) hexes from the south (xx27 or xx28) edge of the map. The transports shall be placed in a single line abreast (whether it is adjacent or with interval is up to the player) either directly behind, or within 2 hexes, of the war galleys. The Squadron Commanders are placed as desired. Within these restrictions, the Carthaginian Player is free to deploy as he wishes. (In essence, his fleet is moving into the battle area).

Initial Deployment: Syracusans. The Syracusan Player receives the following Red galleys: 2 Biremes; ID # 1-2; 14 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 1-14; 7 Quinqueremes; ID 1-7 [a].

The Syracusan Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Leptines (Admiral [b]), *Gelon, *Diocles.

a = the first use of on-board artillery has been factored into the M-rating of the galleys.

b = the brother of Dionysius, Tyrant of Syracuse and one of the more fascinating figures of the 3rd century BC.

The Syracusans deploy after the Carthaginians by undergoing a Movement segment, which is considered to occur before the actual game/battle begins. To that end:

all galleys are set up along the north (xx00) map edge, with their bows in a xx00 hex.
They may so deploy in any hex between 1900 and 6000.
Squadron Commanders may be placed as desired.
Each galley may now undergo a Movement segment at Cruise Speed, after which the battle starts with the normal Play Sequence.

Special Rules. Initiative: By dieroll. Wind: Wind is not an issue. Ships may not use sails.

Transports: The Carthaginian Transports do not have any "manpower." Treat the M-rating as '0' (and see Salamis for why the counters have an M3 rating.) The Transport Squadron does not need a Squadron Commander to move. All transports may be moved in any one Activation Phase.

Transports may not move off the map, nor may they move with 2 hexes of the coast (the eastern edge). (The coast was held by Syracusan troops, and the transports, which had to stay within protective reach of the Carthaginian fleet, could not venture too close.)

Victory. Mago's transports have a VP value equal to their Ram Defense, as per the standard rule. The Carthaginian Player wins when he has at least 55 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. The Syracusan Player wins when he has at least 80 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Salamis (Cyprus) — 306 B.C.

Antigonids vs. Ptolemaics

Background. This is one of the many battles fought by the Diadochoi, who sought to succeed Alexander the Great. It is also the first battle (for which we have information) where the "big ships" start making an appearance.

With his fleet somewhat numerically short, compared to that of Ptolemy, Demetrius loaded his transports with marines, giving them the ability to board and his fleet the ability to outflank Ptolemy's. The strategy worked rather well, as Demetrius' extended left, complete with all its heavier ships, swamped the Egyptian right. Meanwhile, Ptolemy managed to break through the Antigonid right, but, by that time, the Egyptians had lost about 120 ships, and the battle was over.

Maps. The game uses the "sea" map. The map edge along the short end (next to the 1000 row) is Coastal. The xx00 long side is North; the opposite (xx28 hexes) is south. Salamis is a city along the eastern coast of Cyprus.

Balance. The Antigonids are outnumbered, in war galleys, by about 50%. However, they have Demetrius and Plistias, two very capable commanders, good crews, plus those big ships, which have great boarding and flame capabilities, plus the use of "transports" for boarding. It all adds up to a fairly even battle, much depending on the skill of the players.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 4 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. Difficulty Rating: 3.5 (most of that "difficulty" attributed to playing well).

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 3 galleys.

Deployment. The two fleets are rather close together, as they were historically (or so the sources say). Perhaps this is how Demetrius's left found it so easy to outflank the Ptolemaic right.

Initial Deployment: Antigonids [a]. The Antigonid Player receives the following Green galleys: 7 Quadriremes; ID 1-7 [b]; 10 Quadriremes; ID 8-17; 10 Quinqueremes; ID 1-10 (these galleys have Flame Capability); 3 Sexteres; ID 1-3 (these galleys have Flame Capability); 2 Hepteres; ID 1-2 (these galleys have Flame Capability); 18 Transports [c].

a = Antigonus, one of the "original" Diadochoi, is the father of our fleet admiral, Demetrius Poliorcetes (the Besieger), both major players in the First Successor War.

b = this group of Quadriremes came from Athens.

c = Demetrius' "transports" were called "pharsali," and, most likely, consisted of aged war galleys (probably pentakonters and early triremes) that had been refitted as transports. Useless for ramming or raking, they were filled with troops from Demetrius' army, giving them the capability of boarding, a tactic in which relative speed was a minimal factor.

The Antigonid receives the following Squadron Commanders: Demetrius (Admiral), Plistias, *Orestes, *Memnon, *Telemachos.

The Antigonid Player is deployed on the North side, with the coast on his right, as follows:

Right Wing, Front Line. Plistias in 1506-7; 7 Quinqueremes facing south, from 1206-7 to 1806-7, all bows in a xxx7 hex.
Right Wing, Reserve Line. 7 Quadriremes, from 1203-4 to 1803-4 all bows in a xxx4 hex.
Center, Front Line: Orestes in 2507; 11 Transports from 3007 to 2007, all units in xxx7 hexes.
Center, Reserve Line: 7 Transports, from 2805 to 2205, all units in a xxx5 hex.
Left Wing, Front Line: Demetrius (3906-7), Memnon (3506-7); 2 Hepteres, one each in 3906-7 and 3506-7; 10 Quadriremes in 4306-7 to 3206-7, excluding hexes occupied by Hepteres; all bows in xxx7 hexes.
Left Wing, Reserve Line: Telemachos; 3 Sexteres, 3 Quinquiremes, from 4003-4 to 3503-4, all bows in xxx4 hexes.

Initial Deployment: Ptolemaic Fleet. The Ptolemaic Player receives the following Red galleys: 26 Quadriremes; ID 1-26; 20 Quinqueremes; ID 8-27.

The Ptolemaic Fleet receives the following Squadron Commanders: Ptolemy (Admiral), *Haroses, *Djoser, *Khefren, *Josephus.

The Ptolemaic Player is deployed on the South side, with the coast on his left, as follows:

Front Line: Ptolemy (1420); Haroses (2220) Djoser (3120); 10 Quinqueremes (2120-1 to 1220-1), 13 Quadriremes (2220-21 to 3420-1); all bows in a xx20 hex.
Second Line: Khefren (1623) and Josephus (3223); 10 Quinqueremes (1223-4 to 2123-4), 13 Quadriremes (2223-4 to 3423-4. all bows in a xx23 hex.

PLAY NOTE: That there is no Squadron Commander in the center of Ptolemy's Reserve Line is correct. Such (lack of) deployment is not based on any specific information, but on game balance issues and the fact that Ptolemy did not have an easy time bringing much of his fleet to bear.

Special Rules. Initiative: For the 1st turn, the Antigonid Player has the choice of either going first or letting Ptolemy go first. After that, it's by dieroll. Wind: Wind is not an issue. Ships may not use sails.

Victory. The Antigonid Player wins when he has at least 125 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. The Ptolemaic Player wins when he has at least 100 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Ecnomus — 256 B.C.

Rome vs. Carthage (1st Punic War)

Background. This is probably the most interesting battle, from a maneuver point of view, in the game. It is also the naval battle with the most information available.

The Romans are trying to set up a Line of Communications between bases in Sicily and North Africa, so that consul Regulus can move his army against Carthage. They have a new fleet, this one equipped with a new invention, The Corvus, used to take advantage of Rome's superiority in boarding, and to negate the greater seamanship of the Carthaginians. As the Romans move around Sicily, Carthage moves, in a series of widespread columns, to attack the Roman Fleet.

Regulus, seeking to protect his transports (which may or may not have been loaded with anything; sources differ), adapts a most unusual, arrowhead formation. The Carthaginians split their columns to the flanks in an effort to hit the Romans from that direction. The Romans then use individual squadrons to combat each of the approaching Punic squadrons, their deployment emerging from the arrowhead formation as the battle developed. The transports? They headed for the rear and the safety of the shore.

The arrow squadrons, under Regulus and Manlius, went head-to-head with Hamilcar. The Punic LW squadron did just fine against the Roman "3rd" squadron, pushing it against the shore. However, when Hanno and the Triarii squadron, on the Roman left, got entangled, Regulus extricated some of his galleys from the center and fell upon Hanno, driving them off.

The Roman naval success was complete, and Regulus was able to transfer his legions to North Africa (whereupon he got decisively whomped by the Carthaginians, under Xanthippus, at Bagradas Plains).

DESIGN NOTE: Rogers' book-see the Bibliography-has several excellent schematics of this battle.

Maps. The game uses both maps, joined along the long (34") edge, to make one map. Ignore all land designations. Ecnomus is a mountain on the southern coast of Sicily.

Carthaginian Side (North [a]) / Roman Side (South). The North edge rows should show hex numbers running 1000 - 6000, west to east. The southern edge of the bottom map should show hex numbers running 1028-6028, west to east. The eastern edge of both maps (beyond the 6000 column) is treated as Coastal.

a = although the battle takes place off the southern coast of Sicily, where you would assume the battle to flow in an east-west direction, because of the curve in the shoreline, the Carthaginians are approaching from the NW, with the Romans sailing in from the SE.

Balance. The initial deployments of both sides makes this a most unusual, and interesting, battle (perhaps the most interesting of all galley set-tos). Although the Romans have more ships, they're slower than the Carthaginians. So it's Roman manpower vs. Carthaginian sea savvy, the classic ancient era battle. And while the Romans won here, sinking and capturing more than twice the ships they lost (and driving the Carthaginians off), playtesting has shown it could go either way. We would say that it favors the Romans; however, the odds can be tilted slightly in the other direction by playing Transport Option #2 (below).

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 3+ hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. Difficulty Rating: 3.0. This is one of the battles that requires players to have solid foundation in the various tactics of the era, and how best to use them. This is also a very maneuver-oriented, wide-open battle.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 8 galleys. We have adopted this rather large scale to emphasize the maneuver aspects of the battle, as well as to make this interesting situation as accessible as possible to players. It would not be overly difficult to double the number of counters (to a 1-to-4 scale), as long as you retained the formations and the relative distances between the two fleets.

Initial Deployment: Romans. The Roman Player receives the following Red galleys: 22 Quinqueremes; ID 8-29 [a], Corvus capability; 6 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 31-36 [b]; 9 Transports.

a = the sources state that both Manlius and Regulus had sixers as their flagships, but there is no indication that there were any other 6s. Given the 1-to-8 scale, we simply ignored their presence, as they had no (apparent) affect on the outcome.

b = although Roman fleets of this era were usually all quinquereme (copied directly from captured Carthaginian vessels), Polybius says that there were some Triremes. The Roman fleet appears to have been about 25% Trireme at the start of the 1st Punic War. By Ecnomus, that may have been reduced.

The Roman receives the following Squadron Commanders: Regulus (Admiral), Manlius (Admiral), *Agricola, *Drusus.

The Roman Player is deployed, on the South map, in five squadrons, one of those squadrons being the (uncommanded) Transports.

Squadron I. Manlius (Admiral) and 6 Quinqueremes in 3712-3, 3814-15, 3915-6, 4017-8, 4118-9, 4220-21. This Squadron is considered to be in Line Astern.
Squadron II. Regulus (Admiral) and 6 Quinqueremes in 3512-3, 3414-5, 3315-6, 3217-8, 3118-9, 3020-1. This Squadron is considered to be in Line Astern.

PLAY NOTE: The Romans had two admirals for this battle: Manlius and Regulus. Both may use the Admiral rules. However, if one is killed, the other becomes the sole admiral.

Squadron III. Agricola in 3621-2; Nine Quinqueremes, all adjacent with bow in a xx21 hex, from 3221-2 to 4021-2.
Transport Squadron. All 9 Transports in the hex directly behind each galley in Squadron III. They are considered to be "towed"; see below. They do not have a SqCdr.
Squadron IV (Triarii Squadron). Drusus and a Quinquereme in 3026-27. Six Cataphracted Triremes in hexes 3226-7 to 4226-7, each separated by one hex. This squadron is considered to be In Command, regardless of Range, for the first turn, only.

PLAY NOTE: One of the easier ways to maintain command with the Triarii Squadron is to form Line Astern moving off to port (left).

Initial Deployment: Carthaginians. The Carthaginian Player receives the following Green galleys: 8 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 1-8; 16 Quinqueremes; ID 11-26.

The Carthaginian receives the following Squadron Commanders: Hamilcar (Admiral), Hanno, *Gisgo.

The Carthaginian Fleet deploys on the "north" map, as follows:

Hanno's Squadron: Hanno in 2615-16, 8 Cataphracted Triremes in direct Line Astern, from 2616-2601.
Hamilcar's Squadron: Hamilcar and a Quinquereme in 3708-9. 4 quinqueremes in Line Astern from 3305-3312; 4 quinqueremes in Line Astern from 4005-4012.
Gisgo's Squadron: Gisgo in 4714; 7 Quinqueremes in 4714 back to 4701.

Both fleets are heading directly towards each other.

Special Rules. Initiative: For the 1st turn, the Carthaginian Player has the choice of either going first or letting the Roman go first. After that, it's by dieroll.

Wind: The Wind is blowing directly towards the northwest (at the back of Roman fleet). Place the Wind Direction marker in 6028, pointing at 5927. The Roman fleet may take advantage of this to Raise Sails at the start of the game. Players roll for changes in Wind Speed and Direction (as per 6.2). However, any Wind Speed result other than Dead Calm is ignored.

Grappling Effects: Corvus. All the Roman quinqueremes are equipped with the Corvus, a grappling device that greatly aided boarding-the Roman's strength-but slowed the galley and decreased its maneuverability. The Corvus is at the bow end of the galley.

In any turn in which a Roman galley is attempting to Grapple, and the ship's Bow/Flank hexside is shared by any flank hexside of the target ship, add two (+2) to the Grappling dieroll. This does not apply to the Roman triremes.

In any disengage attempt by the opposing galley, subtract two (-2) from that DR. The Roman galley subtracts one (-1) when it wishes to disengage.

Corvus does have drawbacks. Galleys with Corvus may never use Maximum Speed.

DESIGN NOTE: The Corvus machinery dipped the bow too low for the galley to make anything more than a moderate level of speed.

Roman Transports: Essentially, Hamilcar's immediate target was the 90+ Roman transports, which were in tow by the 3rd Squadron for protection. When the battle was about to be joined, the transports cut their tow lines and headed for the shore, to the south, where they were safe-unless the Carthaginians could break through.

Now, understanding that the Roman player will waste little time getting those transports off the map, we suggest one of the following when playing here:

Ignore the transports (don't deploy them). When doing this, the 3rd Squadron has a 1st turn Speed of '2'. (Cutting the tow lines).
The Roman player gets to move the transports. However, he may activate only 4 Command Squadrons per turn, and, for this purpose, the transports are considered a Command Squadron. Therefore, to move the transports he must not move any one other squadron. (Artificial? You betcha. But it does create some interesting decisions ... and you can always use #1).

When using #2, there is the problem of the Tow Lines:

Galleys towing transports have their Cruise and Maximum Speeds halved (rounding up). In addition, they may not move adjacent to an enemy ship.
Or the player can cut the tow lines. It costs him 1 MP to do so.

The Roman moves the transports as if they were a Command Squadron. They do not need a SqC to do so; simply move all the Transports on the map.

Victory. The Roman Fleet is attempting to open the way for shipping their legions to Africa; the Carthaginians are out to stop them. Therefore, for this purpose, Roman transports are worth 10 VP each. Roman transports that exit the map (they must exit to the south) do not count as Carthaginian VP, unless, for every 2 transports so exited, the Carthaginian exits (along the south edge) a galley. In that case:

The exited transports (in groups of 2) do count as VP.
The exited Carthaginian galley does not count as Roman VP, but it may not return.

The Roman Player wins when he has at least 65 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. The Carthaginian Player wins when he has at least 75 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Drepanum — 249 B.C.

Rome vs. Carthage (1st Punic War)

Background. This is the infamous "Chicken of the Sea" battle, where, not appreciating the augurs' fowls' failure to eat their corn (which would have been a favorable sign), Claudius Pulcher had them all tossed into the briny with the apocryphal statement, "If they won't eat, let 'em drink." Didn't do much for the morale of the crew.

Not that it was that good to begin with. Claudius' fleet was brand new, just built, and his crews were untrained. His plan was to sail up the coast of Sicily and surprise the Carthaginian fleet, in harbor, at Drepanum. The augurs, no doubt spotting a bad choice of time and place (and material), probably fixed the chickens to reflect the lack of enthusiasm anyone, except for Pulcher, had for this venture.

Turned out the chickens were dead right. The Romans, trying to surprise the docked Punics, sailed slowly up the coast. However, a sharp lookout spotted the approach of the Roman vanguard too soon. Adherbal, one of the better Carthaginian admirals, quickly readied his galleys and sailed his fleet, line astern, north of the islands guarding the harbor until they turned to form a line abreast directly across from the stumbling Romans, who were not getting orders from Pulcher. He had placed his flagship at the rear of the entire "column." It didn't help the Romans any that the galleys of the vanguard reacted individually to the speed of the Carthaginian deployment, so that that squadron resembled more a day at the Bumper Cars festival than anything else.

The only thing that saved the Romans from a Cannae-like disaster was their superiority in boarding. Still, they had little room for maneuver, pinned, as they were, against the shore, and they lost 3/4 of their fleet.

Map. The game uses the "land" map, with the land sections labeled "D" in play. Ignore all other land designations. The 6000 row is North. Drepanum is a port along the western coast of Sicily, north of Lilybaeum.

Balance. The Approach Scenario gives the Romans a much better chance. This is the scenario least likely to be played out historically (for which the Romans give thanks), if only for the fact that the players have a birds-eye view of the proceedings.

The Battle Scenario heavily favors the Carthaginians, who have caught Pulcher's fleet in a state of disarray, especially the hastily retreating vanguard.

The Carthaginians have a far better fleet than the Romans.

Playing Time and Difficulty. The Approach battle should take about 4 hours to reach a conclusion; the Battle Scenario about an hour or so less. Difficulty: 2.5.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 4 galleys.

Deployment. Players have two choices as to where to start this battle:

The Approach: The battle starts with the Roman vanguard approaching; the Carthaginian fleet has just raised the alarm and is about to head out to sea.

The Battle: This eliminates the Carthaginians leaving port and presents the players with the historical dispositions right before battle.

Carthaginian Fleet. The Carthaginian Player receives the following Green galleys: 20 Quinqueremes; ID 11-30; 11 Quinqueremes; ID 31-41.

The Carthaginian player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Adherbal (Admiral), Hanno, *Gisgo, *Himilco.

Roman Fleet. The Roman Player receives the following Red galleys: 20 Quinqueremes; ID 30-49; 11 Quinqueremes; ID 50-60 (The Vanguard).

The Roman player receives the following Squadron Commanders: C. Pulcher (Admiral), *Fabius, *Metellus.

The Approach Scenario. The Carthaginian fleet is deployed "in port" at Drepanum. They are set up anywhere as from 1 to 4 separate squadrons. The lead galley in each squadron is placed with its bow in any land hex between hexes 6016 and 6028 (inclusive), its stern off-map, with the ships pointed directly to sea. The remaining ships in each of those squadrons are considered off-map, in Line Astern behind the initially deployed ship.

PLAY NOTE: Let's assume the Carthaginian chose a 4-squadron In Port deployment, with 3 squadrons of 8 galleys each, and one of seven. The lead galley of, say, Adherbal's Squadron is placed with its bow in 6016 pointing into 5915. When activated (at Cruise) it uses 4 MP to move 5915 to 5815 to 5814 to 5813, with the rest of the ships in that squadron following suit (in Line Astern).

HISTORICAL NOTE: Historically, the Carthaginian fleet was divided into 4 squadrons, which would have their lead ships in hexes 6016, 6018, 6020, 6022. They immediately headed westward, swung around the islands and formed a huge line abreast, thus threatening Claudius Pulcher's line astern, moving up the Sicilian coast.

The Roman Fleet deploys as follows:

The Vanguard Squadron: the 11, 2-crew-rated quinqueremes and Fabius, moving north in Double Line Astern, in hexes: 2326-2227, 2126-2027, 2127-2028, 1926-1826, 1927-1827, 1726-1627, 1727-1628, 1526-1426, 1527-1427, 1326-1227, and 1327-1228.
Squadron #1: 10 x 1-crew-rated quinqueremes and Metellus. This squadron may enter the game/map, in double Line Astern, through hexes 1027 and/or 1028 starting with the 3rd turn.
Squadron #2: 10 x 1-crew-rated quinqueremes and C. Pulcher. This squadron may enter the game/map, in double Line Astern, through hexes 1027 and/or 1028 as soon as all ships in Squadron #2 are on the map.

HISTORICAL NOTE: Historically, Claudius Pulcher was in the rear of the line, creating many command problems as the battle unfolded. Players wishing to do this should place Pulcher in either of the galleys next-to-last to enter. Also, note that Squadrons 1 and 2 enter, essentially, as one huge Line Astern.

The remaining Roman galleys are placed, in double Line Astern, all heading north (towards Drepanum) in any hexes that end in xx25 through xx28, between the 3900 column and the 2000 column, inclusive. (E.g., 2 galleys could be in 3526-3426 and 3527-3427. Pulcher is placed in the 2500 column; Metellus in the 3600 column.

Initiative. The Carthaginians automatically have the initiative for the first turn and may choose who goes first.

First Turn Restrictions. For those who really feel the need to beat up on the Romans, we suggest you play that, for the first turn, no Roman galleys may use Maximum Speed.

The Roman Player may not move his two off-map squadrons onto the map until the third turn of the game.

No galleys may use Maximum Speed until:

Romans: all Roman galleys are on the map.
Carthaginians: all Punic galleys are fully in the water.

The Battle Scenario. The Carthaginian fleet is deployed in Line Abreast, from 4908-9 to 1908-9, all galleys in xx08/xx09 hexes, heading east. Adherbal should be in the center of the line; the other Squadron Commanders as desired.

The Roman Fleet is deployed as follows:

Vanguard Squadron (eleven 2-Crew quinqueremes): The first hex listed is the hex the bow is in; they're not all headed in the same direction: 4226-4125, 4227-4126, 4426-4326, 4527-4427, 4523-24, 4726-4626, 4727-4827, 4824-4724, 4826-4926 (Fabius), 4924-5024, 4925-5025.

Special Rules (Both Scenarios). Roman Line Astern: Both scenarios find the Romans in Line Astern; however, they are not in strict "command," as per the rules. For this battle, as long as the Romans remain in Line Astern as they enter, they do not need to follow strict command/squadron rules. Thus, the entire fleet, except for the Vanguard, is treated as one Squadron, until, of course, the Roman player decides to break the formation, at which point this rule is no longer in effect.

Wind: There is no Wind in this scenario.

HISTORICAL NOTE: Several sources indicate that the Romans may have had Corvus; after all, it was only 7 years after Ecnomus. However, the other sources offer more cogent arguments against, not the least of which is that Corvus slowed down the ship and needed more than a green crew to operate.

Victory. A Player wins when he has at least 85 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition.

In addition to the usual VP determination method, the Roman player earns 3 VP for every galley counter he Runs Aground in any northernmost hex from 6016-6028 (the city of Drepanum). Such galleys are not considered eliminated; however, they may not return. Remove them from the map (so that other galleys may perform the same function).

If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

The Aegatian Isles — 242 B.C. (Learning Scenario)

Rome vs. Carthage (1st Punic War)

Background. The final defeat of the Carthaginian navy sealed the end of the first Punic War. Near the Aegatian Isles, Hanno is trying to join his army with that of Hamilcar. But control of the seas in that area was Roman. With rough seas, and the assumption that Rome would not venture out in such weather, Hanno took his fleet-untrained, ill-supplied and greatly inferior in manpower to Catulus-and ran for Sicily, whereupon he ran directly into the superior Romans. The Carthaginians lost 120 ships, and the first Punic War.

Map. The game uses the "sea" map. The Aegatians are a series of islands just west of Drepanum, Sicily.

Balance. This scenario is heavily balanced in favor of the Romans. Because of that, and because it is a straight ahead banger with few extra rules, we recommend that players wishing to learn the system play this battle first.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about two hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. Difficulty: 1.5.

Ship Scale. There are no exact figures on the number of ships at this battle, although it is suspected that Rome's fleet numbered around 200, and the Carthaginians' about the same (even as some of their galleys had skeleton crews). If the numbers are true, the scale is about 1 counter = 6 galleys.

Roman Fleet Deployment. The Roman Player receives the following Red galleys: 33 Quinqueremes; ID 50-82.

The Roman Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Catulus (Admiral), *Metellus, *Agricola, *Drusus.

The Roman Fleet may deploy as the Roman player wishes, in any hexes within 5 hexes of the xx27/8 edge of the map. Rome deploys first.

Carthaginian Fleet Deployment. The Carthaginian Player receives the following Green galleys: 33 Quinqueremes; ID 53-85 [a].

The Carthaginian Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Hanno (Admiral), *Gisgo, *Himilco, *Barbax.

The Carthaginian Fleet may deploy, after the Roman Player, as the Carthaginian player wishes, in any hexes within 5 hexes of the xx00 edge of the map.

a = the Carthaginian fleet was drastically undermanned.

Special Rules. Initiative: The Carthaginian has the Initiative automatically for the first turn; he may decide who goes first. Wind: The Wind is blowing into the stern/flank hexsides of the Carthaginians. Place the Wind Direction marker in 1000 pointing into 1100. The wind remains steady; do not roll for change.

Victory. Either Player wins when he has at least 80 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the opposition.

In addition to the usual VP determination method, the Carthaginian player earns 3 VP for every Carthaginian galley he exits from the east (Roman) edge of the map that is not Crippled. Carthaginian ships so exiting do not count as VP for the Romans, but they may not return.

If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Chios — 201 B.C.

Macedonia vs. Rhodes/Pergamum

Background. The attempted expansion of Philip V of Macedon into the Aegean was strongly resisted by the Asian powers of Rhodes and Pergamum. Philip had seized both Samos and Chios and was laying siege to Pergamum, an enterprise which was not going well. Not wishing to get trapped by the combined naval superiority of the Rhodian and Pergamene fleets, Philip decided to make a dash for Samos.

Despite his head start, the faster allied galleys were catching up with the Macedonians in the strait of Chios. Philip, not wishing to be picked apart from the rear, turned his fleet to face the oncoming allies. The latter took up some time deploying in formation (if alone to give the rowers a rest), and the two fleets went at it.

The Macedonian fleet was quite a mixture, with a bunch of heavy galleys and a large number of lembi, small boats Philip was intent on using to harass the mostly quinquereme and trireme fleets of the allies. Right off the bat, things went badly for the Macedonians. Her flagship, with Admiral Demokrates, sank when it failed to retract after ramming a tremiola.

The Pergamene wing, on the allied left, used its superior seamanship to break the Macedonian right and cause most of it to flee. The only exception was Philip's personal squadron, which entered in reserve, attacked Attalus' flagship and captured it as Attalus fled to shore while the sailors looted its treasure. Meanwhile, the Rhodians, on the Macedonian left, were having some trouble with all those pesky little lembi. Unfortunately for the Macedonians, the open nature of the battle meant lots of open sea, giving a major edge to the more maneuverable Rhodians. The Rhodians added an interesting twist: when ramming they, depressed their bows, so when the two ship collided, the Rhodian's ram was under water, the target ship's above. (Such detail is, unfortunately, not in the game.)

Philip ended up losing about half his fleet, even as he claimed victory because of his action in capturing Attalus' flagship. Rhodes, however, uneasy at the Macedonian show of power, decided it needed some help, for which it asked the Romans. We all know where that sort of help went.

Maps. The game uses the "sea" map, with the short grain, 6000 row, the north. Both long sides of the map are "land." The battle area is in the strait of Chios, between the mainland of Iona (the Erythreaen peninsula, to the east), and Chios Island, itself, to the west.

Balance. This is one of the more intriguing battle situations, as you can see when you set up. The pursuing Rhodians and Pergamenes have more, and better manned, war galleys. However, the Macedonians have a fair number of heavy galleys plus all those pesky little lembi, which did a yeomen job of interfering with the allies' maneuverability. This was also a battle which saw almost the total range of galley tactics, from ram and rake, to fire and board. The historical battle was a big victory for the allies, despite Philip's claim to the contrary. However, it is not that easy for the Allied Player to produce that result (3 ships lost compared to half the Macedonian fleet). Still, this scenario does favor the Allies.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 4 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. The Difficulty Rating is 3.0.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 3 galleys. However, we have scaled the Macedonian Lembi at 1 to 6, as they were viable only as blocking vessels.

Deployment. We have started this battle just as the Macedonians, who are attempting to move their fleet south, realize that they will not outrun the pursuing Rhodians and Pergamenes, and do not wish to be caught from behind and picked off.

Initial Deployment: Macedonians. The Macedonian Player receives the following Red ships: 1 Dekares; ID 1; 2 Octares; ID 1-2; 1 Hepteres; ID 1; 6 Quinqueremes; ID 83-88; 6 Quadriremes; ID 1-6; 1 Tremiola; ID 1; 25 Lembi; ID 1-25.

The Macedonian Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Demokrates (Admiral), Philip V [a], *Nicanor, *Aristodemus, 3 Lembi SqCdrs.

The Macedonian Fleet deploys as below. They do not have their Sails Up, as they are preparing for battle, by turning into the wind.

Royal Squadron: Philip V, 3 Quinqueremes in 1820-1919, 1920-2020, and 1921-2021, all heading south. [b]

Main Squadron: Demokrates, Nicanor, Aristodemus, and all remaining galleys (except for Lembi). The main fleet is in a Line Astern, heading east, in hexes 2708-2725, plus 2808-3902 (heading south, but following the Macedonian van, which has turned east to form line of battle). The Macedonian heavy galleys-the dekares, the 2 octares and the hepteres-are placed between 2714-2721 (inclusive), with the flagship dekares and Demokrates in 2720-21.

Lembi Squadron: In three lines, all line astern, with the lines heading eastward. Each "line" gets a Lembi SqC (for which see Special Rules, below).

1st Line (8 ships): 2507-14
2nd Line (9 ships): 2306-10, followed by 2406-2704.
3rd Line (8 ships): 2105-7, followed by 2205-2603.

a = although Philip V is King of Macedon, he is not the admiral here; Demokrates is. Philip commanded the Reserve Squadron.

b = Philip had taken his small squadron and headed for shore, only to turn around mid-battle and personally attack Attalus, driving him ashore.

Initial Deployment: Rhodes/Pergamum. The Pergamum and Rhodian Fleets, combined against a common enemy, operate separately. Pergamum Squadron Commanders may not command Rhodian galleys, and vice versa.

The Player receives the following Green galleys for the Pergamene Fleet: 11 Quinqueremes; ID 31-41; 3 Tremiola; ID 1-3.

The Pergamene Fleet receives the following Squadron Commanders: Attalus (Admiral), Dionysidorus.

The Pergamene Fleet deploys in double column [a], Line astern. The Pergamenes may distribute their galleys (14) within these columns as they wish, except that no Tremiolas may ever be a Command Ship.

Port line: 3623-4120, 4221-4924, all heading south. Attalus is in 3623.
Starboard line: 3621-4118, 4219-4922. Place Dionysidorus wherever the player wants.

The Player receives the following Green ships for the Rhodian Fleet: 11 Quinqueremes; ID 42-52; 1 Cataphracted Trireme; ID 26.

The Rhodian Fleet receives the following Squadron Commanders: Theopholiscus (Admiral), Philostratus.

The Rhodian Fleet deploys in double column [a], Line astern. The Rhodians may distribute their ships (12) within these columns as they wish.

Port Squadron (6 ships): 5308-5409, 5108-5209, (3) 5009-5511, and 5212-5312. Philostratus is in 5009.
Starboard squadron (6 ships): 5203-5303, (3) 5004-5506, (2) 4904-5206, with Theopholiscus in 4904.

All ships are moving south, southwest. The Allied Player may have Sails Raised, if he wishes (see Wind, below).

a = the Rhodian pursuit was in some disarray, as they were moving a bit too fast to maintain strict formation. The Pergamenes were a bit more regulated, as Attalus had signaled for an ordered approach as the Macedonians deployed into Line Abreast.

Special Rules. Initiative: Players roll.

Wind: The Wind is blowing south/southeast. Place the Wind directional marker in 6000 pointing to 5900. This remains steady for the entire game (the standard wind for this time of the year, or so several sources say), and there is no die rolling for change.

PLAY NOTE: This means that the Allies have the wind to their stern/flank and may take advantage of it, if desired.

The Lembi: The huge number of Lembi (double the total Allied fleet in sheer numbers) is assigned three Lembi SqCs. Each of these is treated as a normal Command Squadron, as per the rules. However, the Lembi SqC's may transfer only to other Lembi; they may not be used to command war galleys.

Victory. The Allied Player wins when he has at least 60 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. The Macedonian Player wins when he has at least 70 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Side — 190 B.C.

Rhodes (Rome) vs. Syria (Antiochus)

Background. Antiochus, King of Syria, was in an expansive mood, a disease everyone in the eastern Mediterranean seemed to be catching. The Romans weren't about to let that happen, especially as it gave them the opportunity to gain a foothold in Asia.

Side was, superficially, a minor battle between squadrons, not fleets. However, the victor would be able to link up her rather large squadron with the main fleet, giving the latter naval superiority in the eastern Med. To that end, both squadrons headed towards each other from their bases along the southern coast of what is now Turkey. The scenario finds the Syrians deployed-with Hannibal, the great Carthaginian field commander, in charge of their left (Phoenician) wing-awaiting the arrival of Eudamus' Rhodian fleet, whose approach has been hidden by a promontory.

The Rhodians entered in three lines astern, and, realizing that the Syrian fleet was larger, and thus able to outflank (if face-to-face) the Rhodians, Eudamus attempted to maneuver his fleet seaward. What resulted was a most unusual battle for the Roman era, one where manpower meant little, and seamanship everything. In Rodgers' words, it was "... a reversion towards the tactics of the Athenian navy in its great days, with Diekplus, anastrophe and Periplus ...."

The Rhodians quickly established superiority on their left (leeward) wing, and Apollonius, commanding the Cilician squadron, signaled Hannibal for help. That was most unfortunate, because Hannibal was more than holding his own against the Rhodian right. This shift in galleys proved disastrous to both Syrian flanks as it left both partially denuded for too long. The Syrians withdrew, but the Rhodians were in no shape to follow up.

Maps. The game uses both maps, placed in elongated fashion, so that they join at the short (22") edges. Place the "land" map on the left-hand side; ignore all land indicators. All of the deployment is on the leeward/northern map. The far, right-hand (6000 row) map edge, is north; the fleets are approaching from east (Syrians) and west (Rhodians). There was a promontory that hid each fleet from the other; however, as the two fleets went into battle positions it does not seem to have played any part in the battle. The right-hand-most/north map edge is treated as land.

We have included the extended map because of the need for flanking maneuver space. You could play the scenario without it, but with reduced maneuver capability.

Side is a town in Pamphylia, along the southern coast of what is now Turkey.

Balance. This battle is most interesting for several reasons:

It uses a 1:1 scale
It contains Hannibal, and
It was a ram and rake battle, not the usual Roman Boarding contest.

The Syrians have more, and, to some extent, better ships, but the Roman/Rhodians have the far better on-board personnel, plus they have twice the Flame capability of the Syrians. The actual result was somewhat underwhelming, but the Rhodians, if pressed, could have been awarded the victory. To that extent, this is a nicely balanced scenario.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 4 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. The Difficulty Rating is 3.0, mostly because the initial moves require good knowledge of how to best use the different types of ships, and it is one of the "bigger" battles in the game (in terms of number of counters).

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 1 galley.

Initial Deployment: Syrians. The Syrian Player receives the following Red galleys: 3 Hepteres; ID 1-3 Flame Capability [a]; 4 Sexteres; ID 1-4 Flame Capability; 10 Quinqueremes; ID 83-92 Flame Capability; 20 Quadriremes; ID 1-20; 10 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 37-46; 5 Triremes; ID 1-5.

The Syrian Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Apollonius (Admiral), Hannibal [b], *Zeuxis, *Phillipus, *Minnius.

The Syrian Player deploys first, his fleet in two lines, placing his ships within the restrictions below, as he pleases:

1st Line: In any hexes between the 2500 column and the 5500 column (inclusive), with the bow of each ship six hexes from the long edge (east; e.g., 2521-2), heading west.
2nd Line: In any hexes between the 2500 column and the 5500 column (inclusive), with the bow of each ship at least two hexes (one hex space) behind a ship in the 1st Line.
Squadron Commanders. These may be placed as desired, except that Hannibal is placed on the LW of the 1st Line; Apollonius on the RW of the 1st Line.

a = only the Rhodians are stated as having fire, although it is hard to believe that Antiochus, who had built some of this fleet based on the experiences of the past decade or so would not have had it. That they did, several months later, at Myonessus, lends credence to that.

b = despite his remarkable military background, Hannibal was not placed in charge of the entire fleet; just the left wing. This may have less to do with his capabilities and more to the lack of trust by Antiochus.

Initial Deployment: Rhodians [a]. The Rhodian Player receives the following Green galleys: 20 Quadriremes; ID 20-39 Flame Capability; 12 Quadriremes; ID 8-19 Flame Capability; 4 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 1-4; 6 Triremes; ID 36-41.

The Roman Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Eudamus (Admiral), Pamphilidus, Chariclitus, *Agricola, *Drusus.

The Rhodian Player deploys after the Syrian sets up, in three columns of Line Astern. He may place his different ship types in either line, but the RW and LW lines must each have 16 ships each; the center 10 ships. The pre-battle Approach Phase (see below) starts with some of the Rhodian Fleet on the map, the rest trailing behind:

Right Wing: 8 galleys, rowing SE, in hexes 2907-4400 (straight line); the remaining eight galleys enter through 4400 directly behind the one-mappers. Eudamus in the galley in 3106-3206; Agricola anywhere in the line.
Center Line: 8 galleys; 3 moving south in 4110-4105; followed by 5 galleys heading SE in 4104-5000. The remaining two galleys enter through 5000 directly behind the on-mappers. Pamphilidus in the ship in 4107-8. He is the only SqC for this squadron.
Left Wing: 8 galleys; 5 rowing directly South in 5112-5003, followed by 3 rowing SE in 5102-5500. The remaining eight galleys enter through 5500 directly behind the on-mappers. Chariclitus in the galley in 5009-5010; Drusus anywhere in the line.

a = Rhodes is an ally of Rome, here.

Special Rules. Initiative: The first turn is comprised solely of the Rhodian fleet starting to move into position. Command requirements must be met. After the Rhodians have finished their Approach Move, the regular sequence starts, and the players DR for Initiative.

Wind: The Wind is blowing to the NW. Place the Wind directional marker pointing 1028 to 1127. This remains steady for the game, and there is no die rolling for change.

Pestilence: The Rhodian crews were top-rate. However, their number had recently been decimated by a "pestilence," and the disease appears to have been debilitating enough to cause them to fatigue more easily. To that extent, when rolling for Fatigue, the Rhodian player adds one (+1).

Victory. The Rhodian/Roman Player wins when he has at least 135 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. The Syrian Player wins when he has at least 100 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Myonessus — 190 B.C.

Rhodes (Rome) vs. Syria (Antiochus)

Background. This follow-up battle to Side gave control of the eastern Med to the Romans, leading to the great Roman land victory at Magnesia. Antiochus had lost his Phoenician squadron (at Side), so he had to rely solely on his Cilician/Asian squadrons. Even so, he had numerical superiority.

In another semi-meeting engagement, the Romans and Rhodians entered the battle area in double columns, to find the slightly larger Syrian fleet already arrayed. The Roman squadron deployed first, facing the heavier Levantines on its right, where the Syrians outflanked the Romans. Aemelius' strategy-in time-honored fashion-was to "charge" straight ahead at what was in front of him and set-to with whatever they hit. This meant that about 30 or so Syrian galleys were free to get around and in back of the Roman battle line. However, the Rhodian fleet was not far behind, and their speed and seamanship, combined with Syrian reluctance to close with firepot-armed galleys, enabled the Rhodians to drive the Syrian flank off. When the Syrian center broke, enabling the Romans there to turn against the Syrian left, Antiochus' entire fleet collapsed. They lost 42 galleys, to the two lost by the Romans.

Of much interest in this battle is the use of two differently-armed squadrons-the Roman fivers and the Rhodian cataphracted 3s-to support each other.

Maps. The game uses the "sea" map. The Romans will be entering from the north (the xx00 row); the eastern edge is coastline. Myonessus is a town in Cardia, the western coast of what is now Turkey, just south of the island of Samos.

Balance. Better ships enable the Romans to be favored here, although not overwhelmingly.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 4 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. The Difficulty Rating is 2.5.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 3 galleys.

Initial Deployment: Syrians. The Syrian Player receives the following Red galleys: 1 Hepteres; ID 4 Flame Capability; 1 Sexteres; ID 5 Flame Capability; 28 Quinqueremes; ID 83-110 Flame Capability.

The Syrian Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Polyxenidas (Admiral), *Zeuxis, *Phillipus, *Minnius.

The Syrian Fleet deploys entering the southern edge of the map in two double columns:

LW Column: Polyxenidas (3021-2) and 1 Hepteres, three quinqueremes in Line Astern from 3021-3028 plus four quinqueremes off-map, entering right behind that line; and Phillipus (3120-1); four quinqueremes in 3120-7 plus three quinqueremes off-map, entering right behind that line.
RW Column: Zeuxis (4121-2) in the Sexteres, three quinqueremes in Line Astern from 4120-27 plus four quinqueremes off-map, entering right behind that line; and Minnius (4221-2); four quinqueremes in 4221-8 plus three quinqueremes off-map, entering right behind that line.

Initial Deployment: Romans/Rhodians. The Roman and Rhodian Fleets, combined against a common enemy, operate separately. Roman Squadron Commanders may not command Rhodian galleys, and vice versa.

The Roman Player receives the following Green galleys: 20 Quinqueremes; ID 86-105 Flame Capability.

The Roman Player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Aemilius (Admiral), *Agricola, *Drusus.

The Rhodian (Roman) Player receives the following galleys: 7 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 26-32, Firepots.

The Rhodian Player receives the following Squadron Commander: Eudamus (Admiral).

The Roman Squadron starts deployed in a Line Abreast, from 2806 thru 4706, inclusive, with all bows in an xx06 hex, facing south. Aemilius starts in 2906-7; Agricola and Drusus may be placed as desired.

The Rhodian Squadron starts deployed in Line Astern, from 5306-5206 through 4100-4000, with Eudamus in 5306. The line is heading southeast.

Special Rules. Initiative: Determined by dieroll from the start.

Fire: Rhodian Cataphracted Triremes are equipped with Firepots, not Flame Capability. [See 8.53.]

Wind: Wind is not a factor; ignore it.

Victory. The Rhodian/Roman Player wins when he has at least 85 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. The Syrian Player wins when he has at least 75 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Tauris — 47 B.C.

Vatinius (Caesarian) vs. Marcus Octavius (Pompeian)

Background. This is the smallest battle, in terms of galleys involved, in the game. It is also somewhat unusual, in that it is an ambush.

Vatinius has sailed from Brundisium with a small squadron, across the Adriatic towards Illyria, to stop Octavius from clogging the transport route from Greece to Italy. In foul weather and fog, his squadron is surprised by Octavius, anchored on the island of Tauris. Octavius has more and better galleys, but Vatinius has far better crews and soldiers. In what becomes a boarding battle, Vatinius, despite inferior equipment, prevails.

Maps. The game uses the "sea" map. Both long edges of the map are coast, as the map represents the channel between the islands of Tauris (south) and Pharos/Lesina (north). The 1000 hex is N/NW. Tauris is a small island somewhat less than 2 miles south of the much larger island of Pharos (or Lesina). Both are along the Illyrian coast (in the Adriatic), south of Salonae.

Balance. Octavius has the advantage here, if he can avoid the Caesarians getting full use of their better personnel resources.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This rather small battle should take about 2-3 hours to reach a conclusion. It's a good scenario to use to learn the system. The Difficulty Rating is 2.0.

Ship Scale. The galley numbers for this battle are unavailable. Sources do indicate that both fleets were of single squadron size, which would mean anywhere from 20 to 50. Given that, this battle uses a scale of 1 counter = 2 to 3 galleys.

Initial Deployment: Publius Vatinius (Caesarian). The Caesarian Player receives the following Green galleys: 4 Reinforced Lembi; ID 1-4; 2 Liburnian Biremes; ID 1-2; 5 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 26-30; 2 Quinqueremes; ID 86-87 Flame Capability.

The Caesarian player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Publius Vatinius (Admiral), *Agricola [a], and *Drusus.

The Caesarians deploy [b] as follows. All ships are heading N, NW:

Reinforced Lembi: 4111, 4311 (Agricola), 4513, 4613
Liburnian Biremes: 4216-4316, 4714-4815
Cataphracted Triremes: 4013-4113, 4213-4313, 4416-4516, 5015-5115, 5216-5316
Quinqueremes: 3713-3814 (Vatinius), 4817-4917 (Drusus)

All galleys have Sails Raised and they are all at Cruise Speed for the first turn.

a = Agricola may command only the Lembi.

b = the weather was pretty bad as Vatinius entered the channel. Choppy seas, rain and heavy fog had caused his fleet to be somewhat disordered.

Initial Deployment: Marcus Octavius (Pompeian). The Pompeian Player receives the following Red galleys: 3 Liburnian Biremes; ID 1-3; 3 Triremes; ID 1-3; 4 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 37-40; 4 Quadriremes; ID 1-4 Flame Capability; 2 Quinqueremes; ID 30-31 Flame Capability.

The Pompeian player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Marcus Octavius (Admiral) [a], *Cleomacles, and *Varus.

The Pompeians are in two lines astern, emerging from their harbor at Tauris [b]. All galleys are heading directly North. The player divides his galleys into two columns of '8' galleys each.

One column starts in 3421-2, with the last four galleys entering from off-map behind those already in place. The lead ship must be a quadrireme with Octavius on board.
The second column starts in 3221-2, with the last four galleys entering from off-map behind those already in place.
Cleomacles and Varus are placed as the player wishes.

a = use the Octavius Squadron Leader counter; his ratings are still 4 - 0.

b = the two fleets are deployed fairly close-especially as the Pompeians move first-because of the fog. Neither side knew the other was where it was until Octavius' quadrireme loomed out of the mist almost on top of Vatinius' fiver.

Special Rules. Initiative: The Pompeians have the Initiative automatically for the first turn; the Pompeian player may decide who goes first.

Fire: Not mentioned in the sources as present, but, because "Fire" was a fairly standard weapon for the bigger ships, we assume it was used here. However, as the weather appears to have been somewhat "heavy" (winds and, possibly, rain), players:

need a DR of 5-6 (not the usual 4-6) to set a target on fire.
subtract one (-1) from a Firefight die roll

Wind/Weather: The weather appears to have been a factor in the approach to the battle-mostly, the fog obscured the attack of the Pompeians, and the choppy seas made maneuver a bit difficult (although that's reading into the minimal amount of information available). However, it does not appear to have been a factor in the actual battle. So, do not use any wind/weather rules, other than applies to Fire, above.

Victory. The Pompeian Player wins when he has at least 30 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. The Caesarian Player wins when he has at least 35 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Naulochus — 36 B.C.

Agrippa (Caesarian) vs. Sextus Pompeius

Background. Naulochus was the climactic battle during the Roman Civil War for control of Sicily.

Sextus Pompey's theory of precipitating the battle of Naulochus was that if, by chance, he could win at sea, he would isolate the Caesarian army in Sicily. His fleet was bigger and more maneuverable, and, despite the small size of the ships, this proved to be a real boarders' battle.

To that end, Agrippa had a little surprise for the Pompeians: advanced grappling technology in the form of the Harpax, a grappling tool fired from small artillery. Because Agrippa's marines were better than Sextus Pompey's troops, the issue was settled fairly quickly.

Maps. The game uses the "sea" map. The southern (short) edge, the 1000 row, is all Coast. Naulochus is a town on the northern shore of Sicily, west of the Straits of Messana, which is what all the fighting is about.

Balance. Interesting balance factors at work here, although the scenario does favor Agrippa. The Pompeians have more ships and better crews. However, their ships are smaller than Agrippa's, his marines are better than Pompey's, and he's using the Harpax, which definitely gives him the edge.

Playing Time and Difficulty. This battle should take about 3-4 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. The Difficulty Rating is 2.5, once you get the hang of the Harpax.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 3 galleys.

Deployment. A General Note on the Ships in this Battle: It is very difficult to determine exactly what type of ships each side used. What we do know is that Agrippa's were "bigger" than Pompey's. However-and this is most important-Agrippa's ships were not the big 6s, 7s and 10s. Pompey's fleet had been constructed for commerce raiding, in the main. As such, they were probably similar to Liburnian biremes and triremes. (Nelson, in his "Warfleets of Antiquity" says they were "probably" 4s and 5s, although he doesn't say on what that guess is based.) Agrippa's fleet for the Actium campaign (32-31 BC), as noted in Rogers' book and which was based on the one he assembled for the Sicilian Campaign, ran from Liburnian biremes to, maybe, a few sexteres. The fast-moving Liburnians were becoming the "Galley of choice" for the Romans, whose naval activities since the wars with Antiochus were mostly wars against pirates.

Initial Deployment: Sextus Pompeius. The Pompeian Player receives the following Green galleys: 14 Liburnian Biremes; ID 1-14; 25 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 1-25.

The Pompeian player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Sextus Pompeius (Admiral [a]), Apollophanes, Demochares, *Varus.

The Pompeians deploy as follows: Along the eastern edge of the map, all ships Line Abreast, facing west; they may be in one or two lines, players choice. The lines must be between the 17xx row and the 53xx row (inclusive), and no galley may be further west than a hex ending in xx22. Command Squadrons deployed as desired.

a = the younger son of Pompey the Great (defeated at Pharsalus and killed while escaping to Egypt by Ptolemy XIII, brother of Cleopatra), and brother of Gnaeus Pompeius, defeated by Caesar at Munda and captured/killed shortly thereafter. After Naulochus, Sextus fled to Antony's camp, but Antony (rightfully so) didn't trust him and had him assassinated.

Initial Deployment: Caesarians. The Caesarian Player receives the following Red galleys: 5 Liburnian Biremes; ID 1-5; 6 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 31-36; 5 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 37-41; 12 Quadriremes; ID 27-38; 5 Quinqueremes; ID 1-5; 1 Sexteres; ID 6.

The Caesarian player receives the following Squadron Commanders: Agrippa (Admiral), Octavian, *Agricola, *Drusus.

The Caesarian Fleet deploys as follows: Along the western edge of the map, all ships Line Abreast, facing east; they may be in one or two lines, player's choice. The lines must be between the 17xx row and the 53xx row (inclusive), and no galley may be further east than a hex ending in xx06. Squadron Commanders may deployed as desired.

Special Rules. Initiative: Determined by die roll.

Fire and Towers: No fire weapons are available to either side. Sources indicate that both sides feared the results of fire, especially Agrippa, who knew that using fire and the Harpax, together, would be dangerous.

Optional Rule: If players wish to be somewhat less timid than the actual participants, all cataphracted triremes, quadriremes and quinqueremes are considered Flame-capable.

The sources indicate that virtually all the ships in the battle had Towers (except, maybe, the Liburnians). From a design point of view-and a need to keep the counter mix workable-neither side had a Height Advantage. Therefore, we do not have any "T-rated" galleys.

If you wish to use the Tower rule-and that may be done for any galleys others then Liburnians-decrease the Maximum Speed Level of each such galley by one.

HISTORICAL NOTE: What was left of Sextus' fleet escaped by jettisoning towers and running for home.

Wind: No Wind; ignore the rule.

The Harpax: All of Agrippa's 4s, 5s, and 6s (but not his L2s or cat3s) were armed with a new invention: the Harpax (sometimes called harpago). The Harpax was a mechanism that greatly increased the grappling capability of a ship. It was a catapult-type engine that shot a rather long, heavy wooden pole with grappling hooks at the front end and a long line trailing behind; its range in game terms is two hexes. The best part of the Harpax was that once it attached itself to a ship, it was most difficult for the latter to cut the lines, as the long wood pole put it out of reach. (Cf. Caesar's "Scythe of Doom" in Caesar: The Gallic Wars.)

A galley with Harpax may attempt to grapple any enemy galley whose flank hexes (not bow or stern) are within two hexes of the activated galley's flank (all) hexes. When using Harpax, the player adds:

two (+2) to the Grapple DR if adjacent (This means, without any other DRM, Grappling is automatic when undertaken by 3- or 4-rated crews.)
one (+1) if the distance is two hexes.

The "line of sight/fire" for the Harpax may not go through any other ships.

If the target enemy galley has been grappled at a two-hex distance, the grappling ship must now pull the target adjacent to it by moving the target "sideways." It may not enter a hex occupied by other ships, and the pulled ship must end up with a common flank hexside with the activated ship (as required for Boarding). The Harpax Pull is part of the Grappling attempt.

EXAMPLE: Agrippa fiver in 2118-2219; Pompeian Liburnian 2217-2317, and a cat3 in 2017-2117. Pompey's galleys are both heading in the opposite direction of Agrippa's fiver. Agrippa's fiver has a '2' Crew; the two Pompeian ships, '3'. The fiver, with a '2' crew, needs and adjusted DR of 4-6; but he gets a +1 DRM for the two-hex-range use of Harpax. Thus, a DR of 3-6 will grapple the Liburnian, at which point the player moves the ship (sideways) and adjacent to the fiver, placing it in 2218-2318.

Grappled target galleys attempting to disengage subtract two (-2) from their Disengage DR. The galley that used the Harpax does not incur that penalty.

Victory. The Caesarian/Agrippa Player wins when he has at least 85 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. The Pompeian Player wins when he has at least 80 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.

Actium — 31 B.C.

Agrippa and Octavian vs. Antonius and Cleopatra

Background. One of the most decisive battles in history, Actium turned Octavian from a somewhat sorry military loser into the first Roman emperor (Augustus) and determined the course of European history forever.

Antony's army and navy had moved to the west coast of Greece, where he felt he could command the Adriatic, and, thus, his supply routes. However, circumstances gave lie to that strategy, mostly to do with lack of supplies and an outbreak of disease, and by the spring of 31 BC, Octavian's fleet, under Agrippa, had crossed and totally cut Antony's supply line, both on land and at sea.

Because Agrippa's ships were faster than Antony's, the latter could not use a blockade-running strategy. He, therefore, decided on one big throw of the dice: a full show of strength that would enable (most of) his fleet to break out and head south, to Egypt.

His huge treasure trove was laden on board galleys in the Reserve squadron, under Cleopatra (one assumes nominally, as she had heretofore shown no such aptitude). There was much heavy fighting all along the line, with galley-power tactics prevailing (as opposed to boarding). With the wind at their backs, about 100 of Antony's galleys broke through and went south; the remainder of his fleet, about 80 galleys, were lost. When his army surrendered to Octavian when he landed at Actium, Antony's position was hopeless, and the Roman Republic was finished, if not officially (Octavian/Augustus went to great lengths to have himself considered a consul, not an emperor) surely most pragmatically.

Maps. The game uses both maps, joined along the short edges, as below. Ignore all land indications on the land map. The eastern map edge is all coast, except for the hexes running from South 1400 through North 4600 (inclusive). These represent the entrance to the harbor of Actium.

West (xx28 hexes) / South. The 1000 column on the southern map should be laid over (overlap) the 6000 column on the northern map, so that there is no 6000 column showing on the latter.

The port of Actium, in the Gulf of Ambracia, is on the coast of Epirus, north of Ithaca, directly across the Adriatic Sea from Brundisium.

Balance. Tough to determine exactly what Antony (we opt for the Shakespearean spelling for Marcus Antonius) had in mind here in engaging Agrippa's fleet. You can make a good case for either of the two theories, below.

The entire purpose was for Antony and Cleopatra to break through Octavian's encirclement and flee south, to regroup in Egypt.
Antony, with bigger, heavier ships, felt that, despite being outnumbered by almost 50%, he could use that strength to destroy Agrippa.

Given the above, it will take a skillful player as Antony to defeat the great Agrippa, the finest admiral in Roman history up to this time. There is a possibility he can escape a disaster by escaping south (which Antony, Cleopatra and about 75 ships did); that, too, will not be easy. The playtesters felt this was a very even scenario. We put our dinares on Agrippa. Hail Caesar Augustus!

Playing Time and Difficulty. This is the biggest battle in the box: two maps and 110 counters. As such, it should take about 4-5 hours to reach a conclusion, more if you're unfamiliar with the system. The Difficulty Rating is 3.5. It is big, with lots of galleys, and the opportunity for some unusual tactics.

Ship Scale. 1 counter = 4 galleys.

Deployment. A General Note on the Ships in this Battle: Agrippa is using, for the most part, the same galley types from his Sicilian fleet, with some adjustments. Antony, though, had heard that Agrippa's victories at Mylae and Naulochus could be attributed, in the main, to his "bigger" ships. So he decided to build his fleet in the heavier, Levantine fashion, counting on the fact that the bigger ships were difficult to ram and provided a boarding advantage. He did not count on the genius of Agrippa who, recognizing these facts, abandoned the standard Roman boarding battle and reverted to a maneuver/rake and outnumber/board set of tactics.

Initial Deployment: Octavian and Agrippa. Octavian receives the following Green galleys: 10 Liburnian Biremes; ID 1-10; 25 Cataphracted Triremes; ID 26-50; 20 Quadriremes; ID 40-59; 10 Quinqueremes; ID 86-95.

Octavian's Fleet receives the following Squadron Commanders: Agrippa (Admiral [a]), Octavian, Aruntius, Lurius, *Agricola, *Drusus.

a = While this is Octavian's Fleet, there is no doubt that Agrippa is "admiral."

Octavian's Fleet deploys in 3 large squadrons, Left Wing, Center and Right Wing. The different ship types may be divided among the wings as the player sees fit. Agrippa deploys first.

LW: Agrippa, Drusus; 22 galleys. Front line, 15 ships in Line Abreast, heading east, from N 3719 to N 5119, all bows in a hex ending in xx19. Reserve Line, 7 ships heading east with bows in hexes 3822, 4022, 4222, 4422, 4622, 4822, 5022. Squadron commanders as desired.
C: Aruntius, Agricola; 21 galleys. Front line, 15 ships in Line Abreast, heading east, from N 5319 to S 1719, all bows in a hex ending in xx19. Reserve Line, 6 ships heading east with bows in hexes N5522, N5722, N5922, S1122, S1322, S1522. Squadron commanders as desired.
RW: Lurius and Octavian; 22 galleys. Front line, 15 ships in Line Abreast, heading east, from S 1919 to S 3319, all bows in a hex ending in -19. Reserve Line, 7 ships heading east with bows in South map hexes 2022, 2222, 2422, 2622, 2822, 3022, 3222. Squadron commanders as desired.

Initial Deployment: Antony. Antony receives the following Red galleys [a]: 2 Quadriremes; ID 27-28; 30 Quinqueremes; ID 50-79; 8 Sexteres; ID 6-13; 3 Hepteres; ID 5-7; 1 Octares; ID 3; 1 Dekares; ID 1.

Antony's Fleet receives the following Squadron Commanders: Antony (Admiral [b]), Cleopatra [c], Publicola, Insteius, M. Octavius, Sosius, *Cleomacles, *Acco.

a = Antony's fleet had suffered grievous manpower losses while beached at Actium, so bad that most ships were undermanned and many had been abandoned. Antony was dragooning local mule drivers and boys to fill in the blanks. Thus, all of his galleys are 1-rated crews, except for the original flagships for Antony and Cleopatra, which are 3-rated.

b = although Antony is officially admiral, he spent most of the time in dispatch boats, leaving instant tactical decisions to his squadron commanders: Publicola, Insteius and Sosius.

c = Cleopatra does not appear to have been truly in "command" of any ships (although that is a possibility). Given her position in Reserve, and her eventual actions, it does appear that she was giving basic orders to someone who had more knowledge of naval tactics. So we have made her a Squadron Commander with an appropriate rating (to her squadron).

Antony's fleet (45 galleys) deploys in three front line squadrons, plus the Reserve (Egyptian) squadron.

RW: Publicola and Antony; 10 galleys. Deployed in Line Abreast, heading west, on the North map, from 4408/9 to 5308/9, all bows in an xx09 hex. Squadron commanders as desired.
C: Insteius and M. Octavius; 10 galleys. Deployed in Line Abreast, heading west, from North 5608/9 to South 1508/9, all bows in an xx09 hex. Squadron commanders as desired.
LW: Sosius and Cleomacles; 10 galleys. Deployed in Line Abreast, heading west, on the South map, from 1808/9 to 2708/9, all bows in an xx09 hex. Squadron commanders as desired.
Reserve: Cleopatra (N5505) and Acco; 15 galleys. Deployed in Line Abreast, heading west. Front line, between North 5304-5 and South 1704-5, with bow in the xx05 hex. The Egyptian Reserve squadron is lying at anchor (see below).

Special Rules. Initiative: Determined by die roll.

Flame and Towers: All galleys had Towers - even those galleys without a "T" indicator - so do not use any of the height Advantage rules. However, reduce the Maximum Speed Level of all galleys without a "T" on the counter by one.

All galleys have Flame Capability. However, Agrippa's fleet also used an advanced version of this: flame-throwers. Thus, treat any single "D" result as a "D/F."

Wind: The wind invariably picked up mid-afternoon off Actium, and Antony (and Cleopatra) used it to escape. Antonian galleys are all sail equipped; they start the battle with their Sails down. There is no wind at the beginning of the game. Starting with the second turn, the Antonian Player rolls the die. If the die roll is lower than the turn (turn '2' would need a '1'), the Wind picks up and remains in effect for the rest of the game. It is blowing from the NE to the NW; place the Wind Direction marker in N1000 pointing into N1100.

Agrippa's fleet did not carry sails and may not use Wind Assistance.

Anchored Fleet: The Egyptian Reserve Squadron starts the game lying in anchor. (Why? Ask Cleopatra.) No galley in the Squadron can move until the squadron raises anchor to get under way. It costs an entire Activation Phase for the squadron to raise anchor.

The Treasury: Antony and Cleopatra, obviously planning on a nice few months in the warmer climes of friendly Egypt, not only packed their entire wardrobe, but carried with them Antony's entire Treasury. The Antonian Player must place the Treasury on any one galley in Cleopatra's Reserve, but he does not tell the Octavian Player which one. (He does write it down so as not to be accused of being a Cretan Liar.)

If the Octavian Player captures that galley, the Antonian must inform him that he has taken the Treasure Ship. Any other result-sinking, whatever-has no meaning. See Victory.

Victory. In addition to the usual VP awards:

Octavian receives 15 VP for capturing the Treasure Ship, beyond the normal VP for capturing a galley.
Antonian Player receives 10 VP if he successfully exits the treasure ship off the south map edge.
If both Antony and Cleopatra are alive and not in Octavian's hands when the game ends, if the Antonians have not won, give the Antonians an additional 20 VP. If this does not allow them to have more VP than the Octavians, then the Octavian still wins.

HISTORICAL NOTE: The above rules reflect the theory that Antony and Cleopatra had planned this as a breakaway in the first place and that, if they survived and the rest of the fleet held off, he could regroup in Egypt and start over. They did escape, but things didn't work out.

The Octavian Player wins when he has at least 135 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. The Antonian Player wins when he has at least 150 VP, and that number is at least twice that of the enemy. If neither of the above happens, and/or the players halt play by mutual agreement, a minor, indecisive victory goes to he who has the most VP.