18th Century Wars of Absolutism: Rules for Naval Battles 2012

This book contains the Table Top Rules for Naval Battles.

The rules are suitable for both fleet actions and also small one on one encounters.

It includes an introduction to 18th century naval actions and tactics.

The battles are fought on hexagons with fleets manoeuvred with a system using specially designed order cards which players are invited to photocopy for their own use. Speed and manoeuvrability being dependent upon size of the ship, wind direction and the number of sails in use.

Damage is inflicted with the use of HIT dice. The HIT dice and associated Tactical Factors reflect range, size of gun and the size and protection of the enemy target ship. These are recorded by crossing out boxes on the ships log.

The ships are divided into Ships Of the Line (SOL) and Repeater ships consisting of Frigates, Sloops and Brigs. The Ships of the Line are further categorized by the number of guns that they contained. 90 gun, 80 gun, 74 gun and 64 gun. The simple game mechanism includes alternative moves in which orders are secretly chosen in advance and apply to the whole fleet and reflect the difficulty of handling multiple ships simultaneously as was the responsibility of 18th Century Admirals.

The simplicity of the rules enables fleet actions of ten or more ships per side to be completed in a single two to three hour wargaming evening with the pre action manoeuvring being a vital and enjoyable feature.

Order Cards – Ships of the Line. Order Cards – Repeater Ships. Order Cards – Ships of the Convoy. Table Top Battle Logs for Fleet Actions. Table Top Battle Logs for Small Actions. Rules Synopsis. Players Reference Sheet.

—description from the publisher