"How does Naval Thunder work?" Topic

I've been curious about Naval Thunder, seeing reports of it being used in big battles. Generally, how does it work? I've seen references to being able to write move orders or move without writing orders. I've seen references to how rare ship explosions are. I've seen references to an optional rule for British shells. But I haven't been able to find any general description of how the firing or topedoes work. Are there a lot of dice? Are there a lot of tables? I'm thinking about buying a set, but haven't been able to find enough info to convince me.

I own all the sets and have been pleased with the game it gives. Ships move by size, so BBs first, then cruisers, then destroyers. You roll 1d10 for each tube firing with a simple system for getting hits even when you need more than a 10 on a d10. There are optional rules that seem very reasonable. Damage is easy to track so doesn't have the detail of some systems. Torpedoes are launched and resolved in the same turn. Which isn't unreasonable given a turn length, but takes some getting used to. Destroyers have a low survivability which can be annoying.

A one page reference sheet is all you need for play, though there is one for each period (WWII, WWI and pre-Dread). With the rules come a file to easily print your ship sheets for a game. With the recent release of other fleets in WWI you can game out "what-if" scenarios from the Med.

Games play quickly. Newbies are running things for themselves after a couple of turns and except for critical hit results you usually don't need to look anything up. Most of our multiple ships per player games are done in 3 hours.

There is also a forum link for the rules and online support, so all in all a good investment IMHO.

A detailed summary of the game mechanics can be found here:

link