"Galley rules" Topic

I'm looking for galley rules that would fit in the following parameters:

- Suitable for 500BC - 100 BC (i.e. no cannons needed)

- Suitable for 1/1200 minis

- Absolutely no hexes

- Preferably no written orders

- Simple fast and bloody preferred

- I'm especially looking for an elegant solution to the "who gets to ram first" game design problem this subject is plagued with

I have Naumachiae from Rod Langton and consider that wayyyyy too complicated for my needs.

I also have TTG's set (forgot name), but the written order thing didn't thrill me.

I could also do a more abstract "fleet" game with multi-ship element basing instead of individual ships, either way is fine.

Have you tried corvus ?

Who publishes "Corvus"?

Aha! Found it:

link

I didn't even know there was a separate "Galleys" discussion forum.

link

Actually, I had Corvus tucked away. Frankly, it strikes me as unfinished.

Let's see...

If two ships of equal class ram, the rammer essentially must beat his opponent's roll by 3 to succeed. If he ties, he dies. What if he loses? Technically speaking, the table only says "difference" without mentioning which direction, so a really low roll for the rammer coupled with high roll for rammee could make for a successful attack.

Or is the last result actually "0 or less"? In that case, a rather novel way to solve the ramming initiative dilemma - no one will want to do it at these odds, much better wait for the other guy to ram.

Light ships are actually slower than triremes?

And no provision for T-boning? Wasn't that supposed to be the ideal ram?

Flagship Games' "Pirates!" has rules for galleys and ancients. Not 1/1200, but movement, etc. could be easily revised. Good, fun, fast rules.

Forgot - you might also investigate Merrimack's "Galley Wars" (part of the Cog Wars family of rules) and "My Galley Sally," available free...somewhere.

There are some links to rules on Wooden Walls Yahoo Group and other rules that are talked about in the postings. I am working a set that I hope will be more for the convention gaming then super detailed but right now I have shut down the project until later this summer. Sliding scale movement (Based on ship classification and current rowing speed) and pre-planned turns (ie left full rudder) is the approach I am working.
VR
James Mattes

link

Doesn't Pirates! require individual crew members fro the ships?

Warring Fleets from Two Hour Wargames. It says fantasy naval but there is a historical fleet conversion section as well.
Ed

twohourwargames.com

Ed is right. Good stuff in Warring Fleets, I use it for historical. The reaction tests do well for the problem of "who rams first?"

Hey, thanks for the reminder! I've got time to paint my fleets now and get going with these rules (got them in spring, but school overwhelmed my painting queue).

I always liked Diekplus (Newbury Rules) but I think they are out of print.

You could also ask on link
It's a yahoo group dedicated to galley warfare wargaming.

Luciano

Thanks Charliemike I had forgotten that one. Shame too as a friend of mine is the moderator and I have been on it for years! duH!
VR
James Mattes

I'm actually on that Yahoo group...

The movement values for Corvus is based upon the reports from the trials of the Olympia, as for other vessels there is very little to go on. It is a fact that the Trireme was the pinnacle of naval technology at the time. As to why heavier vessels began to gain faivour I can only speculate.

The equaling oscore upon ramming is a "wildcard" result. It represents the real danger of breaking off the ram head thereby damaging the vessel. There are insidents writen about where this in fact occured. How can that be achieved using D6? The simplest method was the arbitrary score of "even", the same goes for the danger of overturning the craft using the Corvus. Corvus is for fun and you are quite welcome to tinker about with it as much as you please.

Frankly I enjoy the "wildcard" function as I always tend to use a smaller fleet against my opponent and gain a small measure of pleasure from seeing the luck of horror when a seemingly easy victory fall apart. Corvus is not a scholarly game, it is a bit of fun. Enjoy it, I do. KK

Thanks to the comments on this board I thought I'd buy Corvus from SOA and have a look at it. After parting with my 5 pound equivalent in Aussie dollars I waited a little (surface mail so no gripe) for them to arrive. First impression was that they were missing bits because the package was so thin – wrong! A very concise set of rules, simple to play and with lovely counters to have a go and get the feel. No minutiae and WRG style charts and calculations; just a simple but quite decent set of rules. Only problem is, now I have to lash out and buy the galleys because I want more than counters. The curse of wargaming, when the word 'enough' is never a realistic goal…..Good rules and thanks for the tip.

Navwar also does a set of Ancient Naval Rules.

Captain Gideon