A recent game of "War by Sail", gaming the first Anglo-Dutch War.
These rules are currently in development, playtesting and working through the research (currently finishing up the AWI, having started in 1300, and with the stats for over 800 ships done so far).
A little more about the ruleset
Game start – the light colored squiggles are shallow areas that only the Dutch ships can pass over without taking damage. The line up: English (with the red borders on the bases): 1x first rate, 1x 2nd rate, and 2x 4rd rates. Dutch (with the blue borders on the bases): 3x third rates, 1x 4th rate The Dutch are better sailors, and reload faster, but have smaller ships and less guns – we are currently playtesting the game balance of this period… Battle mat from DEEP-CUT STUDIO, Miniatures from Tumbling Dice (1/2400 scale). Shore home-made from polystyrene and hot wire
Opening shots – The Dutch 4th rate fires at long range with the bow chasers, and the English reply with a raking broadside – not a great start!
One of the English 4th rates was set on fire after taking a punishing broadside from the Flagship Dutch 3rd rate – the 58 gun Eendracht (in the foreground). The fire was soon extinguished though…
English ships set one of the Dutch 3rd rates on fire!
English ships sailing forwards – there is a mandatory sailing phase where all ships must move directly forwards depending on their position in relation to the wind, and the ships top speed.
The fire aboard the Dutch 3rd rate continues to burn, as she takes broadsides from English ships! its not looking good!
The dutch 4th rate by this point had straggled onto the far side, away from the rest of the force – sometimes battles don't always go to plan…
The Dutch 3rd rate set afire also becomes stricken, and begins to sink….
The English ship that managed to extinguish the fire takes so much damage below the waterline that she becomes stricken! as she begins to sink, a fire breaks out!! …not again!?
Glug, glug, glug – The Dutch 3rd rate sinks…
The view from the Dutch straggler…. (sorry for the focus…) The stricken English 4th rate sank soon after this photo was taken.
The game at about 3/4 of the way through…. The English had used their 4th rates as perfect cover for their larger 2nd and 1st rate – as the 2 4th rates trailed behind or sank, the 1st and 2nd rate carefully ranged in on the remaining dutch ships, targeting the flagship… The English 1st rate reduced sail, allowing the 2nd rate to pull ahead, so that both ships could have a clear shot.
A photo towards the end of the battle – the 2 remaining Dutch ships fight for their lives, pinned against the shore by the larger and more powerful English ships….
In the background the straggler Dutch 4th rate took part in a long-range duel with an English 3rd rate – the Dutch 4th rates crew was reduced to a bloodbath, and the survivors attempted to ram the English 3rd rate, but to no avail! The English grappled the massacred Dutch ship and were in the process of capturing it when we had to end the game.
All in all a great playtest of the period – Solid English tactics lead to a decisive victory: 1 Dutch ship sunk, 1 in a bloodbath, and 1 with heavy casualties, while the Dutch only sank 1 English ship and inflicted light casualties on the 3 other ships.
These rules will be released in 3 or 4 months, after all the research is complete. They will be available on Wargame Vault in both PDF and Printed Books.
