I've been playing Yaquinto's "Ironclads" in both 1/1200 and more recently 1/600 since the game came out in 1979. And although I have not played other sets of rules, I have read them all very carefully and seen some played at cons.
For my money, absolutely nothing compares to "Ironclads." The rules are thorough yet can be quickly played if you have a good judge who knows the rules. What I like most are: 1. You can add Advanced and Expansion rules at your desire for more realistic play as you see fit. or scale them down to Basic rules for con play. 2. You get to roll lots of dice. Some consider this a negative. But because of the number of rolls generated, the player can experience a multitude of variables and chances all the way from gun bursts upon firing to the narrowest detail of damage upon penetration into an enemy vessel. It's quick and fun in that respect and makes for great excitement for players.
All a good judge has to do is sit with the tables and charts in front of him (and yes, there are many) and simply call out to players what to roll for. Lots of tables and rolls equals detail for me. Those rules that reduce firing and damage to generalities for speed of play hold no interest for me. And yes, as with all the early Yaquinto games, the rules were originally miniaures converted for boardgaming. Steve Peek and S. Craig Taylor JR. did an amazing job in doing so. "Wings", which I also played for years in 1/285 was also an amazing game with great detail, yet, like "Ironclads" extremely playable.
"Rionclads" really gives you a feel for controlling a vessel and allows you to make several decisions, all of which play an important role each game turn. The Ship Data Cards are easy to grasp while again, being very detailed. Every naval situation is considered and has simple rules to cover each.
I have taught this game to newbies at cons for years. It is extremely easy to pick up on the concepts and general rules. Just get your players to understand the ship data, movement and gun types and data sheets and you're ready to go. The judge can manage everything else from there on in.
If I have a gripe with not only "Ironclads" but any other set of rules, it is that most judges set up either the grandest historical scenarios or they create their own scenarios and pit nothing but the famous ironclads or monitor class shipsat each other. This is all well and fine. But considering most of the Civil War engagements consisted of river battles between fragile wooden vessels and pooks, I think a lot of players are missing out on the advantages of the smaller, and often more difficult types of fighting that occurred. There is nothing quite as exciting as struggling up a narrow, twisting river with your sidewheeler or double-ender with barely enough room to turn around and engaging the enemy. This also permits the use of combined forces such as land infantry and artillery, something which is almost never seen being gamed, yet was constantly seen. It's a completely different approach than the usual bashing of steel and rams in broad bodies of water. It takes real piloting skills and communications to achieve success in such situations. And this is where I also think other rules fall down. They are designed for quick play and standard beat-each-other-to-a-pulp battles. Yaquinto's attention to detail permits the gamer to pit his skills against others while still allowing the fun of bashing each other around.
Well, I expect you can tell by now that I really love "Ironclads." Let me say however, that I am not trashing other rules sets. I am simply trying to explain why I think "Ironclads" is, and always has been the gold standard in ACW Naval.
I own both "Ironclads", "Ironclads Expansion" and "Shot and Shell." As has already been mentioned, "Shot and Shell" is an excellent "companion" game and I agree, it offers much improved land forces rules; Yaquinto nearly ignored this topic altogether.
If you decide to purchase the Yaquinto games on the open market, and you truly have a passion for ACW Naval gaming, I can assure you that you will never regret buying them.
I am playtesting a scenario at present which I intend to run at NavCon in South Milwaukee in October. You can get info on this excellent one-day con by searching the web. The scenario I've researched involves Lt. Comm. Buchanan and his Union squadron of wooden vessels as they take on a lone Confederate wooden vessel, The Cotton along the narrow Belle Teche River at the mouth of the Atchafalaya in Western Louisiana in November, 1862. Should prove interesting.
A.P.
feels it's important to celebrate progress in one's personal hobby life.
