Boilers And Breechloaders (B&B), the rules for 25mm gunboat coastal and riverine actions, have been revised and improved in a significantly altered 3rd Edition.
B&B remains the only set of rules that link with the classic The Sword and The Flame, 25th Anniversary Edition and the Colonial campaign-game rules The Sun Never Sets: 4th Edition.
Improvements over the 2nd Edition include new — and deadlier — rules for torpedoes. The decision has finally been made to go with a much more realistic representation of the Whitehead Mark I Torpedo of 1892. Consequently, speed and range have increased over four-fold, though their accuracy and reliability are still decidedly primitive!
Similarly, the original rules for mines required clumsy record-keeping, and even resorting to handmade map-grids to locate them and test for effectiveness. But now, two general types of mines are covered (Keg and Horned), and though both still have their limits, full-color markers are now provided to mark "live" and/or "dummy" mines on the battle surface.
The rules for critical hits have been made less draconian by being reduced to "chance" after so many points damage, not an inescapable certainty.
Even the (small) chance of "ricochet shots" off the water has been worked back into the rules.
In short, B&B now offers even more choices and chances, and all by actually simplifying play!
Of course, the rules still provide the means of rating ship models players may already own, or should buy or make for themselves.
Not only are the rules themselves changed for the better, but also players will get even more for their money! B&B now comes in 62 pages, perfect bound, including one each of the newly redesigned and updated Ship Logs for all three types of gunboats, and one for native craft. Further, there are now five sheets of full-color cardstock, including a "Cheat Sheet," newly designed Action Cards, Wind Vane and Wind Speed Markers, plus new torpedo and mine markers.
And the best part is, the entire package will remain at the same retail price as from years before: $25.00 USD.
But for this Subscription, the deal only gets better!
The Boilers And Breechloaders rulebook pre-publication price is only $15.00 USD (plus $7.00 USD domestic postage, $14.00 USD overseas). The expected retail price upon publication will be $20.00 USD, and after publication of the book, the PDF edition will be offered for $15.00 USD as well.
No payment is needed until requested, either after the minimum number of 25 copies has been sold, or the Subscription closes on Waterloo Day (Midnight, CST, Friday, June 18, 2010).
Payment may be via PayPal to TVAG@att.net, or by personal check/money order to TVAG's earthly address.
In order to claim your Subscription copy of B&B, you must send an email to TVAG@att.net and please provide your mailing address.
All Subscribers' names will appear on the 4th Edition Roll of Honor in this and future printings of the same edition.
More new titles are still coming from TVAG soon, and hopefully in time for Historicon 2010, so please keep watching the skies!