Land Lubber

Nelson, Hornblower, Bothilo and Jack Aubrey are historical and fictional heroes from the Age of Sail. An era where a ship's captain took on a romantic demeanour, in many ways like a mediaeval knight, as his vessel ploughed the oceans in search of adventure and glory. Despite the apparent appeal of these heroes, naval wargaming has never achieved the attention of its land-based equivalents. Before starting this project, I had to learn more about this genre and the specialist maritime language.

Naval Gaming - The Learning Barrier

I have made several abortive attempts at naval gaming but have yet to overcome the learning barrier. Recently, Long Face Games' set of naval wargames rules has persuaded me to have another go. I decided on three periods. First, the classic Age of Sail and the nautical heroes it attracted. Second, the ancient period because I have a long-term project on the First Punic War. A conflict where naval engagements were critical to winning the land war. Last is World War II, something entirely outside my comfort zone, but I have recently read some books on the naval conflicts in the Mediterranean. A theatre of warfare I constantly return, whatever the period. However, the rest of this blog is about my entry into the Age of Sail, particularly from 1793-1816.

Scale

The aim was to focus on fleet and squadron actions in the period rather than individual ship actions. I am more interested in the problems of command than seamanship. I also wanted a tabletop game rather than a board game. This brought in the need for scale because my wargames table is 6’ x 4’, and sea battles could roam over miles of ocean. I, therefore, decided on 1:2400 and the range supplied by Magister Militium because of the breadth of its coverage. Tumbling Dice also produces nice ships, but these are larger than the Hallmark and GHQ ships marketed by Magister Militum.

Low Entry Cost

Assembling my starter fleets highlighted one of the advantages of naval wargaming—the low entry costs. The workhorse ship, for fleet actions, the 3rd Rate cost under seven pounds (2023 prices), and my first project to refight the Battle of Cape Ortegal involved eight 3rd Rates and 3 or 4 frigates. A total outlay of under £85 as the terrain was the open ocean, some blue cloth would suffice.

Rules

However, like all my projects, I buy many rule books before venturing into my first game. The rules I checked out were.

Grand Fleet Actions by Andrew Finch and Alan Butler, A & A Game Engineering

Far and Distant Ships by David Manley, Long Face Games

Fighting Sail by Ryan Miller, Osprey Publishing

Fire as She Bears by Phil C Fry, Starboard Tack Press

Kiss Me, Hardy, by Nic Skinner, Two Fat Lardies

This list needs to be completed; several rule sets mentioned in the gaming forums are not included because I wanted to keep to a tight budget.

Reading List

Barry (2017), Far Distant Ships: The Royal Navy and the Blockade of Breast 1793-1815.

Davey (2015), In Nelson's Wake; The Navy and the Napoleonic Wars.

Fremont-Barnes

Knight (2022), Convoys: The British Struggle Against the Napoleonic Empire.

Willis (2008), Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century.

Winfield (2005), The British Warfare in the Age of Sail (1793-1817).

Next Step.

The following blog looks at the rules, yes, more than one set, I plan to use in my refight of Cape Ortegal.