Trafalgar 1805

If a broadside roll includes two or more 1s, one damage point is inflicted on any ship, friend or foe, in the line of fire within 6 squares.

If you ever roll two or more 1s then some shot has passed over the target – inflict 1 point of damage on any ship (friend or foe!) that is in line of fire and not more than 6 squares away.

6s inflict 1 Damage Point (spars and rigging, reducing movement), up to 4 points; 5s remove 1 from the target's facing broadside Gunnery Score, with 1 hit in 3 passing through to the far broadside. Rake hits are split between broadsides. Optional doctrine: French/Spanish only hit with 6s at Gun Shot and beyond; British may put all 5s and 6s on the hull at Point Blank and under.

6s: inflict 1 Damage Point on the target. This represents hits to spars and rigging, affecting a ship’s maneuverability.

Target Score = current broadside Gunnery minus range deduction, +2 stern rake, +1 bow rake, +1 British, -1 Spanish, +1 first shot. E.g. an undamaged British 74 stern-raking at Musket range rolls 5+2+1(+1 first shot) dice. At Random Shot (extreme range) all ships roll one die hitting on 6.

The final Target Score gives the number of dice (D6s) to roll.

Same square is Pistol Shot and Musket Shot is one square broadside-on, both no deduction; Bow/Stern Quarter count half Gunnery; Point Blank -1 or -2; Gun Shot -3 or -4 (deduction equals empty squares between); Random Shot rolls a single die hitting on 6.

Note that at Gun Shot and shorter, the range deduction is always the same as the number of empty squares between the firer and the target.

Roll 2d6 for two friendly ships, adding a die if they are enemies and for each Spanish ship. Any double means a collision: the mover stops and both take 2 damage points (3 for a treble). Afterwards a double on two dice is needed to break off and leave the square.

If any double is rolled the two ships collide, the moving ship ends its move and both ships lose 2 damage points (see 2.2), or 3 points for any treble.

A ship can increase or reduce its rate by no more than 2 squares per turn (e.g. 3 squares can become 1-5). Having no brakes, it must always move at least one square before it can heave-to.

A ship can increase or reduce its rate of sailing by no more than 2 squares in a turn.

A ship turns 1 point at the start of its move and 1 more after each square moved. Tacking or wearing needs all three masts; tacking requires a d6 of 4+ (+1 British, -1 Spanish, -1 light winds) and is impossible with more than 1 damage point. A failed tack leaves the ship in irons, and it must wear next move.

If a ship fails its roll then the tack is unsuccessful, the ship “misses stays” and ends up “in irons” – pointing directly into the wind. Next move it must begin to wear instead.

The board is squared to simplify movement and range; ships use headings N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW. Squares moved on one heading count toward the maximum on a new heading. If ships approach the edge, boards are added or all ships shifted back.

The rules use a squared playing surface and the ships move on headings which correspond to the eight principal points of the compass (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW).

Normally one broadside per turn at the nearest enemy; a British ship rolling 5-6 may fire one broadside at full and the other at half effect, and only British may split targets. A rake requires the broadside at 90 degrees to the target's bow or stern within 2 squares and is fired immediately during movement. Bow and stern chasers are ignored.

to count as a rake the firing ship’s broadside must be at 90° to the target’s bow or stern and within 2 squares of it

Target must be stationary or moving at most one square; d6 vs d6, boarder must win or draw to grapple. Then each side adds its weaker broadside Gunnery minus 2 per mast lost to a d6 (+1 British, -1 Spanish): boarder wins and the enemy strikes, draw continues next turn, loss ends attempts. Grappled ships fire only at each other at Pistol Shot, hitting only on 5s.

If the boarder wins the enemy strikes his colors immediately. A draw means the two ships remain grappled together and the fight continues next turn.

-1 square of maximum move per 2 damage points and per mast lost. Once at 4 damage points, single 6s are wasted, but two or more 6s in one turn bring down a mast (d6: 1-2 fore, 3-4 main, 5-6 mizzen). A ship unable to move is a hulk drifting one square downwind each turn.

If this means a ship cannot move it is treated as a hulk – it is dead in the water and will simply drift one square downwind, each turn.

A diagram gives max (full sail) and min (fighting sail) squares for each point of sailing in Fresh winds. Strong winds: -1 close hauled, +1 sailing large; Light winds: -1 close hauled and large, -2 on the quarter and before the wind. Ships may only cross the wind by tacking or wearing; British have the weather gauge in the starter scenario.

Strong Winds = -1 (Close Hauled), +1 sailing Large, no change on other headings. Light Winds = -1 (Close Hauled and sailing Large), -2 (on the Quarter and Before the Wind).

+1 British / -1 Spanish to Target Score, tacking and boarding; British round gunnery up; Spanish add collision risk. These can be ignored for a balanced game, and special captains can get bonuses (e.g. Redoubtable +1 boarding).

For the purposes of this game, British ships are reckoned to be better than their French and Spanish opponents.

Gunnery = guns/10 (ignore over 90) minus rate, rounded up for British and down for French/Spanish (a 74 gives 5 or 4); frigates subtract a further 2, making sloops useless against the line. Rates run First to Sixth plus smaller vessels.

a 74 gun Third Rate has a Gunnery of 7.4 - 3 = 4.4, which is rounded up to 5 if the ship is British, or down to 4 if French or Spanish.

The British player always chooses to move first or second, and again after any wind change. Ships fire only in their own turn, British firing first.

The British player can always choose whether to move first or second.

Ships move in the Manoeuvre phase (rakes are fired as they occur during movement), then fire one at a time with British ships firing first, then any boarding actions are resolved.

The Turn Sequence (there are three phases in each turn): a) Manoeuvre: Move your Ships. ... b) Gunnery ... c) Boarding

British ships may move as a fleet or squadron following the leader, or individually once within Gunshot. The French and Spanish normally manoeuvre only as a fleet; on a roll of 6 at the start of a manoeuvre phase one ship may act individually for the rest of the battle.

The French and Spanish normally manoeuvre only as a fleet but if they roll a 6 at the start of a manoeuvre phase then one ship may act individually for the rest of the battle.

Record cards show name, rating, nationality, masts standing, battle damage boxes and Gunnery on each broadside, crossed off as hits are suffered. Cards replace table markers so opponents judge effect only by how enemy ships manoeuvre and fire; an umpire may keep all records.

Then the only way to judge the effectiveness of your shooting will be to see how enemy ships man oeuvre and fire back.

d6 pools for gunnery, single d6 tests for tacking, d6 vs d6 for grappling, and 2d6 doubles for collisions and wind change.

to get players used to the idea of battlefield manoeuvres and rolling dice to decide combat.

Roll d6: 1-4 fresh wind from N/E/S/W, 5 light, 6 strong (roll direction). Optionally after firing starts roll 2d6 each turn end; on 11-12 the wind changes (1-3 drops, 4 veers, 5 backs, 6 rises). Only one change per game; no fighting above Strong winds.

On a roll of 11 or 12 the wind changes. Roll again 1, 2, 3 = it drops one level, 4 = it veers 1 point clockwise, 5 = it backs 1 point anti-clockwise, 6 = it rises one level.

Ships cannot be sunk by gunfire, only reduced to hulks. A ship strikes only when successfully boarded, or when it has lost at least 1 mast (all 3 for a British ship) and an enemy moves into a raking position.

it will only strike its colors either: a) when it is successfully boarded OR b) when it has lost at least 1 mast (or all 3 for a British ship) AND an enemy ship moves into a position to rake it.

British: Tonnant (80) and three 74s plus two frigates; French: Formidable (80), three 74s and two frigates, with storm-damaged French ships of the line moving one square less. Fresh wind from the South gives the British the weather gauge.

Because of earlier storm-damage all French line of battle ships move one square less than normal when sailing in any direction.