Age of Fighting Sail: Heart of Oak (d20)
Complete naval miniatures rules for the age of sail covering the years 1755 to 1815. Also included are cut-apart ship counters for those who do not wish to use detailed naval miniatures.
HEART OF OAK covers all aspects of naval combat and tactics in depth and even details how the sailing ships actually worked with their enviroment. The effects of wind direction and strength of the wind are carefully explained to make for a more detailed and accurate simulation. Crews must deal with sail handling to maneuver in combat.
Perhaps the best way to judge the realism in any simulation is to compare the tactics successfully in a game with those used historically. Players will note the same evolution in combat tactics occuring amongst their foes as was seen on the oceans of the world in the 18th and early 19th century. Line of Battle will be understood and will be introduced and finally true Nelsonian tactics will develop to break battle lines. While the age of fighting sail ended historically before the real advent of steam powered ships¸ this need not be the case for players as peaceful interludes will not interrupt the evolution of combat tactics to go beyond even those of Nelson.
Here¸ complete in one volume¸ is all you need to understand and enter this exciting area of miniatures simulation. The workings of the ships and crews are fully explained. Rules cover crews¸ crew quality¸ weather¸ ship classifications¸ handling characteristics¸ etc. Sample ship classes for all major powers in the age of sail are included to assist players to easily set up scenarios. Campaign and tournament rules are also included.