Maximillian 34 (Kind of Review)

Each to their own. And As I have been banging on about Dieselpunk for more than a year you might guess (correctly) that this is my cup of tea!

Ok what do you get? A full colour, soft back, stapled rule set 54 pages in all. 

Production: I would say a lot of time, effort and energy has gone into the production values of this set of rules. Which is not to say they are well padded with junk, however there are a lot of Photos and a lot of things that could easily have been condensed. (More of this later). The booklet when you pick it up feels of good quality and is a pleasure to flick though. Being stapled is not a bad thing it allows the pages to be turned very easily with no fear of it falling apart in your hands. Overall I do like the production, it is so much better than many rule books as it feels as if the whole thing was a passion project and not started just to take money from the gamer. Good Quality throughout the book.

Pictures: I am an old school wargamer who grew up on Table top Games rules. As such I like the whole thing to be about the rules. It is after all what I am paying for. As you can see to the right there is a lot of "wasted" space. The Contents and the introduction could quite easily be put o one page on the inside cover. and not 2 pages in. These are VERY Minor gripes though. The Pics of the minis are good and the minis well painted and overall the layout is fine. It has a nice mix of 1930's pics (mostly associated with either war or racing, seriously what else did we expect) Pics of minis, diagrams and film poster(for modern films set in the 1930's or 1930's style adverts. Overall the pictures do add to the rules But as they an take up 1/2 a page (or in the pages above 1/3rd of a page) I do wonder if they may have been better on the internet or just reduced in size. Again only a minor gripe as they are all relevant and do add some flavour to the rules booklet.

Mechanics: Yep how does it play? The answer is that the rules are simple. I mean that comment to be positive. They are so much easier than Car wars by Steve Jackson. Players are allowed to premeasure and are not forced to make abstract judgements about corners or distances. There is even a nice rule suggestion that anyone taking this too far buys the other players a drink. I am guessing NOT a Cup of water! Most of the mechanics revolve around a player rolling 2 different coloured d6, with more or less D6 depending on circumstances. With only 5's and 6's counting simply add the positive dice and take away the negative dice to determine a result. As most wargamers have D6 in a variety of colours this is not much of a hardship. So all moving and shooting mechanics are very simple and logical and straight forward. mechanics for shooting and moving are similar but not the same. Which lends to consistency and logic and not having to learn 2 different mechanics to complete a game turn. Again overall the mechanics are good , sound, quick the learn and logical. Range for example is for every FULL 12" you add one negative dice.
 So 0-12" no dice added, 12+"-24" a negative dice added, 24+"-36" two negative dice are added to the dice roll (and so on ever 12" an extra die is added). Like I said Simple and effective an straight forward. So Simple logical and straight forward that it is easy to explain as a show game for participation purposes!

There is a section on Building the cars to play the game ( NOT a section on Model making but all the starts needed and there are not too many.)
A couple of weapons have been left out, no smokescreens for example, but no silly weapons have been included either. |So a very healthy 1930's feel is maintained.

Overall the mechanics are very sound.

 Background: There is no Background. This maybe to include more options, So "Back of Beyond" Very British Civil war" "A Right Bloody mess!" (I think that is what they call the Australian Civil war (fictional before anyone questions the notion)), "Crimson Skies" (but on the ground) or your own dystopian alternative history are all playable. Just remember the 1930's and you can't go far wrong. I personally like background in these types of games. to me it is more useful and interesting than pictures, but each to tier own.

Negatives: There is in my opinion too much wasted space.  Take the double page spread above and to the right. If the publisher and games designer feels this is absolutely essential to the rules (you  may guess that I do not)Putting it all on a single page should be quite sufficient, not a page for each vehicle. I do realise that the publisher does try to make the page numbers devisable by 4 but as there are more than 4 pages of "Fluff" I feel it could be reduced.


Conclusion: I will admit to being bias towards this period so please be aware of that before I sum up. The rules are clear enough for a dyslexic (I am one) to understand. They are not complex and they are (to me at least) logical. The main drawback is the lack of vehicles that are available without conversion and model making. I know at my club if the rules take off there will be some "GOD AWEFUL!" contraptions . I guess at many other clubs as well. Therefore I have 3 choices. 1) Make everything myself. (this is currently my favourite option). 2) make players stick to the official Eureka miniatures (I know this will be limiting) or 3) just put up with it (he types through gritted teeth).
Overall I am impressed and look forward to getting some vehicles done and up and running.

Thanks for reading al this. If you have any questions more than happy to answer them. If no questions comment as you choose or choose not to comment. I am happy either way.

Take care, have fun and paint/game if you can.

Fire and Steel

Yesterday I was very pleased to receive the following rule set via eBay. "Fire and Steel". I was very disappointed at the first reading as I thought they were a dedicated colonial skirmish rule set. And on first reading they covered Seven years war, American Civil war and wild west gunfight. I happen to like rules that are specific to each period and not ones that try to do everything as then tend to end up doing nothing.

But my mind was changed on the second reading. They will still cover all imaginable periods. But I do not have or intend to use them for all periods.

Physically they are a little bigger than A5 with a card cover stapled on. 31 printed pages (32 pages in all but the least one is blank) printed in black and white with a few drawings and diagrams. To my mind this is so much nicer than a bigger tome that has been puffed out with pretty pictures but that don't add anything to the rules. There is no "How to paint figures" or "How to build terrain" or even pages of background history that any fool with 30mins and internet access could discover. No the rules are just that a basic set of rules in an old fashioned format and so much better for it. I have been a wargamer for a few years and so I already know a little about painting figures and making terrain. It is even conceivable that I might know a teeny tiny bit of history already for a set of rules  for which I have an interest.  So I really do thank the publishers "Keep Wargaming" for not patronising me.

The rules are pretty simple, but I can see that they would work and fill the booklet from page 4-12. After which there are some suggestions on troop types  for various campaigns, some notes on characterisations and 2 appendices on Explosions and on Machine guns. From Page 19 onwards it gives a brief note on scenario design (1 Page) and 5 scenarios. And that fill the book. It is a light easy read although  a rules "Numty" like me has had to check a few things by flipping back a page or two, just to make sure you understand and not because I am "thick and useless", which I may be as well.

The scenarios are quite varied in both scale and time period with anything up to 5 players taking part . For club games I think this will work fine I really do. Generally you are looking for 1 player controlling 5-10 figures , the rules suggest 8 but that should depend on the players. So if you want to change period a lot the expense is not too high. There are no points system in the rules, this is deliberate as the design philosophy is not ALWAYS looking for balanced scenarios. Sometimes rather than having things equal it is better to have objective based scenarios. And Objective based scenarios are really not about having an "Equal" Battle but are about achieving a set objective. So with a little thought and imagination players will be able devise completely balanced scenarios where troop equality is not the issue.

Given that the rules have a picture of Afghanis shooting in the Hindu Kush on the front cover This is what I was expecting the rules to be all about. Instead I found a very versatile set of generic rules with a couple of good ideas that one can build a very good scenario based game at club level for. I can see me using these rules at the club and even for show games as they are straight forward and easy to follow. The only issue I have with them is the need for different markers on the wargames table. M Morale markers, R reload markers (each figure may require 6 of those is fining something that takes a long while to reload, T tap load markers if the musket boys want to reload very fast. I am sure I can come up with a way round this but counters on the table do tend to detract from a games look.

Overall I really do like these rules. They are simple to use and to understand and by tailoring the weapons and forces scenarios can be created with a little thought. Will I ever use them? Yes I think I will. They may not be perfect and may require me to think as bit to set up decent situations and scenarios but that is not an unpleasant task. They are a change from the glossy rulesets I have been using but I prefer them for taking this approach. There is no "Guff" just back to basic rules.

What will I use them for? That is a whole different question. I bought them thinking "Northwest Frontier" because of the picture on the front. But now I am not sure I will use them for that as they may be better suited to French Indian wars or Boxer Rebellion.

Thanks for reading today. I have been far too busy to paint much these last few days, but with luck I should have something finished for Sunday's blog post. So take care and see you soon.

Donnybrook!

As you may recall I bought the Donnybrook rules at Salute this year. And here are my initial thoughts prior top playing the game. My opinion may change after playing of course but I think it is equally important to detail my thoughts before a game  takes place.

Firstly the Name to many including myself I thought the name a strange one. It is derived from a suburb of Dublin which holds a fair. This fair had a habit of getting out of hand and thus the word "Donnybrook" came to mean a brawl. Donnybrook as a set of rules covers the period 1660-1760 although it is possible to use them for earlier or later conflicts. Indeed the Donnybrook forum has people working on Medieval to much later periods. Which goes a long way to explain the versatility of the rules. It is quite possible to take the rules and the rule mechanics further than this selected century.

When we think of skirmish rules we really don't know if they are aimed at squad, platoon or even company levels. So lets be clear in these rules we are mostly looking at each player controlling 20-50 figures, or a platoon as it were. Like Saga or Muskets and tomahawks a single point would get a force a set number of figures 4 elites, 8 regular or 12 recruit quality troops (3, 6, or 9 if the troops are mounted). In addition to the rank and file troops there are also special characters which vary from Faction to faction. While the rules are written with 28mm figures in mind they could equally be used for smaller scales, although I would not recommend 10mm or smaller. And 15mm might be a push, just from a skirmish fiddly figure perspective and not because the rules could not manage it.

Normal games will be one faction against another. Choice of Factions are Army, Civilian Mod (including Rebels and Militia), Covenanters, Highlanders, Cultists, Outlaws (pirates, smugglers Highwaymen etc dependant on the setting) Rapparees and Tribal Factions. The Tribal Faction would of course change character Moors in North Africa, Woodland Indians in North America as examples if different locations are explored.

Given that the rule mechanics were originally devised to fit on a single sheet of A4 a lot of the book is given over to the possible settings for the game. About 1/4 of the book is given over to the settings and while most of us will stick to those we already have terrain for it is a pleasure to see other settings detailed. Starting with the English Possession of  Tangiers, then the 2nd and 3rd Anglo Dutch wars a conflict fought in Europe and North America, Bacon's Rebellion in America, Covenanter Rebellion in Scotland, the persecution of Huguenots throughout France, Argyll Rebellion in Scotland, the Monmouth Rebellion, the Glorious Rebellion (also in England) War of the Grand Alliance (Europe), The Jacobitte Wars in Ireland and Scotland. King Williams War in Canada, The Darien Adventure (central America). The Witch Trials Europe and the new world and even the War od Spanish Succession are all mentioned as places suitable to play Donnybrook. Most of these settings I have only a cursory knowledge of but it is clear Barry Hilton knows much more. Needless to say not all factions are available in all settings. No Rapparees in Tangiers for example!

For me it is this background all of which is very real that adds so much flavour to the rules. Each of the settings I read and thought "Hmmmm That has possibilities!" Some settings I am more drawn towards than others, living less than a mile from the river Medway the Anglo Dutch wars might seem an obvious choice for me. But at present no firm decision has been made as to where I will set any games. SO no new Project alerts just yet, although you might expect one to rear it's head soon.

Overall I am very impressed with the rules, they are very simple and straightforward. There is a lot of background information and it is all very well presented. Overall I would have no reason not to recommend them and do look forward to playing them.

I hope you found this useful  and I will hope to post again on Sunday. Until then take care and roll high on all the dice! Best wishes Clint

Prep (1)

There  may not be a second "prep" blog post, but then again there just might. That all depends on if I can get my act together. I know, I know blummin' flaky git. Yes It's true but at least I am making the effort! Prep for what I hear you say. Well Curt's Analogue Painting Challenge of course! Most of my prep has already been done, but yesterday I thought I should build the models I want to apint as part of the challenge. Don't worry there are not many.

Back in June I bought this "Plastic Soldier Company" box set consisting of 5 sprues of hard plastic. Enough to make a reinforced Platoon of US army M3 or M5 Halftracks. I intend to use these for 15mm PBI by Peter Pig.

Each of the sprues comes with 8 crew figures as well as options for different winches at the front, different mounting systems for the .5 Browning HMG. It also comes with optional vehicle stowage. So if you choose you could easily make a variety of halftracks. There are clear instructions and all the pieces fitted together easily. There was the usual trimming to be done where sprue and component meet, but there was no flash or mould lines that needed any attention at all.  That being the case for the price I did find these a very acceptable alternative to resin. And should I need more I will be happy to get another box.

I did take my time with construction as it is always easier to fix any problems at this stage than when trying to juggle with a paint brush as well. But there were no problems and I could have assembled them quicker if I had chosen.



 I wanted a uniform look to my platoon though. So they all have the same MG copula but I have given different stowage on each and added the .30 Browning MMG to only 2 of the models. I will admit I was tempted to up-gun them all but thought that just looked wrong and unlikely in a war zone. Mind you I have got American troops so maybe I should have added the extra MG's. As you can see I have built them in two batches, and primed 2 at this stage. Today (Friday) they are all primed and waiting for the challenge to start.

The Eagle eyed among you will also have spotted that one has a different winch at the front of the vehicle (bottom left). This was deliberate. While I do want them to look uniform I did also want one to seem maybe slightly older perhaps being used as a replacement. This simple change of winch clearly identifies it. In my mind it is platoon command vehicle, but when it get to the table that idea may/will quickly change.

Overall I am very impressed with these kits. We all know in an absolutely ideal world some support variants could have been included on the sprues, but this is more wishful thinking than practical reality. I for example would like 2 M16 Quad AA mounts or a couple of M4 Mortar carriers. But then I have to wonder how much extra it would cost for the tooling of the injection moulds and then realise that it would lead to a price rise. Darn reality strikes again.

Thank you for Reading today and I shall endeavour to up date this blog on Sunday. All the best Clint

Rochester Games Models and Railways!

With a name like "Rochester Games models and Railways" You enter the store with an expectation of what is inside. Firstly I must say "it does what it says on the tin!"

Quite a large store contains a variety of wargames model kit and rail model items and paraphilia. While I cannot in all honesty say it has everything for any of these hobbies it is a fine place to start looking for things.

One of my friends asked me "How hard would it be for you to spend £50 in there?" Obviously this is completely subjective as we all have different needs at different times. However I must say I would find it very easy to find thing I would want coming to that price range in no time at all.  Not that £50 is a huge sum in wargames terms but there is a variety of things that would float my boat very buoyantly. Indeed on this recconisance trip I spent £12 without having to look for things to buy at all. In fact I had to limit myself as I was about to go food shopping directly afterwards.

In the first week of opening some local thieves stripped lead flashings from the roof, so if you see buckets on the floor in the pictures you'll know the reason. 

The shop splits itself in half, as you come through the door model kits are to the right and railway stuff to the left. in the centre is the checkout and sales staff. Once you proceed past this sales pagoda wargames items are mostly on the left. 

The sales are is so large that the shelves look a little sparsely stocked. I urge you not to take this at face value there are many hidden gems which at first glance you may miss. For example there are some Foundry Blisters for street violence and Argonounts. It would of course be an amazing capital outlay to even attempt to stock half the foundry range. This small selection does go to show that they may well be willing to order things for you though. Additionally this is the only shop I have ever seen which stocks "Frontline" in blister packs on shelves. As well as another company I have never heard of making 28mm dungeon scenery totally suitable for Dungeons and Dragons. (in the yellow packs at the bottom of the picture.)

In addition to the wargames companies including West Wind, Wargames Factory, Forged in Battle, Victrix, Plastic Soldier Company and Warlord Games, the shop stocks 3 different paint ranges ( Humbrol, Tamiya and Games Workshop!) as well as brushes and dice.

The construction kits are by the usual suspects (Revel etc.) as you can see to the right and cover a wide range of topics from cars and planes boats and toy soldiers. Add to this variety all the Railway items (of which I know nothing about) and all the peripherals both plain and embossed Plasticard, brass fixtures and fittings and glue. And you have while not quite yet a one stop shop for hobby needs but a shop that I hope will grow into one in the time to come.

The shop is run and owned by Tori and Jim (or James and Tori if you prefer.) A married couple with many years of retail experience in these fields. Indeed they are both very knowledgeable on their stock as well as wargaming in general. Do not be fooled by Thinking Tori is a girl (she is) and therefore knows nothing about wargames, she really does despite the fact that she (I hope) has nothing dangling between her legs! They both have a good sense of humour and are very helpful. Tori will email me, for example, next week when the next West wind order arrives, as she knows I might be looking for a thing or two for Xmas (so I will say no more about it now.

As well as carrying stock they have several 6'x4' games tables and for the modest fee of £1/hour will supply not only the table but also the terrain. At present the terrain is geared up for Warhammer 40K as that is the most popular game for non club members in the area to play.

These tables can be booked from their face book page. www.facebook.com/RochesterGamesAndModels .


Overall I would say if you are in the Medway area you could do a lot worse than to pop in and see this shop for yourself. I know I will be going back.




Lastly. I should let everyone know that the Broadside Webb Site has been reconstructed. It is still being populated but Click Here to wing your way there.

That's it for today. I hope to see you all again on Tuesday. Until then, take care have fun and if possible check out a local games shop. They welcome your custom and if we don't use them they will all go under eventually! All the best Clint.

Biker Gang (unpainted)

I recently was given a Biker figure which Vamipfan (AKA Bryan) and Brummie (AKA Simon)  were able to identify as coming from West Wind Productions . Having found the source I immeadiatly oedered a set. For £19.99 you get 10 Bikers and bikes. Now for me 10 mounted figures for £20 seemed like a very good deal. Postage cost were not too high and delivery time was within 1 week which considering it is the week before Christmas is very quick service. Having had one I was aware that they were multi part figures. (2 Part Bike, separate arms and heads).

The bike chassis were all the same, which is not a major issue. Two different forks were included, 5 of each type. It would have been nice to have some "Ape-hangers" for handlebars but the variety of forks will give some degree of variety.  Still as it works out at £2 each with rider it would be churlish to make a fuss about what one would have found in an ideal setting.
There are 10 bodies, with legs attached in 3 different poses. Which should make for a less uniform look to the gang. Three head sprues, each of four heads for a total of 12 heads. Add to this 10 arms. For me the problem with the arms is that they did not send the right combination. By that I mean I have an ODD number of sleeved and bare arms. In an ideal world they would have been equal or even a couple of spares. Most of the weapons are OK, But as only 10 were supplied there is not so many choices that you can make. One is armed with a chainsaw for example only an utter fool would use a chainsaw on a motorbike. It in no way will lead to a happy outcome. Therefore this arm even if no others will get converted. Maybe a simple weapon swap maybe something more dramatic. The other weapon I don't like is the M16 which seems very small and weedy when compared with the other toys. 

I can only speak for the pack I received and it is possible that other packs might have a better selection and more variety with arms and weapons. As mentioned above though for the price I really can't complain. If I can get 6 I am happy with for £20 I will still think I have had a bargain.

That's it for today. All the best and speak soon Clint.

Opperation Squad, Review.

I managed to pick up a copy of "Operation Squad" from eBay this week, so that being the case I thought to offer my view of the game. For those that have not come across these rules they are a set of skirmish rules for WW2 which concentrate on infantry actions at squad level. They are not scale specific but given the move rates and ranges they would mostly suit 28 or 20mm figures. Indeed the pictures in the book show 28mm figures, so it could be argued that was the rules intent. I see no reason they would not work equally well for 20mm though.

The slim volume, a mere 46 A4 pages in length is full colour with a soft back cover stapled together. The Production quality is good, but not outstanding in any way. Following an introduction and some colour pictures the Rules start on page 6 and finish on page 23. Firstly let me say that the rules are all logical and appear in the right order starting with turn sequence and ending with morale checks and a summery of  figure characteristics. The turn sequence is a reactive system where figures have a chance to react to what is being done by an opponents figures as opposed to a "you go I go" system. Having tried a practise game I will say they work and work quite well and can easily be adapted to other settings and eras. I know of one person who is adjusting them to a wild west gunfight setting, while I shall be looking at using them for WW1 East Africa. Shooting for example revolves around the attacker rolling 3d6 and adding a number of dice dependant on range, the figure being shot at rolls dice for things like cover and if they have moved and other factors like hiding. The Defenders score is subtracted from the attackers and should the result be 11 or greater the target has been hit. 11 results in pinning while 16 is KIA. So the difference in dice rolls dictates the severity of the hit. As in real life no figure has multiple wounds so getting hit by a bullet can result in instant kills no matter how much you might think the Sergent is a hero!

4 scenarios are included which takes you to page 30. They are nothing so special that you would not have thought of them yourself, but they do offer you a basic structured game scenario. Most people will accept them for what they are and treat them as a starting point. They are all designed, as is the whole game for 1 squad to fight one opposing squad. Bigger battles can of course be catered for but I would suggest that a single squad be played by each player, at least to begin with.

Most of the rest of the book cover squad rosters for some of the major nations. Therefore in the basic rule book you may take a squad of American, British (or Commonwealth), German or Russian. Each nationality has 3 or more squad choices representing standard infantry or elite squads. Each of these choices also has different points values.. A British Rifle squad has a points value of 235 pts while a British Paratrooper squad would cost 340 points. You then have the points values of any tweaks you might feel that you need to make to your squad, like adding a sniper (+90 pts) or buying the Medic Characteristic for a single squad member (+15pts), or adding some equipment, Binoculars (+10pts) if carried by a leader (corporal or Sergent).

Each nationality has its own weapon charts which define the weapons characteristics used by their troops. These are not usually given a separate points cost unless listed under the squad roster. The weapons characteristics seem to fit with what I have read about the weapons of the period, as such to me they do seem to be fairly accurate. I do have niggles about some of them, but generally I feel they are correct without relying or special rules for each weapon.

Generally these rules retail for about £18-20. My personal view is that while I do like these rules that price is too high. I feel a price of £10 would be more fitting. (As mentioned I got mine in an eBay auction for £7.60 including postage and for that price I am very happy.)

In conclusion: I do like these rules and have plans for them. I can see them being used at the club as they are quick to learn yet give a good level of challenge. Having already played a practise game I am happy with the way they work and they way they encourage you to use a squad tactically on the tabletop. My main issues with the rules is the cost as mentioned above especially as they have already published 2 supplements at the same price each. One supplement covers vehicles, while the other covers a greater variety of nationalities and squad roster. As I believe a single armoured vehicle would totally unbalance a game which focuses on single figures to create a squad I cannot see to mush use for it at present. The other supplement might be interesting, but I feel I could already adapt the basic selection of squads should I wish to field Japanese Finnish, Italian or other squads and weapons from the late war period.

I hope you have found this a useful review. I shall blog again on Monday. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and talk to you soon. Clint.

BBIB (Review)

I was feeling a little flush last week so decided to buy another set of rules. I wanted a set of rules we could play wit any amount of club players with the minimum of fuss, figures and scenery. With that criteria it was going to be naval or air war. Just because of the terrain. I finally settled on Blood Bilge and Iron Balls (BBIB) written by Alan Abbey of http://leofwinewargamerson.blogspot.co.uk/ . I am very glad I did. I must be honest I do know Alan in real life so bear that in mind as I write this review, because I feel I should disclose that we are friends and therefore this review could be considered Partisan and perhaps Bias.

Lets start with the price. The Cover price is £16.99, I bought mine from Amazon and it cost £11.98 including postage. I will therefore consider this a 12 quid book and not a 17 quid one. So  having covered the price, what do you get for your hard earned cash. The book itself is about A% in format, hard bound and 134 pages in thickness. The paper is a good quality stock and gives all the indications of a serious publication. One of the things I like about these rules is that the have gone back to basics with the format. I have described them as an "Old man set of rules!" By that I mean there is minimal FLUFF! I remember back in the early 80's Games workshop describing Warhammer 40 000 rulebook prior to release as the most visual and illustrated rule book ever. This seems to be a trend that has continued with bigger and more glossy pictures quite often irrelevant to the rules but just included in a kind of seductive "wargames porn" way to sucker the buyer into thinking they had bought something special. So if you buy rules to look at the pictures (Wargames Porn) then this is not the set of rules for you. In BBIB you will find diagrams and scenario maps, but you will not find sketches or glossy pictures of models that the average player would struggle to emulate. If you want a set of rules to put on a coffee table look elsewhere. These rules are more like the old skool rules by "tabletop games" that I started out with. Perhaps that is why I think of them as an "Old Man" set of rules, because they very much remind me of my wargaming roots.

 

The 134 pages are broken down as follows:

• Pages 1-33 are the rules
• Pages 34-41 are the optional rules
• Pages 42-58 are the scenarios
• Pages 59-76 are the Campaign rules
• Pages 77- 134 are various appendices.
Taking each section at a time.
The actual mechanics function around both Dice (d6) and Cards. The cards are of two varieties, 1 deck of standard playing cards with Jokers included which determines the level of damage and the location of damage should a hit be achieved. The second deck of cards is what the mechanics of the game rest on. Each fleet has 3 cards, A movement card, a shooting card and a Repairing card. All the fleets cards are shuffled together and drawn at random. This means that you may have to fire before you move or repair, or any other combination. Once the deck has been through the turn ends, the cards are reshuffled and drawn again. This means that it is possible to get shot twice in a row without being able to reply, move or repair. But what works for one player can also work for the opponent.
Another reminder of the old skool rules is the fact that each sheet has a "Record sheet" this reminds me of battletech or car wars, as damage is marked on the sheet a it is received by each ship. To hit a ship you must of course be in arc of fire, (And Line of sight of course.... goes without saying really) Depending on the range you roll a d6 (for each gun factor firing) to achieve a hit. Point blank range is 2+ extreme range is 6 per gun factor. Hits allow you to draw playing cards which as mentioned above indicate both the location (by Suits) and the damage by the Number (Including Jack, Queen, King).
Movement is by the direction of the wind and how you have rigged the ship. The rigging is abstracted to full sail, half sail and No sail. So you don't need to be an expert in real life, But your ship WILL move as it is rigged and with the wind direction., There are no brakes or accelerators because the wind is your engine.
The optional rules are optional, they include things like fire ships, British gunnery islands and shoals as well as merchant/transport ships. I don't have a huge amount to say about this section except to say that the rules are optional and therefore I wont use them for the first couple of games.
There are 4 scenarios, one is historical (The Battle of the Nile), the other 3 are much more general in nature. The Battle of the Nile has all the ship record sheets for that particular battle in the appendices as well as full colour ship templates should you wish to start with pieces of paper on the tabletop to represent ships.
The section of campaign rules is for a generic campaign. Designed for club games where all things start equally. It would have been nice to have a historical campaign setting as well although that can be worked out by yourself should you wish. Personally I would have liked a historical campaign but don't want the bother of working one out. The club campaign rules seem to be harsh with the weather, each campaign turn there is a 1 in 6 chance of a storm (3 in 6 in the depths of winter). And storms have a 2 in 6 chance of sinking each ship in the area. This would be something I would "Tweek" as to me it does seem very arbitrary and overly powerful. I do realise that nature is not to be underestimated, so I shall put this down to personal taste
The biggest portion of the book provides you with everything you will need to play. It has ship record ships for everything from a sloop to a 140 1st rate. Permission to photocopy or download from the Pen and Sword website (http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/). Which saves you having to cut the book up.
 
My overall impressions of these rules are very favourable. I can see a good fun club game resulting with much complaining about turn sequence and conversations that star "But If I had been able to move when I wanted then you would not have been able to....!" I love the fact that these rules are a return to the old fashioned types of rules without padding and fluff. I don't buy rules to read a short story or to look at an irrelevant picture, I buy rules to play a game. These rules take the basics without getting sidetracked and explain them in an easy to follow way. So for me these rules are a step in the right direction. So if you want an set of rules reminiscent of the past but with more up-to-date feel have a look at BBIB.
 
That's enough writing for today. I shall post again on Sunday. Thanks for reading all the best Clint.