1 SALAMIS AD ACTIUM NAVAL WARGAMES RULES FOR ANCIENT TIMES 2000 BC TO 900 AD BY DAVID MANLEY WITH ALAN BUTLER AND ANDREW FINCH EDITION 1.1 FRONTISPIECE ART WITH PERMISSION OF KEN FISHER Published by A & A Game Engineering 2003, 2015 Copyright 2003, 2015 D W Manley. Illustration Copyright 2003 Ken Fisher. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce the Firing Arc and Turn Indicators, Campaign Maps and Game Record sheets for personal use only No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record or otherwise whatsoever, without the prior permission of the publisher, author or artist.. Not to be copied, resold or otherwise distributed (see Terms and Conditions)
2 INDEX 1. INTRODUCTION... 3 1.1 Scales... 3 1.2 Die Rolling Conventions... 3 1.3 Base Sizes... 3 1.4 Damage... 3 1.5 The Turn Concept... 3 1.6 Game Equipment... 3 1.7 Crew and Command Quality... 3 1.8 Fighting Oars... 3 1.9 Making Terrain... 3 2. SETTING UP THE GAME... 4 2.1 Fleet Organisation... 4 2.2 Command and Control... 4 2.3 Generating Crew and Command Quality... 4 2.4 How to generate a Playing Area... 4 2.5 The Wind... 5 2.6 Sea State... 6 2.7 Sheltered Waters... 6 2.8 Game Set Up... 6 2.9 Off Table Forces... 6 2.10 Tides and Currents... 6 2.11 The Crew Test... 7 3. SOME THOUGHTS ON DIVINE INTERVENTION... 7 3.1 Libations Use of Magic during the Game... 7 4. TURN SEQUENCE... 8 4.1 Game Turn Phases... 8 4.2 Special Rule for Initial Movement... 8 4.3 The Action Phase... 8 4.4 Seizing Tactical Initiative... 8 4.5 The Intermediate Phase... 8 5. MOVEMENT... 9 5.1 The Effect of loss of oars... 9 5.2 Turning... 9 5.3 Pivoting... 9 5.4 Special Movement... 9 5.5 The Effect of Sea State on movement under oars... 10 5.6 Terrain effects on movement... 10 5.7 Overloaded ships... 10 5.8 Movement under sail... 10 5.9 The Effect of Wind Strength on Sailing Ships... 11 5.10 Drifting... 11 5.11 Collisions... 11 5.12 Sinking Ships... 11 5.13 Carrying Additional Oarsmen... 11 6. SHOOTING... 12 6.1 Archers... 12 6.2 Ballistae... 12 6.3 Casualties... 12 6.4 Cataphract and Parablemata... 13 6.5 Heavy War Engines... 13 6.6 Incendiary Missiles... 13 7. RAMMING AND RAKING... 14 7.1 Attack Aspect... 14 7.2 Bow Rams... 14 7.3 Determining the effect of a ram... 15 7.4 Special Effects of Ram Damage... 15 7.5 Oars Rakes... 16 FORTIFICATIONS... 16 8. BOARDING ACTIONS... 17 8.1 Starting a Boarding Action... 17 8.2 Resolving the Combat... 17 8.3 Unresolved Actions... 18 8.4 Casualties... 18 8.5 Capture of Enemy Vessels (Prize Crews)... 18 9. SPECIAL WEAPONS AND TACTICS... 19 9.1 Rhodian Fire Pots... 19 9.2 Greek Fire... 19 9.3 Biological Weapons... 19 9.4 Corvus... 19 9.5 Ferrea Manus... 19 9.6 Roman Polearms... 19 9.7 Capsize Attacks... 19 10. ACTIONS IN THE INTERMEDIATE PHASE... 20 10.1 Damage due to Weather... 20 10.2 Morale... 20 10.3 Lost Battles Deciding the Victors... 20 10.4 Crew Transfers... 20 10.5 Repairs, Fires and Bees... 21 10.6 Admiral Casualties... 21 10.7 Changing Weather... 21 11. FLEET LISTS... 22 11.1 Egyptian, Sea Peoples... 22 11.2 Greek, Phoenician... 22 11.3 Greek... 22 11.4 Persian... 22 11.5 Greek, Persian, Macedonian, Phoenician... 22 11.6 Carthaginian... 23 11.7 Republican Rome... 23 11.8 Early Imperial Roman... 23 11.9 Later Roman... 23 11.10 Barbarian Fleets... 23 11.11 Byzantine... 23 11.12 Islamic... 24 11.13 Viking, Saxon... 24 11.14 The Vessels of the Ancient Galley Age... 24 12. CAMPAIGN RULES... 27 12.1 Campaign Areas... 27 12.2 Ports... 27 12.3 Fleets... 28 12.4 Supply... 28 12.5 Movement... 28 12.6 Perilous Routes... 29 12.7 Naval Battles... 29 12.8 Quick Battle Resolution... 29 12.9 Fleet Reorganisation... 29 12.10 Hull Repairs... 29 12.11 Replacements... 30 12.12 Random Events... 30 12.13 Sequence of Play in a Campaign... 30 13. A CHRONOLOGY OF NAVAL ENGAGEMENTS... 33 14. SHIP DATA... 35 14.1 Notes on Ship Data... 35 14.2 Exchanging Troops and Equipment... 35 14.3 Stout Hull, Weak Hull, Parablemata... 35 15. POINTS VALUES... 38 An A and A Game Engineering Download Product
3 1 INTRODUCTION Salamis ad Actium is a set of rules covering naval warfare from the classical era through to the Dark Ages. During this period the main weapons of war at sea were predominantly those of the ships crews, or (during the classical era at least) the ram bow. The use of a card activation system is designed to remove the annoying paralysis that affects some other sets of rules where alternate movement systems often lead to opposing fleets grinding to a halt as they close, whilst avoiding the use of time-consuming and unpopular order writing. The rules have been written with 1/1200 scale models in mind, as these are readily available from a number of manufacturers. However, by measuring ranges and movement in inches rather than centimetres they can be used with larger scale models (1/600 or 1/900 for example) with no further modification. 1.1 Scales 1 Model per ship Turn length 1 turn equals 5 minutes Ground scale 1cm to 33 yards You should be aware that fleet engagements in this period often had many hundred vessels on each side. It is not practical to put together battles on a scale of 1 to 1, either in terms of space or in terms of finances. Bear in mind that the base sizes shown here coupled with the scales in use suggest that a model on the table is roughly equivalent to about 5 real vessels. This means that already a rule of thumb is given to scale down historic numbers by 5 to get an idea of the size of game you will end up with. If you have a really big battle like Salamis or Actium, you may wish to scale the numbers down by another half. 1.2 Die Rolling Conventions These rules require the use of d10s and d6s. Other die types required are d3 (use d6 and halve, rounding up). 1.3 Base Sizes Models should be mounted on rectangular bases, with dimensions 5mm greater than the length and width of the model (including oars), then rounded up to the nearest 5mm 1.4 Damage Damage is determined by damage levels rather than by hit points or hull boxes. These levels are Light, Medium, Heavy, Severe, and Sinking. The effects of each damage class are described later in the rules. In addition to general levels of damage ships will lose troops, oarsmen and commanders to enemy action and will suffer special damage such as lost or damaged Ballistae, Towers, and reductions in speed. 1.5 The Turn Concept The game is played in turns of variable length, made up of Action Phases and separated by an Intermediate Phase. The order in which the Action Phases occur, and when the Intermediate Phase is triggered, is determined randomly. Commanders can also use Tactical Initiative Counters or Cards to seize the opportunity to get additional action phases before the melees are resolved. These cards are quite limited and can only be used once in a game. The Action Phases are broadly used for movement and distance fire, setting up the attacks and making rams, while the main combat melees are resolved during the Intermediate Phase. This phase is also used to carry out morale checks, fight fires, transfer crew, etc. 1.6 Game Equipment For the purpose of determining the game turn sequence, we recommend that you prepare two sets of counters of different colours, one for each side, plus one additional counter in a third colour to signify the Intermediate Phase. These counters can be drawn from a bag or pot. Alternatively, you could make a set of seven cards, which must be shuffled and drawn after each Intermediate Phase. For the purposes of seizing Tactical Initiative, you must also have enough Tactical Initiative Counters or Cards for your Admiral. These are played separately during the game, and it may be sensible to make them a different colour, so they do not get mixed up, with the Counters or Cards used to determine the Game Sequence. 1.7 Crew and Command Quality Crew Quality ranges from Elite (the best) to Poor (the worst). It modifies the results of some die rolls. Command Quality for Admirals and Vice Admirals are given ratings reflecting their command ability. Command quality modifies some die rolls and also gives commanding Fleet Admirals (not Vice Admirals) a number of Tactical Initiative Counters or Cards which can be used during the game to get additional action phases. Crew Quality Command Tactical Initiative Counters or Cards Elite Exceptional 5 +2 Veteran Skilled 4 +1 Average Average 3 0 Raw Poor 2 1 Green Inept 1 2 Crew and Command Modifiers Crew and Command Tests Crew tests are required throughout the game. This is a standard test, defined later. Several tests have specific modifiers that are also applied in addition to the standard ones. If a ship has to take a crew test and has an admiral on board, the admiral s bonus is added to or deducted from the test each time, even if the value is negative. 1.8 Fighting Oars Some nation s oarsmen (in particular the Saxons, Vikings and most pirates) were trained to fight as well as row. There are referred to in the ship tables as fighting oars ; in this case treat their oarsmen as normal or Heavy marines. 1.9 Making Terrain Well made terrain features add a lot to the experience of ancient naval battles, and are after all the only extra features you need for a game, so it is worth investing at least some time in making these as well as painting the ships. We have found that a simple but effective method of making land features is to use cork tiles which are available in DIY stores and are cheap and ready coloured. They can be easily cut and shaped. Other material that can be used is expanded polystyrene, either as sheet or packaging. This can be cut and painted and can easily make rocky features or islands. Most buildings would be small with few windows, so can be made from sections of matchsticks or balsa, with terracotta roofs. Not to be copied, resold or otherwise distributed (see Terms and Conditions)
4 2 SETTING UP THE GAME The players decide which fleets they will command and the general size of the battle, selecting from an agreed points value, unless the battle is part of a campaign. Having done this the Crew and Command quality is determined, the admirals are assigned to squadrons in the fleets and finally the playing area is set up. Notes on fleet composition are included at the end of the rules. 2.1 Fleet organisation The ships of each side are referred to as a fleet (regardless of the number of vessels). Fleets are divided into Squadrons of up to ten vessels. One squadron is commanded by the Admiral, who also commands the fleet. Each of the other squadrons is commanded by a Vice Admiral who takes their orders from the Admiral. There is no lower limit to the number of ships that can be in a squadron (it is, in theory, possible to have each ship commanded by a Vice Admiral), however there are points costs associated with the Admiral and each Vice Admiral, so the added flexibility conferred by having a greater number of smaller squadrons is offset by the increased points cost. Casualties to the squadron may cause a loss of Morale see Morale rules later. Squadron Formations Each fleet is divided into squadrons of up to 10 ships. Each squadron is commanded by a vice admiral while the fleet is commanded by an Admiral, who either also commands a squadron, or who may be on an independent vessel (a squadron of 1 ship). The formations that were adopted were actually rather limited, and generally consisted of: Line abreast or astern Echelon right or left Double Column or Line 2.2 Command and Control Battles of the era could easily degenerate into a confused melee due to the limitations on the admirals to command their ships, with only the primitive signalling and a limited view of the action. Salamis ad Actium represents command and control by limiting the distance that ships of one squadron may be apart to 10cm. To be in control, a ship must be either within 10cm of the Squadron Flagship, or within 10cm of another ship of the same squadron that is itself within 10cm of the flagship. In each case the ships must be visible to each other. If this seems unduly restrictive, bear in mind that the frontage of the largest of ancient naval battles only extended over 2 miles at most, which is 120 cm in scale. If circumstances are such that a ship is not within control distance then there is no immediate problem, however, the rest of the squadron cannot count that ship as part of the squadron for morale purposes. If the main body is reduced to below half strength then a morale test will be required. Squadrons do not have to be within any command range of the Fleet C-in-C but do need to be able to see him during a Morale Test. The line of sight is unlimited but blocked by enemy ships and by land terrain features. This line of sight is drawn between the Squadron flagship and the C-in-C s vessel. 2.3 Generating Crew and Command Quality Crew Quality is determined for each Squadron, while Command Quality is determined for each individual Admiral or Vice Admiral. This can either be determined randomly based on training, or can be purchased via points values. Training The level of training in the fleet lists is expressed by a quality class, ranging from Poor to Very Good. The Command Quality of each squadron and fleet admiral can be determined randomly using the table below. The same applies to Crew Quality, which is randomised for each squadron. Roll a d10 and read across the line of the table corresponding to the Training listed for the fleet to find the score. The resulting Command or Crew Qualities are shown in the table. Training: If the players do not wish to determine command quality randomly the range of numbers in the table should serve as a guide to the levels of command ability that will be found within the fleet. In a game, the players can opt to pay for general levels of training for Admirals and Crew. These do not have to be the same. The d10 rolled separately for Command and Crew Very Good 1 3 4 7 8 10 Good 1 2 4 5 8 9, 10 Average 1 2, 3 4 7 8 9 10 Mediocre 1, 2 3 6 7 9 10 Poor 1 3 4 7 8 10 Command: Inept Poor Average Skilled Exceptional Crew: Green Raw Average Veteran Elite Modifier: -2-1 0 +1 +2 costs for these are shown in the points table at the end of the rules. If using this system, the players then roll randomly to see what training has been achieved using the above table. This gives a more random result but you might get lucky and pay for average ships but get Skilled or Exceptional crews. Alternatively, players can opt to choose a level of Command and Crew Quality for Admirals and Crew and pay the appropriate points as shown in the table. 2.4 How to generate a playing area Most if not all battles in this era were fought within sight of land, and the ships in a Fleet were forced to conform to the local geography. Part of the skill of a Fleet Admiral was therefore to make best use of the geography, and games will be more interesting if the local geographic features are generated randomly. Few Admirals had the luxury of picking the exact composition of their fleets so that the vagaries of the dice introduce an interesting flavour both in crew quality and terrain. An A and A Game Engineering Download Product
5 Method Divide the playing area up into areas roughly 60 cm, or about one nautical mile square. This need not be exact, so for example a 5 foot wide table could have two squares in width. Roll 2 x d6 once on the terrain generating table for each square to determine if any feature appears in the area, and if the score shows a feature, you may need to roll further dice to generate some additional detail. In a campaign where there is a port in the box, add 2 to the result on the d6 roll determining the nature of the feature. Score Terrain 12 Mostly shore, up to 60cm long along one table edge, or a corner headland if in a corner area 11 Shoreline, typically up to 30cm long 10 Open water 9 A single island, up to 40 x 20cm 8 6 Open water 5 2 small islands, each about 20 x 10cm 4 Open Water 3 Shoreline up to 30cm long 2 Headland or peninsula jutting about 30cm into the playing area. If this is a corner area, then the feature is a headland When you have generated a feature, you may need to roll for additional details by rolling one or more further d6s. Feature D6 score: 1 4 5 6 Shoreline or island Any land feature, (per 30cm) Sandy beaches, shallow water extends 2 x d6 out from the shore, with a depth of d6 Open Rocky. The water is deep enough not to ground ships, but will wreck any ship that contacts it. Habitation, roll again on next line Habitation Small village Large town, with harbour Each feature should then be positioned somewhere in the area, and if there is a choice as to where to position it, roll a dice. This last positioning dice cannot be specified exactly, because it will depend on the terrain pieces that you own, but as an example, if you have rolled up a shoreline and you actually have a piece which is 30 cm long, then you have a choice of exactly where to place it on the edge of the table. 1, 2 will indicate on the left-hand edge, 3, 4 in the middle, 5, 6 on the right hand edge. Similarly the position and orientation of islands etc. should be randomised as far as possible. Even small variations in direction may have an influence on the tactical battle, if your island is say 40 x 20 cm, then a positioning dice of 1, 2 would indicate a N-S orientation, 3 NW SE, 4 NE SW, 5,6 W E. For the position of features within a square, 1 4 could indicate approximately in each corner, whilst 5, 6 would indicate the middle. Islands should be placed so that they are at least 10cm from any other island or shore. A shore line may be represented simply by the table edge, but if you have a terrain piece it may be up to as long as the edge of the area if you wish, but should only project up to 20cm onto the table. If you generate a large land feature in a corner square, then it should become a headland that occupies a corner of the playing area A satisfactory game table must contain at least one feature. If you have rolled for all the areas and generated only open water, then start again, rolling for each area again. A village may be represented by a built up area about 10 x 10 cm, typically with grid streets, lots of red roofs for the buildings and temples, white bathhouses etc. A larger town might consist of several of these sizes of built up area, with the addition of a harbour on the waterfront. 2.5 The Wind Wind will have 3 effects in the game. Firstly, the strength and direction of the wind will influence movement under sail. Second, the strength and direction may cause ships to deviate in a manner similar to tides and currents (again, the lack of a deep keel means that these vessels are prone to falling downwind). Thirdly, strong winds will whip up the surface of the sea, causing manoeuvring difficulties and (in high sea states) possibly resulting in ships foundering and sinking. Wind Direction You will be aware that most battles in this period took place within sight of land, which implies that the winds will either be onshore or offshore. To avoid a situation where one side has an unreasonable benefit from the wind the direction is determined by rolling a D6. Nominate one of the long table edges to be North, then roll a D10: D10 score Direction 1 3 From the West 4 From the North West corner 5 From the North East corner 6 8 From the East 9 From the South East corner 10 From the South West corner Wind Strength Wind strength is expressed as a number of strength levels and these also depend on the region where the action is being fought. Galley battles were not fought in bad weather (or at least battles were not generally initiated). For normal battles a wind strength of Breeze should be used. For a more random set-up roll a d6 and consult the table, which will give a spread of benign wind conditions. Wind Strength Mediterranean Northern Waters Still 1 1 Light Airs 2, 3 2 Breeze 4 6 3 5 Strong Breeze 6 Storm Gale (NB: For basic games using ships under sail, but where players do not wish to use the full range of weather rules, the wind strength is considered to be a normal Breeze (without causing drift), with the direction specified in the scenario, or determined randomly.) Not to be copied, resold or otherwise distributed (see Terms and Conditions)
6 2.6 Sea State Sea State depends on the wind strength, the duration for which the wind has been blowing and the distance of open water over which the wind has been blowing ( fetch ). Sea State can be determined randomly, or can be specified in the scenario being played. To determine randomly use the following table, rolling a d6 and cross referencing with the wind strength. In a campaign add 1 to the score for each perilous route entering the map area. Die Roll Wind Strength 1 2 3 4 5 6 Still Flat Light Airs Flat Choppy Breeze Flat Choppy Rough Strong Breeze Flat Choppy Rough Storm Flat Choppy Rough Very Rough Gale Choppy Rough Very Rough 2.7 Sheltered Waters Again, more complexity can be created on the tabletop by considering sheltered waters in the lee of coastlines or islands. Sheltered waters extend downwind a distance equal to either (a) the width of island or land mass, or (b) 20cm, whichever is less. In sheltered waters Wind Strength and the Sea State are reduced by 1 level (to a minimum of Still or Flat). 2.8 Game Set Up You will note that the weather has already been determined before the fleets are laid out. Remember that there are significant effects of certain weather states. Laying out the Fleets The players then roll another d10 each, adding the Command Quality of the Fleet Admiral. The winning player then decides which of the long sides of the table they wish to set up on. This becomes their base edge. The losing player takes the opposite side of the table as their base edge and lays out one squadron first, then players alternate setting down squadrons on the table. This gives a fleet with more squadrons slightly more strategic flexibility. Ships may be placed up to 15cm in from the table edge, or coastline if applicable. They may not be placed within 15cm of the edge of the table, and opposing ships may not be deployed closer to each other than 45cm. Not all ships need be placed on the table at the start of the game. 2.9 Off table Forces Players may keep a part of their force off table as reserves or to try to outflank the enemy fleet, or to lull them into a false sense of security, to be shattered as reinforcements arrive. At the start of an Action Phase when their owning player wishes them to attempt to enter the table the point of entry is declared. Ships may enter along the player s base edge, or along a table side. They may not enter along their opponent s base edge (nor, obviously, may they enter at any point which is a coastline). The Vice Admiral rolls a d10, modified as shown in the following table. Condition Admiral s Command Rating +/-? Point of entry own base line +1 Point of entry behind own rear line +1 Point of entry on table side -1 Point of entry beyond own front line -1 Enemy ship Squadron within 15cm of entry point -1 Allied Fleets (depends on purchase price ) Modifier +/- Loyalty The modifiers assume that it will be easier to come on over the rear line and that will usually be behind the front line as well (unless the initially deployed ships have all been destroyed!). This gives a cumulative +2 modifier. If coming on over the side of the table, the modifier is +0 if you are coming on to the rear of the your fleet, -1 if to the side of the current engagement, and 2 if it is beyond your front line (i.e. from enemy territory). Allied fleets reliability depends on the amount you have paid as a bribe for them to come and fight for you. Compare the results with the following table. Result Effect 0 or less Ships have become lost and never arrive 1 4 Ships are delayed and do not arrive yet. The controlling player may attempt to bring them on again in a later Action Phase. This attempt does not have to be made at the same point on the table. 5 or more Ships enter as planned 2.10 Tides and Currents The tabletop environment can be made more complex by adding the effects of tides, river flows and currents. The vessels of the period tended to be very shallow drafted, making them susceptible to drift caused by these influences. When laying out the tabletop the players can indicate the direction of any currents, the flow of rivers or tides (rising, or ebbing or falling, or flowing ). The effect of these influences is to cause ships to move in the indicated direction by a random distance. Weak flows, tides and currents will cause ships to deviate 1d3cm, whilst strong flows, tides and currents will cause ships to deviate 1d6cm. Drifting caused by tides and currents happens in the Intermediate Phase. Should ships be locked together then one roll is made for all vessels. Complex tidal systems, with river outfalls and currents can be generated at the whim of the players for a complex game. However, it is recommended that for most games a simple arrangement is used. Additional tidal effects can be brought into play. For example, a falling tide could mean that shallow waters become 1 level shallower after a specified number of turns, whilst a rising tide could increase the depth of water over shallows. An A and A Game Engineering Download Product