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Here’s the deal, I've always really liked Battle Fleet Gothic and have been looking into Napoleonic Navel miniatures for awhile now. Most of the rule sets I've seen seem very complex and entirely over the top for my play style. Since I’ve always been a big fan of BFG and the Imperial Fleet basically uses Napoleonic tactics in space I figured I'd cut out the middle man and design my own rule set with some help of a friend. I’ve done some basic edits the BFG rules but it’s essentially the same game in the water. The reference cards have the majority of the changes on them.

Timeframe: 1775-1825, This is a 'Beer and Pretzel" fun rule set to enjoy the best the Age of Sail has to offer so the timeframe is roughly the American Revolution through the Napoleonic Wars.

Ships and Scale:
I was never fond of the expensive and small 1/1200 size metal ships that most people use for this sort of thing. So I’ve decided to go with Plastic 1/600 Scale. Part of the reason I’ve chose this is because what I’ve found are for the price and size the equivalent to a plastic cruiser box set from GW. In these rules with the ships I’ve chosen the Scale is approx 1 inch = 50 Feet and 5cm = 100 feet.

The model selection at that scale is very limited but I've chosen to primarily use the Airfix 1/600 HMS Victory kit (10-20 USD).

There are a few threads around the web that show how to very easily turn the Airfix Victory into almost any size ship down to roughly 30 guns.

I’ve also picked up one box of the Glencoe Models, American Sails, USS Constitution and Gertrude L. Thebaud kit (8 USD). This kit says 1/600 but it’s not really to scale with the Airfix kit, The Thebaud part of the kit is essentially useless. With some minor modifications the Constitution part easily suited to be a 5th Rate, 6th Rate or an unrated smaller ship like a Brig or Sloop.

Keep in mind that neither of these models is particularly amazing but they are suited to playing with and do look good on a tabletop.

I will go into more detail in further posts and include some pictures of the progress.



Airfix HMS Victory Kit


Glencoe Uss Constitution Kit


Both Hulls together before any modification, Victory approx 4" Constitution approx 3"


Both Hulls cut to waterline and Victory is on a mock up base. The Victory hull has been cut to a two deck ship, Note to notched out section of the stern gallery.


HMS Victory


USS Constitution

A fresh idea, subscribed!

A little bit of paint thrown around



Note that the Constitution you see here was modified to be the HMS Indefatigable. It ended up being too small and didnt fit with the other model representing HMS Victory...or any other ship for that matter.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Had some issues with my image links. I created a Gallery on here and fixed the links.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Here is the HMS Agamemnon in the background and the HMS Euryalus in the foreground. Agamemnon still needs to have the hull shortened, she will be a 64 gun 3rd Rate ship of the line. HMS Euryalus is a 36 gun 5th Rate Frigate. You can see here the difference between the modified HMS Indefatigable hull and the current configuration.


Here is a view of both ships along the bow.

i have considered something similar in the past as i love bfg, could never be bothered with working out the balance between forces and removing attack craft, shields, torpedoes and lances, wind direction etc.

your ships are looking good and am awaiting rules

A play test version of the rules is ready now, I'll upload them in the near future. With a bit of luck ill get some testing in and give some battle reports after this weekend.

Im ready to make these guys blow each other up now.

Well play test didn't end up happening but I was able to get a little more done on the ships.


Here is Agamemnon with a section of hull removed to shorten the ship.


More of the same but a view from above.

Since I haven't posted the play test rules yet I will instead explain our method for determining a ships firepower and weapons. Keep in mind that the rules will go more in depth in explaining the changes but all you need to know right now is that each deck is considered a weapons battery if armed with normal cannons and a lance battery if armed with carronades.

Basically once you have chosen the ship you wish to represent and have a suitable model you’re going to do a little research. Take note that this is a beer and pretzel game so wiki will be a suitable source. Obviously legitimate source books will be more accurate and if available take precedence. Also you should remember that these ships often changed their armament for one reason or another and rarely kept any record of it.

What you want to do is take each type of cannon or carronades a deck has a multiply its weight by the number of guns. For example Agamemnon has 26 24lb cannon on its main deck, thus it has 624lb of shot from that deck. That number should be divided by two since those guns are equally place along each side of the deck. So then Agamemnon has 312lb for each side on that deck. Round this figure to the nearest 100th, so 300. Ever 100 equals 1 Firepower point so this deck has firepower 3 as a starboard and port battery.

Now some ships have forecastles and quarter decks. Sometimes the gun types and size can be mixed on either or both decks. Use your best judgment in this case. If a gun type can’t be rounded to up to at least 100 it is ignored. For example Agamemnon carries 10 4lb cannon on the quarter deck and 2 9lb cannon on the forecastle. Since we can get at least 50lb of shot from either of these decks they will be ignored.

Now of we look at Euryalus well see she carried 2 9lb cannons and 10 32lb carronades on her quarterdeck and 2 9lb cannons and 4 32lb carronades on her forecastle. Since the 9lb cannons match on both decks we can consider them as one battery but unfortunately we only get 18lbs on each side and ignore them. There are 14 32lb carronades however between the fore and quarter decks giving us 448lbs together and 224lbs on each side. So that mean she has a firepower 2 carronades battery on a combined fore and quarter deck battery. We don't want to strip our ships of the firepower they really had but there comes a point where some of the guns are just impotent. In these rules each gun has a specific range and so we don't calculate mixed batteries together for simplicities sake.

Here are the armaments for my two ships:

HMS Agamemnon Total Firepower 5
3rd Rate
Upper Gun Deck: 26 x 18lb Cannons - FP 2
Gun Deck: 26 x 24lb Cannons - FP 3

HMS Euryalus Total Firepower 4
5th Rate
Fore & Quarter Deck: 14 x 32lb Carronades - FP 2
Gun Deck: 26 x 18lb Cannons - FP 2

Google me: "Sails of Glory"

Out this year I think.

 doktor_g wrote:
Google me: "Sails of Glory"

Out this year I think.

That's a totally different system and uses 1/1200 scale pre painted toys. This is about taking a game I already love and adapting it to Age of Sail because I haven't found rules I like or models that weren't tiny and expensive.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

HMS Euryalus WIP

Still no play test as of yet, 40K is getting in the way of this and mini hammer for Strombones and I. However I do have some rules sheets for those that are interested.

Ship Leadership:
Just like on BFG you roll a D6 pre game to establish the ships leadership level. In BFN you roll 1D6 for your Captain and 1D6 for the crew. The combined value of both is the ships leadership.

]

This looks pretty dope. Reminds me of my glorious Man O War days. It's also a plus to see more Charleston-based gamers.

 Moltar wrote:
This looks pretty dope. Reminds me of my glorious Man O War days. It's also a plus to see more Charleston-based gamers.

Thanks, I havnt play tested yet with another person but ive tested the mechanics for what I've got so far. It seemed to be working well.

It's deffinatly good to find other gamers in this area, I don't normally go to the local hobby shops. Mostly because its hard to find people that just want to have fun playing instead of rule lawyering you to death with a mob of grey plastic.

Haha so true.

Just a quick progress update one of my ships.

Its been a minute since I've posted an Update. Ironfist Publishing's Battlegroup WW2 rules have taken over my life lol.

Though not much has actually change from the test rules posted above there have been a few changes. Namely replacing the Reload special order with Make Repairs and modifying ship movement to account for wind direction.

Make Repairs:
Speed: Half to Full
Turns: None
Weapons: None
Special: Repair dice take effect on a 5+ while under this order.

Movement:

Ships will now have movement based on the direction of the wind. One table edge should be the wind direction, probably just a random selection.

Ships now have three movement speeds, into the wind(F), abeam(S) or in front of the wind(R). Use the target orientation dial to determine the facing.

Rate: F/S/R
1st Rate: 15/20/20
2nd Rate: 15/25/20
3rd Rate: 20/25/25
4th Rate: 20/30/25
5th Rate: 25/30/25
6th Rate: 30/40/35
Unrated: 35/50/40


End Phase:
Reloading guns:
If guns fired this turn they must be reloaded in the end phase. Roll 1D6 for each battery that fired. On a 3+ the guns are reloaded. If this test is failed the battery remains unloaded and must retest next end phase.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Left out of Test rule sheet:
Crew and Sails/Masts automatically take 1 point of damage per hit with no save.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some random ship stats.

Name
Class
FC - Forecastle
QD - Quarterdeck
FC/QD - Forecastle and Quarterdeck together
TD - Top Deck
UD - Upper Deck
MD - Middle Deck
LD - Lower Deck
GD - Gun Deck
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USS Constitution Total Firepower: 7
5th Rate
UD: 20 × 32lb carronade FP 3
LD: 30 × 24lb FP 4
-----------------------------------
HMS Levant Total Firepower: 3
6th Rate
GD: 20 x 32lb carronade FP 3
------------------------------------------
HMS Cyane/USS Cyane
6th Rate

HMS Cyane British Service - Early Total Firepower: 2
FC/QD: 8 x 18lb FP 1
GD: 22 x 9lb FP 1

HMS Cyane British Service - Late Total Firepower: 5
FC/QD: 8 x 18lb FP 1
GD: 22 x 32lb carronade FP 4

USS Cyane US Service Total Firepower: 4
QD: 8 × 18lb carronade FP 1
GD: 20 × 32lb carronade FP 3
--------------------------------------------
HMS Java/Renommée
5th Rate

HMS Java British Service Total Firepower: 6
FC/QD: 18 x 32 carronade FP 3
GD: 28 x 18lb FP 3

Renommée French Service Total Firepower: 4
FC/QD: 8 × 36lb carronades FP 1
GD: 28 x 18lb FP 3
or
FC/QD: 12 × 18lb carronades FP 1
GD: 28 x 18lb FP 3
-------------------------------------------------
HMS Guerriere/Guerrière
5th Rate

HMS Guerriere British Service Total Firepower: 6
FC/QD: 16 x 32lb carronades FP 3
GD: 30 x 18lb FP 3

Guerrière French Service Total Firepower: 6
FC/QD: 16 x 32lb carronades FP 3
GD: 30 x 18lb FP 3
---------------------------------------------
HMS Agamemnon Total Firepower: 5
3rd Rate
UD: 26 x 18lb Cannons - FP 2
GD: 26 x 24lb Cannons - FP 3
---------------------------------------------
HMS Euryalus Total Firepower: 4
5th Rate
FC/QD: 14 x 32lb Carronades - FP 2
GD: 26 x 18lb Cannons - FP 2
-------------------------------------------
Orient Total Firepower: 14
1st Rate
FC: 6 × 36lb carronades FP 1
QD: 18 x 8lb FP 1
UD: 34 x 12lb FP 2
MD: 34 x 24lb FP 4
LD: 32 x 36lb FP 6
--------------------------------------------
HMS Victory Total Firepower: 13
1st Rate
FC: 2 × 68lb carronade FP 1
FC/QD: 14 × 12lb FP 1
UD: 30 × 12lb FP 2
MD: 28 x 24lb FP 4
LD: 30 × 32lb FP 5
--------------------------------------------
Just for gaks.

Santísima Trinidad - 1769 Total Firepower: 12 - As built
1st Rate
FC/QD: 18 × 8lb FP 1
UD: 32 × 12lb FP 2
MD: 32 × 24lb FP 4
LD: 30 × 36lb FP 5

Santísima Trinidad - 1769 Total Firepower: 13 - Modified to 140 guns by connecting the Forecastle and Quarterdeck together and adding more 8lb guns
1st Rate
TD: 46 × 8lb FP 2
UD: 32 × 12lb FP 2
MD: 32 × 24lb FP 4
LD: 30 × 36lb FP 5

Beautiful paint jobs on those ships, sir.

Thank you, they aren't nearly done though.

It's been a long time since this has been updated. I recently got Sails of Glory as a gift and have decided to use those ships in this Battlefleet Gothic Mod.

I'm magnatizing the ships that came with Sails of glory so they can be used for Battlefleet Napoleon without the Sails of Glory bases and still used for Sails of Glory.

Stats for the Ships that came in the starter box with some alternate stats for the model.

1st model: HMS Defense/HMS Vanguard



HMS Defense Total Firepower 8
3rd Rate
UD: 28 x 18lb FP 3
GD: 28 x 32lb FP 4
FC/QD: 18 × 9lb FP 1

HMS Vanguard Total Firepower 8
3rd Rate
UD: 28 × 18lb FP 3
GD: 28 × 32lb FP 4
FC/QD: 18 × 9lb FP 1

2nd model HMS Terpsichore/HMS Meleager


HMS Terpsichore Total Firepower 3
5thRate
GD: 28x12lb FP 2
FC/QD: 6x18lb carronades FP 1

HMS Meleager Total Firepower 3
5th Rate
GD: 28x12lb FP 2
FC/QD: 6x18lb carronades FP 1

3rd Model Courageuse/Unité


Courageuse Total Firepower 2
5th Rate
GD 26x12lb long FP 2

Unité Total Firepower 1
5th Rate
GD: 24x8lb long FP 1

HMS Surprise Total Firepower 5
5th Rate
GD: 24x32lb carronade FP 4
QD: 10x18lb carronade FP 1

4th Model Généreux/Aquilon


Généreux Total Firepower 11
3rd Rate
UD: 30x18lb long FP 3
GD: 28x36lb long FP 5
FC/QD: 16x8 long FP 2
FC/QD: 4x36lb carronade FP 1

HMS Généreux Total Firepower 11
3rd Rate
UD: 30x18lb long FP 3
GD: 28x36lb long FP 5
FC/QD: 16x8 long FP 2
FC/QD: 4x36lb carronade FP 1

Aquilon Total Firepower 11
3rd Rate
UD: 30x18lb long FP 3
GD: 28x36 long FP 5
FC/QD: 16x8 long FP 2
FC/QD: 4x36lb carronade FP 1

HMS Aboukir Total Firepower 11
3rd rate
UD: 30x18lb long FP 3
GD: 28x36 long FP 5
FC/QD: 16x8 long FP 1
FC/QD: 4x36lb carronade FP 1

I just want to point out that many of the Sails of Glory ships have various sister ships of their class that they could represent and there are quite a few classes these model could stand in for so dont feel restricted by the names the model pack lists..