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I'm new to non sci fi gaming and am looking for a historical naval game. Something like a world war two naval show down between fleets or cannon galleons trying to kill each other. I don't like massive games so if we are looking at a game with close to 100 units at one time it is a bit big for me. If it is justifiably big like the units are crew members or something tell me, I stress the fact that I'm new to this and thus have no image of what these games look like when played. So give me a few names and some information about them would be a big help, thanks.

Battles Stations, Battle Stations! Miniatures Rules

Manufacturer: Decision Games




SRP: $29.95


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Description:
With Battle Stations, Battle Stations! players take the rolls of historic admirals to command entire fleets of ships. As a fleet commander you must work within the limitations of your ships and be guided by the strategic necessities of your nation. The streamlined and intuitive game system is player friendly; it allows players to concentrate on tactics rather than minutia. Specifically designed for 1/2400 scale miniatures, players using a larger scale can easily modify ranges; smaller scales need no modification.

To avoid bookkeeping, players utilize markers to track each ship's damage, speed, torpedoes fired, aircraft, and submarine depth levels. Players place markers on the ship stands or the ships themselves to eliminate the necessity of bookkeeping.

Battle Stations, Battle Stations! simulates major fleet actions in the Second World War. The number of ships that can be engaged is only limited by your imagination.

Ship statistics are included for eight nations: Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union and the United States. Battle Stations! statistics include: battleships, battle cruisers, aircraft carriers, heavy and light cruisers, destroyers, destroyer escorts, submarines, motor torpedo boats and aircraft. All the major combatants are there and you can bring them to battle.

The swiftness of the combat resolution ensures a game of 30 ships will take no longer than three hours. With each ship generating about five minutes of game play, you can create scenarios to fit your schedule. The intense game system keeps you focused on the battle; you experience the elation of victory or the frustration of defeat.

Morale rules take into account the national will and leadership of the fleets engaged, doing away with the unhistoric fight to the last mentality often seen in other ship simulations. With each nation having its own level of commitment, as fleet admiral you must excel at the strategy that best suits your country.

Players agree: if you like naval combat, you will enjoy Battle Stations, Battle Stations! If you've never liked naval miniatures due to time wastage and bookkeeping, then you will find Battle Stations, Battle Stations! a refreshing change.

Contents: 80 page rules book, player aid cards, 120 die cut markers

Scenarios include:

River Plate, 13 December 1939
Montevideo, 17 December 1939
Punta Stilo, 9 July 1940
Cape Spartivento, 27 November 1940
Sinking of the Hood, 24 May 1941
Sinking of the Bismarck, 24 May 1941
Java Sea , 27 February 1942
Cape Esperance, 11 October 1942
Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942
The Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943
Surigao Strait, 25 October 1944


We started playing this using A&A navel minatures and have both in stock www.adlerhobby.com

You might want to look through the miniaturespage forum for historical naval games.

Warhammer Trafalgar is a quick system for fleets of around 6-12 vessels per side. Not played any others.

General Quarters is one of the best WW1 and WW2 naval games.

It is usually played using ship models in 1/2400 or 1/3000 scale.

You can play a battle of a few destroyers and a couple of cruisers up to very large Grand Fleet actions, though for the latter you need a large hall to lay out all the ships.

http://theminiaturespage.com/rules/ww2/generalquarters.html

If you like the age of fighting sail, Trafalgar offers a quick playing, simplistic Warhammer kind of system.

Signal Close Action is a more detailed set which can work nicely for ship to ship duels with the most detailed rules.

http://www.rodlangton.com/napoleonic/sca.htm

Victory at Sea by Mongoose publishing is a pretty fast and dirty system. Plays a bit like their B5 A Call to Arms space game but has the more traditional rewards for maneuver and crossing the T that you see in a lot of naval games. Torps are nasty. Plunging fire is nasty. The Hood does actually go BOOM after the opening salvo from the Bismark if the crits are right. More of a beer and pretzels game than a simulation (not a bad thing). A 10 minute read and you can play most of the scenarios in the book (which also includes counters for the nations represented in the book).

If you want a more Battletech style system if you can get a hold of an older game by Task Force Games called Battlewagon it would be a good choice too. You make a damage display for each ship and mark damage as the ships get pounded. The game is a bit chart heavy but not so bad you can't pound out larger battles with smaller ships in a day.

Fire as She Bears is a good age of sail game.
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=18616&it=1&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=594

I agree that Battlewagon is a good Battleship combat game.