These are pretty old rules for Napoleonic warfare at sea complete with an interesting role playing component. The combat rules are pretty detailed so smaller actions would seem preferable. There is an earlier version of these which I also have buried in the closet somewhere. The rules went beyond games existing at the time in covering ship movement, crew allocation, and combat. Some of the rules seem eccentric. The method for determining who fires first involves slowly pushing ships towards each other and seeing who shouts ‘fire’ first. Move distances sometimes drop to single digit millimeters, small enough that an accidental bump of a miniature might exceed the ship’s movement allowance for that turn.
There is also an interesting role-playing component that allows players to generate a range of naval officers and follow their successes and failures as they captain ships in battle. The rules also provide a useful overview of the life of a British naval officer while providing helpful details on the minutia of the cloistered world of a Napoleonic era ship. This includes a description of the responsibilities of the various personages that could be found aboard a ship of war. This is all very helpful information for anyone who wonders about what a carpenter or sailing master or marine might be called on to do. It also will aid in understanding films and novels based in this era such as those by C.S. Forester, Alexander Kent, and Patrick O’Brien.
