of interest to all

[Wargamer]

Project Update #60: Sails of Glory PDFs now available for download
Posted by Ares Games ♥ Like

Sails of Glory Backers!

We just posted to the Downloads section of our website the digital stretch goals offered during the campaign:

the Captain & Crew Ability rules (including a summary of the abilities featured on the cards)
the booklet with Historical Scenarios you can play using the "Wave 1" ships you have
the Point System you can use to create balanced scenarios and in tournament play - already including the upcoming Wave 2 ships.

We hope to have your feedback - especially for the point system, that has been carefully developed and tested, but - as with all systems of this kind - can never be considered "perfect" until it is stress-tested by thousands of players all over the World.

Next week we'll post a new update, with our offer for Wave 2 Ships (scheduled to be available in stores in May) and the options for redeeming your Victory & Constitution pledge credit.

Thanks for your support!

[Gaz67]

Link, http://www.aresgames.eu/downloads/archive

[7eat51]

It will be interesting to play around with the point system, trying to figure out the calculations behind it. For example, the Aquilon and Genereux (flip-side ships) are 1 point apart, yet looking at the ship logs, there are several hull and crew boxes that are slightly different from each other. Time for a little Excel fun. In the end, it might have come down to a ballpark guess determination, but it will be an enjoyable way to kill and hour or two.

[fredmiracle]

It will be interesting to play around with the point system, trying to figure out the calculations behind it. For example, the Aquilon and Genereux (flip-side ships) are 1 point apart, yet looking at the ship logs, there are several hull and crew boxes that are slightly different from each other. Time for a little Excel fun. In the end, it might have come down to a ballpark guess determination, but it will be an enjoyable way to kill and hour or two.

Hmm, the differences between the two balance out almost exactly. Aquilon gets an extra rear-broadside at one level of damage, and one more musket at another level of damage... Genereux gets one more central broadside at one level of damage. Not much to distinguish them...

The big surprise for me is that they are showing the 32 gun frigates as roughly one-half the cost of the 74 gun SOLs. Board consensus was it should be much closer to one-third.

[Пилот]

It's good material for playtesting!

[Andy Blozinski]

Since it's an electronic document, it's easily modified on the fly to improve it.

[Pseudotheist]

The big surprise for me is that they are showing the 32 gun frigates as roughly one-half the cost of the 74 gun SOLs. Board consensus was it should be much closer to one-third.

Yeah, I thought that was odd...

[Coog]

Also two ship sloops roughly equal one frigate. I doubt two ship sloops of this period could take a frigate, particularly if the frigate was an 18-pounder, since they would have small caliber long guns.

It will be interesting to see what point value Constitution and the other 44's will have.

[AlyssaFaden]

how the heck did I not get this update? Thanks for posting!

[Coog]

how the heck did I not get this update? Thanks for posting!

It came in an email from Kickstarter as an update yesterday.

[AlyssaFaden]

Yeah ... I'm at the captain level and totally did not see this! =D

[David Manley]

I have approached the advent of the points system with that special kind of joy that I reserve for points systems in other games

[7eat51]

I have approached the advent of the points system with that special kind of joy that I reserve for points systems in other games

For me, the value of a point system is to better understand the designer's thought process. I have not used the point system in WoG to make balanced scenarios; I have read the point system discussions, and that gave me a better idea on how different capabilities are viewed.

I imagine what I will do when creating a scenario is to create one I think would be fun, and then create different victory conditions based more on the scenario narrative. I am not unafraid of unbalanced scenarios; I think as long as the victory conditions make sense in light of the story, most players would be fine. Of course, this, probably, precludes any type of tournament play in which folks are playing for an official prize or standing.

[csadn]

Also two ship sloops roughly equal one frigate. I doubt two ship sloops of this period could take a frigate, particularly if the frigate was an 18-pounder, since they would have small caliber long guns.

_Constitution_ v. _Cyane_ and _Levant_....

[Coog]

_Constitution_ v. _Cyane_ and _Levant_....

Cyane and Levant never had a chance against the big 44. The notable thing about the engagement was how well Stewart handled Constitution, outmaneuvering the smaller ships. It would have been interesting to see how they would have performed against a smaller frigate. Unlike the sloops of the period to which I was referring, they were armed with carronades, 32-pounders, instead of small long guns, typically 6-pounders, and if they could close with frigate, one getting in a raking position, they may could pull off an engagement. Of course the key is being able to coordinate the maneuvering of the two, something difficult to achieve.

The only instance I can think of offhand where a small ship was able to effectively get into a raking position on a larger ship while it was engaged with another ship occurred during the Second Barbary War. While the 46-gun Algerian frigate Meshuda was engaging the 44-gun American frigate Guerriere (named after the British frigate defeated by Constitution in 1812), the Epervier (a Cruizier-class brig captured from the British during the War of 1812) was able to get on the stern of the Meshuda and stay there, backing her and pouring a lethal 9 broadsides of 32-pounder carronades into Meshuda's stern quarters.

[csadn]

Cyane and Levant never had a chance against the big 44.

That was my point -- the British ships were a sloop-of-war and a "post ship" (next step down from a frigate -- it's a little confusing in that _Cyane_ is listed in some accounts as a frigate), against a floating brick with a hefty throw-weight.

The notable thing about the engagement was how well Stewart handled Constitution, outmaneuvering the smaller ships. It would have been interesting to see how they would have performed against a smaller frigate. Unlike the sloops of the period to which I was referring, they were armed with carronades, 32-pounders, instead of small long guns, typically 6-pounders, and if they could close with frigate, one getting in a raking position, they may could pull off an engagement. Of course the key is being able to coordinate the maneuvering of the two, something difficult to achieve.

I've run this in _WS&IM_ before -- depending on the frigate, and the weather conditions, results vary widely.

The only instance I can think of offhand where a small ship was able to effectively get into a raking position on a larger ship while it was engaged with another ship occurred during the Second Barbary War. While the 46-gun Algerian frigate Meshuda was engaging the 44-gun American frigate Guerriere (named after the British frigate defeated by Constitution in 1812), the Epervier (a Cruizier-class brig captured from the British during the War of 1812) was able to get on the stern of the Meshuda and stay there, backing her and pouring a lethal 9 broadsides of 32-pounder carronades into Meshuda's stern quarters.

Considering how badly outnumbered _Mashuda_ was (accounts vary, but I've seen numbers as high as 7:1), it's no surprise *someone* was able to kancho it.