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Introduction

This addition to Baron Wars covers fighting at sea during the 13th century. The main vessel of medieval times was the cog, a stout, square rigged ship, capable of withstanding the conditions of the north sea. During this time, the Cogs be-came larger and started using a rudder as we know it now. Cogs equipped for war were generally equipped with „towers‟ called castles on the bow and stern to fight from. These allowed height and protection for archers and men at arms. Although, in reality, there were not that many naval battles during this time, who can resist the colorful nature of these ships as they were often painted and showed shields of the owner‟s charge. Our rules will revolve around one basic size of cog, with additional rules for Long Ships and small boats. In addition, there is a section on sea creatures.

The Ships The ships definitions are kept as simple as possible for game play. There are 4 categories of ships.

Cog A cog is the main fighting vessel of our game. It is a square rigged heavy ship with fighting castles on the bow and stern. Sail powered only. For our game purposes, there is only one type of Cog. Structure is 30 pts. Crew is 1 captain, 3 sailors.

Knarr The Knarr was similar to the cog but was used mainly for cargo. It was sail pow-ered and did not have the fighting castles. Structure is 30 pts. Crew is 1 captain, 3 sailors.

Small boat Small boats encompass all small boats ranging from long boats to fishing boats. Structure is 5 pts. 2 Sailors.

Long Ship The Long Ship was used by the Vikings. It was the best sailor of all and could be rowed as well as sailed. Structure is 25 pts. Crew is 1 captain, minimum of 8 oarsmen to row.

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Ship Roster

Ship’s Name: ____________

Ship Strength: 30 Boat Strength: 5

Speed: 6” + 1d6

Turning: 45% for every 4”

of movement

Personal

Baron:

_______________

Captain: ______________

Knights __

Men at Arms __

Spearmen __

Bowmen/Crossbow __

Levy __

Peasants ___

1 No damage

2 1d6 damage

3 2d6 damage

4 2d6 damage, 1d6 damage each additional turn

5 Mast Lost, ship drifts 1d6 with wind

6 Rudder lost, roll 1d6, 1,2 left turn, 3,4 straight, 5,6 right turn. Roll every 4 inches of move-ment

Damage

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Crew Actions

There is a captain and three crew for each ship. The captain is worth 2 points, each crewman is worth 1 point. This totals 5 points. Certain actions require die rolls for the crew to accomplish the task. Total the crew strength and roll 1d6. If the result is the crew strength or less, the action is successful. If not, the action fails . These actions are preformed at either the beginning of movement or at the time they occur. Navigating Shoals If a ship is within 2 inches of a shoal (use terrain feature such as a rock), it must roll to see if it navigates the shoal. Roll once per turn. If it does not navigate the shoal, roll 2d6 for collision. If the result is higher than 6, the ship grounds and takes 1d6 of damage. At the start of movement it may attempt to free itself. Roll for crew as above, if successful, the ship gets off, if not, it stays and takes anoth-er 1d6 damage. Docking Roll for crew action when docking. If the roll is not made (see above). The ship suffers 1d6 of damage. If a wooden dock, roll 1d6, on a 6 the dock is destroyed and can not be used. Anchoring Roll for crew action when dropping or raising anchor. If dropping and the action fails, the ship will drift with the wind 1d6. If raising, the anchor is stuck and the ship remains in place. Sail Control Crews can try to trim sails for maximum speed. If successful, they get 1d6 addi-tional speed, if not, they lose the normal die roll for movement that turn due to incompetence.

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Movement

Overview Movement for ships takes place during regular movement of the game. There is two different modes of movement for ships, wind and oars. Oar power is con-stant in all directions, while wind power is determined by the direction of the wind to the attitude of the ship. For game purposes, the variable movement rate reflects the different immediate winds speeds. In addition, the crew determines how efficient certain maneuvers are made. The figures on board a ship may move at the beginning or end of the ships movement.

Wind The wind direction should be determined at the beginning of the game. You have 8 points of wind consisting of north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest. The direction of the wind comes from the point given. For example, a north wind travels from north to south. At the be-ginning of each turn, roll 2d6. On a 12, the wind shifts. Roll 1d6 again, even numbers means it shifts clockwise one point, odd numbers it shifts counter clockwise one point.

Basic Movement Ships move during the regular movement phase. Ships may move all, some, or none of their movement rate. Figures onboard move at the beginning or end of the ship movement. Ships move in a straight line. See turning below.

Movement Rates A cog moves up to 6” + 1d6. A long ship moves up to 10” rowing, and 8” +1d6 sailing. A small boat moves up to 5” rowing and 6” +1d6 sailing.

Turning Wind Cogs may make up to a 45 degree turn for every 4” it moves. A long ship may make up a 45 degree turn for every 3” of movement. Small boats may make a 45 degree turn for every 2” of moment. Turns are made from the center of the ship. (Use mast for reference) Ships can not steer within 90 degrees of the wind. If a ship is not moving, it may be turned 45 degrees a turn.

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Movement continued Oars Longships may make a 45 degree turn every 2” , small boats turn every 1”. Oared vessels can turn in place with each 45 degree turn costing 3 inches of movement.

Raising or lowering Sails You may raise or lower sails at the beginning of your movement turn. Raising or lowering sails takes 1/2 move with 2 crewman within 3” of the mast. The ship will then move 1/2 speed the rest of that turn and then either drift, if low-ered, or move at full speed, if raised.

Anchoring Anchoring (lowering or raising) requires one crewman within 2” of the an-chor. Lowering the anchor is immediate and stops the ship. Raising the an-chor requires 1/2 move. A boat will swing downwind until the bow faces the direction of the wind when anchored. Measures from the back of the boat when making the swing .

Figure movement on ships Figures move either before or after the ship moves. It takes 1/2 move to climb mast . Other movement is normal, i.e., to go up stairs is the height of the stairs. If a door is unprotected, (no figure on inside) the door is automatically broken down and can be entered that turn. If protected, the door is “attacked” in the combat phase. It has a saving throw of 1 or 2.

Debarking When a ship touches a dock or land (beaching), figures may leave over any part of the gunwale. Moving through water is considered rough terrain, mov-ing from the ship to land has no movement penalty.

Embarking Figures move back on a ship at normal speed, however, the ship may not move until the following turn. Ships may be turned up to 180 degrees on the first turn (assumes crew and other figures manhandle the ship by use of lines) and then move on the second turn.

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Kraken C:5 (each tentacle), A:5, Morale: 5, MV: 3d6 The Kraken is one of the most dangerous creatures, it can attack ships and actu-ally sink them. Those on board must fend off the tentacles of the monster. The Kraken swims at a rate of 3d6. The Kraken consists of 4 tentacles each hav-ing a combat value of 5 for each one. All tentacles must be within 3” of all other tentacles at all times. It can hit anything within 3” of the tentacle . Any figure within 3” may fight back. Any tentacle that is destroyed causes a morale check. On a 1-3 it attacks any figure on the ship, on a 4-6, it attacks the boat itself. Each hit on a ship of the kraken does 1d6 of damage divided by 2, rounding up. Roll to see which section of the ship it attacks.

Sea Serpent C: Jaws 5 Tail 4, A 5, Morale 4, Move 3d6 The Sea Serpent is kin to the land dragon. It has powerful weapons in its jaws (5) and tail (4). It‟s shear power allows it to ram ships. On a 1-3 it attacks any figure on the ship, on a 4-6, it attacks the ship itself. Each hit on a ship does 1d6 of damage divided by 2, rounding up. Roll to see which section of the ship it at-tacks.

Sharks C: 5, A: 5, Move: 2d6 Sharks appear when men go overboard. Roll 1d6 for number of sharks. Oppos-ing player may place the sharks anywhere, but no closer than 12” to any figure in the water. Roll 1d8 for direction. If it comes within 2” of a figure it will attack. An attack by a shark is considered to be a rear attack. The shark will make one attack and then make a normal move next turn.

Sea Snake C:4 A:3 Move: 1d6 A sea snake can slither up a hull and attack those on board. Roll to see which section of the ship it attacks.

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Sea Creatures Wondrous and dangerous creatures are found in the sea!. These may help or hinder the seafarer. A player from the opposing side handles the creature. The Creature always moves first.

Creature Location Roll 1d6 at the start of each turn. On a 6, a creature will attack a ship. Roll dice to determine which ship. Once a creature has attacked, it will stay with the ship until it is killed, driven off, or destroys the ship!

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Miscellaneous Rules

Swinging ala Flynn Any figure within 2” of the mast may attempt to swing over to the other boat. They can swing up to 5” from the mast to any part of the enemy ship. If there is no opposition, they can move up to half afterwards. If there is opposition, roll to see if they or their opponent is bowled over. 1,2 opponent knocked over, 3,4 both standing, 5,6 attacker knocked over. A figure knocked over fights at half value, rounding down. It takes 2” of movement to stand up.

Slippage Cogs and Long ships under sail will slip sideways with the wind. When throwing movement dice, an even numbers causes the ship slips 1 inch to leeward, on odd numbers it slips 2 inches. Adjust at the beginning of the turn before any move-ment is made.

Man Overboard! Figures that are routed and have no place to go will either surrender or jump overboard. Figures that are pushed back and have no place to go, fall overboard. Figures in the water must roll the inverse of their armor value to survive. Roll at the time they fall in and at the start of each movement turn. Constitution rolls are still made. Figures swim at a rate of 1d6.

Collisions Whenever two ships make contact both ships must roll for collision. Roll 2d6 for each ship. The number thrown is deducted from the hull strength of the ves-sel. A small boat cannot damage a larger ship.

Grappling Anytime two opposing cogs come within 2” of each other, one or both may at-tempt to grapple. On a 1-4 the ships are grappled. If grappled, both cogs will pivot from the point closest to contact until they are touching. At the beginning of movement ships may attempt to un grapple by rolling 1-2. If un grappling is successful, the ship may not be grabbled again until the next turn.

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Miscellaneous Rules Boarding Any figure within 2 inches of the opposing ship may attempt to board the ship. Defenders get soft cover if fighting behind the gunwales or castle walls of the ship. If the attacker wins, they move onto the ship. A figure may not board an opposing castle if they are on the main deck of their own ship.

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Miscellaneous Rules Fire Arrows Fire arrows may be used to damage or sink ships. A ship is divided into 4 sec-tions which are Bow, Stern, and main deck aft of mast, and main deck fore of mast. Bowman firing fire arrows indicate which area they are aiming for. Roll as normal to hit. The Saving Throw is 1-4, the cog is set on fire on a 5-6.

Fires When a fire is started in an area, it can be fought in the combat phase. A fire not fought automatically continues to burn. A fire can be fought by any figure within an inch of the area. On a 1d6 roll, a fire is put out on a 1 or 2, on a 3 or 4 it re-mains, in a 5 or 6, it expands. For every 3 figures fighting the fire reduce 1 from a die roll. Once a fire is started in a section, any figure in that section must move out of that section on its next movement turn. It can fight the fire from an adja-cent section. You may move up to half your move and still fight fires that turn. Figures fighting fires may not fire missiles and all attacks on them are consid-ered rear attacks. If a fire expands and it has several different paths, chose the path directly downwind first. If that is not possible, roll a die to determine area.

Catapults A catapult may fire up to 24” once a turn. It can not fire closer than 6”. A cata-pult must have a crew of at least 2. It can fire up to 45 degrees to either side of the front of the catapult arm. It hits on a 1. If it is firing stone, roll 2d6 for structural damage, if fire and hit, defender rolls to see if the fire catches . It catches on a 4-6.

Lime Lime was thrown off ships to blind the enemy. At the beginning of the move-ment phase a figure may throw lime which will create a 3x3 inch cloud. This can be done by 1 figure each turn. The Cloud will travel 2d6 inches downwind and moves first. If double ones are thrown, the cloud settles over the thrower‟s sec-tion. Any section of a ship that a lime cloud passes over or ends on top of is blinded and may not fire and fights at a minus 1 for combat and saves that turn. Lime clouds block line of sight for firing purposes. If all dice are odd, cloud de-viates 45 degrees to port, if all dice are even, cloud deviates 45 degrees to star-board.