The Loose Association of Wargamers

Purple wrote: ↑Tue Mar 06, 2018 1:21 pm And you should have seen the furore at the Naval Wargames Society dinner when I had an unfortunate accident involving my errant jib and a passing spanker.

I think he meant spinnaker.......oh no, my mistake.

Why bother with boards, naval gamers do it on the floor.

We did this down at SEEMS a couple of times as the hall had blue lino, using Fletcher Pratt rules for Dreadnaught/pre-Dreadnaught. You had to estimate the range by eyesight over several feet!

We also played FP rules on the floor. Many decades ago! Must have been a good 20 meters between the ships, played in a huge hall!

I actually think that the FP way is probably the best way to play 20thC Naval - the floor size and the estimating seem to be very appropriate.

Jeremy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 06, 2018 3:17 pm Must have been a good 20 meters between the ships, played in a huge hall!

I think over here we usually refer to something that size as a football pitch.

Cardboard ships and paintball guns...it's the future.

the new Helion cardboard ships Trafalgar book looks rather nice

So, we've got a few people interested then. Nothing like a niche within a niche hobby to fire the imagination!

It's looking like about half a dozen of us, but of course more are still welcome and would be great. I can host 6 around one table, but not necessarily the 2-3 games we might want going on at the same time. It may call for a hall or similar. Also, any thoughts on when we might want to do this?

As Purps suggested, various blockade runner/breakout games could be played first (keep 'em small, quick, and learn the rules), leading to a final battle between those that make the rendezvous and the British main force.

I don't mind doing the planning and scenarios for this, unless anyone is keener! Of course we will need to agree which rules we're using too...

I think this has the potential to be a very good LAW outing!

BAd backs and sore knees for all participants then?

I have tentatively raised the topic at home and I think I might be able to make the necessary arrangements. So am happy to be pencilled in for now.
For me it needs to be suitably distant, time wise from Ayton and Shinycon. I think most interested parties seem to be south of Yorkshire, (which would be the best reasonable location for me), so I won't push for anything location wise as it should be mass rule
In terms of game rules I'm open to try most sets. Obviously Rod Langtons full set can only be used by those suffering from OCD, whilst holding a higher degree in mathematics and the patience of St Francis. Rod did produce a faster play set which might be worth considering as well as BBIB. Obviously, with galleys and gunboats, I may have some unique rules requirements This is one game where I will not offer to write the rules though

I shall be looking at some suitable boats at ShedCon and am quite partial to BBaIB rules. Sp pencil me in faintly but keep a rubb...sorry...eraser to hand...