England expects that every man will do his duty..
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Today: 90000 oak trees stands peacefully in Denmarks forests. People enjoy walking between them, looking up at their majestic crowns. But the reason these trees were planted back in 1807, was not to offer people a wonderful sight when walking in the forest, no, they are there for building a fleet of war.
1801: England is alone against Napoleon and his allies. Nelson had crushed the French fleet at the battle of the Nile in 1798, but France had recovered and were now standing stronger than ever on land. And as if this wasnt enough, then Czar Paul I of Russia decided to join the game. He were outraged by the English trying to prevent foreign powers trading with France and had decided that England was the most dangerous power in europe, and not France. So the Czar had a nice chat with Bonaparte and in 1800 the Northen Confederacy was born, a neutral alliance of Russia, Sweden, Prussia and Denmark. The alliances goal was armed neutrality, and they started impounding british merchantmen in Baltic ports. Of greater concern for the English was that suddenly they risked having a force of some sixty line-of-battle ships on their northern flank. So the english decided to try to regain control of the Sund, the entrance to the Baltic, using force. An english fleet were sendt to attack the danish near Copenhagen and at first the battle turned in the danish favour. The Danes had managed to form a strong defence line, though the main main part of the danish fleet still lay docked at the harbor, unable to take part in the battle. The danish fleet were furthermore supported by the powerful Trekroner battery that housed numerous guns.
After three hours with cannonballs battering down english ships, the english fleet Admiral Hyde Parker grew nervous and ordered Nelson to retreat. But Nelson placed his telescope to his blind eye and disobeyed the orders he was given. Instead he wrote a letter to the danish king, telling him that he would spare the captured sailors if the battle were put to an end. If not, he would let them burn on their ships. Today such an act would have lead to him having to face trial of being a war criminal. Things were looking bad for the english, three ships had come dangerously close to the Trekroner battery and the danish were fighting fiercely, so Nelson needed to end the fighting.
When the Danish Crown Prince recieved the letter, he became fearful, and without knowing the actual situation at the battle, and without consulting with the danish fleet admiral Olfert Fischer, he ordered to seize firing.
The brittish thereby managed to force Denmark out of the neutrality pact with Russia, Prussia and Sweden. And soon after the Russian Czar were found dead in his bed (Did I hear assassination?)
Admiral Nelson later won one of the most important naval battles at Trafalgar, but was killed in action himself.
1807: Denmark-Norway were now one of the only neutral countries left in Europe. England was worried that Napoleon would get his hands on the Danish fleet, so they decided to make an attempt of stealing it. Though the Danish king admired Napoleon, he stood by his neutrality and did not expect an English storm comming. And a storm it was. This time the English brought both troops and a fleet of line-of-battle ships and lay Copenhagen under siege. The danish, now being forced to chose side, fought bravely, but when the english began testing some of their new grenades, bombarding the city and causing the worst fire in its history, Denmark had to surrender.
The English now stole all the danish line-of-battle ships (except one, anchored up in Norway), and renamed them for use in their own navy. The danish however continued fighting, but without lumber to build more line-of-battle ships, they were forced to build smaller 'gun-boats' that did an excelent job harrashing the english in the danish territorial waters.
It was then that Denmark began planning ahead, and planted 90000 oak trees, for building a new war fleet.
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Enough history, I hope you enjoyed it, as it took quite some time writing.
I've made this GeekList because my head is full of ideas of how a game focused on the great line-of-battle ships, and the complicated politics that were present in Europe during the Napoleonic wars, could be made. I've searched other lists in here showing games that are set in the Age of Sails era, but I realized they were not all gathered at one place. I'm interested in learning more about what you people believe are positive and negative sides of these games. Furthermore, I would like to know how firing and the use of wind works in these games.
Feel free to add games to this list I might have lost. But please keep the theme to the 'Age of Sails' and with wargame theme. So no WWI or fantasy elements, thank you. I have added games here I believe fit what I've stated. If they dont, then please correct me.
In every war people have fought for God and country, so did Lord Nelson and the other great naval commanders of his time. And on a Line-of-battle ship, every man has to do his duty, as there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, you stay alive with the ship, or you go down with the ship.
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Close Action
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Frigate
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3.
Board Game: Trafalgar
[Average Rating:8.83 Unranked]
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Trafalgar
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Signal Close Action, Fast Play
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Fighting Sail-Sea Combat in the Age of Canvas and Shot 1775-1815
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6.
Board Game: High Seas
[Average Rating:6.35 Unranked]
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High Seas
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7.
Board Game: Trafalgar
[Average Rating:6.70 Unranked]
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Trafalgar
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Ship o' the Line
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Broadside
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
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Ship of the Line
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Man of War
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Wooden Ships & Iron Men
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Enemy in Sight
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Set Sail!
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The Battle of Trafalgar
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Frigates!
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Broadsides and Boarding Parties
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Flying Colors
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Fire As She Bears! - 2nd Edition
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Heart of Oak
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Pirates of the Spanish Main
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Don't Give Up the Ship
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Steffan O'Sullivan
United States
Plymouth
NH
A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere. -- Groucho Marx
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Form Line of Battle - my favorite.
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Steffan O'Sullivan
United States
Plymouth
NH
A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere. -- Groucho Marx
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Naval War Games also has two chapters on on the age of Fighting Sail.
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