Wooden Ships & Iron Men After Action Report

Last night, my girlfriend (A.R.) and I sat down to try out an old classic: Wooden Ships & Iron Men, published by Avalon Hill in 1975.

"Old? She's not old... she's in her prime."

Being a  fan of the Master and Commander/Hornblower novels and film(s), I was 100% on board.

As for A.R., gaming is not a particular hobby of hers. We have been trying to find a game that we can both enjoy together (or at least, that she will humor me with). After a few false-starts with other games, I think we may have a winner in WS&IM!

The report which follows recounts an action between the U.S.S. Constitution, Captain A.R. commanding, and the H.M.S. Guerriere, Captain D.F. (myself) commanding.

We are both new to WS&IM, so we played with the basic rules from the 2nd Edition rulebook. The ships are 1:2400 scale from Figurehead Miniatures, purchased through The Last Square and painted by myself.

For more in-depth reviews of WS&IM, see:

The Game That Makes Iron Men Cry & Whales Blubber 
and
Map and Counter's Review of Wooden Ships & Iron Men.

Right, on with the report:

19 August, 1812
Afternoon Watch, 4 Bells

The day is cloudy with a brisk breeze. H.M.S. Guerriere has sighted a Man-O-War to windward:

1st Officer: "A Yankee Frigate Sir... MY GOD!! The enemy is... is..."

Capt. DF: "Yes, I see! The enemy...

 

...IS CUTE!!!

 Hands to Quarters! Clear for action! - and pray for your souls."

The Constitution had the weather gauge, and was bearing down fast. Capt. D.F. made the split-second decision to try and come-about and tack. If successful, he may be able to close with the Constitution, and perhaps even deliver raking fire to her stern.

Alas, it was not to be. The Constitution quickly bore down on the Guerriere and let rip with her 24-pounders, raking the limey's bow:

Several "6" die rolls later and the Guerriere was in a very bad way. She had lost a considerable portion of her larboard guns and was taking on water. But Capt. D.F. was determined to get in close. Perhaps his carronades could turn the tide!

Capt. A.R., conscious of both the importance of maintaining the weather gauge and of the Constitution's superior firepower,  would not let the Guerriere get close. By the time the Guerriere had maneuvered into a firing position, she had lost so many guns that what few 18-pounders remained had little effect:

Shot was seen bouncing off the Constitution's live oak hull, prompting her crew to cheer:

"Huzzah! Her sides are made of Iron!"

The Constitution continued to pummel the Guerriere  at close range until her hull was so badly damaged that she was at risk of sinking. I forgot to get a picture of the ship's positions at this point in the game, but suffice to say it looked something like this:

H.M.S. Guerriere struck her colours to the honourable foe. This action was decided even more quickly than it was historically, when the Guerriere struck after being dis-masted:

Conclusions:

I really enjoyed this scenario. It played quick, and allowed us to get a grasp on some of the most crucial game concepts; I.E. your ship's position relative to the wind and relative to the enemy.

A.R. also enjoyed the game! The smaller actions seem to keep both players pretty involved, which is defiantly a plus for non-hardcore-wargammer-types. Although, who really enjoys waiting 20 minutes for your opponent to take their turn?

WS&IM will certainly be a play-again for me. It just goes to show that even today, some of the classics still hold water!