Never-Mind-the-Boathooks.pdf

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EVER MI
n
D
ThE BOATHOOK S
by Andy CAllan
Medieval Naval Warfare - Small Battles with Big Ships
INTRODUCTION
It's a bit of a cliché that Medieval naval battles were just like land battles at sea, but what if you take a successful set of medieval
land battle rules and set them afloat? Much to my surprise, my Never Mind the Billhooks rules took to the new environment
like (yes, you guessed it) a duck to water, and, apart from needing some essential changes to the movement and morale sections,
pretty much all the key game mechanisms of Billhooks seem to work just as well on sea as they do on land.
Boathooks, like its land-based predecessor, is a light-hearted card and dice driven game, where clever tactics count for little
against the twists and turns of fortune. It is very much a game rather than a simulation, so the emphasis is on the spectacle of
the thing rather than the minutiae of trying to recreate historical events of which, in truth, we know very little.
CR EDITS
Written by Andy Callan.
Edited by Dan Faulconbridge.
Cover art by Neil Roberts.
Photography and design by Wargames Illustrated.
All models are from the collection of Andy Callan and Steve Wood.
Special thanks to Steve Wood for his help with playtesting and model making.
Copyright A. Callan 2023.
CHAUCER’S TA LE
I came across this interesting contemporary description of a
medieval naval battle by Geoffrey Chaucer, which I would like
to share:
Up goth the trompe - and for to shoute and shete,
And peynen hem to sette on with the sonne.
With grisly soun out goth the grete gonne,
And heterly they hurtlen al at ones,
And fro the top doun cometh the grete stones.
In goth the grapnel so ful of crokes
Among the ropes, and the shering-hokes.
In with the polax presseth he and he;
Behind the mast beginneth he to flee,
And out agayn, and dryveth him over-borde;
He stingeth him upon his speres orde;
He rent the sail with hokes lyke a sythe;
He bringeth the cuppe, and biddeth hem be blythe;
He poureth pesen* upon the hacches slider;
With pottes ful of lym** they goon to-gider.
* peas (hard and dried) strewn on the decks to make the enemy slip and fall!
** Chemical warfare!
2
CONTENTS
MODEL SHIPS AND SYNTHETIC SEAS .............................................. 4
WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED TO PLAY ...................................................... 4
HOW THE BATTLE/GAME IS WON .................................................... 4
VESSELS AND FLEET ORGANISATION ............................................. 4
W
arships
..............................................................................................
s
upport
V
essels
....................................................................................
5
6
M
ore
a
dVanced
V
essels
....................................................................... 6
PREPARE FOR BATTLE, FLEET POINTS AND TOKENS ................... 6
LEADERS - CAPTAINS AND ADMIRALS ...........................................
7
COMMAND CLASS ............................................................................... 7
THE FIRST TURN (initial ship placement) .............................................
7
TURN SEQUENCE ................................................................................. 7
UNDERSTANDING THE CARDS ......................................................... 8
COMMAND AND CONTROL ............................................................... 9
s
ea
o
rders
........................................................................................... 9
F
ighting
o
rders
................................................................................... 9
MOVEMENT OF VESSELS .................................................................... 9
M
oVeMent
u
nder
s
ail
.......................................................................... 9
M
oVeMent
u
nder
o
ars
......................................................................... 10
TROOP MOVEMENT FROM VESSEL TO VESSEL ............................... 10
TOWING ................................................................................................. 11
COLLISIONS .......................................................................................... 11
d
aMage
a
nd
r
epair
............................................................................. 11
GRAPPLING .......................................................................................... 11
SHOOTING ............................................................................................ 11
l
ine
o
F
s
ight
a
nd
a
rc
o
F
F
ire
............................................................ 12
a
MMunition
.......................................................................................... 12
s
hooting
s
aVing
t
hroWs
...................................................................... 12
a
pplying
c
asualties
/K
ills
................................................................... 12
i
ncendiary
M
issile
W
eapons
................................................................. 12
MELEE ................................................................................................... 13
B
oarding
- F
irst
r
ound
o
F
M
elee
........................................................ 13
M
elee
s
aVing
t
hroWs
........................................................................... 13
a
pplying
c
asualties
/K
ills
................................................................... 13
W
inning
a
nd
l
osing
t
he
M
elee
.......................................................... 13
c
ontinuing
M
elees
............................................................................... 14
M
ulti
-s
hip
M
elees
................................................................................ 14
FIRE! ....................................................................................................... 14
e
xtinguishing
a F
ire
............................................................................ 14
F
ire
r
ages
............................................................................................ 14
MORALE ................................................................................................ 14
W
hen
s
hould
a V
essel
t
aKe
a M
orale
c
risis
t
est
?
............................ 14
M
aKing
t
he
t
est
.................................................................................. 14
FLEET MORALE TOKENS .................................................................... 15
c
laiMing
F
leet
M
orale
t
oKens
........................................................... 15
3
MODEL SHIPS A ND SYNTHETIC SEA S
The models and playing surface required for a game of
Boathooks.
“You will not, we suppose, be so lost to all feeling as to
represent your units by counters, blocks of wood or cards.”
Brigadier Peter Young.
Typically, naval wargames use small ships and record damage
on paper, and you could go that way here. But to get the full
spectacle of Boathooks you need ‘big’ ships capable of taking
20 or more 28mm figures, with a tabletop free of clutter.
Suitable 1/72 scale (28mm compatible) model vessels are
available in plastic and wood, as well as 28mm scale MDF
and paper models. You will find more pointers and discussion
regarding medieval ship models in the June 2023 issue of
Wargames Illustrated magazine (Wi426) and on the Never
Mind the Billhooks website.
Make sure all ship models you use are clearly marked so you
always activate the right one when its card is drawn. Matching
a ship's name (e.g., the
Red Lion of Dartmouth,
or the
White
Hart of London)
to its flags and banderoles (streamers) or to the
colour of its Fighting Top are two ways of doing this.
Two fleets are required for the game, one for each player,
English and French. Each fleet should contain at least three
Warships, plus Support Vessels. The model ships will need
to accommodate between six (small Support Vessels) and 36
(Great Ships) 28mm figures.
For the main playing surface a plain blue cloth, or carpet tiles
is an easy option. Commercially produced water/sea gaming
mats and cloths are also readily available, should you want to
splash the cash (pun intended!). About 6' x 4' is big enough for
a small, two-player game.
Whatever playing surface you choose will need to be divided
by markers to form a grid. Make the grid as subtle or obvious
as your taste for aesthetics (and eyesight!) desires. Token or
small ‘dot’ stickers can be used for this purpose.
The grid should be formed of 25x25cm squares (roughly 10"),
although if your model vessels are too large to fit in a single
square, these dimensions should be increased. Normally, only
one Warship will occupy a square, except when boarding.
WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED TO PL
AY
All the cards, markers, and other accessories required for
the game.
Figures: To man your vessels you will need between 80 and
120 individually based medieval figures. See Troop Types 5.
Lots of ordinary six-sided dice (D6s): about 12 per
player. Plus, one small/micro D6 for each Warship to
track ammunition.
Cards: Three decks: Play, Bonus, and Special Events.
Plus
(unlike Billhooks) four Order Cards (see page 9).
Four sets of tokens or markers: Daunted, Damaged, Boarded,
and Fleet Morale.
A Wind Arrow and Strength Marker.
Cards, tokens, and quick reference sheets for each fleet can
be downloaded from the Never Mind the Billhooks website
(nevermindthebillhooks.com).
Fire Markers: to indicate that a vessel is on fire. Coloured
cotton wool is ideal for this.
THE OPPOSING FORCES
We refer to the two opposing fleets in the game as English
and French throughout. However, for your games you might
want to play Lancastrians against Yorkists, Burgundians
versus Castilians, or whatever takes your fancy. These
rules are generic late medieval (14th - 15th Century), and
generally themed around sea battles in Northern European
waters. Beyond that, please feel free to devise your own
combatants - simply replace the terms English and French
for whatever you are using in the game.
HOW THE BATTLE/GA ME IS WON
What players need to do to rule the seas:
• Capture the enemy's Flagship.
• The enemy’s Flagship goes off the table.
• A player claims a Fleet Morale Token and their opponent
has none left. See page 15.
• The enemy player concedes.
DESIGNER’S NOTE:
THE PROS A ND CONS OF GR IDS
The use of a gridded playing area in this game admittedly
does strange things to distances - you can shoot or move
further diagonally than orthogonally. But it has the great
practical advantage of avoiding the sort of petty arguments
over the use of tape measures and wind arcs, which can be
the bane of many more 'serious' naval games.
VESSELS A ND FLEET ORGA NISATION
Of ships and other seacraft.
There are two types of vessels recognised and used in the
game: Warships and Support Vessels. The different types of
ships, their crew, and Points Values are detailed next.
4
WARSHIPS
There are two kinds, below you will find the gaming details
of both. All Warships need to be commanded by a captain (a
distinctive Leader figure).
Players need to assign one of their Warships as the fleet's
Flagship - if a player loses their Flagship, they lose the game.
C
og
A single-masted sailing Warship. The most typical Warship
seen in northern waters during the medieval period.
Fighting Crew: 24 figures. Made up of:
a) Marines (Melee Specialists): These can be Men-at-Arms
or Spearmen.
Marines start the game on the deck.
b) Shooters: Maximum 12 figures. These can be
Crossbowmen, Archers (English only), or Gunners.
Shooters start the game in the Forecastle, Sterncastle (up to 6
men in each) or Fighting Top (up to three men).
An English Cog may have an all-Archer Fighting Crew.
Note:
Shooters may be made up of different troop types,
e.g. eight Crossbowmen and four Gunners.
Artillery: Small breechloaders/swivel guns. No more than
two guns per ship. Two Gunners each (they count towards the
Shooters total).
Points:
Three, including the Fighting Crew; four if the
Marines are Men-at-Arms instead of Spearmen).
Sterncastle
Deck
g
alley
An oared Warship, either Lateen-rigged Mediterranean (used
by the French and her allies) or Square-rigged Northern-style
(derived from earlier Viking designs) - sometimes called a
Row Barge.
Fighting Crew: 12 figures. These can be Marines (Spearmen
only) and/or Shooters in groups of six in any combination.
Fighting Top
Points:
Two, including the Fighting Crew.
g
reat
g
alley
(a large Galley with one or two castles)
Fighting Crew: 18 figures (Men-at-Arms, Spearmen, or
Shooters in groups of six in any combination).
Points:
Three, including the Fighting Crew.
Sterncastle
Forecastle
TROOP TYPES A ND OTHER
BILLHOOK S CONVENTIONS
Never Mind the Boathooks uses several rules conventions
taken from Never Mind the Billhooks. However, you don’t
need a copy of Billhooks to play Boathooks. Just bear in
mind the troop types available to man your vessels are,
potentially: Captains (each warship has one - a distinctive
figure) and their Fighting Crew divided into a) Shooters
(Crossbowmen, Handgunners, Archers, and Artillerymen)
and b) Marines (Men-at-Arms or Spearmen, the latter
being armed with any pole weapon).
Deck
5

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