The purpose of this wargame is to explore naval combat in the ancient Mediterranean, from around 500 to 200 BC. The rules are modified from the CLASSIS DBM and the fast play system designed by Daniele Varelli. I have kept or rejected various parts of the rules based on their historical/practical value in order to make a wargame that will highlight some of the more interesting tactical questions of the period.
Some of these questions:
Mobility of oared warships. Although ancient warships had sails, in combat they were propelled by oar. Success in ramming, changing direction, backing, and avoiding collision depended on a skilled and organized crew. In early Athenian ships the rowers were highly trained, motivated volunteers. Later, in the larger ships such as the Roman quinqueremes, new methods of placing rowers had to be used that would minimize the need for experienced crew (source).
Playing the game I've found that it's best to not maneuver too often. Also it can be time-consuming to change direction to react to the threat of a ram. It's much better to keep the offensive and make the opponent waste movement points reacting to the threat of your ram. Making a 180 degree turn is very slow and it is almost better to let ships that overrun the enemy to continue on rather than waste IP's to bring them back.
Ramming versus ranged fire. By the Punic wars ranged artillery was common in naval warfare. Only the bigger ships could mount the catapults or bolt-shooters and at an expense in speed and maneuverability. Who can guess how effective it was, or the rate of fire or accuracy.
The shooting rules in the game are simplified to allow for the fast play system. This also allows the heavy quinqueremes to dominate the battlefield if an unlucky target gets directly in front of them. It's best to hit them on the flank or from astern to avoid this.
Command and control. Revisionist attempts of the "Great Men" theory not withstanding, it's still obvious that key individuals have had a tremendous effect on the course of history. Nowhere is this more clear than on the battlefield. Hanno and Hannibal were the top admirals of Carthaginian sea power, and Themistocles' leadership saved Athens (source).
Leaders can only lead if they can communicate effectively with their troops. Otherwise things tend to get chaotic. The DBM system tries to model leadership by using IP (Initiative Points). IP's are assigned at the beginning of every turn based on the number of ships a player has and can be used to control them during the turn. Since it costs IP to turn a ship or slow it down, it may be better to let ships run amok while concentrating your IP points on a portion of the fleet (that is ramming for example). Also this can be used as a tactic to confuse an enemy by making him spread out and wasting IP's. The DBM IP system really emphasizes the fundamental stratagems of war: concentrate force, scatter the enemy, and maintain the initiative.
A fragment of a minor sea battle highlighting a few of these situations by the ancient historian Lymunus on the Florus Nostrum ("Our Floor") in 2001 BC.
"...the Greek fleet consisted of a few old triremes, numerous briremes, and three quinqueremes mounting long-range catapult. The Roman fleet outnumbered them nearly two to one, but was few on scouting and light ships, consisting mostly of corvus-equipped triremes and a squadron of quinqueremes. Both fleets approached each other head on. The light Greek briremes combined to attack a helpless Roman trireme and sunk it by ramming from three directions. The rest of the briremes continued through and past the Roman fleet but failed to regroup. Meanwhile the Roman corvus-triremes were sent on a wide flanking maneuver to hit the Greek quinqueremes from the side. They went so far out, and their rowers got so tired, that the Roman commander despaired of ever getting them back into action. Meanwhile the Roman quinqueremes had gained the range, and a lucky shot set fire to an opposing quinquereme. It drifted along the front and thwarted a retaliatory ram by the Greek triremes, who instead turned for the left flank. The Romans blocked with a screen of their light craft, allowing their quinqueremes to get the range and decimate the Greek forward line. The surviving Greek ships tried to ram and furious boarding actions broke out on several Roman ships. At that moment the long lost Roman corvus-triremes showed up on a perfect ramming course for the disorganized and scattered Greek fleet. The Greek commander saw them approaching and hastily ordered a general retreat."
Mapboard, Unit Counters
I designed and printed units using graphics from Harlan Thompson's ancient mod pack and Bernd Brosing's IMPERIUM ROMANUM scenario for Civilization II. These are best glued to a cardboard backing. Any hex mapboard from any wargame can be used, as long as the units fit in the hexes.
View and download the unit sheet.
Units
There are four unit types; quinquiremes, corvus-equipped triremes, normal triremes, and briremes. Not all of these units were used at the same time or even by the same navies. I have chosen what I have thought would make the most interesting tactical battles.
Each unit type has a Combat Factor (CF), the ability to shoot ranged weapons such as catapults, and a movement rate measured in hexes. All units can ram.
Add the CF for all units to get the fleet's total CF. The Admiral adds one CF to his ship.
Quinquireme
- CF : 5
- Shoot : yes (* = can shoot)
- Movement : 3
The Quinquereme is of the type used by the Romans in the First Punic War (264 BC). The Romans copied the design from a captured Carthaginian vessel but modified it to serve mostly as a troop carrier for boarding operations, since it was too slow to ram (Casson 1971:105). It either had five rowers per oar or a bireme setup with two and three rowers on each oar per side. The large size of the quinqueremes made them stable platforms for catapults or bolt throwers, although these were probably added after the First Punic War.
Trireme
- CF : 3
- Shoot : no
- Movement : 4
The triremes were the pinnacle of warship construction for ancient Athens. They proved decisive in the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC when an Athenian fleet smashed a Persian invasion. Fast, light, and highly maneuverable, the Athenian trireme was optimized for ramming. (Woodman 1997:19).
The trireme's relatively small size limited the number of marines they could carry aboard. While other cities mounted catapults on triremes or equipped them as slower, more heavily armed transports, the unit in the game is representative of the fast Athenian version meant for ramming (Casson 1971:93).
Corvus-trireme
- CF : 4
- Shoot : no
- Movement : 4
The corvus-triremes are triremes modified by the Romans to use the corvus ("raven"), a spiked bridge mounted at the bow that could be lowered onto the deck of an adjacent ship to allow the heavily armed legions to board. The Romans used the corvus in the First Punic War to neutralize the Carthaginian's superior seafaring ability (Casson 1971:121).
Bireme
- CF : 2
- Shoot : no
- Movement : 5
The biremes are the precursor to the triremes. They are small and fast but do not carry many marines. They were most often used as pirate vessels or as skirmishers.
Other Rules
The rest of the rules used are quoted from Daniele Varelli's ruleset:
Turn Sequence
Every bound is made of 2 alternative bounds. During every bound:
- 1. The player in bound moves his ships
- 2. Distant shooting (in the order decided by the player in bound)
- 3. Ramming (in the order decided by the player in bound)
- 4. Boarding (in the order decided by the player in bound)
Movement
At the beginning of every turn, the two players dice to see who moves first (i.e. who is the first to be in bound).
At the beginning of every bound, the player that moves dices for his Initiative Points [use 1 dice for every six ships, though this may be varied].
Every ship must move straight forward for its permitted distance, except:
- @ if spending 1 IP for every hex subtracted to its movement;
- @ if spending 1 IP to change direction;
- @ if spending 1 IP to recoil from a boarding enemy.
Ships can change direction wheeling max. 45¡ left or right, at the half of their movement. (Example: an Heavy Galley moves 150p forward, than 150p max. 45¡ left or right).
Shooting
Only quinqueremes can shoot.
- Distance: bolt-shooters 5 hex, Greek Fire 1 hex.
- Arc of fire: one hex width, straight forward.
- Results: a fire is set on the target ship with a 5-6 if shooting with bolt-shooters, 3-4-5-6 if using Greek Fire siphons. Now the target ship throws another dice: with a 5-6, the fire is extinguished.
A burnt ship is not removed, but it remains on the playing surface as an obstacle. It can be removed only if rammed: in this is case, it sinks automatically.
Ramming
All units can ram.
Both the ramming and the rammed ship add their dice to their CF:
- +2 if ramming on the flank or on the back.
- +1 for every ramming ship other than the first.
Two ships ramming frontally ram each other.
If the rammed ship's result is less then the ramming ship's the ship is destroyed, in other cases the ramming becomes a boarding. A ship winning a ramming must immediately advance for one hex depth.
Boarding
Every ship can board. Both ships add their dice to their CF. Add + 1 for every boarding ship other than the first.
If one result is equal or less then the half of the other's, the loosing ship is eliminated (= captured), in other cases the fighting continues next bound.
A ship can recoil from a single boarding ship moving back one hex, spending 1 Initiative Point, but only if its speed is faster then the enemy ship's, and if it can move in this bound.
Winning a Battle
If at the end of a bound your enemy has lost 1/3 or more of his (or her) initial Fleet's CF, or his (or her) Admiral, and you have lost less CF, you win the battle.
Sources and Links
Casson, Lionel.
1971 Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.The definitive book on ancient ships, using direct primary sources for most information.
Woodman, Richard.
1997 The History of the Ship. Conway Maritime Press, London.A good primer on the ship written by a sailor. Short section on ancient warfare.
The original ruleset by Daniele Varelli. http://tetrad.stanford.edu/newfiles/CLASSISancientnavalrules.html
Ship clip art from the Air War College.
A good page on triremes. And another one.
Hellas Net on the Battle of Salamis.
A site on the Roman Navy in the First Punic War.
Some good images and text on Ancient Greek Warships.
This page by Kepa Lyman last modified 11.10.01
