First Game of Corvus

 

Romans and Carthaginian fleets deployed

Carthaginians advance

Romans advance

On Thursday afternoon Craig came over for another naval game, this time we tried Corvus the ancient naval rules by Richard Lee and published by the Society of Ancients. This game was set in the First Punic War and we had almost identical fleets again. The Romans commanded by Craig had six squadrons with two trireme squadrons of three ships, a hexareme flagship in a squadron of one, two quinquereme squadrons with Corvus of two ships and a single squadron of two quadriremes. I commanded the Carthaginians with two trireme squadrons of three ships, a hexareme flagship in a squadron of one, two quinquereme squadrons of two ships and a single squadron of two quadriremes. 

We rolled a dice, and the Romans with highest roll, deployed first and moved first. The Trireme squadrons on both flanks were the fastest ships and the first to engage. The wrecks and captured ships quickly mounted on both sides but the Romans were the first to lose a third of their original ship points and were forced to flee. Results for ramming, shearing, boarding and shooting were all decided by a D6 roll with  various modifiers and the effect depending on the difference in final score. It felt very much like DBA with ships but we enjoyed it and will try it again. One strange result with the shooting was that on a result of four or more the target ship is automatically set on fire. All the ships from quadriremes to hexaremes had ballista on board.

Trireme squadrons on the flanks engage

Carthaginian flagship

Wrecks and captured ships mount

Romans lose a third of original
ship points and must flee

Poseidon's Warriors First Game

 

Various Ancient Naval rules I've
collected over the years!

The two fleets deployed with the coast on the left

Individual squadrons advance cautiously

My fast trireme squadron is on the left flank,
 Craig's one is opposite on the right

Last Tuesday afternoon Craig came over to my place and we played our first ancient naval game out in the shed. The rules were the Osprey set, Poseidon's Warriors by John Lambshead. We had identical Greek fleets of two slow trireme squadrons and one fast trireme squadron, each squadron with five ships. Our ships were all Langton Miniatures 1/1200 but I also have some Navwar 1/1200 ships as well. Our fast trireme squadrons were on opposite flanks. I thought I would try some oar bank strikes with my fast triremes as they're automatically sunk without a save in a straight bow to bow ram. 

This tactic worked quite well as I had the initiative that turn and was lucky enough to succeed with three oar bank strikes and one of Craig's ships was totally immobilised. On the opposite flank Craig's entire fast trireme squadron was sunk but he managed to sink three of my ships as well. In the centre he was able to exact some revenge and there was a fair bit of carnage. We both failed our fleet morale tests in the same turn but Craig had lost more ships overall. We both enjoyed it, it was a fun quick game but would probably be better with bigger fleets of five or more squadrons and more variety in ship types. We're going to try the Society of Ancients rules Corvus by Richard Lee for our next game.

My fast triremes succeed with three oar bank strikes,
one ship is totally immobilised

Craig's fast trireme squadron is sunk

Craig's centre squadron exacts some revenge

Both fleets fail their morale tests
but Craig has lost more ships