Wednesday, 13 November 2024

Boarding in Broadside and Ram


There are no rules for boarding actions in Broadside and Ram, which came up as a thing in the game last night, so I have roughed out a possible system.

A ship will need a boarding factor (BF) which is calculated by taking the crew complement, dividing it by 100, halving the result then rounding up to a minimum of 1. For example, HMS Agincourt, with a very large crew works out this: 800 ÷ 100 = 8 ÷ 2 = 4.

To board, two ships must be in base to base contact. The boarding step takes place after ramming / collision step in the sequence of play. I did think about making boarding only possible after a ramming attack, as this would mean the two ships would be locked together, which is the only time it would conceivably take place.

To resolve boarding, the ship that is in its active phase (the attacker) and the defending ship both roll a D6 and add their ship's BF. This is modified by -1 if damaged, -2 if silenced and -3 if crippled (shattered ships cannot board but may be boarded unopposed if desired). The final total is reduced to a minimum value of 0. The winner with the greater total number wins the boarding action. 

If there is a draw the action will carry on in the next phase or turn, in which case counter boarding will be attempted by the defender. Neither ship may disengage, move or fire while a boarding action is underway, just to keep things simple.

After a successful boarding action, when a ship has been captured, a prize crew will take over the ship. This prize crew cannot use the captured vessel in combat but may conduct movement actions as an independent vessel, unless it subsequently attaches itself to a division. If the prize ship is boarded, the prize crew has a BF of half the of original crew BF rating. The ship from which the prize crew is drawn will also have it's BF halved for the rest of the game.

If a prize is recaptured it will move as an independent ship until it can rejoin a division. It may move, fire and manoeuvre normally, subject to existing damage. However, its BF will be halved due to crew casualties in the preceding boarding action for the remainder of the game.

I'm not sure this will work but it's worth a try out. I've tried to keep it simple but also to mirror the existing mechanics of the rules, while taking account of the possible outcomes in an actual game. I'd be interested to hear your opinions and suggestions. 

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