Introduction
Iron and Fire (I&F) is my second published set of naval rules, designed as a quick and simple set which capture the feel of ironclad naval warfare in the 1850s to 1880s. I intended for players to get to grips with the action quickly rather than wading through deep, impenetrable rules as happens with some rules covering the period. They began as a set of rules covering the American Civil War, and quickly developed into a more general set, encompassing the South American wars (Chile vs. Peru, the Chilean Revolutionary War etc.), the second battle of Lissa, the Crimean and Franco-Prussian Wars and any number of hypothetical scenarios set in the heyday of the early Victorian ironclad. This was a time for naval invention, where all the navies concerned were on a steep learning curve, having only recently adopted such novelties as steam propulsion, iron armour and rifled breech loading guns, not to mention technological marvels such as the submarine, and devious items of mechanical trickery such as the mine and torpedo. In addition, the latest technological marvels were on sale to any nation for the right price, with the result that many small acquired state of the art weaponry before the larger European navies.
I have attempted to keep the rules as simple as possible in order to maintain the flow of play. Previous experience with "Schnellboot" and "Action Stations!" showed that the simple approach gave results as accurate as more complicated methods, yet reduced time spent leafing through charts and tables, and increased the ‘enjoyability’ of the game. It also allowed a large number of ‘bolt on’ optional rules to be devised which allowed players to introduce as many aspects of the period as they wished for a particular game. This philosophy has continued in these rules, where, as well as the usual movement and combat systems I have attempted to cover as many aspects which characterised naval warfare in this era as possible. Readers will find sections covering Static Torpedoes (mines to modern naval players), Mobile Torpedoes of dubious reliability, boarding actions, the suppressive effects of close range small arms fire and rapid fire guns such as Gatlings, ramming attacks and troops on shore.
The rules were written for games featuring 1/1200 scale models on a standard wargames table (6’ by 4’ to 8’ by 5’) in mind. The ‘ground’ scale is 1 inch to 300 feet, and the Turning Circles, tables etc. included in the rules reflect this. Astute wargamers will soon realise that this means that if 1/3000 scale models are used the model scale will almost equal the ground scale. However, the use of 1/1200 models is favoured because of their greater detail.
If space is no object, if larger scale models (e.g. 1/600) are in use, or if the game concerns an action fought in a limited area such as a small riverine action, simply multiply all ranges and speeds by a set factor to fill the space available. For example, if 1/1200 scale models are being used to fight a small action, all ranges and movement could be multiplied by a factor of 3, bringing the ground scale in line with the models.
One turn equals 3 minutes of real time. However, for planning and timing purposes I take each turn as being 5 to 6 minutes in length. This is because things always seem to last a lot longer in real life actions than in wargames. wargamers do not suffer from the inertia which accompanies real actions, especially in this period. All guns are allowed to ‘fire’ once per turn; the damage tables have been factored so that the damage caused by a gun represents the amount of damage that could be expected to be caused by the gun firing not once, but as many times as would be practical in the length of one turn. This removes the need for players to keep track of exactly when a gun has fired and reduces the chance of confusion and error. A side effect is that very large guns with very slow rates of fire gain a slight advantage, but an optional rule mandating one turn reloading between shots for these guns is included for added realism. Since the numbers of guns of this type likely to be found in a typical action are small (if any) the reloading rule is acceptable in this case.
The first edition was published by Felix Enterprises. The Second Edition is published by A&A Game Engineering and features some changes from the first edition. These are mostly aimed at improving playability and sorting out a few nigglies and querks of the original system. The most significant change is the move to treat structural damage and loss of buoyancy separately, building on my experiences with "Fire When Ready, Gridley".
Blue Steel, Grey Thunder
Blie Steel, Grey Thunder is the first I&F supplement, covering the specifics of the American Civil War. It includes revised gunnery tables that reflect the performance of the guns used in the war, extensive ship data lists, additional rules covering land and combined operations, a system to convert from the use of 1/1200 to 1/600 scale models, two campaign systems (one solo, one more traditional) and an optional "chance card" system.
Ironclads at War
Following on from the ACW supplement will be "Ironclads at War", a supplement covering the Lissa campaign, .the Second Schleswig War and the Franco Prussian War. Again, period-specific quick play sheets, ship data lists, new rules and a campaign system will be included along with short histories of the three campaigns and advice on play using 1/2400 miniatures. Also included will be additional British ships from the mid 1860s, added at the special request of all those who want to try out hypothetical USN vs. RN scenarios (assuming a British intervention in the American Civil ar). Playtesting of the QPS and the ship data has been carried out in a series of actions using Hallmark Miniatures 1/2400 scale models which look excellent and which are ideal for the larger fleet actions which can occur, or for smaller actions played out in smaller wargames tables. It is hoped that the supplement will be available in June 2000.
Minor Naval Wars
This website will be used to cover some of the lesser naval wars of the nineteenth century, including the war between Chile and Peru, Spanish operations against Chile and Peru, the Chilean Civil War , the War of the Triple Alliance and the Russo-Turkish war. Keep watching for future developments
Scenarios
I'll be adding some scenarios other useful bits and pieces here.
"A Forest of Masts and Smokestacks"- The story of the CSS Arkansas.
Optional Rules
The following pages describe optional rules which I have developed over the years. They are applicable to both the First and Second Editions.
Useful Stuff
A collection of bits and pieces that may be of use to players of Iron and Fire
Confederate Ironclad Ship Sheet
First Edition Errata
Official changes to the first edition rules are published here.
Iron and Fire Errata (First Edition)
Second Edition Errata
Official changes to the second edition rules are published here.
Iron and Fire Errata (2nd Edition)
Ironclad Links
The following sites are of particular interest to ironclad gamers:
Index of Civil War Naval Forces, Confederate and Union Ships
Langton Miniatures - website for this illustrious supplier of naval wargaming materiel, including 1/1200 ACW vessels (also stockist of the rules)
Hallmark Miniatures - More excellent naval models, including 1/2400 ironclads.
The Gray and Blue Naval Museum - The largest collection of displayed ACW gunboat models in the world, located at Vicksburg.
Port Columbus Naval Museum
Navies in Transition - Phil Russell's site on pre-dreadnought naval development
The Civil War Ironclads and Blockade Runners Page- essential reading for ACW buffs
Jackson Gamers Homepage- including a nice set of ACW rules
A Hotter Fire - ACW Naval rules by Alan Saunders.
ACW Naval Image Gallery - Pictures of some of my models
ACW Naval Miniature Wargaming - Ray Garbee's page
Smoke on the Water - Jason Gorringe's ACW Rules
Ironclads - Larry Enoch's gaming pages including his collection of 1/600 scratch built ironclads and other naval bits and pieces.
Coast & Geodetic Survey's Civil War Collection - U.S. Coast Survey maps and charts created during the Civil War.
The "Brown Water Navy" - The U.S. Navy in the Civil War