Yep, I have still more ships in this collection - the last four are 15mm galleys by Merrimack/Old Glory Shipyards, and lovely models they are!
"The Black Pearl"
Watch out for Davy Jones...
Equipped once again with banks of "oars" inspired by those on the Bill Abrams ships seen earlier.
Mast and sail configurations also inspired by Bill's ships.
"The Lonesome Dove"
Note the prominent Ram - ? the Lion (of St Mark) of Venice?
The dress of the crew reflects the Turquoise distinctive color of the ship.
Ramming Speed!
Actually, ramming was giving way to cannon fire, small arms fire, and boarding actions by this time, but it hadn't disappeared form Naval warfare yet, either!
"The Minotaur"
The crew once again reflect the red distinctive color of the ship.
Shearing off the enemy's oars was still a viable tactic, and these Abrams style oar banks make it easy top show when a Galley has lost its oars on one side.
Thuis Galley is under sail; that would be unusual in actual combat, when the sails were usually furled, and even the masts themselves sometimes shipped.
"The Blue Bulls"
Note the different details on the hulls each of these 4 ships; none are the same. I think there may be as many as 6 different variants.
A solid hit by the heavy guns in the bows of these ships could do serious damage to a target, but they were still a long way form the destructive power of a full broadside of the ships that evolved from the Galleass.
Once again the colors of the crew's costumes make it fairly easy to identify which ship they belong with.
So, here's the final Galley Tally: 15 ships in all, plus crews
Saltire (Dark Red)
Galleys - originally scratch built by Bill AbramsLion (Green)
Leopard (Yellow)
Wyvern (Purple)
Griffin (Light Blue)
Seahorse (Orange)
Scout (Red)
Galleys - by Old Glory/Merrimack Shipyard
Black Pearl (Black)
Lonesome Dove (Turquoise)
Minotaur (Red)
Blue Bulls (Blue)
Other Ships - by Old Glory/Merrimack Shipyard
Galleass
Cog
Nef
"Galleys and Galleons", a set of fast play rules that could work from Ancient times through the 17th century, is now on sale by Ganehsa Games. At $8 for the pdf, I couldn't resist!
They are intended for games where a player commands a squadron of about 6 ships, and to conclude in about an hour. They look like they would give a fun, fast game. I'll give them a table top trial, but I'm pretty sure I want more granular detail. I mostly got them as a source for ideas for a revision of my own rules for my 15mm galleys, and I think they will serve that function admirably as well... or should that be "admiral-ably?"
These ships are superb!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil. Now to work some more on the rules!
DeleteLove the Galleys Gonsalvo, they will make for a great game
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly, Oli!
DeleteI can't wait to see a group shot, or them in combat. What a lovely collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lawrence. I just bought a 6 x 12 foot sheet of aquamarine felt with these ships in mind.
DeleteQuite a navy you have amassed, Peter!
ReplyDeleteI await your game trials.
Thanks, Jon. I have quite a few ideas floating around (pun intended) in my head, and need to set down a rough draft.
Delete"Floating," "draft", very nautically clever today!
DeleteYep, I've taken too much latitude; I can't fathom what came over me! :-)
DeleteExcellent pieces. This is a rarely visited era in wargaming. I am intrigued to see your playtests.
ReplyDeleteYes, even for wargamers it is an obscure era. I have rules for the ships already, but they really need re-write,, and I have a number of ideas I want to use to streamline play. The great thing about them is that ramming, boarding, cannon fire, small arms fire, and melee all come into play.
DeleteLooking forward to seeing all these great ships in action!
ReplyDeleteAll the best Iain
Thanks Ian; they shall be appearing on the table before too long.
Delete