"Away With Honour

"Away With Honour!"
Wargames Rules for Naval Warfare in the Middle Ages

Dice
These rules use d10, where 0 =10.

Scale
Each ship represents one ship

Organisation.
A fleet should be divided into several Divisions, normally three (Van, Main and Rear) but this depends on the size of the fleet
Divisions should attempt to remain together, though this is left to the players own tactics.
One Ship in each Division must be selected as the flagship.

Factors
Each ship will have the following factors:

Seaworthiness	The Sailability of the vessel
Gunnery	Level of Gunnery	(port & starboard)
Defence	This reflects the size of the crew and thus the effect of casualties
Crew	Combat	Hand to Hand Effectiveness
&ncsp	Missile	distant shooting Effectiveness

All of a ship's factors are based on a seven level scale:

0	None	NNE
1	Puny	PNY
2	Frail	FRL
3	Weakened	WKN
4	Strong	STR
5	Mighty	MTY
6	Immense	IMM

Gunnery may only be None, Puny, Frail or weakened.

Passing Crew Components
A ship may pass crew components (Combat and Missile) to another ship to which it is lashed/grappled.
Components may not be passed which would exceed the receiving ship's initial factor levels.
Ships lashed together may pass components freely, those grappled must first roll 7 or more on 1d10 to achieve the transfer.

Lashing.
Two or more ships may be lashed together, beam to beam. Such ships may freely pass crew components between themselves and support each other in Fights. However this is done at the cost of distance shooting. The touching beams cannot fire any artillery and no Shooting may be conducted which passes over the base of any friendly ship. Ships may only be lashed together at the start of a battle. Cutting free from lashing requires two successful cutting-free actions.
Lashed Vessels may only move down wind (Run) at 2".

Sequence
These rules use a card system for sequencing similar to that in "Form Line of Battle".
Each Division involved in the battle will have 3 cards placed in the game deck. Two cards will be Sail/Fight cards, one will be a Command and Control card. These cards will then be drawn in any sequence.

A Command and Control card allows the indicated Division to do any/all of the following:
  Reload
  Pass components
  Fight Fires
  Cut free

A Sail/Fight card allows the indicated Division to:
  Move
  Shoot
  Fire
  Fight

Note: a Vessel, which Fights cannot shoot or Fire in the same phase.

Movement
Movement is expressed in inches.
Ships may move either forward or by turning. Turns may be up to 30 degrees. Ships may not sail into the wind.
Each Ship may make up to its maximum number of turns each phase provided the Ship is moving. Turns should be made as follows:

	turn	move half	turn	move half	turn
1 turn		X	X	X
2 turns	X	X	X	X
3 turns	X	X	X	X	X

Each Division must attempt to remain together.

As medieval naval actions did not occur in anything other than light breezes no consideration is given to any other wind condition.

Ships move dependent on their Seaworthiness and their heading to the wind.

Movement

Seaworthiness		Beating	Running	Turns
0	None	0"	0"	0
1	Puny	2"	3"	1
2	Frail	2"	4"	1
3	Weakened	3"	5"	2
4	Strong	3"	6"	2
5	Mighty	4"	7"	3
6	Immense	5"	8"	3

Gunnery
Each Division may fire in its Sail/Fight phase. Each broadside will have a strength track.
When a Broadside is fired a marker on the track will be reset to NNE.
During the reload phase one broadside track on each vessel may be advanced by one position up to its maximum level.

A ship's arc of fire is directly to the flank, this is determined by extending the ship's base front and rear lines.
A ship may not fire over the base of another ship.
Roll the indicated number of d10 for the broadside firing. Requiring to score the indicated number or more to hit.

If a 10 (0) is rolled roll 1d10 for a fire.

1	Fire on firing ship
8,9,0	Fire on target ship

The number of dice rolled :

Range
Close	Long	Extreme
0-4"	4"-10"	10"-20"
3	2	1

Required score

NNE	-
PNY	10
FRL	8
WKN	6

For each hit roll for effect. A Hit will reduce the indicated factor by one level.
Hits on Combat and Missile factors are subject to defence rolls.

Roll	Effect
9,0	Seaworthiness
7,8	Combat
4,5,6	Missile
1,2,3	Gunnery

Damage:
If seaworthiness is reduced to NNE the ship will sink.
If Combat is reduced to NNE the ship will surrender if within 2" of an enemy and will otherwise take no further part in the battle, attempting to leave the table.
Gunnery hits will be on the facing broadside first, then passing on to the other.
If a factor is rolled which is already at NNE then move up the table.

Missile shooting
This is handled in the same manner as Gunnery, however each ship only gets one roll per phase. Missile fire can be conducted in both sail/fight phases of a division.
Required score

NNE	-
PNY	10
FRL	9
WKN	8
STR	7
MTY	6
IMM	5

Roll	Effect
7,8,9,0	Combat
2,3,4,5,6	Missile
1	Gunnery

Defence Rolls
The defence factor of a ship represents the overall size of its crew and therefore its resilience to hits.
Whenever a Combat or Missile factor takes a hit roll against the defence factor. A Success means the hit is ignored.

Defence	Required Roll
PNY	10
FRL	9
WKN	8
STR	7
MTY	6
IMM	5

Fires
Fires may be started by gunnery.
Fire may be fought in the Command and Control phase. A fire may burn for four turns.
At the first attempt to extinguish the fire a 7,8,9,0 will put the fire out; the second attempt requires 8,9,0 the third 9,0 etc. if after the fourth attempt (0) the fire still burns it is out of control and the vessel is deemed lost. It will continue to burn for the rest of the game drifting down wind for 1 base length. Any base contacting the burning base must roll 1d10 if it gets 1,2,3,4 it has caught fire.

Boarding
When to two or more opposing bases come into contact a boarding action will ensue. Note that boarding is calculated in the Sail/Fight phase of both Divisions involved.
Dice are rolled for the combat factor of the ships involved.
Combats are fought in all appropriate Sail/Fight phases, the phasing ship having the advantage. Phasing Ships roll 2d10 whereas non-phasing ships roll only 1. A Phasing Ship may split its rolls between two enemy ships if they are both in contact.

In mutiple melees ships may fight as follows:
i. All ships of a phasing Division may fight, rolling two dice.
ii. Non-phasing Ships of the same side as the phasing Division may not fight.
iii. Opposing Ships in Contact with ships of the phasing Division may fight against the phasing ships, rolling one dice.

Required scores are:

Combat	Required Roll
NNE	-
PNY	8
FRL	7
WKN	6
STR	5
MTY	4
IMM	3

All hits in Combat effect the Combat factor of the receiving ship.
Ships along side a friendly ship that is involved in a boarding action, but not in contact with an enemy, may not themselves fight but may pass Combat factors to the fighting ship but only to fill gaps left by casualties.
Ships in boarding actions may not fire their broadsides. Missile shooting may not be carried out from or too a ship in a boarding action.

Grappling
Once two ships make contact they are considered grappled if either of them wishes it.

Cutting Free
A boarded ship may attempt to cut free in its command and control phase. Roll 1d10.
1-4 Successful
5-0 Failed
The roll is modified by a +2 for each other enemy ship the testing base is in contact with.

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