« 2.0 COMMAND
During the Command Phase, players issue orders for the upcoming Movement Phase. There are two types of orders; Divisional and Fleet. Divisional orders are recorded in the far left command column of the gunnery chart and apply only to the ships within a division, which are assumed to be under orders to follow the lead ship of that division. Fleet orders are written on small "post-it" style message pads and used for any communication between players.

« 2.1 Divisional Orders
If a division commander wants his ships to move in any direction other than straight during the upcoming movement phase, he must order them to do so in the Command Column of the Gunnery Log. Divisional orders are recorded as small arrows, which are drawn in the direction and approximate bearing which the commanding player wishes to move them. Refer to the examples below for the available division orders:

Turn-in-Succession - A turn-in-succession is drawn as an arrow using a single line. Only divisions deployed in line-ahead may use the turn-in-succession order. Ships turning in succession will maintain their line ahead formation while turning on a stationary pivot-point. Vessels which will turn less than 45° during their movement do not need to use a command arrow. Vessels which will turn between 45° and 90° during their turn use the 45° arrow, and vessels which will turn 90° or more during their movement use the horizontal arrow. Note that the arrows are direction specific. If a player draws an arrow pointing left (to port), then the division must turn in that direction during their movement. The Turn-in-Succession figure at right depicts a 90°+ turn in succession to starboard as executed by ships in a line-ahead formation.
Simultaneous Turn - A simultaneous turn is drawn as an arrow using two lines. Each vessel in a division ordered to turn simultaneously will individually turn in unison in the direction ordered. Vessels not in line ahead formation will always use the simultaneous turn command. If a turn-in-succession order is accidentally given to vessels not in line ahead, the command will be treated as if it were a simultaneous turn order. Note that if a division is in line abreast, only certain simultaneous turn commands will allow a return to line ahead.

A division must execute its turn orders at the very beginning of its move. If, once it has fulfilled the minimum requirement of its order, it has remaining movement, it may continue moving straight on its new bearing, or execute further multiple orders, if any (see multiple orders). If a vessel is ordered to execute a turn which it cannot fulfill even by using all available movement, it will complete as much of the turn as possible.

Stopping - Writing a dot or small filled-in circle on the command line of a division will order it to use the turn's movement phase to stop dead in the water. Vessels under a stop order must still move their minimum required movement for the turn, at which point they are considered at a complete stop.

Multiple Commands - Divisions with sufficient movement allowance may be issued multiple commands. Multiple commands will be executed in the order in which they are written, reading from left to right.

Transfer of Command - Division flagships which have suffered damage may have to transfer their command status to other ships within their division. There are two basic conditions under which this occurs; voluntary, and involuntary.

Voluntary: If a player's division leader has suffered damage which endangers the ship, he may want to transfer flag status to another vessel in the division. Division flagships which have not suffered conning tower hits may transfer their command to another vessel in their division by slowing to no faster than 1/6 original speed and declaring their transfer to any other qualified vessel which lies within 50mm (6 inches large scale) and which is also moving no faster than 1/6 original speed.

Involuntary: If a division's flagship is suffering either a steering or conning tower hit, the controlling player must roll for transfer of command to other vessels. In this case the transfer requires no slowing of the vessels, since it infers the assuming of command by another officer. Beginning on the command turn after the damage occurs, roll one 12 sided die. If a 10 through 12 is rolled, the ship closest to the flagship will assume command of the division (and of the fleet if it is the fleet flagship). Double the die roll range if the damaged flagship has two or more points of uneven flooding and/or five or more active fires at the time of each die roll. For example: A flagship with a conning tower hit, six fires, and three points of uneven flooding would automatically transfer command (doubled for fires and doubled again for an obvious list). If the damaged flagship "repairs" the steering or conning tower hit before another vessel assumes command, then the original flagship retains its command status and any attempts at involuntary transfer will cease. If a flagship blows up, or otherwise sinks, involuntary transfer is immediate and automatic.

« 2.2 Fleet Orders
There are two types of fleet orders: Divisional and Inter-Divisional. Divisional fleet orders are only required when the flagship of a division is not located at the front of a line ahead. In this case, the flagship must successfully roll a Send Message command in order to be allowed to enter a movement command on the gunnery log. If the Send Message die roll fails, the controlling player may not vary the course of the division from that of the previous turn. Hence the wisdom of placing one's flagship at the front of their line!

Inter-divisional fleet orders or "messages" are how participating players commanding different divisions are allowed to communicate with one another regarding battle tactics, instructions, etc. In order to send an interdivisional message, a player will write a message on any small "post-it" style sheet of paper, and then roll the Send Message die. If the player succeeds in rolling a 7 through 12, the message may be handed to the player for which it was meant. If the die roll fails, no further messages may be sent by the "sending" player during the remainder of that command phase. Before 1903, players attempting interdivisional orders must also have a clear line-of-sight between their flagships.

Recommended Fleet Orders - Since many players are often unsure of what to write, especially on a small square of paper, the following small list offers a few ideas about what orders a commander might want to issue to adjoining divisions of a fleet. Some are historical, and others are merely the result of previous games:

Engage Enemy: Normally issued to capital ships such as battleships and cruisers. This order instructs all friendly divisions to move as close as possible to the enemy, while keeping out of torpedo range.

Follow Me: This self-explanatory order was issued several times historically by divisional commanders when a commander-in-chief's ship was damaged or sunk. Commonly used when signalling a general withdrawal.

Torpedo Attack: Most commonly given to destroyers, this was the signal to move as quickly as possible into effective torpedo range and launch torpedoes.

We Surrender: That's right, ships which want to surrender must make that fact known to the enemy, which is done via this command.

« 2.5 MOVEMENT
During every movement phase, each vessel may expend its allotted movement allowance as shown in the propulsion boxes on the ship chart. Vessels may only use the maximum speed shown by the highest undamaged box. Propulsion boxes with temporary or permanent damage may not be used to establish available speed (see propulsion damage). Maximum available speed applies only to travel in a straight line. Turning will cause a ship to slow down, thereby "using up" available speed points more quickly.

Turning - The turning circle is held over the forward center-line of the vessel. Note that the rear of the ship base swings away from the circle as the base is moved along the periphery. The values shown on the metric circles are the amounts of movement used to reach those points along the circumference of the circle. Each increment on the large turning circle represents one inch of available movement used.

« 2.6 Turning
Turning circles are used during game play to recreate both the minimum allowable turn radius of a ship and the loss of speed the vessel suffers when turning. All Battlefleet turning circles needed for small, medium and large scale formats may be downloaded from the Playing Aids section of the Battlefleet page. Each circle is categorized according to the size of vessels to which it applies, and is marked at 30 degree increments for small and medium scales, and at "one inch" increments for the large scale format. As a vessel "tracks" along the edge of the circle, it will swing around to its new bearing, expending the appropriate movement points in the process. Ship bases executing a turn are not limited to moving only in the turn increments shown. The increments are for reference only, and players may stop at any point along a circle's circumference by estimating the amount of available movement expended to reach that position.

Note that because the turning circles recreate a vessel's loss of speed while turning, the actual measurements of the turning circle increments are always less than the amount shown. This is planned, and not a problem with the circles themselves.

« 2.7 Changing Speed
During each movement phase, vessels may change their actual speed by the equivalent of two propulsion boxes worth of movement. The Actual Speed is the amount of movement used by any one vessel on its previous turn. This contrasts with maximum Available Speed, which is the highest speed available to that vessel according to its propulsion ratings. For example; if a vessel whose normal maximum speed is 120mm per turn moves only 20mm on any one turn, it would only be able to move a maximum speed of 60mm on the following turn, an increase of 40mm, or two propulsion boxes worth of speed. Note that destroyers only have three propulsion boxes, which gives them the ability to greatly vary their speeds within a turn, although the fewer boxes also make them vulnerable to power plant damage due to their lack of redundant propulsion systems.