Admiralty is a set of miniature wargame rules that re-create battles from the age of the fighting sail. The game concentrates of the core features of period naval combat including sailing, cannon fire and boarding actions. The rules are geared to allow large battles to be fought over realistically scaled areas of "sea" as player struggle to pummel, dismast and capture their opponent's vessels. The rules are split into six sections, each of which deal with a particular aspect of the game. Playing aids such as ship log, firing arc and the all-important combat chart can be gotten on the main Admiralty home page.

« 1.1 Game Scales
Admiralty was designed primarily for use with 1/2400 scale naval miniatures, although any scale can be used. The medium scale format shown in Figure 1 is the default scale discussed throughout the rules, and may be used with either 1/1200 or 1/2400 scale miniatures. The small scale format may be used with either 1/2400 or smaller and the large scale format is meant primarily for 1/1200 scale and larger. Both the small and large scales will require corresponding adjustments to default game distances covered in the text and charts.

Fig. 2 - Beginner's Wind Compass showing the four wind directions. Front and back zones are 90° arcs and the broadside zones are 45° arcs.

« 1.2 Ship Bases
The mounting of naval miniatures on bases for game play is optional. However it is recommended since it allows easier handling and it also allows some reference marks to be applied directly to the bases. For players who do use bases, the recommended size for standard 1/2400 scale ships-of-the-line is 25mm x 50mm, with the ship mounted lengthwise on the base.

For purposes of game play and rules discussion, the terms model, ship and base are used interchangeably throughout the text. In all cases the reference is a general one meant to encompass whatever model and mounting format being used by the players. Every base (or ship model) is considered to have a single imaginary centerpoint which will be occasionally referred to.

Wind Compass - Each base may be marked with guidelines that show the wind direction compass used to control the ship's speed during game play. Figure 2 shows the outline of the beginner's wind compass and the four main game zones that compose it. At the beginning of each ship's movement phase, the orientation of the base is compared to the wind direction for the game. If the wind is coming from direction 1, it is directly behind the ship and therefore pushing it directly ahead. If the wind is coming from either of the two direction 2 sectors, the wind is still coming from behind the ship, but slightly off to one side. This is the most favorable wind position because it gives the greatest speed. If the wind is coming from either of the two direction 3 sectors, it is coming from a little bit ahead of the ship but still gives enough of a push to allow the ship to keep moving. This is the least favorable of the winds that allow the ship to move. Wind coming from direction 4 is coming from ahead and does not allow the ship to move at all. Players should avoid pointing their ships into the wind unless they really know what they are doing. See Section 2 : Movement for more about moving and ship's speeds.

The wind compass is always centered on the base (or the model). Two types of wind compass graphics are provided for game play, one is a basic version for beginners, and the other is a more sophisticated version for experienced fighting sail gamers. Both can be printed out and mounted for use.

Fig. 3 - Rake Zones (shaded in blue).

Rake Zones - Another feature which is not physically marked on the base is the rake zone. The rake zone is an invisible boundary area off the front and rear of a ship which defines when an enemy vessels receives a rake bonus for cannon fire. As a general rule, a ship should avoid letting enemy ships sail within its rake zone. The rake zone runs diagonally across the corners of a ship's base, forming a roughly 55° arc.


Measuring Distances - When measuring distances for movement, players will always measure from the front edge of a ship's base, or from the front edge of the model. When measuring for checking cannon fire ranges, players measure from the side of their ship model to the closest portion of the targeted enemy ship. For purposes of weapon ranging, the ship's bases are not considered.

« 1.3 Equipment
Naval wargaming is more technically demanding than some other forms of miniature wargaming, and a few extra tools are used for game play. The standard gaming equipment of tape measures, six-sided dice, calculator and pens/pencils will be needed. Beginning players should remember that two dice are called "dice" but that one is only called a "die." Players will also need to download the Admiralty combat chart, ship log and turning circles. Players using unmounted models or sea bases may want to use the additional wind compasses that come with the turning circles. Cutting out the turning circles and mounting them on thin cardboard will give them extra strength. A clipboard is also valuable for writing on the ship logs.

Combat Charts - There is a front and back side to the combat chart. Both sides are needed for game play, so players should make sure to print out both of them. For related overviews of each section of the chart, see More About Combat Charts [LINK NOT ACTIVE YET], which includes step by step illustrations and outlines.

Ship Logs: Each vessel used in combat will need to have an entry in one of the ship logs. These entries are used to track events on board each of the ships. The information shown in the Ship Values listings on the Admiralty home page should cover everything needed to fill out the ship logs for those vessels. For more detailed explanations, see More About Ship Logs [LINK NOT ACTIVE YET].

« 1.4 Turn Sequence
Once all players have gone through the set-up page, placed their ships and arranged their formations, game play is ready to begin. Each turn is split into phases, and some phases are split into steps. At right is an outline of the turn sequence and its basic steps. Below are more detailed outlines of each phase.

Movement

a) Roll for active M hits – The first step in each movement phase is to roll on the critical hit table for all Mast hits. Commanding players roll for their own ships and immediately apply all results before proceeding.

b) Roll for fire danger – Roll Fire Danger checks for any ships which are currently within 10mm of any other vessels which have active Infernos burning on board.

c) Downwind player move – The player which has ships furthest downwind (in the lee position) moves first. In most cases this will be fairly obvious. In closer cases, the initial definition of "furthest downwind" can be used for a tie breaker.

d) Upwind player move – The player which does not have ships furthest downwind moves second. In both cases, a player must move all of his ships which have available movement. The only way to normally stop a ship in this game (outside of destroying its rigging) is to cut its sails to the stop position and anchor.

Command 1

a) Mobilize Boarding Parties – Both players declare and record all boarding dice additions and the resulting gun dice losses.

b) Send signals – Both players may attempt to send maneuver signals and basic instructions to other players.

Firing

a) Roll for active I hits – The first step in each firing phase is to roll on the critical hit table for all active Infernos. Commanding players roll for their own ships and immediately apply all results before proceeding.

b) Roll for active F hits – Roll on the critical hit table for all active Fires. Commanding players roll for their own ships and immediately apply all results before proceeding.

c) Conduct cannon fire – All cannon fire is considered simultaneous. Players may fire any of their ships which can bear on targets. See Section 4 : Firing for more about conducting cannon fire.

d) Roll for fire danger – Roll Fire Danger checks for any ships which fired their guns while a) Unrepaired B hits existed on the same side of the ship, b) speed was set to normal or full. All results are immediately added to the respective vessel's critical hit boxes.

Command 2

a) Change speed setting – Both players attempt to change the speed settings for their ships.
b) Check for Surrender – Ships which are immobilized and without guns must check proximity of friendly and enemy vessels to see if they surrender.

Boarding

Repair

« 1.5 Glossary
The rules text has been kept as plain as possible for those unfamiliar with naval terminology. Some words are in such broad usage however, that they are inevitably used. Below is a short list of definitions for those that would likely show up.

Bow – The front end of a ship
Broadside – When all the guns on one side of a ship fire.
Hull – The main body of a ship, built out of heavy wooden timbers.
Lee – Downwind. The lee side of a ship is that which is downwind, and a fleet in a lee position is downwind from their enemy.
Port – The left side of a ship
Rake – Firing down the length of a ship from a position off of its bow or stern. Very nasty.
Rigging – The part of a ship which supports and operates the sails.
Starboard – The right side of a ship
Stern – The back end of a ship
Weather – Upwind. Opposite of lee, the weather side of a ship is that which is facing into the wind. A fleet in a weather position is upwind from their enemy.