A REVIEW OF ?SHIP OF THE LINE? FROM FAT JONNY GAMES
This is the fourth download-and-print PDF game I've bought from Fat Jonny Games, and I've been pleased with all of them. They are simple beer 'n' pretzels games, and they include everything you need except dice (and you'll need a bunch of dice for this particular game).
Games of Naval Warfare in the Age of Sail are full of atmosphere. Most of them are fairly complex (Wooden Ships & Iron Men, for example), and take a fair amount of time to play. "Ship of the Line" (referred to hereafter as "SOTL") has taken the general idea of these games and integrated some game mechanics from FJG?s previous releases to make a fast-playing, fun game of naval combat. He has simplified the mechanics and record-keeping of the typical Age of Sail game and made it operate at a easier to play, faster pace. Gobs of flavor, quick to learn (or teach) and play. It?s getting harder to get the time or opponents for the old standard Grognard-style games of the Avalon Hill Era, so this is a great way to introduce a new player to naval wargaming, or to get a bunch of the guys together for a lot of shouting and a desire for a rematch.
With FTG?s simultaneous movement mechanic (represented by a 20-sided die displaying the current maneuver selected from a list of twenty) you get the fog-of-war aspect that makes this a real face-to-face game.
WHAT YOU GET:
Basic Rules
Advanced Rules
Optional Rules
Campaign Rules
Random Scenario Generator
Ship and Island Counters
Playing Map Grid
Glossary of Period Naval Terms
WHAT YOU DON?T GET BUT YOU NEED:
D20 for every ship in the combat.
D6?s...a bunch of them.
Card stock to print out the playing pieces and map.
WHAT YOU DON?T GET BUT YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Ship status card. You could easily design one to print out.
IS IT A GOOD BARGAIN?
Absolutely
IS IT FUN?
Yep.
WOULD I BUY AN EXPANSION FOR THIS?
Almost certainly, sight unseen.
<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Simple system.
Quick set-up.
Fast play.
Fog of war...reminiscent of Ace of Aces.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Unnecessary duplication of maps in the downloaded PDF.
You can just print out the same page several times, if you need multiple copies.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>
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