Matrix Games Forums

A question for you designers/play testers:

How does naval combat work in the context of a pbem campaign?

Is there a "pause" prior to combat, or is it all automatic?

The reason I ask is that I would like to be able to resolve some of the naval combats using miniatures.

Can you put the game on "hold" to resolve a naval combat?
Also, is there any way to input the results of a miniatures naval combat into the computer game by manually assessing ship casualties?

For that matter, is there any form of in game editor which would allow for adjustments to be made in-game to things such as ship factors? I would like to be able not just to assess casualties, but also to award the victor of a miniatures battle extra ship factors if he captured enemy ships. Is there any way to accomplish this in the context of a pbem game?

Thanks

Kai

There is an option in place to resolve battles externaly. So you can export the battle into another application, handle it, then import it back into the game. I haven't used it much (yet) so don't want to get into it too much right now. But the support should be there.

ORIGINAL: Pippin

There is an option in place to resolve battles externaly. So you can export the battle into another application, handle it, then import it back into the game. I haven't used it much (yet) so don't want to get into it too much right now. But the support should be there.

That ROCKS!

I'm a serious miniatures nut, and this game is sounding more and more like the ultimate Napoleonic campaign tool for use in conjunction with land and sea miniatures games.

I'm already busy converting EIA ship combat into my favorite miniatures rule set. (Signal Close Action.)

I can't wait until EIA gets released. Our miniatures club will be all over this.

Well that is quite odd. I thought the biggest thing about cEIA was the fact it could all be easily handled by computer now.

I'm already busy converting EIA ship combat into my favorite miniatures rule set. (Signal Close Action.)

BTW, I would be curious to take a look at these new naval rules.

ORIGINAL: Pippin

I'm already busy converting EIA ship combat into my favorite miniatures rule set. (Signal Close Action.)

BTW, I would be curious to take a look at these new naval rules.

The Signal Close Action rules have been around for quite some time. I've played previous editions of the rules for many years. The new 4th edition set is "cleaned up" a bit, and is easier to read and play.
The things I like about this rule set are that the sailing model is very good. You really get a feel for what it was like to sail these ships. It takes some skill and luck to maneuver your ship, and you can't always go exactly where you want to. There are tons of optional rules that cover almost any situation, so you can make the game as complex as you like, or you can just play the basic rules to keep it quick and simple.

The other thing I like about these rules is that they play relatively quickly, without the need for lots of record keeping, no need for written orders, etc. Each player can play several ships at a time without bogging things down. I've played pretty much every age of sail rule set out there, and these are my hands down favorite rules.

Langton (the publisher of the rules) has a web page here:

http://www.rodlangton.com/index.html

You can buy the rules at:

Campaign Headquarters Inc
145 E. Little Creek Road
Norfolk, VA 23505
Tel: 757 583 9451
Fax: 757 531 2803
toll free number:
1-800-357-0030