Ahoy there! It has been quite some time since I’ve discussed Sails of Glory, the age of sail game from Ares games. The simple reason for that is that I haven’t played a lot of this game, though I’ve been wanting to get back to it for some time. Recently, the final round of Kickstarter bonuses (the USS Constitution and HMS Victory) arrived at my doorstep, and that helped bring SoG to the fore once again. My friend Seth also got the Constitution (which is the first US ship in the game), and was eager to try it out too. So, we met to put Old Ironsides through her paces as well as try out some of the advanced rules.

The Setup

Seth was gracious enough to host the game, and constructed a scenario that pitted the Constitution against two smaller British frigates, the HMS Cleopatra and the HMS Melaeger. I would be running Old Ironsides, while Seth would be running the Cleopatra and Melaeger. Comparing the stats between the Constitution and her British opponents made it clear that this was going to be a tough fight for the two smaller ships; the Constitution out-massed the two of them combined! Even so, I was not going to take them lightly, given the fact that they had numerical advantage. As a result, my strategy was to divide and conquer; I would try to skirt the British formation, and then focus on one of the two ships while hopefully her sister would not be able to bring her guns to bear.

The Results

As it turned out, the first several turns were devoted to us jockying for position. We were both having fits trying to put our ships where we wanted them! Part of the problem is the planned move system, where you have to plan your maneuvers two turns in advance. The other problem is learning how to use the wind to your advantage; both Seth and I are far to used to playing games with ships that have engines.  Ultimately though, I was able to execute my plan and sink both the British ships with minimum damage in return.

Thoughts

SoG continues to impress! Don’t let the fact that this game is pre-painted fool you; there is a TON of depth in these rules, and those details give a great feel for what combat was actually like in the Age of Sail. Here are a couple of observations, in no particular order:

• We both played with the Commander cards, which grant special abilities. We found these to be quite powerful; I was able to use a couple of them at critical moments and that helped swing the battle in my favor.
• The ships moved a surprising amount; in general, the turns went quickly enough that there was more than enough time for the ships to cross the playing area twice over the course of a 2-hour game.
• I need to figure out how to move my ships better! Having to deal with the wind and planning ahead two turns is still giving me fits. At the start of the game, I turned to Starboard when I should have turned to Port, unwittingly putting myself downwind of the British ships. This mistake greatly limited my options for a long time after that.
• As I observed in my earlier posts, this game definitely rewards skill. Knowing what maneuvers to play and when, being able to judge distances, and being able to effectively plan actions can make the difference between defeat and victory!
• The Constitution is a beast! In game terms, her stats make this “frigate” roughly equivalent to a 74-gun ship of the line. In retrospect, the two British ships were heavily outmatched (which was the whole goal behind the design of the Humphreys frigates, after all).

Until next time!