T A C T I C A L

FLEET COMBAT
IN THE

A G E of S A I L
By Mike Tuñez

FIRELOCK GAMES
TABLE OF CONTENTS CREDITS
Introduction 3 Game Design Production
Game Components 4 & Concept: Manager:
Mike Tuñez Alex Aguila
Quick Start Setup 8
Playing the Game 11 Design Layout &
Initiative Phase 11 Contributors: Graphic Design:
Christopher Tuñez Lilian Figueroa
Movement Phase 12
Nate Zettle
Attack Phase 19 Liam Taylor Game Mat
End Phase 23 Fred Barnard Design:
Gabriel Garcia Chris Strekker
Additional Rules 24
Historical Terrain Set
Creating a Squadron 27 Illustration:
Consultation:
Starting a Game 28 Benerson Little Joshua Hayes
Fleet Battles (Multiplayer) 29
Sculpting: Model Painting:
Stacy Jenneman Adam Horton
Brian Rundlett
Jamie Martinson Editing:
Jesus Cuevas Drew Saxton
Steven Soler

Playtesters:
Stephen Foulk Sean Martin Andy Sims Pete Barfield Riley Blair
Joseph DeLory Tom Pace Jeff Przybylo Gerardo González Jonathan Dispigno
Jean Luc Bernard Bryan Wade Nigel King Scott Crowe Paul Dispigno
Mark Stigter Gavin Winspear Jesse Abbott Leif MacNaughton Joel Sanchez
Glenn Gonzalez Timothy Korklewski Crochet Emmanuel Ian Mann Joseph Dieguez
Matt Nott Nicholas Bogart Nic Evans Omar Zaragoza Steven Murga
Eric Hansen Robbie Rauch Stephen Smith Rodriguez Steven Quintavalli
Dr. Jeffrey Brown Jacob Stauttener Mike Moyer Daniel R Weber Juan Sebastian Mazo
Leon Mason Cris Smith Benjy Feldmen William Mitch Reed
John Hunter Alex Hood Scott Presley Mac McClelland Jordan Brutlag
Dan Carlson Adrian Gonzalez Dillon Rinehart Paul Carolan Kevin McKay
Tyler Carlson Mike Jackson Robert Kurzweil Scott Parkin Lee Hulley
Bryan Fischer Peter James Nathan Rigaud Vince Usher Steve Holowienko
Bruce Boyd Douglas Johnson Matthew K Green Liam Galloway Darren Kephart
Rufus Devane Maurice Kent Lee Upton Kevin John Waite Mark Herman
Kai Devane Shane Knerl Nathan Jopling Leigh Brewster Kevin Becker
Eric Mitchell David Wolf Rune Hoff Lauridsen Graham Cummings
 3

INTRODUCTION
CHAP. I.

Oak & Iron is a game set in the age of fighting sail. It allows players
to recreate battles between small fleets and squadrons of armed
sailing ships. The game is designed to be simple and intuitive while
also challenging players by providing significant tactical depth and
being true to the theme and tactics of the period.
4 OAK & IRON

GAME
COMPONENTS
CHAPTER. 2.

S HIP CAR D B R EA KD OWN

a POINTS COST
a b l
c b SHIP TYPE

c SHIP CLASS
d
d SKILL UPGRADE

e FORTITUDE VALUE
f
e h h f BROADSIDE VALUE

g i m g CREW VALUE

n h WINDWARD VALUE

j i SAILING LARGE VALUE

j SPECIAL RULES

k UPGRADE OPTIONS
(descriptions on the back)

l FATIGUE TRACK
k
o m ADDITIONAL CREW
UPGRADE OPTION

n DAMAGE TRACK

o STOUT UPGRADE OPTION

 Game components 5

INITIATIVE CARD ADMIRAL CARD

a a c
b
b d
c

d e

a NATIONALITY c CARD NAME a POINTS COST d ADMIRAL VALUE

b INITIATIVE VALUE d EFFECT b NATIONALITY e SPECIAL RULES

c ADMIRAL NAME

SHIP TERMINOL OGY

SIDE
EDGE

BOW
EDGE
ID
TOKEN
SLOT
IN
BOW MID-POINT THE STERN MID-POINT
WIND’S
EYE

STERN EDGE

SHIP
MODEL

SIDE
MID-POINT
 6 OAK & IRON

List of
COMPONENT S
RULEBOOK SHIPS BASES

EVENT CARDS

INITIATIVE CARDS FACTION CARDS SHIP CARDS CLIPS

UPGRADE CARDS ADMIRAL CARDS DICE

SCENARIO CARDS

Settings Objectives Deployments Conditions

Game components 7

List of
COMPONENT S
COUNTERS & TOKENS

Fortune Full Sails Crippled Reload

Captured Ship

Objective Minimal Sails Shaken

Wake
Ship ID Anchored Aground Landing Party

RANGE RULER
Cannon Shot Musket Shot Pistol Shot
Yard
Arm

SEA MAT MOVEMENT TOOLS WIND ARROW

TERRAIN TILES

Islands & Fog Banks Rocks & Shoals Land Masses

 QUICKSTART SETUP
C H A P. 3 .

For your first game of Oak & Iron,

Player A Player B e Each takes 2 wake tokens and 4 re-
we suggest playing the quickstart
game. The quickstart game is de-
a load tokens

signed to let players become com-

f Position ships as shown. Each player’s
fortable with basic concepts before
using more advanced options, such b b Flagship must be Pistol Shot distance
directly downwind of the player’s oth-
as faction, upgrade, or event cards. er ship.
This game uses only rules found in
the Playing a Game section (pg. 11);
ignore any reference to additional g Each Squadron must be just out of
Cannon Shot of the other Squadron.
rules. Read through that section and
then set up as follows:

d h The wind arrow is placed as shown to

indicate that the table edge to each
a Place the sea mat between both play-
ers. Decide who will be Player A and ship’s stern is the Windward Edge.
who will be Player B.
c c
b Find the following Initiative cards, i Keep the dice, status tokens, and
they will make up each respective d movement tools within reach of both
players.
player’s hand. Player A: Down!, Care-
ful Aim, Rolling Broadsides, Effective
Fire, Adjust Position
c c There is no objective card assigned
to this game, continue play until one
Player B: Fire as She Bears, Take
Courage, Fleet Manuever, Reload, g player is forced to Strike (pg. 23)
Favorable Wind
e f f
c Players will control the following e
ships and their corresponding cards.

Player A: 1 Sloop, 1 Petite Fregate

Player B: 1 Corvette, 1 Fluyt
h
d Assign an “Untested” Admiral card
to the Petite Fregate and Fluyt. These
are each player’s Flagship.

i
 OAK & IRON 11

PLAYING
THE GAME
C H A P. 4 .

Oak & Iron is played over a series of turns.

Each turn will be broken down into four phases:
I . T H E I N I T I AT I V E P H A S E
I I . T H E M OV E M E N T P H A S E
I I I . T H E AT TA C K P H A S E
I V. T H E E N D P H A S E

THE INITIATIVE PHASE

N . T. New terms for this section
SQUADRON A Squadron is a group of two SKILL TEST A Skill Test is used when a
or more ships, including a Flagship, belong- ship’s crew is attempting to do something
ing to a player. complex, like working the ship’s rigging to at-
tempt to adjust its current speed. To perform
FLAGSHIP Each Squadron must have a a Skill Test roll 5 dice (modified by special
Flagship. The Flagship is denoted by having rules and Fatigue), If any or results are
an Admiral card assigned to it. rolled, the test is successful.
SKILL VALUE A ship’s Skill Value rep- CHALLENGE TEST A Challenge Test is
resents its sailing & fighting ability. Default a type of Skill Test where both players make
Skill is 0. 1 or 2 skill may be purchased as an the test using their Flagship’s special rules
upgrade on each ship. For each point of Skill and Fatigue, then compare results. The play-
a ship has, the ship may re-roll 1 dice during er who rolls the most and/or wins the
Skill Tests and Attacks. Challenge Test. If there is a tie, the Flagship
with the highest skill value is the winner.
If both Flagships have the same skill value,
continue rolling until there is a winner.
 12 OAK & IRON

During this phase, players will reveal their admiral value has the initiative. If there is a I . P.
initiative cards to determine which player has still a tie, both players perform a Challenge
the initiative. Each player will also choose a Test. The winner has the initiative. Once
new card for the following turn. Take the fol- initiative has been determined, the cards re-
lowing steps to complete the Initiative Phase: main face up to remind both players of the
effect granted by their initiative card for that
1. REVEAL INITIATIVE CARD Each turn. Initiative and event effects last until
player reveals the initiative card they chose they are discarded or returned to the hand
during the previous turn’s Initiative Phase. If (Unless otherwise noted on the card).
playing the first turn of the game, each player
reveals the initiative card chosen during de- 2. SELECT NEW INITIATIVE CARD
ployment. The player who reveals the card Each player now chooses a new initiative card
with the highest initiative value has the initia- from their initiative hand and places it face-
tive and will go first in each following phase down. The chosen facedown initiative card
for this turn. If both players reveal a card of will be revealed and applied at the beginning
equal value, an event card is drawn from the of the following turn’s Initiative Phase.
event deck and its effects are resolved before 3. RESOLVE INITIATIVE CARD
moving on. If resolving the event is not pos- EFFECTS Initiative card effects note when
sible for some reason, the event card effect is each effect is to be used. Apply the effects
ignored. Once the event has been resolved, that state “Immediately” now, and make note
the player whose Squadron has the highest of effects which may be used later in the turn.

During the previous turn, Mike and Lily chose a card from their respective hands to be played facedown. E X P.
These cards are turned over at the same time. Mike’s card has a 3 initiative and Lily’s card has a 4
initiative. Lily has the higher initiative value and will be the first to activate a ship in the proceeding
phases of the turn.

THE MOVEMENT PHASE

DESIGNER’S NOTES New terms for this section N . T.
1
In reality, there are 5
different points of sail BOW A ship’s Bow is the front edge of its »» Windward A ship is sailing Windward if
and each has subtle dif- base. its Bow is closer to the table’s Weather Edge
ferences on the speed than its Stern.
and handling of the ship. STERN A ship’s Stern is the rear edge of
We have simplified these
its base. »» In the Wind’s Eye This denotes a ship
down to their most basic with its Bow closer than 45º to the Wind-
forms and kept the most ward Edge. If at the beginning of a ship’s
significant aspects so that WEATHER EDGE The Weather Edge
players can face the very is the side of the table the wind is blowing movement its Windward side mid-point is
real challenges of maneu- from. farther away from the Weather Edge than
vering a ship throughout every point of your ship’s Bow, your ship is
the wind without all of POINT OF SAIL1 A ship’s Point of Sail is considered In the Wind’s Eye.
the intricacies often asso- its heading in relation to the wind. In Oak
ciated with doing so.
To test this, find the ship’s Windward mid-
& Iron there are 3 possible points a ship can point and the point of the Bow that is far-
be sailing on: thest from the Weather Edge. If the mid-
point measures equal to or closer than the
»» Large A ship is sailing Large if its Stern farthest point of the Bow, then the ship is
is closer to the table’s Weather Edge than not In the Wind’s Eye.
its Bow.
 OAK & IRON
Playing the Game 13

CLOSER
FARTHER CLOSER

FARTHER

IN THE WIND’S EYE NOT IN THE WIND’S EYE

N . T. A ship at this Point of Sail cannot make any being Downwind indicates that it will cause DESIGNER’S NOTES
forward movement but may make a turn us- the ship’s Bow to move farther away from the 2
Sail setting is an abstract
ing the speed 1 tool. Weather Edge. idea in Oak & Iron. It
reflects the total amount
Any time a ship is directly between two FATIGUE represents the condition of the of effective sail a ship is
Points of Sail, the controlling player may ship’s crew, equipment, and weaponry. Fac- currently making use of.
choose which one to use. tors such as casualties, morale, and physical Damage to the a ship’s
exhaustion of the crew cause Fatigue. For rigging can have the same
SAIL SETTING2 A ship’s Sail Setting de- every point of Fatigue a ship has, it reduces effect on a ship’s speed as
scribes how much sail a ship is using. There changing its sail setting
the number of dice rolled for any Skill Test and therefore is treated
are 4 possible Sail Settings: or Attack by 1 (to a minimum of 1). If a ship the same way in the game.
has any special rules that grant it additional
»» Full Sail This is the highest possible Sail
dice, these additional dice are added after
Setting. A ship on this Sail Setting takes a
the Fatigue penalty is applied. A ship may
Full Sail token. While on this Sail Setting,
never take more than 7 Fatigue points. Any
ships increase their speed rating by 1. While
amount of Fatigue taken over this is ignored.
at Full Sail, a ship may not make Reload ac-
tions during the Crew Action step. SHAKEN A ship becomes Shaken and takes
»» Battle Sail A level lower than Full Sail. a Shaken token when it receives 7 points of
This is the default Sail Setting and requires Fatigue. A Shaken ship may not take Sea-
no token. The speed values found on a ship’s manship Actions and the only Crew Action
card assume a ship is on this Sail Setting. it may take is Rally. A ship will remain Shak-
en until its Fatigue points are reduced.
»» Minimal Sail The ship is using the least
amount of sail possible. A ship on this Sail CRIPPLED A ship becomes Crippled and
Setting takes a Minimal Sail token. While takes a Crippled token when it has taken 7
on this Sail Setting, ships reduce their speed points of Damage. A Crippled ship no lon-
rating by 1. ger takes damage points. Instead, for every
»» Anchored At this setting, the ship is car- point of damage the ship would have taken, a
rying no sail at all and cannot move. A ship point of Fatigue is taken instead. A Crippled
on this Sail Setting takes an Anchored token. ship’s speed rating is limited to 2.
DOWNWIND A turn or move described as ENTANGLED A ship that is Entangled
14 OAK & IRON

is stuck to another ship and will not move A ship in this state takes an Aground token
during the Movement Phase as long as they and may not move until the Aground token
remain Entangled. Entangled ships may not is removed. To remove an Aground token,
take Crew Actions and may only take the the ship must take a Repair Crew Action
Cut Free Seamanship Action. Opposing and instead of removing a point of damage,
ships Entangled together may make Close it rolls a Skill Test. If the test is passed, the
Combat Attacks against each other. Enemy Aground token is removed. If it is failed, the
ships Entangled with friendly ships may token and its effects remain.
not be the target of Broadside or Partial
Fire Attacks. DIRECTLY AWAY If a ship must move
Directly Away from another ship (or object),
AGROUND A ship that is Aground has it moves the declared distance in whichever
usually struck the bottom and become stuck, direction it can go farthest without pivoting
but this status can also be used to indicate or touching an obstruction.
significant damage to a ship that causes it
to become immobile, such as losing a mast.

During the Movement Phase, players will 2. SEAMANSHIP ACTION Before a ship M . P.
alternate activating 1 ship at a time. Each moves, the controlling player may attempt to
time a ship is activated it will determine its perform a Seamanship Action by rolling a
speed, take a Seamanship Action (optional), Skill Test. If the test is passed, the ship may
move, and then take a Crew Action (option- take one of the following actions:
al). Once a ship has completed these 4 steps,
• Change Heading If this ship is not In
place a Wake marker behind the activated
the Wind’s Eye, Entangled, Aground, or
ship to show that its move is complete. The
Anchored, the ship makes a turn before it
opposing player now chooses 1 of their ships
moves using the speed 1 tool.
to activate. Players continue alternating ships
until all ships have activated. If one player is • Adjust Speed If this ship is not In the
left with multiple ships and their opponent Wind’s Eye, Entangled, Aground, or An-
has moved all of their ships, the player with chored, the ship may increase or decrease
the remaining ships will activate the rest 1 its current speed rating by 1. This is not a
at a time until all ships have gone. Once all permanent adjustment and its effect only
ships have activated, proceed to the Attack lasts for this move.
Phase. • Cut Free The ship moves Yard Arm
distance Directly Away from any ships it
1. DETERMINE SPEED RATING A
was Entangled with. If the ship cannot
ship’s speed rating is the distance a ship
move Yard Arm disctance Directly Away,
will move on the table. To determine speed
it cannot Cut Free and remains Entan-
rating, start by checking the ship’s Point of
gled. After a ship is Cut Free, it retains its
Sail (detailed on pg. 12). The ship’s Point of
current Sail Setting but its speed rating is
Sail is always checked from where it began
limited to 1 this turn.
its activation. If it at any point of its move, a
ship ends up in a different Point of Sail this 3. MOVE To move a ship, select the move-
new postion has no effect on its speed rating. ment tool that matches the ship’s current
The ship will move at its printed speed value speed rating. A ship may never move faster
(plus or minus the effects of its Sail Setting, than speed 5 for any reason. A ship with a
special rules, and initiative card effects the speed greater than 5 will use the speed 5 tool
ship may receive). instead. Place the ruler against either side of
the ship and line up the arrow on the bottom
 OAK & IRON
Playing the Game 15

of the movement tool with the arrow on the the same ruler for turning as for movement. DESIGNER’S NOTES
mid-point of the ship’s base. Move the ship 1
Free Actions: Some
along the edge of the tool until the arrow on 4. CREW ACTIONS After a ship com-
1 cards and special rules
pletes its move, it may take a single Crew allow you to take “Free”
the ship’s base lines up with the arrow on
actions or attacks. These
the opposite end of the tool. A ship must Action from the list below. If a rule or game
are actions or attacks that
always move the full distance between the effect prevents a ship from moving, it may can be taken out of turn
two arrows on the movement tool and must still take a Crew Action. and in addition to normal
always move forward. The angle at the end of actions or attacks.
• Reload Remove a reload marker from
the ruler is only used for turning and is not 1 of the ship’s sides. A Note on Special Rules:
counted for the move distance. Remember, When specific rules on
a ship In the Wind’s Eye cannot move at all, • Rally Remove 1 point of Fatigue. cards contradict general
but may still make a turn using the speed 1 • Repair Reduce the ship’s total damage rules expressed in this
tool. rulebook, follow the rule
points by 1 if the ship is not Crippled. Or
on the card.
As part of its movement, the ship may also attempt to remove an Aground token. To
perform a single turn either at the beginning remove an Aground token, roll a Skill Test.
or at the end of its move. To perform a turn, If the test is passed, the Aground token is
place the ruler against the side of the ship removed. If it is failed, the token and its
and line up the top arrow on the movement effects remain.
tool with the arrow on the ship’s base. The • Change Sail Setting The ship may
ship may then pivot towards the direction of change its Sail Setting by 1 level (up or
the angled edge of the movement tool (up down). A ship will continue to use the
to where the ship’s edge lays flat against the current Sail Setting until this action is tak-
angled edge). Partial turns are allowed. Note en again or another game effect, such as
that some movement tools have a different rigging damage, causes it to change.
angles on the turning edge. Be sure to use

FIG. 1
E X P. (Figure 1) Lily has the
initiative, so she will be
the first to activate a
ship and check the ship’s
point of sail (Figure 1).
It is determined that
her ship is sailing large,
because her stern is clos-
er to the table’s weather
edge than her bow. The
ship’s large point of sail
is 3 and it is currently
at battle sails, so Lily
needs to use the 3 speed
template.
Before moving, Lily de-
cides she wants to try
to go a little faster .
She uses the seamanship
action “Adjust Speed” to
try and go faster. She
succeeds her skill test
and will now use the 4
speed template instead.
Lily now places the tem-
plate to either side of
her ship, making sure to
align the starting arrow
of the template with the
side arrow of the ship.
 16 OAK & IRON

(Figure 2) (a) Without moving the template, Lily • Boarding A ship may attempt to M . P.
E X P. must slide her ship along the full length of the
Board an opposing ship within Yard Arm
template until her side arrow is at the ending
arrow. distance. To attempt to board, roll a Skill
(b) She will turn the ship by having it pivot along Test. If passed, move the ship taking the
ending arrow’s corner towards the template’s
turning edge. action Directly Toward the target ship until
(c) Lily completes her movement activation by their bases touch. A ship may move direct-
taking a Reload Crew Action to remove a re-
load marker from one side of her ship so that it
ly sideways, forward, or backward when
is ready to fire a broadside in the Attack Phase. making this move. Once touching, pivot
the Boarding ship in place until its lead-
FIG. 2
a ing edge lays against the nearest edge of
the ship being boarded (FIG.3). If neither
edge of the ship being boarded is closer,
the Boarding ship may choose which edge
to contact. The ships are now Entangled.
If the boarding ship is not able to place its
edge flush against the target ship’s nearest
edge for any reason, the action is not pos-
sible (FIG. 5).
• Row A ship with the Sweeps special
rule or upgrade may make an additional
move using the speed 1 tool. This move
can be made even if the ship is at Anchor
or In the Wind’s Eye. This move may not
b include a turn.
• Transfer Flag A Squadron’s Flagship
may move the Admiral card to a target
friendly ship that is within Pistol Shot of
the Flagship and not Entangled. The tar-
get ship is now the Flagship. If the target
ship had a captain card, that card is turned
facedown and ignored while the Admiral
is present on that ship.
• Landing Party A ship that is not
Shaken, has its Sail Setting set to An-
chored, and is within Pistol Shot of an
island or landmass may send a Landing
c Party ashore. To do so, place a Landing
Party token anywhere on the island or
landmass within Musket Shot of the ship.
While ashore, the Landing Party may
make Close Combat attacks against any
other Landing Party token within Musket
Shot of the token using the crew value of
the ship that deployed it. If a ship with a
Landing Party token ashore ever becomes
Shaken or moves, the Landing Party token
is immediately removed.
 OAK & IRON
Playing the Game 17

E X P. Mike's ship is within a yard arm length away from Lily's ship. He is going to attempt to grapple and
Board Lily's vessel! He rolls a skill test for the ship attempting to board and succeeds. Now he has to
move his ship into place, laying the ship's leading edge against the nearest edge of Lily's ship. Below are
a couple examples of what that might look like:

FIG. 3 FIG. 4
a a

Lily
Lily
Mi
ke

Mike
b b

Lily
Mi Lily

Mike
ke

c c

Lily Lily
Mi

Mike
ke

FIG. 5
E X P. In the following example , Mike ’ s
ship has no space to lay flush against
Lily’s ship and cannot complete the
boarding action. In this case, Mike
may attempt a different crew action:
 18 OAK & IRON

E X P. Mike’s ship is entangled with another ship, he wants to cut grapples and move to escape.
Mike’s ship is in the wind’s eye and it is currently at battle sails. In order to move, he uses the Seaman-
ship Action “Cut Free”. His skill test is successful. Mike moves his ship yard arm distance away from
his opponent
Normally, the cut free action would cause Mike’s ship to move using the speed 1 template, but, because
the ship is in the wind’s eye, all Mike can do is make a turn using the speed 1 template turn.
He chooses to use the rally crew action to remove one point of fatigue and ends his ship’s move acti-
vation.

FIG. 6
a c

ike ike
M M

b d

ike
M Mike
 OAK & IRON
Playing the Game 19

THE ATTACK PHASE

N . T. New terms for this section
OUT OF ACTION A ship becomes Out of LINE OF SIGHT This determines wether
Action when it is both Crippled and Shaken. or not a ship can clearly see its target. There
A ship that is Out of Action is no longer is Line of Sight if a line can be drawn from
combat effective and its status is marked by the mid-point of any of the ship’s edges to
having both a Shaken and Crippled token. the mid-point of any edge and at least one
Once in this state, a ship can no longer corner of the target ship’s base (FIG. 7).
move, take Seamanship or Crew Actions,
make attacks, and is effectively out of the BROADSIDE PATH The area into which
game. Out of Action ships remain on the a ship may make Broadside attacks. To deter-
table as obstacles unless they sink during the mine the Broadside Path, draw two parallel
End Phase. lines perpendicular to the width the firing
ship’s base going toward the target ship. If
FULL TURN If a rule calls for a ship to any part of the target ship’s base falls within
make a Full Turn, the ship must pivot all the those two lines, the ship is within the Broad-
way until its edge lays flat against the move- side Path (FIG. 8)
ment tool’s angled edge.

FIG. 7 FIG. 8
2 2
1

3 3

1
 20 OAK & IRON

A . P. During the Attack Phase, players will alternate making attacks, 1 ship at a time, until all
ships have activated. After a ship has activated, remove its Wake marker to indicate that it
has attacked this phase. During an activation, the ship may make 1 of the folowing attacks:
»» BROADSIDE A ship may fire 1 or 2 5. Check for Critical Damage If any of
Broadside attacks in a turn (one from each the dice results were a , the target ship may
side of the ship). The following qualifica- take Critical Damage. To check for Critical
tions must be met for each side: Damage, roll an additional die for each
• The target ship is within Cannon Shot result. If any , , or results are rolled,
or less of the firing ship. the target ship has taken critical damage. Any
other results have no further effect. Critical
• The target ship must be at least partial-
damage effects are as follows:
ly within the Broadside Path of the firing
edge. • If any results are rolled, a vulnerable
part of the ship has been hit causing the
• There must be Line of Sight to the tar-
target ship to take a point of damage. If
get ship from the firing edge.
2 or more are rolled, the ship imme-
• The side firing has no reload marker. diately becomes Crippled. If the ship was
If all the qualifications are met, the attack already Crippled, it is now Out of Action.
may be made by taking the following steps: • If any results are rolled, the ship re-
duces its Sail Setting by 1 (to a minimum
1. Roll Broadside Dice Roll a number of Anchored). If 2 or more results are
of dice equal to the ship’s Broadside value rolled, the ship has lost 1 or more masts.
(reduced by 1 for each point of Fatigue the The ship takes an Aground token to rep-
firing ship has). Unlike other attacks, Fatigue resent the additional effort required by the
never reduces a ship’s Broadside Value to less crew to get it underway again.
than the ship’s Crew Value. The range of the
attack will determine which results score hits: • If any results are rolled, the ship
takes an additional point of Fatigue. If two
• At Cannon Shot, and results or more results are rolled, the ship’s
score hits. helm has been struck! The target ship must
• At Musket Shot, , , and make a Full Turn using the speed 2 tool
results score hits. in the direction chosen by the opposing
• At Pistol Shot, , , , and player. If this move causes a Collision, it
results score hits. is resolved as if the ship moved at speed
2. Additionally, if this ship has an admiral
2. Re-roll Players will sometimes be able or captain card assigned to it, there is a
to re-roll dice by using Skill Value, Fortune chance they could be hit. Roll a dice. If a
Points, and special rules. All re-rolls on the or result is rolled, the captain or ad-
attack are taken during this step. miral card assigned to that ship is removed
3. Apply Fatigue If at least 1 hit was scored, from the game.
the target ship takes a point of Fatigue. 6. Assign Reload Markers The ship now
4. Inflict damage Compare the number of takes a reload marker on any side that it fired
hits scored against the target ship’s Fortitude. from.
For every number of hits that equal the tar-
get ship’s Fortitude, it takes 1 point of dam-
age. Any remaining hits have no additional
effect (FIG.9).
 OAK & IRON
Playing the Game 21

FIG. 9
(a) M ik e ’ s galleon E X P.
(broadside 5) has an eli-
gible shot on Liam’s 6th
rate frigate (fortitude
2) at musket Shot.
(b) Mike rolls 5 dice
and gets , ,
M , , .
ike
The result is re -
moved leaving 4 hits.
(c) Liam’s frigate takes
2 damage as the number
of hits has equaled its
Liam fortitude twice , and
a 1 point of Fatigue as
there was a successful
hit against it.
(d) As a was rolled
in the broadside attack,
this die is rerolled to
check for critical dam-
age.
A is rolled and
there is no critical
damage.
M Mike’s
ike galleon is given
a reload marker on the
firing side and it is then
Liam’s turn to attack
with one of his ships

Liam
b

M
ike

Liam
c

M
ike

Liam
d
22 OAK & IRON

»» PARTIAL FIRE »» CLOSE COMBAT A . P.

Close combat attacks my be taken between
This attack represents firing with only a por-
2 Entagled ships or 2 Landing Party tokens
tion of the ship’s guns as well as swivels and
small arms. A Partial Fire Attack follows the To make a Close Combat Attack, roll a num-
same rules as a Broadside Attack with these ber of dice equal to 5 plus the ship’s Crew
exceptions: Rating . If the attacking ship has a Bow or
Stern edge in contact with the opposing ship,
• Line of Sight may drawn from any of the target ship takes 1 point of Fatigue for
this ship’s edges. each result rolled. If the attacking ship
• Target ship may be outside of the has a side edge in contact with the opposing
Broadside Path. ship, the target ship takes a Fatigue for each
• Attack’s range is limited to Musket , , and result rolled.
Shot. During Close Combat between 2 Landing
• May be made with one or more reload Party Tokens, the ship that deployed the
markers. defending Landing Party takes a Fatigue for
• Does not generate a reload marker. each , , and result rolled.
• Uses the ship’s Crew Rating to deter-
mine the number of dice rolled.
 OAK & IRON
Playing the Game 23

THE END PHASE

New terms for this section
N . T. CAPTURED A ship that is Captured has the engagement. This is represented by Strike
been overtaken by an opposing Squadron. Points. During the end phase of every turn,
The Captured ship takes a Captured token players will count their current Strike Point
with the opposing faction’s insignia. Cap- total. If a Squadron ever earns more Strike
tured ships follow all of the same restrictions Points than their current ship total, its admi-
as Out of Action ships, but do not count ral will call a retreat and the player loses the
as an Out of Action ship. A ship may be game. Strike Points are not tracked between
re-captured by having a ship from its original turns and are earned as follows:
squadron become Entangled with it. Once
Entangled, remove the Captured token. • 1 for each ship that is Crippled (not
Re-captured ships remain Shaken, but will Out of Action)
otherwise operate normally. • 2 for each ship that has sunk, is cap-
tured, or Out of Action (not Flagship)
STRIKE POINTS Throughout the game, • 3 for each Flagship that is Out of Action
the mounting effects of battle begin to weigh
on your forces, causing them to want to flee • Objectives cards may cause players to
earn extra Strike Points

E . P. During this final phase, players count their has fewer Strike Points is the winner. If there
current Strike Points and check to see if the is a tie at the end of turn 10, the defender is
game continues. Take the following steps to declared the winner (but just barely!).
complete the turn:
3. CHECK FOR SINKING SHIPS Roll
1. CAPTURE OR DESTROY SHAKEN a dice for each Out of Action ship on the
table. If a or is rolled, the ship sinks
SHIPS A ship Entangled with an opposing
and is removed from the table.
ship whose crew is Shaken may Capture or
Destroy the Shaken ship. If the ship is Cap- 4. LOST ADMIRALS If a Flagship ever
tured, it now counts toward the ship total of ends a turn Out of Action, the controlling
the Squadron that Captured it. If the ship is player may spend a Fortune Point to take a
Destroyed, immediately take a Free Cut Free Free Transfer Flag action during this step.
Action. If this is not possible, remove the De- If the controlling player chooses not to do
stroyed ship from the table. The Destroyed this or it is not possible (e.g., the ship was
ship is Out of Action. removed from the table), a new ship must
2. CHECK FOR WITHDRAWAL Each immediately be assigned as the Flagship with
player counts their total number of Strike an admiral value of 0. If the player has more
Points. If the number of Strike Points earned than 5 initiative cards in their hand, that
this round exceeds the total number of ships player must immediately remove cards from
in that Squadron (Aground or Out of Action their hand until they have 5 cards remaining.
ships do not count towards the ship total), 5. RETURN INITIATIVE CARDS Both
that Squadron withdraws and the player has players now return their face up initiative
lost. If both players have earned more Strike cards to their hands.
Points than their ship total, the player with
the least amount of Strike Points is the win- Once these 5 steps are complete, the turn
ner. If there is a tie, continue playing. During ends. If neither player has achieved victory,
the End Phase of turn 10. whichever player a new turn begins.
 ADDITIONAL
RULES
C H A P. 5 .

DESIGNER’S NOTES COLLISIONS If a ship makes contact with • If colliding with another ship, the ship A.R.
1
Scrolling Sea: Alterna- another ship or a Terrain piece that rises that caused the collision rolls a number
tively, players with limited above the sea (such as rocks or islands) as of dice equal to its current speed rating.
space may choose to play part of a movement, this causes a collision. If one or more result is rolled, the ship
with an endless sea and
When a collision occurs, the ship being that caused the collision takes a point of
“scroll” everything on the
table to make more virtu- moved ends its movement immediately when damage. If at least one is rolled, the rig-
al room. If a ship’s move its base touches the object with which it is ging has become fouled with the ship (or
would cause it to move colliding. The effect of the collision depends ships) it is colliding with. They are now
off of the table, return on what the ship is colliding with: Entangled. Any other result has no effect.
the ship to its starting po- If the ships did not become Entangled, the
sition and move all ships • If colliding with Islands, Rocks, or ship that was struck is then moved Yard
and Terrain elements Landmasses, the ship receives a point of
on the table an equal Arm distance Directly Away from the ship
distance away from the
damage, an Aground token, and has its that hit it. If the struck ship is Aground or
board edge the ship would Sail Setting reduced to Anchored. Entangle, the moving ship is moved Yard
have sailed off of. A dis- Arm distance Directly Away instead.
tance of at least Musket
Shot should be used for
this. If any Terrain would Lily’s movement causes her ship to come into contact with Nate’s ship. She will stop her movement at the E X P.
point of contact and roll a number of dice equal to her current speed (4). Her results are , , ,
be moved off the table as
and . Lily’s ship will take one damage because she rolled one .
a result, the player who
Because Lily did not roll any sails, their ships are not entangled. Nate’s ship is moved one yard arm length
wasn’t moving the ship directly away from Lily’s ship. Lily may now use a crew action, but may not move any more this activation.
that caused the table to be
scrolled places the Terrain
anywhere within Musket
Shot of the opposite table MOVING OFF THE TABLE1 If a ship out the game. When re-rolling dice with a
edge it was forced off of. ends its move with part of its base off the Fortune Point, all dice must be re-rolled (in-
table, it has drifted too far from the engage- cluding any dice that produced the desired
ment and is removed from the game. results). Only a single fortune point may be
spent on each. Re-rolls given by crew skill or
FORTUNE POINTS At the start of any other special rules may be used again after
game, each player will receive 3 fortune spending a Fortune Point.
points. Fortune Points can be used to re-roll
any Skill Test or Attack roll made through- EVENTS If both players play an Initiative
 OAK & IRON rules
AdDitional 25

A.R. Card with the same Initiative value, immedi- • There must be two or more ships in for-
ately draw a card from the Event Card deck. mation and must include the Squadron’s
Follow the instructions on the Event Card Flagship.
before continuing with the turn. Leave the • Must be within Musket Shot of at least
event card face up for the duration of the list- one other ship in this squadron and must
ed effect. Once the effect of the card has run be able to draw an unobstructed perpen-
its course, it is discarded and not returned to dicular line from anywhere on its Bow or
the deck of event cards. Stern edge that enters the opposite edge
FORMATION Sailing in “line ahead” for- of the ship immediately ahead or behind
mation was the decisive tactic of the day. it. That ship must also be able to draw an
Squadrons in Oak & Iron receive a bonus unobstructed perpendicular line back.
for sailing in Formation. To qualify as being Each ship can only connect 1 other ship to
in Formation ships must meet the following: the Formation. Every ship that is in Forma-
tion may add one dice to Broadside and Par-
tial Fire Attacks.

FIG. 9

Flagship

RAKING SHOTS If a ship making a Broad- TARGETING RIGGING Instead of aim-

side Attack can draw a perpendicular line ing at a ship’s hull, a ship’s rigging may be
from the center point of its firing edge that targeted by a Broadside or Partial Fire Attack.
passes through both the Bow and Stern edge Targeting the rigging will damage the masts,
of the target ship, the target ship is being sails, and lines of the ship which can reduce
raked. A ship making a Raking Shot gains its speed. To target a ship’s rigging, reduce
the following bonuses: the number of dice rolled during the Attack
by half (round down, to a minimum of 1).
• If the Attack causes any Fatigue, the Treat the Attack as a critical damage test, but
target ship takes an additional point of ignore and results. An Attack made
Fatigue. against the rigging can never Fatigue or Dam-
• Both and results are counted age a ship. Raking shots are ignored when
towards Critical Hits. targeting a ship’s rigging.
• If the Raking Shot is entering the tar-
get ship through the Stern, treat the target
ship’s Fortitude as 1 for this Attack.
26 OAK & IRON

TARGETING CREW Similairly, the ship’s • FOG BANK Ships shooting into or A.R.
crew may be targeted by a Broadside or Par- through a fog bank treat the distance to
tial Fire Attack with a maximum range of their target as one range farther (e.g., two
Pistol Shot. Targeting crew can cause signif- ships at Pistol Shot from each other are
icant injury and suppression to the ship’s treated as if they were at Musket Shot in-
crew, causing it to be less effective. To target a stead). If this would cause the distance to
ship’s crew, reduce the number of dice rolled be greater than Cannon Shot, the distance
during the Attack by half (round down, to a is still treated as Cannon Shot, but only
minimum of 1). Treat the Attack as a critical results count as successful hits.
damage test, but ignore and results. • ROCKS A ship may not move through
An Attack made against the crew can nev- this type of Terrain. If a ship makes contact
er Damage the ship. When targeting crew with Rocks, it is treated as a Collision (pg.
during a raking shot, the target ship takes 24).
the additional point of Fatigue, but no other
• ISLANDS AND LAND MASSES
effects apply.
A ship may not move through this type
TERRAIN AND WEATHER Adding Ter- of Terrain. Areas of land are treated the
rain to your game table can present some same as Rocks except that they block Line
interesting tactical challenges and opportu- of Sight and a ship may take a Landing
nities. Party Crew Action to go ashore on them.

• SHOALS If at any point of a ship’s

move a part of the ship’s base moves over
an area of shoal Terrain, the ship must
check to see if it has struck bottom. Com-
plete the move, then roll a number of dice
equal to its printed Fortitude value. If any
results are rolled, the ship has struck
the bottom and takes an Aground token.
 OAK & IRON 27

CREATING A
S Q UA D RO N
C H A P. 6 .

C.A.S. To create a Squadron, players must first de- that will make up their Squadrons and add-
termine the size of the game that they want ing the points of each chosen ship to their
to play. There are three game sizes: Squadron’s total. Ships can be customized by
adding any of the upgrade or skill improve-
»» PATROL This type of game is ideal for ment options listed on the ship card. If an
players wishing to recreate battles between upgrade is chosen, the associated point cost
pirates, privateers, and coast guard Squad- must be added to the Squadron’s total. Ships
rons. In these games, Squadrons consist of 2 may also add upgrade and commander cards
to 4 ships and each player has a limit of 50 to their ships by adding the cost listed on the
points to build their Squadron. Ships of the card to their Squadron’s total. Each ship is
Line are not allowed in these games. Patrol limited to a 1 commander card and up to 2
games are played on a table of at least 3’x3’. upgrade cards.
»» SKIRMISH This type of game is ideal
FLAGSHIPS & ADMIRALS Each Squad-
for players wishing to recreate minor battles
ron must have 1 ship designated as its Flag-
between small naval Squadrons and/or larg-
ship. The Flagship is denoted by an admiral
er privateer or pirate Squadrons. In these
card. The admiral card counts as the com-
games, Squadrons consist of 4 to 8 ships and
mander card on a Flagship and each squad-
each player has a limit of 100 points to build
ron may only ever have 1. Each admiral card
their Squadron. Skirmish games are played
has an admiral value, usually between 0 and
on a table of at least 3’x3’.
3, that represents the admiral’s experience in
»» ENGAGEMENT This type of game is battle. Admiral value will be used to deter-
ideal for players wishing to recreate more mine which player is the attacker or defend-
significant battles between naval Squadrons er in a scenario and to break ties in certain
including the largest men of war sailing the situations.
seas! In these games, Squadrons consist of 5
to 10 ships and each Player has a limit of 200 INITIATIVE HAND Players will now
points to build their Squadron. Engagement build hand of Initiative cards. Each player
games are played on a table of at least 3’x4’. must choose a number of initiative cards
equal to 5 plus their squadron’s admiral val-
FACTIONS & SHIPS Once a game size is
ue. The initiative hand may not have more
established, each player begins building their
than 2 cards with the same initiative value,
Squadron by choosing a faction card. Each
more than 1 of a card with the same title,
faction card has a nationality symbol and
and must have at least 3 cards that are not
special rules that apply to all of the ships in
discarded after being played. Remember, all
a player’s Squadron. All other cards chosen
cards chosen for this force must include the
for this force must include the symbol of the
symbol of the chosen nationality card or have
chosen nationality card or have no symbol.
no symbol.
Next, players may begin choosing the ships
28 OAK & IRON

STARTING
A GAME
C H A P. 7.

To begin a game, designate two opposite edg- 2. SELECT TERRAIN Starting with the S.A.G
es of the table for deployment (long edges if defender, players then take turns adding Ter-
playing on a rectangular table). Then arrange rain pieces to the pool from those available.
ship models, cards, tokens, and all other The amount and type of Terrain each player
game components as shown on pg. 4. Draw may choose is determined by their Setting
an objective card and 3 cards from each of card.
the following decks:
3. PLACE TERRAIN Starting with the
»» SETTING: The setting cards decide how defender, players take turns placing a Terrain
many Terrain pieces are added to the pool. piece from the pool until there are none left.
Each Terrain piece may be placed anywhere
»» DEPLOYMENT: Deployment cards on the table, but may not be placed closer
designate each player’s deployment zone. than Musket Shot to another Terrain piece.
Regardless of deployment zone, no ship may Any Terrain that is not able to be placed is
ever be deployed within Cannon Shot of an removed from the game.
opposing ship.
4. ADJUST TERRAIN Starting with the
»» ADVANTAGE & CONDITIONS:
defender, players may now take turns moving
These cards give players unique advantages
any Terrain piece placed completely within
that can assist with their strategic planning.
their deployment zone up to Musket Shot
After the cards are drawn, the player whose away from its current position. Pieces may
Flagship has the highest admiral value may be moved to within Musket Shot of other
choose to be the attacker or defender. If both pieces, but not overlapping, and may not be
Flagships have the same admiral value, the moved off of the table.
two Flagships will roll a Challenge Test. The
winner may then choose to be the attacker 5. DEPLOY SQUADRONS Starting with
or defender. the defender, each player must place their
entire Squadron within their deployment
Starting with the attacker, players take turns zones. No player may place any of their ships
selecting 1 card from each category. Once within Cannon Shot of an opposing ship.
each player has a card from each category, 6. CHOOSE FIRST INITIATIVE
the remaining cards are discarded. Players
CARD Each player selects an initiative card
now begin setting up the game by taking the
from their hand and places it face down.
following steps:
Once both players have chosen their cards,
1. PLACE OBJECTIVE TERRAIN If the first turn begins.
the objective card has any Terrain require-
ments, place those first. The defender choos-
es the appropriate piece of Terrain and plac-
es it as instructed on the objective card.
 OAK &Battles
Fleet IRON (Multiplayer) 29

FLEET BATTLES
( M U LT I P L AY E R )
C H A P. 9 .

F. B . Fleet battles allow players to play larger scale MOVEMENT PHASE During the Move-
engagements involving multiple Squadrons ment phase of Fleet Battles, each side will
on each side. These rules are ideal for playing activate all the ships in a single Squadron
multiplayer battles where players can split up together. Although the entire Squadron ac-
into 2 teams and each player controls 1 or tivates together, each individual ship in the
2 Squadrons. The rules in this section will Squadron must complete its full activation
modify some of the core rules in the game before another ship is activated. Both fleets
in order to help facilitate these larger battles. alternate activating Squadrons until all the
Unless otherwise mentioned, all the normal Squadrons have completed an activation.
The game then proceeds to the Attack Phase.
rules for Oak & Iron apply.
ATTACK PHASE The Attack Phase works
FLEET BUILDING Both sides should con-
struct fleets of equal point values made up identically to a standard game of Oak &
of 2-4 Squadrons each. Individual Squadrons Iron. Players alternate activating ships re-
do not have to be made up of the same num- gardless of Squadron.
ber of points as long as the total combined
point value is equal to that of the opposing END PHASE When checking for withdraw-
fleet. Each Squadron will have its own ini- al in a fleet battle, the total Strike Points
tiative card hand as usual and may only use earned are checked against the total ship
cards from its own initiative hand. count of the fleet.

INITIATIVE PHASE The Initiative Phase

is slightly modified when playing fleet bat-
tles. When selecting a new initiative card,
each Squadron must choose an initiative
card from their hand. When revealing ini-
tiative cards, each fleet adds up the total ini-
tiative values from all of the initiative cards
played by the Squadrons in that fleet. The
fleet with the higher total will go first that
turn. If an entire Squadron is Captured or
Out of Action, that Squadron may not play
an initiative card this round.
 QUICK REFERENCE
GA M E OV E RV I E W AT TAC K OV E RV I E W
Initiative Phase (pg. 11) Broadside (pg. 20)
»» Reveal initiative card chosen previous turn »» Target Ship must be within Line of »» Fatigue: If at least 1 hit was scored
»» Select initiative card for the next turn Sight of the firing edge, within Broad- target ship takes 1 Fatigue
»» Resolve initiative card effects side Path, and within Cannon Shot »» Damage: For every number of hits
»» Roll a number of dice equal to that equal the target ship’s Fortitude,
Movement Phase (pg. 12) Attack Phase (pg. 19) Broadside value (upgrades, fatigue, it takes 1 point of damage.
etc. will affect this number) »» Check for Critical Damage
Starting with the higher initiative, Alternate activating ships, player may »» Choose to use re-rolls »» Place a reload marker on the
alternate activations by doing the fol- make an attack against an eligible firing edge
lowing: target:

»» Determine Speed Rating • Broadside

Partial Fire (pg. 22) Close Combat (pg. 22)
»» May take a Seamanship Action • Partial Fire »» Target Ship must be within Line of »» Must be Entangled with Target
• Change Heading • Close Combat Sight and within Musket Shot ship or Landing Party token must be
• Adjust Speed »» Roll a number of dice equal to within Musket Shot of Target Landing
• Cut Free End Phase (pg. 23) Crew value (upgrades, fatigue, etc. Party.
»» Move the ship according to Speed will affect this number) »» Roll a number of dice equal to crew
Rating »» Capture or Destroy Entangled
Shaken ships »» Re-rolls, Fatigue, Damage, and Criti- value plus 5 (upgrades, fatigue, etc.
»» May take a Crew Action cal damage are the same as Broadsides will affect this number)
• Reload »» Check for Withdrawal
»» Check for sinking ships »» If Boarding from Bow or Stern, tar-
• Rally get ship takes 1 Fatigue for each
• Repair »» Replace lost admirals
»» Return initiative cards »» If Boarding from a side edge or
• Change Sail Setting combat between Landing Party to-
• Board kens, target ship takes 1 Fatigue for
• Row each , , or
• Transfer Flag
• Landing Party

C R I T I CA L DA M AG E ( P G. 20 )
D E T E R M I N I N G S P E E D R AT I N G +: 1 Damage
( P G . 14 ) , +: Ship becomes Crippled. If already Crippled, becomes Out of Action
»» Check point of sail
»» Check sail setting +: Reduce Sail Setting by 1
»» Upgrade, faction, event, and Initiative card effects
»» Adjust Speed Seamanship Action can be taken to effect speed rating. , +: Take an Aground token

+: 1 Fatigue
COUNTING STRIKE POINTS
, +: Ship must make a Full Turn using Speed 2 tool in the direction chosen
( P G . 23 ) by the attacker. If there is a captain or admiral on the ship, roll 1 dice. If ,
If a Squadron ever has more Strike Points than ships, that Squadron may With- or , discard captain.
draw (pg. 23)

»» 1 for each ship that is Crippled (not Out of Action)

»» 2 for each ship that has sunk, is captured, or Out of Action (not Flagship) SAIL SETTING
»» 3 for each Flagship that is Out of Action SAIL SETTING BONUS
»» Objective cards may cause players to earn extra Strike Points
+1 Speed
Full Sail
(May not take reload actions)
THINGS TO REMEMBER:
Players start each game with 3 Fortune Points
- Battle Sail 0
Roll 1 fewer dice (to a minimum of 1) during each test or attack for each Fatigue

Any and counts as a success for Skill Tests Minimal Sail -1 Speed

Broadside and Partial Fire Attacks can target Rigging or Crew (pg. 20-22)
Anchored No move
A Raking Broadside or Partial Fire Attack causes extra damage! (pg. 25)