@dignity and @lloyd, in Saga, levy only generate 1 melee die for 3 models. But, and this is key, they generate 1 shooting die for every 2 models. Makes a difference.

Warriors also only generate 1 shooting die for every 2 and hearthguard generate 1 shooting die per model. But as they start out as smaller units, they’re throwing fewer die (Caveats apply of course, you can have any size unit from 4 to 12).

Welsh, Irish and Briton shooting can be a major problem, but their battleboards specifically have shooting bonuses. The Normans also have shooting bonuses but to a lesser extent.

Generally, I take 1 point of levy, 2 of Hearthguard and 3 of warriors. That may vary for specific factions. For instance, the Russian Prince battlboard really favors hearthguard so I might take 3 points of Hearthguard and 3 of warriors. For the Normans, I might take 2 missile units (probably both as Warriors) and the rest as cavalry as that specific battleboard favors offense, mounted troops and shooting. If I’m facing Vikings, I always take a missile unit as they are deadly to Berserkers (due to their lower armor).

@warzan, naval warfare during the age of fighting sale was a highly technical proposition. Warships were a major investment in terms of money and generally took years to build. The techniques to build them were highly specialized and took very specific types of timber to build them. Once built, you still had to man them with very specialized technicians in the form of sailors. It literally took years for a landlubber to learn how to be a sailor.

Ships of the line, what we would call battleships, were literally the ships that would form in a line of battle and whale away at an enemy line of battle. The line of battle was typically the admiral in the lead ship of the line and everyone else following behind him. This made it easier for him to signal to the fleet. He’d fly his signalling flags, the ship behind him would then copy that signal and pass it to the next ship in the line and so on.

The rear admiral literally was on the last ship of the line and his job was to take over if the line of battle got reversed, thus making his ship the lead ship.

Strategy, such as it was, was designed to not lose a fight The line had a fairly tight formation to maximize firepower and to allow the admiral to keep tight control over the formation. Many fleet engagements tended to result in a draw.

During the Napoleonic era, tactics varied by the nation and their chosen armaments and quality of their crews.

There were several types of guns on a ship. The standard cannon, a variant called the carronade and a few ships had mortars. The cannon and the carronade differed in their size but worked the same. They both fired projectiles but the cannon fired smaller projectiles over a longer range. The carronades were much bigger caliber but fired at a significantly shorter range. The carronade could be much more destructive but had to get close.

During the War of 1812, the USS Constitution defeated HMS Cyane and HMS Levant at the same time because she had mostly long guns while both of the British ships had almost all carronades.

Mortars did appear on ships but were mostly used to attack land fortifications. As you might imagine, they lobbed explosives over walls.

The ammo used in the ships of the day was quite varied. Types included, solid round shot, double shot (literally two cannonballs), chain shot and grape shot. Round shot was longer range and was designed to damage the ship proper. Chain shot was more specialized. It was two cannon balls connected by a chain. You loaded it into the gun and then aimed at the masts of the ships. As it went hurling through the air, the round shot would stretch the chain out and the whole mass would rip into sails and the riggging and cause the enemy ship to lose speed and maneuverability. There were a couple of variations on chain shot but basically all were designed to attack a ships rigging.

Grape shot, or canister shot, was strictly anti-personnel. A bag full of musket balls fired at close range to clear the enemy decks. Basically a big, bloody shotgun.

If you had good sailors and good gunners, you could outmaneuver your enemy, slow him down with round shot and chain shot aimed at his rigging, then close in for the kill with round shot and double shot at the hull and masts, then sweep the decks with grape shot. By then, the enemy usually surrendered and you could board at your leisure.

Boarding actions, in the classic movie sense of leaping from your ship on to the enemy ship to fight the crew, tended not to happen if you had good sailors and gunners. The enemy ship usually struck their colors. If you’re crews weren’t the best, then boarding actions were more likely. You’d still try to damage the enemy into surrendering but you’d also try and close the gap and then just flood the enemy ship by boarding.

The French in the Napoleonic era, had a poor navy, inexperienced crews and spent a lot of time in port. If they did fight, they would try and use their larger crew sizes to board enemy vessels. The British had highly experienced sailors but those guys were expensive to pay, and took a long time to train. Gunners, on the other hand, were usually impressed. The impressment of American sailors off of American merchant ships was one of the leading causes of the the War of 1812. The American navy had no ships of the line and the largest ships were frigates. And while excellent ships, they couldn’t fight anything bigger than other frigates. The American navy also paid more than the merchant marine, so the US Navy had the pick of the litter, so to speak, in terms of personnel. Not being involved in most of the European wars also meant the US navy got a lot of sea time and spent it training and practicing their specialized skills.

Gunners formed the largest part of the crews of fighting ships. They lacked the technical skills of sailors and literally, only manned the guns. Training of gun crews was constant repetition of the same actions and the skills were easier to master. Most ships had enough gunners to fire one broadside at a time, not both.

Marines were specialist troops. In the French navy, they were additional manpower for boarding actions. In the Royal Navy, they provided ship security to prevent mutiny of the lower decks, for example, the impressed gunners.

Each navy thus had very different approaches to fighting. By the time of Trafalger, the quality of the British crews and captains was so much better than both the French and Spanish, Nelson felt he could abandon the fighting instructions and just fight a series of one on one duels and still be victorious. Turns out, he was right!

It’s a really fascinating era and there are lots of gaming possibilities. Can’t wait to see what y’all come up with.