Close Action
Encyclopedia
Close Action is a naval board wargame
published by Clash of Arms
in 1997
and designed by Mark A. Campbell. The game replicates naval warfare of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The game was inspired by and shares superficial similarities to the Avalon Hill
game Wooden Ships and Iron Men
(WS&IM). It was created chiefly in response to perceived errors in the simulation found in WS&IM.
naval combat. Campbell, while retaining many superficial similarities to Wooden Ships and Iron Men, changed the game mechanics significantly in order to create a more realistic simulation of period naval conflict.
Over a decade was spent designing the game and play-testing in both small and large games, chiefly along the Eastern Coast of the United States. Close Action was finally published by Clash of Arms in 1997.
conventions in Lancaster, PA, and at other wargaming conventions.
Many monster games are played on a massive hex-grid with 2-inch hexes rather than the standard hex-grid which comes with the game. In these monster games, famous, infamous, obscure, or even semi-fantasy battles are fought between fleets. The ideal ratio of ships to players is 1:1, though this is usually not entirely achieved. Mark Campbell himself runs many monster games, including the Trafalgar Day games, which are the largest monster-games, being upwards of 40-50 players. On the first Trafalgar Day game, held in 2005 one day after the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar
, there were 60+ players in attendance, and there were(in a rare occasion), even more players than ships.
Other criticisms are the lack of fleet level morale rules and the tendency of most ships to fight on until completely wrecked. In addition, there are no command control rules other than having a separate player for each ship.
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
published by Clash of Arms
Clash of Arms
Clash of Arms Games is a wargaming company best known for a high level of graphics quality and moderately to highly complex games, often focusing on the Napoleonic era, but with offerings in most eras of military history...
in 1997
1997 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1997. For video and console games, see 1997 in video gaming.-Game awards given in 1997:...
and designed by Mark A. Campbell. The game replicates naval warfare of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The game was inspired by and shares superficial similarities to the Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
game Wooden Ships and Iron Men
Wooden Ships and Iron Men
Wooden Ships and Iron Men is a naval board wargame in which the players simulate combat by sailing ships of the late 18th and early 19th centuries...
(WS&IM). It was created chiefly in response to perceived errors in the simulation found in WS&IM.
History
Close Action was first imagined in the 1980s by Mark Campbell and other avid Wooden Ships and Iron Men players as a "fix" to WS&IMs unrealistic simulation of Age of ReasonAge of reason
Age of reason may refer to:* 17th-century philosophy, as a successor of the Renaissance and a predecessor to the Age of Enlightenment* Age of Enlightenment in its long form of 1600-1800* The Age of Reason, a book by Thomas Paine...
naval combat. Campbell, while retaining many superficial similarities to Wooden Ships and Iron Men, changed the game mechanics significantly in order to create a more realistic simulation of period naval conflict.
Over a decade was spent designing the game and play-testing in both small and large games, chiefly along the Eastern Coast of the United States. Close Action was finally published by Clash of Arms in 1997.
Basics
Close Action is broken up into turns, which are broken up further into phases. Phases of a turn in Close Action include:- Phase one is the movement plotting phase, where the players plot movement for the turn, and ship captains and admirals write messages to be delivered later in the turn.
- Phase two is the movement phase, where movement is resolved. This is a generally straightforward phase, though there are occasional collisions which must be resolved in this phase.
- Phase three is the fire plotting phase, where the players plot fire on enemy ships, calculating the distance, their own morale rating, and the ship class.
- Phase four is the fire resolution phase, where dice are rolled and damage caused during the firing phase is recorded.
- Phase five is when all other types of less important things occur, such as fixing rigging or hull, grappling or un-grappling from another ship, firefighting, and boarding actions
- Phase six is when the messages written during phase one are delivered to the rest of the fleet, and the turn ends.
"Monster" games
Close Action, though it is at its basis a tabletop wargame with only a few players, is considered especially good with large fleet actions, replicated by numbers of players generally in the tens and twenties, but sometimes expanding into the forties or larger. (This is largely from the game mechanics having all players simultaneously plot their movement and fire, and having limited communication via signals, so larger numbers of players do not slow down the game waiting for each player in sequence to have a turn.) There are usually large monster games played at the Historical Miniatures Gaming SocietyHistorical Miniatures Gaming Society
The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society promotes the hobby of historical miniature wargaming as a registered non-profit charitable and educational foundation...
conventions in Lancaster, PA, and at other wargaming conventions.
Many monster games are played on a massive hex-grid with 2-inch hexes rather than the standard hex-grid which comes with the game. In these monster games, famous, infamous, obscure, or even semi-fantasy battles are fought between fleets. The ideal ratio of ships to players is 1:1, though this is usually not entirely achieved. Mark Campbell himself runs many monster games, including the Trafalgar Day games, which are the largest monster-games, being upwards of 40-50 players. On the first Trafalgar Day game, held in 2005 one day after the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
, there were 60+ players in attendance, and there were(in a rare occasion), even more players than ships.
Criticism
The main criticism of Close Action is the apparent complication of its rules, which are far more complex than those in Wooden Ships and Iron Men. This is, however largely illusory and the rules generally play as quickly as those of WS&IM.Other criticisms are the lack of fleet level morale rules and the tendency of most ships to fight on until completely wrecked. In addition, there are no command control rules other than having a separate player for each ship.