Wooden Ships & Iron Men (1975)

Fighting ships in the age of sail! This classic Avalon Hill title details military engagements in the golden age of sail with a plethora of historical scenarios. Players take their groups of ships and form their ship lines and then go at it. The game comes with a large generic ocean map overlaid with a hex grid. The ship counters occupy two hexes and include special rules for moving and firing with this design. Players can begin with the smaller scenarios and work up to whole fleets engaged in pitched battle.

Avalon Hill Complexity Rating - 6

Wooden Ships & Iron Men (1975)
Prior existing published design (Battleline) redesigned by Avalon Hill
Designed by Craig Taylor
Development by Mick Uhl

WS&IM was a fine game in its own right. The AH development merely clarified the rules, while adding an Advanced Game which increased the focus of the action by lessening the abstraction of the gun factors and halving the scale. A revised set of rules is pending.

'Age of Sail fan' microbadge:

Naval Wargamer Microbadges:

Magazine References:

The General Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.12,No.6
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – Series Replay Mick (Mike) Uhl, Jack Greene, Richard Hamblen, S. Craig Taylor
• The GENERAL Vol.13,No.5
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “Rules Expansion for W.S.& I.M.” (Variant) Mick (Mike) Uhl
• The GENERAL Vol.14,No.5
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “The French are IN! - Design Your Own Scenariors for Wooden Ships & Iron Men” (Variant/Scenarios) John D. Burtt
• The GENERAL Vol.15,No.5
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “Wooden Ships & Iron Men of the Baltic: The Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790 - 5 Scenarios” by Gary Charbonneau
• The GENERAL Vol.16,No.2
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “Fire As Your Guns Bear - Bold and Resourceful Manuever in Fleet Actions Under Sail” (Strategy) Leonard P. Carpenter*
• The GENERAL Vol.17,No.6
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “Hoisting the Jolly Roger - Pirates in Wooden Ships & Iron Men” (Variant) Michael Turner
• The GENERAL Vol.18,No.3
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “Play by Mail Turn Record Sheet” (Insert) AH Staff
  • Series Replay - Wooden Ships & Iron Men “Strachan Vs. Dumanoir, 4 November 1805” Leonard P. Carpenter, John D Burtt, Mick (Mike) Uhl
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “Wooden Ships by Mail - Or What Is That Frigate Doing in My Post Box???” (Variant) Leonard P. Carpenter
• The GENERAL Vol.19,No.5
  • “Wooden Ships & Iron Men of the Levant - The Russo-Turkish Wars on the Seas”, Sean Canfield
• The GENERAL Vol.26,No.6
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “The Frigates Fight - WS&IM in the War of 1812” (Scenarios) by Michael Lee Merritt
• The GENERAL Vol.27,No.2
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men – “The China Trade: Chinese Vessels for Wooden Ships & Iron Men ” (Variants) Thomas M. Kane
• The GENERAL Vol.27,No.6
  • “Wooden Ships for One - A Solitaire System for Wooden Ships & Iron Men” (Variant), Mark Hunter

Moves Article Index:

• Number 18, December 1974/January 1975
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men - "Foward Observer: Wooden Ships & Iron Men" (Review), Richard H. Berg

Panzerfaust Article Index:

• Number 64
  • Thumbnail Analysis: Major Campaigns of General Douglas MacArthur, Napoleon: The Waterloo Campaign, 1815, Wooden Ships & Iron Men
• Number 71 Jan-Feb 1976
  • Shenandoah / Wooden Ships & Iron Men / Ancient Conquest / Jerusalem / Hue / Khalkhin-Gol / Airline / Basketball Strategy / Battle of the Atlantic: The Epic Struggle of the Wolf Pack vs Convoy / Raiders of the North / Undersea Warriors / Schutztruppe / MTB - "Thumbnail Analysis" (Review), Don Lowry

Phoenix Article Index:

• Number 29, January 1981
  • Wooden Ships & Iron Men - "Broadside to Broadside: Reflections on Wooden Ships & Iron Men" (Review), Doug Davies

Online Play

• http://www.youplay.it/ (turn-based)
• http://constantsail.com (similar concept)