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Author Topic: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?  (Read 2846 times)

Andrew_McGuire

  • Guest
Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« on: September 02, 2020, 03:49:13 PM »
As opposed to Iron and Oak, Iron and Wine, Iron and Rust, Wooden Ships & Iron Men, Hearts of Oak, any old iron, etc? (OK, not all of those are games and some I just made up). It's been out a while, but all the so-called reviews on YouTube & BGG show is either the publisher's previews or people blathering about the Kickstarter. WSS promised a review, but I've not seen the new issue yet.

Offline Historiker

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 329
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2020, 11:09:41 PM »
That would interest me as well, as I am also considering getting the starter set.

Although I am currently trying to limit the projects I am working on, this game fascinated me. Luckily for my wallet I could not find a proper in depth review yet!

Well, they are getting my money anyway, as I am quite looking forward to the Blood & Plunder Kickstarter, but as the OP I would appreciate if someone could tell me of his experiences with Oak & Iron!
"The philosopher Didactylos has summed up an alternative hypothesis as: Things just happen. What the hell."

Offline SteveBurt

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1283
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2020, 01:49:48 PM »
I downloaded the free PDF of the basic rules. Looked Ok but not interesting enough to make  Me buy them

Andrew_McGuire

  • Guest
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2020, 04:57:10 PM »
WSS reviewed one of the ship models in the last issue, which piqued my interest, and promised to review the game in the near future. The new issue has apparently only just come from the printer's, but this issue's 'Let's play' article is on Frostgrave II, so we may have to wait another couple of months at least.

The ship models appear pretty basic in the raw plastic, but unless this image is a Photoshop TM production, they're capable of achieving the desired impact:


Offline El Frantico

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 148
    • Firelock Games
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2020, 04:00:30 AM »
I’ve played quite a bit and enjoy them quite a lot! But I did write them so...  : lol

Unfortunately, the game launching at the very start of the pandemic didn’t do us any favors in getting people playing it right away. Here are a couple unbiased reviews:

https://www.wargamer.com/reviews/oak-and-iron-firelock-games/

https://nodicenoglory.com/2020/04/27/setting-sail-with-oak-and-iron-battle-report/

I downloaded the free PDF of the basic rules. Looked Ok but not interesting enough to make  Me buy them

The game is designed to be approachable by non-naval/non-historical gamers, yet still reward and encourage historical tactics and represent the period accurately. A great deal of what makes the game interesting, especially to veteran naval gamers, is found in the admiral, faction, and initiative cards. They represent battle planning, national doctrine, and signaling and using them properly can make or break your victory :)
Mike Tuñez
Firelock Games
www.FirelockGames.com

Andrew_McGuire

  • Guest
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2020, 04:41:07 PM »
Thank you for those links. Those are the kind of articles I sought in vain.

Although the period is different, I'm also wondering how the game compares with Warlord's Black Seas, which is in a similar scale, and for which I've also found little useful commentary.

Offline Golgotha

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2176
    • BMC Miniatures - All things wargame related.
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2020, 04:54:07 PM »
I would love to try out these rules. Thank you for the info.

Offline Historiker

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 329
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2020, 09:22:52 PM »
Even though I am a complete landlubber, I do have acquired quite the love for anything specifically 18th Century / 19th Century and Age of Sail in general. The products from Firelock therefore seem right up my alley and they look fantastic.

@El Frantico:

Congratulations for creating these amazing things! Will you also ship new products to European retailers?

Unfortunately (or rather: fortunately, for the game!) Oak & Iron seems to be sold out in Germany! Sorry for typos, if there are any, I am actually on a historical ship for the night and typing on the tiniest of phones.

Offline Historiker

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 329
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2020, 09:30:29 PM »
PS: Great to hear that you will cover the American War for Independence with B&P eventually.

Do you have a similar long-term Strategy with Oak & Iron if I may ask?

Dare we say... sometime sometime...Trafalgar?

Offline El Frantico

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 148
    • Firelock Games
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2020, 04:28:44 AM »
Oak & Iron is actually sold out almost everywhere right now. We are expecting our restock in the middle of the month and it should find its way into the EU/UK sometime in October.

PS: Great to hear that you will cover the American War for Independence with B&P eventually.

Do you have a similar long-term Strategy with Oak & Iron if I may ask?

Absolutely. Early next year we will be releasing many new ships as well!

Dare we say... sometime sometime...Trafalgar?

Andrew_McGuire

  • Guest
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2020, 05:06:40 PM »
Further to the above, I note that Firestorm Games in the UK has several copies of the core set and four of the expansions currently in stock. I know from personal experience that their service is very fast and efficient - two recent orders have arrived within a couple of days.

https://www.firestormgames.co.uk/wargames-miniatures/oak--iron

Offline Historiker

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 329
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #11 on: September 05, 2020, 07:35:26 PM »
@El Frantico

Many thanks for the info! Always great to hear about long term
support for a game. Very interesting to see where the game will go!

@Andrew McGuire

Thanks! I usually order a lot from the UK (mostly stuff I can‘t buy at most places here, like a lot of the smaller metal mini manufacturers) but in this case I would probably wait for the German retail restock.

Offline SteveBurt

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1283
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2020, 08:56:35 AM »
Thank you for those links. Those are the kind of articles I sought in vain.

Although the period is different, I'm also wondering how the game compares with Warlord's Black Seas, which is in a similar scale, and for which I've also found little useful commentary.

I'd say the game is more complex than Black Seas; on the other hand the models are less detailed than the Black Seas ships. Black Seas is a great game but not a great simulation; it is also for a much later period than Oak & Iron. Black Seas is 1790 till 1815 whereas Oak & Iron is late 17th early 18th century.

Andrew_McGuire

  • Guest
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #13 on: September 10, 2020, 01:25:29 PM »
Pretty much my impression from my little reading. I quite like the look of the Black Seas vessels, and have partly built - as in laid down - one of the brigs that came with WI last year, without masts as yet as I don't know which ones to use and am wondering why they don't have sails, though one mainmast has a furled sail on the bottom spar(?). As a sailing ignoramus I also have no idea what the odd fork-like piece is for, or where it goes, which may be redundant as I've broken mine.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2020, 01:46:55 PM by Andrew_McGuire »

Offline SteveBurt

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1283
Re: Anyone playing Oak and Iron?
« Reply #14 on: September 11, 2020, 12:33:17 PM »
The fork-like bits are the yards for the fore-and-aft sail which goes on the mizzen mast.
You can download sail templates and assembly instructions from the Warlord site

 

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