Loving Sails Of Glory Napoleonic ...

[sotek486]

Now I'm not primarily a naval gamer ... I play mostly "land" battles ... but hey, if you like Napoleonics then you should be open to this game.  Since age of sail has always been an interest I checked out this game, but of course, most naval games for me are just "secondary" or "side" games ... as in if I have to do any serious level of effort to get things done it will fall away to other things ... so I have to say, if you have even the slightest interest in age of sail gaming, and find yourself in the same boat (pun intended) as me ... check this game out!

I just posted up my initial impressions/thoughts, as well as some pictures from our second game, up on my blog at http://jayswargamingmadness.blogspot.com/2014/01/sails-of-glory-miniatures-game.html.

Preview pic:



Regards,

Jay

[King Tiger]

I was very interested until I found out the price for the starter set, ouch 

[sotek486]

$90 ... not that bad ... in fact, when you consider the cost of doing normally via 1/1200 miniatures it is a steal.  For $90 you get a full miniature gaming experience ... 4 physical ships that can represent up to 8 different ships ... all the counters and gaming aides you need.  I can tell you that if you wanted to do 1/1200 age of sail miniature gaming using lead ships and rules it would most definitely cost you far more ... and that is without painting.

[King Tiger]

I'm afraid £70 is too much to start a game, when other similar starters are in the £30 as well, seems like an odd choice to go so high, its a scary price, I mean there is no way I could afford it, it would take me 4 months to save for it, 4!, nah, I know my local asked about stocking, everyone who was asked laughed or died of heart attack.

If I wanted to do nap navals I'd just buy 1/1200 models, they cost something stupid like £1-£4 per model, with £70 I'd have two large fleets, I got plenty of naval rulesets I can use, or even make one up, its so easy to do

[Conquistador]

The "boxes" {bases?} look distracting... Hopefully they serve a highly functional purpose?

Gracias,

Glenn

[sotek486]

The bases put me off as well initially ... but in fact they do serve two very critical and functional purposes.  The first is that your gun "strength" is rated differently for firing from the front, center, or rear arcs - which are depicted on the base.  Also, when firing, range for each arc is measured from a red dot that is located on the base (this means you could use other ships than the ones that come with it and the firing arcs/points would be the same).  The second is that the outside edge of each base is marked with a green, red, or orange line.  You can a small template and orient it to the direction of the wind while pointing it at the center mast - the point at which the "arm" of the template crosses the base will tell you if you are running, beating, taken aback, etc. - which of course impacts your movement.

You can see the template and a closer look at the base here:

[Elbows]

I got to check it out this weekend.  I think it's a pretty neat idea, though visually the bases bug me.  I like that you get two ship cards per model (allowing you to field two different ships).  The game is all about some tokens, and at first glance the boards sure are not...intuitive.  The mechanics looks pretty good, though I think the boards could have been more cleverly done.

In the US it's up to $90...but you can find it for $62 at discount shops online.  At that price it's about par the course.  The replacement ships are $18 a pop, which is insane...but again they can be had for $12 which is slightly less insane.

The ships are quite nice, but could use some additional washes, and maybe some brush work where the mast meets the sail.  I do think this would be a hell of a game/bargain if it were about 30% cheaper right off the bat.  Had they managed to get the ships down to $7-8 a pop with discounts they would have gained a large crowd of people buying just the ships.  Time will tell if this was a wasted effort.

I'd say for people who enjoy naval combat it's probably a good 'throw it out and play' game.  Maybe not for die-hards. 

[Poiter50]

Collected mine from the PO distribution centre today, they are very nice IMHO. 10 ships all up and I am eagerly awaiting more news on the follow up releases.

[Conquistador]

sotek486,

Yes I see the colors on the base - I expect it is best to have the wind off (hope this is the right term) coming off the left/right rear quarter rather than dead astern for movement.  I am an aerial (2D but aerial) guy first, land second, and naval last... so I hope I don't totally miss the implications of terms.

Maybe that is why (plus space issues) I don't feel drawn to the game.   I like games with few units (like planes) to paint because painting is the "big bad" in the hobby for me but this one has no traction for me.  

Horses for courses.

I know a "if you supply the figures I can play most anything once or  twice" local who won't consider it because of the bases.  I am not that bad but that much money for those figures is a negative to my dinosaur brain.

Horses for courses again.

Gracias,

Glenn

[sotek486]

@Conquistador:  Yes, to each there own    It is better to be "in the green" or "orange" ... wind dead astern is "orange" ... red is "taken aback" which is all sorts of bad as you can imagine.  I just barely can pass a nautical terms basic test ... so no worries here about terminology matey! 

I guess I summed it up IMO best on TMP:

... this game is perfect for someone like me – who primarily plays several other periods and does naval "on the side" and is unwilling (or rather unable given my other projects) to spend much if any time on getting the miniatures completed so I can play --- this gives me a game that I can use to scratch that itch right out of the box.

If you have an investment in an existing naval collection, this isn't for you ... but I do think this will appeal to many --- hey, the Kickstarter funded at ~980% ... so there is definitely more people like me out there who'll enjoy it ... but also many who'll never play it for either aesthetic reasons or because they already have ships and rules (and like "fleet" actions for example).

@Elbows:  I agree - the ship "mats" (or boards) could have been done much better ... but I picked up what everything meant very quickly.  Seeing it in person is much better ... the bases really bugged me ... so much that it was one of the primary reasons I didn't do the Kickstarter ... but, having played it now and used them in person I'm past it ... especially since I've painted a 1/1200 Nap. ship ... and started rigging it ... and that was one of the most unfun hobby experiences I've ever had the displeasure of attempting.

@Poiter50: AWESOME!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! 

[Conquistador]

There are several locals who have been playing it so I expect it will show up at a con locally - maybe November.  If I go there I am sure I will play it just to be able to say I did.  The other local age of sail naval game is on where the ships move small increments and you need a calculator (only slightly exaggerated) to judge results the firing of various types/sizes guns.

I think it looks like a "fun game" - which is not bad thing despite being a recovering simulationist -  (based only on the ships and pictures like in this thread) but as stated by others the initial price puts it out of my budget range for entering a new (especially niche) game type.

Enjoy and post reports please.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Conquistador]

<snip>

In the US it's up to $90...but you can find it for $62 at discount shops online.  At that price it's about par the course.  The replacement ships are $18 a pop, which is insane...but again they can be had for $12 which is slightly less insane.
<snip>

Have only priced a few board games recently but anything decent (beyond the classics like Monopoly) seems to run around 40 - 60 dollars unless it is a card game so I guess that isn't too overpriced.  Although I don't see being dropped down at a party for guests to play whereas I can see something of the "Settlers of Catan" (which I never have played) style possibly in that role.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Elbows]

Yeah, the board game market in the US went in a really weird direction.  Generic board games (for kids) which used to be of high quality became really dirt cheap Chinese stuff - selling for $5-10 at the local big shops.

At the same time we started to see a big emergence of high-quality, high-dollar games - in the $70-90+ range.  Quality components, nice artwork, a lot of atmosphere, but often nothing more than some cardboard counters, cards, and a board.  The quality reminds me of the old Ravensburger games from my youth.  I'm surprised at how many people buy the $70-90 board games, something I hesitate to do.

They're really popular, but also tend to stick with gamers, and don't fill the role of simple family entertainment.  I still think that the SoG boxed set is a bit expensive at $90 MSRP though.  The starter sets for Wings of Glory were cheaper with an equal number of miniatures, and similar number of components.  Nice game though.  I'm one of those guys who's trying to decide between the various "Wings of War" style games.  WW1?  WW2?  X-Wing?  Sails of Glory!?  GRRRR...

[Conquistador]

I just sold off my WW1/WW2 boxed rules and about a dozen planes as I started doing some long term reductions for retirement - I kept all the 1/600th planes of course.

The "Sail" game looks fun but I think for now I will let others invest, play a few games, and see if my interest justifies buying something as expensive (IMO) as this.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Too Bo Coo]

@Conquistador:  Yes, to each there own    It is better to be "in the green" or "orange" ... wind dead astern is "orange" ... red is "taken aback" which is all sorts of bad as you can imagine.  I just barely can pass a nautical terms basic test ... so no worries here about terminology matey! 

I guess I summed it up IMO best on TMP:

If you have an investment in an existing naval collection, this isn't for you ... but I do think this will appeal to many --- hey, the Kickstarter funded at ~980% ... so there is definitely more people like me out there who'll enjoy it ... but also many who'll never play it for either aesthetic reasons or because they already have ships and rules (and like "fleet" actions for example).

@Elbows:  I agree - the ship "mats" (or boards) could have been done much better ... but I picked up what everything meant very quickly.  Seeing it in person is much better ... the bases really bugged me ... so much that it was one of the primary reasons I didn't do the Kickstarter ... but, having played it now and used them in person I'm past it ... especially since I've painted a 1/1200 Nap. ship ... and started rigging it ... and that was one of the most unfun hobby experiences I've ever had the displeasure of attempting.

@Poiter50: AWESOME!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! 

This is the same reason X-Wing was so appealing.  FUn and easy game, and minimal start effort.