From: Christopher Salander <salander@cadence.com>
Subject: Game review #1

Frigates! by Chatham Hill Games
Game review by Chris Salander

Frigates! is a simple DTP game of the ship to ship 
sea battles that took place between the US and France in 1799
and the US and Britain in the War of 1812.  Chatham makes many of
these $7 - $12 games, all focused on American history.  They are ideal
for introducing children to wargaming while teaching them national
history, and some of the games have enough complexity and chrome to
interest experienced wargamers.  With wargames now selling at around
$40, it is unlikely that you will find a game for just two ships.
You can usually play it in about 1 hour.

Materials: Except for the plastic spinner, the game is all card stock,
printed in 3 colors.  The map is 11" x 17", while the ships are vertical
"stand up" counters that you must cut out and fold.  Most of the charts 
are on the map. The hit table for the ships is in the 8 half-pages rulebook, 
and should be photocopied.

The Ships: The game focuses mainly on two battles fought by
the USS Constellation against French frigates, and several
battles fought by the Constitution against various British ships.

Movement: Movement alternates between players, and is a random
spin of 1 to 3, plus a wind modifier.  The ships move from point 
to point on a grid.  The grid is made by three sets of parallel 
lines that cross the map 120 degrees apart.  This creates the 
point to point equivalent of hexes.  There is a -1, 0, or +1 
movement modifier for wind direction, and turning only (no 
forward movement) when "in irons."

Shooting: Ranges are 1, 2, and 3 grid points.  Each ship has a number
out of 1 through 16 that it must stay below to hit. This number 
represents both the size and number of guns carried by each ship.  
There is a standard firing table for a 38 gun frigate.  All other
types of ships use the same table, but with modifiers that reflect
their size.

You can inflict two types of hits on a ship: hull and sail.  Hull
hits also count for guns and crew.  Whether a hit is hull or sail
is determined randomly, with more sail hits at greater range.
Sail hits reduce speed, hull hits reduce shooting and boarding
ability.

Boarding: You can try to grapple an adjacent ship and board it.
A board combat table uses the difference between the hull factors
of the two ships and a spinner result to determine the winner.

There is a table to determine if the captain of a ship has been
killed, and one to determine if a ship will strike before it
loses all its hull or sail boxes.

The Bad News

Unfortunately, the game does not function very well.  The movement
system allows ships that are broadside to broadside to immediately
move into a raking position each turn.  Unless it is crippled or
heading into the wind, the raked ship can then move into a raking
position in its turn!  So the elaborate approach manuevers devolve 
down to a simple dance of half circles.  Ship A moves to rake ship B.  
Ship B moves to rake ship A.  This can go on for many turns and 
is no fun.

Wargamers with any experience will be put off by some of the 
oversimplifications, such as "every ship is a 38 gun frigate
plus or minus modifiers" and hull hits represent hull, guns,
and crew.  This may be a good game for kids who are unfamiliar
with naval wargaming.

Finally, the scenarios are printed on the back of the map!
You have to copy them down before setting up a battle.

This game was disappointing.  "Don't Give up the Ship" and the
"The Monitor and The Merrimack" are better.  Clearly, a Chatham
Hill game needs multiple components and special events to
make it interesting.