Coal, and the Kaiser

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This is a game of low to moderate complexity portraying tactical naval combat in the period from 1904 through 1918.  While it will not yet you play Jutland in a day, it will let you play some fairly large actions reasonably quickly.  It uses a scale of 4 minutes to the game turn and 1000 yards to an inch on the playing surface.  The rules focus on big ships and big guns: battleships (and particularly the Dreadnought-type battleships that began service in 1905), battlecruisers and armored cruisers.  Rules for smaller ships are meant to facilitate fast play and authentic tactics.  I consider the rules to be at the beta test stage; I've tested them myself over a period of three years, and have started to play test them with others face to face.

Included are the following components:

• The rules, including rules for playing the game on a hex mat

• Game charts and tables for the Russo-Japanese War

• Representative ships for the Russo-Japanese War

• Game charts and tables for World War I

• Representative German and British ship types for World War I

• Standard sheets for recording game moves

• A sheet explaining the ship data charts.

The game uses the turn guides and counters from "Fire on the Waters."  These are available on the "Fire on the Waters" page in this web.

Coal, and the Kaiser Rules

Coal, and the Kaiser Rules for Hex Mats

Russo-Japanese War Tables

Russo-Japanese War Ships

World War I Tables

World War I Ships

Ship Data Card Example

Record Sheet

Here are completed record sheets covering all of the ships present at the Dogger Bank action.  One set is for the table top game, the other for the game as played on a hex mat.

Dogger Bank Record Sheets

Dogger Bank Record Sheets (Hexes)