Alternate Ramming Rules

These rules reduce ramming resolution to a single die roll, and allow for criticals such as guns being dismounted, paddlewheels damaged etc.

Collision Speed

This is calculated as before, as given on page 11.

Collision Damage

Each vessel then rolls 2d6 on the table below, adding all applicable modifiers and compare with Alternate Table 6a. This gives the amount of damage inflicted upon the vessel that the testing vessel has struck.

Testing Vessel
Alternate Table 6. Ramming Damage	Roll 2d6 and add modifiers
Ram Equipped Vessel Striking Bows on	+2
Small Vessel Striking Bows on	-1
Large Vessel Striking Bows on	+1
Very Large Vessel Striking Bows on	+2
Vessel Collided With
Light Hull Armour (not Monitor or Bow of Ram)	-1
Medium Hull Armour (not Monitor or Bow of Ram)	-2
Heavy Hull Armour (not Monitor or Bow of Ram)	-3
Heavy Hull Armour (not Monitor or Bow of Ram)	-4
Monitor	-3
Bow of Ram Equipped Vessel	-4
Struck in Bow/Stern Arc	-1
Struck in Broadside Arc	+1
Collision Speed
Slow (1-3 kts)	-1
Fast (7-9 kts)	+1
Very Fast (10 kts or more)	+2

Compare this result to Alternate Table 6a. Ramming Damage

Alternate Table 6a. Ramming Damage
Roll	Result
6 or less	No Damage
7	1d3 HDP
8	1d3 HDP + Critical
9	1d6 HDP + 1 Flooding
10	1d6 HDP + 1 Flooding + Critical
11	2d6 HDP + 1d6 Flooding
12	2d6 HDP + 1d6 Flooding + Critical
13	3d6 HDP + 2d6 Flooding
14	3d6 HDP + 2d6 Flooding + Critical
15 or more	Vessel Breaks Up and Sinks !!!

Roll the indicated amount of Hull damage, and flooding if indicated. If the result indicates a critical, roll on the appropriate column on AlernateTable 6b. Ramming Criticals

Alternate Table 6b. Ramming Criticals
Roll	Side Wheel Vessel	Stern Wheel Vessel	Other Vessel
1 or less	Gun Dismounted	Gun Dismounted	None
2	Machinery	Gun Dismounted	None
3	Wheel	Machinery	Gun Dismounted
4	Wheel	Steering	Gun Dismounted
5	Gun Dismounted	Wheel	Machinery
6 or more	Steering	Wheel	Steering
+1 to roll if Bow arc, -1 to roll if Stern arc

Critical	Effect
Gun Dismounted	One gun (rolled randomly) is jolted from its mounting and put out of action. It may not be re-mounted during the game and so is treated as permanently out of action.
Machinery	The Vessels engines are damaged by the blow. The vessel suffers 1d3 hits to the Machinery
Wheel	The vessel's paddle wheel is struck. It suffers 2d6 damage to the wheel nearest the colliding vessel. See Damage effects in the main rules for full details.
Steering	The vessel's steering gear is damaged. This is treated as a rudder hit. See Damage effects in the main rules for full details.

Example

The Virginia (Very Large) rams the Monitor (Medium) in the broadside at Medium speed.
This gives a collision speed of Medium.

The Virginia's player rolls two dice, getting an 8. This gives a total of 12 (+2 Ram Equipped Vessel Striking Bows on, +2 Very Large Lessel Striking Bows on, -3 Monitor, +1 Collided in Broadside Arc).

Looking on Table 6a. this gives a result of 2d6 HDP, 1d6 Flooding and a critical.
Rolling for damage gives a 9 (4 and 5), and 3 flooding.
The Virginia's player rolls 1d6 on Table 6b. getting a 4 which indicates a gun becomes dismounted.

The Monitor has taken 9 HDP, is flooding at 3 points per round and one of the turret guns has come off its mounting and is out of action.

The Monitor then rolls for the damage to the Virginia, getting a 9 which gives a 4 (-4 for Bow of Ram Equipped Vessel, -1 for Bow Arc). Checking Table 6a, this gives no damage.

The Virginia is unharmed.

If you have any comments on these rules modifications/expansions contact:
rules@canis-publ.demon.co.uk