Fighting Steam!

Very good game! Counters suck...but still a good buy.

I normally don't like games with record sheets, but this one is very fun. It's an easy system, very quick playing, yet evocative (and not with the abstract "historical flavor" that naval card games sometimes provide..like the dreadful Kaiser's Pirates, for instance). It may even give historical results, for all I know....but sinking and blowing up ships is so fun that it's hard to get too concerned about it. From what I understand, Ironclads has a more complex rules set than I'm interested in for this subject and the upcoming titles from GMT on this topic don't appeal to me at all, so this totally hits the spot. Bravo!

Lightweight alternative to the venerable Yaquinto/Excalibre Ironclads system. Battles play fast (under an hour) with reasonable period flavor, and the rules are basically clean. Some bookkeeping, but movement is impulse-based not simultaneous, so no written plots. Not wildly exciting perhaps, but it does what it does within the constraints of subject and scale. Components are fine by DTP standards. Recommended for those with an interest in the topic.

Excellent implementation of the Fighting Sails system. Plays fast. Small number of counters and scenarios, but easy enough to borrow from other titles.