The Coastal Warfare Toolkit: Black Powder Rules

System: Black Powder (Warlord Games) / Black Seas | Scale: 6mm Baccus

⚓ The Coastal Warfare Toolkit: Black Powder Rules

Quick Reference Sheet for 6mm Seven Years War Amphibious Games

This set of rules treats Black Seas ships as direct tactical units within the standard Black Powder land system, eliminating the need to track complex wind gauges or use secondary rule books.

1. COMMAND & MOVEMENT (SAILING)

Ships are treated as independent units commanded by a Ship Captain (typically Command Rating 7 or 8). Movement is ordered using standard Black Powder command rolls:

• 1 Success: Move up to 6″
• 2 Successes: Move up to 12″
• 3 Successes: Move up to 18″

💨 The Wind Modifiers (Apply to the Command Roll)
Before rolling for command, determine the ship's direction relative to the wind:

• Sailing with the Wind (Running): +1 to Command Roll.
• Sailing Across the Wind (Reaching): No modifier (0).
• Sailing into the Wind (Tacking): -2 to Command Roll. (A failed roll means the ship is "In Irons" and cannot move this turn).

2. SHIP STAT PROFILES

Ships use standard Black Powder stat blocks. To simulate the devastating power of naval cannons, ships have distinct shooting values based on range:

Ship Class	Shooting Dice (Short / Med / Long)	Hand-to-Hand	Morale	Stamina	Special Rules
Brig / Sloop (Small)	3 / 2 / 1	2	4+	4	Nimble: +1 to Command Rolls when making turns.
Frigate (Medium)	4 / 3 / 2	4	4+	6	Sturdy: Ignores the first point of Stamina damage taken in a turn.
Ship of the Line (Large)	6 / 5 / 4	6	3+	9	Massive Broadside: May split its shooting dice between two targets.

Note: Short Range = 0–6″ | Medium Range = 6–12″ | Long Range = 12–24″

3. COMBAT & FIRE ARCS

Broadsides Only: A ship can only fire out of its left (Port) or right (Starboard) flanks. Draw a line straight out from the bow (front) and stern (back)—the ship cannot shoot into those front/rear blind spots.

Land Bombardment: When shooting at 6mm infantry or cavalry on land, ship guns follow the standard Smoothbore Artillery rules. They cause -1 Morale Save penalties at Short and Medium ranges.

Damaging a Ship: Land artillery firing at ships rolls to hit normally. Infantry musket fire cannot damage a Frigate or Ship of the Line, but can damage a small Brig at Short range (requires a 6 to hit).

Sinking vs. Surrender: When a ship's Stamina is reduced to 0, it does not instantly sink. Roll a D6:

• 1–5: The crew Strikes the Colours (surrenders). The ship is captured or becomes an impassable terrain feature.
• 6: The ship suffers a catastrophic magazine explosion and is removed from the table.

4. AMPHIBIOUS LANDINGS & MARINES

A ship sitting static along the shoreline can use one movement action to deploy its onboard troops.

Deployment: Place a small 6mm stand of infantry or a rowboat token on the beach next to the ship.

The Landing Party: This unit represents a "Tiny" or "Small" block of Royal Marines or Sailors.

Stats: Give them standard Seamen/Marines stats (Shooting: 2, Hand-to-Hand: 3, Morale: 5+, Stamina: 3). They act under the immediate command of the Ship's Captain until they move out of his command radius.

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What do you think?

Have you introduced your own homebrew coastal or naval rules to Black Powder? I’d love to hear how you handle shore bombardments and landing parties on your own tabletop—or if you give these ship profile mechanics a run in your next game, let me know how they perform under fire!

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Related project hubs for this period:
[The Silesian Wars 1740–1763 Project Hub]  |  [The Seven Years War 1756–1763 Project Hub]  |  [The French and Indian War 1754–1763 Project Hub]

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