What's a game with an interesting sailing system?

September 28, 2011 6:53 AM

What are some examples of computer/board games with interesting tall-ship sailing systems?

I'm looking for games (computer or board) with interesting and/or engaging tall-ship sailing mechanics - systems beyond "roll a dice to determine how many squares you sail". Suggestions of games that have sailing systems that require you to pay attention to angle-to-wind, currents, sails, etc., and manage to do this in a way that doesn't require an impractical level of thought from players, are especially welcome.

posted by kithrater to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

Best answer: Wooden Ships and Iron Men by Avalon Hill. Close Action by Clash of Arms. Both boardgames.
posted by Akke at 6:55 AM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Close Action with link to WS.
posted by Akke at 6:57 AM on September 28, 2011

Sid Meier's Pirates! had angle of wind, but not current, in the 1988 original. I'm not sure if the numerous remakes have expanded on this mechanic.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 7:00 AM on September 28, 2011

Uncharted Waters: New Horizons was a super nintendo game. Wind and currents were definitely relevant when you were sailing, though I don't remember how much you could do about it (other than allocating more of your crew to navigation and not trying to sail directly into the wind).
posted by Vibrissa at 7:13 AM on September 28, 2011

Best answer: Pirates of the Burning Sea is a free-to-play MMO with a very interesting sailing system.
posted by liet at 7:16 AM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

I second Wooden Ships and Iron Men. Fantastic game!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:04 AM on September 28, 2011

Empire Total War
Empire Total War

It's not as good as the ground combat system in the same game, but I like it.
posted by AugieAugustus at 9:36 AM on September 28, 2011

Best answer: Port Royale 2 is pretty fantastic and apparently now available on steam for five bucks.
posted by Blasdelb at 9:52 AM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Virtual Skipper
http://www.virtualskipper.com/

I've tried the previous version's "free" version online against other 'sailors' a couple of times, and it was well done.
posted by csmason at 11:33 AM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

The recent version of Pirates! did have mechanics involving wind and ship type. Its a fun game.
posted by nalyd at 2:11 PM on September 28, 2011

The ancient game "The Ancient Art of War At Sea" (though it's 80s vintage and will require dosbox or similar).
posted by pompomtom at 4:24 PM on September 28, 2011

The ancient game "The Ancient Art of War At Sea" (though it's 80s vintage and will require dosbox or similar).

Where you circle around in a frigate well outside the range of the bigger ship and gradually pick it to pieces.
posted by wilful at 5:58 PM on September 28, 2011

Response by poster: Thank you for your answers.
posted by kithrater at 1:06 AM on September 29, 2011

Pirates of the Spanish main is a card game only in that the cards contain plastic cutouts of ships you can build in a few minutes. It then turns into a tabletop game with sailing distances determined by size of the ship, wind direction, and whether that ship has a navigator on board.
posted by mearls at 4:07 AM on October 4, 2011