RULES QUESTION: Gun Position Defined

[Lincolnlog]

Okay a little confused and can’t find where to clear this up. Your 1st and 2nd Gun positions that fire in the turn, do so without penalty. The 3rd Gun position is -1, and the 4th is -2 (IIRC)?

Is a gun position all the guns facing one side of the ship, or is all of one type of gun facing one side of the ship.

Example: If my first rate fires all its port/left side guns, and the starboard side gun, and the bow chasers and the stern chasers in that order, is it no penalty for all Port and Starboard guns, then -1 Bow Chaser, -2 Stern Chaser?

Or is it my heavy port side will fire first no penalty, my port side carronades 2nd with no penalty, my port side lights -1, my starboard side heavies and anything else I fire -2?

[George]

I didn’t find the definition of ‘gun position’ too clear either. It seems an inappropiate term for AoS warfare, and perhaps a left over from Cruel Seas?
I agree with your first definition ( since with the second definition you would go beyond four ‘gun positions’). There is a diagram early in the rules illustrating the four gun positions, viz:
(in no particular order) starboard broadside
port broadside
bow chaser
stern chaser
Hope this helps. And perhaps the author could clarify?

[Lincolnlog]

Thanks George. I’ve watched some YouTube play throughs and that was their interpretation also.

Hopefully we can get a firm answer, but I believe you are probably correct.

[Matt Varnish (Dennis Campbell)]

We’ve done it assuming each Gun Icon on the card is a gun position. So a 5th Rate could sail in between two enemies, and shoot, for example, Port side Heavy Cannon and Light Cannon at no penalty, then continue a move and then fire Starboard side Heavy Cannon at -1 penalty, and then the light cannons at -2. Naturally, if you are mixing in stern and bow chasers, these also count.

EDIT, no each position is indeed a facing, and each ‘position’ can fire all its guns and count as one position firing.

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by Matt Varnish (Dennis Campbell).

[Steve Burt]

I think each Gun Position is a side.
So Port, Starboard, Bow, Rear

[Matt Varnish (Dennis Campbell)]

Yep, re-read this morning, its each ‘facing’ = a position.

[MGM]

…. I’ve assumed “one type of gun facing one side of the ship.” ie: port H.. L.. C = 3 guns positions based on the reasoning that the minus deduction is due to smoke which must be from the same side (?)
It obviously needs the author(s) to give a clear definition

[Steve Burt]

I think the deduction is because there are not enough gunners to fire more than two sides of the ship, not because of smoke. All guns on a side would fire at the same time.

[Steve Burt]

There is a clear diagram showing the 4 gun positions on page 15 of the rules

[Author]

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