The fast paced, easy to learn, hard to master game of naval warfare in the age of sail is back with a second edition. Let’s take a look!
Oak & Iron is the Age of Sale wargame by Firelock Games, makers of Blood & Plunder and the newly kickstarted Blood & Bayonets. It is designed to be fast paced and enjoyable, while retaining a good sense of the tactics involved in naval engagements from 1650 to 1750. The game was successful and popular, with a good number of expansions, giving players access to more ships of various sizes, speeds and broadside weights. In recent months the game has gone out of stock in many online marketplaces, including Firelock’s own website (though most of the expansions are still available), but now we know this state of affairs will be remedied in March when the second edition drops!
In their announcement on facebook Firelock has said that the box and all of the contents (except the rulebook) are a reprint, a second printing, rather than a second edition. All of the components are exactly the same, from the ships, to the cards and the tokens and 3’x3′ gaming matt. Even the product descriptions between the first and second edition on the website are identical and use all the same images.
Here is the full blurb Firelock posted on Facebook:
“Oak & Iron has been reprinted and will feature a new edition of the rules! The core box will contain the same components as the previous edition and all of the products currently available for Oak & Iron are completely compatible with this current edition. If you’re already an Oak & Iron player, be sure click the link below to get the latest copy of the second edition rules which are available for FREE right now! The two big change coming in the second edition rules focus on streamlining the ship activation sequence and moving Close Combat into its own phase for a smoother, more balanced game experience. We expect to begin shipping copies of the new edition core sets in the first week of March.
For those who have never played it, Oak & Iron is a 1/600th scale naval battle game set during the golden age of piracy. Everything you need to play is include in the core set. Play with over 5 different nationality factions and tons of ships to choose from, including light frigates, sloops, corvettes, and other ships of the line!”
Will you be picking up the new edition? Do you already own Oak & Iron and will you be dusting it off to give the new and improved rules a try? Let us know in the comments!
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
