Sea Dogs Attack! The Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588 AD)

“King Philip II decided to invade England and depose Queen Elizabeth I. He assembled a powerful armada of ships and sent them to the Netherlands to link up with a powerful army led by the Duke of Parma."

"As the Armada sailed up the English Channel they were harassed by English ships. When the Armada arrived at Calais they anchored off the coast while the army got ready for the invasion. The English used fire ships to attack the Armada. The tactic forced the Spanish to cut their anchors and left them scattered and vulnerable to attack. The English ships pounded the disorganized fleet until they ran low on powder and shot, causing considerable damage. With the Armada low on provisions and blown by an uncooperative wind the Spanish decided to abandon the invasion plan and sail north around the British Isles and back to Spain.”

A miniatures wargame intended for classroom use with two teams of students (grades 6-8). The game is designed to be played on a 7.5x5 foot table using miniature ships. Free print-and-play paper miniatures are provided for use with the rules.

Concepts covered in the game include cannon fire (front and broadside), fouling, grappling, boarding, drifting, and wind effects.

Colored yarn is taped around the edges of the game table to give a quick visual guide to the effect of the wind based on which color a ship is facing. “Green yarn marked the East and South table edges (wind at your back, full speed). Yellow yarn bordered the West edge, and 2/3 of the North edge (close quartered, half speed). Red yarn ran 2.5' south from the northwest corner (can't move directly into the wind).”