Description

…the naval battles of the Dutch Wars were unlike any that had been fought before in terms of the number of ships engaged in the rival fleets and the extraordinary and unprecedented firepower they carried into battle. The sonorous sounds of those distant encounters were heard fearfully by awed and wondering folk on the coasts of England, the Netherlands and France, drifting in like a distant thunder. (Hainsworth and Churches, 1998)

A Distant Thunder is a Historical Simulation of the Anglo-Dutch wars at Sea of the Mid-Seventeenth Century. The bitter commercial rivalry between England and the Dutch Republic sparked a series of three wars fought in the span of just over two decades. These hard-fought conflicts spurred innovations in the art and science of war at sea and would serve as the template for maritime conflict for the next two centuries.

A Distant Thunder examines war at sea at the dawn of the age of fighting sail at both the Battle (tactical) and Campaign levels. In the Battle Game, players recreate single historical engagements between fleets. The simple initiative and control system allows players to select maneuvers and move groups of ships in a way that models the inherent friction of command and control of the time. Maneuvers are executed using counters representing groups of 3-4 ships, allowing players to easily recreate the often very large (~90 ships in each fleet) battles of these wars.

Campaign Game Scenarios focus on important portions (approximately 2 months) of each of these wars. In a Campaign, players strive to secure control of the sea, while denying it to their opponent. Players must pay close attention to logistics, weather and tides to ensure their battle-fleets are in the proper condition and position to prevail. Fog of war models the limited intelligence available to the commanders. Players provide orders to their fleets on a Campaign map, and when opposing forces meet, battle is resolved on the Battle Map as with the tactical game.

A Distant Thunder covers a number of historical Battle and Campaign scenarios including:

First Anglo Dutch War(1652-1654):
Dover?Plymouth?Kentish Knock?Dungeness?Portland?Gabbard Shoal?Scheveningen

Second Anglo Dutch War(1665-1667):
Lowestoft?The Four Days Battle?St. James Day Fight

Third Anglo Dutch War(1672-1674)
Solebay?First Battle of Schooneveld?Second Battle of Schooneveld?Texel

Battles range from relatively small engagements (~20 ships per side) to very large (~100 ships per side). Battle scenarios can be played in a few hours and the tactical system is highly suitable for solitaire play.

Campaign scenarios range from approximately 6 to more than 20 hours to play.