Right Fierce & Terrible: Sluys 1340

About this board game

Right Fierce & Terrible: Sluys 1340 is a two-player historical wargame lasting about 180 minutes, simulating the first major battle of the Hundred Years War. English and French fleets meet in the estuary before Bruges, where a naval encounter is decided by archery, ramming, grappling, and close combat.

Players do not simply fight across a fixed battlefield. By navigating squadrons of galleys, nefs, and cogs, they build the battlefield as they play, creating the terrain on which knights and men-at-arms struggle for supremacy. Success depends on delivering marines and archers against weak points—or forcing an opponent to attack where a fleet is strongest.

The English benefit from the longbow, high freeboard, and, in many scenarios, the wind gauge. The French must use their numbers effectively to offset these advantages and apply pressure against Edward III’s fleet. Seven scenarios explore different questions surrounding the battle and offer varied historical interpretations.

• Capture, liberate, and recapture squadrons during the fighting.
• Risk leaders being captured, liberated, killed by stray arrows, or executed.
• Use heroic knights to avert disaster, often at great personal cost.
• Watch fleet morale deteriorate as casualties and desperation mount.

With accessible rules, extensive illustrated examples, oversized die-cut counters, and a 22-by-34-inch map, Right Fierce & Terrible offers a focused way to explore this savage medieval engagement. Casualties can be horrendous, and every decision matters as the battle ebbs and flows until one fleet finally breaks.