Blue Cross, White Ensign

About this board game

Blue Cross, White Ensign is a naval combat game for 1–4 players with a listed play time of 360 minutes, covering the Imperial Russian Navy during the Age of Sail from 1770 to 1807.

This third volume in the Flying Colors series focuses on Russian struggles against Sweden in the Baltic and Turkey in the Black and Mediterranean seas. It is completely independent and ready to play on its own, while remaining fully compatible with the other volumes in the series.

The game includes a baker’s dozen of battles for two players or two teams. Scenarios unfold across one or more conjoined maps showing shallows and shoals, with individually named vessels rated for their combat abilities. Admirals with distinct command abilities activate the ships, including the mercenary adventurer and American naval icon John Paul Jones.

• Explosive shells: Use the updated rules for the mighty Russian “edinerogs,” or “unicorns.”
• Flexible play: Create original scenarios with the “design your own” rules.
• Expanded conflicts: Pit the featured fleets against forces from other Flying Colors volumes.
• Solitaire support: The command system provides an excellent solo experience.

Components include three 22×34-inch full-color maps, two countersheets, a rulebook, a playbook, and two player aid cards. The time scale is 5 to 10 minutes, the map scale is 100 meters per hex, and each counter represents one ship. Blue Cross, White Ensign offers a detailed setting for historical naval scenarios as well as broad possibilities for custom and cross-volume battles.