The Royal Navy

About this board game

The Royal Navy is a 1984 hex-and-counter naval game for 2–3 players, with sessions lasting about 120 minutes. It covers Royal Navy surface actions against Germany and Italy in both World War I and World War II.

The game also includes US, French, and Soviet ships, creating a broader historical setting for its surface-ship battles. It focuses exclusively on surface ships, with no submarine or aircraft elements described in the game’s scope.

Although it uses hexes and counters, The Royal Navy combines those familiar wargaming components with numerous tables and status sheets. This gives the game a distinctive miniatures feel while retaining a structured hex-based format.

• Night actions: Each hex represents 600 yards, and each turn covers 3 minutes of real time.
• Daylight actions: Each hex represents 1,500 yards, and each turn covers 7.5 minutes.
• Historical fleets: Royal Navy, German, Italian, US, French, and Soviet surface ships are represented.

The different scales reflect how formations tend to operate under changing conditions. Friendly ships generally sail closer together at night and farther apart during daylight, so the game’s scale is not simply doubled between the two types of action.

As a follow-up to Iron Bottom Sound, The Royal Navy presents naval combat through changing day and night parameters, detailed reference material, and status tracking. Its combination of historical settings, surface-ship focus, and miniatures-style detail makes it a substantial choice for two or three players.