- BGG rating
- 7.7
Flying Colors: Ship of the Line
2009
Rules assistance for Flying Colors: Ship of the Line
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 240 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.3/5
Rules assistant for Flying Colors: Ship of the Line
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Flying Colors: Ship of the Line is a board game expansion released in 2009 for 2 players, 240 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Mike Nagel and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation.
About the game
Ship of the Line is the first expansion to Flying Colors. It primarily (although not exclusively) covers major fleet actions during the period of the American Revolution. The expansion includes sixteen total scenarios and adds over 100 new, individually named and rated ships as well as over 30 new commanders. Scenarios include: 1. Quiberon Bay, 20 November 1759 2. 1st Ushant, 27 July 1778 3. Rhode Island, 11 August 1778 (hypothetical) 4. Saint Lucia, 15 December 1778 5. Grenada, 6 July 1779 6. The Moonlight Battle, 16 January 1780 7. Porto Praya Bay, 16 April 1781 8. Fort Royal, 29 April 1781 9. Doggersbank, 5 August 1781 10. Sadras, 17 February 1782 11. The Saintes I, 9 April 1782 12. The Saintes II, 12 April 1782 13. Providien, 12 April 1782 14. Negapatam, 6 July 1782 15. Trincomalee, 3 September 1782 16. Cuddalore, 20 June 1783 In addition to these sixteen scenarios, Age of Sail aficionados can recreate the struggle between Admirals Suffren and Hughes with newly introduced campaign rules. Players must maintain their vessels through five historical confrontations, and may or may not receive reinforcements to continue their fight for control of the Indian Ocean. Also included in Ship of the Line are a new "Map D" (which mates with maps from Flying Colors), two updated player aid cards, the most recent set of rules incorporating changes and corrections, and plenty of additional status markers. This expansion is included in Flying Colors (GMT deluxe third edition).
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- GMT Games
Questions and answers
Flying Colors: Ship of the Line supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Flying Colors: Ship of the Line is 240 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Flying Colors: Ship of the Line for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Flying Colors: Ship of the Line has a complexity rating of 3.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Flying Colors: Ship of the Line belongs to these categories: Wargame, Napoleonic, and Nautical. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Flying Colors: Ship of the Line are: Mike Nagel. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Flying Colors: Ship of the Line as an expansion. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to an existing base game and usually cannot be played on their own. Check the box or publisher description for the exact base game required, and make sure your edition of that game is compatible with this expansion.