The Ironclads, subtitled "A Tactical Level Game of Naval Combat in the American Civil War 1861–1865", is a board wargame published by Yaquinto Publications in 1979 that simulates American Civil War naval combat.[1] The following year, Yaquinto published The Ironclads: Expansion Kit designed by John Fuseler and Jack Greene.[5] In the December 1979 edition of Dragon (Issue #32), Tim Kask called the game "an exciting, accurate simulation of naval warfare during the American Civil War" but commented at length on the problems with the rules: "In terms of coherence, cohesion, completeness and clarity, the rules are the pits."[1] In Issue 28 of Phoenix (November–December 1980), Bob Christian admired most of the components – although he threw away the counter sorting tray, calling it a "worthless addition" — but he, like many players and other reviewers, found the 1st edition rules disappointingly vague in places.He concluded by giving the game a B+ and the expansion set of cards a B−, saying, "For those who enjoy (or at least tolerate) the detail with which the subject is treated, it is certainly rewarding if a bit flawed.
