Naval Engagement

This 1870 title is a simple but very early game from McLoughlin Brothers, printed on a single sheet of paper. It shows an image of a coastal battery of 10 guns in the foreground exchanging fire with a fleet of 10 ships.

Each of the ships and guns is numbered from 3 to 12. Players take turns rolling 2D6, with snake-eyes a miss and any other number eliminating the ship or gun of that number. The first player to succeed in eliminating all of the opposing guns or ships wins.

While most of the ships are still three-masted sailing vessels, the fleet includes one Monitor-style ironclad and what looks like a two-masted steamship.