Ironclads
Hearts of Iron:
Naval War in the Adriatic, 1859-1866

Ecco, il pescatori. (Here come the fishermen.)
Italian Admiral Carlo di Persano, sighting the Austrian fleet.

In July 1866, Austria’s newly-built ironclad squadron met the larger Italian ironclad fleet off the island of Lissa in the central Adriatic. The first engagement between armored fleets on the high seas ended in an Austrian victory, preserving the Empire’s great power status for another 50 years.

Hearts of Iron is the first game in the Ironclads series, our set of games based on naval combat in the mid-19th Century, a time of rapid technological change. Ships range from fully-protected, iron-hulled armored vessels through wooden sailing frigates little changed over the preceding century.

The Ironclads game system is similar to Great War at Sea; fleets maneuver on the operational map and when they make contact, battle is resolved on the tactical map. There, ships move to obtain the best firing arcs, with armored ships holding a serious advantage (because they have armor).

Hearts of Iron includes the 1866 naval campaign between Austria and Italy, with other forces that might have intervened including the U.S. Navy’s European Squadron (which was nearby), the Turkish Mediterranean squadron (also nearby). We also look at the naval implications of the 1859 Austro-French War, with the vast fleets of screw-powered wooden battleships mobilized by Britain and France. And you get the separate fleets of the pre-Risorgimento Italian states – including the Pope!

Hearts of Iron follows the story-arc format of our more recent naval games, using the operational and battle scenarios to tell its story with plenty of historical background stuff tying them together. It’s based on years of archival research; you don’t uncover the details of the Papal Navy just anywhere.

Hearts of Iron includes:
• Ironclads series rules.
• 22x28-inch Operational Map.
• 22x22-inch Tactical Map.
• 40 scenarios
• 306 pieces: 180 double-sized ship pieces, 56 oversized ship pieces, 70 markers.

Stock Code: APL0608

Price: $79.99

Status: Coming Soon

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