Hey Now

A little background first; I'm a GC by day (trim carpenter how I got started), and an accomplished woodworker, I think,  .

As a hobby I started making "scratch" models of Medieval/Classic vessels. It's a "Zen" kinda thing for me, to date I've only made 3, it's a time consuming and labor intensive project. So far I've constructed a Penteconter, Trireme, (both based on wreck dives I'd done) and a Drakkar (based on the Gokstad ship). I've since given them away to friends and family My Uncle & my Ex's dad both being Navy wanted them so...Marines take care of others, against our better judgment I know, it's in our nature   Now I want something for my own mantle.

My next project was to be Nelson's Flagship "Victory", but I'm in a mood to challenge myself, and it's been done already, not that Victory wouldn't be challenge!

Anyway, I'm interseted in finding any info I can regarding Moorcoks' Battle barges; drawings, deckplans from an old RPG...WHATEVER!

I'd no interest in Mini's as a kid, so might have missed  something from Chaosium BITD, but thought some of you might have something in regard to the info I'm looking for.

If it's something you don't want to part with I'd gladly pay for your time to scan it, PDF whatever. I really don't need the item itself, just the images to help with my plans. I've CAD software (pricey stuff I must say!) I use for work so I'll cheat where I can

Any help would be appreciated!

OK - found it.  

I can confirm that the Sailing on the Seas of Fate book contains information and a few drawings about the battle barges.

Oddly enough the sale price on the new book is cheaper than their shopworn copy.

http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_inf ... ucts_id=64

At the risk of derailing the thread - can anyone say whether the mongoose Elric books are any good (i.e. worth getting - for gaming, or for background reading)??

The cover art looks good - but that can often be deceptive..  

Thanks for all the info guys!

Putting me on the right track, have some books on their way here now!
The mongoose pic seems a little "goth" to me, all kinds of different takes on the vessel, be interested to find out which was closest to Moorcocks' vision of the barge, I'd always thought it was sail driven as well, HMS Victory was a little less than half the dimensions of a barge. And Victory was over 3,500 tonnes! No amount of amped up slaves would've been able to move that along for long...Of course they did all die...

My vision was somewhere around a "Nemi ship" hull, much lower freeboard,  and a ziggurat style deck structure, problems with that being mast arrangement, placement of ballistae, onagers, "grapnel throwers" & corvices'. And now trebuchet, I don't think a vessel of 500' keel could've supported more that 2-3 max? Even with that broad of a beam, they're pretty massive. Unless the masts would be "struck" or "unstepped" prior to battle.

Fantasy writers being exactly that; little or no idea that their concept wouldn't be engineerable! For example; with a 25' freeboard area; suddenly corvices become unworkable as well...Consider the much lower freeboard area of "Young kingdoms" galley, any Melnibonean marines that survived the fall to the deck of a captured galley would be quickly butchered...

And I'm almost sure that there was some kind of "greek-fire" thrower as well? Or am I imagining that  

Always knew this could turn into a "monster"

Thanks to g026r, red_bus, jason1239, & stumbling tiger. It's appreciated

jasonw1239 wrote:Some of the stats as per the book:

Length: 500 feet
Beam: 110 feet
Capacity: 100 tons
Freeboard: 25+ feet
Draft: 8 feet
Crew: 2,000-3,800 drugged slave rowers, 200+ warriors, 100 officers & crew.
Other notes: gold armor on sides, 3-6 banks of oars (8/9/10 arrangement for 3-bank barge), multiple rudders, up to 18 war engines including trebuchets.

Just got that same booklet you must be ref'n, pics are great for my needs. Still don't know how I'm going to make some of the material ref'd in the Elric saga work, but I think I'm on the right track. I did check out his fan site, seems like he checks it once a year or so...

Thanks again guys for the heads up!