Never Mind the Boathooks is a set of late medieval naval wargames rules related to (but not requiring) its landlubbing forefather: Never Mind the Billhooks.

A light-hearted card and dice-driven game of skirmish combat on the seas, where a tactician’s approach counts for little in the face of the tides of fortune. It is very much a game rather than a simulation, so the emphasis is on the spectacle of the thing rather than the minutiae of trying to recreate historical events of which, in truth, we know very little.

Players will require a handful of medieval boat models to play the game, along with 50+ 28mm medieval figures. Sarissa Precision make a range of suitable MDF vessels, and medieval figures are available from a number of different manufacturers. Perry Miniatures plastic War of the Roses figures are some of the best, and these can be purchased at a discount rate by WiPrime Members, from the Wi webstore.

The 16-page rulebook was originally given away free with Wi426, the June 2023 issue of Wargames Illustrated magazine.