As people have pointed out, the scan is not the best, but that is the only reason I give it four stars. The rules themselves are amongst the best I've ever owned. While others say that the gunnery rules are an afterthought, I find them to be very accurate, as far as the decisions a ship's captain would make, and I like the fact that the gunnery rules leave those decisions that would be made by subordinates (type of shot to be used, etc.) out of the game. The continous broadside rule is a very accurate depiction of the way gunnery was handled at the time, and immediately called to mind Jack Aubrey's order, "Keep 'em spitting, Mr. Calamy!" If you have an interest in this time period, these rules are a must in my opinion.

The rules themselves are fantastic, and the sailing system is the best I've seen.

But the reason I rate this product as 1/5 stars is because this PDF book is a scanned copy, and the scan quality is very bad. The text is very blurry, and I strongly urge you to take a look at the preview before deciding whether or not to make the purchase.

I still went ahead and bought it because it's very difficult to get hold of the physical book these days.

Definitely worth it for the sailing system alone, but dated otherwise, combat needs improving.

This is an excellebnt set of rules. Its one of the best for single ship combat or when each player controls a single ship (two max). You will not be able to run Trafalgar or other major battles without a lot of players, but small actions are a joy. The rules were written with an eye towars real sailing tactics and the sailing model is very realistic. Combat is good too, but the highlights of this game is the sailing. This is not a "beer and pretzle" game, but is a good simulation.

Liked: Love the rules and really enjoy this as a game.

Dislikes: The scans just were not up to par. i was a little disapponted in the qulity of these scans

SUMMARY: Its a must have for Napoleonic era sailing ships. Only the quality of the scans earn the loss of a star, the game itself is a five star game.

It looks like a very meaty ruleset for its slim 50 or so pages, chock full of nautical crunch to satisfy the barnacle-clad old salt in you. In terms of complexity it may rank alongside Birnie's "Action Under Sail". If you're looking for a simple beer-n-pretzels kinda game, this may not be it. However if detailed ship-to-ship combat and realistic manoeuvres are what you crave, then "Heart of Oak" is the naval wargame for you! The scan is mediocre at best with some pages' text looking a bit pale and hard-to-read, and a labelled diagram of a full-rigged ship is poorly reproduced and may not be helpful unless you're already familiar with the maritime jargon. The period illos are too dark in the scan and it is hard to discern the subject-matter of the pictures, making them nothing more than a waste of printer ink. As I printed the PDF, some of the last few pages refused to print at all save for the watermark. Perhaps the maker of this PDF file can post a new, improved version that does not have problems in the printing process. 4/5 stars.

Scan of original 1978 rules. Invaluable resource for anyone interested in sailing, Age of Sail naval history, or intermediate wargamers. Sailing diagrams are very useful. Ship data tables are very extensive.

I was originally very apprehensive about using a pay for download site, however my experience with DriveThruRPG was painless. Not only did I get "Hearts of Oak" a second hand ruleset I couldn't find anywhere else I was also able to get a hard copy for £2!!

I have downloaded it and can testify to its completeness. The rules are a work of immaculate research. The information itself could be regarded as a rich source for warfare in the age of sail. I have read quite a few works on that subject, including Naval Institute Press' Line of Battle, but none has given me the up-on-the-line perspective provided in these rules.