Broadsides

Broadsides takes the player into the era of eighteenth-century sailing ships, commanding a warship and deciding the fate of battles on the open sea. The game is built on a turn-based system in which the player must account for wind direction and strength, sail trim, and enemy positioning before firing a broadside from the cannons. Unlike later, more complex simulations, Broadsides relies on clarity and quick matches, which made it a popular entry point into the war-simulation genre for players who shied away from SSI's more elaborate wargames. The player can plan a ship's maneuver several turns ahead and must reckon with the fact that the wind can turn the tide of battle to the other side.

On the Atari 8-bit, the game uses simple top-down graphics, with ships shown as small silhouettes moving across a blue expanse of sea, supplemented by text messages about damage, crew status, and the outcome of fire. The audio is limited to modest beeps for shots and sinking ships, which matches the period capabilities of the eight-bit machine but does nothing to prevent immersion in tactical decision-making. Menu-and-number-based controls were typical of strategy titles of the time and let players focus on tactics alone without graphical distraction. Matches could also be played by two people on one computer, which heightened the tension of duels between human opponents.

In the mid-1980s, Broadsides was among SSI's more accessible titles and was recommended as an introduction to the genre of historical naval wargames. Today the game will appeal more to collectors and fans of the genre's history than to casual players, since the pace and simplicity of its mechanics feel archaic compared to later simulations. Still, it remains an interesting demonstration of how, even with the limited resources of an eight-bit computer, the tension of a naval battle could be conveyed in a clear and playable form, and for those interested in the roots of turn-based strategy, it is a remarkable glimpse into the early history of the war-simulation genre on home computers.

Why play it: Anyone interested in the roots of turn-based war strategy games will appreciate Broadsides as an accessible introduction to naval wargames, even though its pace and simplicity feel archaic today.