13 75pt Oak & Iron Tournament Lists – 7 Using a Starter Box!

What Do You Need to Be Competitive in an Oak & Iron Tournament?

Not much! Oak & Iron is primarily a skirmish game rather than a large line of battle game with dozens of ships on the table (though you can play that way!). Oak & Iron Tournaments typically run in the 50, 75, or 100-point game levels. The 6 ships in the starter box total 65 pts without an admiral or upgrades so you can play in any tournament up to 100 pts with just the starter.

Since everyone plays the game a little differently and force building for tournament lists can vary wildly, it can be hard to plan for all scenarios. The key is learning the fundamentals of the game and sticking to what you know and like. Oak & Iron has a great deal of depth and flexibility in force building and strategy, but ultimately it is a dice game. This means, sometimes no matter how well you plan, your plan doesn’t survive contact with the enemy because sometimes your dice will betray you.

Because the game is well designed, it is balanced and there is an opportunity for success at all levels. One of the things I enjoy about the game is that there isn’t currently a “pay to win” meta that allows you throw money at the game and just buy the best minis or cards and come out on top.

What Do You Need to Know to ACTUALLY Play in an Oak & Iron Tournament?

Honestly, not much. Here are my top 3 essentials you need to know for competing in an Oak & Iron tournament:

1. Understanding the Rules: That’s a given for any game. The rules for Oak & Iron are available as a free PDF download. The book is 34 pages, but if you strip all the fluff content like a title page, table of contents, index, pics, etc., it’s closer to 15 pages of reading. That’s light work.
2. Know How to Build a Fleet: This is simple and only takes up a single page in the rulebook. And if you don’t want to do that, this article has multiple lists already available for you to skip that step if you want.
3. Play at least 1 Demo Game: Most gaming conventions like GenCon or Adepticon offer demos of the game. Demos are typically short, lasting an hour or less. If you’ve played once or twice, you’ve likely gained all the necessary skills you need to compete. Obviously, you’ll improve over time in your skills of ship positioning, range, and maneuvering, so you may feel insecure about your skill. But in my experience, most tournament events aren’t like the World Chess Grand Championships, they are more about enjoying the game than high-level competition.

Competitive Oak & Iron Tournament Lists using JUST the Starter Box

Below is a collection of various pre-built tournament lists that you can create using just the Oak & Iron Core Box. Because of the richness of the starter set, you can ACTUALLY be competitive at a tournament with just a starter set. Here are a few suggestions from myself and other members of the community that you can use immediately or tweak to make your tournament lists.

1. Spanish – “Stout! La Cerda” by Josh Shivak

This features 5 of the 6 ships in the Core Box and takes advantage of the Spanish faction bonus for getting the Stout ship upgrade for half price. Stout allows your ships to take 3 extra damage (10 instead of 7) before being Crippled. This gives you some added durability letting you stay in the fight longer if you make a few mistakes along the way

2. French – “de Estrees Persistent Gunnery” by Patric Henson

This squadron contains the largest 3 ships and a Corvette from the Core Box. The main ships all have Skill 2 and Additional Guns. With Persistent Captains, you can remove Fatigue every time you inflict a Strike Point on your enemy. The Corvette has two negatives to give you a 4th ship for only 5 pts. It is not a heavy hitter, but it is fast so it’s handy for flanking and boarding or seizing scenario objectives.

3. Pirates – “Blackbeard’s Boarding Parties” by Patric Henson

Tapping the power of the legendary Blackbeard, this force includes one of every ship in the Core Box. All of the ships take the Additional Crew helping the force focus on boarding. Many of the smaller ships have disadvantages, which make the ships cheaper, allowing you to have more units on the board. With 6 ships you’ll have more models to try to outmaneuver your opponent. The Brig, Corvette, and Sloop are the 3 smallest ships in the game and each has disadvantage “upgrades”. You’ll need to be careful not to fall in the Broadside of any large warships your enemy may bring to the table.

4. Spanish – “Stout, Big Guns” by Patric Henson

This is a heavy-duty Spanish force that focuses on larger, Stout ships from the Core Box. With Additional Guns and Expert Gunners this build focuses on trying to get the most punch out of every Broadside. Efficient Loaders is a good strategy that when timed well can allow you to take two shots in a single round.

5. English – “Loads of Guns” by Patric Henson

This force gives nearly every ship Additional Guns for extra damage and Skill 2 to increase the number of hits. If you can maintain a solid ahead formation and concentrate your fire, you can inflict consistent damage against a wide range of opponents.

6. Dutch – “Crijnssen Boarding Parties” by Patric Henson

Abraham Crijnssen is a Dutch admiral who favors boarding. This force plays to that strength and goes all in on a boarding-focused attack strategy. Several ships have Additional Crew and Boarding Party ship upgrades to maximize your number of attack dice when in Close Combat.

7. Spanish – “Double-Triple” by David Niezen

This force is meant to be dual purpose. It contains two “gunboats” and three boarding ships. The two larger ships are meant to keep their distance and fire at range, while the smaller three close and board. The boarding vessels have Corsairs and Additional Crew to maximize your Close Combat effectiveness.

Competitive Tournament Lists that Require Expansion Packs

The following forces require you to purchase more than the Oak & Iron Core Rule pack. These forces are tagged with expansion sets they require so you will know what you need to build the forces. These offer a wider range of options and allow for slightly greater specialization of combat tactics.

1. Spanish – “Adepticon 2023 Winning List” by Armand Meza

This was the winning list at the ADEPTICON 2023 Tournament. This list features a 6th and 5th Rate Frigate as rapid-fire ships. Loaded with Marines they can snipe with Partial Shots or board in Close Combat. A heavier Light Galleon with a Fortitude 3 and Stout is a solid anchor for the force. The squadron also features two small ships (a Corvette and a Sloop) to harass your enemy forces.

2. French – “Men of War” by Jason Klotz

This squadron is built using only the Men of War expansion boxed set. All 3 ships take the Swift upgrade which stacks with the Fast attribute on the 5th and 6th Rate. This means that when you are sailing large, both vessels have a Speed 5 without changing sail settings or needing Seamandship actions. The 4th Rate has additional guns and an Efficient Loader making it the main gunship of the force. The 5th Rate is set up to either stay as a gunship or function as a boarding vessel. The 6th Rate is outfit with a Boarding Party and Marines for boarding. I would run with the 6th Rate slightly further ahead than the 5th & 4th but attempt to stay in formation. Depending on how things shake out you stay in a firing line or break away and brawl with an enemy in Close Combat.

3. English – “3 Tier Force” by Jason Klotz

This has 3 ships each at the 3 tier levels: A ship of the line, a mid-range vessel, and a light escort ship.

• The 3rd Rate Flagship is a heavy hitter. Weight of Fire drops a target’s Fortitude by 1. You are throwing 10 dice in a Broadside, 11 if you stay in formation. Efficient Loader lets you take a free reload so you can either use your normal action to Rally/Repair. Or my preference is to use it with the right initiative card to make a well-timed double shot.
• Put the 5th rate in the lead. if you need to tap the Fast you can pull ahead and go for a board. It’s a good mid-range warship. Skilled Surgeon can give you a shot in the arm on Fatigue.
• The Corvette uses a meta to take two negative upgrades to get you a 3rd ship for just 4 pts.

4. Dutch – “Boarding Party Swarm” by Jason Klotz

This force is fully dedicated to boarding. It features a 5th Rate flagship with Abraham Crijnssen, Additional Crew, Boarding Party, and Marines, resulting in a formidable 10 dice in Close Combat. Though costly, it is extremely brutal in Close Combat attacks. Timing the first attack with an Expert Boarding initiative card allows two Close Combat attacks in a round, potentially reaching an impressive 20 dice. The 6th Rate is a strong hammer, and the squadron includes 4 swift Corvettes with negative Upgrades for Additional Crew and some with the Swift upgrade.

This is a speedy fleet. All ships have Fast, with 4 of 6 also having Swift, granting a Speed of 5 when sailing large. Place a leading Corvette(s) to absorb hits, followed closely by the 6th and 5th Rate. Deploy slower Corvettes opposite the main force for a rear pincer maneuver. Mastering this challenging strategy requires practice to grasp proper attack angles, especially for new players.

Force Disclaimer

This is an elite and risky tournament list. With 4 of the lightest ships, you run the risk of suffering several strikes, especially if you face a Galleon or Ship of the Line with Weight of Fire. Those large vessels can melt a Corvette in a single Broadside or two. You have a high probability of losing 1 ship which will inflict 2 Strike Points on your own force and affect your standing. Make sure you review the Advanced Strategy Guide: “How to Board Ships of the Line”. Most players don’t have 4 Corvettes, and may need to proxy the model with a Sloop or Brig. Make sure your event allows proxy minis.

5. Pirates – “Heavy Fire Beard” by Jason Klotz

This an unusual build for the Pirates. It features both of the Pirate exclusive minis and the largest ships available to the Pirates – the mighty Galleon. Blackbeard makes his appearance on the Queen Anne’s Revenge as the flagship. His bonus ability allowing other ships to restore 2 Fatigue when taking Rallys will keep the Galleon in peak condition.

The Revenge has been converted to a Fire Ship. It’s a risky proposition but it is the most deadly Fire Ship option in the game allowing you to roll 10 dice when making your critical attack. The Bold Captain allows you to reroll 3 of those dice, giving you an overall 49.6% chance of rolling 2 Skull Critical Hits and destroying your target’s powder magazine. If you save a Fortune Point for the collision test you improve your odds even more.

The risk of this build is that once the fire ship has been removed, you have only two ships, which means that if either remaining ship is Captured or Out of Action you will be forced to Strike. If you want to extend your viability you could swap the QAR & Blackbeard for a Light Galleon (which has a Fortitude of 3) with an Untested Admiral and Weatherly.

6. English – “Double Trouble” by Jason Klotz

This force is two heavy-hitting 3rd Rates. They both have the Swift upgrade to allow you to close on your opponents to get within Musket range where you can bring Weight of Fire to bear. A double Broadside from these ships . has 3 ships each at the 3 tier levels: A ship of the line, a mid-range vessel, and a light escort ship.

• The 3rd Rate Flagship is a heavy hitter. Weight of Fire drops a target’s Fortitude by 1. You are throwing 10 dice in a Broadside, 11 if you stay in formation. Efficient Loader lets you take a free reload so you can either use your normal action to Rally/Repair. Or my preference is to use it with the right initiative card to make a well-timed double shot.
• Put the 5th rate in the lead. if you need to tap the Fast you can pull ahead and go for a board. It’s a good mid-range warship. Skilled Surgeon can give you a shot in the arm on Fatigue.
• The Corvette uses a meta to take two negative upgrades to get you a 3rd ship for just 4 pts.

Selecting Iniatitive Cards for Tournament Lists

The recommendations for the tournament lists above build the ships, upgrades, admirals, and captains, but leave out the Initiative Cards. Because Initiative Cards can vary based on playstyle, I’ve left that element to you to decide. We have a Complete List of Oak & Iron Initiative Cards available for you to review.

Firelock Games Oak & Iron Force Building Tool

Firelock Games has a free online Oak & Iron Force Builder app geared toward helping you build your squadrons quickly and easily. The builder tool covers all Oak & Iron game formats, all currently available factions, admirals/captains, and ship upgrades.  It has all of the original boxed sets and expansion packs. If you want to try your hand at building your tournament force, be sure to check out this tool!
(NOTE: At the time of this article it’s missing the new English 3rd Rate and full-sized Galleon but we have the stat cards if you are interested!)

Info on the Force Builder Tool

Additional Content Suggestions

• Up your gameplay with some of our Oak & Iron Strategy Guides.
• Review our collection of Oak & Iron Painting Guides if you want to paint your ships before the tournament.