Deployment Guide: Top Strategy & Tactics for Oak & Iron

The winner of a game of Oak & Iron can be determined before dice are even rolled. How you set up the terrain and place your ships on the board makes a massive difference in your success or failure in battle. Make sure you are prepared to best your opponent with this guide on deployment strategies.

Pre-Deployment Strategies

The initial deployment of your ships is one of the most important aspects of the game.

Listen More Than You Speak

Before the game begins, keep your ears open and listen to what your opponent(s) are chatting about. Players will often unintentionally give you intel on their force composition and how they intend to use it. Their conversational focus will offer insight into the tactics you will want to employ against them.
Ask leading questions to get them talking. Players are often proud of their creativity and force selection and want to brag about it early. Let them tell you as much about their force as they want.
Be a good sport. Always let your opponent know what ships and cards took in your Squadron if they ask, but don’t give them any more than that. “Loose lips, sink ships,” is a colloquialism for a reason. Don’t give your opponent any intel they can use against you. Don’t brag about your own forces, strengths, special creative build ideas, or combos you are looking forward to trying.

Take Your Time and Think Before You Act

Think about your force’s composition vs. your opponent’s. Are they going for a ranged attack build or boarding? (e.g. Do you need to close quickly or keep the enemy at long range?)
Try to predict the path your opponent is most likely to sail and plan accordingly. That first few moments of the game can make a huge difference, try not to get caught up in the excitement of getting to play and think about what’s about to happen.
Once the terrain is set on the board it will greatly affect movement and the course of the game. For more ideas on selecting/placing terrain check out our Terrain Strategy Guide here.
Don’t always put your admiral or named captain on your biggest ship. Larger ships tend to be slower and less maneuverable. Many initiative card bonuses and leader abilities are based on the flagship’s proximity to other ships (e.g. Intrepid – “Each ship in this Squadron within Musket shot of their Flagship may immediately remove 1 point of Fatigue. This card may only be included with a Squadron whose Admiral has the “Intrepid” special rule.”). As such, having a faster and more maneuverable flagship allows you to move it into position for bonuses.

Deployment Strategies

Don’t just automatically plop your ships in the middle of the board. Set your ships in a path that will offer your forces the most maneuverability and positioning while denying your opponent the same advantage.
The Defender always places their ships first. Unless the scenario favors the defender, you want to be the Attacker to force your opponent to give you a hint on where they are going to move during the game.
I personally think it’s better to deploy closer to one corner of the board or the other, rather than the center of the board. It allows you greater space to keep your ships in formation without having to turn as early.
Don’t feel like you have to deploy 100% of your ships in a single unit. If the objectives call for it you may want to break into two groups or put 1 or 2 ships out on the flanks solo.
Placing a single fast, maneuverable ship on the fringe edge of the board keeps your opponent second-guessing your strategy and can be used to push them in a direction they may not want to go. If you are lucky, sometimes that ship is overlooked or forgotten about and you can bring to bear behind an enemy’s line and get a Raking shot in.
Don’t always put your flagship at the front of your line. The first ship often bears the brunt of an enemy’s attack so you don’t want to lose your biggest, highest point ship early.

Wind

It should be obvious, but in a sailing game, wind can often make or break a game’s outcome. Pay attention to it and use it to your advantage.

Always try to select a deployment zone that gives you the option of having the wind at your back and in your opponent’s face or at least forcing them to sail Weatherly. This gives you a speed and maneuverability advantage.
Sweeps are unaffected by Wind. If you are stuck “In the Wind’s Eye”, you can still use a Crew Action to gain a small move.
Remember your ships that have Wind-based abilities and upgrades:

Swift	Increase this ship’s large sailing value by 1.
Weatherly	Increase this ship’s windward sailing value by 1.
Fore & Aft Rig	This ship may make a Change Heading Seamanship Action while in The Wind’s Eye

Your speed in a turn is always determined by your ship’s sail setting at the start of the round. So make sure you adjust your heading at the end of your movement to set you up for the best movement in the following round.

Scenario Based Strategies

Defender Deployment Strategies

If you are the DEFENDER in a scenario that needs to survive or make it to Turn 10:

Start as far away from your opponent as possible. Force your opponent to use as many turns as possible to get close to you.
Use your early seamanship actions to slow your ships down to keep the enemy at range as long as possible. Don’t be afraid to anchor if needed. But don’t forget to allow enough time to speed back either.
The terrain is your friend. Hiding behind islands and landmasses to deny Line of Sight is not cowardice, it’s strategic prowess. Every round you can deny your opponent the ability to fire at you is a win. It’s one more round toward victory in Round 10.
Fog is your friend. Take it and make sure you put it between you and your opponent. You don’t have to be in Fog for it to affect Line of Sight.
Close just a little and fade back. Let your opponent think you are going to sail to engage directly. Once they show their sailing direction, bank your own ships in an opposite direction and run. If they can’t shoot you, they can’t sink you. Stalling, if only for a few rounds pushes the game closer to Turn 10 and gives you a better chance at winning.
Avoid boarding actions and Cut Free to slow the pace.

Attacker Deployment Strategies

If you are the ATTACKER in a scenario where you have to sink ships or recover items by Turn 10:

Deploy as close to the front edge of your deployment zone as possible. This minimizes the number of turns you waste closing on the enemy or objective.
Use your early seamanship actions to speed your ships up and close the distance ASAP.
Seamanship and Crew actions each allow you to adjust your speed by 1. Do both in Round 1 as it is important at the start of the game to get to the goal.
Pick your targets early and concentrate your fire.
Keep the Strike Point objectives in mind.

We hope you enjoyed this collection of deployment strategies. If you have some to add, we’d love to hear them. Feel free to comment below with your suggestions.