'Galley Battles: from Salamis to Actium' is a tactical wargame trying to close a gap in computer wargames: the gold era of the galleys.

A game focused in these galley battles (Salamis, Arginusae, Actium, ...) can have a lot of entertainment, but the main problem is related to the interface. There's a huge number of units (in Salamis there were more than a thousand galleys), so giving orders to each unit is nor feasible neither realistic. Fixed squadrons are complicated, too, because in the middle of this kind of battles confusion was terrible, and give orders to concrete units can be of interest.

The proposed interface combines both approaches. At the beginning of the battle ships are formed (usually in line abreast or line ahead), and orders can be given to each squadron. As the battle advances, squadrons are broken and divided, so the player has the possibility of detach ships and create new groups that have common orders.

In this way, battles with great number of units can be easily managed via squadrons, and micro-managed to unit level when player thinks it is necessary.

Another entertaining issue of the wargame is the great extension of the map, that can be of any given size (for example 512x512 hexes), providing space to maneuvering battles. Game is played as WE-GO turns (each player gives orders and these are executed at the same time) that are equal to 5 minutes of battle time, with hexes 50 meters long.

Some special rules related to the difficulties of ancient naval battles are the relative randomness of movement (ships can move more or less hexes than ordered, depending on its sailors ability, thus breaking formation if orders are complex and sailors aren't veterans), different types of combat (greeks and carthaginians using ram attacks, romans using corvus to assault enemy ships), collisions between ships (both friendly and enemy), etc..