Tales of the Brethren of the Main

I am something of a fan of the long out of fashion historical fiction of 1920s author Raphael Sabatini.  I actually owned a first edition of Captain Blood, found in a charity shop.

Sabatini was a proponent of basing historical fiction as closely as possible on history, and his fiction was the basis of several Hollywood movies.  Who can forget those stripy tights in Scaramouche?  Oh, just me then...

Peter Blood, the protagonist of Sabatini`s most famous novel was introduced in a series of short stories in Premier magazine appropriately called "Tales of the Brethren of the Coast."

Our hero has had a wide-ranging career, soldier, doctor and sailor.  He was even a captain under the Dutch admiral De Ruyter.

The book opens with him in Bridgewater, Somerset, trying not to join in with the ongoing rebellion of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. He wants no part of it, but as a doctor he attends the wounded of the Battle of Sedgemoor, is arrested and sentenced to death during the Bloody Assizes that follow.

The sentence is commuted to transportation and slavery in the West Indies, where he escapes during the Spanish attack on  Bridgetown Barbados, with a number of other convict-slaves who will become the Brethren of the Coast.  They capture the Spanish ship and sail away to a life of piracy.

After the Glorious Revolution, Blood is pardoned. As a reward for saving the colony of Jamaica from the perfidious French, but the character was not allowed to retire peacefully.  Sabatini later wrote Captain Blood Returns, as well as several other short stories featuring the character.

There is the basis for a good pirate campaign in there somewhere, and I`m keen to try out my new Blood and Plunder rules...

Tales of the Brethren of the Main

My Pirate Captain is the too clever by half Captain Flynn.  Errol to his friends, except that he is such a clever dick and bossy boots that he doesn't have too many of those.  The figure I chose for this hero is a slightly portly Blue Moon swashbuckler, accounting for the nickname "Fat Errol" which immediately followed.

His Nemesis is the French Capitaine Rathboné de Mayonnaise of the French Buccaneers. 

The Île de la Gros Garçon

English Pirates land on the 
Islet and begin to cross

Off the coast of Hispaniola lies the "Fat boy Island."  It houses a French Monastery, set up by the French King himself to bring the light of Catholicism to the new world.  By all accounts it is rich in silver plate.
The Brethren of the Coast have heard of the monastery and consider it a likely target.  French Buccaneers under Rathboné de Mayonnaise already use the Island, where the abbot is one of their secret supporters and purchasers of Spanish silver.  A new untested Spanish Commander and a contingent of Regulars are said to be already on the island.

The Rules will be Blood and Plunder, a shore action using 200 points.

The Spanish Militia lose the Initiative

Fat Errol and his men cross onto the main island

The Spanish militia line the wall and ready their firelocks

The English Pirates draw a random event.  Confusion.  One of their units halts in place, bewildered.

The Medium Spanish gun hits with its first dice, then adds the roll of a second and third

Fat Errol is starting to look isolated

The Spanish Regulars come off the hill and march through the Jungle

The Spanish win Initiative

The Spanish militia unleash an aimed shot that cuts through the pirate ranks

As more English come off the Islet

The Spanish Regulars move into position

And the gun reloads

Against all the odds Fat Errol passes his shaken test and leads his remaining men forward

The English win initiative

Errrol leads his men in a wild charge into the Spanish Militia

But the militia kill Errol's men in hand to hand

Errol flees as the Spanish Regulars fire into the remaining Sea dogs

And the gun also causes another casualty

Time to go.  The Pirates crew their longboat and head for the ship

The Pirates flee back to their ship

A last word from Captain Flynn, Fat Errol himself, as he expresses his disgust at the Spaniards dirty tricks...

So an enjoyable game, but I found it difficult to adapt for solo play.  The use of cards has some merit but its meant to be a cunning inter player game of wits and doesn't adapt well to a blind draw.  

I must admit however that I enjoyed the 15mm figures with this.  Less storage, more tabletop and I already have the makings of a 1650-1660 game...  One to think on.