A chance encounter in the Passage du Ras

 

SCENARIO 3 – CHANCE ENCOUNTER

 

SCENARIO 3 – CHANCE ENCOUNTER 

Many naval battles occurred between relatively small fleets, sometimes just one frigate against another. In this scenario two small opposing forces encounter one another on the open seas.  

BATTLE AREA This scenario is best played on a 4' x 3' area.  

DEPLOYMENT Place a small number of islands, sand banks, and rocks around the battle area (alternate placing items of scenery until you are both happy with the amount).   All ships begin with Battle Sails. The crews for all vessels are Regular. Randomly decide which side will deploy first, then deploy it with their wake markers touching the northern edge of the table. Then deploy the opposing fleet with their wake markers touching the southern edge of the table. ships can only travel with Light Sails and can only shoot with half the number of cannons per gun position (rounding down). Each ship may capture no more than one ship per game. 

VICTORY The game ends after 9 Turns or as soon as half the ships of one fleet have sunk or having Struck the Colours. Players receive 1 victory point for every point of damage they inflict, 5 victory points for each brig that is either sunk or captured, 5 victory points if a frigate’s Ship Points drop below half, and 10 victory points if a frigate is sunk or captured. The winner is the player with most points. Roll 1D6 to determine where the wind is coming from: 1-3, the wind blows from the west; 4-6, it gusts from the east.

SPECIAL RULES  In this scenario you can capture enemy ships. To do so, initiate a boarding action with a ship that has already Struck the Colours. That ship is then captured and can be used by its captor. Captured 

Fearless encounters a Brigantine Privateer out of St Malo.  The French turn to engage. To port are the shoals of point Ras and a knot of current is dragging southwards here.  Putting Fearless on a converging tack Farthingdale loads and runs out.  

Fearless discovers the corvette L'Évêque Puant in the Ras passage.  The brig has a knot of current drawing her into the bay here, and in mid channel has ten fathoms under the keel.

Fearless

L'Évêque Puant gets her move mistimed and Fearless puts a chaser ball into her rigging.

Flash Harry's luck holds as he uses a first broadside getting three hits, one a critical.  9 points.  Those carronades are deadly.  Who do the French keep closing like this?

L'Évêque Puant is however a substantial force.  This is a 6th rate after all.  She prepares chain shot but is already at 17 points.  The Quarterdeck hit kills her first lieutenant and causes chaos aboard.

The protagonists turn around each other, watching the shoals.

The French corvette has a heavy broadside but its wasted on poor dice.  One hit for two points.

Finally Fearless nips behind the Frenchman as he is forced to tack.  Two hits up in a rake for six more points.  The Frenchmam passes his skills test for less than 50% points but clearly he is unhappy.  Well L'Évêque Puant (the infamous Stinking Bishop)makes just about everyone unhappy, particularly its smell.

The Corvette runs.  Fearless can only use her light chase gun and its a miss.  The markers indicate that both ships have moved.

Fearless turns and gives him two as he runs for it.  Its a last attempt because the Frenchman will be off table and away any moment.  Both hit reducing our Stinking Bishop to zero points.

The Corvette goes down.  Fearless crew will get head money and Captain Farthingdale needs every penny to pay his father's gambling debts.  Turns out Sir Augustus loves the ponies...

With the passage du Ras complete Fearless will look into the Breton ports past Les Glenans.  I roll on secret orders and we must destroy a shore battery before attempting Quiberon bay.  

Worse still, the French now have several warships at sea hunting the brig.  Can Fearless' luck hold?