Bluebeard Scenario Six: The Mangrove Maze

The Mangrove Maze

The English have learned that one of Bluebeard's trusted agents has hidden a chest deep within a maze of mangrove creeks. The chest isn't necessarily gold—it is more valuable than that.

Inside are:

• coded letters naming corrupt merchants in Jamaica,
• charts of hidden anchorages,
• and a chest of Spanish silver used to pay informers.

The Governor cannot allow Bluebeard's spy network to survive.

Bluebeard is away at sea, so only a small English expedition is sent. A newly promoted Second Lieutenant commands a single armed shallop with orders to push into the creeks, seize the cache, and return before nightfall.

Unfortunately for him, the Caribs have already been warned.

The local Carib chief has no love for English soldiers trespassing through his hunting grounds. Whether paid by Bluebeard or simply defending their homeland doesn't matter—the English are not leaving unopposed.

As the tide rises, silent canoas slip between the mangroves...

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English Landing Party (100 points)

Commander

• Second Lieutenant (Regular Officer)

Landing Party

• 6 Veteran Sailors with Muskets
• 4 Sailors with Muskets
• 2 Sailors with Boarding Axes/Cutlasses

This gives roughly a dozen men—a realistic boat crew for an armed shallop, leaving a few sailors aboard to guard the boat while the search party goes ashore.

Special Rules

• The shallop cannot sail through the narrowest mangrove channels.
• The Caribs deploy hidden.
• English visibility is limited by dense mangroves.
• The English must locate and recover the hidden chest before escaping.
• The Caribs win by preventing the English from leaving with it—or by forcing them back to the shallop

2nd Lieutenant Leslie "Twitchy" Balls

"Ding Dong!"

Role: Royal Navy Officer
Officer Type: Naval Lieutenant (Untested)

Personality
Neat, soft-spoken and perpetually twitchy, Balls gives the impression of a man who would rather be anywhere else. He startles at cannon fire, apologises before giving orders and is forever straightening his neckcloth. Yet the moment cutlasses leave their scabbards, he becomes a fearless and remarkably gifted swordsman. His cry of "Ding Dong!" usually signals that someone is about to lose a duel.

Strengths

• Superb swordsman and boarding leader.
• Commands his sailors with quiet confidence.
• Exceptionally brave in close combat.
• Completely loyal to Lieutenant Fairweather and Captain Hawke.

Flaw
His nervous manner causes both enemies and allies to underestimate him. He has little patience for prolonged musket duels and is often eager to close with the enemy before the moment is tactically ideal.

Favourite Saying
"Ding Dong... I do believe that's the signal to board!"

Sailing Master Hepzibah "The Unsinkable" Mott

"The Unsinkable Mott"

Role: Sailing Master & Navigator
Officer Type: Naval Specialist (Experienced)

Personality
An old salt with a mischievous grin, an inexhaustible stock of sea stories and an uncanny instinct for wind and tide. Mott has served in His Majesty's Navy for over forty years, surviving storms, mutinies, battles, shipwrecks and more than one court martial. Nobody is entirely certain how he remains afloat—or in uniform. He is rarely seen without a clay pipe and a knowing chuckle.

Strengths

• Master navigator in coastal waters.
• Expert at handling ships through reefs, shoals and narrow channels.
• Inspires confidence in sailors through long experience.
• Unflappable under fire and during heavy weather.

Favourite Saying
"Ho, ho... I've run aground in better places than this!"

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Midshipman Tibulus Hathershaw

"The Greenhorn"

Nationality/Faction: Royal Navy
Role: Midshipman

Personality
Fresh from the Naval Academy, Tibulus knows every regulation by heart but has yet to discover his sea legs. He turns a delicate shade of green whenever the Swift leaves harbour, much to the amusement of the crew.

Quote

"I assure you, sir... I'm only inspecting the lee rail."

The Mangroves thicken nearer to shore.

The Navy bring the Shallop close into the swamp.  Its shallow keel allows it some leeway.

And my Naval Lieutenantvseems to be dressed like a pirate!  I used fatverrol and his boys as stand ins for the RN.

Two canoa and a Piragua loaded down with bows armed Caribs

The Caribs get close, really quickly, but the Muskets are effective.  I spend a fortune to avoid that roll!

The low profile of the canoas works in the Caribs favour. 

But a boarding attempt is seen off.

The Caribs start to pile on the fatigue with those poisoned arrows.

But my Caique takes a hit.  Love my new fatigue dice.

The shallop sticks.  A desperate moment.

And the Caribs swarm around.  My Midshipman is killed!

But the shallop unstick and turns to run. Only the pirogue can keep up with it now.

And the muskets may be slow but they are effective.
Not as effective as the abso.ute barrage of poisoned arrows raining down

And at one point both canoa are shaken

The escape, but it's a loss for the scenario.

Great little game.

Building the Canoa and Piragua

The Canoa and Piragua were a different challenge to my more normal boat building.  They are dugouts, particularly the canoa, so I need to round them out.

I used the same build technique for both vessels, but the Piragua is 50% larger.  Artists mounting board for the base and sides.  The deck slopes upwards towards the bow when glued.

I measured out the bases.

Glued the sides.  The formers are temporary.

Making sure the lads fit.  My Caribs are a mixture of miniatures and manufacturers, some Maori are mixed in there too!

The Piragua nears completion beside two canoa. The hull is topped with an old boot lace to give the impresion its thicker than it is.  A layer of plaster and pva rounds it out before painting.

The canoa is flimsy but cheap.  Its hull Fortitude of 2 and Integrity of 3 means it only takes 3 hits on the boat to get a Critical hit and 4 hits to get 2 Criticals. Without any rigging, the Rigging Critical hit turns into another hit on the Hull. 

Its fragile.  Prepare to swim!

If you want to move at the standard 4" you must man the Sweeps, reducing the number of archers.

Worse, the maths of 9 figures per boat with units of at most with miniatures means either small groups, or large, with no real room to man the Sweeps.

The paddle stat is useful though.  The warriors shoot, the boat moves at 3".  (slowly)  The low profile is also useful, but the boat is unstable!

The Piragua

The Piragua stats have a respectable Fortitude of 3 and Integrity of 4, giving it fair durability.  

It's also low profile adding a +4 penalty to ranging shots when this ship is targeted with standard solid shot cannon fire. 

In terms of speed it has a 5″ sail setting and space for a group to man the sails, as well as a full 5″ turn and that is genuinely fast in this game.  When the Galley 4 trait is factored in the Piragua is really maneuverable. 

Using these boats in a game

I keep paddling and firing poisoned arrows.

Fragile though!

Useful inshore as the shallop sticks.

The Ship's Launch for Blood & Plunder

My first build of this weekend was this "paper model" ships Launch:

Definition: A 17th/18th Century launch was typically the largest boat a warship woukd carry, an undecked, small vessel (often around 15 meters or 50 feet long) that relied on oars, sails, or both. It carried a single, heavy cannon in the bow or a few swivel guns on the rails.  

So a large ships boat with a cannon at the prow, swivels oars and sail. 

It's the first time I've built this model, and I needed filler to cover the gaps.

My model is 23cm by 6cm with a height of 2.5cm.  To be fair it shares some common traits with the piragua.  Heavily built and of a similar size it's a cross between a boat and a ship.   It's probably slower than the longboat but ny and large I'm going to use the Piragua stats for an easy fix.  

I think it's a strong choice.

Getting started

Starting the build, cut out the paper parts, and backed them onto stronger card.

     

Also sorted out my crew, and a cannon for the bow.

Sealed around the hull, with the gun set up and Billy Boy on the tiller

Fat Errol the Privateer Captain, stands upon the thwarts, legs akimbo, as per normal.

My card for the Launch

Launch (Base Boat)

Points: 4

Type: Boat

Crew Capacity: 15 figures

Movement

• Max Speed 3"
• Windward 0
• Turn 5"
• Draft 0

Hull

• Hull 2/2
• Rigging 2/2
• 1 Deck

Standard Equipment

• Oars (Sweeps)
• Single Mast (optional)
• Open Boat
• Shallow Draft

Armament

• None

This is simply a transport and landing craft.

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Upgrade: Armed Launch (+2 points)

An Armed Launch represents a boat detached for patrol or combat.

Points: +2

Gains:

• 1 Bow Chaser

  • Light Cannon (3-pdr or equivalent)

• Up to 2 Swivel Guns

  • +1 point each

• Marine Detachment

  • May carry one attached Marine or Soldier unit without reducing movement (a nice bit of flavour if you use house rules).

So:

Vessel	Points
Launch	4
Launch + Bow Chaser	6
Launch + Bow Chaser + 1 Swivel	7
Launch + Bow Chaser + 2 Swivels	8

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Historical flavour

These boats were surprisingly formidable. The Royal Navy, French Marine Royale and Spanish Armada all armed launches for:

• Cutting-out enemy merchantmen.
• River patrols.
• Harbour defence.
• Landing marines.
• Escorting troop boats.

During the War of the Spanish Succession and later the Seven Years' War, armed launches frequently operated independently at night, rowing silently into enemy anchorages before opening fire or boarding ships.

My plan is to build a whole "Small Craft Expansion"

My mad boat building collection is starting to deserve its own supplement:

Boat	Points	Capacity	Role
Rowboat	1	6	Ferry
Longboat	2	10	Ship's boat
Launch	4	15	Landing craft
Armed Launch	+2	15	Patrol boat
Shallop	5	15	Coastal trader/patrol
Canoa	Official	Warriors	Native craft
Piragua	Official	Warriors	Large native craft
Fishing Boat	3	8	Civilian

My idea is to  produce them as a matching set of parchment-style cards. To give a complete range of small craft for Caribbean campaigns, and because they sit below the smallest official ships, they shouldn't upset the balance of Blood & Plunder. The Launch would become the workhorse of colonial expeditions, while the Shallop remains the small independent sailing vessel for traders, smugglers and privateers.  

Proof that my really low cost model plan works.  I only have another three launches printed out to build.

The rest of that musketeer group fit nicely inside.

I'm going to paint up the gun crew and tiller man as removable

Building the Shallop for Blood & Plunder

My Homebrew Shallop

Historically, a Caribbean shallop was a versatile little vessel—typically 30–45 feet long, single-masted with fore-and-aft sails, often carrying 8–20 men, and able to row with sweeps when the wind failed. They were common from New England to Jamaica and ideal for rivers, creeks, and coastal waters.

I'd position it in game terms as:

	Longboat	Shallop	Piragua
Sail	Optional	✔	✔
Oars	✔	✔ (sweeps)	✔
Crew	Small	Medium	Medium/Large
Cargo	Low	Moderate	Moderate
Guns	None/Swivel	1–2 Swivels	1–2 Swivels
Best role	Landing party	Patrol & transport	Native war canoe/coastal transport

Type: Boat
Rig: Single Mast (Fore-and-Aft Sail)
Propulsion: Sail and Sweeps

Special Rules

• Shallow Draft
• Oars (Sweeps)
• Open Boat

Suggested Armament

• Up to 2 Swivel Guns (one forward, one aft or broadside-mounted)

Crew Capacity

• 12–16 figures

Cargo

• Moderate (more than a Longboat, less than a Bark)

Points Cost

• Around 5 points before upgrades.

Role

The Shallop excels at:

• River patrols
• Amphibious landings
• Escorting merchant vessels
• Smuggling
• Native and colonial expeditions
• Pirate raids on plantations

Why this fits

It doesn't replace the Longboat or Piragua:

• The Longboat is essentially a ship's boat.
• The Piragua is a large dugout canoe of Native or Spanish Caribbean design.
• The Shallop is a true small sailing vessel with better carrying ability and more seaworthiness than either, but far less capable than a sloop.

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Attribute	Shallop
Points	4
Max Speed	3"
Windward	0
Turn	5"
Draft	0
Hull	2/2
Rigging	2/2
Decks	1
Capacity	10–13 models
Cannons	None
Swivels	Up to 2

Special Rules

• Oars (Sweeps): May move without wind.
• Shallow Draft: Ignores shoals and may beach freely.
• Open Boat: As normal for open craft.
• Transport: May carry one unit plus attached characters (or up to two small units if using your group's interpretation of deck capacity).

At 5 points, it's not a fighting vessel—it's a utility craft. That's exactly what a historical shallop was. It becomes an attractive purchase for scenarios involving:

• Pirate landings.
• Smuggling.
• River patrols.
• Carib and colonial expeditions.
• Carrying a small militia detachment to a plantation or island.

Optional Upgrade:

• Light Swivel Gun (+1 point each, maximum 2).

That way, a basic transport remains just 4 points, while an armed patrol shallop becomes 5–6 points, which feels about right.

Artists mounting board and cardboard

.

I fixed the sides with glue, the elastic band holds it to get a tight seal.

I used card strips to get the deck effect, coffee stirrers for the thwarts

Almost done, although my original plan to give it two masts was altered and replace by a single one.

The complete model.  A big shallow draft open boat.

Armed with a single bow Swivel.  Oarlocks added.

And a lot of space for a boarding party.

The Pipe-leaf Downs

Hairfoot Jousting, the league continues.

The Teams

The Crumblewick Jousters

Team Captain: Dildo Shaggins
Mount: sheep (soft)
Cookpot, rolling pin

Bingo Bumfoot
Mount : Dog (energetic)
Felt hat and broomstick

Ponto Puddles

Mount: Goose (Aggressive)

Stick.

The South Meadow Thistles

Team Captain: The Gaffer

The Gaffer, Mount: Turkey (bouncy)
Walking stick

Nobby Pailhat
Mount Pig ((Deliberate)

Rumpo Rumpfoot, Mount Giant Weasel helmet and fence post.

The Game

Crumblewick vs the South Meadow Thistles 

South Meadow win initiative.

The South Meadows go for the joust target

Round 2.  South Meadow ring the bell 

Shaggins performs poorly.  He has lost three endurance by the end of turn two!

Turn three.  The South Meadow call it right and ring it three times in round three!  Shaggins picks up another endurance.

Bumfoot collides with fence after fence.

Shaggins is knocked off the sheep. The South Meadows ring the bell for the fifth time in round 5.  It's a comprehensive defeat for Crumblewick.

With the joust target still ringing everyone goes for a half pint of ale.

The venue are serving "Old Short and Stout," 9,% abv.  Very hoppy, perfect for enjoying by the foot ( the Hairfoot version of a yard of ale."