Bluebeard scenario 2
Tavern Knives
- The Naval Press enters a Nassau tavern and events erupt into a brawl.
- Interrogate informants, rival crews interfere. It's an RPG scenario based around a massive tavern brawl
Scenario 2 – Tavern Knives. The Naval Press.
"Everybody knows Bluebeard... everyone tells a different story."
Location: The Broken Compass Tavern, Nassau
Table Size: 2' × 2'
- Crown Naval Press
- Lt. Alfred Fairweather
- Lt Edward Bressington Royal Marine.
- 2 Groups, one of Sailors, one of Royal Marines (only four men from each group actually enter the tavern initially; the rest wait outside)
- Pirate Faction
- Jacques "Red Smile" Moreau
- 2 Groups of Jamaican Pirates (again, only four from each group begin inside)
The remaining men from both sides arrive as reinforcements once violence erupts.
Background
The pirates captured aboard the burning sloop spoke only one name.
Bluebeard.
Fairweather believes the story is nonsense, but one surviving sailor claimed a drunken dockworker knows where the mysterious pirate recruits his crews. He leads a Press Gang to the tavern.
Unfortunately... So does Jacques Moreau. Both parties arrive at the Broken Compass within minutes of one another.Nobody wants a fight. At first...
The Tavern
 |
| The Broken Compass Tavern. |
The inn is populated by colourful NPCs:
- Nervous landlord
- One-eyed bartender
- Gambling sailors
- Drunken merchant captain
- Cook with a meat cleaver
- Two serving girls carrying ale
- A fiddler
- Sleeping dockworker (the informant)
- Retired buccaneer
- Local preacher trying to calm everyone
These figures move randomly until the fighting starts.
Before The Press
I'll Play three turns as an RPG rather than a wargame. Each officer may speak to one NPC each turn.
Roll D6.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Complete lie |
| 2-3 | Rumour |
| 4-5 | Useful clue |
| 6 | Major clue |
Players may bribe, threaten or charm. Crane gains +1 when intimidating wounded NPCs. Fairweather gains +1 when questioning sailors.
Sample Rumours
Bluebeard has six ships. Bluebeard is already dead. Bluebeard works for the Governor. Bluebeard only sails during storms. Bluebeard's beard isn't black. Bluebeard recruits only orphans.
Only a few are true.
Hidden Informant
One NPC actually knows something. He is asleep. Someone must wake him without frightening him. If violence starts first...he tries to escape through the kitchens.
The Press
The civilians are fair game. The Press will grab them 1 per figure. Roll d6 to take into Naval custody.
Jacques "The Red Smile" Moreau
Moreau enjoys tavern fights.
He actively tries to start one.
If reduced below half wounds he laughs:
"Ask Bluebeard who painted my smile!"
He escapes through a back window if possible.
Lt Edward "Eager" Bressington Royal Marines
"Eager" is sure to cause mayhem! He is a one man disaster zone. He has six Marines under his command.
Lt Alfred Fairweather R.N
Fairweather knows the building's exits.
Once per game he may move one friendly group through the crowd without penalty as he guides them through the confusion.
End Game
The scenario ends when one side withdraws or the tavern catches fire.
Victory Points
Crown
+3 Capture Moreau alive
+2 Recover the Informant
+1 Obtain a genuine clue
+1 per pressed man.
Pirates
+3 Moreau escapes
+2 Kill the Informant
+1 Humiliate Fairweather
+1 Destroy Crane's medical satchel
The Game
 |
| Fairweather and his sailors. The marines will follow on turn 3. They speak to patrons and discover only rumours:
The informant remains undiscovered. |
 |
| The Red Smile, (played by Basil Rathbone in this movie) finally noticed the sailors. |
 |
| Confusion. The Pirates miss an Activation. |
 |
| Th Press goes to work, they learn rumours and take three "recruits!" |
 |
| But Jacques Moreau gathers his men and gets ready. |
 |
| "Eager" Bressington arrives. |
 |
| And poses at the door for a passing silhouette artist. |
 |
| Fight. The pirates charge. No casualties. |
 |
| The Red Smile and Fairweather go at it. |
 |
| A second Pirate group charge in, but poor dice. I wasted a fortune on this and got a worse result |
 |
| I'm using the character cards in this deck as additional events. Here twist of fate - redraw. |
But the informant wakes up
 |
| The Navy begin to win the brawl |
 |
| The Spanish Cptan reels back, |
 |
| And the pirates fail their strike test, routed. |
 |
| Fairweather continues the Press |
 |
| And Moreau is captured, knocked senseless by Bressington. |
 |
| A win for the Navy |
Campaign Rewards
If the Crown secures the informant, he reveals the first solid lead:
"Bluebeard doesn't anchor at Nassau... he meets his captains at a forgotten cay the old Spanish charts call Gros Garçon."
Fairweather immediately recognises the name. It's one of the "non-existent" islands marked only on his private charts. That revelation gives you a perfect hook into Scenario 3: an expedition to find Gros Garçon before Moreau or Bluebeard can vanish into the reefs. It also deepens the mystery—perhaps Bluebeard isn't just another pirate captain, but the head of a hidden network operating beyond the maps everyone else trusts.
Jacques “Red Smile” Moreau
The Butcher of Slaughter Beach
Officer Type: Pirate Captain (Aggressive)
Preferred Troops: Pirate Crew, Militia
Command Style: Shock assaults and terror tactics
Tabletop Notes
- Always leads from the front
- Prioritizes melee over shooting
Campaign Trait – Bloody Example
The first time an enemy unit is destroyed in melee each game, all friendly pirate units may reroll their next Morale test.
Hook Moreau leaves survivors on purpose — marked, broken, and telling stories. He claims Bluebeard personally carved his teeth red with blood.
2 groups of Jamaican Pirates
Vs
Fairweather and Crane
And 2 groups of sailors
Lieutenant Alfred Fairweather
Privateer and Cartographer
Role: Privateer Officer
Officer Type: Naval Lieutenant (Cunning)
Personality Sharp, sarcastic, utterly fearless at sea.
Strengths
- Superior navigation
- Ambushes and coastal raids
Flaw Loyal only to contracts, not causes, and his Friend Tobias Crane.
Campaign Hook His charts include reefs and inlets that do not officially exist — including routes to Gros Garçon.
Lieutenant Edward "Eager" Bressington
"The Ram of the Royal Marines"
Role: Royal Marine Officer
Officer Type: Marine Lieutenant (Untested)
Personality
Booming, fearless, and gloriously impetuous. Bressington possesses boundless courage, unwavering loyalty to the Crown, and an unfortunate tendency to charge before receiving orders. His magnificent, thoroughly non-regulation sideburns are said to arrive several seconds before the rest of him.
Strengths
- Inspires Marines through sheer bravery.
- Excels in boarding actions and close combat.
- Leads every assault from the front.
- Unshakable under enemy fire.
Flaw
His enthusiasm frequently outruns his judgement. Bressington has been formally reprimanded on more than one occasion for attacking before Captain Hawke had finished issuing his orders.
Campaign Trait – Eager for Glory
Once per game, Bressington may immediately lead a Charge or Boarding Action without spending a Command Point. However, if the attack fails to drive back the enemy, his unit gains one Fatigue as their momentum falters.
Tabletop Notes
- Best attached to Royal Marines or Veteran Sailors.
- Particularly effective during boarding actions.
- Benefits from officers who provide command support, especially Captain Hawke.
Surgeon Tobias Crane
Naval Surgeon & Interrogator
Role: Specialist
Officer Type: "An uncanny pistol shot," he once killed a minor Aristocrat in a duel. Friend to Lt Fairweather. Speaks a dozen languages.
Personality Calm, unsettling, meticulous.
Strengths
- Keeps officers alive
- Extracts information “humanely” (he insists)
Flaw Rumours follow him — men fear his operating table.
Campaign Hook Crane has treated at least one of Bluebeard’s lieutenants in the past.
No comments:
Post a Comment