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 looks like a solid piece of launch wasn't a huge dugout Piragua canoe of course, but it shares some common traits.  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 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.

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