A Wargamer in Cyprus

I live in Cyprus, I play too many periods, and I don’t believe you need more miniatures, just better games. This blog is the digital continuation of my old paper wargames diary. Since 2016 it’s become a place to explore campaign gaming, solo systems, historical skirmishes, and the constant process of adapting rules to fit the figures I already own. Expect battle reports, project notes, campaign frameworks, and the odd Durham Wargames Club pilgrimage. It’s practical, narrative-driven wargaming.

Tuesday, 19 May 2020

The Bahamas Station

Sirs,

I have the honour to report HM Post Ship Ariel ready for sea in all respects. She has been moved to the outer warp at Priddy's Hard fully Stored for her voyage to Nassau in the Bahamas. The Muster book is copied to this request. The vessel has a full complement with several exceptions.

Lt Whitemoore has transferred from Fearless with me, but he is newly raised to the rank. A Senior Lieutenant would be required to fill my complement. Ariel also lacks a Sailing Master, although we retained Master's Mate Drinkwater from Fearless.

Lastly my Marine detachment lacks a Lieutenant. A suitable man will be needed before Ariel can proceed to sea.

If you could supply me the names of any deserving Officers I would be forever in your debt Sirs.

In addition it would appear that Ariel has only one Midshipman, and can carry several more young gentlemen. If any of your lordships have relatives that would benefit from a life at sea be pleased to send me their particulars.

Your Servant

Harry Farthingdale, Post Captain RN

What ho! Another jaunt on the jolly old briney is it?

Lieutenant Claude Balls. Sallow and twitchy but a demon in a fight.

Marine Lieutenant A.P. "Eager" Tredegar. Enormous non-regulation sideburns.

Sailing Master Hepzibah Mott aka "The Unsinkable Mott". Long but not entirely distinguished career in HM navy.

Midshipmen:
Tibulus Hathershaw. Very young, very queezy.
Benjamin "Blondie" Fredriksen. Pale and wan. Unnervingly still.
Elias Bulge (of the Shropshire Bulges) Enthusiastic and spotty.

Reply by warranted post

My respects and thanks to your Lordship,

your officers names have been entered into the ships roll.

I am sure their performance will not reflect upon yourself.

HMS Ariel is scheduled to sail for Georgetown on the Carolina coast before patrolling south to report to the Senior Officer Nassau, Bahamas Station.

"Flash" Harry Farthingdale RN

The Complement - Muster and Punishment Book

Captain Farthingdale has been made post following his successful cruise down the Biscay coast. He has retained much of his crew from Fearless, and recruited and pressed to almost complete the Complement.

He lacks only a Lieutenant, a Master and several Midshipmen.

Commissioned Officers

Commanding: Captain Harry Farthingdale

(Prudish third son of a minor Northern aristocrat, skilled with dueling pistols and an experienced sailor and navigator)

First Lieutenant Claude Balls. Sallow and Twitchy but a demon in a fight.

Lieutenant Young Quentin Whitemoore (Slightly deaf, Lucky, Old Naval family, Patronage) (1 Month in the rank)

Marine Lieutenant A.P. "Eager" Tredegar. Enormous non-regulation sideburns

Sailing Master Hepzibah Mott aka "The Unsinkable Mott". Long but not entirely distinguished career in HM navy

Midshipmen

Lucky Jack Quilp (Cocksure, Parson's son)

Tibulus Hathershaw. Very young, very queezy.
Benjamin "Blondie" Fredriksen. Pale and wan. Unnervingly still.
Elias Bulge (of the Shropshire Bulges) Enthusiastic and spotty.

Warrant Officers

Pilot (Masters Mate) Drinkwater (Over Clever, Merchants son, former Trinity Brethren Skipper)

Gunner, Ancient Nell McTurk (A loud deaf fellow, Pressed in Hartlepool)

Carpenter Willie Wood (Dimwit, thick as a plank)

Surgeon Sam Saw (Lovie, over expressive. Loves a good trepanning)

Petty Officers

Sail maker Simon Stitch

Rope maker Henry Hemp

Clerk: Preserved Catchmole "Which it is."

Quartermaster Walter Wheel

Quatermaster's Mate Sammy Spoke

Bosun's mate Kev Kosh

Coxswain Larry Launch

Marine Sergeant, Rod Ram,

Corporals Sid Shout, Barry Bawl

and Sixteen men.

Seamen

Able Seamen x 20 (3 ready for promotion to Petty Officer)

Ordinary Seamen x 40 (3 Drunkards)

Landsmen x 50 (3 King's Bad Bargains)

Ariel has a crew of 140. Four mixed crew parties of thirty with one of these as a deck group for sail trim, one Marine party, three Officers, The Captain and two Lieutenants. Unlike other Sphinx class post ships Ariel was given an initial armament of 12 pdr long guns, although during her long service she had variations in armament. Captain Farthingdale has shifted two guns forward as bow chasers. Under battle Sail Ariel is a fast 8 knots. At full sail she is a sprinter at 13 knots. She is Regular.

The Bahamas Station 1776 is set to go. I'm using my naval kriegspiel rules to follow the career of HMS Ariel 20 and her crew, as well as Sharpe Practice 2 for land operations.

The naval side of the American War of Independence was of immense strategic importance. The American colonies were utterly reliant on the import of weapons, powder, and other war materials in order to stay in the fight, while Britain depended on shipping to supply her armies in the Americas, and for her own prosperity.

Both sides were strategically vulnerable, due to their dependence on ships, trade, and the maintenance of the sea lanes. The rebellious American colonists relied upon commerce raiding. The small newly fledged Continental Navy, State raised small fleets and individual captains taking leters if Marque as Privateers, all functioned against British commerce.

From 1778 the French navy challenged British naval supremacy in American waters, from Newfoundland down to the West Indies.  The picture becomes further complicated since dozens of Loyalist privateers also put to sea, and preyed on the shipping of their rebel countrymen.

My Bahamas Station game will focus on the British naval station in the Bahamas, as far south as the windward passage. Between March 1st and 10th, 1776, the new Continental United States Navy raided and temporarily occupied Nassau, the Spanish attacked the Bahamas in 1782, and the Americans again took Nassau in 1783. HMS Ariel will have a lot of enemies to deal with.

The Enemy

The idea is that the game runs on encounter cards. Two cards are drawn per day, and these can be events on board ship, political events offstage, weather, or other vessels. As in other games I've done using this system it establishes a strong narrative thread.
The principal enemies, each of whom must be defeated for Ariel to win the game, are:

French Royal Navy

The Brig Brie under La Compte Completé.

French Privateers

Capitaine Rathboné de Mayonnaise and the Corvette Pont L'Evec

Spanish Navy

San Pepe, Brig under Capitaine Guardiola

Spanish Island Army Garrisons

Revolting Americans

The Yankee Brig Fortunate Son under Captain Credence Clearwater

Revolting slave army, and boats

The gunboats of Marcel Marceau, revolting slave and mime artiste

Dutch Colonies

The Inglorious Trompe 18, under Pieter van Trompe of Amsterdam

Native American Caribs and Seminole

Allies

Loyalist American immigrants

Captain Cary Grunt and the Sloop Curious George.

The RN

RN Lieutenant Norman Pitkin and the Topsail cutter Pickle
The Rumtown Militia and their sloop Nancy

Background

His Majesty, King George III, requires and commands his humble servant Harry Farthingdale, to go aboard and take command of his ship, HMS Ariel, this Year of 1775. Proceed with all alacrity to Nassau on the Bahamas station and prosecute His Majesty's Enemies in accordance with Instructions issued by the Lords of Admiralty,

Judas Ebeneezer Quilp, Naval Secretary

The corrupt Governor of the Bahamas is double dealing with Pirates, Revolting Americans and French Privateers. They have island bases scattered across the archipelago. HMS Ariel must search for and destroy them. But the American War means that missions in the form of sealed Orders from the Rear Admiral at Jamaica are also imperative as trade must continue.

Divide chart into Lat and Long boxes.
Random Encounter grid but with greater odds of encounters in the shipping passages.
Programmed encounters assigned to boxes.
A search mechanism for islands. Assigned Missions cards, encounter cards.

Overview
Grid Search table
At Sea Events table
Sealed orders for a location

Entering a grid square triggers a flowchart of events if a scenario card is linked to that square.
At Sea Events are weather, shipboard incidents and random sightings

The War will have 3 phases and three different sets of Scenarios.
1 The Navy Defends
2. The Saints
3. Jamaica Station

The campaign map

Narrative strands/Event cards
The Mysterious Arch-enemy Privateer narrative, the Fortunate Son
The Prize Monies Victory points, reputation calculator
The double dealing Governor's demise
The feckless gouty Commodore ashore
The Rumtown Militia in trouble
The Imminent US Invasion, Semper Fi suckers
The Great Hurricane Season
A sub strand concerning Captain Farthingdale collecting/trying every type of Caribbean rum.
Dabears Ltd Counting House, shares on the London Exchange.
The Marceau Slave Revolt. Prelude to the Toussaint revolt on Haiti but also pirates and smugglers.

The Nassau News is my idea for giving these games some cohesion. For the narrative I'll use 18th Century portraits, especially for the "readers wives" section.
The Whig view, comment, as well as the tory comment
The Naval Gazette column detailing HMS Ariel's career
Stocks and shares on Dabears of London Exchange
Classified ads that probably amuse only me!

HMS Ariel

HMS Ariel Class and type:	20-gun Sphinx-class sixth-rate post ship
Displacement:	650 tons (French)
Tons burthen:	435¹⁹⁄₉₄ (bm)
Length:	108 ft (32.9 m) (gundeck); 89 ft 5 in (27.3 m) (keel)
Beam:	30 ft 3 in (9.2 m)
Depth of hold:	9 ft 7 ¹⁄₂ in (2.9 m)
Sail plan:	Full-rigged ship
Complement:	British service:140 French service: 130 (peace) and 210 (war)
Armament:	British service:20 × 12-pounder guns

Land Forces
In 10mm my FIW / 18th Century collection will fit most of the forces needed. (But the 28mm are on the way!)
Naval figures, Marines and Pirates
British Redcoats
French or Spanish White coats
American blue coats
Native Americans
Irregular land forces, Canadians or Rangers.
The Rumtown Militia and their Privateer Sloop Nancy.

Terrain.
My Peninsular war Timecast buildings will work really well for 10mm, and my Peninsular War 28mm for larger games. Perhaps more Irregular Palm trees are in order.
At least one "desert" island with single palm tree for 1:700 Naval games
Warlord black seas map board (day and night)

Links
The charts
Dropbox link

The planning document
Dropbox link

Missions
Sealed orders
Encounter missions
Senior officer on station orders

Encounters.

5th rate Frigates
6th rate Sloop
Brigs, numerous
Privateer Sloops
Schooners Merchant and Privateer
Topsail cutter, Naval dispatches
Gunboats.
Native canoes.
Weather
Sea states
Mission encounters

Encounter off the Matamilla reef. The waters north of the reef were long considered to be an extension of the rocky outcrop due to the extensive breakers north of Matamilla island. By the time of the revolutionary war it had been recognised that this was due to colliding currents between the Bahamas Bank and the Atlantic proper. In any event the seas here are rough in the best of weathers and Ariel has a SW force five blowing straight into this.

An American Privateer brig sloop, Savannah of eighteen guns, Captain Otis B Driftwood of Charlestown. Otis is reckless, driven by profits and has had a poor cruise, mainly because Savannah has bilge weed reducing her speed to a crawl. The sight of a British ship overcomes his caution, until he realises that this enemy is a 20 gun 6th rate, and she is a sprinter...

It sets up an interesting tactical problem for Otis, and an enemy with a similar number of guns for Ariel.

Saturday, 16 May 2020

Sp2 and the first Swamp Fox

Swamp Fox Scenario One
Great Savannah 25th August 1780
Situation

Cornwallis

With the capture of so many Continental troops after the battle of Camden, Lord Cornwallis is having them moved to Charleston under guard. This is being done in manageable groups to avoid the spread of disease. Swampy Gibson has learnt that Captain Jason Isaacs and a contingent of the of the 63rd Line are using the plantation house and have the prisoners encamped in a field. He is resolved to free his comrades.

The table

Rebel Force
Advanced Guard
Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Horry, Status II
Captain John James, Status I
Three Groups of 10 Newly Raised Militia, Kingstree Regiment
Captain Robert McCottry, Status I
One Group of 6 Militia Skirmishers, Kingstree Regiment
Reserve
(an only enter the table on the turn after all of the Advanced Guard are deployed.)
Colonel Francis Marion Gibson, Status III
One Group of 10 Time Served Rebel Militia, Kingstree Regiment
Captain John McCauley, Status I
One Group of 10 Time Served Rebel Militia, Kingstree Regiment

Crown Force
Captain Jason Isaacs , Status III
Lieutenant Carlton Mellows, Status I
Three Groups of 8 Regulars of the 63rd Regiment of Foot.

Captain Rampton Rigsdale Status II
Two Groups of 8 Provincial Regulars of the Prince of Wales American Regiment

The British Sentry waits for the Rebels to show up.

Scenario Notes
The table is flat with the plantation buildings at the Eastern end. The main house is two stories tall and provides hard cover for any troops inside. The other buildings are a single storey and provide light cover. The POW camp is made up of tents which do not impede movement or firing. They will simply be knocked down if moved over, the prisoners within fleeing and playing no part in the game.
The fenced field to the South is overgrown and counts as Broken Ground. The trees to the North are orchards. The rail fences provide light cover as will the wagons. The latter may be moved up to 1D6 inches in a turn by any Group of five men or move spending that turn pushing them.
This game is won by the force which can break their opponent’s Force Morale

Somewhere in the TS version of South Carolina, no less fictional but more believable than Mr Gibson's version.

The Rebels Moveable Deployment Point 24" from their fixed one.

Captain Isaacs and the Regulars deploy

The Prince of Wales regiment deploy their two groups to the right.

Swampy Gibson comes on table from the main deployment point, the road will speed his march. I plan to get his force into the scrub.

The lines close

The Rebel volley is poor

The Crown Forces batter the rebels with a devastating first volley

The death of Colonel Horny

The POWs run for it, but the rebels are losing badly.

I called the game there. Lacking something I thought. The game was fiddly, and so it turns out I am old school, needed figures on table or simple units not individual figures. Something to work on.

The Diplomat in Mittledorf

The Red Force has been attempting to get a diplomat to a rendezvous at Mittledorf and has now succeeded in pushing Blue back onto that tile. Blue have rallied and now stand firm as the defenders having been reinforced.
If Oberst Leutnant Heinz von Schoup, Red Commanding Officer, can deliver his diplomat he will be able to withdraw from Blue territory.

A little more detail on my Officers seems pertinent. These were generated on my "character of a man or indeed woman" table. (And i have now adapted it from the American Civil War setting) Commanding officers have two rolls, others one. Reputation points are generated from an initial 4d6 and then gained or lost during the campaign.
To get as far as Mittledorf Red have used three supply sacks from their initial 12.

Blue Officers
Oberst Joachim von Pumphosen (Der Junger Pumper)
A cross eyed Psychopath, with a bristling moustache. Reputation 18, Erect... now -2 to promising.
Hauptmann Frederick Schlag.
Keeps a savage pet dog called Kaiser. Reputation 13 Hopeful.
Leutnant Hans Hämorrhoiden
Intolerant Protestant religious fervour. Reputation 17. Upstanding.
Titt-Meister Cosmo Kleinesstück
A mummy's boy Reputation 10. Inept
Korporal Gerd Üppig
A rash impetuous idiot. Reputation 13 Hopeful

Red Officers
Oberstleutnant Heinz von Schoup
A Rash impetuous fool, with a game leg. Reputation, 9 Maladroit. After the battle at Knopfbruck Bridge he earned +4 to make him now 13 Hopeful
Fahnenjunker Maximillian von Maus
A dry sarcastic wit. Reputation Upstanding
Korporal Sigmund Süße
Braggart. Reputation 8 Useless.
Hauptmann Braune Schmutz.
A Weasel of a man. Reputation 15 Promising.

The tabletop:
Hill, buildings, Hill
Fields 1 building, wood

Blue form a line in the village, using the buildings, duck pond and walls for cover.

Against a static Blue, Red comes off the deployment point. The Fierce Red Grenadiers march across a muddy field. Bad news for those resplendent uniforms.

Blue have a gun on the high ground screened by skirmishers. It all seemed a good idea until the Red assault column formed.

The Red centre companies fire their first volley. Its devastating, nine sixes in the conversion, three casualkties on each of those Blue units.

Frederick Schlagg takes a ball to the gorget. He is rendered unconscious.

Blue return fire with a fair volley.

The assault goes in. Two kills from cannister and Max von Maus falls, (another unconscious Officer)

The Red dragoons come off their horses and put down some fire from their carbines. They destroy the wavering group on the left of the Blue line.

Red fire again. Five casualties shared among those two struggling groups. Young Pumphosen falls, but remounts in time to flee.

The Red Grenadiers display the captured Blue cannon...

Next time... Red retain the initiative. they march into Nord-dorf to find Blue are in no shape to contest the game. A clear win for Red.

Wednesday, 13 May 2020

Bloody Barons 2: My lockdown Sunday game

My lockdown Sunday game
Bloody Barons 2

The table top

I drew up the battlefield and collected the terrain from various mods. The figures were from an imperialist German army mod and I created units by locking two front rank with rear rank archers. Really got to grips with the locking tool.

Dismounted Knights made the Household, pole arms the retinue and peasants the levy. Rear ranks all archers. Looks the part.

A simple right click allowed me to rename the units. I cheated and renamed mounted Gendarmes for each of the Generals, . Whilst I didn't use them in this battle I spent the time to create units of pike, mounted and hand gunner's. Having saved the game I can now simply reuse all of these components to create new scenarios.

The terrain slid around the board in the setup sequence but was all locked in place before the figures went down.

Overall... its very green!

Whilst I could have unlocked figures for casualty removal it seemed too fiddly, so instead I drew up my own casualty chips, a simple "C" on a red background. These can be thrown onto units as they lose men. Simple. To remove them, flip the unit.

Game setup sequence
Activity 1 Build the army to 40 points.

2 For each player. Choose 2 differing scenery pieces.
Then add a building (or wood), gentle hill and a boggy marsh. Total 7 pieces.

3 Roll for each General's attributes.

Warwick
York
Hastings

Beaumont
Somerset
Devon

4 Carry out 32-point piggy chase. York wins

5 Players take it in turns to place pieces. Defender starts. First 4 scenery pieces placed in corners, then others can be placed anywhere.
See map.
6 Attacker has 1D6. Place D6 on a scenery item that the Attacker wishes to move. 3, 4, 5, 6 allows one Zone of movement, continue until fail or voluntary stop.

7 Defender has 3D6. Place each D6 on a scenery item that the Defender wishes to move. 3, 4, 5, 6 allows one Zone of movement, continue with each D6 until fail or voluntary stop.

8 Both players may note down a Zone that will move forward, or none.

9 Defender deploys first. Using his reserve Zone. Minimum 1 unit (household, retinue, levy) per Zone.

10 Attacker deploys second. Using his reserve Zone. Minimum 1 unit per Zone.

11 Carry out Defender losses. 1st do hits per Zone then 2nd do units off-table (maximum 3).
Lancaster loses badly here...

12 Advance Zones. Fill in empty Zone.
Hastings advances as does Devon.

15 Defender has first turn.

Hastings advances his ward on the Yorkist left.

Warwick takes the Yorkist centre. The Lancastrians have lost badly in the piggy chase and the Yorkists are attacking, confident of Victory in the true cause.