Tuesday afternoons we usually
play some board games with some other homeschoolificators – but this week I
decided to introduce the two that were able to make it this week to miniature
gaming! So, while my kids have played lots of miniature games (and a lot of
Ganesha Games) , two of the players, not only had no experience with the
Ganesha Games/Song of Rules, They had never even played a miniatures game
before – so this would be a real test of the system! As it turned out everyone,
more or less, picked it up straight away and we were all off sailing, as it
were.
SITUATION
The crew of the Red Snapper
heard tell of a Spanish merchant ship, heavily laden with New World Gold would
soon be heading home to Europe – enlisting the aid of the Snow – an English
privateer – they endeavored to take the Merchantman down and share out the
booty. The laid in wait, in the lee of some smallish islands in the carribean
await the Spanish gold ship to lumber past on it’s way out into the open sea.
SCENARIO
Pirates and privateers set up
within one medium of the east end of the table. Their objective was to take the
Merchantman intact – gold’s no good at the bottom of the sea.
Spanish Gold ship and escort set
up within one medium of the West table edge. Their objective was for the
Merchantman to safely make it off the east edge of the table.
Wind started out of the north.
FORCES
Pirates
The Red Snapper – Brig
The Snow – Brig
Spanish
Harfleur – Indiaman
Rapier – Brig
Maybe those aren’t the most Spanish
sounding names… I just used those because those were the names I had on the ships
from the last time we used them…
THE GAME
To start off I noticed the
battery on my camera was noe low and as I have not yet figured out what Amanda
did with the other one I tried to take only a few picture hoping it might last
at least until the end of the game… So a lot of these were hastily taken –
without properly waiting for the canera to focus… sorry…
(Remember: click on the pictures
for a bigger version)
Initial setup from the North
East. On the bottom left of the picture are the Pirates. On the top right are
the Spaniards
TURN ONE
Everyone went straight ahead.
Spaniards lumber forward.
The Pirates sail towards their
quarry.
TURN TWO
The Harfleur, seeing the pirates
rushing towards them thorugh the gap between the islands turned to skirt around
the north end of the Islands. The Red Snapper saw this maneuver and began
turning about. The Snow also made to come about.
TURN THREE
The Rapier darted forward
betweent eh Islands and fired upon the Red Snapper and extreme range – shots
all falling very short.
The Harfleur slowed as it turned
into the wind a bit.
The Red Snapper, coming about,
strayed into the shallows around the island, but safely navigated their way
around any rocks there might have been there.
The Snow rolled two failures – a
double One which shifted the wind direction.
TURN FOUR
The Rapier ALSO rolled two
failures - with a double one – shifting the wind a bit more. I think the change
in wind made the Harfleur pick up speed and it almost sailed off the table edge
– not being able to maneuver (as the Rapier had rolled a turn-over before it
could activate and change course!)
The Red Snapper also picked up
speed and so it went tearing through the shallows by the island and sustained
TWO DAMAGE due to hitting rocks and whatnot.
The Snow turned.
TURN FIVE
The Rapier fired on the snow –
hits, but with no appreciable affect.
The Harfleur did some fancy
maneuvering – trying to find that fine line between not going too fast and
sailing off the table edge and not sailing into the shallows too close to the
island…
The Red Snapper decided to try
and repair some damage, but in the process failed to slow the speed of their
ship and sustained MORE damage on rocks in the shallows!?
The Snow returned fire on the
Rapier – which was equally ineffective and then sailed on past – trying to sail
about the island and give chase to the Harfleur.
TURN SIX
The Harfleur… a merchantman… fired it’s bow chasers… at the Red Snapper at the very end of a second long stick… causing no damage at all (surprising no one…).
The Rapier started to come
about.
The Red Snapper scored a success
and a failure – but not JUST a failure – rolled a one on a coloured die and had
to make an “All At Sea” roll – which in the end made her fire on the Harfleur –
which she’d been planning to do anyway! No effect.
Snow still desperately trying it
give chase.
TURN SEVEN
The Harfleur turned a bit with
it’s single action – the two fouble fail rolls turned the wind even further.
The Rapier could only said
straight ahead – not being able to activate.
The Snapper rolled another two
fails – including another one on a coloured die – the result was that they were
to strike their colours and surrender. We figured it was more likely that
they’d just sail on by and make for cover hoping the Indiaman made a run for it
out to sea and not stick around to rake them up the stern!
Given the speed of the Snapper –
it would likely have sailed off the table edge that turn anyway.
So the only actual damage done to any ships was due to hitting rocks or reefs in the shallows around the Island... Well, we got to practice moving the little ships about... and we've pretty much got that down. NEXT game we'll get down to some serious gunnery and boarding actions.
So the only actual damage done to any ships was due to hitting rocks or reefs in the shallows around the Island... Well, we got to practice moving the little ships about... and we've pretty much got that down. NEXT game we'll get down to some serious gunnery and boarding actions.
I like the game so far.
Definitely looking forward to having another go. It definitely has the right
feel for a naval game in the age of sail – but still has the uncomplicated,
streamlined, fast-play of other Ganesha products.
I think the only real problems
were caused by my placement of the islands in the middle of the table – which
turned out to be just way too big for such a small table and made it hard to
ships to maneuver around them without accidentally sailing off the edge of the
table. Probably tried too ambitious a scenario for the first time around –
should have just had some open sea and said, “there they are, go sink ‘em!”
Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:
Well now that the kids have had a taste of that salty sea
air we’ll be have a few more game reports to post! Ya-HARRRR!
I also have some Great War stuff I’m just finishing up.
Love your work Tim. And... those wee ships are awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nic!
DeleteUnder development means I can't buy it now. That is lame.
ReplyDelete"Good things come to those who wait"...?
DeleteLovely batrep. Also loving the ships. Are them handmade?
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, I made the ships myself. There is a post about them here:
Deletehttp://saskminigamer.blogspot.ca/2007/07/tims-shipyard.html
I think it's time I made myself a shore battery...
and a kraken!!
From another homeschooling family, thanks for the great write-up. I am so eager for this to be available, since I have literally HUNDREDS of the old Wizkids Pirates of the Spanish Main ships that will be perfect for this!
ReplyDeleteThanks Henry!
DeleteThose Wizkids ships WOULD be perfect for this.
I think the game is supposed to be released sometime next year... You should definitely check out Nic Wright's blog for updates and announcements.
I've got a bunch of those as well and was thinking the same thing. It would be fun to finally have a good use for them.
DeleteI was thinking this too! I have loads of them and play the game occasionally. But a Ganesha Games use for them will also be awesome!
DeleteThis ships are looking great, as the game...
ReplyDeleteMerci Phil!
Delete