Fightin' Frigates - a War of 1812 game

 

I wasn't sure how many takers I'd have for the themed naval game at the Wollongong Wargamers, so I kept the planning very simple...

In the end it was just Daniel and I, so we set the points at about 100 with an open seas encounter battle. Daniel chose the Royal Navy and went with three actual frigates:

To provide some 1812 flavour, I decided to go with a super heavy 'Frigate', Constitution, 'Old Ironsides' herself, leaving me with only a standard frigate, Chesapeake to get my points up:

Both fleets started in opposite corners with the wind fine on the beam. I sailed my fleet on slightly divergent courses: I was relying on Constitution's toughness to set up a hammer and anvil approach on whichever RN frigate we met first...

Daniel sailed his three as a squadron. Note some of these Royal Navy warships are sailing under foreign colours to confuse the enemy. (Laughs in British...)

With the wind remaining steady, my overthought maneuvering allowed Daniel's HMS Sirius to fire first. Not only was it at point blank range, it gained the extra dice from being the first broadside. USS Chesapeake was fair riven - A second broadside from HMS Themis was enough to sink her! Half my command gone in the first few turns...

However this left some sea room to get in a crafty stern rake on HMS St Elena, also at point blank range and with extra firepower dice!

St Elena was set afire and was barely afloat. However the fire immeadiately spread to Constitution!

St Elena's gallant crew failed to extinguish the fire and she sizzled down to Davy Jones. Constitution's crew however did a stand up job and the fire was extinguished, not without causing a fair bit of damage.

Which meant that further broadsides from Themis and Sirius were enough to force her to strike. Daniel's squadron of light frigates had completed a clean sweep!

Bullion Run!

 

This week's Sunday Solo game was very informal. I just wanted to get some toys on the table and roll dice!

A small Spanish squadron (288 points but with veteran crews) is trying to evade the larger French Fleet (518 points with trained crews)

Perhaps the 1st Rate, Santa Anna, is carrying a cargo of bullion from the Americas, or an important personage...

The mission of the Spanish Armada Real is to get the Santa Anna off the far narrow table edge. As well as superior crews, the Spanish have the wind gauge, a fresh Nor' Easterly.

The Spanish Admiral places the slow moving Santa Anna in the rear, and the fast moving frigate St Elena in the van. She will try and run some interference!

The French flagship, Formidable, 84, is in the van.

St Elena soon draws ahead...

Tacking into the wind to attempt to get up wind of the French - she is trusting to the French battleship's sense of 'honneur' not to engage a mere frigate!

But after the Bahama ,74, fires her first broadside into Formidable, the latter does not fire back at her assailant but instead targets the Santa Anna, firing as she bears.

As the French column wears around, each succeeding ship follows the Flag's example, all firing high, steadily chipping away at the massive Santa Anna's rigging and masts...

Until finally Fougeux, 74, dismasts the Spanish 1st Rate!

Drifting and helpless, she is now easy prey to a French boarding action. The precious bullion is brought up on deck and 'Deep Sixed' rather than surrender it to the enemy! Oh well, a quick game is a good game...

The Quasi-War

 

Its been a long time since we played Black Seas; but the first of our Naval themed evenings yesterday was the perfect opportunity to wheel it out again. The Quasi War is little known but raged around the globe so is a good setting for speculative scenarios without too many awkward questions as to your sources!

The French squadron, led by June, was fairly traditional: a frigate for scouting and liaison and 3 Third Rate line of battle ships:

The USN did things a little differently! We were fortunate to have a guest player Saravan visit us from Adelaide, so he was quickly pressed into command of the US light frigate squadron seen below in the van. Daniel led the US Fleet's 'heavy frigates' line of battle in the foreground below: 

All three players were Black Seas novices so I acted as umpire and explained the rules. I assured everyone that the wind changed direction infrequently and encouraged everyone to clap on all sail, intending to speed up the advance to battle...

Of course the wind promptly changed, clapping all of the French ships in irons! June took this philosophically, and, having wisely refrained from putting on too much sail, got off fairly lightly with half her fleet tacking out of the wind and the remainder anchoring. However the French formation was broken up and her frigate Themis nearly sailed off the edge of the world and spent the rest of the game attempting to claw around and rejoin the squadron!

The two US squadrons lost no time in taking advantage and splitting up the French battleships yet further, and closing to boarding range... 

However there was nothing wrong with the French gunnery and the Yankees paid for their impudence - even Old Ironsides was set ablaze. At such close quarters, the fire spread from ship to ship. Understandably perhaps, crew after crew refused to board!

A series of further close range broadsides sent the USS United States to Davy Jones' locker. 

As the fleets passed through each other and drew apart, whilst the US had lost a heavy frigate, a couple of the French 74s were also badly damaged, mainly by fire. Despite my rusty application of the rules it was a hard fought and exciting game!

IPMS Show 2024: Black Seas

The Illawarra Plastic Modellers Association's annual show has now also become the Wollongong Wargamer's chance to showcase our hobby to an admiring bemused public.

The aim is to put one visually stimulating games whilst maximising the opportunity for public participation, so the more factions and commands available the better. For one of our naval games - Black Seas - we therefore chose the War of 1812...

With a twist - the action would take place off the Barbary Coast of North Africa, providing the opportunity for additional commands and mischief...

The table was therefore set up with a United States squadron in one corner (top right), Royal Navy fleet in another (top centre corner), and three rival pirate squadrons infesting the shallow waters nearer the coast.

Two of the pirate squadrons manned Fore and Aft rigged xebecs, whilst the third, skulking in the inlet, manned galleys. Both types of vessel could use oars and were ideal for shallow waters and could sail much closer to the wind than the British or US Square Riggers.

Obviously the real aim of the game was to engage with members of the public, showcasing our hobby.

Which my mate Darren is an absolute natural at!

Darren also produced all the stunning terrain representing the North African coast and rocks and shoals.

But what really caught my eye was the detail and painting that Darren put into the forts:

Just gorgeous!

We did get a lot of interest from the public, and a couple of young children actually had a go - choosing the pirates, obviously!

And Darren and I found the time to have a bit of xebec action ourselves, and really enjoyed the manoeuvrability and versatility of these vessels.

My thanks to Darren for his tremendous efforts in putting on this game and being a great ambassador for our hobby!