Napoleonic Naval. Game at NBHW.

Friday's game at New Buckenham was a Napoleonic naval affair using Alan Abbey's rule set Blood, Bilge and Iron Balls.
The encounter was set up to mimic Trafalgar but on a much smaller scale, to act as a rules reminder and test game for the clubs full size Trafalgar to be played later this year. The ships are 1/1200 and a mix of Langton and Skytrex miniatures.

Initial positions.

The mixed Spanish/French fleet awaits at the top of the table whilst the Royal Navy approach in line, with the wind from the bottom. The wind was from the bottom right in this photo diagonally across the table.

Each side was split into three commands and I got the third and fourth ships in the British line. HMS Temeraire, a 98 gun second rate, and HMS Victory, a 104 gun first rate. No pressure then. The ships ahead were a 64 gun and 74 gun whiles the three behind were all 74 gun ships.

The French were at the head of their column with the Spanish behind.

The rule set is card driven with different phases of play drawn randomly, these being for each nation, Sailing, Repair and Firing. Hits are determined by D6 rolls based on range etc whilst the damage, recorded on a ship control board, is determined by a card draw from a normal playing card deck with each card relating to a set amount and type of damage in the rule book.

Example of a ship control board, things didn't go well for Victory.

As the British found out as they approached, only the front French division of three ships was under sail the rest of the french and Spanish were content to drift and fire broadsides at the Royal Navy.

HMS Temeraire, HMS Victory and HMS Conqueror 

The lead RN division of two ships peeled off to the right to engage the rearmost Spanish ships whilst I took the following two, 2nd and 1st rate ships, off to the left to counter the leading French ships that were actually underway and tacking to gain the wind, these included the 118 gun L'Orient.

The lead British ship catches fire after receiving a Spanish broadside. This was soon extinguished.

The leading French ships managed to manoeuvre just in time to give rise to a passing engagement with my two ships. An engagement in which the card gods were definitely french. Whilst HMS Temeraire escaped relatively unharmed, Victory suffered mightily from L'Orient with several intense fires breaking out, high casualties among her crew, a mast down and rudder damage.

HMS Victory well ablaze after some devastating broadsides from the 118 gun French ship L'Orient.

Victory still fighting on.

The confused melee.

Unable to manoeuvre whilst rudder repairs were underway L'Orient was able to sail into a position to stern rake Victory, thankfully from long range, which inflicted further, but limited, damage.

Royal Navy attempt a boarding action on a Spanish ship.

The lead RN ship decided to initiate boarding actions against one of the rearmost Spanish galleons while it's sister ship poured fire on her escorts, who were finally getting underway as were the centre French/Spanish ships.

A burning Peuple Souverain, after receiving two raking broadsides rams HMS Temeraire.

HMS Temeraire managed to cross the T of one of these ships and bow raked Peuple Souverain twice at close range. This started several fires as well as severely damaging her hull. Never-the-less the French ship determinedly sailed on and rammed it's tormentor but failed to grapple and bounced off where it was finished off by a broadside from Victory's remaining guns, the only ship actually sunk on the night.

The rear Royal Navy division joins the action in the centre.

More fires, this time the French on the receiving end.

By now the rearmost RN division was engaged in the centre and individual ship vs ship gunnery contests flared up. With the night drawing to a close two Spanish ships rammed and boarded Victory and Temeraire and despite some fierce resistance these weakened ship's crews were overcome and their ships colours struck. How much longer Victory would have stayed afloat before one of the raging fires finally found her magazines was anybodies guess. On the other flank a four way boarding and counter boarding melee ensued which resulted in the RN capturing a Spanish 3rd rate while the other thee ships drifted apart their remaining crews almost to exhausted and small to crew their charges.

The game was called here as a French/Spanish victory as they had captured one 1st rate ship and one 2nd rate ship for the loss of one French 3rd rate sunk and one Spanish 3rd rate captured. Another fun Age of Sail game that highlighted a few areas that would need looking at before the big game, mainly with regard to the need for extra sailing and arc of fire guides to speed these phases up with multiple players involved simultaneously.

Again I can claim no responsibility for these wonderful models, I just turned up and played.

For more photos etc see the club Facebook album Open Seas - Run up to Trafalgar

Tony.