And so our saga of adventures on the Caribbean high seas continues, well actually our crews have not left the port yet, but that's another story!
After our first Clash of Swords battle report, Brett and I managed to have another two games following a storied narrative, that my Pirate crew, tried to seize a ship from the docks, defended by Brett's pirate crew. Brett secured a win here defending the ship successfully with some wondrous (read - 'lucky') shooting, which quickly dropped my crew to their break point. They skulked away to lick their wounds.
To follow on from this story, my crew then tried to sneak out of town, and we had fun with the sentry rules, as I managed to send one of Brett heroes off in the wrong direction who promptly became a sheep 'worrier' in a distant paddock ;-). I managed to sneak my crew down one the side of the board until they were spotted and then all Hell broke loose. I almost managed it but Brett succeeded in heading my crew off at the last minute and stopped my crew about 6" from the target board edge... Curses! Foiled again, and still stuck in this rotten port!
So the scene is set. Our two crews are still holed up in the town, with mischief afoot. It did not take long for the Governors mansion to catch the eye of our crews, and both crews appear to come to the same conclusion - Kidnap.
So our story starts...
Brett's pirate crew obviously must have got there first as they found themselves with their Captain Flint, and half their crew and the terrified Governors daughter, in position in the mansion. Just about to set off back to the ship, they notice my pirate crew heading their way, and many townsfolk milling about the streets...
Captain Jim Blackblood leads the toughest half of his crew towards the mansion from the docks, knowing they will likely take musket fire from the windows of the mansion.
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| Cap'n Blackblood leads crew from dock |
Whilst quartermaster Beady Bill, leads the rest of the crew from the town side of the Mansion. New man to the crew Jock brings a blunderbuss with him, with which he hopes to have some fun.
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| Beady Bill leads the rest of the crew with new member Jock and his blunderbuss |
Bringing on the rest of Flints crew, are Jim Hawkins and Mistress Grey, approaching from the side of town, towards Blackblood's mob.
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| Jim Hawkins brings on the remaining half of Flints crew from the flank. |
Quartermaster Squire Trelawney, stands outside the mansion with his trusty musket. He's a fine shot, and hopes to drop a few more pirates this day.
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| Eagle-eyed Quartermaster Squire Trelawney takes up position at mansion corner |
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In the mansion on the top floor, the Governors daughter is held captive in her rooms whilst Long John with his musket and Will Bones with his grenades cover the approach from the dock.
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| The governors daughter - (what a flusie!), on the top floor, with two cut throats |
Cap'n Flint and his odd little ships cook guard the ground floor of the Mansion. Flint is a fearsome prospect - a fine shot and master with the sword.
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| Captain Flint and the ships cook on the ground floor |
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At the sound of footsteps approaching from behind him, Trelawney spies approaching figures, aims his musket and fires, getting his shot past the horse and cart in front of him... (with the help of a fame point)...
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| Trelawney gets off first shot of the game with his musket |
...and nails quartermaster Beady Bill!
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| And immediately drops Beady Bill |
Shocked by this deadly shot, at a range they can't deal with now, Ol' Ned leads the rest of his mob round the other side of the inn, hoping to get towards the mansion, away from Trelawney's attentions.
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| Old Ned, seeing Bill shot, changes direction and rounds opposite side of inn, away from eagle eyed Trelawney. |
Jim Blackblood leads his crew on, as Hawkins brings on his men from the side. A round of pistol fire sees Hawkins shot down by Blackblood.
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| Cap'n Blackblood and Jim Hawkins reach pistol range. This exchange sees Hawkins shot down. |
Seeing his chance with the pressed mob below him, Will Bones readies his grenade, lights the fuse, but in his excitement at the prospect off immanent carnage, drops the grenade at his feet. With a loud boom, and profuse smoke, Will and Long John beside him are left incapacitated!
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| Cap'n Flint moves to mansion doors |
Flint moves to the Mansion doors to ready a shot out into the street as it presents itself.
Meanwhile, out to sea, a privateer brig can be seen making its way to the ship yard, to finish off its fit out. Sea trials have proved interesting without a wheel or anchor, or much rigging, and there is clearly need for more cannons!
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| Out to sea a Privateer Brig approaches, (heading for the shipwright to get finished!) |
Ol' Ned and Dandy Jack lead Muzza and Jock towards the mansion. They see Flint looking round edge of mansion doors, and Trelawney off to the mansion side watching approach of Blackblood.
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| Ol' Ned leads the approach to the mansion, seeing Flint behind the door, and Trelawney round the corner. Another of Flints cut throats at far corner of inn. |
Mistress Grey retreats her men away from Blackblood, seeing Trelawney moving to help. Trelawney is hit but not wounded by a pistol shot and retreats back round behind corner of mansion wall. It was this point the brave townsfolk became thoroughly meddlesome to Blackblood's efforts, getting in the way of his shots at, or charges towards, Flints crew.
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| Mistress Gray backs off in the face of an enraged Blackblood, whilst Trelawney readies another shot. |
Ol' Ned and Muzza charge Flint at the mansion door, but the wily Flint manages to block Muzza's attempts, with the double doors, whilst fighting Ned. Despite parrying to the best of his skill, Ned is dropped by Flint's twirling blade! Dandy Jack charges the sneaking cut throat of Flints crew by side of inn, but fights to stalemate. Jocks advances, lowers his blunderbuss, and lets rip at Trelawney. Trelawney is taken out of the fight!
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| Ned and Muzza try to get at Flint in the mansion, while Jock levels blunderbuss at Trelawney. Dandy Jack has charged the cut throat by the inn. |
Blackblood incensed at the interfering townsfolk vents his fury at them and charges with Willie's big chopper help. The peasant is cut down easily. But this bold moves leaves the trailing less well armed part of his crew easily pressured as Mistress Grey leads her men back into the fight against Arabella, Zeake and Isiah with their muskets - not much use in a stand up fight!
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| Frustrated at townsfolk getting in the way, Blackblood and Willie charge the one between them and Trelawney |
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| Dandy Jack uses his swordsmanship against Flints cut throat |
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| Privateer Brig approaches port |
The brig gets nearer the port and even at this distance the crew on board can hear the sound of action in the town!
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| With Blackblood busy, Mistress Gray leads the charge against Arabella |
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| A brave attempt by Blackblood to get past the townsfolk to help his beleagured crew, with a 'No Quarter' fight is thwarted by poor dice... sniff sniffle |
As the fighting across the town hots up, it all comes to a head on this final turn. Realizing his bold move has stranded more vulnerable members of his crew, Blackblood tries to fight his way back to his struggling crew, flinging throwing daggers and screaming "No Quarter!". But fickle fate is not his this day, and he sees two more of his crew cut down before his can reach them. Mistress Grey shouts up 'No quarter' also. Blackblood manages to to vent his furry against one cut throat, but finds himself now cut off and surrounded by three enemy crew.
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| Numbers start to hurt Blackbloods crews chances and cut throats begin to fall to Flints crew |
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| Dandy Jack and Jock battle with Flints cut throat, as Muzza tries to hold off Flint at mansion door |
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| The final melee sees Willie dropped, and Blackblood facing 3 of Flints crew, having managed to drop one himself just after this picture taken |
Dandy Jack is still trying to drop this cut throat in front of him and Jock hurries over to help, but another cry of 'no quarter' has seen Flint drop Muzza at the mansion doors, and race over the cobbles to aid his crewman. More twirling blades fly all round but all emerge unscathed, yet out of breath.
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| With Muzza cut down, Flints Heroic No Quarter allows him and his cook to storm acorss to help his threatend cut throat. |
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At this point Blackblood realizes the game is up, he's down to three men remaining including himself, yet Flints crew is also only one man from breaking too. He ponders a while if its worth hanging in for one more round of action, but the idea of getting surrounded himself, and Flint still on the loose, and outnumbering Dandy Jack and Jock, the time has come for discretion to be the better part of valor, and to embrace that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions - to run away!
The post game sequence revealed some interesting results, both Arabella and Beady Bill were dead! And Ol' Ned had a smashed leg and would miss the next outing. However, as they fled the scene, in the confusion, Dandy Jack and Jock must have grabbed the slumped form of Trelawney, who it turned out was laterly exchanged to the authorities for small reward and he was promptly hanged! (A cruel choice but I'd lost 2 crew this game, and thus needed the cash to buy more, and Trelawney was becoming a serious pain in the posterior to my pirate career!)
Both crews gained experience from the events of the game, and several skill upgrade rolls were made. Booty was calculated, and both crews would have enough to make good their losses. It should be noted I think that 'man of the match' has to go to Mistress Grey who managed to drop 3 pirates this game with a little help along the way, including my doomed Arabella who had only recently been promoted from the ranks via the 'cabin boy did good' advance roll. Ah well, easy come, easy go!
This scenario is always a tough one for the attacker, and in reflection, the critical turn was Blackbeard's charge against the townsfolk. Brett played these well, and at the point Hawkins was dropped I could have easily pressed an advantage in numbers in a small local area, but the damned townsfolk were in the way. Perhaps I became a little impetuous, but was also potentially under pressure from other areas. Trelawney had been a real thorn in my side in previous games and this one, with his 3+ to hit in shooting, and Flint's 3 melee attacks were lethal! I caught a break when the grenade blew up 2 of Flints men, but lady luck seemed to turn the other way again.
I also most broke out of the problem, with throwing daggers dropping a peasant, and then calling a No Quarter. If I had dropped that intervening cut throat I could have rescued my struggling crew, but you cant do much about rolling a 1 and a 2 in a fight...!
Brett did comment part way through game his dice luck is legendary with his past playing partners! Looks like I am up against it!
But at the end of the day its a simple fun skirmish game and not worth getting too wound up about, and as the post game events show, money comes your way, and more crew can be bought for the next game to keep it interesting!
Looking forward to next game.
POST SCRIPT:
I have realized why the figures stand too large against the mansion doors ... They are in fact too big, or doors are too small! Working with a nominal 28mm figure scale in my head, I thus made doors 30mm high, thinking that would be plenty. Of course, the figures are '28mm' tall, but then they also have a cast base, and then I mount them small coins. This has significantly increased their size to the building doors. So...
the builders have been called in! I'm adding a layer of foamcore all round base of mansion, which will give a plinth like effect, and also a step up to mansion doors. That should fix it! Lesson learned!
