Painted Samples of the Indiegogo Project!

2 days left and it looks like we may hit our Thank You Stretch Goal of $6,000. Pledge for $50 and get the goal as well.

ATZ - High Rise to Hell Indiegogo Project Final Count Down - 3 Days and Counting!

FYI - We're down to the last 3 days of the ATZ Indiegogo Campaign and close to the $6,000 Thank You Perk that includes the following -

1 Smart Zombie with shotgun

2 Vampires ( 1 male and 1 female)

2 Casters (1 male and 1 female)

1 Werewolf

How do get it? Pledge $50 or more and you qualify for them IF we hit $6,000. We're less than $300 away.

If you're interested check it out and to all those that already got involved, thanks!

April 1600 - Step by Step Part 6 - And a Bottle of Rum!

We last left Captain Pink  having  captured a French 2nd Rate Merchant and a local Government Official, now held for ransom.  Part 5 To collect the ransom of 6,000 Gold Pieces, Captain Pink would have to go to the nearest French Settlement with the highest Settlement Rating. But Billy has other ideas...

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The newly christened Billy's Revenge, with the old ship, now renamed the Eagle, slowly slid southeast. Few of the crew realized that Billy wasn't heading directly to the French Settlement to claim the ransom for the French official but O'Hara, the Pilot knew. O'Hara knew and chose to keep quiet. He knew they were heading towards Spanish waters but wasn't sure what Billy had in mind.

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"And a Bottle of Rum" covers four levels of combat. So far I've covered three of them and now it's time for the fourth. Here's the AARs.

RPGish Encounter with small number of figures Part Two

Big Sea Battles with 3 or more ships per side Big Sea Battle

Ship to ship but didn't get a chance to do a boarding action so look for one soon. 

And now Big Land Battles.

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I decided to try a Raid on a Settlement. Billy chose a Spanish SAL 2 which would have a Militia but no garrison of real soldiers. I set up terrain as a beach leading to a small village and town.

I divided the crew into 3 units of 8, a Rep 5 with Billy, and two Rep 4s.

After the terrain was set up and the Pirates made their first move onto the table PEFs were generated. I placed them in sections 1, 5, and 6. 

I then rolled for the size of the Militia and came up with 20 figures. I chose two units of 10 figures each, one was randomly generated as Rep 4 the other as Rep 3.

The Pirates activated first, here's a picture of what it looked like.

The pirates resolve two PEFs, both Militia units. As this is the full Militia the third PEF is automatically nothing.

The Militia retire after inflicting heavy casualties and receiving light ones.

 Billy orders a charge and fast moves towards the enemy. Captain Jones' men aren't so fast to follow.

The Militia flee and become captives.

 On the other side the 2nd Militia unit fires and retires.

The outnumbered Pirates charge home and melee ensues.

The Militia have had enough and melt away from the fight.

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Six of the Pirates suffered wounds but recovered. 8 Townsfolk (Militia) were captured. 

Now it's time to sack the settlement and see what we can get. Sacking settlements can be pretty good with any luck and the higher the SAL the more Gold Pieces. But also  more defenders. Anytime you try and attack a settlement it gets risky as you don't know the number of defenders until you've entered the table and made a move. Billy was lucky, only 20 defenders. Militias use the Townsfolk QRS so don't like to fight in Big Battles, which is the only way to sack the settlement.

Anyway, rolling for the loot came up with 11,000 Gold Pieces! For ease of play when sacking settlements you just get Gold Pieces. Too much bookkeeping required for tons of cargo, etc.

As the Pirate fleet sails away it's time to check Fame. This rises to 9 but drops by 4 for not turning the prisoner in for ransom. So Fame is now 5. But the raid was successful! Yes, but it put the crew at risk whereas gaining a ransom poses no danger!

Loyalty starts as 5. Up 1 for the raid, down 1 for not ransoming off the prisoner.

The Personal Loyalty and Captain's Loyalty tests resulted in morale being very high.

But Billy learned a good lesson, ransom off your prisoners as soon as you can!

Now that Captain Pink had plunder the crew will be counting the days before they get paid. If they reach July and the plunder hasn't been divided their loyalty will go down.

Watch for May 1600 - Part 7. 

Paper CapShips for 5150: Star Navy now on sale

Been looking at getting into 5150: Star Navy, the THW spaceship fleet game but light on ships? Me too! That's why I commissioned an artist to do color ships on both hexes and squares.
Here's an example of a Hishen Planetary Conquest ship.

You get one of each ship used in Star Navy plus Fighter Squadrons.Heck we even included Pirates and Merchants!

Each Faction has its own color and all the ships are proportionate in size for their Class. You get two sets for each Faction, one set on 2" hexes and the other on 2" squares.

And the nice thing is you can make as many of these as you like.

Here's the link

Fora $5 color PDF yo can get into 5150: Star Navy in a big way.

Muskets & Shakos: Scouting in Spain, 1810 The Action

Last time we looked at setting up a Scout encounter in Muskets & Shakos. To recap in this scenario the player(s) is presented with a table full of terrain but with no enemy forces deployed on it.

The objective is to get one of your officers to a point where they can view the center of each of the nine 1 foot by 1 foot squares that make up the battlefield. Those officers must then make it back to your start line to make their reports.

While no enemy is present on the table there are three Possible Enemy Forces or PEF's deployed at start. These PEF's can be moved by the game system and once you get a line of sight to them will either turn out to be enemy troops or nothing at all but a case of the jitters on your part.

For this encounter you start with only one brigade of your troops, in this case three infantry battalions. The rest of your division might arrive during the course of the game or might not according to the whim of fate.

As a reminder this game was limited to a 3x3 foot area delineated by the 2x4's and the yard stick. You may safely disregard anything outside of the those bounds.

Turn One

The first turn started with my moving all three battalions onto the table.  Each battalion put out a skirmish screen of three figures and followed in column. Two battalions went to the right of the hill in the center of my deployment zone. The other one went to the left.

The skirmishers soon confirmed that a battalion of British infantry, the 62nd, was occupying the old growth woods atop the ridge distant center in the above photo. As these were old growth woods, the battalion was in line but in disorder due to the rugged nature of the terrain.

Naturally a firefight soon developed between my skirmishers and the battalion.

During the British turn one of the two PEF's behind the far ridge, split into two. Now there were still three Possible Enemy Forces in addition to the 62nd foot.

Turn Two

With the 62nd occupying the hill to my right front, I decided to form my right most battalion into line, while sending my second battalion to take the hill from the flank.

My third battalion continued to advance to the left of the center hill.

During the British turn, one of the remaining PEF's moved from behind the ridge, and came into sight. It turned out to be a section of guns behind works, supported by the 21st foot. The 21st had thrown out a strong screen of six skirmishing figures.

While it may seem strange that a moving PEF turned out to be an emplaced gun, keep in mind that Possible Enemy Forces are just that, "possible". They give only an impression of where you think the enemy might be. Only when revealed by your having sighted then can you tell what if anything they represent.

Apparently my skirmishers did not spot the emplacement immediately, only noticing it sometime after my turn had been completed.

Meanwhile the fighting around the 62nd intensified.

I had thought my left battalion safely behind the cover of the center hill, only to find that the British gunners could see them when a ball tore through the column.

Turn Three

It was at this point that I developed a cunning plan. While my first two battalions kept the 62nd busy. my third battalion would race across the open ground to the far ridge. Once there the ridge itself would shield them from the guns on my right.

This battalion would then see off the skirmishers from the 21st, and occupy the new growth woods atop the ridge. Being new growth the battalion would have to break down entirely into loose order, but I hoped that the officer would at least be able to complete the recce of the three ridge sections and then make a dash back to my start line.

The fighting for the middle ridge carried on and if you look closely at the photos you will see the first sign of men breaking from the ranks to make themselves scarce.

For game purposes these figures might as well just be removed from the table, and indeed there is no need for infantry casualty figure either. I just keep them on the table for the look of the thing.

My traffic management skills were found wanting, and my center and right battalions bunched. This both decreased the effectiveness of their fire, and left them vulnerable to counter attack although fortunately this latter did not materialize.

Turn Four

All was going according to plan. Well mostly. I decided to separate the center and right battalion to restore order so this delayed the center battalions push on the 62nd's flank.

On the plus side the left battalion had advanced through shot and shell (really) and made it to the dead ground by the far ridge.

Both sides skirmishers were plunking away at one another and as a result both screens thinned.

I avoded the temptaion to reinforce my skirmish line as that would have left me with fewer troops for the real fighting to follow.

Turn Five

Victory in sight!

The combined weight of my skirmish line and the left column, now turned to face along the ridge, saw off the last of the 21st's skirmishers. The center battalion was clear of the right battalions and all the pieces were falling into place.

When...

...the treeline on the far ridge erupted into a cloud of smoke as a detachment of the 95th Rifles fired point blank into the flank of my left battalion column!

The carnage was terrible yet somehow the troops kept their order.

Turn Six

All hope of victory has been dashed. It was now clear that even if the left battalion could fight off the 95th, it would be spent and unable to complete its mission. I decided to call it a day and conserve my forces for the inevitable British assault that would now follow as the next encounter.

Yet this was more easily said than done. The left battalion was essentially stranded under the guns of the enemy. I could face them away and march at best speed hoping that the following rifle and cannon shots would not destroy what remained. Or I could retire facing the enemy. This would be a very slow process and would subject them to even more rifle and cannon fire.

In the end I decided to face the Rifles and shoot it out. If the Rifles could be seen off then I would only have to worry about the guns during my retreat.

As it happened the very next volley of the Rifles killed the Colonel and brought the battalion down to five figures rendering it hors de combat. The remainder fled making best speed for the safety of our lines.

The other two battalions were able to retire unmolested. 

It was with some irony that I noted that with center battalion, the 55th, I had done an admirable impression of the Noble Duke of York, having "marched them up to the top of a hill and marched them down again". 

What price valor?

My loses were as follows:

2nd : 6 of 20

55th: 2 of 20

23rd: 20 of 20

The majority of these losses were of course stragglers rather than actual casualties.

I didn't count enemy losses but they were rather less than mine.

Where did I go wrong?

Well I lay no claim to tactical brilliance. Indeed it may be said that I went at them "in the same old way". Still I avoided the pitfall of charging troops that had not been weakened by fire, and if the dice had been kind and if the 95th had not appeared where and when it had...

"What if" is always the province of the defeated wargamer.

I probably should  have attached a battery to my brigade. Can't remember why I hadn't.  Probably was just in such a hurry to get on with it I simply forgot.

How as the game?

If I do say so myself it was a cracking game. As I wrote in the Set Up post this situation seemed all too familiar and indeed that was how it played itself out.

I take considerable satisfaction in that aspect of the thing. The dice really were unkind when it came to British forces and movements. I was unfortunate in that such strong British forces were generated and the chances of the them appearing where they could do the most damage was entirely down to luck.

Figures and terrain

As usual the figures are from Alternative Armies and were painted by their talented staff painters. 

The table top was made of Old Glory Terrain System tiles while the hills and most of the trees came from The Terrain Guy. The remainder of the trees are from Lemax, Warzone GTS, and model railroad trees of uncertain vintage.

Hope you enjoyed reading about the game as much as I enjoyed playing it!

Bob

And a Bottle of Rum AAR Step by Step Part 4?

In this installment we pick up where we left off. Captain Billy Pink is going to sea, February 1600.

February 1600

The Billy's Revenge  leaves the SAL 2 English Settlement and with a crew of 14, himself included, sets sail. The English are at war with the Spanish so Billy is on the lookout for Spanish ships. His crew, however, is on the look out for prizes, any prize. "No plunder, no pay", they say and a flag is just a flag to them.

Billy's Revenge comes into contact with an English Merchant and three French ships, two merchants and a 3rd Rate Warship. No Spanish, no go, Billy decides to leave the two contacts alone.

The crew is not amused.

Fame and Personal Loyalty

The month ends and it's time to adjust your Fame and check the loyalty of the crew.

Fame affects your Rep. Go up by 20 points and add one to your Rep.

Go down by 20 points and you subtract one from your Rep.

Billy loses 1/2d6 Fame points for not capturing a prize this month.  I roll a 3, his Fame is now -2.

Now it's time to see how the crew feels about what happened this month. Billy starts with Loyalty equal to his Rep, 5. He loses 1 point for not taking a prize so is now a 4. Rolling 3d6 on the Loyalty Test he passes 1d6. Not good. His Loyalty is reduced another point to 3. If you pass 0d6 the crew mutinies and you either walk the plank or get marooned on an island with a bottle of rum and a pistol with one shot.

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Okay, so this isn't working out like I thought it would. The English are at war with Spain so I could attack Spanish ships and say I'm a privateer but I haven't seen a Spanish ship. I know if I attack non-Spanish ships that makes me a pirate but I'm not seeing much of a choice. With any bit of bad luck the crew could mutiny and I'd have to Cheat Death (go down to Rep 4), start over with 50 odd Gold Pieces and no ship. My only hope is to contact some Spaniards next month. I decide to head east to area 6, a target rich environment. 

Step by Step Part 5 - March 1600

March 1600 - Step by Step Part 5 - And a Bottle of Rum!

"Sail ho!", cries the lookout.
"How many and what flag?" is the question.
"Two...no three. French!" is the reply.

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When last we left the Billy's Revenge the crew was unhappy as it had been a month at sea and no plunder. England was at war with Spain, and technically Captain Pink fancied himself a "privateer" but things were getting tight. He couldn't guarantee the loyalty of the crew and still no Spanish in sight. The crew looked at Billy for the word.

"Pilot, bring her around towards that lead ship. We've work to do!"

Shouting in unison the pirate crew went about their work. Billy had crossed the line.

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This will be the first attempt to capture a prize. We will go over it pretty much step by step with pictures to help explain how we do it. How did Billy come into contact with the French? Each area on the Campaign Map has two numbers. The first is the area location from 1 to 9, just like the tabletop when you fight a battle. The second is the Activity Level from 1 to 5. 

The higher the level the better chance of contacting other ships. Roll 2d6 versus the Area Level and see how many you pass. Billy passed 2d6 last month and had two contacts, the English and French. This meant Billy could choose which one to get involved with. This time he passed 1d6, he would have only one chance.

Rolling for who it was in the area came up French, three ships, one 2nd Rate Merchant as the Flagship with a 3rd Rate and 5th Rate Merchants. Here's the set up after the wind direction has been placed. Keep in mind I am playing Billy and the game mechanics run the French.

Activation is rolled and the French flagship decides to open fire as Billy's revenge closes in. What the French will do is determined by rolling on the Non-Player Movement Table versus the Rep (3) of the flagship. The other two ships were Rep 4 but as long as the flagship is in the battles, they act off of its results.

At long range the fire is ineffective. As the French struggle with the wind (the low Rep makes the flagship inactive, which means it cannot turn but otherwise function normally)  Billy's Revenge looks to contact the lead merchant.

Pirates were not the best gunners and "Rum" reflects that. Pirates get one good broadside per side before they take gunnery penalties for subsequent broadsides. As Billy's Revenge closes to short range, Captain Pink spends 1d6 of "Captain's Influence" to help sight the guns. 4d6 is rolled versus the Crew Rep (5) and 3d6 are passed. 

This results in an effective broadside, all guns are counted and 5d6 is rolled. Two hits are scored on the Frenchman and a critical hit narrowly avoided. This results in a reduction to the defense, crew, and maneuverability of the ship.

The French return fire and are ineffective (luckily as they have 5 guns as well. Morale is taken and 

As the next turn plays out the French and Billy' Revenge exchange broadsides. The French flagship takes more damage, morale is taken, and the order given for all the Break Off!

As the order is given the two trailing Merchants turn to port and catching the wind begin to run. The low quality flagship crew maintains course as Billy's Revenge closes in.

"Ready boarders!"
"Boarders away!"
The Pirate ship successfully grapples the larger Merchant and Captain Pink leads his boarding party. The Merchant Captain quickly surrenders.

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Captain Pink has his first prize. From the enemy crew he recruits 10 more crew. The Captain and his loyal crew are set adrift on a small boat with water and rations. The Merchant had 42 tons of Cargo and Billy divides it between both ships. In addition he has captured a French Government Official of some note who swears he will pay 6,000 Gold Pieces in Ransom.

Moving his possessions to the larger 2nd rate Merchant he renames it Billy's Revenge. Dividing his crew between ships he now has two ships in his fleet.

Billy's Fame now rises to 7 (+5 for capturing a 2nd Rate and +4 for the prisoner of worth).

Billy's Personal Loyalty rises to 5 (+1 for the prize, +1 for the prisoner).

The crew takes the loyalty test and passes 2d6, morale is good.

Billy promotes one of his Rep 5 pirates to Captain of the old Billy' Revenge, rechristened the Eagle. He takes the Captain's Loyalty test and passes with 3d6, he's enthusiastic.

Next month Billy must decide to continue or enter a French settlement and collect his Ransom.