Our Thursday group met this week as Miniature Market Rock Hill with two games on the menu. Starting with table two DJ and Kevin did a walk through of the ruleset “Joust” which was a free online download. Using an enlarged mat from an online image it was found to be an acceptable introductory game, but perhaps one that might need a bit more work in order to make it more challenging for the group.
Nevertheless it is always good to take a look at something we haven’t tried before and there were some interesting concepts in the rules.
Our main bill of fare came on table one as The American War of Independence Battle of St. Kitts was presented by Steve Lowry as part of our AWI 250 Project and more can be found about it here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saint_Kitts
Jay was kind enough to send in some photos and a report of the activities so we will turn the story telling over to him……
“General Comte De Grasse (Admirals in the French fleet still held the rank of Generals at this point in history) looked through his eye glass towards a reported group of ships headed towards the French fleet. He sigh and reflected that yet another encounter with the Royal Navy was about to take place. Comte De Grasse had fought the Royal Navy all over the world in his career including the West Indies, Europe and here in the New World. Well, if the English wanted a fight, they would get one.”
“The Thursday retirees got together for some naval action from the US revolutionary war era except the US was not involved in this action. This time it was the English vs the French in the Carrbean for the island of St Kitts. Steve L was the game master for this one using the Action Under Sail rules with some tweaks. Steve also had some beautiful hand made ship minatures to represent the two fleets. Mark, Tim and Pat took up the Royal Navy while Mark J and Jay took the role of the French. The objective was to get into the ancorage of the island (In between the two land on the edge of the map) and also deny the other fleet entrance. The wind was coming from between the two fleets and blowing into the ancorage, so neither fleet had a wind advantage.”
“After Steve briefed the rules and mission, both sides started in a line ahead formation headed for the harbor. An important decision at the start of the game would be what were the guns loaded with in terms of type of shot and how much. Players could have regular round shot, double shot, round shot and grape, etc. The rules allow for a bonus on the initial broadside. For double loading guns, it takes two turns. Players could direct fire at hull and gun damage or masts/rigging. The French opted for single round shot for flexibility and range. Unknown to the French, the English did a lot of round shot and grape shot double loading.”
“The initial part of the battle saw the fleets angle towards each other for the first couple of turns. The French started to turn a bit to bring broadsides to bear. The French St Espirit opens fire on the English flagship London and destroyes two of her guns. London returns fire on the Auguste and destroys 1 gun. The English then broke their line formation and essentially charged the French line with the flagship London in the lead.”
“The French choose to remain in formation and rake the oncoming English ships, scoring a fair amount of damage to the hull and guns. The English plan becomes clear as they begin to break the French line. The English ships then cut loose with their double loaded grape and round shot, causing a lot of damage and crew casualties to the French. The action then devolves into a naval furball as the opposing ships pair up at close range. The odds are not in the French favor as there are 6 English ships tangled up with 5 French, but the rest of the French ships are closer than the other English ships. Fighting continues with the French using mostly round shot to try to put the English guns out of action and cause what casualties they can. The English do use some round shot, but also do grape as well in an attempt to kill more of the French crew, causing moral checks.”
“The first French ship to have a crack in moral is the Pluton. While they don’t strike, they do decide that if they don’t shoot, maybe they won’t be shot at and so are not allowed to fire. Unfortunately, they can’t reload either, which is helpful to the English in that Pluton is effectively out of the action for 2 turns. The way the furball turns out are a couple of the English ships either do not have targets they can shoot at or do not have very good shots at other French ships while all the French ships in the furball are alongside an English ship. Both flagships take moral checks, but easily pass. The London has a smaller French ship alongside and both hammer each other over a couple of turns. The London had taken damage earlier, so it was a bit closer than one might think, although the London still had a slight advantage. The Paris (French flagship) had a smaller English ship next to them and that was not really a close fight with the Paris dishing out far more damage than she was taking. Pluton continues to have moral issues as they now decide to “retire” and “recover moral”. Eventually, they recover and get their guns reloaded. “
“As the remaining French ships came into action, one of them laid a heavy stern rake into Princess, causing a lot of damage and a moral check, which Princess passed. Both flagships pass moral checks again. The remaining English ships engage the French ships that are coming into action against ships in the furball and cause some damage from range. As the fighting continues, the French appear to slightly be getting the better of it. While they have suffered more casualties, they have also inflicted a decent amount of casualties on the English and more importantly, have destroyed more guns than they have lost, giving them a firepower advantage. “
“As we run out of time, one last turn is done which sees the HMS Ajax get hit hard and the Princess continues to suffer at the hands of the Paris. Princess fails a moral check and decides to cease fire for a turn. The approaching unit of English ships continue to do some damage from range while the French ships just take it for the most part and help against the English ships in the furball. At the end, two of the English ships are down to a couple of guns facing their French counterparts while the London is down to 6 guns on the side facing the French ship. The French manage to pass all their moral checks on the last turn. While the issue is very much in doubt, Steve awards the French a marginal victory based on them having more ships in the bay that both sides had as their objective.”
“At this point, we do a wrap up with feedback for Steve. It was noted that the Action Under Sails rules are fairly detailed and there are a lot of calculations going into most any die roll based on a lot of factors. There is nothing wrong with that at all and making the brain work not only for strategy but also math is a good thing. Historically, the English did win this encounter, but while they chased off the French fleet, the French troops were already ashore and the English were unable to affect the land fighting ashore and both St Kitts and Nevis eventually surrendered to the French and the English fleet left. “
Thanks to Jay for his great report and to all the players who came out. We would also like to add our ongoing appreciation to Miniature Market Rock Hill for their continued support.
Remember to shop local!
Big Muddy Historical Game Alliance of Greater St. Louis
Our public educational demonstrations including rules and game evaluation sessions use historical miniature and historical board gaming to explore military history, historical decision-making, and the people, places, and events of the past.
Historical Gaming in Action is a public educational program presented by the Big Muddy Historical Game Alliance of Greater St. Louis.
Using miniature figures, terrain, maps, historical research, and guided play, our games explore military history through the decisions faced by commanders, soldiers, and communities. Visitors can examine the table, ask questions, learn about the historical setting, and—when space and time permit—join the game.
Our scenarios are based on historical sources. While game rules simplify some details for practical play, each event is designed to encourage discussion of historical events, geography, leadership, logistics, strategy, and the human experience of conflict.
Historical gaming can be both enjoyable and educational. Big Muddy provides public educational demonstrations, seminars, and convention programming that promote historical miniature gaming and military history.
