Skirmish in the South Pacific

Battle report

Early morning in the South Pacific; the British to the north are already in full daylight, while the French further to the south are just seeing the sun rise. Courageuse and Generaux represent Le Republic, while HMS Terpsichore and HMS Defence stand for the King. A narrow passage through an island chain separates the forces, while the wind blows from the east.

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Both fleets aim for the upwind passage.

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Just as the fleets connect, a wind shift!

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The British are taken aback.

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While the French charge in.

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But then the wind drops!

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Courageuse is caught under the guns of HMS Terpsichore, while Generaux follows convention and saves its fire for HMS Defence.

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A raking broadside from double-shotted guns turns out to be dramatically effective.

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HMS Terpsichore and Generaux pass within feet of each other. Shocked by the demise of Courageuse, the captain of Generaux decides that he's had enough of being conventional. However, good luck and poor firing angles combine to protect the bold British frigate.

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Meanwhile, plans disrupted by the shifting winds, HMS Defence runs aground, sustaining heavy damage.

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However, even when reduced, the double-shotted broadside of HMS Defence still packed a punch. This, a few rounds of continuous fire, plus the persistently accurate harassment of HMS Terpsichore combine to send the French 74 to the bottom...

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...leaving the battered but defiant HMS Terpsichore free to assist in hauling HMS Defence back into deeper waters, before both ships limp back to port.

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Craig

Good to see the traditions of the Royal Navy maintained in such a stirring fashion, even with the elements against them :happy:

I like those wooden boards that your ship mats are on. have you stuck them on permanently?

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Originally Posted by David Manley

I like those wooden boards that your ship mats are on. have you stuck them on permanently?

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Yup; see http://sailsofglory.org/showthread.p...unting-Plywood

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Craig

Wow. One fast shot kill to the Courageuse. A shock for the crew of the French 74. So they could not take advantage over the ground running HMS Defence. A rainy day for the French marine.
Thanks for these report:thumbsup:

+1 on the boards, they look great. You're paintwork on the masts and spars looks good as well.

Eric

Nice report and excellent pictures Craig, well put together.

Excellent report thank you.

Nice AAR, Craig.

This first double shot salo from the frigate as real deadly. :shock:

Was it a solo game or did you play vs. another gamer?

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Originally Posted by Comte de Brueys

Was it a solo game or did you play vs. another gamer?

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This was solo, mostly to show off my freshly painted ships. :-) I didn't want to annoy my regular opponents by making them wait for photos between each turn.

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Craig

Sweet set-up Craig. I like the personal touches with the wooden boards. :thumbsup:

I'm doing some of the wooden boards like that right now. The clear varnish I put on them soaked into the cardboard, darkened it some and made it blend better. Craig's choice of stain looks way cooler than mine.

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Originally Posted by Andy Blozinski

I'm doing some of the wooden boards like that right now. The clear varnish I put on them soaked into the cardboard, darkened it some and made it blend better. Craig's choice of stain looks way cooler than mine.

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Were you after the darker "weathered" look...


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...or the more pale version?


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They were both done from the same stain. The first one used undiluted stain and a great deal of fairly forceful rubbing-in with a sponge. The second one had the stain thinned to a fair degree (partly through choice, partly because I was running out of stain...) and much less rubbing.

The staining was done before gluing the cardstock in place (i.e. cut then stain then glue then varnish, then very lightly sand the wooden bits to smooth the varnish), so there's the chance to fiddle with stain darkness if desired.

The satin spray varnish I used darkened my cardstock a little bit, although it's fairly subtle. Making the first coat as thin as possible (and letting it dry well before coat#2) should minimise that if you don't like it.

Choosing plywood with a decent-looking grain (and minimal warp, although a bit is unavoidable; I chose to put the slightly concave side facing down, to maximise stability) is also worthwhile.

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Craig

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Craig

Choosing plywood with a decent-looking grain (and minimal warp, although a bit is unavoidable; I chose to put the slightly concave side facing down, to maximise stability) is also worthwhile.

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Craig

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I don't know squat about wood working, so I just brushed stuff on. First the stain. Second I glued on the mats. Third I put two layers of varnish on. I'm about to flip them over and varnish the underside.
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Well done, Craig, a very good 'After Action Report'. You could use the two different shades of staining to distinguish between the sides.

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Originally Posted by Andy Blozinski

I don't know squat about wood working, so I just brushed stuff on. First the stain. Second I glued on the mats. Third I put two layers of varnish on. I'm about to flip them over and varnish the underside.
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Looks good to me...

With varnish, lots of thin coats is usually the way to go (you get less pooling/streaking/filling that way). There are about a dozen coats of varnish on mine, but each coat is as thin as it's possible to make it. That's easier to do with spray than brushing, though.

Make sure your varnish is absolutely 100% dry before flipping them, including any bits of varnish that pool in the corners. Do it too soon and they'll end up sticking to your workbench, and if that happens it's nearly impossible to unstick them without tearing the surface of the cardstock.

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Craig

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Naharaht

You could use the two different shades of staining to distinguish between the sides.

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This is pretty much why I did it. I found that when I was running multiple ships, it was easy to get confused and apply damage or load guns or somesuch on the wrong ship. It's a lot easier to remember "the frigate is the one on the the darker board" than "the frigate is the one on the right".

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Craig

I really enjoyed this AAR Craig.
Since I see you have not been around much this year, I hope you get to read this post as the scenario is the first I've picked up where wind changes and Islands have played a key role in the action. Add to that your superb play mats and you have a real winner.
Thanks for posting this.
Rob.:salute:

and again for bringing this game to the fore Rob. Loved the islands, shifting wind and of course those lovely boards. Now to purchase some wood methinks!

Yes I will certainly be on the lookout for such Islands at the weekend Neil.
Rob.