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AAR: 2015 01 - When The Fog Lifts - The Chase
Greetings all,
First cut at an AAR. We had literally just moved into our new condo the day before, so was using my kitchen table until my gaming space gets setup. Apologies on the minimal pictures and narrative. Gotta start somewhere.
I played as if the fog were lifting, so had my wife randomly place some fog banks on the gaming mat. I've seen different threads on fog effects; I played as if the ships could see each other from the mastheads but firing into/out of/or through fog gave a disadvantage to the gun crews. Essentially, everything plays as one range longer. B damage when shooting from C/D range, A damage from B range, half A damage from A range.
HMS Amelia vs. Prosperine
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It was six bells in the morning watch when the call came from the masthead. "Sail on the bow. French frigate!". Captain Rupert Dinwiddie had been pacing the quarterdeck all night awaiting this call. Three days he had run down to this position, and at dusk she had appeared hull down off the starboard now. Now here she was crossing his bows to port
The crews had slept at their guns all night, the bells and not tolled to betray the Hunter's approach.
Dinwiddie ordered the Amelia to begin a turn to port to attempt to run alongside the Prosperine and pounce on her from out of the fog. But the Prosperine must have seen her at the same time and began a turn to port. As the Amelia broke through the fog, the first French broadside barked out. The Prosperine was still cutting across the Amelia's bows. The shots were from quite a distance, but one ball tore through the hull directly below the figurehead. Dinwiddie dispatched Mr. Frank's, the carpenter, to inspect the damage and plug the hole. Dinwiddie ordered the helm hard to port to bring the guns to bear but the Frenchman kept his position. A second broadside roared out. The elements were not with the British that day, as Dinwiddie heard the cry of fire from the gundeck.
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Dinwiddie and the Frenchman both swung their ships around, running opposite courses of a figure right. Dinwiddie immediately put his men to work repairing the damage forward, while the crew of the Prosperine worked to fully reload her broadside. The Frenchman could run, but he sensed he had a chance to take the Brit, and to secure his flag.
Dinwiddie new a few more well placed, or more likely lucky shots, from the Prosperine would do him in. His only chance was to board her. He ordered the guns reloaded with double shot, and cutlasses and pistols distributed to the crew. He planned to take the Prosperine at close range and come alongside to board her.
Again the two ships swirled into the fog. As both ships swung hard to port hoping to cut across the other's bows, they collided bow to bow in the fog. Their bowsprits were entangled. Some men feverishly worked to cut away the rigging others threw grappling hooks, other looked to shoot them down. Dinwiddie saw his chance. He ordered all boarders forward to take the Frenchman. Bodies from both sides fell between the grinding hulls. Twice the Amelias took the French forecastle only.ro be pushed back. Finally surge from the Amelia's broke into the waist and across to quarterdeck. The French captain had been too busy greedy and allowed the British a coup of information.
Butcher's Bill.
Amelia had one crew box left (phew!). Both Captains were unharmed despite the heavy close quarters action. Amelia had about half of her hull damage boxes filled, Prosperine had one filled.
Lessons learned:
-Manuevering happens more quickly than I anticipate. I often don't turn quickly enough or arrive too quickly at a point.
-I always try for the perfect shot, but just need to fire more.
-I'm finding a lot of success with boarding. Do others find this a common outcome.
-Take more pictures and more notes!
