Baxter told me that Tracy and Melissa Hale lost much of what they own in the flooding, and they have no insurance. We’ve pulled together to help members before, so let’s give them a hand. Baxter says by next Saturday there will be a donations jar at Wargames. Anyone out of area who would like to make a donation can send it to our p. o. box with a check made out to Tracy Hale. The address is HMGS MidSouth, P. O. Box 111972, Nashville, TN 37222-1972. Thanks. – Gerald Swick
More about the Nashcon Pirate Game: Nashcon is still on boys, the only water is on the pirate game table. Things are back to normal so that I could finish up the stuff for my game at Nashcon. I will run a 28mm Pirate game on a 24 foot board. A bit lower on the page you will see a link to the preliminary article on the game BUT you will notice a number of islands and ships AND one HUGE ship the BLACK PEARL. The problem is it is a defacto death star of a ship. To even the odds we have added Captain Kidd’s Adventure. Here are the photos and, yes, the figures you see are 28mm figures from Foundry and Old Glory.
Here is the preliminary article on the game. There will be a ton of games to play if you can’t get aboard this game scheduled for Saturday night.
And yes , there really was a Captain Kidd. Kidd was born into a reputable family in Greenock, Scotland. After war broke out between England and France, he showed courage in winning a French ship and saving English troops from destruction. Kidd settled in New York in 1691, at the age of forty-seven. There he married and had two daughters. The marriage eventually brought to Kidd a considerable amount of property. During this time Kidd was respected as an honest, hard-working ship captain. He befriended many prominent colonial citizens, including three governors.
Later that year, on orders from the province of New York, he captured an enemy privateer on the New England coast. Shortly thereafter, Kidd was awarded GBP150 for his outstanding privateer job in the Caribbean. One year later, “Captain” Culliford, a notorious pirate, stole Kidd’s ship while he was ashore at Antigua in the West Indies.
Kidd was such a successful privateer in New York and the West Indies that he was called back to serve England. The King’s officers offered him a new powerful ship: the Adventure Galley. The Adventure Galley was well suited to the task of catching pirates; weighing over 284 tons, equipped with 34 cannons, and 150 men. Kidd took pride in personally selecting the crew. Unfortunately, soon after setting sail he was stopped by the HMS Duchess whose captain enlisted much of Kidd’s crew for service in the navy. To make up for the lack of men, Kidd recruited a gang of cutthroats in New York. The vast majority of this group were hardened criminals, some former pirates.
Adventure Galley sailed for Madagascar. Months went by, with no acceptable victims found, many crew members left Kidd. The remaining threatened mutiny, pressuring Kidd to turn pirate to attack any and all ships. Kidd refused, and a fight between him and the ship gunner erupted. Kidd killed the man. After that incident, Kidd was changed, plundering ships of all kinds along India’s Malabar coast.
Acts of savagery on Kidd’s part were reported by escaped prisoners, who told of being hoisted up by the arms and drubbed with a naked cutlass. Kidd was then declared pirate by the Royal Navy.
On January 30, 1698 Adventure Galley took her greatest prize, the 400 ton Quedagh Merchant, which was loaded with valuable items and an incredible variety of East Indian merchandise. That vessel sailed under the French protection.
When news reached England, the British East India Company declared Kidd a pirate. Various naval commanders were ordered to pursue and seize the Adventure Galley.
On April 1, 1698, Adventure Galley reached Madagascar. Here Kidd found the first pirate of his voyage, Robert Culliford, (the same man who had stolen Kidd’s ship years before). Kidd ordered his men to attack but his men mutinied and joined the the enemy. Only 13 of Kidd’s men remained. Kidd had no choice but go home.
Prior to returning to New York City, he learned that he was a wanted pirate. With the help of his lawyer, he negotiated with the governor in Boston and eventually agreed to come in to town.
Outside New York, Kidd buried the bulk of the treasure on Gardiner’s Island and attempted to use it as a bargaining chip for a pardon.
On July 6, 1699 Kidd was arrested. He was found guilty on all charges (murder and five counts of piracy.)
Kidd was executed in 1701. He experienced a painful death: the hangman’s rope broke twice. His corpse was dipped in tar and displayed in an iron cage on the dock at Thames Estuary for two years as a warning to other would-be pirates.
Captain Kidd’s name is still associated with a supposed buried treasure on Oak Island, Nova Scotia. His story gave impetus to the never-ending treasure hunts on Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Long Island in New York, Charles Island in Connecticut, and Thimble Islands in Connecticut. This belief made its contribution to literature in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold Bug and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Adventure Galley was burnt in San Maria, a formidable pirate base. Her remains is still in the shallow bay of the island. BUT we have raised her and fitted her out for the game. Here are some photos from a game several years ago and here are some pirates painted by Fernando.
Carry on !!! See you at Nashcon !!!!!!!! David Raybin
On May Day Weekend the Mid-South was hit by a 100 year flood *Correction* 500 year flood that has done tremendous damage, taken lives and disrupted a great part of this area. This disaster has affected the members of HMGS Mid-South as well. In spite of this tragedy the membership has urged us to soldier on and continue with Nashcon. In order to do so certain responsibilities will be shifted.
Continue to send game information to GameRegistration@hmgs-midsouth.org. You can continue to contact the President of the organization at president@hmgs-midsouth.org and website issues can still be addressed to webmaster@hmgs-midsouth.org. We have put in place additional forwarding details to make sure someone will be able to receive and respond to your requests. However, we are all under some intense pressure helping our neighbors and friends and businesses dig out so please have some understanding if we don’t reach you within 48 hours.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time and encourage you all to come to Nashcon this year.
Sincerely,
The Board of HMGS Mid-South
Charitable donation can be sent to:
Red Cross and Salvation Army of Middle Tennessee. Those wishing to donate to other areas should Google the name of a trusted organization plus flood relief. Any help will be appreciated by those in need.
General George Meade attempted a turning move against Robert E. Lee’s flank in November 1863. Heavy rains and disagreement among the Union commanders slowed the advance, and as the blue-coated troopers emerged from the thick woods into a clear area near Raccoon Run, they found Confederates blocking their path. Though they outnumbered the Rebels, terrain prevented them from bringing their greatly superior numbers to bear and by day’s end, the Confederates had held them off long enough for Lee to draw up in a defensive position behind Mine Run.
Meade, who hadn’t wanted to undertake this campaign in the first place, didn’t press the issue, and the Mine Run Campaign is rarely discussed, let alone gamed.
But on April 18 at the Columbia Man Cave, Meade, in the person of Mike Peccolo tried again. With the same results. Thick woods, a few buildings and a marshy area around Raccoon Run denied the Union the advantage their greater than 2:1 odds should have given them. However, one valiant blue charge on the Federal left chased off a Confederate brigade and overran four sections of guns, so the day wasn’t a total loss. On the Union right, they nearly seized the bridge over Raccoon Run as Bryant Williams’ defenders ran low on ammo, but daylight ran out too quickly.
In retrospect, the terrain was too great a disadvantage – movement on much of the board was slowed to 2 inches – and the Confederate reinforcements should have been held off the board another turn or two. But with modifications, the Miine Run Campaign is worth revisiting. The game used Gerald Swick’s Hell & Glory rules.
Most of us have seen the James Bond flick Goldfinger. Did you know the opening sequence in the movie, which doesn’t appear in Ian Fleming’s novel, was probably based on an actual WWII mission? I didn’t till Paul Davis sent me this. Paul’s going to be speaking at Historicon, by the way. Check out the story.
Nashville is becoming game-convention heaven. NASHCON and TILLERCON are being held currently on Memorial Day Weekend, and local board gamers are hosting TENNESSEE GAME DAYS at Opryland April 30–May 2. Their Website says the convention focuses on Euro-style games but you can scare up opponents for games like Memoir ‘44 or Cold War, too. They say they don’t have miniature games. That’s okay, guys—we’ve got those covered like a blanket!
By David Raybin
Folks have been emailing me about the pirate game asking about the islands and the ships. After pondering th subject I determined to have FIVE islands. Two large “home” islands and three smaller “unknown” islands to fight over. Naturally whichever side has more islands at the end wins the game. Here are shots of the islands. The ships really are fully rigged. The photos show two of the smaller ships and then the almost three-foot Black Pearl. The figures you see are all 28mm from various manufactures, all painted to a high standard. The trick to the 24-foot board is that the two ends are “connected.” You sail off one end and appear at the other. Essentially the board is shaped like a donut albeit a virtual donut with impassible islands and marsh in the center. Which is why its called Cutlass Lagoon. And the sea monsters? Well they appear at various times to torment the Red and Black pirates. SO Avast, shiver me timbers etc etc. and sail on. Here are the Rules again for those who wish to get a head start. We play Saturday night !
The Gladiator has, for all time, represented the pinnacle of combat prowess. The men and women who found themselves in the pit faced equally condemned opponents whose survival could only come from wits and martial prowess. It is no wonder then, why historical gamers eventually come seeking a good Gladiator game. While I’ve played a few in my time, I can’t recall ever feeling like any game really captured the essence of these contests. The battles should be sharp, but rarely quick. They should punish mistakes harshly but allow for cunning players to make creative choices. A gladiator game is part boxing match and part gunfight. Speed, agility, stamina and most of all an ability to plan and anticipate your opponent’s maneuvers should be a critical part of the games.
I got a chance to play Mortituri Te Salutant (MtS from here on) in a few matches. I was greatly impressed with the game play. The game was run by my friend Mike Hicks. He did a lot of preparation ahead of time so that the game was easier to pickup than it might have been. There are a large number of possible orders the different types of gladiators can make in a given turn so what he did was he created card decks that had the maneuver name, a hex diagram of move and attacks and what the maneuver could convert to and what it prohibited for the next turn (an example without using game terms would be if you run this turn you can’t back peddle the next.)
The game works best for 1 on 1 battles. I did not play multi-fighter battles but I would think brawls would be difficult given how these rules work. That doesn’t mean the rules are broken. The focus on man vs. man allows the game to get the game firmly on to what makes a gladiator fight interesting. If you want to have a recreation of the historical brawls there are other rules. It might work well enough with 2 on 2 but I am sure that would only be with experienced players. I played twice and felt there was still a lot of learning curve to go so I’d try 2 on 2 after I’ve had maybe a dozen games.
Each gladiator is defined by their initiative (agility really) and their armor and weapon(s). You randomly roll your hit points. You may come up with really awful hit points or you could score very well. Hit points play a part but they only rarely decide the fight. A good shot can put you out quickly. I dispatched another fighter when he was knocked down when I smashed him with my shield. A lucky die roll (natural 20) came up and even though he had 50% of his hit points left he was a gonner. Two more pennies go to the ferryman on the River Styx.
The large number of maneuvers will take any player a while to learn. It is an interesting game because of that. You need to learn a lot of tricks – how to handle being stunned or knocked down, how to take advantage of a stunned or knocked down opponent. Further complicating things, in a good way, are the allowed conversions. Every action has a possible conversion. Once initiative is determined both players reveal their order. Some orders just don’t make sense or are suicidal when you see what your opponent has chosen. When you convert it is usually to a less effective (in general) maneuver with more restrictions on your next move – but if it is more effective than what you’ve chosen (or would save your life!) then it is a good deal.
The initiative system incorporates your basic initiative determined by your armor and wounds, your chosen maneuver and a die roll. Early on in the game the die roll isn’t a big influence. During those opening moves it is your maneuver choice that is most important. However, later on, as you take wounds and your inherent initiative falls, it becomes critical. Often you have to plan very carefully knowing that low initiative maneuvers mean you may be forced to go last. There is a further nuance here – you can only convert your maneuver when it is your turn – so you have to be sure when you take a low initiative option. Your choice takes on the aspect of a poker bet. You can make a save move – high initiative, hope to put some attrition on your opponent, or you can gamble for the more subtle maneuver.
The rules contain information for playing with mounted gladiators and dangerous animals. These look to be pretty complete. I haven’t played with them yet. I am looking forward to trying them.
There are rules for begging for mercy. I got a chance to use these in my second round. I was being beat horribly by my opponent. I liked the fact that the mercy roll is based upon various factors like how well you fought and so forth. In my fight I had to roll 9 or less on a D10. I rolled a 9! We assumed I got a half-hearted golf clap and was allowed to live. The mercy rules are a good addition because they become important when you play campaign games.
MtS has a complete campaign system. Well, almost complete. Certain aspects are missing such as the cost of healing between festival seasons. It is spoken of and is in the campaign turn sequence but it is not in the rules. Assuming you make up your own table for this like we did, it should work fine. Overall the system given produces a good campaign with betting on matches, tracking gladiator progress and giving gladiators a chance to attain better and better arena skills.
Finally there are rules for fighting lions, bears and mounted gladiators. I haven’t tried these so I can’t comment on them other than to say there is a system that allows one to play solo as the animals have a randomized reaction system.
Let’s talk about the cons of this game system for a moment. The game has a few steps complicated by record keeping. Further there are implications of each action chosen or changed. These are critical and easy to miss or forget playing with a record keeping system. We resolved this by creating action cards for each gladiator type. It greatly simplifies play without dumbing it down and makes it easier to not make mistakes.
A Quick Reference Sheet would have been useful. I was able to condense the fighting rules to one sheet of paper. This would have made learning the rules a lot easier as well.
Finally, the rules are not well written and the formatting is sub-par. It hinders getting to the game and I think some people will miss out on a really great game by either dismissing the rules or getting frustrated trying to piece them together from how they were written. I would say the production values take an otherwise fun game worthy of 4 stars down to 2 stars. If you are willing to put in some work to polish this game up then you will see the game play really rates and gives a great experience. If not you may find this game to be a bit too cumbersome and complicated.
I’ll report later on the results of our campaign system experience. I’ll also be bringing the game to Nashcon (May 28-30, Franklin TN) so you can have a chance at playing the game there. I’ll have our cards and QRS. My thought is I’ll run it openly in the lobby to demonstrate historical wargaming to hotel guests and gamers alike.
Nashcon Banner Ads
Apr 2
Many thanks to Mike Hicks for his impressive work on the Nashcon Banner Ads. A job well done I must say. If you have a website you own or contribute to please consider placing these banners there with a link back to this website. If you are just a contributor please get permission first. Nashcon is quickly approaching. We are looking to make 2010 a great year for Nashcon! Help spread the word!
Dealers at Nashcon 2010
Apr 1
Just to let you know, we’ve listed the first dealers who have committed to Nashcon. A number of companies have said they want to come, and we’ll add to the list on the Dealers page as they confirm.