The Fever Islands
Part 3
The Game
by Peter Lawson
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Fever Islands Part 1
"There we were...beam on to the surf, seizing up with rust..." "And what happened after that ?" "Well... what happened after that was a woeful and desperate thing to behold altogether..." "I suppose the enemy lads were lying in wait, above in the trees..." "Ah, sure... right enough, Paddy..." We have already discussed the composition of the friendlies (we shall assume, for the present that the USN falls into this category) so it seems about time to assemble "the enemy lads". Adhering to our figure scale of 5:1 in 15mm scale, you will need to field about 200 plus of these characters. A theoretical orbat follows:
12 x Regular Spanish Light Infantry 15 x French Infantry (bicornes, round hats) 12 x Irregular Spanish Horse (Dragoons/Lancers) 150+ x Irregular rabble/piratical riffraff 6 x Irregular officers As this force is totally umpire controlled, you can vary the numbers up or down as desired; I have found, however, the level of excitement in a concealed role-play based scenario is greatly enhanced by visually creating the imbalance of opposing forces. It is unlikely that the entire enemy body will rise up out of the jungle en masse (unlikely, but not impossible) but you should have enough to cope with most eventualities. If you still feel daunted by what amounts to quite a substantial paint job, delegate it out to ten of your chums. It is well worth it to achieve that first gasp of shock from the Marines as a `veritable horde of piratical scum' emerges from the tree-line... To make things easier for you, I will give brief details of how I assembled my forces, it involved lifting figures from many manufacturers, but the squirrel in me found it great fun;
Spanish Light lnf. - Minifigs, AB Figures a smattering of Tarleton helmets with bicornes) French Infantry - AB Figures (virtually anything from the Revolutionary Range, the scruffier ones being ideal. Use Marines for round hats). Irr. Spanish Horse - Minifigs, Freikorps 15 (their irregular Mexican Lancer is just right, very casual with poncho and machete, simply dripping with the manana syndrome...) Riffraff - Freikorps 15 again, lots of suitable figures in their Mexican ranges, sombreros with boarding pikes, etc. and excellent figures in their Seminole range (bareheaded escaped slaves etc.) Spanish Guerrilla ranges by AB Figures and Tabletop Games (character-full figures in round hats with puggaree and blunderbuss, and an arrogant little officer in round hat and cuirass). Irregular officers - Any of the above, but my favourites are the Spanish officers from AB Figures and the Mexican Infantry officers from Freikorps 15. Their officer in Swallow-Tailed Coatee and Sombrero is ideal (with minimal conversion) for ANY officers of the 1st West Indian Regt. To conclude this brief shopping list, the friendlies (see Part 2 for the orbat) came into existence from the Royal Marine figures from Minifigs and AB Figures (these figures will do admirably with some minimal filing for the West Indian Regt. as well as the Marines. Minifigs' Royal Marine provided the basis for the York Rangers (simply cut down the musket into a rifle-looking shape and a paint job does the rest. You could replace the odd round hat with a fur crested light infantry cap if you are feeling adventurous). The remainder of the pirate types are Minifigs seamen; a dozen packs and a mix n' match later will provide you with enough for the Navies and the riffraff. For flavour, I have also included a handful of Jesuit priests, (there were certainly a few still attempting to fashion a parish out of the locality around Malportas Pond (see map of Grand Cayman included with Part Two) based on the mission chapel at Beelzebub Bay), from Tabletop Games. Two useful little figures, these; with the addition of a few `female camp followers' (have a look at Freikorps Seven Years' War French in Canada Settlers) and a few wagons/Carts, wells, bagged goods and general clutter (Hallmark Figures and the old Airfix Wagon Train set) and you have it. The Jesuit brothers and the `non-combatants' are optional, of course; their inclusion all depends upon your sense of morality. I will say, however, that this feature can be incorporated into the game as an additional `fly in the ointment' for the players; it could help to dissuade the mega body count fraternity, from fouling the scenario prematurely. The sieges of Zaragoza and Badajoz during the Peninsular Wars stand as apocryphal signals of the horrors of total warfare, but as horrific as campaigning can be in any age, the officers (and GENTLEMEN) and other ranks engaged in amphibious operations exercised a high standard of morality at all times; even taking fire and incurring casualties from `non-combatant' females, children and other supernumeraries did not deter them. Enough said, I think; this subject has filled volumes and will, no doubt, fill many more. Back to the Game.... It may have crossed your mind during the above that precious few of the utilised figures closely resemble practitioners of the pirate profession: you are right. Firstly, the golden age of the `freebooter of the high seas' virtually died with the town or Port Royale in the hurricane of 1692 (there were a few notable diehards... literally.... during the succeeding century, but, essentially, they were all washed up, our American cousins may disagree (what was that about New Orleans?) but even Hollywood agrees that the age of the buccaneer in 1815 had run out of steam... Secondly, there are some superb ranges of pirates (real pieces of eight stuff) in 25mm (most notably Wargames Foundry) and to complement these splendid chaps Abbotts Miniatures have produced a limited range (so far) of truly dedicated Crown forces for the Caribbean theatre (round hats, straw hats, various uniform adaptations for the locale, etc.). I have nothing against the high quality 25mm figure per se, but, in this instance, the pirates simply `look' early period (you cannot disguise baggy breeches with a daub of paint) and possibly a touch too Robert Newton (nothing wrong with this at all, but for this scenario, they don't really fit). Also, if you build up your Beelzebub Bay forces along similar lines to mine you will quickly discover that you have a multi-purpose gang of rowdies suitable for recruitment to a variety of worthy causes. I won't list them all here, but at the last count, there were sixteen quite distinct theatres. Surely from an economical viewpoint, the latter premise is preferable. I AM taken with that Abbotts range, though (available from Redoubt Enterprises) but rumour has it that AB Figures are producing a 15mm range for the Aboukir landings (including, I hear, chaps falling out of boats and others wading through the surf, muskets overhead - just right for lifting over to the Caribbean theatre)... Earning Time With the close of the Committee Game (see Part Two) the umpire and his lackey really start to earn their respective crusts; essentially you will need to develop a simple time-and-motion study incorporating all the events arising from the Committee Game after you have inputted all the `wobblies'. The key phrase here is "timings" and this concept may need a few dry runs by the umpire team in order for them to become really proficient. Just ensure that you have every action written down on your trusty clipboard in the order that it will unfold; if you are in any doubt, go back and check it with the players (it matters a damn if THEY are in doubt - it is a fact of life with all wargames that players will commence vacillating immediately prior to the transfer of the game to the table!) They will all, to a man, be extremely jittery about relaying specific information to you the Umpire, especially as you are laying it on the record. What you have before you are the game's written orders, unchangeable except in dire emergencies (see Signals below) and most players like to have these gems clutched to their chests like a comforting blue blanket, not gloated over (Gloat? Moi?) by the dastardly Umpire... Your notes will almost certainly contain the actions for all the units actually engaged in the landings and for those designated to a supportive role; there will also be a fairly basic time schedule for the "what if it all goes horribly wrong?" eventuality. This is only natural and historically appropriate (but be careful of the SBS Superheroes syndrome once again; suicidal rearguard stands by the Royals whilst the others bug out, etc. Tactically, this happened all too often (and possibly the Royals did more than their fair share of this necessity - still do). More suitable arrangements will include some rudimentary ship's signals, (don't let the RN Commander browbeat you over this one - he will be attempting to send ashore for the equivalent of a Big Mac before you know it), such as: General withdrawal / Fall back onto .../ Ship's boats away, etc. Signal cannons are possible, too, but only at the outset; when you have closed with the enemy, cannonades or otherwise, forget it. Similarly, unless one of the RN is actually `on station' as Beachmaster, once friendly forces have gone `in-country', no contact with the squadron is possible. At this juncture, break out the tea and biscuits for the RN; don't bring them forward to the table just yet, but they can observe the next episode (hopefully, with some alarm) if they are not still in deep discussion about The Plan. US Navy Over to the US Navy... as described previously, these gentlemen have a head's start on the others and arrive off the N. coast of Grand Cayman with alacrity. Their available intelligence reports are minimal, of course, but their mission is clear - eradicate this nest of scum and villainy in the name of the Republic. Arriving during the early morning (and being prudent seamen, standing well off the coast) a simple D6 informs them of the number of sloop-like vessels they can observe at all points, either arriving or departing from the bay, The USN Captain should then be given a short series of "either - or" directives as follows : EITHER ... Maintain station (for how many hours?)* OR ... Intercept nearest sloop, attempt to stop and interrogate. * If he elects to maintain station (regardless of how long), the traffic around him recedes rapidly over the horizon. A single cannon shot (nugget adjudication) is possibly heard... EITHER ... Maintain station and dispatch a boat to recce the bay * OR ... Proceed (down the throat!) immediately to windward of the reef and assault the bay with landing parties ** * If he sends a spy boat into the bay (probably under cover of darkness, if he has his wits about him) nugget adjudication as to its fate. There's a high chance (80% plus) that they will return with a situation report... If he elects to go in, inform him of the imminent approach of the RN squadron (sounds `fudgy', I know, but this actually happened). If he is adamant about ignoring this development (!), politely remind him of his character briefing and then drop a sloop or two into his path as he wears ship for the reef. Latterly, I have played this brief naval action with the BROADSIDE Computer Moderated Rules (great fun and relatively swift) and a couple of feet of blue cloth adjacent to the terrain table, but any suitable, homebrew rules will do. At least one of the RN players should be watching this action (the RN Commander should be given the option to participate if he thinks it appropriate). The outcome is inevitable, of course, these sloops, although fleet, were crammed full of men, guns and cargo and could be run down by a tidy frigate any day. The trick is not to blow it out of the water, take it intact and achieve a useful sitrep from its pirate crew (in exchange for a visit to the cross-trees!). If the RN does decide to intercede? - on which side onee has to ask) you have a naval bunfight for a while. The Marines will also be yawning for a time (after posting their sharpshooters aloft), so find them something to do. After this interlude, the USN Captain has a very simple choice: cut and run, or combine the operation with the RN. If he decides on the former, demote him to one of the RN party. If he plumps for a combined op (and assuming the RN agree - reflect on the animosity between the two navies at the time), what does he do? Stand off the reef and give supportive fire and/or donate a landing force for the assault? The US Navy phase should last no more than 20-30 minutes (as stressed above, a refreshments break for the RN). Historically, the USN, with some pique, reluctantly agreed to provide supportive fire with their 12 and 6 pounders standing off the reef. Cooperation between the two navies is believed to have occurred on only the occasions throughout the period (the action at Beelzebub Bay not being counted as one of them, being, deemed relatively insignificant) presumably when mutually convenient. If the USN decides that discretion is the better part of valour and legs it, the RN should dice to see if their subsequent approach is undetected; due to the sheer quantity of traffic in and out of the area, this is unlikely. The RN Commander should have made provision for sending in a handful of Cuban Chasseurs for a snoop around; this should be accomplished without incident and is a useful device for seating all the players at the SEAWARD edge of the table. What they can now see (only the coastal area up to the chapel, of course) is what they have gleaned from the Cubans' reports: there should be a fair degree of human activity about the mole and the jetty area (a quality spyglass might just detect the guns atop the buildings, etc.). It is a good idea to place the surf markers at this time, too (just listen to the murmurs...). Generation At this point, it's as well to detail the generation of enemy bodies, the figures roaming about the jetty being purely for show at present. It is advisable to `multi-base' the majority of the riffraff (say, 10 to a base) for ease of movement; their sudden appearance is also more dramatic for their opponents. The main areas of arrival for the enemy are (i) the stockade and the immediate vicinity, (ii) the chapel and the vineyard areas, (iii) the jetty buildings and (iv) the tree-line to the South of the main beaches. With the exception of the tree-line, (only one base deployed here at the start of the game - concealed, naturally - it is not feasible to have hundreds of people skulking near the beaches merely because a potentially hostile sail appears an the horizon) you should design a very simple matrix for a D6 relating to the move number and the critical event that may (or may not) be happening at that time, which you can then apply to the three other enemy generation areas. Tailor this to taste; reaction times will obviously increase (thus more enemy bases will appear) with gunfire, supportive cannonades, etc. All that really remains is for the RN and the Marines to hit the beach / mole / jetty / harbour in accordance with their plan. I have included a few embellishments recently (such as the Umpire's lackey "swinging the lead" from the lead boat as it edges its way into the lagoon - a hat with a handful of assorted, printed cards will suffice. Said lackey simply draws a card and cries it out, in a suitably apprehensive voice: "By the mark... Two!" or whatever. This little device enhances the tension no end...) and generally spiced up the inclusion of some super ship's boats from AB Figures (again!, but the Redoubt ship's boat in 25mm is also excellent, if you prefer) instead of the series of matchbox trays I previously used. The matchboxes may not be too hot on the aesthetics' angle, but they are useful for regulating movement between the shore and the cutters (5 figures per - at least 2 of which must be seamen - in order for the boat to return to mother for the second wave). All these details could be expanded or deleted, dependent upon your personal requirements from the game; for the novices amongst you the game `plays' a lot slicker than it may appear after three lengthy missives in this magazine. For the war weary Umpires that I can hear out there sighing in disappointment into their brandies: yes I know I overlooked the alligators, the anacondas(!), the punji pits(!!) et al, but just once in a while I thought it novel to allow just some of the player-characters to survive... (For those of you who are bemused by my obsession with surf, here's why; a simple homespun rule: if a boat enters an area of surf, throw a D6. On the throw of a 1, the boat has slipped beam on to the swell and a subsequent 1, 2 or 3 an the D6 capsizes it. Everyone is disordered (don't be silly, nobody's going to drown...) and dice for damage to materiel. It doesn't sound like much, but boats are at a premium, remember, and you will need a few trips ashore to develop an attack. Gripping stuff...) Conclusion In conclusion, the actual assault on Beelzebub Bay was indeed dramatic, if somewhat brief. All the RN vessels stood off the reef (with what one can only assume was lacklustre support from the USN) and did nothing until the hamlet had been carried by bayonet and boarding pike: the Royals and the Tars hove to alongside the mole and simply rushed the makeshift defences, with the 1st. W.I. Regt, and the York Rangers in reserve as a second wave. After a few desultory volleys, the pirates were driven away from the chapel (which, apparently, was set afire by one of the Jesuits) with a "spirited charge," and simply melted away into the country. The stockade goods were confiscated (principally tobacco, spirits, fabrics and a small amount of silver bullion) and the settlement was cleared. The report barely runs into two paragraphs, but, (and I am sure that you will agree with me) provides a wealth of rich meat for a fascinating `new' period. Presumably, some fire was laid down from off the reef against the cannon in the harbour (although there is no mention of this) if only to deter them from attempting to engage the assault troops. It is also interesting to learn that those employed in piratical activity in this area were estimated in the region of 4000 plus; a formidable force indeed if it could have been mustered to one place. Incidentally, there appears to be an argument for the presence of regular Spanish troops effectively operating with impunity on a British-held colony throughout most of this period (we became chums, anyway, in 1808) hence the inclusion of some Spanish uniforms, but there is no evidence to suggest that regular French forces found themselves adrift of the French held colonies. A smattering of uniforms merely adds some colour. A sequel to this episode sprang to mind some months ago: after the summary eradication of this piratical den (obviously little more than a sort of `Arfur Daley's lock-up' a staging post for the removal of `hot'goods/contraband to places unknown (possibly the Louisianas?) and a safe haven to rest up for a bit) how would one go about clearing out the survivors (casualties must have been very light) who escaped into the interior of the island? A thankless task, but someone had to do it. Present day Caymanians are anything but piratical... Well, that's about it, The Editor politely informs me that space is at a premium this issue (great moves afoot, etc.) so we will have to withhold the `back - of - postcard' rules for another day, If anyone is desperate to have a bash straight away drop me a line and a SSAE via the Editor and I will oblige. Any small-unit set will do however, (dozens have appeared in the wargames press over the years): it's simply a case of finding a system that works best for you, homebrew, bespoke sets are, I feel, the most satisfying. I hope that you have enjoyed our outing (in spirit, anyway) to sunnier climes: make what you will of it. As a games system, it is certainly not unique, merely highlighting a lateral slip into a little known area of the Napoleonic Wars. I have now GM'd the game many times (for many ages and abilities) and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them, I can recall the almost legendary exploits of one Major of Marines, ably assisted by his Sgt. Evans, who rushed the beach with great elan at the head of his Royals, engaged in a brief firefight with some ruffians to his front, broke through to the jetty buildings from the West and leapt onto the tilt of one of the wagons in the alley in order to gain access to the cannon on the roof, Brandishing his sword and his double-barrelled pistol, he shouted to Evans to follow him with a mighty leap onto the parapet of the roof, the enemy gunners aghast as he hurled himself into their number. But what of Sgt. Evans? Play the game and find out for yourselves... More Fever Islands Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #10 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |
At last... for the few of you who have stuck to this saga of pluck and phlegm in the face of earnest requests from the back benchers of your wargames club to take up a new period.... AT THEN WITH THE BAYONET!