Napoleon in Egypt

A Naval Scenario

by Jim Birdseye

The next scenario is a naval action, the escape of Napoleon. Units include a French 44 gun Frigate and six British Frigates of 40 to 60 guns and six British sloops of war of 12 guns. The Mediterranean is divided by a grid with the British ships posted in patrol areas. Napoleon starts in Alexandria and slips out to sea. The game ends when the British sink or capture the Frigate or Napoleon reaches any friendly port in Europe. The British player must establish patrol routes and sail those using variable rates of speed. I recommend a grid with 20 mile sides and daylight/night time turns. When the ships make contact naval actions can be played out on the table top. Movement rates of the ships should be variable with the wind and sea conditions. To reflect this I recommend that you use the table below:

    die roll movement
    1 6 grids
    2 7 grids
    3 8 grids
    4 storm, move 1-6 grids (D6), sink on a roll of 95 or more.
    5 4 grids
    6 5 grids

To spot other ships in the same square roll a D6 and spot on a roll of 1 at night and a roll of 1-5 in daylight. Treat storm turns as night.

To play this scenario and the campaign naval rules, set up the map with the grids described above. Xerox copies for both players. The British lay out the patrols and the French plot Napoleon's course to France from Alexandria. Once these are done, the players can use a third map with counters or model ships to execute the moves. Use the variable speed table above and move all ships one square at a time. The ships can only move along their planned course lines.

When contact is made you can fight it out. This system wil I also work for the campaign game's convoys.

The riverine operations on the Nile and in the lakes around Alexandria can be used as suitable scenarios for skirmish naval actions. The French used the same types of ships as the Egyptians. Often the crews for the French were Coptic Christians or other Egyptians. Use a Xebec available from the Limeys and Slimeys line. (Miniature Figurines, Box P, Pine Plains, NY- ED) The French should have 6-10 soldiers and two orthree officers plus an Egyptian crew of 12-15. The Egyptians should have two officers and 20 crew. Used a confined space if doinga Nile action. Also remember to include a current direction for the Nile as well as wind variations. Limeys and Slimeys ships come with rules and are available in several sizes.

The lake actions can use European style ships (8 gun to 14 gun sloops) as well as Xebecs. The ships can be Egyptian, Turkish, British, and French. You can conduct raids of the coast or covering operations for supply transports.

Napoleon in Egypt

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