I ran a pre-dreadnoughts game at Historicon using the Warpigs rules I submitted for MWAN # 117. It was entitled Tafalgar 1889 and included 18 British, French and Spanish ironclad battleships in a wild free for all. The Royal Navy got soundly spanked in this battle, but the players had fun. One of them remembered that the rules had appeared in your magazine. Based on the fun we had, I decided to dust off this battle report from another enjoyable game my friends and I played three or four years ago. I hope people like it. I designed this scenario to play with the idea of a four-sided game in which the players started without knowing what their objective was going to be. It played out very well, with some players completely losing their nerve long before they found out what they were supposed to do.

Each squadron rolls for the arrival of their dispatch vessel beginning on turn 2. On that turn they need a 6 on a d6, on turn 3 a 5 or 6 will do, on turn 4 4-6 will do, etc. The players must get their dispatch vessel within 6" (or whatever seems appropriate for the scale you are using) of one of their capital ships at the end of a turn to receive their orders. The orders are listed at the end of this article.

The story so far...

The small island of Sabang sits astride one of the key approaches to the Mallacca Passage, the jugular vein of trade between Europe and the Far East. A Muslim fundamentalist movement under the leadership of Abu Papadam Jahlfresie has seized control of the island and is courting the European colonial powers for a patron. France, England, Spain and Russia have all diverted local squadrons to the island while their respective diplomatic services try to hash out a solution. Each squadron's specific orders have been dispatched by the fastest vessels available and will arrive later in the game.

HMS Inflexible- turret battleship, 4 16" guns
HMSAjax- turret battleship, 4 12" guns

Dispatch Vessel
HMS Inflammable- torpedo boat

French Indo-China Squadron
Courbet- central citadel battleship, 4 13", 4 10" guns
Formidable- barbette battleship, 3 14" guns

Dispatch Vessel
Cuirassier- torpedo boat

Russian Indo-Asian Squadron
Ekaterina II- barbette battleship, 6 12" guns
Volga- torpedo boat
Dniepr- torpedo boat

Dispatch Vessel
Pripyet- torpedo boat

Spanish Philippine Squadron
Pe/ayo- barbette battleship, 2 13", 2 11" guns
Don Quixote- destroyer

Dispatch Vessel
Sancho Panza- destroyer

Play Test

The Sabang Affair proved to be a confused and bloody engagement. The British East Indies Squadron was the first to get their orders and they immediately engaged the Spanish Pelayo which had just come into range. The Spanish commander was having a very difficult time getting his dispatch vessel in range of his flagship. While these two vessels were circling wildly, they engaged in a gunnery and torpedo duel with the British ships during which the British battleship Ajax was hit by two torpedoes in short succession. This duel was cut short when the Russian battleship emerged from behind Sabang Island and loosed off a 12" broadside at the Pelayo at point blank range. The Russians actually had not received their orders yet but couldn't stand the pressure of having another vessel at such close range.

The Pelayo was hit by the full broadside and burst into flame from stem to stern forcing the crew to abandon ship. The Spanish dispatch vessel now went in search of the surviving destroyer of the Philippine Squadron. Soon after, the stricken Ajax went to the bottom as the flooding caused by the torpedoes took its toll. The Inflexible then sailed into the shelter of Sabang harbor. The Russians had been followed on by the French Indo-China Squadron that was doing all in its power to sink the Russian dispatch vessel before it could reach the rest of the Indo-Asian Squadron. The Russian Squadron turned around to come to her aid. In doing so, the Ekaterina II rammed the burning hulk of the Pe/ayo and finally sank her. As the Ekaterina Il faced off the French Courbetand Formidable head on, the Inflexible emerged from Sabang Harbor and sailed into the middle of the confrontation. It was not a wise move. Two turns later she sailed off the table and sank before she could return.

The French Indo-China Squadron seemed on the verge of victory, outnumbering the Russians 2 capital ships to 1. However, a poorly executed squadron turn ended with the Formidable ramming the Courbetat 12 knots and sinking her. The badly battered Ekaterina II and the equally shattered Formidable took their grim fight to the death through the center of Sabang Harbor where a 12" hit from the Russian ship put the Formidable under the waves. The Jahlfresie regime was ecstatic with the Russian victory and even more delighted with the guns and gold that started coming ashore.

Secret Orders

England: The Foreign Office and the Admiralty agree that such renegade wog activity is intolerable. Bombard the main town of Sabang and blockade the harbor from foreign interlopers.

France: The Jahlfresie uprising is a stunning opportunity for France's far-eastern ambitions. With at least one capital ship in Sabang harbor, any negotiations will be bound to resolve in France's favor. Under no circumstances are the Russians to be allowed to try and influence the outcome of the Jahlfresie rebellion.

Russia: The Ekaterina II has been stocked with arms and money to support Jahlfresie's government. Such support and patronage should give the Tsar a voice in Indian Ocean affairs. Proceed to Sabang harbor and off-load the supplies.

Spain: Madrid considers France's aggressive expansionism a threat to our Philippine colonies. Destroy the French Squadron and have at least 1 destroyer on hand in Sabang harbor for whatever diplomatic settlement is arranged.

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