PIRACY IN THE CARIBBEAN
AN AERONEF CAMPAIGN - FEBRUARY 2014, STOKE ROCHFORD HALL, LINCOLNSHIRE
Scenario:
Donny Jepp, the infamous pirate, has established his headquarters on the lawless island stronghold of Tortuga. This pirate kingdom has a significant Aeronef fleet.
Many nations have suffered losses from Jepp’s piratical practices. It is time for action - Aeronef fleets have allied together from South America and the European colonies with a view of destroying Jepp and his cohorts once and for all. The Khazi of Iraq has declared a Fatwa on Jepp following the capture of his annual sugar convoy and is sending an independent fleet.
In the wider political field:
Germany is in talks with the Danish Government to coerce them into selling them the Jomsfruøerne Flåden, (Danish West Indies). A small German Aeronef fleet supported by their Austro-Hungarian allies (who happen to be on Fleet Manoeuvres), is off the coast of the Jungfrau Inseln to add weight to their “negotiations”. This is despicable as the people speak English, have British customs and want to be British. Britain captured the islands during the Napoleonic wars, abolished slavery and did much to improve the lot of the islanders, but was forced to hand them back to Denmark following the Treaty of Kiel, on the cessation of hostilities. Subsequently, Britain has been deadlocked with the Danes over sovereignty of the islands as the people voted overwhelmingly in a referendum for the territory to remain “The British Antillies” , and in British eyes, the “People should have a mandate as to who governs them”. The Danes realizing their vulnerability from two great powers have requested support from their allies in the Scandinavian Union in the event of any physical aggression against them. By coincidence, a British Royal Aeronef Fleet is exercising in the sunny waters of the Caribbean......
The USA has been interested in the islands for years because of their strategic position and the fear that Germany might get a foot hold in the Caribbean. If the Germans manage to establish an Aeronef base on the “American” Virgin Islands, they could threaten the American seaboard.
The Confederate States are absolutely opposed to the United States stance and welcome German engineering skills in the mining of "R" Matter in the region as well as increased commerce & prosperity. They have appealed to their Japanese trading allies for assistance in maintaining a free market & movement of goods currently being stifled by the United States. As a result they have declared an “Armed Neutrality” against anyone “opposed to free trade and industry”.
Please let me have:
Fleets owned and not recorded below
Requests to build/field unallocated fleets
Fleets not listed but should be!
New fleets or utilising those already owned/planned
Chile, Peru, Unites States of America & Cuba: Jon Rogers
Bolivia, British Guyana, Jamaican & Bahamas Flotilla: Trevor Brown
Trinidad and Barbados British Squadron, French Guiana & Martinique Squadron: Pearce Pearce
Uruguay, Ecuador, Haiti, Dutch West Indies, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Spanish Atlantic Squadron: David Frampton
Spain: Gary Edwards
Danish West Indies & Scandinavian Union: Stewart Leonard
Confederate States of America: David Marshall
I believe the following nations are still available:
Argentina
Columbia
Venezuela
Puerto Rico American defence Squadron
Costa Rica
Brazil
Paraguay
Pirates!!
Fleet lists will be/are available on the Brigade Forum - if you are planning a fleet please let me know so that I can send you the Fleet List early.
I haven’t heard what fleets the following gamers own, so please contact me:
Mike Jones
Andy Neill
Simplified Rules for Torpedo Flotilla, Wing Craft Carriers and Aeroplanes - ALL Fleets
Torpedo Boats operate in pairs (i.e. two models per stand) - each stand being a Flotilla. Depending on the type, each flotilla may launch equivelent number of torpedos per salvo allowed by design (i.e. two craft with two torpedos salvoes each = 4 Torpedos per attack). May have Reloads as per type (i.e. Cygnet has 3 reloads), before returning to the the Torpedo Boat Tender for a further resupply (see below).
Each pair of flotillas must be supported by a Torpedo Boat Tender i.e.
TORPEDO BOAT TENDER EXAMPLE
Vessel: Give it a Name
Class: 4
Hull: 13
Speed: 16
Turns: 3
Guns: 2
Replen: 2 (i.e. may reload each flotilla it serves twice)
Points: 28
CP: 72
Notes: Scratch built or conversion
Each Tender has the capability to re-arm the two torpedo Boat flotillas it serves. It takes one turn to replenish a single Torpedo flotilla, therefore it takes two turns to fully rearm both flotillas. Obviously the first flotilla to be re-armed may return to the fray without waiting for its companion flotilla.
Therefore. one Torpedo Boat tender (single model) per two torpedo flotillas (four craft on two stands).
WING CRAFT CARRIERS (Also known as Aircraft Carriers)
There are three types of Wing Craft Carriers:
PURPOSE BUILT CARRIERS may operate as per the existing rules -i.e. the L'Arc, Ryujo or Abdulmecid class vessels.
GENERIC LARGE CARRIERS can carry two "Flights" of fighters and One flight of medium bi-plane bombers or one fight of fighters and two flights of Light (monoplane) bombers. Light bombers can only carry bombs, not torpedoes.
GENERIC SMALL CARRIERS can carry two "flights" of fighters only.
GENERIC WING CRAFT CARRIER EXAMPLE - (in this case a Dirigible)
Vessel: Give it a Name
Class: 2(D)
Hull: 24
Speed: 10
Turns: 1
Guns: 6
Bombs: 0
Points: 32
CP: 61
Notes: Scratch built or conversion
Fighters (various types) and bombers (light or medium) operate in flights of three aircraft models per stand.
WING CRAFT
Fighters (All types - various nations)
Fights as a Flight.
Destroyed on 6 Hits.
Speed 24
Guns 6
Each fighter lost (i.e. every two hit points) lose -2 Gun dice
N.B. Seydlitz-type winged Dirigible used in the Heavy Fighter role operate as individual models. These can never be carried by Wing Craft Carriers.
Light (usually monoplane) "Generic" Bombers
Fights as a Flight
Destroyed on 9 Hits
Speed 20
Guns 3
Each bomber lost (i.e. every three hit points) lose -1 Gun dice
Medium Bombers (Bi-plane or large monoplane i.e. the BR-88) These may carry a single torpedo instead of bombs
Fight as a Flight
Destroyed on 12 Hits
Speed 15
Guns 3
Each bomber lost (i.e. every four hit points) lose -1 Gun dice
Heyworth Type Strategic Bi-plane Heavy Bombers are land based and cannot be carried by Wing Craft Carriers. They may carry up to two torpedos.
RECONNAISSANCE WING CRAFT(RWC)
Some larger warships carry RWC on steam catapults or booms. Occasionally, RWC are sometimes included as a Fleet asset. An example of this would be a converted "Lussin" Torpedo boat as used by the Austro-Hungarians or (and displaying some unusual forward thinking), the Russian "Smolensk" Wing Craft Tender. A RWC is a single model on a base. It takes one turn to take off and also (hopefully) land. Both fighters and converted bombers may be used in the RWC role. They use their existing stats for movement and damage. They are unarmed, as the weapon spaces are occupied by the box cameras used to take plates of the enemy fleet.
Employment. The RWC are dispatched in the general direction of an enemy. They must fly within six inches of the enemy fleet is it trying to reconoiter to gain any item of potential intelligence value. While the fighter is less vulnerable owing to its speed, the bomber has a slightly greater potential for gathering intelligence.
Intellligence Gathering. On return, a successful "recce" will be determined on a throw of a D6. With a fighter, a throw of 1-4 reveals nothing of intelligence value. A throw of 5-6 is successful. A converted bomber has a slightly better chance as it has more crew to observe and work the cameras, being successful on a throw of 4-6. If the throw is successful, the opponent must reveal the stats of the vessels which have been successfully reconoitered.