A return to Marauder HQ still looks a while off so a splash about in warm waters seems in order. Tony has painted about 15 Royal Navy ships & I am working through a Danish fleet so I decided to have a bash at the Black Seas game from Warlord Games. I proxied some RN ships as Franco Danish & set up this encounter. A Royal Navy fleet leaves harbour to be greeted by enemies laying in wait. The rules seem straight forward enough for a numpty like me to pick up which is encouraging.
The following is a few snaps of the fledgeling collection in action.
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The Royal Navy leaves harbour sailing into open waters between two headlands.
All looking rather splendid. |
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| The left-hand French colume prepares to attack. |
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| The right-hand colume, Danish, gets ready to attack. |
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| The opposing fleets begin to close. The smaller Brigs break from the line to harass each other. |
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| Red hot "heated shot" can be lethal - especially if dropped setting your own ship on fire! A nice little rule that almost dominated the game - even at sea fire can spread! |
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| Things start to get close & personal. Except for the Danish squadron which took the long root around the tiddly island ensuring they were barely engaged at close quarters. |
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| he big RN 1st Rate never really exerted the kind of pressure we were fearful of. |
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| Cute little seaside residence, no visitors in 2021... |
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| It's a very pretty game & will get more so as more ships get finished with flags bases etc. |
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| The action in the centre. |
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| The Danish squadron finally rounds the island only to find the RN have disappeared! |
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| The Danish 3rd Rate in the foreground came off worse in the exchange with an RN Frigate! |
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| Various ships are on fire, one has blown up & a few are about to run aground. |
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| Fires spread along the Danish line, a rudder jammed by damage & that burning 3rd Rate is about to hit the rocks... this sailing malarky isn't as easy as I thought! |
The Royal Navy win a close game, lots of lessons learned. Loads of crazy fun, Black Seas has legs as a pick-up & play with beers & mates game. Lots of fun to had & areas of the rules to explore.
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| One of my Danish 3rd Rates - work in progress. She needs the ratlines adding & a sculpted base. The clear plastic ones pictured don't appeal for these models. They will do very well with my WW2 Pacific fleets though. |
That's your lot for this little outing. No doubt I'll report back on the fleet's progress & further games, possibly with expanded reporting. The next batch of Napoleonic 10mm's are in transit, once arrived we can base them & at some point get back to BIG battle Napoleonic games again at Marauder HQ.
Stay safe & well, very best wishes,
A lovely looking game Jeremy...
ReplyDeleteI am very tempted buy naval wargaming... especially the War of 1812 on the Great Lakes.
Where did you get your gaming mat from... it is very effective?
All the best. Aly
Hi Aly, many thanks for commenting, the Great Lakes project sounds intriguing. The mat is from Deep Cut Studio - hope that helps?
DeleteBest wishes, stay safe,
Jeremy
It does look fabulous! The ships strike me as a bit fiddly modelling wise to try and tangle with myself, but hopefully some local enthusiasts make enough of them that I can give it a go :)
ReplyDeleteCheers Chasseaur, the rigging is the fiddly monster you imagine it to be! Trick is to take your time, go step by step with the instructions & put on a pod cast or rugby match! The game is a real hoot though & worth a visit!
DeleteA great-looking game and some lovely work on the ships. I was thinking how much I like the clear-plastic bases and how well they work.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lawrence, the clear bases were an idea from the illustrious & industrious JJ Wargames. Having seen Tony's resin ones I prefer his basing technique. The clear plastics will do perfectly for my WW2 3d printed Victory at Sea ships while Warlord play catch up with their release schedule.
DeleteGald you enjoyed it!
What a great looking game. Sensational post JJ.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Carlo, Black Seas is the perfect tonic for our gaming needs until we can get back to some land based operations of the Napoleonic variety.
DeleteVery best wishes,
Jeremy
The ships look magnificent!
ReplyDeleteHi Ray, the ships are tricky buggers for sure but some time & effort bring great rewards - thanks for noticing!
DeleteHope you're safe & well, best wishes,
Jeremy
Beautiful gaming! Love the ships, terrain and sea mat.
ReplyDeleteMr M! Many thanks for commenting on our latest efforts. For me the aesthetic is as much part of the fun as the gaming, it all contributes to the experience. I'll work out where the mat came from & report back as a few people have asked.
ReplyDeleteVery best wishes to you Dean,
Jeremy
Are there official rules for the d
ReplyDeleteDanish-Norwegian fleet?