"Anyone every run a Caribbean Campaign?" Topic

It seems to me that this period and area would be great for running a small mini-campaign, or a larger mega-campaign, using land forces, naval vessels, forts, pirates, treasure, etc.

So I thought I would inquire to see if anyone has run a campaign during the period(s) running from the Spanish Main, the hey-days of the Pirate era (1650 – 1720), the American War of Independence, the Napoleonic era, and the War of 1812.

Currently, I am primarily interested in pirate actions, but privateers/buccaneers, and actions between the navies of various nations shouldn't be overlooked.

Small, amphibious actions and raids in 15mm/28mm would be fun, and my primary focus most of the time, as well as small actions pitting several vessels to a side against one another. However, I am also not against a decent naval campaign using 1/2000th scale vessels in fleet actions as well, like the Battle of the Saints, etc.

Of course, they need some background details, in order to provide for a reason to fight, other than just a chance encounter, if possible.

I'm curious to see how people manage encounters, and the background stuff that would make for a decent campaign, e.g. the reasons to fight (treasure, capturing a strategic port to support trade, or to deny it to the enemy, etc.), or flee, and the management of resources and strategies to win.

I don't want to spend hours on tracking sacks of food, or counting doubloons, but would like some sort of basic context to decide when an attack should be conducted, rewards for that, forces available, etc. Given the numerous islands, and various ports, towns, and forts in the region, it appears that there should be a lot of room for players from various nations, and/or pirate bands to pursue their own interests, to make for varied, and interesting game play.

Any ideas?

Every should be ever…..

I have similar plans. I actually have all the needed materials,they just need to get painted up!!!

Couple of items I'll throw out for thought or example. I have about 8 pirate bands (human, ghostly, and skeletal) each with a vessel. They also each have a small wooden chest about the sized of an index card box. (I picked them up for a buck each at american science surplus) I also picked up a couple hundred of the small and nearly a hundred regular sized white and red poker chips. I spraypainted them metallic gold and they serve as the loot or bounty for the pirates (scenarios won are awarded not in points but in pieces of eight (smaller chips worth a point) or doubloons (larger chips--worth 8 points). I also painted about 10 old CDs gold and with a gold marker drew on some incan, Aztec, Mayan looking symbols. These serve as artifact medallions and the pirates who obtain all of them win something (haven't figured it out that far yet)

I also have some british napoleonic marines and naval figures and two JC Penny pirate ships (radio controlled versions) that will serve as large frigates for the royal navy. I have civilians as well. Also regular merchant crews and a few merchant vessels for plunder.

I also have a few land units (cavalry and infantry) looking to add some arty for both provinical and british units and french and french colonial units.

I envision each player being able to command certain factions and sail around a campaign map and then bring encounters onto the table. Whether at land or sea. I might use wooden ships, Iron men for the naval campaign portion. Land combat is any decent pirate/nap skirmish rules.

Just a few thoughts: hope that helped.

Or you can use chocolate coins.

MMMMM…Chocolate coins…tasty

Ahem, I mean,

ARRRGGHHH, hand ye over them thar delectable doubloons, Matey.

you could use chocolate coins, but the small size of the little poker chips (about 1/4 inch diameter) allowed for easy storage. The larger poker chips were only about an inch in diameter. And by converting every eight little guys into a bigger one, you could recycle the little ones throughout the campaign.

And the choclate could melt, making melee quite sticky. ;p LOL

Well, for what it's worth, I had a Caribbean campaign guide published by VBAM games. It's free, and you can find it at:
link

It is, however, written for the idea of an historical campaign set in the era of the French Revolutionary Wars. It might have some ideas that can help you out though. I'd be interested in hearing some feedback
BWW

I ran one a very long time ago.

Spanish player won it. He made scads of small merchantmen and a very few Frigates. Pirates and Hurricanes had a field day but with all the New World wealth split up in so many penny packets, they could not stop the flood.

In the end Spain got filthy stinkin rich and hired the Dutch to clean up on the English / pirates, while using their Frigates almost solely for the transport of high ranking officials.

mjc

In the early nineties I ran a War of 1812 naval campaign using rules that were published in the Courier. The campaign system was intended to generate conventional naval battles of the period and did not include pirates, but I'm sure it could easily be modified.

Intringuing!
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I really appreciate it.

Brian, I downloaded your campaign rules, and will provide feedback on them. From what I have seen at first glance, they look to be quite good.

Any thoughts on including pirates/privateers, Dutch, and/or US Forces in the region for the campaign rules?

I assume they have been excluded, since they played minor roles for the period covered.

Do you feel compelled to stay 100% 'historical'? In a slightly 'alternate' timeline Dutchs can play a major role. US forces on the other hand, unless you change history more drastically, restricts you post-1776 – then the Jefferson gunboats of 1812 *could* have been designed and built some 60 years earlier… True (and laced) tricorns are a lot of fun, and a pinch of 'imagi-nation' tremendously enlarge your possibilities.

The french revolutionary period would be perfect for carabian campaigns. French, BRitish, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch colonies (plu of course maybe some other, imaginary, countries.

It doesn't have to be 100% historical, since we will probably setting out strategies and battles that weren't, but a nice historical background context would help make it a bit more fun, and easier to set the stage for the players.

Ran across an excellent map of the Caribbean on-line, when researching the Dutch History there, showing the changing of hands of the various islands and territories in color, in 5 – 10 year increments. Looked quite cool, and changed automatically.

Wish I had book-marked it, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. It was a Wiki site.

Did most of the participants' troops wear tricorns during the period (1670 – 1750), e.g. their marines (assuming they were designated as such), and/or their infantry?

Would ships' crews be in uniform, or just fairly ragged looking clothing, for the same period?

After reading "Dreams of Empire" by Paul Fregosi, I always wanted to do just such a campaign. Alas never got round to it.

hussarbob1746.webs.com

Marines (British): probably tricorns in the 'middle' of the 18th C., mitres earlier, round 'postillon' hats at the end of the century. French and Spanish equivalents: tricorns.
Sailors: no uniforms, though bulk clothes were sometimes bought at ship level. Yet they look better if ± uniformed, and it would put them apart from the pirates.

Venetian (mais be similiar to other 'Catholic' types):
link
Spanish:
link
Spanish in Puerto Rico:
link
French 'Marines':
picture
French sailor (if en when 'uniformed'):
picture
[from: link ]

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