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THE SPANISH FURY SYSTEM!
Spanish Fury
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SF: Actions! on the verge of release, called Very Civile Actions! which will deal with the English Civil War and related conflicts such as the Bishop's Wars. Further, it comes with its own campaign system, called "Tinker Fox", which simulates the smaller scale garrison warfare of the midlands, using the Battlefinder card package! THE LIST OF OUR FREE GAMES! Ancient Greece-
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complete
system of warfare for 16th Century Europe
Including Large & Small scale land warfare modules, one for Naval warfare, a Campaign, and Siege Game!
 Sail!
"My loving people, we
have
been persuaded by some, that are careful of our safety, to take heed
how
we commit
ourselves to
armed
multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you, I do not desire to
live to distrust
my faithful
and
loving people. Let tyrants fear; I have always so behaved myself that,
under God, I
have placed my
chiefest
strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my
subjects.
And therefore
I am come
amongst
you at this time, not as for my recreation or sport, but being
resolved,
in the Elizabeth I, 1588 Ships & Navies of the 16th Century The New Economy <>The sixteenth century saw a great economic shift in Europe, mostly brought about by the opening of new products and markets of the New World and the Pacific. The growing middle class' desire for exotic goods made the Italian city states rich as carriers of trade from the east. Spices, silks and other treasures were dragged overland from China to Levantine ports, for distrubution in Europe at such commercial centers as Barcelona and Antwerp. The prices were exorbitant and those involved in the trade were soon wieldingpolitical power through loans to impoverished Kings and Princes.All of this changed with the voyages of men such as Columbus, Cabot, and Magellan in and around the Americas. Earlier, the Captains of Portugal's Henry the Navigator began the African trade. Now it was governments as much as merchants who were controlling the flow of the new wealth, and began to increasingly depend on it. The rivalry was serious, as so much was at stake. Spanish, Portugese, English and French expeditions were sent to explore possibilities and stake claims. While the French and the English were half hearted at best, being distracted in Europe, the Spanish and Portugese divided the world between them, even ratifying this reality with the Pope by the treaty of Tordesillas, giving Portugal Brazil, Africa and the Pacific, while Spain took the rest. After the Spanish conquest of Portugal in 1580 they controlled the greatest empire in history. When a single ship
could
carry wealth equal to the revenues of a small country in its holds, even
fishermen turned
their
hands to piracy. Soon the great trading empires began to convoy their
ships
and even
build warships
to
guarantee their safety. Government began to fund private actions
against
trade by issuing
licenses to
shipowners.
These "Privateers" soon infested known trade routes and sought to
discover secret
ones. Often
using
flimsy excuses of "reprisals" for unfair trade practices, government
owned
warships The growth of the middle class also lead to a greater degree of centralization- the educated sons of merchants became a bureaucracy, which led to more effecient taxation. This enabled government to begin to invest militarily in projects of a less limited nature than before. Spain's standing army was well beyond 100,000 men; fighting men at that. The Tudors, starting with the fortune saved by Henry VII could bring a permanent fleet into being, so that by the 1580's it was unrivalled in the world. This prompted a more extensive building program in Portugal and Spain. Even France tried a hand at putting a standing fleet together under Francis I, but this came to nothing through the negligence of his successors and the civil wars. The New Design Now that ships
were
being
built regularly for military purposes, designs began to reflect this.
Carrying
capacity was
no longer the
main
concern. The deeper, rounder Carrack made way for the Galleon- longer,
narrower, faster,
even with
different
sail configurations. These ships could remain on station for long
periods,
and could handle
difficult
weather
to a greater degree than previous merchant ships. They still retained
high
fore and The New Tactics The shape of ships
was
also
changing to reflect new technologies and tactics. Relatively Light
brass
cannon of
large caliber were
not
only available on land. These were mounted on ships, and now had the
power
to smash
timbers to
matchwood.
Mid-century military thinkers still believed that the principle naval
tactic should
revolve around
boarding,
as it was in the more-common galley warfare of the Mediterranean
theatre. Guns
added the new
dimension
of softening up the target before boarding, but were not considered
After the Armada The Armada campaign and subsequent actions by the English navy convinced every nation, even Spain, that the future lay with gunnery and nimble ships. The designs of the 1590's and into the 17th century show how complete the evolution was. Every maritime nation that could afford it began a military ship-building program, and by the middle of the century impressed merchant ships were an anachronism. Modern navies were born. Now
then,
what's Sail!
like
anyway? Which nations are represented? We have decided to start out with Spanish/Portugese, English and Dutch navies. French and Hansards are provided for to a lesser extent. Other navies, particularly Danish and Swedish, will be the subjects of later supplements. How many ships can you play a side? You can have from one ship per side up to forty, and still have a good time. As you'll see below, the game is intriguingly uncomplicated without being "fast play", meaning no engagement is too small, and the larger battles can still be played without overly bogging down. We suggest each player control no more than 15-20 ships each, so with several players per side (and a big enough board) you could refight the whole Armada campaign! Does it take long to play? We finished a game
with
15 ships per side in less than 90 minutes. Yet we do not consider
Do I have to write anything down? Now you know how the Captain feels about record keeping..... Pen and paper are not required. Movement The real killer in
these
games is simulating sails and wind. Gunnery is easy. Boarding is easy.
Naval rules rise
and fall on how
movement
works. Our system is highly visual- there's no checking sail settings,
wind magnitude
and
direction
on separate, complicated, text-based tables. Now everything is colour
coded
and and
simple. Let's
look
at this Ship card for example:
Checking the wind direction in relation to your bow will tell you if your ship is "Beating" (moving close to the wind, in the YELLOW range), "Running" (wind behind you, but not in the optimum position, in the BLUE range), or in the "Quarter Reach" (optimum position for catching the most wind, and hence the fastest movement, in the GREEN range). Once you've got the right colour, you suddenly have a ruler on the sides of the card telling you how far you will move! If you are in the GREEN range, knowing the winds are currently "Fresh" in this battle, you see how far you must move. Also shown are up to four graduations showing the current damage level (0-4) of your ship (if any), marked by one of the Perfect Captain's spiffy little counters beside your ship. It should take you
above 5
seconds to know how far your ship will move in a turn. Since
each ship is part of a division (several
ships
brigaded together), our station keeping rules will probably require you
to only check one ship per division
(maximum
of about 5 divisions in play). That makes a turn go by pretty quick! Manouvre Each turn is
broken down
into two "legs" or moves. Depending on the quality of the crew (all
ships
of each fleet
have the same
quality
each scenario) each ship will have to make its turn either at the end
of
each leg (inexperienced
crews)
or
at the beginning of each leg (experienced). Note that experienced crews
will always see
which way the
enemy
is planning to move each turn. Where crews are the same quality, the
fleets
who's Gunnery and Damage Here's another spot where rules can fall to the ground. Gunnery charts shouldn't be too hard to do. We've put the ships gunnery rating at the two ranges, long and short, on the Ship card itself. Gunnery rating at a particular range targets structure rating subtracted for the fire column on the gunnery chart. No problem, very easy. Damage can be complicated in some games. Ships in our system start with a damage rating of zero, but can be knocked down level by level (1-4) until reduced to a useless Hulk. Everything on a ship degrades on damaged ships. Notice on the card above, even the ship's structure drops. This is shown, as mentioned above, with a discreet damage counter placed behind the ship. Grappling and Boarding Boarding! Everyone wants to do it, whether they admit it or not! The Spaniards certainly wanted to do it in 1588, but couldn't. In our rules, grappling an opponent who doesn't want to be grappled isn't easy, especially if you are in a lumbering, crank ship, and he isn't. Your ship's handling number tells you how nimble your ship is. The better handling, the easier to escape or bring on a boarding action. Once aboard, however, its the most and toughest marines that are going to carry the day, capturing ships and officers, and planting prize crews! Terrain??!?! Yes, there is often terrain which effects sea battles. Often it is a land mass such as a coast or an island. It can also be shallows and reefs. Further, islands and ports often had castles, forts, and gun platforms defending them, and a large number of famous battles of this period (both Cadiz invasions) involved running the gauntlet of shore defenses. Command This period was
famous
for
great naval figures, but not as often for their great battle tactics as
later periods would
be, with the
likes
of Nelson. However, plans were often laid before battle which dictated
the way battle would be fought. Our
rules
brigade ships together in divisions. These divisions are commanded by
Captains, with
the fleet
commanded
by an Admiral. Although the ability to change orders is limited, these
officers still have an important
part to play.
* * * * * *Introductory Scenario 1* Breaking
the Blockade:
Spinola's campaigns in the Channel had been cause of countless headaches to the English and Dutch governments. No expense had been spared to trap him and his tiny fleet of Galleys and finish them off, all to no avail. However, Spinola's superiors did not have much use for him, not being as far sighted. Determined to prove his value or die trying, he has decided to sally out of port and break the blockade of Sluys. With only a handful of ships, de Moor was able to defeat the Galleys and deprive Spinola of his life. ----------------------------------- The
Spanish Available
Forces: Quality:
------------------------------------ The
Dutch Available
Forces: Quality:
------------------------------------- Setup The recommended board should be at least 4' x 4', non-scrolling, with shallows extending from the Spanish Board edge out about 8". There are no shore defenses. The Spanish should begin in the shallows, (southern board edge) while the Dutch setup within 12" of any other board edge. The Dutch set up first. The wind is Fresh and blowing from the west. Victory
Conditions The Spanish win by
destroying
the Dutch fleet or by chasing it off the board by turn 30. Dutch ships
which exit the board may not return.
The
Dutch win by killing Spinola or remaining on the board until nightfall
(reinforcements were expected
hourly).
The game last 30 turns.
* * * * * *Introductory Scenario 2*
Day
One
July 31, 1588 The Armada has
just
entered
the channel, and is heading east. Having got out of Plymouth, the
English
are about to
test the mettle of
their
great enemy. Sniping at both flanks of the tight Armada formation at
the
same time, hoping to break it up, The
English
had not yet decided what the optimum engagement range was, and showed
signs
of The English Captains refused the offer. Instead, they pounded Recalde at long range. Unfortunately for them they were too far away to register any significant hits. The score for Day One: a draw. ----------------------------------------------- The
English Available
Forces: Quality:
----------------------------------------------- The
Spanish Available
Forces: Quality:
Note:
The
San
Juan de Portugal is considered to be carrying an invasion force;
----------------------------------------------- Setup The recommended board should be at least 4' x 4', scrolling. The Spaniard should setup in the exact center of the board, while the English setup anywhere at least 12" away from it on the western half of the board. The wind is Fresh and blowing from the northeast. Victory Conditions The English win by
inflicting
at least 3 damage points on the San Juan, or by
reducing
it to a hulk (catastrophe). The Spanish win by
avoiding
the English victory conditions or by inflicting at least 2 damage
factors total to
the English
fleet, or if
they
are grappled to an English ship by the end of the scenario. The Game
length
is 12 turns, at
which point
massive
Spanish reinforcements will arrive, and the English will immediately
disengage. * * * * * The
Battle
of Reimerswaal
Walcherin Island
was the
key to the Scheldt, and the Scheldt the key to Zealand. The Spanish
held
the town of
Middelburg on
the
island and had been under siege for one and a half years by forces of
the States
General. The
island
cut the Dutch possessions on the coast in half, and both sides
recognized a
show down was
imminent.
The garrison was reduced to eating cats and dogs. Don Luis Requesens
convinced Julian
Romero,
a Spanish commander of note (though without naval experience), to lead
a relief fleet out of
Bergen-op-Zoom
to break the blockade and resupply the town. The Dutch fleet,
Half of the Spanish Fleet was unable to reach the scene of the battle in time, but the Spaniards still had a numerical edge. This could not overcome the fanaticism of the Dutch however, who were so desperate to come to grips that they scarcely fired a shot, choosing to board as soon as possible. They were completely victorious, smashing the enemy fleet and capturing de Glimes, while Romero was forced to swim for it. The defeat of the fleet was the defeat of the garrison of Middelburg, which surrendered shortly after. ----------------------------------------------- The
Dutch Available
Forces: Quality:
----------------------------------------------- The
Spanish Available
Forces: Quality:
*Note that while
Spanish
Marines are usually Experienced, morale was low, and compared
----------------------------------------------- Setup The recommended board should be at least 8' x 4', non-scrolling, with shallows extending from the Narrow sides of the board out about 4". There are no shore defenses. The Spanish should setup within 2' of the southern, end of the board, while the Dutch setup within 4' of the northern board edge. The Dutch set up first. The wind is Fresh and blowing from the northwest. Victory
Conditions * * * * *
After
Calais
8 August, 1588 After all the heavy fighting in the channel, the Armada was only a few miles away from Parma at Dunkirk. The English were out of time. The Armada had to be destroyed as a fighting force, or else face Spaniards on English soil. While they lay anchored off Calais, exchanging messages with Parma (begging for ammunition, among other requests), Medina Sidonia saw his great fear realised: Fireships were bearing down upon his fleet. Unable to avoid them safely, he ordered the fleet to slip their cables and make a run for it. While no ships were lost to fire, they were now scattered, facing four squadrons of English ships in perfect order. The English came on with a vengeance. Closing to point blank range, their cannonade nearly wrecked the few ships Medina Sidonia could gather around him to cover the stragglers. However, for the first time, Spanish gunnery began to tell on the English. Both sides were receiving casualties, but it was much worse for the Spaniards. After this engagement, several of their ships sunk or ran aground, while the English lost not a ship. ----------------------------------------------- The
English Available
Forces: Quality:
----------------------------------------------- The
Spanish Available
Forces: Quality:
Note:
All
Spanish
ships are considered to be carrying an invasion force; ----------------------------------------------- Setup The recommended board should be at least 8' x 4', scrolling. The San Martin & San Juan should setup in the exact center of the board. The rest of the Spanish fleet should setup at the 12" away from either ship to the east. The English setup anywhere at least 8" away from the center of the board, on the western half. The wind is Fresh and blowing from the Southwest. Victory Conditions The English win by inflicting at least fifteen damage points or by reducing at least three ships to a hulks. The Spanish win by avoiding the English victory conditions or by inflicting at least nine damage factors to the English fleet. Captured ships count as six damage points. The Game length is 25 turns.
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