Captain Ormerod has marshalled his crew from "Lion's Whelp", sending some to get assistance from the far side of the isle but he felt his duty was also to try and gauge the Spanish intentions. As his local guides reported the Spanish had split their forces, (unbeknown to Ormerod they had to raid for boats given their own shortages) there only seemed to be a number of limited Spaniards on the bays edge, where a makeshift lodge housed their men and doubtless where Captain Smythe was being held. Ormerod smiled, as if the Spaniards were feeling secure believing the English dispersed, he would have to give them pause for thought...
Chapter 3 would see the English given a chance to rescue their captured Captain. Additionally, Chris got to take the pictures and I would try and do the write up with a Pro-English slant (as opposed to my allegedly anti-English bias)
We would play the "Rescue" scenario, and use the Night attack and sentry rules. Additionally, we figured the Spaniards would be tired given they would be roused from sleep, should start with a fatigue point on each unit. Captain Smythe would stay comfortable in the pig pen, as we hadn't any pigs yet. Also, given his wounds, he couldn't move more than 2"...
All 4 Spanish units would "deploy" from the central hut, while the English and their local native Carib allies would set up on one side and flanks.
Chris's forces:
English Buccaneers and Native Caribs:
Captain Ormerod, Inexperienced English Buccaneer Captain
8 Freebooters
8 Filibustiers
6 Sea Dogs
Seasoned Carib Chief
8 Warrior Archers
8 Young Warriors
40 men, Strike points 10/20/30
My Spanish forces:
Ensign Sarento, Inexperienced Spanish Officer
2 x 10 Milicianos
1 x 8 Lanceros
1 x 6 Miliciano Indios
35 men, Strike points 8/16/24
The Board set up
The evil Spanish commander...
The Spanish forces, with their new "lucky" dice
The English and Native Caribs
At just under 150pts, I was allowed three sentries
The English forces set up with Filibustiers left of centre with good field of fire, Captain Ormerod in with the Freebooters central right and Sea dogs ready to storm the cabin and rescue the Captain. The Carib Chief and his Warrior Archers on the left were guided to where the Captain was lying, while the Young warriors took the other right flank
Ready to go...
The sentry isn't being very attentive...
Pei-Pei, my sentry, doesn't eat enough carrots, as he cannot sea the English in the dark...
The Carib Archer Warriors natives are guided to the wounded English captain...
TURN 1
Pei-Pei takes a leak...
As the main Spanish units sleep, the Archer Warriors advance and take out the sentry in the bushes...
the rest of the turn involved the English and allies creeping forward in cover of the dark...
TURN 2
The night masks the encroaching Anglo-Carib forces...
Young Warriors top, Sea Dogs in scrub and Captain Ormerod and his Freebooters hid behind the denser parts of the jungle
The young warriors open up on a sentry with their bows...
But none proved fatal, and the Spanish sentry yelled for assistance...
And so battle was joined. The Spanish Ensign roused his Milicianos, running out into the dark and rushing a volley into the bushes where the Caribs were believed to be, with a scream suggesting there was at least one casualty...
He also commanded the remaining Milicianos in the hut to open up on the Sea Dogs, dropping one. However, this gave Ormerod's Freebooters a target, but the hut proved too small a target....
The Filibustiers, even at long range, prove nasty as ever but the cover of the pig sty saves the Miliciano Indios from too much lead...
End of turn 2
The Spanish were roused, with half of their forces rushing out into the darkness as the English closed in...
Turn 3
Chris pulled an event card, which oddly enough proved to be good as he rolled "Lucky" on the table and his Warrior Archers got a free round of fire against my Indios, claiming another victim. On the first activation, the Young Warriors forced the Spanish back under a flurry of arrows, killing three and shaking the young Ensign and his men. As the arrows rained down, the Spanish troops outside looked to rally, while the Indios advanced in to the pigsty to secure their captive. The Archer Warriors led by their chief, seized the initiative, charging across the stream and wiping out the Milicianos, and grinning at the bemused Captain Smythe…
As the Lanceros charged out to avenge the dead Milicianos Indios and retake the prisoner, the Warrior Archers evaded into the water and out of the reach of the deadly spears, frustrating the enraged Spanish. And to cover the Sea Dogs advance on the hut, Ormerod's Freebooters unleased a blistering volley at the remaining Spaniards in the cabin...
It was proving a lucky turn alright, as the Spaniards were cut in half...
Literally, losing 50% of the unit in one devastating volley and being forced down...
As the English closed in, Ensign Sarento could barely get his dozy Milicianos in order, having to fall back behind cover leaving only the Lanceros as a viable force to retrieve Smythe…
As the Filibustiers, Freebooters and Young Warriors engage the Spanish at range, the Sea Dogs close up for assault.
TURN 4
As the fight at the stream could prove decisive, I manage da quick 11 spades, only to see that Chris's luck hadn't run out as he trumped me with a 12...
Until the Chief used a command point for a second attack, which although not bad in terms of Lancero casualties, was enough to drive them off...
And without an "Inspiring" leader close by, the Spaniards were not keen on rallying...
With the young Ensign and his men still unloaded, fatigued and driven back, the Spanish were in severe disarray...
The Sea Dogs charged the cabin, the Spaniards inside tried to surrender...
but English butchered the Spaniards to a man...
A final volley from the Filibustiers was enough to drive off the Spanish forces, who had no colours to strike and sullenly retreated back to the relative safety of the beaches...
Embarrassingly, Chris had some poor dice too, but not in turn 3. The English only lost 1 man, the Caribs 2...
So all in all, a highly successful English night raid...
And Captain Smythe will doubtless recover quicker following his rescue, than languishing in a pigsty...
After several days in pain from a half dozen cuts and twice as many bruises, and far more hurt at the loss of his men and his beloved "Makeshift", Captain Smythe smiled weakly at young his subordinate, as the large natives supporting him lowered him onto a large tree stump. "Glad to see you, Ormerod. What's our strength and overall situation?" As the young Captain reported that the Spanish were still in strength at the Bay, but seemed reluctant to land in any force nor head inland as yet, Smythe felt his spirits lift. It seemed the Bulldog spirit was still strong in his his men, and the defeat in the Bay had not been as decisive as he had assumed...
That was bad day for my Spanish plans for dominion of Conception Island. Nothing went right for me, and those new Carib forces the English have are damned tricky to counter. With their new rules, such as poisoned arrows, evade and err, ruthless to name but a few, they proved difficult to deal with (even f their primitive bows aren't that scary). However, backed up by the ever deadly Filibustiers and the newly seasoned Captain Ormerod and his Freebooters, the Spaniards are going to have to regroup and reinforce their advance forces...
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