The League of Augsburg
DOB's Donnybrook ding-dong on the Costa del Plunder
Dave (DOB) O'Brien has been a gaming buddy for a long time. Covid has kyboshed our usual get togethers and we both have been filling in with alternative gaming options.
He sent me some cracking pictures of a recent Donnybrook game which I know he has already shared on Facebook but some more detail here and links to other useful threads of the Moorish connection for gaming.
Tangier and North...
Feature: Scenario pack: Lighting the fuse. Derry 1688/1689
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| Lord Mountjoy's Regiment leave the city in November 1688 |
This is the first in a series of Derry packs. It focuses on the events which sparked the conflict - the arrival of the Earl of Antrim's Regiment to replace Lord Mountjoy's Regiment as garrison. Nothing out of the ordinary there, one unit replacing another however, Derry was a Protestant town populated by planter families, many from London...
Change is as good....
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| Lots of prep work. The masts are scratchbuilt. Some additions to the hull were needed. |
I have been working pretty intensively on multiple projects over the past 6 months the largest of which has been the two books due to be published this year. One is finished the other just about to be.
The 4Play scenarios came out of nowhere but have consumed probably 200 hours - nevertheless, that has been fun...
Scenario: 13th June 1667 Medway AAR Part 2
Sorry for the delay in posting the Part 2 of this scenario. No reasons other than I have been really busy on writing and photographing the next wave of 4PLAY scenarios during my annual leave. More on that soon but meanwhile....
Turn 16
Terrible luck befell the English. The ‘Damn your eyes!’ card was drawn and a nervous, civilian- manned battery at the north end of the New Dockyard loosed its guns...
Scenario: 13th June 1667 Medway AAR Part 1
The Scenario
This scenario represents the climactic day of the spectacular Dutch attack on the English fleet at anchor in the River Medway. The objective is to burn three large ships of the line which have been partially sunk in shallow water down river of the Royal Dockyard at Chatham. The Dutch are led by the mastermind of the campaign Admiral van Ghent and accompanying the expedition is the...
The Battle of Livorno 4th March 1653 Part 2: After action report
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| The lie of van Galen's ships as Badiley approaches from the north west. Mary is escaping. |
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| Start positions. Sole survivor Mary, makes her escape toward Badiley's reinforcing squadron. |
With Badiley to windward appearing over the western horizon to the north of Livorno, van Galen’s victorious squadron picked its way through the wreckage of Appleton’s five ruined ships and attempted to reach open water...
The Battle of Livorno 4th March 1653 Refight Part 1 - Set up and background
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| Barry's Battle of Livorno as refought |
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| Painting of the Battle of Livorno |
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| The Dutch ship Zon in action at Livorno |
The Battle of Livorno...
Campaign report: de Ruyter on the Volta 1664
I have been a bit remiss at not posting this campaign report sooner, but, it was a cracker and worth waiting for... Brilliant game, well played by both Dave and Colin.
Mouth of the Volta River, Slave Coast. August 22nd, 1664
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| The den of iniquity that is Adafoah - target of de Ruyter's squadron. |
The mission to extinguish Arab slaving activities operating from abandoned Portuguese facilities on the...
Battles of Goa 1638-39
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| Da Silva sails out to do battle with Van der Veere |
The Portuguese colony of Goa came under repeated pressure from the Dutch VOC during the period of European expansion in the 17th century. Here is a link to a previous blog post about my visit to Reis Magos - the 16th century Portuguese fort at Goa, still in working order.
Portuguese Fort Reis Magos -Goa
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| 1639 raid by van der Veere on the three... |
His wonders to perform... God and the Medway Estuary
I actually wrote this piece last year and made a conscious decision to give up flying about two weeks later. I have am pleased to say I have only been in a plane eight times since. Of course, the current situation makes flying almost impossible anyway. Good, we're saving the planet.
I do a lot of flying....
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| The terrain as it stands |
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| Upper middle of shot - Isle of Sheppey and beyond - The Medway Estuary. |
I do a lot of flying....
Chinese take- out? VOC v Pirates 1666
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| South China Seas action |
In my continuing Covid-induced privateer laboratory I decided to blood some ships I had painted a few months back just because I had them. A few packs of Chinese pirate junks which I had intended to use specifically to run out against European vessels exploiting the riches of the South China Sea.
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| VOC Trading station somewhere in modern day Indonesia |
By now you know the form -...
Campaign report: Run for home, Mull October 8th 1689
The third report from round two of the campaign.. Jan Baert kidnaps a very important person dear to King William and burns some Scottish assets in the process. Taking on no less than twelve enemy ships he runs for home!
Turns 1-4
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| Baert's ships approach the island chain. |
The fresh westerly winds created heavy seas and made sailing extremely challenging for Baert’s four ships as they nosed northward.
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| Th... |