Mediterranean Encounter

For the last three days I've been trying to get a game in using my forthcoming fast play Renaissance galley rules. This decent sized battle was set up on Wednesday night but I only got a chance to play the first few turns today. It was worth the wait, as the game has proven to be quiet interesting, and as I write has reached a tricky phase for the Holy League.

The setup on Wednesday night - kick-off was three days later!

The island on the Holy League left flank

Batteries and buildings purely decorative for this action

Holy League light forces poised to the left of the island

The scenario features two roughly equally matched forces in a littoral environment. The Holy League had the advantage of four galleasses. Both sides deployed in fairly standard lines, with heavier ships taking the central positions, lighter galleys on the flanks. On the Holy League left (Turkish right) a large island annoyingly splits the battlefield and led to a smaller virtually independent action on that flank. Both sides have a number of bergantines in support, clustered around the middle of their fleets.

And we are off! Game finally started on Saturday afternoon

Both sides maintained a steady advance, the Holy League slowed by the presence of their galleasses. In the opening salvoes of heavy gunfire the Turks scores better than their opponents, causing a smattering of damage across the Christian fleet and shattering one light galley outright. Return fire caused some damage, then the fleets crashed into a widespread melee. The Holy league hed an advantage in short range gunnery and this quickly tore into the crews of the Turkish ships, but with bigger crews they were able to absorb the losses; the larger Turkish crews proved decisive on the flanks, where over half the Holy League light galleys succumbed to boarding and were captured or sunk. In the centre things were more evenly matched, with the galleasses in particular proving their worth in beating off a number of attacks, and a couple of Turkish heavy ships were sunk or captured.

The situation at the end of Phase 2 (end game turn 2) - the Holy League holds the centre, but the flanks are crushed

For info - red counters represent hull damage (two reds = KO), black indicate crew casualties, green signifies a ship that has been captured

The confused position in the centre - Holy League holding on and scoring some decent victories

But carnage amongst the Holy League light forces behind the island

And on the other flank, with a number of Holy League light galleys captured

As play draws to an end today the battle is poised in the Turk's favour: the Holy League light forces have been effectively destroyed leaving the flanks of the heavier ships exposed. The Holy League commander has a difficult choice to make - continue in the hope of breaking through the centre using his heavy galleasses as gunnery "battering rams", or to try to extricate his force before his heavy units are enveloped in a tide of Turkish light galleys.

Hopefully more tomorrow!