Thomas Blakeney

Basileus wrote:watch out for the Austrian navy, three galleys of trouble in the Mediteranean

With all due respect to the mighty navy of Austria if I was running Thomas (Or is that now "Black Tom" in his new Naval Guise?) I would be more worried about:

a) The Dutch and getting cooked by one of their fire ships.

b) The Dons.......probably not a problem if Tom is now part of a elite crew of a 100 gun ship in one of the main French battle fleets. But a bit of a concern if you are on a "Dunkirker" corvette like those the Dons found in Dublin shortly after their trade mission got torched.

c) Build quality of French Ships.......Pretty uniforms are all well and good but has anyone checked the quality of those pine mast's shipped from the Baltic by the HWIC?

d) Can Tom Swim?

The frigata I have been landed (?) on seems pretty neat and modern, and hopefully the boom lowered by the town will keep the fire-ships out (once burned, twice shy). But as to Swimming, it doesn't seem to be amongst his Skills... (unless, anachronistically, it's bundled-up with "Sailing").

jimbotten wrote:The frigata I have been landed (?) on seems pretty neat and modern, and hopefully the boom lowered by the town will keep the fire-ships out (once burned, twice shy). But as to Swimming, it doesn't seem to be amongst his Skills... (unless, anachronistically, it's bundled-up with "Sailing").

In the rule book being a sailor is a profession while swimming is a seperate skill.

But look on the bright side if you can not swim all those you are unlikely to get burned as a withch or thrown over the side as a "Jonah" by those sailors you have already upset and who think swimming is tempting fate.

As for being on a frigata the good news is that you are faster and can run away from a lot of potential foes. The bad news would be if you are put on anti pirate patrol, convoy duty or get involved in a fleet action and have to stand and fight.....with 25% less cannon and a lighter built ship than your average Dutch or Spanish Frigate.

The Boom may protect the French Fleet at anchor but with the Dutch ruling the Channel I assume its going to have to be lowered at same stage to allow the French (and Tom) to sail out into the confined waters of the solent. Ready to face the next wave of Dutch fireships trying to put them on the shingles bank.

Actually stopping a Dutch "Hellburner" just before it smashes into the Flag Ship of the French Admiral sounds like a really good job for a frigata and a brave sailor ready to jump down into the burning deck and pull the fuses before the whole thing blows sky high.

As matter of interest is the Admiral still Anjou? Suffers from Sea Sickness? No Knowledge of the Navy etc but he does hold the Bourbon Claim to the throne of Spain and as such if the Spanish are waiting for you as well as the Dutch he is going to be target uno. Just think of the honour you can gain by throwing your Fregata into the path of a Spanish 4 Decker just as she is about to fire a stern rake into the Duc of Anjou's Flag Ship prior to boarding in an attempt to send Anjou the same way as Vendome.

Could the Duc d Anjou make a claim for the French crown? Possibly due to Louis becomming increasingly diiscredited. Perhaps unlikely, and perhaps I may just be suggesting this because I am at war with the French, so Thomas could completely discount this idea. But a French fleet turning up with a new potential King with Louis abdicating in favour of a new generation of Bourbon might reinvigorate the French once there is peace and France returns to normal.

Boy, you guys do like to let your imaginations run riot.. (and so splendidly). Not sure about Anjou, my "invitation' to join the fleet came in the name of Contre-Admiral Marquis le Claude Cabot, Prefet de Calais. Tips about handling fire-ships on a personal level much appreciated, though. No idea as yet what the fleet's plans are (maybe next month).

February 1707 just arrived and I have the satisfaction of being "promoted" (?) to "unofficial nco" (!?) in the French navy. At last, recognition of my true leadership potential! (?)

March 1707 - and (most disappointingly) it's been all plain-sailing to France. No storms, and most of all no Dutch. No-one to shoot at or poke a sword through! So I'm currently harboured in Brest and playing being nice with common sailors.

April 1707 - still in Brest and not exactly in sparkling employment. But I have been offered an opportunity to rise (? somewhere) in the French naval service - though with the apparent out-break of cease-fires and presumably eventually peace, not sure what opportunities there will be to cover myself in glory...

Come join the Austrian navy, a whole 3 galleys makes it a better chance to rise to the top and become admiral than a fleet that has over 100 ships of the line. And we haven't been defeated by the French navy yet, however that is not a challenge for the French fleet to come and find the Austrian fleet

Hmm, perhaps I should have taken Austrian as my extra-language skill, rather than French. Who was to know? Big fish in small ponds and all that... Will wait to see if the French offer me command of the fleet first.

Well, things have certainly got "interesting". I'm currently being made an offer I cannot refuse, by someone I'd better not name (or else they'd have to kill me). Another phrase that comes to mind is "having a gun held to my head"...

Pirates, Spanish,Dutch? Swedish and Russians are busy elsewhere, Turks? Certainly not the Austrian navy, we are not even able to build lineships! Honourable West Indies Company or the English colonies, there are so many potential contenders. Keep us posted Jimbotten.

Ah, such a wide choice of potential enemies/friends! That's why we love (?) this game.

June 1707 - and playing Swashbuckler "vs" Richard makes me glad that in GoK he is "only" the moderator...

jimbotten wrote:June 1707 - and playing Swashbuckler "vs" Richard makes me glad that in GoK he is "only" the moderator...

Ditto...

jimbotten wrote:June 1707 - and playing Swashbuckler "vs" Richard makes me glad that in GoK he is "only" the moderator...

Why dont you try Scabble for Empire ? You can enjoy a unique mix of :

a) Richard being nasty and creative to your character(s), country and/or trade company.

&

b) Players also being nasty to them as they respond to what Richard has done to them.

Ref your heroic naval chap now the French Navy is a peace I suspect the route to Profit & Promotion is either:

1) In the Baltic ......surely the Naval Part of the GNW must kick off soon? All those loads of Russian Sable etc sailing past their coast how do the Sweedes resist?

2) The HWIC V Blackbeard

One game of GoK and one of Swashbuckler is quite enough for my current supply of brain-cells/cash!

Alternative naval employments.... well, I either need to get the French to declare a war on my behalf, or else "transfer" me to another Navy. (One of the things I was referring to about Richard as an "opponent".)

Guess you could say I made a splash in the July news...

Well, ok, I'll come "clean"... Turn before last I was, literally, thrown out of the French Navy (who'd pressed me in the first place!) I landed in the water and lost my coat, my weapons, and all my cash. (Thanks, Richard.) Fortunately I managed to doggy-paddle to the Brest dockside. A quick change of name and a bit of fawning and (this last turn) I "landed" a job helping load a ship, with a promise that I can then work my passage back to Blighty. Great. So now I'm carrying some barrels when I'm approached by 5 French ex-shipmates armed with large clubs and demanding the return of the French Navy pistol that's currently at the bottom of the harbour... (Thanks, Richard.) If I make too much of a fuss and fight then the slight discrepancy between who the French think I am and who the nice English Captain thinks I am will emerge. On the other hand, I don't think the French sailors will accept the "lost at sea" story very happily, and I cannot produce said item. Anyone got any bright ideas?

Tell them you returned it to some one on the ship, try and remember a name and then say he said he would return it, but you have heard since that he has come into some money, so he may have sold it, ask him first say, then tell then you will be here now as you are working as a dock hand now, then get aboard ship and leggit.....

Hmm, in a rational world that should work - but in a world run by Richard? I suppose I could aim at a bottom line of getting quietly beaten to a pulp (and hopefully not dying as a result). But then I would be in no condition to work my passage... I'd thought of getting them all out on a boat with me, going to where the pistol was "lodged", and then tip everyone out (so that we were all "out of the same boat"...). Or rolling barrels at them and knocking them into the harbour (but then Richard would have me for damaging the goods). Not saying that your suggestion won't be the one I run with in the end (I'd thought of something similar), but in this situation I think whatever I go for Richard will have a perfect counter... sigh.

yes and we [pay him to do it.....

I am having the same story in my game....  

Stap me! I came up with a "clever" all-points-covering plan to escape last month's predicament, and Richard throws in some "helpful" npcs who convolute the situation so that I'm now even more compromised and confused... It's taking me so much effort just to exit France that I dread to think what it will take to accomplish my long-term (and "challenging") mission...

My turns seems to alternate between trying to ingratiate myself with dubious and unsympathetic patrons and being threatened with beatings... (currently the former). Funny how "I" never seem to strike the right note in these dealings, it's almost as if there is a mischievous intelligence always one step ahead of me.

It is called Richard