My 2015 Solo Squadron

My British Squadron under the command of Sir Henry Bonneville:

Commodore Sir Henry Boneville Hastings (ff)
Captain Jonathan Trimble(Captain) : Hastings (ff) 100
Captain Benjamin Turner (Post Captain): Dover (f) 100
Captain George Belfrey (Post Captain): Bengal 74 Crew casualty replaced
Captain John Goodman (Post Captain): Hyperion 74 Missed 3 missions so returned and refitted
Captain Angus McAngus(Captain): Alnwick 74
Captain Henry Wright(Captain): Morpeth 40
Captain Andrew Hunt (Commander): Flodden 32
Captain Jack Union (Commander): Dunkirk 32

My French Squadron under the command of Contre-Amiral Pierre Paul-Raccord:

Contre-amiral Pierre Paul-Raccord Pluto (ff)
Capitaine de vaisseau Jaques Renoir: Pluto 80
Capitaine de vaisseau Claude Jean-Martin:Opulent 74
Capitaine de vaisseau Henri Dagar: Saturn 74
Capitaine de vaisseau Jean Paul Renne: Jupiter 74
Capitaine de vaisseau Phillip Fortunard: Neptune 74
Capitaine de frégate Honore Ganteaume: Brittany 40 (Captured in Mission 10)
Replacements:
Capitaine de vaisseau Jules Verne: Venus 74
Capitaine de vaisseau Willem Defoe: (f) Commerce de Marseilles 118
Capitaine de frégate Jaques Villeneuve: Normandie 40
Only one thing to add.....Game on.

I see. You have changed out a few ranks. Those lieutenants have been replaced by more captains. That was actually needed. Lieutenants should only command sloops and there have been very few scenarios using sloops. I think I should do the same.

By the way, when you write "Post Captain" do you mean three years seniority, since all officers by the rank of Captain was Post Captain if they had a ship. (or Flag Captain)

Reading up on my AARs to be able to continue my story, I found that Wentworth needed an ability. I choose Deft Captain to try something new.

The problem came once we started using large Squadrons of liners Jonas and some were captained by Lieutenants. Also Senior officers such as Admirals, Commodores etc. should have a three year Post Captain or flag assigned to their ship. I see that Neil is the only person to have accounted for this so far.
Rob.

All my captains are post captains now. Perhaps for 2016 We as players start off with a frigate or sloop Commander, ie not post captain but technically still captain of their ship.

With success comes promotion, a little out of sinc but giving the campaign an aim, rather than British v French but how far you can get your player promoted.

With 2015 being a test the rules year I though covering the wide gambit of single ship, multiple ship and even small fleet actions would give something for everybody and test out the rules Eric put up as a start and other players added to as we progressed. The merchant rules may I say being one of the best additions and the land action cards too.

Neil

I have updated the rooster accordingly. Here's the new line up.

Rear Admiral George Croft, HMS Victory, 104
Captain William Price, HMS Superb 74
Captain Edward Foster, HMS Impeteux 74
Captain John Russel, HMS Donegal 74
Captain Ebenezer Denny, HMS Brave 74 (Captured)
Captain Frederick Wentworth, HMS Indefatigable 44
Commander James Benwick, HMS Acasta 40
Commander Peter Harrington, HMS Juno 32

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bligh

Also Senior officers such as Admirals, Commodores etc. should have a three year Post Captain or flag assigned to their ship. I see that Neil is the only person to have accounted for this so far.

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I don't think sir Edward Pellew had a Flag Captain when he was Commodore on the Indie. I guess it varied.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TexaS

I don't think sir Edward Pellew had a Flag Captain when he was Commodore on the Indie. I guess it varied.

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Strange to say, I had a new book delivered on Friday Jonas.

"Storm and Conquest." All about Pellew in the Indian Ocean during 1809.

Rob.

That's after his Indie period though. I'd still be happy to hear some highlights though.

I think my mission 11 will be the French replacement ships Rob. So it's a 118 gun, a 74 and a 40.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Union Jack

With 2015 being a test the rules year I though covering the wide gambit of single ship, multiple ship and even small fleet actions would give something for everybody and test out the rules Eric put up as a start and other players added to as we progressed. The merchant rules may I say being one of the best additions and the land action cards too.

Neil

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Not being active in the solo campaign at this time I hesitate to post this, but if I may make a general suggestion for 2016 please keep it somewhat simple and accessible to new players? Not everyone is going to have the same number of ships or accessories to participate in a overly complex campaign.

Also, I found time itself to be a huge factor in participation. In almost all cases I spent more time on the AAR write up than I did on playing out the scenarios themselves. Eventually I had more fun playing the scenarios and found the AAR portion to be more like work and not particularly fun? So, as you work to standardize the rosters, ranks, etc., perhaps some form for AAR reporting could be developed that would streamline the process for those who can't or don't wish to include photos and a story driven narrative?

Involvement in the solo campaign is completely voluntary of course, but those new to the site and Sails of Glory should feel they can jump in at any point and not feel like they've missed out and can never catch up.

Cheers!

Some good points to keep in mind Jim. I think both Rob and I have been rather spoiled by our involvement in the 3 big Over The Trenches Solo Campaigns, run on the Aerodrome site, and the European and Pacific Theater ones in the Fire from the Skies Solo Campaign.

I would like to see the 2016 campaign centered around the starter box set and have a squadron of 4 ships but keep to single ship actions for the main or a proviso to scale down actions to suit what ever ships players have.

Promotion for captains by gaining victory points would see them command larger ships when and if the need arises and players have the models for them to do so. Just because a captain has gained the right amount of VP's for promotion doesn't automatically give him a larger ship if the player doesn't own one. But may be an incentive to do so.

As for terrain,even with the most simple of printers I am sure a person could draw a coastline, or copy one from google and adopt that. Fortresses can be added. I am sure you get the picture.

When I first started on the Aerodrome I had a basic set of aircraft, about 12 from the first 3 series. I started in 2008 played continuously for 2 years, then the club stopped playing, I stopped playing until Jan 2013 when I got the bug again. I now have 100+ WW1 aircraft, some 80+ WW2 aircraft and an increasing amount of terrain and ships too.

Although I became a member on this site in Feb 2013 I did not start to play until Jan 2014 (no ships). I acquired a fleet of 35 Langton 1/1200 ships in Jan 2014 and proceeded from there. I now own 26 SoG ships, the basic introductory set, 5 additional ship card packs, 4 additional damage chit sets, the coastal pack , the fortress pack and am about to purchase some 3d fortresses and buildings to start building 3d coastlines and ports etc.

I am a firm believer if you want to play a game you need those extras to make it extra special. Not everyone is the same but it can and does enhance your games if you have those little extras.

In a nut shell I also promote WW1, WW2 and SoG at shows up and down the UK so I do need those little extras.

I would like to see a Solo Campaign that is simple, fun and enhances not only my playing of the game but others too.

Thanks Neil for your reply. I like the idea of the campaign centered around the Starter box set and I'm looking forward to seeing how the campaign develops.

Getting back on your topic will you suggest a good balance of ranks within squadrons or let people run as they wish? I'm still not clear on the rank structure at times and when it comes to nations beyond England it gets even more problematic. Thanks!

Jim, never trust a country that has commodores as a permanent rank. :wink:

I'll trawl google for a simple career advancement stepped rank structure for most nations. Having perused so far, except for spelling the ranks seem to follow a similar structure.

It seems as if Neil has hit the nail on the head suggesting the Starter Set as a good point to begin our 2016 campaign. I like himself have only really had ships since last year, and did not put in much time here until I got into this year's Solo trial run.
Having now sampled the goods, I would not like to be stuck on single ship actions for the whole year. My interests have got broader as have my three fleets. It would be a shame to consign thirty of my ships to the shelf, because I have no other people who play with me outside this solo game, unlike Wings, where I get lots of chances to play with all my aircraft.
To this end I would like to suggest an alternative which may well suit all players. Some of our wings games were open ended in such a way that the scenario could be played by a couple of aircraft of whichever sort you could muster, but for those players with the will and means at their disposal, could be extended to larger units. Maybe we could include some of this type of games into our schedule between the single ship actions. I would also like to be able to develop my characters further, as this adds interest to the AARs, which if they were confined simply to a proforma report, I would personally find a chore, and lose all incentive to bother doing them. I also feel that the Sails site would loose out if we did not have any of these interesting story lines to draw in the membership.
These are simply my personal feelings, and as such should not influence the way that you all decide to run next year's campaign. It is after all the majority who must decide.
Rob.

I think if the balance is right then different players will get out of each mission exactly what they are after. If we can base the campaign on personal progression rather than the 'them v us' campaign it might make a difference. It would also allow for Spanish ships to be for and against Britain or France etc (of course other nations can be added here too). Players use whatever resources they have and hopefully seeing larger games (more ships per side) that will give them the motivation to increase the size of their collection.

Sounds as if you have it all sorted very well Neil.:thumbsup:
Thanks for your reply.
Rob.

Just putting thoughts on paper Rob. We need a group discussion as to what we want in our 2016 campaign. I'm just putting ideas out there.

Neil

Just because the required level of the AAR is low doesn't mean you can't make a more complete story. I, like you, Rob, find that part very rewarding in my AARs. I guess it can seem very daunting for those who think it too much but if we have both it would make it less so.

I, in my own way, want to portray something more than,'Here is the game I played'. I like back stories and what if's and reason's why. I like to tie my reports into an ongoing story within the campaign setting. But that is just me, read some of the after reports of casualties in the WW2 Solo campaign on the Aerodrome site and you'll see what I mean.

I expect we can take a leaf out of Joaquim's book if we want to and create a story line in a blog or separate thread to run parallel to our games Neil.
Rob.

That would be a possibility.

That works for me too.

So an AAR that is short and to the point, almost like a report to the admiralty and if we want to make a more elaborate story we do so in separate post.

I guess what I was trying to convey without being too judgmental was that the SoG solo campaign should be accessible to new players while being open to tailoring for the 'grognards'. Some time ago Eric encouraged me to check out the Aerodrome solo campaigns and after reading just a few threads I personally found the idea of getting involved to be far too daunting. I didn't have the planes, zeppelins or accessories to join in besides the fact that most of the narratives were so far advanced you'd be hard pressed to catch up. I still quite enjoy reading the Aerodrome AAR's, which I wouldn't want to see vanish from the Sails AAR's.

I'm only suggesting the AAR form for those who don't wish to write or due to circumstances in a given month might not have the time to flesh out a large narrative.

Just my two cents. Now I have to go rake leaves and clean out roof gutters. Cheers!

Jim n problems, thanks for the input. Those new to the aerodrome campaigns are never pressed into putting in what they don't want. I think all that Dave (flash) asks for, and we all like, is a description of he battle and some pictures. Anything else is just icing on the cake. I think if it is made clear at the start that the basics of an AAR should include this but might include that would put everyone on the right track.

The last thing I would want is to put people off or exclude people because they think it is too complicated or that they have to give too much respectively speaking.

Neil