Firts SoG game with gaming buddy

**Comte de Brueys** · 04-20-2014, 10:23

A few weeks ago we played our first SoG game one versus one.

My buddy choosed the Royal Navy with the Bellona Class SoL HMS Vanguard and the Amazon Class frigate HMS Terpsichore.

My flagship was the Temeraire class SoL Commerce de Bordeaux and the Concorde class Frigate Courageuse.

We played with standart rules.

My try to get the enemy SoL between my So Land the frigate failed and instead my frigate Courageuse had to pass between the two enemies.

Thanks to the better burden value, the Courageuse survived this meeting, but with a high crew damage.

My flagship turned around and tried to get in a better shooting position, while my damaged frigate tried to keep the distance for a while.

A lucky circumstance saved my SoL from a heavy British broadside. My buddy – as inexperienced as me – had loaded chain shots and was a little bit out of distance.

He decided to fire the salvo in the air to get a standart ball salvo as soon as possible.

The Commerce followed HMS Vanguard and the enemy Amazon class collected damage from the returning Courageuse.

Maybe I had the luckier hand at this day…

My ships were in a good condition just before the end of the battle.

Very untypical for RN ships, HMS Terpsichore left the battlefield.

A short view into the rules confirmed, that this action counts as a surrender.

HMS Vanguard recieived the final damage from the Courageuse and the battle was over.

The British ships after the battle.

It was a funny game and we learned our first lessons:

It’s a tough decision between the more powerful British Amazon Class frigates and the more durable French Concorde class.

Maybe a good Captain would choose the British frigate for the better first punch.

The Temeraire class has a good firepower. No wonder the British captured and used so many of them.

The British ships are faster, but I think you need more experience to get a bonus from this fact.

We changed sides for a second game, but I did'nt took pictures.

Due to a nice collision situation of three ships we weren't able to finish it...

At all a nice first game and meanwhile I grew up my fleet with two additional SoLs and two additional frigates.

**Nightmoss** · 04-20-2014, 10:58

Great AAR and photos! Thanks very much for sharing! Three cheers for the French!!

**Cmmdre** · 04-20-2014, 11:11

That looked like a fun game Sven. Thank you for the photos, the top one with the ship names is a nice touch. You make some valid points about the balance between the different frigates. It is exciting learning about the different classes and their abilities and how to best use them for the scenerio at hand.

**Nightbomber** · 04-21-2014, 03:31

Interesting game, Sven. I wonder how you resolved collisions. Did you apply them to all the ships or just to the friendly ones, according to the rules?

**Comte de Brueys** · 04-21-2014, 10:40

We decided, not to use the collison penalty rule for ships of the same side in these first two games.

We had a debate in the German subforum about this situation I wrote above:

Remeber we used standard rules (only the movement path in the middle of the card.)

Wind direction was from the upper side of the picture.

The upper maneuver card belongs to the (reaching) French frigate in the upper left.

The maneuver card in the left belongs to my (reaching) British Sol in the middle.

The maneuver card in the lower right belongs to the (beating) French SoL.

My British SoL and the French Frigate can pass each other without problems (if both were able to move the complete way!!) - but this is not possible because the French SoL goes to the left and blocks the end position of the frigate.

Finally my British SoL and the French Frigate can't move. Only the French SoL turns to the left. (raking shot

and musketry fire)

It wasn't purpose of my buddy to plan a knowing collission between his ships to cancel the movement of my ship, but the result is frustrating. He will not get a penalty for a collision with his ships, because they do not collide at all in this situation and my SoL is doomed between them...

**Пилот** · 04-26-2014, 18:04

You always make good reports, Sven!

Collisions are nasty, even too nasty for my taste. I'm even thinking of playing without them at all, allowing adjusting of collided ships in some manner (probably using entanglement rules only if collision occurs). I guess adjusting of the same side's ships should be done by opposing player, giving some advantage to opponent.

**Bligh** · 09-25-2015, 08:15

Looking back on this battle Sven, I have gained more insight on the merits of various Frigates, as I have not used mine very much yet.
Thanks, your comments are very handy.
Rob.