Man o'War is a set of fantasy naval wargames rules published by Games Workshop. Regarded by many as one of their finest works, Man o' war was discontinued some years ago but still commands a loyal following.
Man o'War - the rules reviewed in Ragnarok 9 by Steve Blease.
Miniatures - A review of the minatures from Ragnarok 9, by Steve Blease
Scupper Me For a Marlin Spike Else!! - salty goings on amongst the "Bristol Mafia"
The Battle of Bunkum Bay - The exploits of a great literary naval hero are brought to life in this scenario written by Paul Grace and appearing in Ragnarok 29.
Ram o' War - Improved rules for ramming. Article by A Measures, reproduced from Ragnarok 20.
Tally Ho! - The Dwarf attack on Jade Anchorage by Ian Allen, reproduced from Ragnarok 24.
The Keshian Civil War - a multi player action fought out by the Naval Wargames Society
The latest big box game from the workshops of the Evil Empire is the long promised fantasy naval wargame Man O'War. However, unlike a number of other releases from GW, this one actually offers value for money!
So just what do you get for your £2s? well... twelve very nice plastic war galleys In 1/1200th (possibly slightly Larger), eleven A3 sheets of counters, templates, reference sheets and scenery, two packs of magic and man o'war cards, a sixteen page colour painting guide for Citadel Miniatures, an eight peg. colour painting guide for painting Man 0'War ships (including colour sail templates and flags for the plastic ships), a thirty two page colour introduction to "The Games Workshop World of Hobby Games" (yuk) and an eighty page rulebook. Even ignoring the figure painting guide and "Introduction" (advert) booklet, this is still quite an impressive amount of stuff by anyone's standards. Okay, but is It any good?
Well surprisingly It is. Man O'War is one of those games that her Inherently simple and quick to pick up basic rules, yet encourages tactical play and above all Is fun to play. The basic rules cover only twenty four pages of the rulebook and they are classic In their simplicity. The game turn breaks down as follows; Initiative, magic, movement, combat, boarding and end phase.
Initiative is self explanatory and I won't insult your intelligence.
Magic is nicely dealt with, by having different spells available for each! of the eight colleges of magic in the Warharmner world. Dependent on the level wizard you have, you receive a specified number of magic cards which you can cast at the opposing fleet in the magic phase. These include such fun Little ensorcilments as Hell Storm, Sea of Glass, Rotting Timbers an Iceberg. However not only can these spells be cast on the enemy, spells of an opposing college can also be used to dispel any spell cast by an enemy on you. Simple end effective.
Movement is all fairly straight forward covering movement under sail and/o oar, ramming, obstructions, collisions and pushing clear. Here the rules are kept very simple and we have none of the tacking against the wind complexities so beloved of Age of Sail historical wargamers. Movement into the wind restricts movement, movement with the wind increases. Simple an realistic enough for the purposes of the game.
Moving onto ranged combat, this is all done with a D6 for each battery ship can bring to bear (weapons are not necessarily cannon, but all are treated in a similar fashion for ease of use). The target vessel has unique template and score on the rolled D6 indicates Just what is hit. The defender then attempts a saving throw and if this fails, puts a damage marker on the template. With bigger targets such as large galleons, the attacker can decide whether to aim high (at the sails) or low (at the hull), a useful choice against certain types of vessel. The combat rules also cover ramming effects, fires and critical damage in a neat simple manner. Boarding is very simple process, being dealt with by use of opposing dice rolls modified by particular circumstances.
Finally you have the end phase which includes picking up survivors (admirals and wizards only!), removing debris, fire spread, moving stragglers end scuttling ships.
The rest of the rulebook comprises of fleet lists. Now I thought that we'd get the usual situation here and that It'd only Include Lists for the Empire and Pirate vessels included in the game and that there would be ream of future supplements covering the other races - I mean this is Games Workshop we're talking about isn't it? Eat your words, cynics... The fleet Lists are very comprehensive and include Bretonnians, Dwarves, Elves, Dark Elves, Orcs and The Empire, the vessels for which have now (by and large) been released by Citadel. A supplement is on it's way (Plague Fleets) for the Chaos fleets, Chaos Dwarves and Skaven, but their exclusion is, in my opinion a blessing not a curse, as I really can't stand this aspect of the Warhammer World.
Each fleet has differing advantages and disadvantages which modify the basic rules and allow for a good deal of tactical variation by opposing fleets. The Imperials are pretty good basic human types with oar and sail galleys (and yes I know they should be correctly termed galleases, but this is fantasy!), whilst the Bretonnians are very 17/18th Century influenced with selling vessels of that historical era only. The Dwarves are surprisingly powerful (possibly too much) equipped as they are with a variety of ironclad vessels end a cute little submarine, the Elves have very good vessels with longer range weapons than the other races and the benefit of an extra movement turn to bring over their excellent seamanship capabilities (though they suffer from having smell crews end are thus susceptible to boarding actions). The Dark Elves are en interesting concept, as they don't actually have ships but instead have fortresses towed by powerful sea dragons (a nice unusual touch I thought), whilst the Orcs have (almost) sea worthy craft armed with the inane usual OW Orc weaponry, whilst sporting such crass names as Bigchukka's, Drillakilla's. This Interpretation of Orcs is one I cannot stand for the Life of me end I feel it does let the product down slightly. However I can't complain too much as I'm more than aware of what direction OW are taking with Orcs and had to expect it.
The possibilities for creating your own fleets (even for a non-Warhammer World game) are numerous, and designing your own ships is very easy to do if you follow the Lines of those vessels that OW illustrate,
Overall I think you'll find Man 0' War to be a good game that is well worth checking out. For £25 the box offers good value for money end If you feel that the metal support models (see below) are just too pricey (but then so are most naval models aren't they?), then I'd suggest checking out Navwar's 1/1200th Ancient, Renaissance and Napoleonic designs. Recommended.
Steve Blease (Ragnarok 9)
Okay so I've raved about the game, but what about the supporting Line of miniatures? Well, they come in boxes of either three models (a squadron) or one (for the Larger vessels) end are priced from £4.99 to £9.99.
Looking at what's available for the Imperials you can get more wargalleys in plastic (three for £4.99), Wolfships, a larger metal wargalley and very nice model (three for £9.99) end a Greatship, a large metal galleon (one for £4.99). Citadel will also be releasing Imperial Mortar Barges and Cannon Galleys that are conceptually very poor with incredibly oversized weaponry (didn't anyone consider the problems of reloading, ammo storage and recoil? And if anyone say's It's only fantasy...).
The Bretonnians are very pleasant with very nice single sail Buccaneers, (three for £4.99), Corsairs, a larger frigate class vessel also in metal (three for £9.99) and a beautiful traditional pirate style galleon (one for £4.99). Very traditional looking end pleasing models.
The Dwarves are classic and look great fun to play with. their fleet comprises of Monitors (three for £4.99), Nautilus's (three for £4.99), Ironclads (three for £9.99) and a Dreadnought (one for £4.99). All very Ironclad/steampunk and fun.
The Elf designs are very unusual with a 'yachty' look to them with twin boomed catamaran hulls, original, but I don't like them, there is something not quite right about them The Dark Elves have two serpent towed fortress variants which are nicely done and an impressive Black Ark which retails for an equally large £9.99 (but you only need one...)
Apart from the Elves who I don't like the designs for, I must say that the models are very good and the inclusion of plastic masts for all the vessels allows the gamer a fair degree of conversion possibility should they wish to go down this avenue. Pricing is a little bit on the high side, but not excessively so when one compares them to historical naval models of a similar size. Anyway you should bear in mind that unlike fantasy battle on land, you' re not going to need a lot of them either.
Steve Blease (Ragnarok 9)
I've no doubt that some of you must have thought I'd gone a bit gaming happy when I gave the Evil Empireª the thumbs up for Man O'War last year. I certainly know that our current Editor did... However a year (and a good number of humiliations at the hands of the wife) later I still think it's a good game and one full of potential for those who like to tinker with things. Yet despite enlisting the support of the Treasurer (so magnanimous in defeat he was...), James always gave a very skeptical look and short funny laugh when the subject of a game was broached - this had to change!
So one sunny July Saturday evening the die was cast and James presented with a fait accompli of a prepared table and scenario dreamt up by the President that afternoon. With the doors locked and windows barred, James had no option but to bury his prejudices and roll a D6 or two.
Personae Dramatis:
Bertie the Bold: A high ranking Government Admiral, he's been captured (along with some gold) by an evil band of Pirates (gasp!).
Felix le Clay, the Earl of Bleadon: known by his crews as 'Bleadon Useless', this was his chance to become a hero and gain a long overdue promotion...
Gerry A'Damme: the evil Pirate commander (or a misunderstood freedom fighter damned to talk through a third party for eternity), all he needs do is get home with gold and the hostage.
Forces:
Just to keep things simple (and because the President still hasn't painted up anything else but the plastic galleys that came with the game), both sides started the game with six wargalleys, the Government having one extra crew counter on each to represent a marine contingent. The scenario was simple, the Government forces had to stop the Pirates escaping and try to recapture their Admiral and the gold. It was a tall order, especially given Felix's inexperience and rumoured incompetence (especially when it comes to trying to fly Romulan warbirds around asteroids), but he was going to give to fair crack. Lady Luck was definitely on his side, especially as no one had considered the fact that Gerry A'Damme was going to try and be a tactical smart arse!
The Chase:
The game started with the Government forces trying to catch the fleeing Pirates, three ships where directly behind with the other three converging from the port bow in an effort to cut across the Pirates bows.
This move was to be in vain as Gerry managed to gain the initiative for the first four moves and Felix only managed to get within long distance firing range as four of the Pirates were forced to slow and change course as they entered the small islands dotted around the entrance to the Pirates lair, the other two heading west to the far edge of the board at full speed (okay so it's a breach of the rules, but the umpire had other things on his mind!). Whilst his gunnery was off for his first salvo, Felix did manage to hit one of the Pirate ships with his second taking out it's forec'sle.
Both Felix and Gerry noticeably flinched as the umpire casually rolled a large D6 across the board at the end of the move... what did this portent? (This is something I periodically do when umpiring any type of game, never explaining why - it sure gets players paranoid!).
Ramming Speed:
Suddenly the initiative switched to the Government side and this allowed Felix to order his ships to attack. Felix orders Ramming Speed and two of his ships smash into the sides of the Pirate vessels!
One falls to pieces under the sudden onslaught and sinks to the bottom, whilst the other sustains severe below waterline damage before being boarded by Government marines and sailors. A few vicious rolls of dice and the Government troops have captured a Pirate vessel, a quick search of which reveals a bound and gagged, but very much alive Admiral Bertie. Scuttling the Pirate ship, the Government marines reboard their ship.
Luck twisted the knife for the Pirates as the die rolling umpire scored a 5 and a vortex suddenly appeared blocking the route of the two detached Pirate ships. Gerry cursed, questioning the umpires parentage, who replied by saying 'If you think that's bad...' and rolled another D6...
From Bad to Worse:
Still retaining the initiative, Felix pushes on ramming one Pirate ship and firing on another. Still with the luck of the Devil, Felix doesn't smash the rammed vessel but merely damages it, then boards it and recaptures the gold. Gerry looks crestfallen as he realises his plan of detaching two galleys to act as red herrings had failed miserably. In fact the only red thing visible was his face!
Tactically withdrawing the two vessels with the gold and Admiral on board, Felix decide to go in for the kill and complete the humiliation of his opponent. However his cockiness almost betrays him, while his ships pounce on another Pirate ship, one of the two shorebatteries in the bay open up on the Government ships destroying the forec'sle of one. Buoyed by the turn of the events the Pirates close on the damaged vessel and attempt to board the it, but a few failed die rolls result in the tables being turned and them losing their ship as the Government repel boarders, launch a counter attack and scuttle the captured Pirate ship - it was just one of those days...
A Final Twist:
As the Government forces attempt to retire, the umpire grins wickedly as his continual die rolls bear fruit and a huge Gargantuan appears in the path of the retiring ships (okay so it was a bright orange plastic thing from a packet of Frosties, but what the hell).
However Felix's luck stays with him as the monster's attacks repeatedly fail and his ships evade the beast (even the one that rammed the Gargantuan and whose crew tried to board it!). With the ships out of reach, the Gargantuan decides to sod this for a game of soldiers and dives beneath the glossy blue surface of the wargames table...
Epilogue:
Hopefully this all goes to prove that Man O'War is a fun and exciting game and easy to play despite its progenitor. James has now decided that it is full of all sorts of possibilities and went off with ideas of creating aircraft carriers and doing a Victorian Steampunk version. Simon? Well Simon just went off with a can of Newcastle Brown, mumbling about next time...
Captain Pugwash was a children's cartoon television series, created by John Ryan, popular in the 60's and 70's and revived by Channel 4 in late 1998. Pugwash is a rather hapless pirate captain who is always being plucked from disaster by Tom, his quick willed cabin boy. His arch rival is the dastardly Cut-throat Jake. If you can't recall the story lines, I'm sure many of you will remember the theme tune! Many of the stories (including The Battle of Bunkam Bay) have also been published in comic strip book form.
The Plot:
A Spanish treasure ship has run aground at Bunkam Bay in the Pajamah Islands. British and French fleets set sail to capture the bullion. Captain Pugwash onboard his ship, The Black Pig has intercepted a carrier pigeon bearing the location of the Spaniard. He forms a cunning plan to fly a special flag, bearing the French (pre-Revolutionary) colours on one side and the British colours on the other and sail between the opposing fleets and get to the treasure first. However, Cut-throat Jake overhears the plan, steals the flag and uses it aboard his own ship, The Flying Dustman, and sails off to Bunkam Bay.
But the flag has been wrongly sewn up, and as Jake sails between the two rival fleets, each sees The Flying Dustman sailing under the enemy flag and both sides open fire upon Jake.
As the battle rages between the two navies, Captain Pugwash sails around them and takes the treasure.
The above story forms the background for a small two, three or four player game using Games Workshop's fantasy naval rules Man 0' War. Arguably one of GW's best offerings - which has now been withdrawn from the shops but still available mail order - However if you keep your eye on the Bring & Buy stalls or the Second City catalogue then you will probably pick up a copy of the game at a bargain price.
Four Player Game:
British Admiral:
· Sir Splycemeigh-Mainbrace:
· Imperial Fleet 600 points (no magicians).
French Admiral:
· The Marquis De Frilly De Pomme~Frites
· Bretonian Fleet 600 points (no magicians).
Two Pirates:
· Captain Pugwash one Corsair with two Man O'War cards.
· Cut-throat Jake - one Wolf Ship with one Man O'War card.
The pirate ships are classed as independents for this scenario.
If you can find any players who do not read Battlefleet - then get them to play the Pirates, ex-plain how the false flag will fool both fleets but do not mention the problems that will ensue if it is flown the wrong way around!
Set up the table with Bunkam Bay and a treasure marker in the centre of the southern table edge. The British approach in line of battle from the north east corner, the French from the north west. The Pirates enter from the centre of the northern edge opposite the bay. All players apart from Pugwash, arrive on turn one. Pugwash rolls a d6 at the beginning of each turn starting from turn two, requiring a score of 5 or more to enter (add one to the dice score for each following turn).The initial wind direction can be determined randomly.
Objectives:
Each forces objectives are to gain most points by
French & British Admirals: Gain 100 points for sinking a pirate ship whilst flying enemy colours. Gain 50 points for taking the treasure and exiting the table from the opposite edge to Bunkam Bay. Gain 1 point for each enemy fleet point destroyed or captured (e.g. sinking an Imperial Great Ship is worth 150 points).
Pirates: Gain 600 points by taking the treasure and exiting the table from the opposite edge to Bunkam Bay. Gain 2 points for every fleet point captured and sailed off the table.
Flying under False Colours:
Flag Markers: Use a catalogue card or similar, marking one of the longest edges with a thick black line and mark a dividing line down the centre. Draw a Union flag on one half and the Fleur de Lys on the other. Fold the card along the centre line. The black line is used to note the bottom edge of the flag. The folded edge represents the edge of the flag nearest the jack staff (flag pole). Make a second flag but with the two designs swapped around. Do this for each pirate ship.
Let the pirates choose which flag they intend to fly. When a pirate first approaches within firing range of one of the fleets: Roll d6 - a score of 1 or 2 results in the flag being swapped for the other - if this is the pirates first game and is unaware of the story, then he automatically receives the other one
The flag will fly in the direction of the wind.
To determine whether the pirate is accepted as friend or foe, place the
flag marker to the rear of the pirate ship with the folded edge touching
the stern and the open edge pointing in the direction of the wind. It should
be clear as to which side of the flag is visible to other vessels -if in
doubt the umpire can decide or toss a
coin for it.
The admirals and captains of both fleets are honourable men and must not attack a pirate ship flying friendly colours - even if they have seen the ship previously under an enemy flag. They must cease fire against the "enemy" immediately the wind or position changes to reveal the other flag. However, if fired upon or rammed by a pirate, they may return fire, the following turn.
Don't forget that the opposing fleet will gain victory points by sinking a pirate under enemy colours and so it might become necessary for a fleet to protect the pirate to prevent such a gain by the enemy.
With a favourable wind a sneaky pirate can approach a naval vessel and
fire point blank, ram or attempt to board her - if the vessel is captured
by pirates it can be sailed off the table
but there will not be enough crew to man the guns.
Wolf Ships have the advantage over Corsairs in that they are not totally dependent on the wind and so can position themselves more advantageously with regard to showing the flag.
Initiative:
During the initiative phase the order of play is determined by first dicing to see whether pirates or admirals have the initiative for the current turn and then dicing again to see which admiral and which pirate holds the initiative over his opposite number.
Three Player Game: Just use one pirate ship or have both pirates under a single command.
Two Player Game: The players take a fleet each with control of the pirate ship(s) passing randomly between them. At the start of the game, both players dice for control of the pirate(s). At the beginning of each subsequent turn roll d6 - ownership is changed on a roll of one. The previous owner may not fire on the pirate on the turn that control changes. False colours are not used.
References:
John Ryan, The Captain Pugwash Collection, Bodley Head, 1992
I have been interested in Naval Wargames for a long time, especially Ancient/Renaissance warships, so I was very interested when Games Workshops Man O'War was released. I personally like GW products which, although pricey, are very well presented, and 1 do like more simplistic systems as my gaming time is limited. I like to be able to pick up a game system quickly.
However, given the GW penchant for bolting on and upgrading their rules, I am surprised that the ramming rules have never been improved. After playing with several sets of historical Naval rules, one thing in common with all is the relative complexity of the ramming rules compared to those in Man O'War, which are simplistic in the extreme, consisting of a die roll on a chart. In determining damage, not much account is taken of ship size, angle of attack, or the rammer being damaged.
So what follows is a simple set of rules to be used for ramming actions, the special rules for ships still apply, and only ships which can ram in the original rules can do so.
Firstly, each vessel is given a size rating as shown in the size rating table.
I have upgraded the Dwarf Ships due to their metal construction, so an extra 25 points should be added to their cost per ship/squadron.
The next thing is to determine the part of the target ship hit.
| Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 |
| Warp Raider Death Dealer All War Galleys Hawk Ship Buccaneer Doom Reaver Big Chukka Drilla Killa Hell Slicer Hull Destroyer Thunder Roller Nautilus |
Death Fortress Eagle Ship Monitor Wolf Ship Iron Shark Hell Rammer Plague Crusher |
Great Ship Ork Hulk Dragon Ship Galleon Ironclad Dreadnought Blood Ship Hell Ship Plague Ship Doom Bringer Chaos Dwarf Battle Barges |
Black Ark |
One die is thrown per ram and the roll modified as follows, all rams use the same table:
| -2 | Bow ram |
| -1 | Stern ram |
| -1 | per class difference when ramming a larger ship |
| +1 | per class difference when ramming a smaller ship |
| +1 | Blood Ship ramming |
| +1 | any Dwarven ship ramming |
| +1 | rammer moved full move distance in a straight line |
| -1 | rammer moved less than half move distance |
| +1 | target immobile |
The result is then read off the table below and applied immediately:
| Score of Modified Die Roll | Effect |
| -3 or worse | Ramming ship takes 3 points of damage |
| -2 | Ramming ship takes 2 points of damage |
| -1, 0, +1 | Ramming ship takes 1 points of damage |
| +2, +3 | Rammed ship takes 1 points of damage |
| +4, +5 | Rammed ship takes 2 points of damage |
| +6, +7 | Rammed ship takes 3 points of damage |
| +8 | Rammed ship takes 4 points of damage |
| +9 | Rammed ship takes 5 points of damage |
Alldamage points are taken from below the waterline
So there you have it: my ideas on modifying the rules. I'm sure others could come up with some better suggestions than mine, but it might just stop your Black Ark being sunk by a poxy Imperial war galley when you are not looking!
The captain of the Bretonnian Galleon "Belle Soleil" looked around the harbour, ten other Galleons and Greatships of the Combined Fleet lay hard by. The Dwarves could not possibly fight, they had only four ironclads in the area. Two more were rumoured to be half finished - no guns or superstructure yet. Yes, it was good to be in this voctorious fleet. As he looked out to sea... smoke. Surely the Dwarves would not attack... even as he thought he heard a familiar "Thwoppa Thwoppa-" followed by splashes on the other side of his ship; looking up he saw two Gyrocopters fly over and almost immediately two explosions under his feet. NO! Gyrocopters haven't the range to reach this island and don't carry torpedoes!
It was later said that the Imperial Admiral von, Roostveldt's only words about the dwarf attack on Jade Anchorage were "this day, will live in infamy."
So what's it all about ? A scenario for GW's (now defunct) Man O'War with a new ship for the Dwarves - the Gyrocopter Carrier.
The Dwarves realised that they were outgunned and so finished two unarmed ironclads as carriers for torpedo carrying Gyrocopters. These they sent with their whole fleet (One Dreadnought and four Ironclads) on a pre-emptive strike against the combined Empire and Bretonnian fleets anchored at the island port of Jade Anchorage.
The tabletop should be set out on a 8 foot by 4 foot area. The South and half the Western side of the table are coastline (the edges of Jade Bay). A promontory is situated half way up the eastern side of the table which extends a third of the way across the table. The Combined Fleet deploys to the South of this promontory. The Combined Fleet picket line may deploy anywhere in the southern half of the table. The Dwarf fleet deploys 6" from the Northern table edge.
The forces are as follows:
The Empire/Bretonnian Combined Fleet:
6 Greatships
5 Galleons
3 Buccaneers (picket line)
The Dwarven Fleet
1Dreadnought
4 Ironclads
2 Gyrocopter Carriers
1 Nautilus (at periscope depth at a point outside the harbour, to the North of the promontory, noted by the Dwarf player before the game).
THE GYROCOPTER CARRIER
The carrier has three Gyrocopters each of which is armed with a torpedo(as per the Nautilus). Note that each "flight deck" hit will destroy a Gyrocopter if still aboard or reduce the capacity (i.e. if two flight deck areas are lost and two Gyrocoptens return, only one can land. The second is forced to ditch in the sea !)
The launch of Gyrocopters is counted as a firing action. The 'Copters being placed next to the carrier at the end of it's movement. Recovery is conducted in a similar manner. Gyrocopters may be re-armed if they are recovered, taking d-Average turns.
The Combined Fleet is at anchor in the Jade Anchorage as shown on the map. These vessels become active when the controlling player rolls a score on 1d6 as follows:
First turn: 6
Second turn: 5+
Third turn: 4+ and so on...
The exception to this are the Buccaneers which are placed in the landward half of the table.
The Dwarven fleet deploy along the northern edge of the table, no more
than 6" in from that edge. The exception to this being the Nautilus
which is at periscope depth at a location pre-set by the Dwarf player; this
can be anywhere on the table outside the harbour.
The Dwarves wish to inflict as much damage as possible while losing less
than half of their fleet. If three dwarven vessels are lost the rest of
their fleet will withdraw.
The Combined Fleet must attempt to leave the harbour and drive off the Dwarven fleet.
I would suggest that no magic be used in this scenario.
So where did I get the Gyrocopter Carrier Models from? I made them from balsa wood to match the rest of my fleets. Whilst not being as well detailed and a little smaller (my Ironclads are 1¼" long and the carriers are 1¼" long), they are a hell of a lot cheaper. Alternatively you could use the Citadel Ironclad,. Remove the turrets, superstructure and funnels, then fit a deck of plasticard over the hull. It's up to you, but at £5.00 each the Citadel ships ain't cheap and I'm still on my first £5.00-worth of balsa and have the vessels from this scenario as well as an Elf Fleet and lighter elements of the fleets represented here.
(this is a report of a battle run by Jeff for the Naval Wargames Society at Mortimer, Reading)
After many years of high taxes,injustice and state brutality, the people of Kesh rebelled against the Emperor. Led by the usurper Lancelot,a popular and influential General,the rebels stormed the Palace aided by the majority of the Army, and the Emperor and his evil Court magician Adolphus were forced to flee. With them into exile went many units of the Navy who, unlike the Army, had prospered under the old regime. Vowing to regain his Empire the Emperor made a dark pact with the forces of Chaos and, with their support, led a powerful fleet back to Kesh.
Hearing of the approach of the Loyalist fleet, the usurper Lancelot made alliance with the Elves and the Dwarves and even offered concessions to the old enemy, Bretonnia, stressing the threat from Chaos. Hedging his bets,the Emperor Malcom had also contacted Lancelots allies, promising to stab his demonic friends in the back, once Lancelot was dead. Not to be outdone, the Lords of Chaos had already decided that, should the battle swing their way, they would turn also upon their erstwhile ally and destroy all the forces of light in one fell swoop.
20 leagues east of Kesh lie three islets known as the Three Brothers. This was to be the scene of the 1st naval battle of the Keshian Civil War
The Battle of the Three Brothers
After a night and morning of changeable winds and light airs the wind strengthened
and steadied from the south. This allowed the opposing fleets to begin closing
for battle.However the lengthy approach had shown up the handling qualities
of the two fleets, the rebels managing to retain their cohesion, while the
Slaanesh had become fatally seperated from the rest of the Loyalist fleet.
While the main Loyalist fleet tried to beat up towards their enemies against
the wind the whole rebel fleet headed for the Slaanesh.
At 1.30 the Elven warship ‘Feanor’ opened fire, hitting the Slaanesh Hellslicer ‘Decapitator’ and a well placed spell put the Slaanesh flagship ‘Radiante’ into a maelstrom from which it would be hard put to escape.
15 minutes later the Slaanesh fleet came under heavier fire from the Elven fleet, with crippling hits on the ‘Slaanni’ and the ‘Spetznaze’. The stopped ‘Decapitator’ also became the focus of much enemy fire. Under the onslaught the Slaanesh fleet began to lose its cohesion.
To the north the Chaos fleets were gamely, but slowly, getting closer to their enemies and, above them, the opposing air cover had come within insult distance. At 3.15 a rash gyrocopter squadron attacked a Winged Terror and were ruthlessly punished for their temerity, all 3 Dwarven craft being lost.
The Chaos sorcerer now sent a great spell against the rebel fleet, immobilising it with terror,while the air war continued unabated.Imperial griffons attacked Dwarven war balloons, going down 2 for 1,two Pegasii fell to attacks by Taurus riders and the Elven dragon fell ‘spouting fire’ when it pressed the ‘Radiante’ too closely.
As both the Elves and the Bretonnians continued to press home their attack
on the hapless Slaanesh, the ‘Radiante’ retaliated, casting a
pall of hellish radiance over the nearest Corsair, totally entrancing the
crew. However as they swam adoringly to the ‘Radiante’ the Slaanesh
lost two more ships, the ‘Dehumaniser’ blowing up and the ‘Slaanlanze’
boarded.
To the North the air combat continued in favour of the Loyalists although a well pressed-home Dwarven balloon attack seriously inconvenienced a Winged Terror, damaging it badly before its tormentors were driven off.
By 4pm the Slaanesh fleet was all but destroyed, only the flagship and a squadron of Deathgalleys able to fight. To the south, two Taurus riders made a disastrous foray against a Bretonnian buccaneer, decrewing it but losing a flying bull in the process. As the Chaos Dwarves, the Bretonnians and the Dwarves now came into firing range the battle entered its second stage. The ‘Scharnhorst’ was damaged badly by plunging fire, holing her beneath the waterline, then sunk by torpedoes from the ‘Selma’.The ‘Bismark’ opened fire, but missed completely.A scrimmage now developed in the centre between the 3 main combatants with the Plague fleet closing as fast as its rotted paddles would allow. Whilst the Loyalists continued to use their flyers expensively against small Bretonnian ships, the Dwarf monitor ‘Gov.Moore’ sank the unlucky ‘Radiante’ by ramming. The ‘Scheer’ was torpedoed at this time and the last Taurus rider was mobbed by Elven war-eagles.
The ‘Selma’, brilliantly handled, now slips through the protecting cruisers and puts 3 torpedoes into the ‘Bismark’, seriously wounding her but not quite putting her down. The concussion jarred the great mortar however, making it impossible to fire for an hour. The Chaos Dwarves continued the attack despite their setbacks, sinking many small Bretonnian ships, but by now 3 Dwarven subs were amongst them causing much consternation.
In one of the last shots of the day, an Orc wyvern rider scored a squigbomb hit on a Dwarf ironclad the ‘Alabama’. The wyvern was promptly shot down by the enraged Dwarves.
Night was falling as the last desultory shots were fired. The Loyalist fleet had not been defeated but poor tactics had seen it fragmented from the start. As the sun set the remnants of the Slaanesh fleet were being destroyed whilst to their credit the Loyalists had gained almost complete air superiority.As the ‘Bismark’ limped away, hoping to make vital repairs the light forces of both sides sought to stay in touch throughout the night. Come the dawn, both sides were eager to continue the engagement.