Subject:
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Re: Pirate Game Mortars: First Draft
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.gaming
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Date:
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Tue, 13 Jun 2000 19:05:37 GMT
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Viewed:
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1721 times
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In lugnet.fun.gaming, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> Neato! It is hard to imagine this coming into play in the normal game much.
> However, it seems like this game, once you have a group who plays regularly,
> would almost require scenario construction.
I agree. Part of the goal of rule creation was to make these
bits suitably rare--they would either need to be specialised or
a pirate would need to seek them out quite deliberately.
> And your Big Honkin' Morter(tm) would be great for a scenario where the
> "empire strikes back." Imagine a scene where the pirates have gotten so • strong that
> they have serious pirate fortifications and they're starting to align into a
> pirate nation. The "civilized" world gets together with a huge fleet and • comes
> gunning for them. Included are mortar boats out to wreck the pirate
> fortifications. If the empire wins, then it was a fun scenario. If they
> lose, and the pirates capture mortars, then look out. The next scenario will
> be pirate raids against mainland settlements and fortifications.
This is a good possibility for chain scenarios--I hadn't thought
about that option, but now that you mention it I like it a lot.
But cooperation among thieves and brigands being so testy, I'd
wonder about this "pirate nation" thing--perhaps it could be,
instead, a situation where the pirates are the "swing factor"
in a colonial war between red and blue?
> I think the rules you came up with all sound good. It seems that a ship that
> doesn't want to be hit by mortar (and I'd think that would be all of them) can
> easily avoid it. And base owners don't deserve them if they can't field a
> defensive fleet. It also seems that if the mortar ships want to hit, they • must
> be stationary, so mortars on land can return fire.
Again, you bring up an angle I hadn't thought of--but that's
very true! It might require that smaller ships come close to
land to disable said mortar, or *shudder* it might require a
Drake-like raid on fortifications *by land* to eliminate the
shore-based mortars. We might also state that land-based
mortars have a slightly greater range--a result of having the
planet as an opposing force rather than a ship, which moves--
so that bomb ketches can't just sit *far enough* away from the
base to destroy part of it in close proximity to the land mortar.
Maybe giving the fort mortar a max range of 48" instead of 42"
could reflect this.
(Why do I have the music from "Rampart" in my head, suddenly?)
> Why can't I fill a morter with grapeshot? I'd like to put a circle of shot
> down on the board and do rigging and deck damage to an area affect. Is that
> historically unaccurate? It seems like an obvious use for a weapon with that
> kind of range. And what about incendiary ordnance? If it was done from
> catapults, couldn't it be done from mortars?
I suppose one could use pitch in a mortar, which would explode
and cause fire (but not on the scale of explosive shells).
Grape isn't an option for mortars because, well, mortars are
indirect-fire weapons. In order to shoot 24", you have a
parabolic arc (for argument's sake) and so the range is actually
much further (~36"), but also the shot slows much more quickly
and the effect would be greatly diminished. It's better to use some
kind of explosive. But one major reason why flaming pitch or
other primitive incendiaries aren't useable is because they're
usually hot when loaded, and the propellant gunpowder loaded
behind them just doesn't react well to high heat so the chance
of a mishap would be far greater. I wonder if we can put a
trebuchet on a ship, and fire dead livestock into our foes?
So the rules for explosive shot are really meant to cover the
"annihilate everything above deck level" issue. These may of
course be tweaked to one's liking.
best
Lindsay
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Pirate Game Mortars: First Draft
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| Neato! It is hard to imagine this coming into play in the normal game much. However, it seems like this game, once you have a group who plays regularly, would almost require scenario construction. And your Big Honkin' Morter(tm) would be great for a (...) (24 years ago, 13-Jun-00, to lugnet.gaming)
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