Me and my group love GQ3 and have fought a long extended campaign with the rules as well as a dozen or so smaller actions. So when we started reading the Hornblower series and began searching around for rules it was a no brainer to give Post Captain a chance.
We set up the game using the Hornet vs Penguin ship action. I would command the Hornet and my mother would command the Penguin. The system for tracking crew was a little too much math for us so I simplified it so that there would only ever be half or full crew factors so that we could track them with poker chips (each chip representing one half) and a piece of paper with the different tasks and positions written on it. This worked quite well and was fun to boot. Also since this is our first game with the new rules we worked together for damage and maneuver, this meant that we knew more about what each other's condition was than we normally would.
The battle
We sighted the Penguin 4 points off the port bow with the wind behind her coming from the southeast.
We cleared for action and I began beating to windward. The Penguin barreled down on me and drew up at 400 yards to fire off the first shots of the action. One of her shots tore through my rigging instantly costing me two boxes. I closed another 100 yards before I replied with my own guns scoring no hits.
After some more twisting and turning my gunners scored their first hit killing a few British Marines. Before my men could let out with a cheer the royal navy replied by blasting into my damaged rigging. The main mast was not up to the strain and it came crashing down on my port side. My crew set to work trying to cut away the dead weight and shore up the remaining rigging. The British were thankfully slow to take advantage of the situation and we managed to get our guns uncovered. My gunners dander was up and they began cutting holes in the British crew roster. The battle continued like that for awhile with the British dismantling my rigging and my gunners whittling down their crew. It wasn't long before my foremast followed my main over the side. A poorly executed tack left the British in irons but I failed to score a decisive blow and with most of my sails on their merry way to the bottom of the sea I was unable to get away. Once they got back underway we found ourselves alongside one another at point blank range. Up to this point I thought the situation was bad but not hopeless, my crew was in high spirits and we had taken no casualties in guns or men. Half the British crew was dead and we had hulled her multiple times. When we began blasting each other at point blank range that changed quickly, in one round of firing a third of my crew was killed and after another half was killed and one of my guns was destroyed (we hardly noticed the rigging damage). The British were struggling to man their guns and sails at this point and if the battle continued it would take every thing they had to man the pumps. I rolled a hard command check and after what must have been one heck of a speech my crew stood firm ready to fight till the bitter end.
We became fouled and the British attempted to board us and were bloodily repulsed. We attempted the same and to the same result. After that the British cut themselves free and I saw little point in continuing. We couldn't even man the sails at this point and the British were just able to sail and fire a gun.
It was a lot of fun although the boarding was probably our least favorite and we might have to modify it for future battles. We both agreed I should have surrendered when half my crew died but where is the fun in that.
I'll leave you with the only picture we took during the whole game. It was taken early in the action when the British were firing chasers at me.
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