OOC: The tobacco is fine for the moment - I'd be reluctant to pick up rum at full price when I have a deal going. :)

A list of armaments would be neat! Jean is intending to go and hunt down Captain Kidd and capture him and his ship so the hammocks/additional crew would be useful in boarding. The Enchantresse is at a disadvantage in cannons so it is in Jean's interests to board the enemy.

The deal provides you 1 free rum, otherwise the rum is at the daily price (2 is ok, 1 is the best you can get normally, 3 is the max you can get it for unless the port has a demand for it, which means you can sell at 6gp).

Fair assessment of the combat situation...! Interesting tactic.



NOTE: Ship stats are maxed at 5


This message was last edited by the GM at 17:02, Fri 13 May 2022.

OOC: How much money does Jean have after selling his cargo and buying tobacco?

You currently have 6 gold;

Selling all your cargo gets you 9 gold, which means you have 15 gold to play with.

EDIT: you can also sell your ship for 5gp+1gp per mod, whenever you feel like you need to switch it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:23, Fri 13 May 2022.

OOC: Okay.

- Crow's Nest
- Cannon Port
- Rigs and sails
- Hammocks
- 2 x Tobacco

So left with one gold - I hope this fight works out! :)

OOC:

Ship mods are restricted to one type per port:

Ship Mods - Only Hammocks availble at this port
Armaments - Everything available in every port

Totally Forgot that the Van Dykes are Contraband!! 10gp for their safe return to St. Maartens, so you have 25gold!!!

ooc: Oof... okay I guess a cannon port then and caltrops.

The shipwright's apprentice looks at you strangely, "You mean hammocks, jah? Vee can get you Chain Shot, Grapeshot, Grappling Hooks, Heated Shot, Double shot, Caltrops... plus hamocks for a total of 21 gold beste kapitein. Ohh! I see you have hooks and grapeshot already, dus je totaal is 15 gold!!"

"Which leaves us enough to procure the tobacco, and still have some gold to play with!" said Lavigne happily who then storms off to ensure the tobacco makes its way into the holds, and to enlist more crew.

Captain Lefanu hesitated before nodding at the shipwright's apprentice. "That's correct jah, I mean qui."

Turning to his First Mate he said: "Make sure they speak French please Monsieur Lavinge. The Lowlanders make fine sailors but it would be helpful if they understood me too."

Having overseen these developments he returned to his cabin to draw up battle plans - and enjoy the luxury of space. As pleasant as it had been having the van Dykes aboard it was still a cramped ship!

Monday, February 16th, year of our Lord 1671 - Turn 10

The crew had helped the Van Dykes with their personal items and effects, and the girls had been all curtsies and blushes before they finally disappeared definitely behind the curtain of buildings that composed St. Maartens port. The evening went by just as quickly, everyone had been kept busy prepping for an encounter at sea, and new mariners employed and integrated with the crew. In a few hours the tide would turn, signalling the Enchantresse’s exit to sea.

It was a melancholy farewell for Captain Lefanu. The ship felt emptier without the noisy Van Dyke family. As they left Jean walked around the decks of his vessel, seeing how the new crew and new armaments had left her (the new Dutch voices among the crew Monsieur Lavigne had hired were not quite as mellifluous as the Van Dyke girls!)

"We'll make west for San Juan in the morning when the tides shift," he told his mates as everyone bar the night watch was turning in for the night. "Monsieur Kidd has the larger ship but I think we have the finer crew and if we can take the Intrepid it will make our names. Bon nuit my gallant crew and dream of success and English defeat!"

He himself intended to dream of Christina van Dyke wearing very little but best not to inform the men of that!

A few hours later, the Enchantresse left under the cover of the stars as the tides turned and eased her out to the open seas. She travelled westward and crested the green jungles of Nouvelle Saint-Jean (San Juan)'s easternmost coast. With the sun slowly rising behind her, the look-out called out: "Sails! North by northwest! She isn't flying any colours, but she's tacking and changing directions and intercept us."

Seems you've been spotted.

A vulpine smile crossed Jean's face as he watched the smudge of the other ship resolve herself into a sleek think of sails and prow. Well that hadn't taken so long after all.

"To your quarters men," he ordered the crew. "Ready cannon and shot. Mr Lavigne prepare to repel borders."

He turned to a half dozen crew members. Most were old hands but two were fresh Dutch recruits that had impressed him. "Gentlemen, your job is to make it look like we are trying to get away. Work the sails, appear to be frantic - but don't actually make speed. We want Monsieur Kidd to think us simple panicked merchants, and come close. Then we take him!"

Lavigne nods approvingly and gets things ready, while he orders the deckhands to tack the sails and  to veer the girl south and west. The deck is busy with chaotic activity as William Kidd's Intrepid quickly catches up with you.

You'll need to give me a Seamanship roll, if you wish to evade him or board him yourself, or you can simply submit to him peacefully. Which will allow him to board you.

OOC: 19:26, Today: Jean Lefanu rolled 1 success using 2d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 5 with rolls of 2,6.  Seamanship.

The bait had been taken!

"Wait for it mon équipage galant," Captain Lefanu ordered as he watched the Intrepid glide ever closer. This close Jean could see she was a fair vessel for a brig, if not a handsome a demoiselle as the Enchantresse. A wily captain too even if his luck was about to run out.

He made sure his pistol was loaded and drew his fine rapier (let others use a cutlass - Jean Lefanu was a gentleman.)

"Hard a starboard Monsieur MacGann," Jean ordered his Second Mate at the tiller (M. Lavigne would be joining the boarding part.) "We're turning to board him! Ready men - pistols and swords at the ready, load the swivel gun! Fight hard but take prisoners! If they surrender from Kidd himself down to the ship's cat let them! Now I want that ship to be ours! Ready! On my order board!"

With the two equally skilled captains wishing to board each other's ships, the two ships grappled one another with no clear advantage to one over the other. William wasn't expecting any resistance however, and was surprised that the Enchanteresse sent grapples to board her.

Soon both crews were engaged into a merciless fight between the two crews.


14:54, Today: William Kidd rolled 1 success using 2d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 5 with rolls of 5,2.  Seamanship Roll.

Please roll two dice for your swivel gun monsieur! Maybe you can cut down his crew.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:18, Fri 20 May 2022.

OOC: 20:09, Today: Jean Lefanu rolled 1 success using 2d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 5 with rolls of 1,6.  Swivel Gun.


"Fire!" Captain Lefanu ordered the sailors manning the swivel gun even as he took hold of a rope to swing over to the Intrepid, his blade at the ready.

Noticing the trap a second too late, the Enchanteresse's swivel gun tears through Kidd's crew! The Enchanteresse meanwhile, now has the advantage, superior training and numbers.

You can roll your COMBAT Skill now (3 dice).


This message was last edited by the GM at 20:01, Fri 20 May 2022.

OOC:
20:45, Today: Jean Lefanu rolled 2 successes using 3d6 with the Target Number system with a target of 5 with rolls of 5,4,5.  Combat.

With a cry "vive la France!" the crew of the Enchantresse boarded the larger ship, Captain Lefanu in the lead, his rapier at the ready. Even as touched the deck of the Intrepid he fired his flintlock pistol at one unlucky pirate before turning and looking for Captain Kidd, ready to duel his opposite number himself.

"Surrender Monsieur Kidd the day - and the ship - is ours!"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:50, Fri 20 May 2022.

With his crew cut down from under him, William Kidd realizes there is no chance of making it alive if he doesn't cooperate. He drops his sword, defeated, and Lavigne quickly puts shackles on the man's arms and feet as one of his aids starts sorting between both crews' dead or wounded.

"We've fared a very beautiful victory, mon capitaine!" Lavigne said to the cheers of the Enchanteresse's crew. "We did lose some of our men, but Kidd's crew has been decimated. With your permission, monsieur, I will take control of the Enchanteresse and bring her to San Juan, Nouvelle Saint-Jean, while you take over the Intrepid. Haha! Vive la France!!" And to that the crew cheered, elated as they were at their captain's resounding success.


OOC: 10 gold added to your coffers; plus 1XP and the following benefit added to your sheet.
I have added another 1 XP for getting a bigger ship..!


Gunner (Specialist)
John Mitchell is a famed gunner and
is willing to join your crew.

You are allowed up to 4 specialist crew.

Leadership Action: (Bridgetown) or 2 gp

You may re-roll 1 hit location die each
time you hit with your cannon/chasers.

"Well done gentlemen, vous m'avez rendu fier!," Captain Lefanu declares to his assembled men. "I shall take a prize crew and sail the Intrepid to an English port to hand over custody of Monsieur Kidd and his men to the authorities, then re-join you!"

Lifting his hat in salute to Monsieur Lavigne he turns to Captain Kidd and his surviving crew, now in shackles and gloomily observing developments. "I am glad you surrendered Monsieur Kidd. I'd rather have a gallant sea dog's sword than his life. Now Monsieur I intend to hand you over to the English authorities... however I am not a cruel man, nor do I bear you any hatred now that I have taken your splendid ship. You strike me as wily rogue Monsieur Kidd and I respect that. I also suspect you well know which English magistrate shall hang you as soon as look at you and which shall be more lenient. You may choose which English port I shall sail too to hand you over."

OOC: He’s a regular Pirate NPC, the French will pay just as readily as any country would. It’s not like a player who wronged the English only.

In reply to Davy Jones (msg # 147):

OOC: Understood, but for character purposes Captain Lefanu would far rather drop him off in an English port rather than just throw him to whichever governor happens to be nearby - he is trying to be noble and so on.

Plus it makes for a more interesting story when news spreads, and a chance to talk to a proper albeit NPC pirate captain. :)

Kidd rolled his eyes. “You French are so arrogant! ‘I do not bear you any hatred…’” he growled, unhappy at having been tricked and humiliated by a one pounder — a single cannon ship. “I might as well be dead; I’ll be ridiculed by everyone. William who..? Wasn’t he the one that got his ship taken from under him? I almost envy the admiral whose ship Nicholson destroyed after marooning him and his entire crew on an island north of Tortuga.”

“You won’t get any cooperation from the likes of him,” said Lavigne, “but if you want an English port, Port St. John can transfer the modifications from one ship to another. With extra hammock spaces and our swivel gun, the Intrepid should be the talk of the Caribbean.”