AAR - Weak Snow 'Groundhog Day'

[Severous]

This AAR is a ‘Ground Hog Day’.  The same situation is played time after time and the results recorded.

The situation:
Understaffed Snow is on station alone. This situation has occurred because Captain Rock was last to depart on this fleet cruise and being understaffed has rations enough to stay on station much longer than normal.  Cruising with Harass em and Big spender settings.  The other two ships in the fleet have already departed for home.  

In Colombia zone which is one zone away from my island base off the Southern Jamaican Coast.  English Trade Route and English presence is 4.  This is my Patron and I’m at peace. France has a presence of 3 and few ships have been seen. Spain is a presence of 4 and ships have been sighted often in this area with a Spanish settlement. I allow attacks on Spanish and French ships.

Crew:
Captain Rock. Courage 9, Leadership 8, Notoriety 7, Swords 5, Marks 5, Gunnery 1, Nav 4 and Seamanship 4.  Age 40, Rank 6
Officer L Carter. Courage 9, Leadership 9, Notoriety 6, Swords 5, Marks 4, Gunnery 4, Nav 4, and Seamanship 5. Age 43, Rank 5
Crewman (only one) J Howell. Courage 4, Leadership 8, Notoriety 4, Swords 3, Marks 5, Gunnery 2, Nav 2, Seamanship 4. Age 27, Rank 2

1 March 1676:  A saved game point

First time:
1 March 1676: Naval gunfire…Rock Captured. Ship Sunk.

Second time:
1 March 1676: Spanish Cargo Fluyte was chased down and sunk. Gain $900 & 2 Pirates & 5 Wealthy Captives.
6 March 1676: English Brigantine. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
8 March 1676: English Brigantine. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
9 March 1676: Pirate Schooner. Diplomatic relations prevents attack!
9 March 1676: Returns to base
16 March 1676: Moors up. 0 Rations left. Zero damage.

Third time:
4 March 1676: Naval gunfire…Rock Captured. Ship Sunk.

Fourth time:
1 March 1676: English Brigantine. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
4 March 1676: English Fluyte. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
5 March 1676: English Frigate. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
9 March 1676: Returns to base
16 March 1676: Moors up. 0 Rations left. Zero damage.

Fifth time:
1 March 1676: Spanish Brigantine. We gave chase but she escaped.
4 March 1676: English Brigantine. Diplomatic relations prevents attack.
9 March 1676: Returns to base
16 March 1676: Moors up. 0 Rations left. Zero damage

Sixth time:
No encounters…
9 March 1676: Returns to base
16 March 1676: Moors up. 0 Rations left. Zero damage

Seventh time:
1 March 1676: Spanish Merchant was chased down and sunk. $900 & 2 Pirates & 5 Wealthy Captives.
2 March 1676: English Fluyte. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
5 March 1676: Pirate Snow. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
6 March 1676: English Galleon. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
9 March 1676: Returns to base
15 March 1676: Moors up. 0 Rations left. Zero damage.

Eighth time:
No encounters…
9 March 1676: Returns to base
16 March 1676: Moors up. 0 Rations left. Zero damage

Ninth time:
1 March 1676: Pirate Snow. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
2 March 1676: Spanish Brigantine was chased down and sunk. $600 & 2 Pirates & 3 Wealthy Captives.
3 March 1676: English Snow. Diplomatic relations prevents attack.
5 March 1676: English Snow. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
9 March 1676: Returns to base
16 March 1676: Moors up. 0 Rations left. Zero damage

Tenth time:
1 March 1676: English Snow. Diplomatic relations prevent attack
3 March 1676: English Naval Sloop. Diplomatic relations prevents attack.
4 March 1676: Pirate Schooner. Boor down on each other hungrily. Victory plus $600 plunder. No recruits.
9 March 1676: Returns to base
16 March 1676: Moors up. 0 Rations left. Damage to ship Strength 75%; 25% repairs needed. No loss to crew.

Observations:
- Only 6th and 8th occasions were the same - no encounters.
- Dates, nations, ships, outcomes varied on each cruise.
- Never saw two ships in a single day
- All those English…Friends… but means I don’t have the opportunity to see a Spaniard on that date.
- Once a Spanish Brigantine was caught, once it escaped.
- My weak Snow was eager to attack a pirate schooner!
- Some pirate ships are friendly. Some are not.
- Always left for home on the same date despite damage on one occasion
- Time spent getting home to dock is constant except for occasion 7 when Rock made it home one day earlier.

Conclusion: There is definitely a random element.  I was impressed by Rocks defeat of the pirate schooner in the last occasion.  No reprieve for Rock though. I’m reverting to the first outcome, Rock is imprisoned and my clipboards are out as my bean counters record how long my two expert shipwrights will take to build a replacement Snow.

[Severous]

Captain Rock waded ashore on my island 20 days later on 21st March.  He looked so much fitter in this picture.  

He still had his hat, parrot and peg leg not that you can see them here.  

He also had the $634 gold he started that last fateful cruise with.  Prior to being sunk on 1 March his ship had help sink a Spainsh Brig during February. He hadnt however profited from the $300 plunder that Brig sinking had generated for him and his crew.

A replacement Snow was completed by the 2 skill 5 shipwrights on 26 March. 25 days to make a Snow.