Victorian Piracy and Adventure in the South Pacific
Born as much of Hollywood as history, this was inspired
by the spirit of movies such as NATE AND HAYES and THE WIND AND
THE LION. The basic game wondered in my mind for 15 years before
the advent of Foundry's Darkest Africa and Old Glory's Colonial
ranges made it a possibility. The game blends historical aspects
and military miniatures with elements of role playing and diplomacy
and revolves around a variety of objectives set before the various
factions on the island.
The setting is a Spanish held island in the Pacific,
loosely in the 1890's, full of native headhunters, rivaling military
factions, pirates, black birders, unscrupulous opportunists, and
those adventuresome settlers (somebody has to be the targets).
The game continually evolves with new terrain, factions,
and contrivances, the latest being the German airship.
View of the first generation of Ponape, looking from
the jungle side of the island towards the town side. The Spanish
fortress can be seen in the distance, where the oppressive Spanish
Governor resides.
View from about the midpoint of the island showing
the town.
The Spanish gunboat during construction, it measures
about 22 inches long.
The Spanish gunboat finished; it is based on the General
Concha built in the 1880's. In this game, the French (the boat
gets around) were trying to get out of port, but sailors kept
getting lured off of the boat by the local "working girls".
The French Captain finally opened fire on one of the girls, which
resulted in return fire from the locals, the Spanish, and finally
the Americans, who sunk the "French" ship. All to the
dismay of the group of antiquarians who had gained passage on
the French ship. Sometimes the game involves a lot of diplomacy,
this wasn't one of those games.
The native Taxi service assists Austrian sailors and
German marines, who are on their way to "acquiring"
a new vessel. It seems that a marauding band of pirates, who left
there ship unattended, never suspected that they were not the
only scoundrels around.
Often, the natives invite European and American vistors
for dinner. The natives think they are quite tasty.
Preparations begin for a nice evening sacrifice after
dinner. The disappearance of one of the town's women from time
to time has many of the locals a little concerned, but with the
oppressive Spanish Governor, pirates, and harassing shore parties
from the various visiting navies to worry about, the locals have
much on their minds.
The new French Gunboat ( based on the Dunois of 1897)
under construction for events at Advance the Colors '01. The boat
starts life as a full scale plan sketched onto graph paper. It
is then constructed from styrene plastic. Only the fighting compartments
are made accessible. The black hulled ship in the background is
based on an American light cruiser.
This is the German airship, roughly finished for Advance
the Colors 2002. The gondola is removable and its roof can be
removed to allow access to figures inside. It is armed with 2
one pounder quick firing guns, and a Maxim MG in the tail.
This is the same view as the first one above, but after
three years of growth. There has been much geological activity
on the island. The island has gotten 2 feet longer and almost
2 feet taller.
Another view of the jungle side of the island circa
9/02.
The Spanish Fortress after the face lift (decaying
walls, and better weathering). Spanish Sailors can be seen rowing
to shore, under the cover of the General Concha's guns.
A view of the dock area. The Ceylon -Pacific trading
company is in the foreground (green roof), the black-birder auction
(black building), Madam Ophelia's... umm "Hotel" with
the long porch, and the Hotel De Paraiso in the distance.
Click the Links below for more information
on Ponape
