HEROES OF THE SPANISH MAIN

Each player creates a name or Avatar for each faction they use.

One player might make an American commander and/or a Privateer commander for his fleets, and so on. They may place their Avatar on one of the ships, and their fortunes and tales follow it.

This Avatar token takes up no cargo space, and always escapes a sunk or captured ship. It is assumed they are transfered away from the ship to be taken to prison, but manage to get away. The victor is awarded an additional 3 gold for defeating the Avatar's ship.

Avatars move across the water at L range speed as a ship would and can dock with other friendly vessels to take command.

Have each Avatar token start out as a Midshipmen aboard a vessel. They will rise through the ranks, by attaining gold and victories. You can only field one Avatar per game.

Ranks:

• Admiral of the Fleet - 380
• Admiral - 320 points
• Vice Admiral - 260 points
• Rear Admiral - 210 points
• Commodore - 170 points
• Senior Post Captain – 130 points
• Post Captain – 100 points
• Commander – 70 points
• First Lieutenant – 50 points
• Second Lieutenant – 30 points
• Third Lieutenant – 20 points
• Fourth Lieutenant – 10 points
• Master’s Mate – 5 points
• Midshipman – Starting rank

Ranks are looked at every 4 th game. Points, victories, and prizes are counted up.

• Avatar's up to Commander must be on the ship that did the deeds for it to count.
• Post Captain to Commodore can be within L-range of any ship attaining victory.
• Rear Admirals and up can count all ships on the map towards victory points.

A Victory sinking or prize capture with the ship the Avatar is on is 3 points toward promotion.
A Draw is 1 point (a draw is a derelicting or an unsuccessful towing of ship). If the Avatar transfers off the derelict ship before it is sunk or towed by the enemy, it is counted as a Draw.
A defeat gives 0 points.
1 point is given for every 10 gold delivered to the treasury.

If the ship that their Avatar is on is sunk or derelict, they can abandon ship and “sail” back home or to a friendly ship using L-range. No ship can harm them. This token is merely a marker for their adventures. Having a persistant persona attached to your fleet and to various battles and adventures can also be used to create fanfiction more easily. Such as: “Captain Bleer escaped capture and sailed to (island name) and boarded the Mermaid.”

Or related as a documentary would:,

February, 1720

The squadrons of Spain, England, and America were each sent to explore the Strom Islands for usable resources and to control the surrounding waters or deny them to the enemy.

Over the course of 20 days, four Spanish and one American ship were sunk, captured, or disabled. The violent campaign ended in a draw between the English and the Americans, neither attaining complete control over the area, although comparable wealth was gathered between them.

Van Hayoo
Historian

To facilitate story-telling you can give each island an actual name for that map. You can also record each ship participating, as well as each major battle and mark which ship hit who, and what happened to the Avatars. Mark wind change, as well as changes of fortune. You may also include region names, using names printed on transparency sheets.

Events can also be triggered for Avatars to be used like missions.

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HEROES OF THE SPANISH MAIN (Avatar Abilities)

Overview

• They accrue as you gain rank, but can only choose one per game.
• New minor ability every 2nd or 3rd rank or so.
• Midshipmen start out with no abilities.
• Master’s Mate can choose one of 2 abilities.
• Fourth Lieutenant gains 4 more to choose from, and so on.

List of Abilities

1. Admiral of the Fleet Abilities (380 Promotion Points)
   1. Crusader – May choose one crew of any nationality to serve aboard the avatar’s ship. If the avatar leaves the vessel, the crew are disbanded.
   2. Dirty Tactics – An avatar may use the ability of any crew, friendly or enemy, that is within S range of him. It must be an ability that has not been used yet and doing so ends the ship’s actions.
2. Admiral Rank (320 Promotion Points)
3. Vice Admiral Rank Abilities (260 Promotion Points)
   1. Stalwart Defense – If an avatar’s ship is docked with any friendly vessels, all ships are immune to ramming.
   2. Bribe – If you have gold in your treasury (or on your ship?) you may pay an attacker off. Both ships may not fire on one another for another round.
   3. Ability 3
4. Rear Admiral Rank (210 Promotion Points)
5. Commodore Rank Abilities (170 Promotion Points)
   1. Tyrant – The Avatar may choose to sacrifice a crew instead of loosing a mast.
   2. Cartographer – May relocate one terrain within L of its original position before the start of the game. The terrain may not touch any ship.
   3. Abandon Ship – When a ship is sunk or derelict, all remaining crew swim to the nearest island instead of being killed or captured by the enemy.
   4. Ability 4
6. Senior Post Captain Rank (130 Promotion Points)
7. Post Captain Rank Abilities (100 Promotion Points)
   1. Tactical Retreat (Withdraw) – The Avatar’s ship may make an S move after being hit by opponent’s cannons.
   2. Counterattack (Return Fire) – After being shot at, an avatar’s ship may fire one cannon as a free action at the end of the attacker’s turn. No other abilities may be used with this shot.
   3. Scuttle – If a ship with an Avatar aboard has one or more masts, she may instantly scuttle herself on a Shoot Action by blowing a hole in her own hull. The ship becomes a reef terrain, with a rating equal to the full number of masts the ship carried.
   4. Ability 4
   5. Ability 5
8. Commander Rank (70 Promotion Points)
9. First Lieutenant Rank Abilities (50 Promotion Points)
   1. Forward Advance (Initiative) – At beginning of the game, this ship gets an initial S move with no free actions
   2. Roughneck Crew – With an avatar aboard, if a derelict ship has any crew left she can’t be towed by an enemy vessel.
   3. Familiar Seas – May select one terrain piece, which the Avatar’s ship may ignore for the rest of the game.
   4. Prize crew – If you transfer an avatar over to a derelict enemy ship, it can sail to your home island on its own without needing a tow.
10. Second Lieutenant Rank (30 Promotion Points)
11. Third Lieutenant Rank Abilities (20 Promotion Points)
    1. Nemesis – Can uncover the special ability of an enemy avatar and their current mission
    2. Seamanship – Allows ship to sail into the wind normally at the expense of any free actions
    3. Wind Prediction – Roll the Wind die early for the next round. Only the player may see the wind-direction result, which is revealed on the next round.
12. Fourth Lieutenant Rank (10 Promotion Points)
13. Master's Mate Rank Abilities (5 Promotion Points)
    1. Rally – Re-roll a boarding action
    2. Fire Brigade – May douse one ship fire that occurs on this vessel
14. Midshipman Rank (0 Promotion Points)

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HEROES OF THE SPANISH MAIN (Avatar Missions)

An Urgent Affair : A government official needs passage aboard ship to a location in the region. Do you accept this task?

Place the VIP on your home island. Roll a wind die to determine direction to the target island, roll another die to determine L length away, then pick the closest island en route. Your avatar must take a ship and pick up the VIP and transport him to that island.

Reward: 10 Promotion points + 5 gold

The Governor's Sister: Word arrives that Governor's sister, Lady Margaret, has been taken captive while sailing for home. Do you attempt a rescue?

Place Lady Margaret on the nearest non-home island more than 2 L lengths away from your Avatar. Your character must use a ship to rescue the Lady and transport her to your home island.

Reward: 10 Promotion points + 5 gold

Secret Dispatches: A courier bearing crucial Naval dispatches has been persued by foreign agents. Before being captured he entrusted them to an old friend on a nearby merchant vessel.

If you decide to recover the dispatches, first roll a Wind Die to determine direction to the merchant. Place a neutral ship and the dispatches 4L away from your avatar.

Reward: 10 Promotion points + 5 gold

Vital Trade: A wealthy merchant has lost some of his ships to local pirates. He requests to use your fleet to deliver some goods for him. He promises you a percentage of the profits. Do you accept?

Place the wealthy merchant on the closest island to your avatar. Roll a wind die to determine direction. Choose another island as your destination. Roll a die and determine direction, then pick the closest island en route. Your avatar must take a ship and pick up the merchant and transport him to the target island with to complete the trade.

Reward: 10 gold + 5 Promotion points

Ship in Distress : A lookout has spotted a wrecked ship on some uncharted shoals. You are the only ship in the area. Will you attempt a rescue?

Roll the wind die. Place a derelict neutral ship within 2L of your Avatar. Place a reef under it. Your Avatar must board the ship within 3 turns and dock with the derelict to take on survivors. On the fourth term, the ship is lost.

Reward: 10 Promotion points + 5 more if you bring the survivors to an island.

Capture the Chest: A neutral merchant ship carrying precious cargo has been wrecked on shallow shoals. A reward has been offered for the contents safe return. The first Avatar to bring the chest back to their home island wins the reward. Do you accept the contract?

Place a derelict neutral ship directly between the home islands.

Reward: 10 gold + 5 promotion points

Spy: You have received orders to deliver a Spy an enemy home island. Do you accept?

Place the Spy on your home island. He must be transported on the same ship as your Avatar to the enemy home island. If the spy is successfully delivered, he may see the crew of any ship that docks at the island. Once used, the spy is removed from the game.

Reward: 10 Promotion points + 5 gold

Friendly Escort: A friendly 2-masted ship is passing through the area from one side of the map to the other. Other nations may attack the ships of this convoy and retrieve 1 gold from each if sunk.

Place one 2-masted ship on the edge of the map between the home islands. Your Avatar must be aboard the ship escorting the vessel. Roll a D6 to determine speed. If 1-3 the speed is S. If 4-6 the speed is L. Wind Rules apply for added speed.

Reward: 10 promotion points + 5 gold

Ship's Bounty: One enemy ship has received a bounty upon it. It is to be destroyed at all costs. Your target is in the fleet of the opponent seated to your Left. Split his lineup into percentages of a D6. E.g. If he has 2 ships, you must roll 1-3 or 4-6. If he has 3 ships, roll 1-2, 3-4, or 5-6, and so forth. The result is the target.

Your opponent has the option to immediately pay the bounty in gold to keep his ship from being targeted.

Reward: 10 promotion points + 5 gold

Traitor in our Midsts: There is a turncoat out there providing information about your fleet. You must capture him.

Upon exploring an island, roll a D6. On a 5 or 6, you discover the spy and take him into custody. If the next to last island does not reveal a traitor, the final island is immediately designated as harboring the traitor. Upon his capture, you are awarded promotion points. If you return him to your home island, you receive a cash prize.

Reward: 10 promotion points + 5 gold.

Free Salvage: A foreign ship has run aground on an island. A reward has been offered for the salvaged ship. The first Avatar to bring the ship under tow to their home island will be rewarded. Do you accept the mission?

Place a neutral ship directly between the home islands.

Reward: 10 gold + 5 promotion points

Smuggler's Run: You have hired a privateer ship to slip weapons onto an island for some rebels. Select an island that is 3L in the wind die direction. Select a second island that is 3L in a wind die direction. The contraband must be delivered between these two islands (home islands included). Special abilities that involve docking at enemy islands (stealing gold) are not permitted for this ship during the mission.

Because you are not flying an enemy flag, opponents may not attack your ship. Instead they may fire one warning shot. If it “hits” the smuggling ship must allow boarding or the attacker may open fire. Unless attacked, a smuggler cannot be rammed or pinned. Upon boarding, the attacker must roll a 5 or 6 to make a successful search of the ship. If the contraband weapons are found, the ship is automatically captured, and the contraband turned into 5 gold. Your Avatar is then set adrift to make his way back.

Reward: 10 gold + 5 promotion points

Patrol Duty: Pick two islands near to an Avatar. The Avatar’s ship must sail to one and then the other. Upon reaching the target island, roll a D6. On a 4, 5, or 6, a ship in distress will appear off its coast, and within S range of an attacking 2-masted privateer. You may drive off the privateer by shooting both of its masts. It will attempt to flee at S speed (roll a wind die for direction). If it gets beyond L+L range, it escapes. For driving it off, you receive promotion points. If you manage to sink the ship, you receive a cash reward. Sail to the next island and roll for an encounter again.

Reward: 10 promotion + 5 gold for each privateer you sink.

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