Doing Buccaneers Properly

[whiskey priest]

I just finished reading the Osprey Buccaneers book and it really opened my eyes about the difference between them and your classic Pirate types. They seem to be more of an irregular army and certainly ranked up and acted very like conventional armies of the time. It got me to thinking about portraying them on the table top. Using Donnybrook or something similar I was thinking about making a force made up of the Front Rank late 17thC figures, mostly the Monmouth rebels mixed in with some of the Bicorne ECW musketeers, especially the ones in wooly hats or broad brimmed hats (with teh tops rounded down) Add in some headswaps and I reckon we're mostly there. Pike's weren't used by the sounds of things but officers could be more piratey looking figures plus some of the Front Rank Monmouth officers and maybe a pack of the foundry pirate characters (some of whom are a bit larger) for the extra outlandishness. Do you think I'm on the right track?

[warrenpeace]

There probably wasn't a general need for pikes given the smaller amount of cavalry in the new world, but I wouldn't totally rule out their use. Pikes could be useful in a boarding action or attack on a fort, besides their use against cavalry. Foundry has a couple of packs of guys with boarding pikes. Given the unreliability of the matchlock musket, the fact that bayonets hadn't yet been invented, and that swords were expensive (quality swords at least) there might have been a few pikes around the New World. Hope somebody with expertise will chime in...

Don't overlook Dixon figures. The Monmoth Rebellion figures are good for this. What figures will you use for the defenders? I think it's interesting that the Spanish organized defense companies along racial lines. Also there were far more Native Americans than European or African or mixed race defenders at some of the Spanish towns that were raided by the Buccaneers.

[Belisarius]

I,ve been thinking about using the Foundry Pirates range with S.Practice 2 rules and am In the process of painting figures for it . I,d pit them against Spanish, Dutch English garrisons.

[Leigh Metford]

Buccaneers were all musketeers armed with a musket and sword (various types, from military hanger to proto-cutlass). Muskets could be matchlock, but flintlocks were preferred -and because they were acquired on an individual basis there were none of the cost constraints faced by a national army, so they were common.

The main visual differences between buccaneers and pirates, apart from armament, were costume-related. Operating mainly on land, all buccaneers wore shoes or boots, and often stockings. Coats were common, and could be the typical long style of the later 17th century, or a short jacket of the type favoured by sailors. Headgear could be broad-brimmed hats (sometimes worn with one or more sides turned up), or monmouth or montero-style caps.

So, when it comes to selecting figures to depict them on the tabletop you should use a mixture of appropriately armed and attired pirates, ECW musketeers/dragoons with later-style muskets, and late 17th century musketeers. Given that standard tactics consisted of a volley or two followed up with a wild charge it's probably acceptable to depict some units charging with drawn swords, in which case you could use some of the more dynamically posed pirate figures on the market. The main problem is that pirates tend to be packaged in packs of figures in mixed dress, so you might need to find a supplier who's prepared to split packs.   

    

[El Frantico]

This revelation is what lead to the creation of the blood and punder minis line. We had originally planned just a rule set. But there wheren't any appropriate models for many of the different unit types!

 I'd say your on the right track whiskey priest. Remember Buccaneers are always described as carrying pistols, so the vast majority should have those as well. Also no boots! Never boots! What if often confused for being boots where actually heavy socks that where popular in the day (especially with the French). Also, most Buccaneers, especially French, where early adopters of paper cartridges and would be using "cartouches" instead of the 12 apostles.

For muskets, they where usually armed with "fusil boucaniers" which where exceptionally long barreled flintlock muskets. These would have been about as tall or even taller than a man! Smaller arms where sometimes carried, but considered inferior. As for pikes, it seems they never used them. I have come across some period art depicting Buccaneers using pikes but none of these where eyewitness images so where probably just assumptions based on the picture of European warfare at the time.

  Another thing to consider is that while Buccaneers did in sometimes form in typical rank and file fashion under certain commanders, most notably Henry Morgan in Panama, this was not typical. Buccaneers preferred to fight from cover and would fire with individually aimed shots (they were good shots!) firing in small volleys to keep up a constant fire to deter the Spanish from charging them. The Spanish seemed to often get the better of Buccaneers in close quarters! 

I can't recommend enough the books The Sea Rovers Practice & The Buccaneers Realm, both by Benerson Little. They both give the best descriptions of the tactics, weapons and appearance of the Buccaneers that I have seen anywhere.

 

[maxxon]

The boarding pike is really a spear, maybe 8ft long.

They were stored on deck where one could be quickly grabbed in case of a boarding action, i.e. not personal equipment.

[axabrax]

So the Blood and Plunder figs are basically Buccaneers? Or which figs in the range would. Work for them?

[El Frantico]

So the Blood and Plunder figs are basically Buccaneers? Or which figs in the range would. Work for them?

Yes, the current set of Blood and Plunder is set around 1660-1690, and are designed to represent English and French Buccaneers.

 There is no minis line that I'm aware of that does proper Buccaneer part from our line. If you wanted to use other minis though, foundry would be he closest.

[Leigh Metford]

I do recall reading somewhere that 17th century troops sometimes wore socks turned down boot-fashion, so the dragoons could be used; it's just a matter of painting the upper portion of their boots to look like socks, and if you want to render the effect more convincing, maybe scribing in a shoe/sock demarcating line with a knife beforehand.

I've been viewing some of your B & P videos, El Frantico, and being mainly in short coats, most of those figures really do look like ECW musketeers with flintlocks.

In light of Mr Little's tactical revelations I might have to rethink the basing for my buccaneer forces. I'd planned to base them in multiples in two ranks like the Spanish, but if they fought mostly as skirmishers single basing might be better (at least under the rules I'm intending to use at this point: 'Pike and Shotte').