ideas for pirate land action

[summsi]

Hi,

I want to know, if pirates or privateers also attacked Forts or Towns/Villages at the indian or west african coast? I know buccaneers did in the caribbean, but I am interested in the golden age of piracy 1690-1720.



 

[Plynkes]

In 1722 Black Bart (the Great Pirate Roberts) raided Whydah (in modern day Benin), sailing into the harbour and capturing eleven slave ships (then ransoming them back to their owners). But there was no fighting. He sailed in with black flags flying, and the ships all struck (there really is very little actual fighting in the histories of the Pirates of the Golden Age). He also raided ports in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, but that is a bit outside the scope of your question.

[FifteensAway]

Summsi,

As a died-in-the-wool historical gamer I've come to understand our best friend is just make it up as we go along.  Use your imagination and come up with whatever scenario you want.  Almost every word written about pirates from this era stems from a single source and it only goes so far.  It's up to use to go farther.  Take what you've got on hand and make a game of it.  At least, that's my way forward.

FifteensAway Casting Off

[Puuka]

Summsi,

As a died-in-the-wool historical gamer I've come to understand our best friend is just make it up as we go along.  Use your imagination and come up with whatever scenario you want.  Almost every word written about pirates from this era stems from a single source and it only goes so far.  It's up to use to go farther.  Take what you've got on hand and make a game of it.  At least, that's my way forward.

FifteensAway Casting Off

Don't forget Henry Morgans attack on Porto Bello
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan#Attack_on_Porto_Bello

[warrenpeace]

Hmm, I personally think of the 1640 to 1680 period as the "Golden Age of Piracy," with the 1690's as an Indian Ocean interlude after the pirates had been driven out of the Carribean, and the 1715 to 1725 period as a post script, even though the pirates from that last period are among the most well known.

But, to answer the question, I don't know of European pirate attacks on land in the Indian Ocean.  The Portuguese are certainly a potential target, but I believe their fortresses in the Indian Ocean were probably very strong, as they had to hold them against the Arabs and Persians.  The numerous Arab, Persian, and Indian towns along the coasts of the Indian Ocean might offer several potential targets that would not be too heavilly defended for a European pirate raid.  I've played a coastal raid by pirates on a black African village, a slave raid, but that didn't go well for the pirates.

[DAWGIE]

 DO "historical research" by watching movies, reading pulp stories, paperbacks,  and actually borrowing events from real historical events  from  the days of those pesky NORSE raiders, medieval wars,  and etc from around the world.


then YOU use them to design the kind of scenarios that YOU  want to play with, and forward march to the tabletop.


DAWGIE a very ancient, field improvisation scenario designer for many genres . . .

[summsi]

of course I can use my imagination and game what I want, but anyhow I am interested, if land action happend or not.

maybe pirates didn't attack forts or towns but privateers should, e.g. war of spanish succession, nine years war...

does nobody know any action?

[traveller]

I have a good one for you, based on some research I did:

The Swedish Africa Company (Below referred to as SAC)

1. Timeline


1647   Louis de Geer sends a ship to West-Africa which returns with gold and ivory after succesful slave trading.

1649   Queen Kristina give permission (and money in return for a handsome share of the profit) to form the Swedish Africa Company. Among the shareholders are Louis de Geer and Ebba Brahe(cousin of Per Brahe).

1650   Hendrik Carlof, who just got fired from the Dutch West-India Company, is appointed as commander for a new expedition consisting of the two ships Kärleken and Christina bound for West-Africa. During the trip to Africa Kärleken is captured by Dutch privateers
.
1650, April 22   Christina arrives at Cabo Corso on the Gold Coast. A treaty is signed with king Bredawa of Futu, which grants SAC land together with a trade monopoly. In return the king receives gifts together with rent for the land. SAC forces consists of Carlof with eight men, some hired locals and 200 slaves. The English representative is sent away and replaced by SAC. Both the Dutch and the British claim ownership of the land granted to SAC. The SAC force is besieged by the Dutch. British privateers capture three SAC ships on their way to Africa. As Sweden is allied to Holland in Europe. The Dutch/English are forced to return the ships. The siege is raised with the help of Futu troops. A fortified trading post is built at Butri.

1652   SAC starts to build the Vasa castle Carolusburg. Thick walls and seven guns shall keep the Dutch out of the way. Fortified trading posts are built at Anambe and Osu

1652-1654   10 ships return from Africa with more than 800 kg gold and 20 000 kg ivory, spices and sugar. Only a few hundred slaves are traded (compared to Denmarks over 100 000). A fortified trading post is built at Takoradi (1653).

1654   The Swedish Crown is now main owner of SAC. The Dutch are biding their time. When Carlof leave for Sweden, the new SAC Commander Isaac Mivilla is murdered by Dutch assasins.

1655   Fortified trading posts are built at Jumoree and Cape Apollonia.   

1656   The Dutch captures the trading post at Butri.

1657   Carlof is suspected of embezzlement and illegal trade in competition with SAC. The new trading posts reduces his profits. Although he is now raised to nobility, with a coat-of-arms with a the head of a negro together with three flying-fishes, he is dissatisfied and leaves Cabo Corso. When war breaks out between Sweden and Denmark, Carlof is commissioned as a Danish privateer to capture Cabo Corso. He equips the ship Glückstadt in Amsterdam crewed by Danish and Dutch sailors/pirates and set sail to Cabo Corso.

1658, January 25   Jumoree is captured by Carlof

1658, Jan/Feb   Carlofs ship sails to Axim where he is reinforced by 49 native warriors in 4 canoes. Carolusborg is captured together with the ship Stockholms Slott and the Swedish commander Krusenstierna and his small force is captured together with 184 kg gold, 4 ton of ivory and 160 slaves.Takoradi, Anemabo and Osu are also captured by the Danish pirates.

1658, March   The two Swedish ships Johannesburg and de Liefde attack Anemabo, but are defeated by Futu-troops and a Dutch ship

1658, May   The peace treaty at Roskilde is signed and Cabo Corso is returned to Sweden.

1662   The Futu king dies and fighting break out between Danish, Dutch and Swedish interests. The Futu nobility seeing the trade reduced, assault Carolusborg and sell it to the Dutch.

1663   The British capture Carolusborg and keep it until the independence of Ghana in 1957.
 
2. The capture of Cabo Corso 1658

2.1 Swedish Garrison at Cabo Corso

Johan Philip Krusenstierna   Commander
Hans Neumann      Kommis
Jan Christiansen Canter   Kommis
Samuel Forsman   Underkommis
Carl Julius      Assistant
Sigmund Jeunich   Fiscal
Cristopher Noorden   Book-keeper
Peter Hansson Wendelin   Artillerysergeant
NN      Artillerycorporal
Lars Esbjörnsson   Soldier
Paul Nilsson Quist   Soldier
Gylick Olofsson   Tailor
Abraham Heintzel   ?
Samuel Smitt      ?
Johan Cornelsen   ?
Lorents Tijste      ?
Around 200 Company slaves (A smaller part lived inside the fort and the rest outside)
The ship Stockholms Slott
7 Cannon (2 x 8lb, 2 x 6lb, 2 x 3lb and 1 x 2lb)

Jumoree
4 men
Company slaves
Cannon

Takoradi (Fort Johannesburg – Timber fort)
4 men
Company slaves
Cannon

Anambe (Stone fort)
4 men
Company slaves
Cannon

Osu
4 men

Butri
Joost Cramer      Vicekommendant
NN      Överkommis   
NN      Assistant
NN      Carpenter   
18 slaves


2.2 Danish forces

Commander Hendrik Carlof
The ship Glückstadt
Danish sailors/pirates
46 native warriors with 4 canoes
Swedish Company slaves (pressed into Danish service)

[summsi]

that list is really impressive, but I fear it is too early for my minis, cause some of them wear tricorns and so are out of time.

[traveller]

The coolest tricorn period pirate stuff I have seen/read, although fiction, is the Treasure Island story. The fight for the stockade is pretty cool:

[Barbe Rouge]

Just for fun, there is Takara-jima.
"There is also a mention of Kidd attacking one of the Japanese islands of the Tokara archipelago, south of Kagoshima. It is the most southern island, named Takarajima, which translates literally as "Treasure Island". The legend says that the pirates requested food and cattle from the inhabitants of the island. Their offer was refused and so 23 of the pirates landed and burned the inhabitants alive in a lime cave. Afterwards, Kidd hid his treasure in one of the caves, never coming back for it due to his execution in England." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kidd

Pirates vs Japanese, put a small samurai garrison or a visiting official with its retinue...

[HerbyF]

European pirates established a base on Madegascar after taking a coastal town.

[Will Bailie]

Cartagena was sacked multiple times, including a 2-month occupation by the Baron de Pointis (technically he was a privateer, although I doubt the distinction mattered to the people of Cartagena).  That was in 1697, so fits with your timeframe.

Maracaibo and Trujillo in Venezuela were also on the receiving end of pirate visits, although a bit earlier (1667 for Francois l'Ollonnais and 1669 for Henry Morgan's attack against Maracaibo, 1678 for Michel de Grammont's raid on Trujillo).