Where to set a campaign involving Turkish Pirates and the British Navy?

[Furt]

I have decided on fielding (or floating) a Turkish Privateer crew from Eureka and a friend is keen on the Royal Navy. My question is where would be the best place and time to set our fictional campaign (we aren't strict historians when it comes to gaming). My first choice would be the Barbary Coast of course, but I have been thinking perhaps Madagascar (maybe a little too late) could fit as well. It would be cool to have the option of fitting more traditional cut-throats in as well somewhere.

[argsilverson]

Since Ottoman Empire occupied the Arab peninsula an option would be to base them in Aden / Yemen and the british either in India (or french, too) or East Africa. India is an obvious choice , I don't think that English have established at this time in East Africa. Time 1750 onwards.

But as you said we are not strict historians.

[Poliorketes]

I'd vote the mediterranean or north of Cabo Verde as I don't think the turks had a large fleet in the indian ocean (or the red sea), there being more native arabs doing the raiding and trading. historically, the british have had their quarrels with the turks in the western med. like every other seafaring nation.

[swiftnick]

I am sure Britain owned Tangiers at some point.
Sounds like a good basis for some games

[Furt]

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangiers

The city (Tangiers) was held by the Portuguese from 1471-1661. In 1661 it was given to Charles II of England as part of the dowry from the Portuguese Infanta Catherine of Braganza. The English gave the city a garrison and a charter which made it equal to English towns. The English planned to improve the harbour by building a mole. With an improved harbour the town would have played the same role that Gibraltar later played in British naval strategy. The mole cost £340,000 and reached 1436 feet long, before being blown up during the evacuation.

Very interesting swiftnick - I was wondering about English occupation in the area - Thanks.

[fastolfrus]

What period figures are you looking at ?
The Turks would look much the same from 1700-1800, but RN (and more noticeably the marines) from 1750 would look quite different to 1800s.

I would possibly opt for perhaps late Napoleonic (RN & marines readily available) and an Eastern Med/Aegean/Ionian setting.

You could consider adding a few French figures to extend operations to raids on Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, or some Greeks (and Lord Byron) for the Greek War of Independence.

[Furt]

We would probably prefer something in the late 1600's to early 1700's - still within the "Golden Age" of piracy! We only require a remotely historical setting - something that is believable and has some element of truth.

[carlos marighela]

Bit outside your time period but the Royal Navy was very active fighting pirates in the Gulf region in the 19th C anywhere from Yemen round to the straits of Hormuz and down teh coast towards India. I'd say the costumes of the pirates would pass muster and Foundry do some nice mid century RN sailors in their Indian Mutiny range.

Apart from that if you are locked into the 17th/ early 18th C then really Tangier is about it. There wasn't much of a British presence in the Indian ocean or it's littorals, save a few EIC factories prior to the mid 18th C

"I don't think the turks had a large fleet in the indian ocean (or the red sea)"

Sufficently large to give the Portuguese a seriously hard time in the 16th and 17th Cs around Hormuz.

Seriously nice figures the Eureka Turkish pirates. If you haven't already you must treat yourself to the giant mortar and do find some way to incorporate the harem set they make.

[Furt]

I live in Australia so the Eureka Turkish pirates were an affordable must. The mortar is very cool and when I have painted my crew will get it - and as you say fit it in somewhere. I am using a boy from their Indian Bizarre range as my cabin boy (LotHS privateers) and some other civilian figures will play other roles nicely.

I think Tangier is looking the likely setting. Moroccan style architecture inhabited by the British will have an exotic feel and the need for only one style of building! I guess it opens up a whole range of nationalities as prey as well - French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian etc. Now if only I knew who the British were currently at war with? 

[Poiter50]

Some of those Foundry RN sailors are here (Item # 200224649579) on Ebay, auction finishes in just over one day. Very reliable seller, good postage, I have bought heaps of DA & Pirate stuff from him.

A note on the problem that England had with the Algerian/ Tunisian Pirates, they even paid them NOT to attack their own ships. This next bit is direct from Wikipedia, Turkish Pirates such as Barbarossa had been attacking western nations shipping for centuries.

"From 1609 to 1616, England lost 466 merchant ships to Barbary pirates. In the 19th century, Barbary pirates would capture ships and enslave the crew. Latterly American ships were attacked. During this period, the pirates forged affiliations with Caribbean powers, paying a "license tax" in exchange for safe harbor of their vessels.[9] One American slave reported that the Algerians had enslaved 130 American seamen in the Mediterranean and Atlantic from 1785 to 1793. Isolated cases of piracy occurred on the Rif coast of Morocco even at the beginning of the 20th century, but the pirate communities which could only live by plunder vanished with the French conquest of Algiers in 1830."

An enormous area for Swashbuckling, albeit with Muslim Pirates!! 

[fastolfrus]

The only drawback I would see for early Turks in the Med would be a lack of RN opponents.
OK there's Tangiers, but pre 1704 and the RN don't even have Gibraltar.
If it's Barbary corsairs and generic arab types rather than actual Turks that makes life a little easier, as corsairs even raided the English channel (albeit at a time when there wasn't much of an RN).

1600-1700 I'd probably opt for Spanish, French or Italian (perhaps Venetian) opponents, maybe even Maltese (a Knights Hospitaler crewed warship could be interesting). 1700-1750 probably Spanish or French.

[argsilverson]

On 1804 (if memory serves well) the americans launched an amphibious attack against the corsairs of Tripoli. They recruited some greeks who were left overs or survivors of the Coptic Legion to increase their numbers.

As far as it concerns the Indian Ocean setting: Maybe the corsairs there were Arabs. But the whole territory was under Ottoman (turk) occupation and so there is excuse to use the available figures.

Ah by the way, you may add also Dutch crews and vessels!

[Furt]

If it's Barbary corsairs and generic arab types rather than actual Turks that makes life a little easier

I only called them "Turks" because thats the Eureka name for them and wanted to avoid the term Barbary so as not to limit the discussion. I intend to mix Berbarish (that is surely not a word?) Arab types in as well to give it that look. I think our best bet is a hypothetical campaign involving a British held Tangiers and the incursions of the Barbary corsairs on said Royal subjects.

Who is Britain at war with around the 1660's? 

maybe even Maltese (a Knights Hospitaler crewed warship could be interesting)

As I am of Maltese heritage this was my very first option - but decided it was a little too early time period (around Lepanto - 1571 I think?) - and tackling a galleas at this stage was a little out of my skill. But this period would be so cool to play in with the Maltese well represented by the Order of Malta (Hospitallers). If I complete sufficient enough ships to have a good pirate campaign and finish my Turkish/Barbary crew I intend to attempt a galleas/war galley and crew her with Spanish looking Maltese Knights!

[Vanvlak]

maybe even Maltese (a Knights Hospitaler crewed warship could be interesting)

As I am of Maltese heritage this was my very first option - but decided it was a little too early time period (around Lepanto - 1571 I think?) - and tackling a galleas at this stage was a little out of my skill. But this period would be so cool to play in with the Maltese well represented by the Order of Malta (Hospitallers). If I complete sufficient enough ships to have a good pirate campaign and finish my Turkish/Barbary crew I intend to attempt a galleas/war galley and crew who with Spanish looking Maltese Knights!

I KNEW the user name looked suspicious! So I'm not the only one around - although in my case I still live here. 
The Knights had useful ships right up to 1797, and a series of plates showing naval actions include at least one in 1732, showing the capture of an Ottoman rear admiral (and his ship) captured by the knight de Chambray.

I refrained from mentioning Malta and the Knights as I figured the RN were an important part of the equation, but the Kinghts should make a nice change, and the 1700s saw the use of more modern vessels, so you can avoid the galleys and galleases (although in my pinion the rigging of at least the former is simpler than that of the later vessels!)
I was myself thinking of doing something similar, and using a 1600s or maybe even 1500s setting, but (a) have no storage space for ships and (b) have not yet found suitable models and (c) am not really trying to, as I really have too many different projects in hand. Although I'm tempted to go the 15mm way as I already have Ottoman and Venetian troops (and the ships would be smaller too).

[fastolfrus]

Who is Britain at war with around the 1660's? 

maybe even Maltese (a Knights Hospitaler crewed warship could be interesting)

1660 is an interesting sort of date for Britain.

1652-54 you have the first Dutch War, 1654-1660 an Anglo-Spanish war, but you also have occasional fights between the Commonwealth Republic and exiled Royalists (1658 you get an Anglo-French army fighting against an Anglo-Spanish one at Dunkirk)

http://www.btinternet.com/~david.manley/naval/formline/dwflob.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Dunes_%281658%29

The monarchy was restored in 1660, but in 1665 you get another Dutch War, and then in 1688 you get the Glorious Revolution (where a new Dutch ruler took the English throne almost unopposed) and a war against France....
So your Brits can fight against Dutch, Spanish, French, other Brits, and can ally with Dutch and French depending on date.

Are you sure the Maltese option might not be easier ?
You could even name your warship the "Falcon" :~}