The material presented here is my original creation, intended
for use with the GURPS system
from Steve Jackson Games. This material
is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.
GURPS is
a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved
by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games
online
policy.
CHARACTERS
Advantages, Disadvantages and Skills
Advantages
Independent Command (20 - (Rank x 2) points)
Player is the highest ranking or most senior officer of a detached unit
commensurate with his rank, according to the following table:
| Admiral |
Fleet |
| Commodore |
Squadron |
| Post Captain (Snr) |
Ship of the Line or small squadron |
| Post Captain |
Frigate |
| Master & Commander |
Sloop |
| Lieutenant |
Cutter or prize |
| Midshipman |
Temporary prize only |
Independent commands are fairly rare for anyone below Commodore in European
waters. Post Captains are more likely to have an independent command in
Caribbean or Indian waters. For a midshipman to be given a prize to sail
home, his captain would need to be running very short on officers.
Status
Status levels vary wildly according to country. One constant is the low
status afforded to women.Women have an effective status one or two levels
below that of an equivalent man.
| 8 |
Pope, Emperor. Except in England and other protestant countries |
| 7 |
King, President |
| 6 |
Duke, Governor |
| 5 |
Earl, Congressman |
| 4 |
Baron, Mayor, Judge |
| 3 |
Knight , Baronet, Sheriff |
| 2 |
Minor noble, Deputy |
| 1 |
Merchant class. |
| 0 |
Commoner. |
| -1 |
Servant. A free man, but with no real property |
| -2 |
Criminal, non-white freedman |
| -3 |
Slave. Slavery was in the process of being outlawed at this time, but was still common
in many countries, including the US. |
Rank
The Royal Navy around the start of the nineteenth century had an incredibly
complex structure, with control split between the Lords of the Admiralty
and the Naval Board.
The Naval board was the administrative arm of the Navy, having successfully
held the power granted to them by Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. They
have the duty of provisioning and maintaining the Navy.
The Lords Admiralty (usually shortened to the Admiralty) have the strategic
control of the Navy, reporting to Parliament and ultimately, the crown.
There are three main classes of sailors: Commissioned Officers, Warrant
Officers, and Ratings.
Commissioned officers join the Navy as a Midshipman or Ship's boy, depending
on their age, and progress through lieutenant, master & commander (m&c),
post captain to admiral. The rank of commodore, between post captain and
admiral, is a temporary rank only, assigned to post captains for a particular
tour of duty. The commodore must be senior to any other post captains in
the squadron, but the Admiralty have been known to tailor squadrons to
allow a relatively junior but promising captain to take command.
The step from midshipman to lieutenant is almost guaranteed eventually,
unless the midshipman has no ability or desire to learn.
Moving from lietenant to m&c is much more difficult, mostly based
upon seniority. Lieutenants will often memorize the list of names senior
to them, and are always eager to hear when the list above them shortens,
hopefully not by death. ambitious lieutenants have only one goal: to be
noticed favourably by the Admiralty, the only short-cut available to m&c.
Reaching the rank of master & commander is usuallys a character's
first taste of command. Although some small vessels are commanded by lower
ranks, these tenders and cutters rarely offer chances for advancement,
and are more likely to be filled by aging lieutenants being shuffled out
of the way to allow more ambitious men to take up first lieut. positions
in larger ships.
Master & commander is the final winnowing rank, where characters
get their chance to prove themselves in a command role. Successful commanders
will be promoted to Post rank when a ship is available, but poor performance
can leave a character relegated to eternal courier work, or worse, relegated
to half pay forever.
Once Post rank is reached, a character is on easy street. They have
only to live long enough, and they will end up an admiral, being able to
retire on an admiral's far more generous half pay, after building up wealth
from an admiral's share of prize monies.
Warrant officers are appointed by the Naval board, rather than the Admiralty,
and have no avenue for promotion. They purchase a warrant to hold their
position, are paid a salary, and recieve a share of any prize monies. Some
warrant officers are paid wages for the actual work they perform, in addition
to a small regular salary. E.g. a ship's surgeon may be paid a certain
amount for each amputation, wound stitched or bullet removed.
Commisioned and Warrant Officers are considered to be gentleman. When
the ships crew is mustered, they stand aft of the mainmast, whilst the
ratings assemble forward of the mainmast. The worst punishment for an officer
is to be "sent forward", having their comission or warrant stripped from
them. They are unlikely to receive favourable treatment amongst the crew,
and are unused to the harshness of the common man's life.
Ratings are ranked by the Captain's authority, and can be changed at
his whim. Up to Able Seaman ratings are ranked strictly according to age
or skills. Young boys who "run away to sea" are rated as second or third
class boys, according to their age. By the time they reach 18, they will
likely be ranked immediaely as ordinary or able seamen, since they have
had the chance to quite literally "learn the ropes".
Adult volunteers or pressed men who have not had prior experience are
rated as "Landsmen", and are mostly used in positions where they have easily-directed
tasks under the close supervision of a Petty Officer. Good captains try
very hard to have as few landsmen as possible in their crew, and will spend
many hours exercising and training their crews to reduce the number.
Being a Lansdman or a rated Boy is considered a disadvantage, because
these characters are at the very bottom of a very smelly and violent heap.
Landsmen are usually "encouraged" to get on with their task by the use
of a Bosun's Mate's "starter", a short length of knotted rope. Volunteering
to join the navy or army is one of the few ways to escape criminal charges,
however, and points gained by taking on this disadvantage can be used to
immediately buy off an "on the run" disadvantage.
The captain has the authority to promote able seamen to petty officer
grade, whether as bo'sun's mates, coxswain, boatswain, cook, steward or
whatever. Actual rank of petty officers depends largely on the size and
characteristics of the ship. The larger the ship, the more rank 3 petty
officers there will be. The GM should set ranks for various ratings as
circumstances dictate.
Particularly intelligent and applied ratings may be given temporary
warrants if positions need to be filled due to casualties or disease, and
captains may sometimes recommend an exceptional petty officer for promotion
to Warrant officer or very rarely to Lieutenant
| Level |
Rank |
Courtesy Title |
Confers |
Prerequisites |
Rank attained by |
| 8 |
Admiral |
Admiral |
Status 3 |
As Commodore |
Seniority |
| 7 |
Commodore |
Commodore |
Status 3 |
Leadership 15+, as M&C |
Seniority, Admiralty favour |
| 6 |
Post Captain (Snr) |
Captain |
Status 2 |
As Post Captain |
Seniority |
| 5 |
Post Captain |
Captain |
Status 2 |
Leadership 14+, as M&C |
Admiralty favour, Seniority |
| 4 |
Master & Commander |
Captain |
Status 2 |
Ship Handling 13+, Leadership 13+, as Lieutenant |
Admiralty favour, Seniority |
| 3 |
Lieutenant |
Lieutenant (Mr) |
|
Status 1+, Ship Handling 10+, Leadership 8+, Gunner 8+, Black Powder
Weapons 8+, Boating 8+ |
Seniority, Admiralty favour, Captain (temp) |
| 3 |
Warrant Officer |
Mr |
Status 1 |
One of:
Clerical Investment, Ship Handling 13+, Surgeon 13+, Carpentry 13+,
Bookkeeping 13+ |
Naval Board, Captain |
| 3 |
Petty Officer |
|
|
Leadership 13+ |
Captain |
| 2 |
Midshipman |
Mr |
|
Status 1+, Age 15+ |
Purchase |
| 2 |
Warrant Officer |
Mr |
|
One of:
Ship Handling 10+, Surgeon 10+, Carpentry 10+ |
Naval Board, Captain |
| 2 |
Petty Officer |
|
|
Leadership 10+, or
Leadership 9+ and Boating 10+, or one of:
Cooking 10+, Protocol: Naval Servant 8+ |
Captain |
| 1 |
Ship’s boy |
Mr |
|
Status 1+, Age -15 |
Purchase |
| 1 |
Able Seaman |
|
|
Boating 8+, Black Powder Weapons 8+, Gunner 8+, Seamanship 8+ |
Captain |
| 0 |
Ordinary Seaman |
|
|
Any relevant skill 8+ |
Captain |
| -1 |
Landsman |
|
|
Age 18+ |
Volunteer, Press |
| -2 |
Second Class boy |
|
|
Age 15-18 |
Volunteer, Press |
| -3 |
Third Class boy |
|
|
Age +15 |
Volunteer |
Disadvantages
Duty
Characters in the Military at this time either have a constant, dangerous
duty, are on half pay with an infrequent, dangerous duty, or have one of
the relatively rare desk jobs, giving a most-of-the-time, low risk duty
with small chances for promotion or profit.
Sense of Duty
Honour is a very strong principle in this time, and many charcters will
have a Sense of Duty:Honour disadvantage. Very successful military commanders
will often have a Sense of Duty:to Men
Half Pay (Disadvantage, 10 - Rank points)
Only Lieutenants and higher can take this disadvantage. The officer has
no current commission, and is therefore land-bound and receiving only half
his normal pay. Gaining a commission gets harder and harder the longer
an officer remains on half pay. An officer on half pay can roll once per
month to attempt to gain a comission, rolling against IQ-(years on half
pay), plus or minus reaction modifiers for the Admiralty.
Desk Job (Disadvantage, 5 - Rank points)
Only warrant and commissioned officer ranks can take this disadvantage.
The officer has a land-based desk job, entailing little risk of danger,
promotion or sudden windfall payments. Wounded officers often take a desk
job due to reduced capabilities, like a One Leg or One Arm disadvantage.
Getting back to active duty gets harder and harder the longer an officer
remains in a desk job, although it is not as bad as being on half pay.
An officer with a desk job can roll once per month to attempt to be put
(back) on active duty, rolling against Leadership-(years on desk job, max
5), plus or minus reaction modifiers for the Admiralty. Note that a Desk
Job for an Admiral is actually a small advantage, since it usually entails
a position in the Admiralty itself.
On the Run (Disadvantage, 5 points)
You have commited, or been framed with, a crime, and the forces of law
and order are out to get you. If recognised by a law enforcement officer
of the nation the crime was commited in, they will attempt to arrest you,
which will lead to imprisonment and likely transportation to a penal colony.
Don't look to the legal system for help unless you have plenty of Wealth
and at least a bit of Status. This disadvantage assumes no particular notoriety
and should be combined with a Secret or Fame disadvantage.
Skills
Languages
Members of the upper classes (Status 2 and above) are often instructed
in other languages as part of their regular education. Also, officer characters
who spend some time as prisoners of war have the opportunity to pick up
the language of their captors, if they have a good ear.
Ratings rarely have the opportunity to learn more than their native
language, although there are always the exceptions, like those who have
given up their status and wealth to escape the law. Also, some pressed
men may be from a different country, so their native language may not be
that of the service they find themselves in. The British Navy and Army,
for instance, had many men from Ireland, who may speak Gaelic natively
as well as English
THE NAVAL CAMPAIGN
It can be difficult to run a campaign where the characters are members
of a strict heirarchy, and there are a couple of different ways to handle
it, depending on the players you have. Of course, any campaign involving
war-time conflicts in this period is generally best played in Heroic fashion.
A Realistic campaign is too likely to see characters being regularly slaughtered.
England Versus the World
Close to Home
North Sea
The Channel
The Mediterranean
Gibralter
Malta
The Two Sicilies
Spain
Colonial War
The West Indies
The East Indies
Canada and Greenland
Officers, Marines and Jolly
Jack Tars
Typical crew breakdown for a 30-gun Frigate (a fifth rate ship of war)
would be:
1 Captain (Junior Post Captain)
3 Lieutenants
5 Midshipman
4 Warrant Officers (Rank 3) - Ship's Master, Surgeon, Chaplain, Purser
3 Standing Officers (Warrant Officers, Rank 2) - Carpenter, Gunner,
Boatswain
9 Warrant Officers (Rank 2, but junior to Standing Officers - Surgeon's
Mate, Master's Mate, Armourer, Caulker, Sailmaker, Ropemaker, 2 Ship's
Cooks, Master-at-Arms
8 Petty Officers (Rank 3) - 3 Bosun's Mates, 2 Quartermasters, 2 Gunners
Mates, Coxswain
34 Petty Officers (Rank 2) - 2 Quartermasters Mates, 8 QuarterGunners,
5 Carpenter's Mates, Corporal-at-Arms, 2 Coopers, Steward, 4 'Captains
of the tops', 2 'Captains of the Waists', 2 'Captains of the fo'c'sle',
2 'Captains of the afterguard', 2 'Yeoman of the sheets', 3 'Yeoman of
the Stores'
30 Able Seamen
50 Ordinary Seamen
30 Lansdmen
Assorted Boys
<check these figures>
Life on a Ship of War
Punishment
Women on Board
Shore Leave
The Articles of War
Sample PCs
Captain Richard Nagle - Recently promoted
to Post Captain from Master and Commander, Captain Richard Nagle is fairly
young for his rank, but has proved himself in battle.
Major Personalities
Historical
-
Horatio Nelson
-
Sir John Jervis, Lord St Vincent
-
Lord Collingwood
-
Villeneuve
Fictional:
The quintessential hero of the age of sail. Forester's Hornblower is somewhat
modelled on Horation Nelson, but without the unpleasant attributes. Hornblower
is an extremely intelligent and capable naval officer, who is constantly
racked by self-doubt. He is so afraid of appearing weak before his men
that he pushes himself to extremes of bravery and endurance
-
Nathaniel Drinkwater
-
Jack Aubrey & Stephen Maturin
Jack Aubrey, scion of the Navy, teams up with his "particular friend" Stephen
Maturin in these rollicking sea-tales. Aubrey is a naval genius who gets
somewhat lost in the murkiy tidewaters of politics and finance, while natural
philosopher Maturin, blissfully ignorant of naval protocol and sensibilities,
manages to be one of the best intelligence agents the British have, although
his personal loyalty is to his dream of a free Catalonia.
THE ARMY CAMPAIGN
All armies in Napoleonic times had a fairly standard structure. The regiment
is the basic unit from which divisions and armies are built. A regiment
is commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel, and usually consists of four companies.
When paraded in battle line, the regiment on the right hand side would
be the Grenadier company. Next would be the 1st and 2nd Regimental companies,
and on the left, the Light company. The largest and strongest soldiers
went into the Grenadiers, while the 1st Regt. company would generally be
stronger men than the 2nd company. The Light company, if a Regiment's training
is done properly, gets the most intelligent men. The light company are
often sent out of the line of battle to act as snipers and/or harrass the
enemy before the main clash, and need to have some autonomy.
Napoleon
Bonaparte, artillery officer to Emporer to prisoner
The Peninsular War
Morgan's Light Division
Greenjackets - The 60th and 95th Rifles
Galicia
Wellington - the undefeated general
Portugal
Wellington landed with a small force on the coast of Portugal and immediately
engaged a French army marching south towards Lisbon. Wellington's small
force managed to drive back the French before Wellington's commanding officer
could come ashore and take command.
Scorched earth policy during retreat to the lines of Torres Vedras,
leaving the French army to starve while hiding behind an impregnable defence.
Spain
After driving the French from Portugal, Wellington captured both of the
fortresses guarding major passes, Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz, then sruck
East towards Madrid, defeated the French at Vitoria, then pushed them back
over the mountainous border
Invasion of France
Bridge of boats, San Sebastian? Toulouse
Waterloo
Napoleon's return, Prussians?, Quatre Bras, Waterloo
Major Personalities
Historical
Napoleon Bonaparte
Sir Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington
Fictional
Richard Sharpe
Sharpe manages to be present in almost all of Wellington's great battles,
and many of the small ones. Sharpe starts out as a private in the 33rd
Foot, but has a burning ambition, and wrangles a sergeant's stripes before
saving Wellington's life and being promoted to ensign. Transferred to the
95th Rifles, Sharpe is held down for a time before seing action in the
Peninsular War, where he will eventually rise to the rank of Lt Colonel.
Wellington is known for disliking men who rose from the ranks (a very rare
occurence), but recognises Sharpe as a useful tool. "If I had a hundred
men like him, I could win this war in no time".
BACKGROUND
Historical Overview
The Bourbons, France & Spain
Revolution: Liberté, Equalité, Ftraternité
Act of Union
Anglo-American War 1812-1814
Religion
Catholicism vs Protestantism
Methodists
Chronologies
France - from Monarchy to Republic to Empire and back to Monarchy.
1789 - French Revolution
1789 - Paris mob storms Bastille
1789 - Abolition of French feudal system
1789 - Declaration of the Rights of Man
1790 - Louis XVI accepts constitution
1791 - Louis XVI, caught trying to leave Paris with his family, is
returned to Paris
1791 - Massacre of Champs de Mars, Paris
1791 - French National Assembly dissolves
1792 - French Republic proclaimed
1792 - France declares war on Austria, Prussia and Sardinia
1793 - Louis XVI executed
1793 - Committee of Public Safety established with Danton as its head,
Reign of Terror begins (French Republic)
1793 - Robespierre & St Just join Committee of Public Safety
1793 - Roman Catholicism banned in France
1793 - Queen Marie Antoinette executed
1793 - Philippe Egalité, Duke of Orleans, executed
1793 - Bonaparte takes Toulon
1793 - First coalition against France formed
1793 - Holy Roman Empire declares war on France
1793 - Fr troops driven out of Germany
1794 - Danton and Desmoulins executed, followed by mass executions
1794 - "Feast of Supreme Being" in Paris
1794 - Commune of Paris abolished
1794 - Robespierre & St Just executed
1794 - Jacobin club closed
1795 - Bread riots and White Terror in Paris
1795 - Third Fr constitution enacted, vesting power in the Directory
1795 - Bonaparte appointed Commander in Chief, Italy
1795 - Luxembourg capitulates to Fr
1795 - French troops occupy Mannheim & Belgium; Austria signs Armistice
with France
1796 - Bonaparte marries Josephine de Beauharnais; assumes command
in Italy
1796 - Bonaparte defeats Austrians at Lodi; enters Milan
1796 - Bonaparte establishes Lombard republic and Cispadane republic;
defeats Austrians at Arcol
1796 - Francois Babeuf in plot to restore constitution of 1793
1799 - Bonaparte made First Consul of new Republic
180? - Bonaparte crowned Emporer Napoleon
1814 - Restoration of Bourbon Monarchy
England - a Nation at War
1788 - George III's first attack of mental illness
1789 - George III recovers
1789 - Austrian Netherlands declare independance as Belgium
1790 - William Pitt (British PM) refuses to recognise Belgian independance
1796 - Spain signs agreement with France, declares war on Britain
1797 - Jervis defeats Spanish fleet at Cape St Vincent, thanks to Nelson's
disregard of orders
1797 - Nelson made Admiral
1797 - Naval mutiny at Spithead & Nore
1798 - Nelson destroys French fleet at Aboukir Bay "Battle of the Nile"
1798 - French capture Matla
1802 - Peace of Amiens
1803 - France declares war on Britain
1804 - Spain declares war on Britain
1805 - Battle of Trafalger: Destruction of most of Spanish and French
fleets, Death of Nelson
1807 - France invades Portugal
1808 - Spain joins war against France
1809 - Battles of Oporto and Talavera, Sir Arthur Wellesley is made
Duke of Wellington
1811 - George III lapses into final bout of mental illness, never to
recover.
1811 - Prince of Wales appointed Regent
1811 - Battles of Fuentes de Oñoro and Albuera
1812 - British troops enter Madrid
1813 - Battles of Vitoria, San Sebastion. British invasion of France
1814 - Napoleon surrenders, Battle of Toulouse? held before news is
recieved. Napoleon banished to Elba
1815 - Napoleon returns, gathers Imperial Guard and new troops, captures
Paris and moves on British Troops in Belgium
1815 - Battle of Quartre Bras, British retreat.
1815 - Wellington with main British force meets Napoleon at Waterloo.
Napoleon defeated, banished to St Helena
America
1788 - US Constitution comes into force
1791 - US Bill of Rights ratified
1791 - Canada Constitutional Act divides Canada into two provinces,
Upper and Lower Canada.
1794 - US Navy established
1812 - United States declares war on Britain
1814 - British bypass American forces to attack Washington by sailing
up tjhe Potomac River. Congreve's rockets used to good effect.
1814 - Treaty of Ghent ends Anglo-American War
1818 - Border betrween US & Canada agreed on.
Glossary
Crapauds - English term for French soldiers
Goddams - French term for English soldiers
Lobsterbacks - English marines
SAILING SHIPS
Much of the information from GURPS Shwashbuckler is relevent here, I will
only add information that diverges from those rules.
System of 'Rating'
| Rating |
Name |
Number of Guns |
Number of Decks |
Rank of Commaning Officer |
| Unrated |
Pinnace, Sloop, etc |
up to 20 |
1 |
Master & Commander or below |
| 6th |
Frigate |
20 - 30 |
1 |
Post Captain |
| 5th |
Frigate |
30 - 44 |
1 |
Post Captain |
| 4th |
Ship of the Line |
44 - 64 |
2 |
senior Post Captain |
| 3rd |
Ship of the Line |
64 - 80 |
2 |
senior Post Captain |
| 2nd |
Ship of the Line |
80 - 90 |
3 |
senior Post Captain |
| 1st |
Ship of the Line |
90 or more |
3 |
senior Post Captain |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I need to gather the details of the books I have referenced here.
Ernle Bradford, Nelson: the essential hero, 1977
A.J. Pack, Nelson's Blood: the story of naval rum, 1982
C Northcote Parkinson, Brittania Rules: the classic age of naval
history 1793-1815, 1977
Steve Pope, Hornblower's Navy, 1998 *** (Don't be fooled, theis
is an excellent book of well researched information about the reality of
the Navy in this period)
Magnus Magnusson, Ed. Chambers Biographical Disctionary, 1990
* (Excellent starting point for any historical research, though lacking
in details)
Bernard Gran, The Timetables of History, 1991 * (Good for a general
overview of major events to put things in the correct order)
The Sharpe Chronicles
Further Reading
For adventure ideas in this time period, I recommend and read the following:
C.S. Forester: Horatio Hornblower books
The Young Hornblower (Omnibus: Mr Midshipman Hornblower, Lietenant
Hornblower, Hornblower and the 'Hotspur'), Hornblower and the Crisis,
Captain Hornblower, R.N. (Omnibus: Hornblower and the Atropos, The
Happy Return, A Ship of the Line), Admiral Hornblower (Omnibus:
Flying
Colours, The Commodore, Lord Hornblower, Hornblower in the West Indies)
Patrick O'Brian: Aubrey-Maturin books
Master & Commander, Post Captain, HMS Surprise, The Mauritius Command,
Desolation Island, The Fortune of War, The Surgeon's Mate, The Ionian Mission,
Treason's Harbour, The Far Side of the World, The Reverse of the Medal,
The Letter of Marque, The Thirteen-Gun Salute, The Nutmeg of Consolation,
Clarissa Oakes, The Wine-Dark Sea, The Commodore, The Admiral
Richard Woodman: Nathaniel Drinkwater books
An Eye of the Fleet, A King's Cutter, A Brig of War, The Bomb Vessel,
The Corvette, 1805, Baltic Mission, In Distant Waters, Under False Colours,
The Flying Squadron, Beneath the Aurora, The Shadow of the Eagle, The Darkening
Sea, Endangered Species, Waterfront, Under Sail
Bernard Cornwell: Richard Sharpe books
Sharpe's Tiger, Sharpe's Triumph, Sharpe's Fortress, Sharpe's Trafalger,
Sharpe's Rifles, Sharpe's Eagle, Sharpe's Gold, Sharpe's Battle, Sharpe's
Sword, Sharpe's Company, Sharpe's Enemy, Sharpe's Honour, Sharpe's Regiment,
Sharpe's Siege, Sharpe's Revenge, Sharpe's Waterloo, Sharpe's Devil
, Napoleon's Sons,