Hot Off the Presses...

EXTRA, EXTRA!!

According to the German Space: 1889 website, Raum 1889, we can expect a Kickstarter, sometime in 2015, for a new version of Sky Galleons!

The reported plan is to release both German and English versions of the rules (at the same time) in a boxed set with both Martian and British ship models in the box (so it sounds similar to the original, GDW version, of Sky Galleons of Mars).

The post also mentions that the rules will be based on the classic game, but a "big" update will be introduced as well. This is excellent news, and look forward to future developments on the project!

Look up in the Sky!

NEW VARIANT RULES FOR SKY GALLEONS OF MARS

Players of GDW's Sky Galleons of Mars aerial combat game who feel they have mastered the game might want to consider using the following supplemental rules to cover situations not anticipated by the original game.

NEW MOVEMENT RULES

HMS Aphid vs. Hullcutter, by James Colton McGonigle, ©1988 

These rules are intended to add some uncertainty to the tactics of the game, and thereby simulate the often unpredictable nature of high-altitude battles.

Screw Galley Sprints: A player commanding a Martian Screw Galley may elect to have his ship's turncranks do a "sprint" during one movement phase. To perform a sprint, the player rolls a die and divides the result in half (rounding all fractions down). The resulting number is the additional number of movement points gained by the ship for this turn. The next turn, the ship may only use half its normal movement points (round down). A ship can only sprint once per scenario.

Boiler Overloads: British players can attempt a similar technique using a steam flyer's boilers. At the start of his movement, the player declares he is overloading the boiler, rolls a die and consults the following table:

Boiler Overload Table

1:	Boiler Explodes (see Critical Hit table).
2:	Boiler Damage; speed reduced by 1. (as with Boiler hit damage result, this speed reduction only lasts one turn)
3:	No Effect.
4:	Add 1 movement point.
5:	Add 2 movement points.
6:	Add 3 movement points.

(A player may use this option as often as he likes.)

Updrafts and Downdrafts: Winds do not only blow horizontally; there are often powerful currents of air pushing a ship up or down. This can sometimes be useful, other times devastating. At the start of each ships movement, roll a die. If the result is 6, then that ship has encountered an updraft or a downdraft. Roll again and consult the following table:

Draft Table

1:	Strong downdraft. Roll a 1 or 2 to avoid losing one altitude level.
2-3:	Downdraft. Roll a 1-4 to avoid losing one level.
4-5:	Updraft. Roll a 1-4 to avoid climbing one level.
6:	Strong updraft. Roll a 1 or 2 to avoid losing one altitude level.

When rolling to avoid changing altitude, Kites always add 1 to the die roll. A player may always elect not to roll; this means changing altitude without the expenditure of movement points. Note that each ship may also climb or descend to counter the effects of wind currents - unless the trim gear or engines are out of order.

High Martian flying parties and English marines aboard Throckmorton Conveyers will also be affected by updrafts and downdrafts. Because they are smaller, they are more vulnerable to the wind. Roll normally to see if flying parties encounter updrafts or downdrafts, but they are automatically affected if those winds exist. On a 1-3, the winds blow the fliers up one altitude level; on a 4-6, the winds blow the fliers down one level. Fliers blown into the ground roll one die for each individual in the party - on a 1 or 2 the individual survives. Any Throckmorton Conveyers blown into the ground are automatically damaged and cannot be used even if the passenger survives. No flying parties or conveyers may be lifted above Very High altitude.

NEW COMBAT RULES

Martian Pole Mines: The Pole Mine is a new device, created by Oenotrian shipbuilders desperate to overcome the superior British vessels. It is nothing more than a standard Drogue Torpedo mounted on a long pole in front of the vessel. The vessel makes its attack as if intending to ram the target vessel, but the impact triggers the pole mine before the ships collide. A Pole Mine does damage to the target like a Tether Mine or Drogue Torpedo. The attacking ship suffers no damage, but after the mine detonates, the attacker must roll normally to avoid colliding with the target ship. As with other ram attacks, the target may attempt to evade a Pole Mine.

The Pole Mine is intended to be mounted on small, fast screw galleys, analogous to the torpedo boats of Earth's oceans. Only a single Pole Mine can be mounted on a vessel, and once triggered, it is gone. Weight: 1 ton; cost £25; Crew: none.

High Martian Sabotage Parties: High Martian flying parties can perform other jobs besides simply boarding enemy ships. One flying party in a given scenario can be designated by the High Martian player as a specially-trained Sabotage Party. The Sabotage Party can attack the rigging of kites, the propellers of screw galleys and steam flyers, and the rudders of any craft.

The party must be in the same hex as the target when attacking, and and the player must state what component is being attacked. He then rolls a die. On a 6 the party does one die worth of damage to that component. If the crew quality of the High Martian is Crack, then the sabotage party does damage on a 5 or a 6.

Mutiny: High Martian screw galleys use slaves as turncranks. Under certain circumstances, these slaves may to revolt and take control of the ship. Each turn, before the Movement Phase, the High Martian player rolls a die for each screw galley under his command, and adds the following modifiers to the roll:

Mutiny Table Modifiers

+1	for each enemy boarding party aboard;
+1	for each Critical Hit the ship has suffered;
+1	if the High Martian ships are outnumbered;
-1	for each High Martian officer aboard;
-1	if the enemy is outnumbered;
-1	if the ship is on fire.

The player then consults the following table:

Mutiny Table

1-7:	No effect.
8-10:	Turncranks refuse to crank. The ship has no movement Points this turn. Roll again normally next turn.
11+:	Turncranks rebel. They are organized into Boarding Parties of 10 men each, under the control of the enemy player.

Each group of 10 can inflict 1 die of casualties on the officers and gunners, following usual combat rules. Once all High Martian on board have been defeated, the rebel-controlled ship will attempt to leave the map. The revolt can be put down by the High Martian player if half the rebelling turncranks are killed, or if the enemy in the battle is defeated. If the rebellion has been put down on a High Martian ship, then there will be no more mutinies aboard that vessel during the battle.

Note that the High Martian player need not begin rolling until his ships have started suffering casualties. These rules could also be used to determine the behavior of captured merchant ships controlled by privateers but crewed by prisoners.

Notes: These rules can create some interesting tactical situations. For example, the Sprint rules mean that even relatively slow Martian screw galleys have a chance of closing with faster British steam ships, to board or ram. The wind rules make scenarios amid the mountains especially tricky. Pole Mines are a way for small ships to do significant damage, and are cheap enough for any ship to mount. The High Martian rules are particularly appropriate in more role-playing-oriented scenarios, such as the Great Raid, or in a Sky Galleons campaign game (inspiring the slaves on a High Martian screw galley to revolt would look marvelous in the pages of the London Times ).

About the Author

James L. Cambias is Chief Game Architect at Zygote Games. Jim began writing games in 1990, and worked for Game Designers' Workshop, Steve Jackson Games, HERO Games, and Iron Crown Enterprises before joining Zygote. He is also the author of the SF novel A Darkling Sea, and the forthcoming Corsair (Tor Books, Spring 2015)

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by James Cambias, ©1991. This article originally appeared in issue #10 of The Game Oracle. It is used here with the permission of the author.

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Martian Thunder Jugs

A heavy thunder jug on a naval mount.

The Martians, like eighteenth century Earthmen, developed short smoothbore cannon that fire heavy shot for their weight. These cannon can throw their projectile only a short distance, but it arrives with shattering impact. On Earth these weapons gained fame as "carronades." On Mars they are known as "thunder jugs."

Thunder jugs have never enjoyed the widespread acceptance of their terrestrial counterparts . Short cannons can never match the range, accuracy or penetrating power of their longer bored cousins. At most ranges they are inferior to them. if however a ship armed with long guns can be lured into carronade range, the short guns will quickly decimate it. Light-weight weapons mean more bangs for the ton, with more hits. Since each hit has the same chance of causing damage, the more hits the better. The average damage value (DV) per ton of weapons and rate of fire per DV are also higher with thunder jugs, giving a ship armed with a larger number (but identical weight) of them the ability to batter a long-gunned opponent to splinters.

The light thunder jug behind a bulkhead.

Short cannons appeal most to armed ships whose primary business is not warmaking. The small crew sizes and simplicity of operation of thunder jugs means that a merchant skipper can hire less crew and waste less time in training. This, coupled with their range and penetrating power limitations, have meant that historically that thunder jugs have most often been met with aboard armed merchant kites that are interested in defense. Most kites mount but a few jugs. However, some Warm Winds-class ships have been seen with up to ten of the heavy thunder jugs on each broadside. The small size of the weapons also make them easy to conceal. More than one pirate has been obliterated by a hail of carronade shot as it came alongside what it thought was easy prey. To players this will mean that a Martian merchant kite will be able to carry impressive short range fire power, enough to fend off machine gun armed European privateers. The next encounter your players have with a Warm Winds out of Crocea might be more bloody than anticipated. A broadside of grapeshot from a battery of thunder jugs is enough to make even the heartiest of Red Captains consider a safer occupation.

Martian Thunder Jugs

Weapon	Wt	Pen	Dv	ROF	Crew	Rng	Cost
Light	10	0/0	2	1	1	0/1	200
Heavy	20	1/0	3	1	2	1/2	400

About the Author

Terry Sofian describes himself as a generalist in a world of specialists. He has worked as a genetic engineer, in disaster preparedness and homeland security management, and in health, safety and environmental compliance for hospitals, nuclear waste cleanup sites and numerous industry clients. He has had a novella, Blackwater Ghosts, published in Weird Tales and several non-fiction pieces in The Coast Artillery Journal and Warship International. His current projects include the Steampunk/Victorian Science Fiction setting of Stars of Empire, also known as Hive, Queen and Country. Using Black Pigeon Press' incredibly adaptable Hacktastic game engine allows players to adventure in an altered Victorian era, facing threats from both Earth and Off-World. He lives in the Midwest with his amazing wife Shannon and has an extremely bright daughter Kelly.

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by Terry Sofian, ©1993; this article originally appeared in Transactions of the Royal Martian Geographical Society, Vol. 1, No. 7. It is used here with the author's permission.

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Ships of the Line

Swift Class Aerial Monitor (200 tons)

click image to download a PDF version.

The Swift gunboats are an experimental attempt to increase safety for British shipping in the Oenotrian border regions, especially near the foothills of the Shistomik Mountain range. While it bears a resemblance to the slightly smaller Aphid class, it learns from the lessons taught by previous Martian experience. It has the same armor, allowing it to ignore the effects of the smaller Martian cloudship guns, but in addition, it also armors all its guns, including its complement of four Nordenfelts. This was done to protect the relatively small crew complement from damage that the ship would otherwise ignore. Aphids have a poor reputation for crew safety, sometimes limping home in good condition, but with decimated crews, the open gun mounts making them easy prey to hostile fire. The Swift also uses the new forced draught steam engines, which allow it sufficient speed to evade almost all ramming attempts, as well as being able to pursue and overtake all known vessels in the colonies. Three Hale rocket batteries provide short range firepower, and the 3" HRC's, while small, have a high rate of fire, and are sufficient to wreak havoc on the poorly protected Martian vessels which the Swift was designed to combat.

Critics of the Swift complain that it does not have enough long range weaponry, and its altitude limitations render it vulnerable to attacks by the Martian Fire so common on larger vessels. Also, since it has only one Marine observer, it is especially vulnerable to being boarded. These criticisms are largely ignored at this point, since it is not designed to assault the crag keeps of the High Martians, and its batteries of Nordenfelts should be sufficient to discourage all but the most suicidal of boarding parties. Also, if this should become a problem, the Hale batteries can be easily dismounted, which would provide sufficient room for a temporary complement of six more Marines, quite enough for a vessel of this size.

Impenetrable Class Aerial Monitor (1000 tons)

click image to download a PDF version.

The Impenetrable is largest vessel currently under construction at the Syrtis Major shipyards. While not the largest vessel in Martian use, she will be the most heavily armored. In fact, the armor plating of the hull is too complex for the limited facilities on Mars, and the vessel is being shipped piece by piece from Birmingham, and assembled on site. As expected, this is a very costly undertaking, and the Foreign Office has drawn considerable fire from the liberal press for this "escalation of warlike tendencies" and "waste of money". The official rationale for the Impenetrable is that a vessel impervious to Martian weapons will prove the futility of native resistance, and once and for all stop the insurrections and piracy on British shipping that are now a major problem. Indeed, only the heaviest of Martian weapons can penetrate the hide of this vessel, while her complement of weapons is sufficient to destroy many Martian vessels in a single broadside. While not the awesome guns of water-bound ironclads, they are able to penetrate the armor of any foreign naval vessel currently in use. It is exactly these qualities which makes it such a destabilizing influence. Many fear that a vessel impenetrable by Martian weapons will drive the rebellious factions into the arms of some other nation which can supply them with heavier weapons, leading eventually to all-out warfare.

Critics of the design note its lack of heavy armament, altitude restrictions, and small complement of marines, all necessary sacrifices to achieve the extraordinary level of armor on the vessel. To its credit, it has a normal 20 day steaming range, a highly respectable top speed, and sufficient staying power to survive battles against more heavily armed opponents.

On the current construction schedule, observers note that it will be approximately 18 months before the Impenetrable can be launched, not counting delays due to public sentiment, economics, or potential problems with demagnetizing such a large mass of metal to avoid premature liftwood deterioration.

Swiftwing Courier (83 tons) - Screw galley

click image to download a PDF version.

Oenotrian factions battling the British are hampered not only by the tenacity of the Colonial army, but also by the age and tradition of their race. Unable or unwilling to change to more modern technologies, they require vastly superior numbers in any sort of military engagement, and still take frightful losses on occasion. However, not all Martians are hidebound by the ancient traditions, and some very few are learning lessons from colonial forces. Some of the first signs of this are shown in the Swiftwing, a ship built solely for high speed transport of cargo or important persons. Some seventy-five percent of the vessel is taken up with slave turncranks, giving the Swiftwing an extraordinary burst speed of 25 knots. This is also partially due to improvements in their airscrews, the design appearing a direct copy of the latest British vessels. The sole armament of the Swiftwing is a stern mounted sweeper, although up to 5 marines or an important personage and their bodyguards can also be carried.

Swiftwings are currently being used as scouts and transports, and sightings have preceded attacks on at least two occasions. While not quite as fast as some British vessels, superior knowledge of terrain and local sympathy have allowed almost all Swiftwings to escape capture by colonial forces. The only one that has been captured so far was also equipped with facilities for mounting a mast and sails, a feature which would greatly extend its cruising range and long-term speed, but expert analysis indicates that the extra weight of rigging would mandate a reduction of the extra crew, removal of the stern gun, or a sacrifice of maximum altitude.

Cleansing Wind (400 tons) - Screw galley

click image to download a PDF version.

The Cleansing Wind is another disturbing development of cloudship design, showing that more and more, new ideas are gaining acceptance in the traditional quarters of the Martian military. Others claim it is a sign of covert foreign support, but cooler heads say it seems unlikely the Oenotrian forces are desperate enough to join one set of "Red Devils" to repel another. The expert opinion at this time is that the design is an independent pirate vessel, but there is no proof one way or the other. Both the name and the style of this new ship have caused concern in diplomatic and military circles, although as yet, only one example has been seen.

The Cleansing Wind has almost abandoned the traditional screw galley design and armament in favor of a more modern outlook, and at range can be mistaken for a British vessel. Whether this is by design, or just simple plagiarism has yet to be determined. It does not mount any of the heavy rod or lob guns usually found on the larger screw galleys, and is not equipped with that most traditional of Martian weapons, the ram. Instead, it mounts three heavy guns, two lights and four sweepers, along with a single rack of the deadly Martian Fire. All these weapons are effective against the lighter of Her Majesty's ships, and especially so against civilian shipping. For a Martian vessel, it is singularly well armed, in quantity if not quality, and with a top speed measured at 20 knots, able to maintain distance from most heavy vessels, and close with the relatively slow merchants it may encounter. The size of the vessel is also disturbing. It is not a large vessel in Martian terms, and is seems very likely it was designed to accompany larger vessels or operate with large groups of similar sized ships.

The only sighting of this vessel to date was from H.M.S. Bellerophon, an Aphid class gunboat operating out of Srytis Major. The Cleansing Wind was encountered on a routine patrol, and refused to heave to. After an inconclusive engagement, both vessels turned and delivered point-blank broadsides. Bellerophon, crippled by a magazine explosion, made it home only by jettisoning her coal reserves, while the Cleansing Wind was unable to pursue due to heavy screw damage. However, it was seen to leave the area under its own power before Bellerophon disappeared from sight, and is presumed to be fully repaired by this time.

Scenario - Surprise Encounter

HMS Warrior, a Swift class monitor, was engaged in towing home HMS Firefly, an Aphid class gunboat which had been damaged in a scuffle in the Shistomik lowlands, when they encountered two Oenotrian vessels searching for prey. In hostile territory, with one crippled vessel, Her Majesty's ships decide to flee to friendly territory rather than get into a protracted engagement.

The Martian vessels, surprised by the appearance of the British vessels, nonetheless seized the opportunity, and attempted to cripple or destroy the Red Devils without taking any losses themselves.

Setup - Martians get the Cleansing Wind and a Small Bird screw galley, which they set up anywhere in the three hexes between the crags on the mountain map. One vessel is allowed per hex, and both must be facing along that row of hexes. Cleansing Wind has Canal Martian marines, armed with muskets. Initial altitude is High.

British start with the Warrior, and an Aphid class gunboat. Warrior starts in the hex with "1889" in it, facing NW, and Firefly is in the hex immediately behind it. Initial altitude is Medium. Firefly may start the game towed, in which case the vessels move at speed 4, or may be cut loose, in which case they move separately. The tow line may be cut at the start of any British movement, but the Firefly does not get to move at all on that turn.

Special Rules - Firefly has been damaged. The 1 pound HRC and Nordenfelt on the starboard side have been destroyed, and their crews killed. Mark them off. In addition, she is missing one deck crew, one engine crew, and three hull boxes. Due to engine damage, Firefly can only move intermittently. Each turn, right before British movement, roll 1d6. This is the number of MP the Firefly has for that turn. Initially, Warrior may assign some of her crew complement to Firefly, in which case these crew are subtracted from those on the Warrior. If either ship is forced to lose altitude due to damage, the stress will immediately sever the tow line, leaving Firefly immobilized for a turn.

Victory Conditions - Martians get 2 VP for each British ship destroyed or grounded, and 1 VP for each ship de-crewed or de-weaponed. British get 2 VP for each Martian ship destroyed or grounded, and 1 VP for each ship de-crewed or de-weaponed. In addition, the British get 1 VP per ship for exiting Warrior or Firefly off any edge of the NW map quadrant at an average speed greater than any Martian pursuit, at the instant the ship leaves the map. The base average speed of the Firefly is 3.5MP.

Optional Rule - Ballast dumping. British ships may, in an emergency, dump 90% of their coal reserves through chutes in the bottom of the hull. This reduces their cruising range to six strategic hexes, but lightens the ship enough to offset liftwood loss, temporarily erasing the last row of hull damage. This is announced at the start of movement, occurs during combat, and takes effect at the start of the next movement. It is only done when a crash is the inevitable result of severe damage. It also acts as an anti-personnel weapon, doing 1d6-3 "P" hits to anyone beneath the deluge of fist-sized coals, with additional minuses to the roll based on range, as per Martian Fire rules, and +1 per 2 hull sizes (round down) of the jettisoning vessel. Martian screw galleys can do much the same, jettisoning food, water, and dead turncrank slaves, but only get half (round up) a row of hull boxes, and their range is reduced to 4 hexes. This does not do damage to vessels below them. Kites may jettison cargo, gaining half a row of hull boxes for each twenty percent of their loaded mass they discard. Martian jettisoning requires at least one crew per 2 hull sizes to jettison the extra weight in one turn. Otherwise, it takes proportionately longer (round up).

Strategy - Both sides are hampered by altitude limits, and the rocky crags hamper visibility as well as movement. Of the numerous Martian guns, only the heavy and rogue guns can hurt the Warrior, while the Aphid is also vulnerable to these, and especially vulnerable to antipersonnel weapons with her reduced crew. However, the Cleansing Wind should not present her bow to either British ship at any time. Although all three heavy guns can fire into the bow arc, they are the only guns that can do so, and any gun hits will always take out a big gun. The Small Bird is capable of inflicting heavy damage with its rogue gun, and this should be used on the Firefly first, at close range. Already damaged, three hits of any type are likely to be crippling.

The best British course is probably to split up. While in theory, the average speed of Firefly is reduced, the average fleet maneuverability is increased, and Warrior can now take full advantage of her top speed. With starboard guns damaged, the Firefly's best broadside potential is only realized if a course is charted due north, skirting the crags and then going west, while Warrior, with its superior speed, is best served by going west, then north. All in all, the north-then-west option allows a fast exit, while still being able to take advantage of crag cover. The high rate of fire of all the Warrior's guns and rockets is murderous on both the unarmored Martian vessels, but the temptation to deliver a point-blank broadside should be tempered with the knowledge that one good roll from the Martian Fire can utterly destroy either British ship. The British can do a sacrifice play by destroying the Small Bird, and then exiting the Warrior (leaving the Aphid to its fate), but this is a marginal victory, and not very sporting. Likewise, the Martians can destroy the Firefly, and then attempt to exit the map for a victory, but would likely be pursued unless the Warrior was immobilized.

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by Greg Porter, ©1991. This article originally appeared in issues #7 and #8 of The Game Oracle. It is used here with the permission of the author.

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Fire and Movement Variants

Phased Movement & Defenisve Fire Rules for Space: 1889 Aerial Combat

A common complaint about Sky Galleons of Mars has been that with sequential movement it is difficult, if not impossible, to have anything like a fair or balanced game. To that end, a proposal to divide movement into phases is laid out, herein. During each phase of a turn, every ship expends a number of movement points depending on its set speed for the turn (editors note: initiative determination is handled normally). Additionally, at the end of each phase, each ship should be allowed to fire its guns, assuming that the gun fired has a target within its arc of fire, and within its range, AND the gun has not already reached its maximum rate of fire (ROF) for the turn.

Basically, any gun that hasn't fired yet, may shoot. For guns with a ROF more than 1, they can fire up to their rate of fire for the whole turn. OR, they can fire part of their allowed ROF and save some for later.

As an example, a 6pdr Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon (HRC) has an ROF of 3. If the HRC has a target in its firing arc at the end of phase one; it could fire 1, 2, or 3 rounds. If the gun fires 1 round, then it has 2 rounds left for the remaining two phases, assuming it has a target within its firing arc during the following phases. IF it fires 2 rounds, then it has 1 round left to use. IF it fires all three (max ROF) then it cannot fire for the remainder of the turn.

Defensive Fire: May take place at the end of any phase in which a ship was fired upon; assuming the defending vessel still has weapons with which to return fire, and the enemy vessel that fired upon them is within the firing arc, and range, of those weapons.

Naturally, these variants entail a little more bookkeeping for the players, however they should prove less cumbersome than trying to graft, and execute, a plotting and simultaneous move system onto Sky Galleons of Mars. In the end, initiative will still rule the day, but these modifications should provide some measure of balance for all players.

As with any rules, these variants are not written in stone. They are simply meant as guidelines, and the reader is free to modify them to suit their personal tastes.

Speed	Phase 1	Phase 2	Phase 3
0:	0	0	0
1:	0	1	0
2:	1	0	1
3:	1	1	1
4:	1	2	1
5:	2	1	2
6:	2	2	2
7:	2	3	2
8:	3	2	3
9:	3	3	3
10:	3	4	3
11:	4	3	4
12:	4	4	4

Higher speeds, if needed, can be extrapolated by continuing the linear progression of the chart. The author, and the editor, welcome your comments, questions, and short speeches about these variants in the space below...—the editor.

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by Albert Lowe ©2001; this variant originally appeared on Mr. Lowe's Space: 1889 website, and it is used here with his permission.

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Sky Galleons of...Venus?!

Dirigible Battles Using the Sky Galleons of Mars Rules.

On Venus the imperial powers have begun using dirigibles, and colonial ambitions inevitably create conflict. Dirigible battles can be fought using Sky Galleons of Mars, with a few minor changes.

AIRSHIP DESIGN

The rules for hydrogen dirigible design given in Ironclads and Ether Flyers are somewhat unrealistic, as the airships created are all vastly bigger than anything Victorian technology could produce. A 200-ton airship of Hull Size 2 would be the size of the giant dirigibles of the 1930s, and a 1000-ton Zeppelin would be three times the size of the Hindenburg! The following rules allow the creation of more realistic airships.

Italian dirigible RA Umberto displaying its distinct "kite" tail.

Hull Size: When designing a gas-filled dirigible, choose the Hull Size normally. Each Hull Size number represents a gas bag volume of about 300,000 cubic feet. Most airships weigh only 10 tons per Hull Size number, instead of the 100 tons possible for liftwood flyers. Non-rigid airships can be built up to Hull Size 2; larger than that they must be rigid. Rigid airships are an invention, requiring a Flight knowledge of 10, with a Reliability modifier of 2. At present, only the Zeppelin company has the secret of building rigids. They can be constructed up to Hull Size 10. Giant Airships are another invention, requiring Flight knowledge of 20, with a Reliability modifier of 3. Giant Airships can be built up to Hull Size 20. Finally, Super Airships require a Flight Knowledge of 30 to create, with a Reliability modifier of 4. Super Airships can be as big as Hull Size 30. All dirigibles cost £5,000 per hull size number. Rams may not be used, and airships cannot be armored.

Engines: Propulsion follows the Sky Galleons rules, but petrol-burning forced-draught boilers or turbine engines are favored.In determining engine size it is useful to employ fractional hull sizes. A 15-ton dirigible would count as hull size 1 1/2, and consequently would need an engine of size 1 1/2 to drive it at speed 6. Fuel consumption should also be worked out to fractional values. Airships often have much smaller cruising ranges than liftwood vessels, with only a few days' fuel on board.

Weapons: Armament follows the standard rules, but use only half the listed weight for all gun mounts (dirigibles don't have large magazines, and everything on board is specially modified for lightness). Liftwood devices such as Tether Mines or Smutts Torpedoes are not available on Venus, but can be mounted on airships in use on Earth or Mars. Drogue Torpedoes and Spike Droppers may be used normally. Incendiary devices are out of the question.

Other Features: Additional crew or passengers require 1 ton each. Since airships tend to have cramped accommodations, the designer must add features like a galley, promenade or lounge (1 ton each).

AIRSHIP COMBAT

There are few differences between airship combat and the Sky Galleons rules. Because a gas bag is so easily punctured, all shells pass through the envelope without detonating, so all Hull hits inflict only 1 point of damage. Fires automatically destroy hydrogen airships. If one catches at Low or Very Low altitude, the crew may try to ride the flaming wreckage to a safe landing. Each crewman who rolls a 6 on one die survives; the remainder perish.

The damage rules for targets at different altitudes are reversed for airships, since the bulk of the hull is above the crew compartment - the reverse of the usual arrangement for liftwood flyers. If one fires at a dirigible at a lower altitude, then all Crew hits count as Hull hits. If one fires at a target which is at a higher altitude, then all hits are resolved normally on the damage table.

AIRSHIPS IN USE ON VENUS

German Zeppelin Gunboat: Though flimsy compared with gunboats on Mars and Earth, the Zeppelin is a veritable battleship on Venus. The armament is chiefly for use against dinosaurs and Lizard-men. The German air fleet on Venus includes four such vessels, the L ("Luftschiff")-16, L-19, L-20, and L-24.

The gunboat is a hydrogen-filled rigid Zeppelin of Hull Size 4, with an oil-fired forced-draught engine of size 2.7 and a 4-day petrol supply. The ship is armed with a 3-pounder Hotchkiss forward, a pair of 5-barrel Nordenfelts in wing mounts, and a Maxim gun astern. It has space for 3 passengers and carries a ton of cargo. The Zeppelin costs £26,570. It has a speed of 4, and can reach Very High altitude. If the ship carries fuel for an additional 5 days of flight (or 7 tons of cargo), its maximum altitude is High. At medium altitude it can haul another weeks worth of fuel or 11 more tons of cargo.

Italian Dirigible: The Italians have pioneered the semi-rigid dirigible, of which this is a good example. It has a rigid keel along the base of the gasbag, to which the engines and gondola are attached. It is a multipurpose patrol craft, not a warship. There is currently one such ship on Venus, the RA ("Regia Aeronave") Umberto.

The RA Umberto is a hydrogen-lift airship with a Hull Size of 2. It has an oil-fired forced-draught engine (ES=1) and 3.5 tons of fuel (enough for 7 days). It is armed with two wing-mount 50-caliber Gatlings and a Gardner gun forward. It has space for 5 passengers. The ship can reach Very High altitude, has a Speed of 3, and costs £19,330. With an additional 3.5 tons of cargo or week's fuel it is limited to High altitude, and carrying 5 tons more of cargo or petrol it can reach Medium.

An Italian patrol blimp over Venus.

Italian Patrol Blimp: This smaller craft is a non-rigid blimp; it is cheap and fast. The Italians presently operate two blimps, the RA Roma and the RA Venezia.

The blimp is Hull Size 1, with a total weight of 8 tons.It has an oil-fired turbine engine and carries 2 tons of oil   (burning1/2 ton per day). The blimp mounts a pair of Gardner guns. It can carry 3 passengers at Very High altitude, adding 2 tons of cargo or fuel at High, and another 2.5 tons of payload at Medium. The patrol blimp has a Speed of 6, and costs £9,160.

British Royal Navy Airship: The British have had difficulty translating their expertise in liftwood flyer design to dirigibles. This blimp is essentially a copy of an Italian design, but with heavier armament. The British have three blimps in their colony, the NA.3 ("Naval Airship"), NA.5, and NA.6.

The blimp is Hull Size 1, weighing 8 tons. It has an oil-fired steam turbine engine with 2 tons of fuel, giving it a 4-day endurance. Armament consists of a single 1-inch Gatling gun forward, and three Maxim guns in wing and stern mounts. Maximum altitude is Very High, but the blimp can carry no cargo at that height. Speed is 6; cost is £9,520.

Russian Post Stamp depicting an Army Blimp.

Russian Army Blimp: The Russian blimp sacrifices speed and altitude for armament and carrying capacity. It can transport a squad of soldiers to a trouble spot and provide fire support, or carry vital cargo. The Russians currently have two blimps, the Alexander and the St. Petersburg.The Russian blimp is of Hull Size 2. It has an oil-fired forced-draught engine of size 1, and 4.5 tons of fuel (enough for 9 days' cruising). The armament consists of a single Mitrailleuse mounted forward. The blimp has space for 8 passengers, and at Medium altitude can carry 5 tons of cargo. It can reach High altitude, and has a top speed of 3. Cost: £12,220.

SCENARIO 1: LINES ON A MAP

In the spring of 1888, the Zeppelin L-19 was sent to survey the Venusian Alps northwest of the Italian colony. The Italian governor got word of the mission, and feared that the Germans were trying to secure a colonial claim in Italian territory. The newly-completed Umberto and a patrol blimp were sent to chase away the L-19 and protect Italy's rights to the area.

Rules: Use the mountain map from Sky Galleons of Mars. The contour lines mark the different altitude levels. The Germans start at any height in the center of the map; and the Italians enter from one side at any altitude.

Victory: The Italians win if the German ship is destroyed or forced to leave the map. The Germans win if they withstand the Italian attack.

SCENARIO 2: HEARTS AND MINDS

In August 1889, Russian and Italian blimps were sent to establish relations with the coastal tribes north of the Hestia Highlands. Both states hoped to overawe the natives with their flying ships. The two blimps arrived with in a week of each other, and the captains began shooting at one another shortly there after.

Rules: Each side gets one blimp. The desert map is used, ignoring surface features. The two ships enter from opposite sides of the map at any altitude.

Victory: The victor must destroy his enemy and still be able to return home. To return home, an airship must have a working screw and rudder, and must be able to reach low altitude.

click to download a copy of the blimp charts

SCENARIO 3: VICTORY AT SEA

William Sigerson, a British spy in the Italian colony, was discovered and had to flee. With the help of sympathetic Lizard-men, he reached the coast and sailed toward British territory. Sigerson was pursued by the Umberto. In mid-ocean however, a British blimp arrived just as the Italians began to attack the raft.

Rules: The British get a blimp, the Italians get the Umberto. Either map is used, ignoring surface features. A marker in the center of the map represents the raft which moves one hex toward the right hand edge each turn. The Italians start within 4 hexes of the raft at Medium or higher altitude; the British enter one side of the map at any altitude.

Victory: The British win if they can finish one turn at ground altitude on the raft (and pick up Sigerson) and leave the map, or else destroy the Umberto. The Italians win if they sink the raft before Sigerson is rescued, or destroy the blimp. To sink the raft, the Italians must score a total of 30 hits on it.

SCENARIO 4: A SCIENTIFIC DEBATE

The feud between Kaptanleutnant Freitag of the L-19 and Lieutenant MacRoss of the NA.5 began because both were amateur naturalists. MacRoss repeatedly beat Freitag into publication with descriptions of Venusian flora and fauna. Freitag claimed plagiarism. When the L-19 encountered the NA.5 over German territory, Freitag decided to end the feud once and for all.

Rules: Use the desert map. The contour lines mark different altitude levels. The British get a blimp; the Germans get a Zeppelin. The NA.5 begins at any altitude in the center of the map; the L-19 enters at Very High from the right hand edge. The German player automatically gets the initiative on the first turn.

Victory: The British player must escape off the left-hand edge of the map, or destroy the L-19. The German player wins if the captain of the NA.5 is killed.

About the Author

James L. Cambias is Chief Game Architect at Zygote Games. Jim began writing games in 1990, and worked for Game Designers' Workshop, Steve Jackson Games, HERO Games, and Iron Crown Enterprises before joining Zygote. He is also the author of the SF novel A Darkling Sea, and the forthcoming Corsair (Tor Books, Spring 2015)

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by James Cambias, ©1993; the article appeared in Transactions of the Royal Martian Geographical Society, Vol. 1, No. 6. It has been updated, and is used here with the author's permission.

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Surprise at Clearwater

Red Captain Ronald Whitfield is a source of constant irritation to the Oenotrian Empire.

Ever since Ronald Whitfield first became a Red Captain, he and his kite, the Cloud Leopard, has been a source of constant irritation to the merchants of the Oenotrian Empire. To date, the Cloud Leopard has captured a dozen prizes, all Oenotrian, and caused great damage to the sky fleets of the empire. As well, Whitfield's old first mate, Andrew Phillips, soon became a Red Captain in his own right, commanding the Sky Lynx, a small screw galley refitted with a steam engine. By working together, the two Red Captains have been able to defeat more dangerous opponents than ever before.

Before the arrival of the humans on Mars, Martian culture had reached a point of stagnation in which innovation had nearly died out. In the years before the onset of this stagnation, Martian engineers developed a number of interesting and innovative weapons, which have never entered common usage for one reason or another. Two of these items are listed below. Thunderbolt Quick-firing Light Gun The thunderbolt is a variation on the theme of Earth's 15th century Veuglaire, which uses a removable firing chamber. This removable canister allows the Thunderbolt to have a longer barrel than standard light guns, since the weapon need not be muzzle-loaded. The canister is held in place by one or more wedges in primitive models. After firing, the crew loosens and removes the expended cartridge, replaces it with a loaded one, and tightens it in place. This means of loading raises the gun's rate of fire somewhat, although three gunners are required to crew the weapon. The canister must be loaded with powder and shot in conventional fashion, but a number can be prepared ahead of time, at leisure, ensuring a better measured charge than is possible in the heat of battle. The increased rate of fire is achieved at a loss of range, however, because the seal at the breach is usually poor (due to corrosive effects of Martian gunpowder), and considerable pressure is lost, with consequent reduction in range. Despite this, Thunderbolts are still popular with some captains. Thunderbolt Table Weapon Wt Pen Dv ROF Crew Rng Cost Thunderbolt 30 0 1 2 3 1/2 600

click image to download the PDF ship chart

Lob Gun Incendiary Projectile The incendiary round for lob guns is a projectile that combines some of the impact damage of the normal lob gun round with the incendiary traits of Martian liquid fire. In form, the incendiary round consists of approximately a dozen small, stone containers of Martian liquid fire, banded together with iron to form a projectile nearly the same size as a normal lob gun round. The containers are scored to make them fracture upon impact, even with a wooden-hulled ship. The round is loaded into a lob gun in the same manner as a normal lob gun round. When the projectile is fired, one of the stone containers sometimes fractures in flight, which gives the round the appearance of a fireball as it flies through the air. The remaining containers burst and spill liquid fire when the round strikes its target. The fire level suffered by the target is determined by rolling 1D6 and subtracting the range in hexes from the gun to its target. The incendiary round also causes impact damage: A lob gun firing such a round is considered to have a penetration of 1 and a damage value of 3 (rather than the standard values of Pen 2 and DV 4). As well, there is some chance of a loss of trim critical being caused by an incendiary round, but because of the projectile's lighter weight, that chance is not so great as with a normal round. When an incendiary round hits a target from a lob gun, roll 1D6: on a roll of 1-3, a loss of trim critical occurs. Because of the difficulty involved in constructing incendiary projectiles for lob guns, each round is considered to have a cost of £5. Players should be careful to keep track of exactly how many incendiary rounds a ship carries. If a hit occurs on a lob gun magazine containing incendiary projectiles, roll 1D6 for each such projectile to determine the level of fire that breaks out on the ship.

The Oenotrian Empire responded to this increased threat by stepping up efforts to locate and destroy the Cloud Leopard and its companion vessel. With great numbers of Oenotrian warships searching for them, Whitfield and Phillips recently headed north to prey upon High Martian pirates until the ire of the Oenotrians had cooled a bit. Unfortunately for the two Red Captains, a number of Oenotrian warships pursued them all the way to the Meroe Badlands.

A few days before the beginning of the scenario, the Cloud Leopard and the Sky Lynx stumbled upon a pair of Sky Runner class vessels. The Red Captains heavily damaged the two ships, but in the fighting, the Sky Lynx took a boiler hit, and the Sky Runners were able to escape.

Most of the drinking water on both Red Captains' ships went to replace that lost from the Sky Lynx's boiler. With the crews on short water rations, Whitfield and Phillips decided to set a course for the city of Mylarkt to replenish water and pick up other supplies.

While heading for Mylarkt, however, the Red Captains discovered an abandoned High Martian kraag and stopped to explore it. Upon entering the kraag, they found a spring at its bottom. With the Cloud Leopard keeping watch overhead, the Sky Lynx set down and replenished its water supply. Then, the two ships switched places, and the Sky Lynx kept watch. While the Cloud Leopard was thus occupied, a violent sandstorm swept through the region. Unable to climb above the turbulence, the Sky Lynx was forced to set down as well. Once the storm passed, the two vessels prepared to get under way, but a trio of Oenotrian warships had followed close on the heels of the storm. Spotting the two ships on the ground, the Oenotrians closed in for the kill. At this point the scenario begins.

The Red Captains' Vessels

The Cloud Leopard is simply a Swiftwood-class kite that has been refitted with British weaponry. The Sky Lynx was originally built in a Martian yard, but was later refitted with a British steam engine and weapons.

The Cloud Leopard has Crack crews on its four-inch long gun and the spar-mounted six-pounders. Its other gun crews are Trained. The Sky Lynx has Crack crews on all of its guns. Marines on both vessels have modern rifles and are Trained.

Both ships have a number of smoke screens and spike droppers, as indicated in their respective ship record forms.

The Oenotrian Vessels

The three Life's Ends in this scenario are new designs, not encountered by the Red Captains before. One of these vessels is equipped with Thunderbolts and has exchanged its forward heavy gun for a rouge gun.

Each of the three ships has one Crack, two Trained, and one Green gun crew (to be distributed, as the Martian player desires). The marines on all three ships carry muskets and are Trained.

Setup

Ship record forms for all ships in this scenario are included with this article, as is a map of the terrain over which the battle takes place. To play this scenario, you will need to reproduce this map on a two-inch hex grid (if this is not practical, the Kraag Barovaar map from Sky Galleons of Mars may be substituted in which case the starting points will have to be changed). The Cloud Leopard begins at Low altitude at point 4. The Sky Lynx begins on the surface (one step below Very Low altitude) at point 5.

Martian 1 begins at point 1, at Medium to High altitude. Martians number 2 and 3 enter the map at points 2 and 3 respectively, during the Martian player's movement phase of the second game turn. They also begin at Medium to High altitude.

Victory Conditions

The Oenotrians get 1 victory point for driving the Sky Lynx from the map, 2 points for destroying the vessel and 4 points for capturing it. They get 2 victory points for driving the Cloud Leopard away, 3 points for destroying it, and 6 points for capturing it.

The Red Captains get no points for driving an Oenotrian vessel off the map, but they get 1 point for each ship they destroy and 2 points of each one they capture.

Model Conversions

You can easily make specific models for the ships in this scenario using the standard Sky Galleons of Mars sprues.

Extra sprues of these ships were available from GDW in the packages of Martian Cloudships and Aerial Gunboats.

To make a Life's End, simply replace the forecastle of a large screw galley model with the forecastle of a small kite model, then carve or sand off the lob gun mount.

The Sky Lynx can be built from the hull of a small kite and the tail of an Aphid. Remove the fore gun from the kite and glue the tail of the Aphid in its place to create a quarterdeck. Finally, fill in the mast hole and sand it smooth.

The Cloud Leopard is built as if it were a Swiftwood, following the instructions included with Martian Cloudships. Paint the ships to your individual taste, and enjoy the game.

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by Bret Foland and Lester W. Smith, ©1990; the article originally appeared in Challenge, #40 & #41, GDW's magazine of science fiction gaming. It is used here with the permission of Mr. Smith.

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HMS Viper

The HMS Viper is a conversion of a typical Oenotrian Small Bird class screw galley, after her captured and return to Syrtis Major as a prize. The Viper received a re-fit in the British yard there. During the refit, the Royal Navy's yardmaster added a small surplus boiler, replacing the turn crank and flywheel, and updated the weapons compliment with modern ordinance, including a 1 pounder pom pom gun in a bow tower mount.

Technical Specifications 

click image to download a PDF copy of the chart.

Armor: 0
Hull: 2
Speed: 3
Altitude: High
Tonnage:
Price:
Crew: 3 + 3 + 22
 Bridge: C,H,T,S,O
 Deck: 2
 Maneuver: 2
 Gunners: 9
 Marines: 1 + 9
Armament:
 3 9pdr (aft)
 2 1pdr HRC (bow)
 1 1pdr pom-pom (bow tower)
 1 tether mine

Scenario

After receiving her commissioning pennant, the Viper's first action was defending a British convoy from an Oenotrian raider:

June, 1889

Lt Cdr Mitchell's first priority is to make sure that the merchant vessels he is escorting successfully reach the city of Haatt. However, he has been schooled in the Royal Navy tradition of Nelson, and the opportunity to engage the enemy can not be passed upon.

In a high risk, high reward scenario, Mitchell decides to risk splitting his convoy and engaging the Oenotrian's on his own, knowing that should he fail to stop the Oenotrian the convoy maybe lost.

Setup

Use either board, ignoring terrain, the encounter takes place over the dry sea bed between Syrtis Major and Haatt.

The Oenotrian enters from the Northeast corner of the board. The British enter from the Southwest corner of the board.  The convoy is off the south edge of the board.

Oenotrian Squadron

1 Endtime (screw galley)

British Squadron

1 HMS Viper (converted Small Bird screw galley)

Game Length

10 turns

Special Rules

The HMS Viper is undermanned and has no marines aboard (they planned to pick up the Marines in Haatt).

Victory Conditions

The British must capture, destroy, drive off, disable, or otherwise prevent the Oenotrian from exiting the Southern edge of the game board.  If the British ship is captured, disabled, or destroyed the Oenotrian player automatically wins.

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The stats for the HMS Viper and scenario details are ©2014 by Joseph Boeke, and based on Matthew V. Jessick's battle report: A Naval Report

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A Naval Report

To:	Flag Officer Commanding, RN Aerial Forces, Mars
Copy to:	Cdr. H. Villard Commander, RN Light Aerial Forces, Mars
From:	Lt Cdr Mitchell, RNVR, Commanding HMS Viper

Please inform their Lordships:

On June 17, 1889, the recently converted 200 ton prize HMS Viper left Syrtis Major, escorting 3 merchant vessels, pursuant to our orders. We steamed first toward Haatt where, due to the limited number of Royal Marines available, I would request a platoon of the Australian Mounted Infantry, with whom we had worked before, to assist in the defense of our vital convoy and fill out our complement of 29 officers and men.

On June 18, 1889, 10 miles SW of Haatt, while proceeding NE toward the city, we were intercepted by the RN Auxiliary vessel HMAS Swift, sailing out of Haatt. The Swift joined our stately procession toward the city. Immediately thereafter, at 1500 hours local time, another aerial vessel was sighted approaching us, also from the direction of the city. The vessel was large, 500 tons, and of the Oenotrian Endtime-class. The Swift was ordered to break from our track and circle downwind, escorting the convoy into Haatt while we dealt with the Endtime. As the wind was blowing strongly, the merchant kites would have no trouble outrunning the enemy vessel. The Endtime-class can make 15 knots, while the kites were making 35 knots in the near gale force winds. It was a great day to be flying. The Viper closed on the Endtime at 15 knots indicated airspeed and 30 knots closure. The Oenotrian could not escape us - we expected an easy victory. The battle turned out to be a very near thing, however.

As we entered gun range, 1200 yards, the Endtime fired its lob gun. We were holding our fire until optimum range (about 400 yards for our three gun battery of bow mounted quick firing guns), for maximum effect. Unfortunately, the massive stone projectile stuck the Viper hard. This was an incredible piece of luck for the Oenotrians. The thing hit aft. Luckily for us it was abaft the boiler. The ship pitched, nose up, and rolled sharply to the left. The helmsman caught her smartly, leveling her off laterally. This proved a great help to Petty Officer George Hitsman, our trimsman, as he struggled to regain trim control of the Viper. We passed through the horizontal at a large and growing pitching rate. Petty officer Hitsman regained control expertly, leveling the Viper out at high altitude - making our total altitude loss only about 600 feet. Many a ship our size would have crashed after taking such a hit from the massive Martian lob gun - our survival is due only to the expert skill of our fine trimsman.

It took us a minute or so to get ourselves straightened out and back aboard the ship (Several men were left dangling over the side, saved only by their safety lines; they had to be retrieved). This delay in our opening fire, caused by the precipitous drop and the loss of trim, gave the Oenotrians the opportunity to damage us severely with impunity. The enemy captain extended us no mercy, attacking viciously with a close range barrage from his two heavy guns, and his bow swivel-mounted rod gun. All of the weapons struck us, damaging the hull and causing several casualties. He then rammed us! Again, Petty Officer Hitsman again proved his skill by maintaining trim through an incredible impact. Our helmsman steered skillfully to minimize the impact, saving us further hull damage. With the Endtime two and a half times our weight, however, the shock was still extremely dangerous. Our nine-pounder battery aft fired on the enemy as he passed to our rear, the gunners having managed to return to their posts. Finally we could hit back! And strike we did, sending two of our three nine pounder starshell rounds into the enemy; starting an immediate fire (the reason for firing the special ammo).

I ordered hard right rudder and full ahead flank in order to bring our bow mounted rapid fire battery of two one pound Hotchkiss Rotating Cannon and an experimental one pound "Pom-Pom" gun to bear. The sluggish acceleration, which answered this order, was a great disappointment. The stone, whilst not smashing our hull to bits or bursting our boiler, had, however, seriously damaged our screw and steam drive system. Our maximum speed was a mere 6 knots. Now we were the caught, unable to escape while the Endtime pounded us into the ground from his superior altitude. I ordered a change to standard high explosive ammo for the nine pounders, as our lower altitude made the chance of giving him fires from the starshell rounds very unlikely.

All the rest of the battle, the Oenotrian captain used his altitude advantage to pour a withering rifle fire onto our decks, wounding man after man (they were using fine German Mausers, we later found). Once we got our bows on him, however, the tide of the battle turned. Our rapid-fire guns proved their worth, making continuous hits into and through their unarmored hull for the remainder of the action. Our furious fusillade had an immediate effect, causing a noticeable slackening in his rate of fire, and causing sufficient hull damage to bring him down to our altitude. Unfortunately, this just allowed him to ram us again! With our ship moving only slightly faster than a baby carriage, we braced for the impact. The hull splintering crash infuriated us. Again somehow, Petty Officer Hitsman maintained our trim through the terrible battering. We immediately slipped to low altitude, with over half our liftwood vanes jammed and otherwise damaged. Unfortunately, the Endtime barely missed colliding with the tether mine we had been patiently towing behind us during the engagement.

The bow battery scored multiple hits, but the enemy's fire continued to damage our hull. We were barely able to maintain very low altitude at this point. As one more unlucky hit could have sent us crashing to the Martian sand below, I ordered the ship to land. We would crouch there, and pound him on the way in. With luck, we might still damage him enough to drive him off before he finished us. We continued long range nine pounder fire as our tormentor turned back toward us. Unfortunately, firing up about 1200 feet made it very difficult to hit. At fifteen knots and low altitude, he made his last pass. Our nine pounders did telling damage. Only the murderous rifle fire was still emanating from the heavily damaged enemy ship now (after the battle, we surmised that all his guns were knocked out of action at this point). Yet still he closed on our crippled ship. We were all but shot down, we could barely rise the 20 feet needed to keep all three of our aft battery guns bearing as he came around, our propeller shaft vibrating wildly with each turn of the damaged screw. Our guns fired madly. I ordered the ship down again as his heavy guns came into range. If he did hit us, at least we wouldn't die from gravity.

A group of Royal Navy officers in Syrtis Major including 
Lt Cdr Mitchell (fourth from left, with hand in pocket).

The nine pounders aft went silent as he crossed above their training limits. Again the Oenotrian's damnable luck held as he avoided our tether mine one more time (the hope we placed in that silly tether mine shows our desperation). He was heavily damaged. We knew that once our formidable forward battery came to bear, we would shoot him into the sand. Yet still he came. Then in one flashing second of realization I knew what the fiendish Oenotrian captain had planned for us; why he had driven his badly damaged ship over ours, risking certain death after passing us if his plan failed. He had somehow brought two of the five hundred-pound stone lob gun shells to the sides of his ship. As he passed overhead, his crew rolled them through the bulwarks and onto us! They had to roll them off both sides almost simultaneously - a single seconds delay on one side would have tipped the ship too far to recover in the altitude they had left to lose. Their incredible gamble worked. They continued on, with nothing but a slight lateral rocking to mark their captain's diabolic audacity.

That my report is being read today, rather than his, is due only to the incredible luck of the Viper. Somehow, perhaps due to his having to dodge the tether mine, those vicious stones he dropped on our helpless, grounded ship missed. I will never forget the sight of those huge stones tumbling toward us. As he passed forward, the ship was totally silent - except for the rattle of the dirt raining down over everything. Even the wounded were shocked into silence. The stones had straddled us. They had seemed close enough to touch as they hurtled past the rails.

Realizing that his guns must have been silenced to try something so incredibly foolhardy, I ordered the ship up and around to follow as best we could. It was not necessary. The Oenotrian ship, burning fiercly, crashed after the fifth or sixth hit from the forward battery.

As we passed over the crash site at our shaky six knots we heard him still firing! This enemy ship was unbelievable. After the lob gun hit, the repeated ramming, the murderous rifle fire, and dropping the huge stones on us, we had shot him down. Yet still they fought on! At this point, I am sure many of my crew were as worried as I was. What manner of enemy was this madman? What would it take to make him strike? The aft battery continued rapid fire as we staggered around. When the ship came into view, I knew then what had happened. Our light guns had started a fire that was now raging out of control. The flames were roaring at least fifty feet high. I rang the cease fire alarm immediately. We all watched in horror, (well tempered with relief) as the last of his magazines blew. It was the magazine explosions that we had heard as we passed ahead of the crash site. We landed to give what aid we could to the shocked survivors.

Seventeen were taken aboard, half of them severely wounded. Alas, the enemy captain was not among the survivors. Even though he had caused the death of two of my men, and wounded eight more of our understrength nineteen man complement, coming closer to ending my career than any other enemy I had ever encountered, I was saddened by his death. He had fought with incredible bravery, incredible tenacity, incredible cunning, and incredible skill. He had, with little more than luck and courage, turned a battle that should have been suicide for him into a near victory.

Some will criticize my words of praise to a hated enemy. I reject that criticism. I respect this captain as my foe. What glory is there in defeating an unskilled enemy? Yesterday, many of my newly commissioned ship's crew were strangers to each other. Today, we have gone through the fire together. Tomorrow, we will fight as one. We now know what our ship can do. We can face the best the enemy has to offer, and emerge victorious - for we did so today.

Lt. Colin Mitchell, RNVR,
Commanding HMS Viper
Haatt

About the Author

Matthew V. Jessick is a former aerospace engineer. Currently, he works at Motorsport Simulations (Motorsims) as a vehicle dynamics engineer. He resides in Texas.

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This article originally appeared in issue #3 of GDW's "in-house" Space: 1889 'zine, the Ether Society Newsletter, ©1990. The article is used here with the permission of Mr. Jessick.

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