Cross versus Crescent: The Turks, the Uskoks, and the Knights of Malta
A Scenario of 16th Century Naval Warfare for Plume & Blade
The Uskoks are inhabitants of the coast of Dalmatia, and theoretically the allies of the Holy Roman Emperor. They are pirates, raiding the Turkish shipping which passes through the Adriatic, and (although they're not supposed to) they have been known to attack the occassional Christian vessel when no one seems to be looking. (It has gotten so bad that the Venetians are losing a quarter of a million thalers annually, and are getting ready to go to war with the Empire over it.)
The Knights of Malta - not themselves known to be overly picky about how they choose their targets, since Christian slaves bring good money, too - have learned of a Turkish vessel which will be running through the strait between the islands of Korcula and Vis off the Dalmatian coast. Lacking any galleys large enough, they recruit the local Uskoks to help them swarm their prey with smaller craft. The Uskoks have a watch-tower on Korcula, and the Knights plan to wait in ambush until the Turks are in the strait before they attack from all sides.
The Turkish galley carries both a crew of the usual corsairs and a squad of Jannissary marines: they are planning a raid on the Dalmatian coast, and are wary of being seen by the locals. If they spot any other ships, they may change course.
In this game, the two sides must maneuver on a map until the battle is joined, at which point the action will be fought out on the tabletop (with a large enough table, the entire thing can be depicted in miniature, as the "map" is only 5' x 8'). Orders are given simultaneously to the game master, who will plot them and tell the players what they can see. Once joined in combat, the galleys and smaller ships will no longer maneuver, being locked in a fight to the death. The Turkish player must try to get off the far side of the map.
The map is shown below. The Turkish galley with all Ottoman forces aboard will start in square A5. They must exit anywhere on the north edge of the map to win. All boats - including the galley - will move one square per turn, and may not cross the land (or land, for that matter). All movement is conveyed secretly to the game master, who will inform the players each turn about what they can see. The islands block visibility, but because of the watch tower, the Uskoks and the Knights of Malta will always know the current location of the Turkish vessel. If used, the tabletop should only reflect what is known by the Turkish player - that is, what can be seen at the start of every turn. The most-concealing point of water within any square is used to determine line of sight to the target (the Uskoks and the Knights of Malta know this coast very well, and are good at hiding here). The vantage "point" is the center point of the square occupied by the spotter.
The three boats of the Christian forces will start anywhere on the table, but must not be visible to the Turkish galley at the start of play, unless they are at least 4 squares away. They will set up in secret if not visible, their location known only to themselves and the game master. You may have more than one boat per square – there is no limit.
The Turkish galley - but not the smaller Christian vessels - must roll a six-sided die if they enter a square in which there is any land. On a roll of 1, they will run aground, and spend the following turn stuck there while they free their boat from whatever reef or bank they have run aground on.
Once two boats are in the same square, they are assumed to be in contact and a fight will ensue. Starting the following turn, all other craft will move one square per game turn, joining the floating melee on the turn after they enter the square. In order to be able to move, a boat may not be in contact with any other craft. If, at the end of any tabletop turn, all enemy figures from boats in contact are put out of action, movement may resume on the following one.
See the attached file, MaltaCards.pdf, for printable character cards and stats.
All Ottomans are aboard the Turkish galley.
Kara Mehemmed's Jannissary Marines: One Star, one Sidekick, and 3 Extras. The Sidekick and all Extras have firearms.
Ahmend Pasha's Corsairs: One Star, one Sidekick and 5 Extras. The Star and three Extras have firearms.
 
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Each of the three groups is in their own small boat. Sir Contreras and his trusted English lieutenant Captain Ogilvy are all servants of the Knights of Malta. Vuk Frankopan is the scion of a Croatian noble house, and the captain of a band of Uskoks.
Sir Contreras: Star, a Sidekick, and three Extras. One Extra has a firearm.
Captain Ogilvy: Star, a Sidekick, and three Extras.
Vuk Frankopan: Star, a Sidekick, and three Extras. All Extras have firearms.
  
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Positioning the Boats: Boats will come into contact at the same angle they would be moving on the map, and the prow of the smaller craft (assumed to be the pursuer) will be placed against the side of the galley at that angle. If approached from behind or directly ahead, the boat and galley will be side-by-side. Figures may only cross onto the enemy boat where they are in contact.
Weapons: All firearms will function as specified in the optional rules. They have a single shot, and cannot be reloaded. Reloading only occurs if a tabletop fight takes place, followed by map movement on the part of the Ottoman galley, followed by a subsequent tabletop action: firearms will be reloaded before each new tabletop action. All non-firearm weapons are considered to be swords. The mace is the equivalent of a main-gauche for the purposes of play.
Panache Cards: Ottomans will get 4 panache cards at the start of play, drawn randomly from the deck. The Knights of Malta and the Uskoks will get 6.
Swinging from the Rigging: Ropes and rigging are found all over the Turkish galley, and may be used as props: any Star or Sidekick may use them as a "swing" per the rules, to move over the heads of other figures. Figures swinging around the galley have to roll a die: on a 1, they fall in the water (see below). Stars get a +1 on this roll, but you subtract a pip for each hit of damage you have taken.
Falling in the Water: The Adriatic is full of hungry sharks and venomous jellyfish (etc.). Any figure which falls in the water will roll a die: on a 1 they will take a point of damage from a shark attack, jellyfish stings, or similar. Climbing out of the water is considered a Challenging action.
If the Ottoman galley moves off the northern map edge with any living figures, it is a Turkish victory. Any other outcome is a victory for the Knights of Malta and their Uskok allies.