After many simulator runs for First Anglo-Dutch War scenarios, the burning question is why the English diidn't do better in the war. In the simulation runs, the English are very strong. If I run the English, rather than the Dutch, I can almost annihilate the Dutch. So why didn't that happen in the real war?
I can think of two reasons that could at least partly explain the situation. One reason is the great disorder of the fleet and the lack of tactical control exercised by Robert Blake. The other explanation is just a tentative theory, at this time. I read this on a webpage discussing the Revenge in her last battle. That page noted that the crew was largely pressed from London and Southeast England, and that the Elizabethan commanders didn't think much of crews so composed.
I propose, as an experiment, to lower the English crew ratings, to see how that might affect the results. Dutch captains and crews were also extremely variable. Some hired ships, captained by their owners, were very suspect. However, for the sake of experiment, I will test my theory. If the Dutch do better, that would suggest that there is some substance to my theory. I will keep you "posted".
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