Ships[]
| Ship Type | Cargo (Tons) | Full Crew | Maximum Guns | Base Cost ($K) | Speed (mph) | Handling | Armor | Toughness | Wounds | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowboat/Jollyboat | 0.5 | 3 rowers | 0 | 0.5 | 5 (rowed) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 ton as cargo |
| Cockboat/Pinnance | 1.5 | 1 sailors or 6 rowers | 1 | 1 | 15 (sail) 5 (rowed) |
2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 tons as cargo |
| Longboat | 2 | 1 sailors or 8 rowers | 2 | 3 | 15 (sail) 5 (rowed) |
2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 tons as cargo |
| Tiny Sloop | 48 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |
| Small Sloop | 75 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| Medium Sloop | 105 | 10 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | |
| Large Sloop | 135 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | |
| Tiny Brig | 195 | 5 | 30 | 23 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | |
| Small Brig | 285 | 14 | 40 | 50 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | |
| Medium Brig | 490 | 34 | 56 | 80 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 10 | |
| Large Brig | 790 | 58 | 78 | 130 | 8 | -1 | 3 | 9 | 11 | |
| Huge Brig | 1190 | 96 | 102 | 200 | 8 | -1 | 3 | 10 | 13 | |
| Tiny Galleon | 590 | 14 | 64 | 100 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 10 | |
| Small Galleon | 940 | 29 | 84 | 150 | 9 | -1 | 2 | 9 | 12 | |
| Medium Galleon | 1240 | 65 | 104 | 200 | 9 | -1 | 2 | 10 | 13 | |
| Large Galleon | 1580 | 115 | 124 | 275 | 8 | -2 | 3 | 11 | 14 | |
| Huge Galleon | 1970 | 180 | 142 | 330 | 7 | -2 | 3 | 11 | 15 | |
| Small Clipper | 1185 | 58 | 102 | 200 | 9 | -1 | 2 | 10 | 13 | |
| Medium Clipper | 1580 | 115 | 124 | 275 | 8 | -1 | 2 | 11 | 14 | |
| Large Clipper | 1970 | 192 | 142 | 330 | 7 | -2 | 3 | 12 | 15 | |
| Huge Clipper | 2450 | 288 | 166 | 400 | 7 | -2 | 3 | 11 | 15 |
Boats have open decks and no cabins. They aren't intended for long distance travel, though they can cross open water in an emergency. All boats but the rowboat and all sloops have a single mast. Brigs have two masts. Galleons have three masts. Clippers have four masts.
- Cargo
- The amount of cargo, by weight, the ship can carry. Cannons, extra crew, gunners, marines, passengers, and provisions are not assumed. Adding any of these items reduces available cargo space.
- Full Crew
- The minimum amount of crew, standing two watches, necessary to work the sails and maintain and steer the ship. It does not include gunners or marines. A ship with less than the full crew has a -1 on all Boating rolls made by anyone on board; a ship with less than half the full crew has a -2 on all Boating rolls.
- Maximum Guns
- The maximum number of 8-lb cannons that the ship could theoretically carry. Most ships carry less cannon, or convert some of their guns into 16-lb, 24-lb, or 32-lb cannon.
- Base Cost
- The base cost of the ship in miles per hour, not including cannon. Additional Edges or Hindrances can also effect the cost of the ship.
- Speed
- The ship's normal maximum speed with a strong wind abeam or astern. Actual speed may vary depending on crew ability, wind strength, and relative wind direction.
- Handling
- A modifier made to many Boating rolls made by the ship. It represents a combination of the ship's maneuverability, draft, and general nimbleness.
- Armor
- The ship's armor rating in ship scale combat. All ships with an armor above 0 have Heavy Armor in personal scale combat.
- Toughness
- The ship's toughness in ship scale combat.
- Wounds
- The ship's wounds in ship scale combat.
Modifying Ships[]
When a ship is laid down, cargo space can be converted to into passenger space, crew space, or cannons freely. The cannons still need to be converted.
1 ton of cargo space can be turned into:
- 1 gun equivalent (see below)
- 6 passenger or crew berths
Each gun equivalent requires 2.5 crewmen for full service in a fleet engagement. Many merchant ships only provide crewmen for half their cannon, and shift crew members from one side of the ship to the other as needed. Pirates and warships carry enough crew to fully man their cannon at all times.
Provisions and ammunition for cannon can be carried in the cargo space. 100 gun equivalents of ammo take up a ton, as do 150 man-days of provisions.
Modifying a ship after it launches is very possible, but is slightly more expensive. It costs $50 to convert amongst a ton of cargo space, 6 crew or passengers berths, or 1 gun equivalent. Converting from one size of cannon to another is included in this cost.
- Example: Captain Longfellow is converting a captured merchant small brig into his new pirate flagship. It currently has 16 long 8 lb cannon and space for 28 gunners, leaving it with 265 tons of cargo available. He converts 8 of the long 8-lbers into 4 long 16-lbers for $400 and adds 12 short 32-lbers for another $1200. He then adds space for 80 gunners and 50 marines for another $1050. He'll need to devote a lot of space for ammo for his new 28-gun brig, and even more for provisions, but he has quite the pirate flagship.
Cannon[]
A standard cannon is a long-barreled bronze gun firing an 8 lb ball, weighing in at 1 ton including its carriage and costing $1000. It could easily be a 7, 9, or 10 lb cannon, since the differences would be below the level of resolution.
Larger or small cannon can be purchased. Their costs and weights scale linearly with shot weight, so they can be treated as "gun equivalents". Short barreled cannonades are also available. They weigh and cost half as much as an equivalently sized long gun.
| Cannon Size | Equivalency | AP | Damage | Range (yds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long 4-lbs | 0.5 | 0 | 2d4 | 40/80/160 |
| Long 8-lbs | 1 | 1 | 2d6 | 40/80/160 |
| Long 16-lbs | 2 | 2 | 2d8 | 50/100/200 |
| Long 24-lbs | 3 | 2 | 2d10 | 50/100/200 |
| Long 32-lbs | 4 | 4 | 3d8 | 60/120/240 |
| Short 16-lbs | 1 | 2 | 2d8-1 | 20/40/80 |
| Short 32-lbs | 2 | 4 | 2d12 | 25/50/100 |
- Note: 2 Long 24 lb cannons weigh and cost as much as 3 Short 32 lb cannonades, but have much less short range firepower. Given the terrible accuracy of ship guns, most attacks happen at very close range anyway. It is perfectly normal and realistic for a ship to mostly carry cannonades.
100 rounds of powder and shot for an 8 lb cannon weigh 1 ton (this includes the weight of the kegs). Heavier or lighter cannon consume powder and shot in proportion to their shot weight, so 200 rounds for a 4 lb cannon or 25 rounds for a 32 lb cannon both weigh 1 ton.
- 'Example: Captain Longfellow is purchasing cannon for his new medium sloop, with 20 guns maximum. He selects 2 long 16 lbers as chasers (4 gun equivalents), adds 6 long 8 lbers as the main battery (6 gun equivalents), and 4 short 32 lbers (8 gun equivalents) to give himself some short range punch. Finally, he gets 4 long 4 lbers (2 gun equivalents) for use against small boats. His ship is rated as a 16 gun ship, but can only fire 7 guns in a broadside.
Edges and Hindrances[]
Edges[]
Hindrances[]
Sailing[]
blah blab blah
Wind Direction and Speed[]
Every day, each ship (or convoy/fleet) draws a single card to determine wind speed and direction.
| Card Suit | Wind Direction | Card Value | Wind Speed Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spades | Shift 90 toward Prevailing | A | Increase two steps |
| Hearts | Shift 90 CW | K, Q | Increase one step |
| Diamonds | Shift 90 CCW | J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 | Stay the same |
| Clubs | Stay the same, random encounter | 4, 3 | Reduce one step |
| Joker | Wind speed and direction stay the same, two random encounters at the same time | 2 | Reduce two steps |
Wind can't blow more than 90 from prevailing. Wind speed can't increase beyond Strong or fall below Becalmed short of a random encounter.
- Wind Speeds
| Speed | Effect on Ship Movement |
|---|---|
| Strong | Ship sails at maximum speed |
| Weak | Ship sails at 1/2 of maximum speed |
| Feeble | Ship sails at 1/3 of maximum speed |
| Becalmed | Ships doesn't move by sail |
Wind mages can use their magic to guarantee that a ship effectively has
Sailing Movement[]
Each day, the captain of the ship makes a Boating roll, modified by the ship's Handling. The helmsman and the crew may all make co-operating Boating rolls. On a success, the ship can move at its maximum speed, +1 mph from each raise. On a failure, the ship's effective maximum speed is halved for the day.
If a ship has the wind on its quarter, increase the effective maximum speed by another 2 mph. If the ship is sailing into the wind, reduce the effective maximum speed to 1/5th normal.
A ship's actual speed is its effective maximum speed based on handling and wind direction, multiplied by wind speed. Normally, ships travel for 24 hours a day, but wind mages may increase the effective speed and wind strength for limited periods.
- Example: Captain Longfellow is commanding a Small Sloop with Handling +1 and a maximum speed of 12 mph. He is a Wild Card with Boating d8. His Helmsman is an Extra with Boating d6 and his crew is also generic, with Boating d6.
- The prevailing winds are out of the east. The previous day's winds were feeble and from the north, but today Captain Longfellow draws the Jack of Spades, increasing them to weak and out of the east. Longfellow is heading southwest, so he now hows the wind on his quarter. He rolls a 6 for his Boating, his helmsman a 3, and his crew a 5, for a total of 7. His effective maximum speed starts at 12, and is increased by 2 for the wind. The actual speed is halved to 7 mph for the weak winds. Longfellow can expect to make 168 miles today.
- If Longfellow realizes after 10 hours that he's overshot his destination and will need to turn east, his speed is recalculated. He starts at 12, gets no bonus for his crew, and then drops to 1 mph for sailing into the weak wind. He'd best hope he didn't overshoot by much!
[]
Traversing the featureless ocean with primitive instruments isn't difficult, but arriving exactly at a destination after doing so is very hard. Ships should expect to get blown off course or turn slightly in the wrong direction, making land dozens if not hundreds of miles away from where they intended. Only the greatest of navigators can sail hundreds of miles and arrive within a few miles of where they intended.
A ship's navigator needs to roll Knowing (Navigation) after every major course change, storm, or battle and once last time when reaching land. The crew can assist with a group Boating roll unmodified by the handling of the ship. The ship will deviate to the right or left (roll randomly) of the intended direction by a random amount, with longer journeys causing more deviation.
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No ship can get lost while following a known and charted coast, but a ship that leaves from an uncharted cost is treated as though it had critical failed the Knowing (Navigation) roll, with massive deviation to its first destination.
When a ship makes landfall on a charted coast, the navigator rolls Knowing (Navigation) daily until he succeeds to determine actual location. As soon as the location is known, it is a simple matter to follow the coast line to a final destination on that coastline. Until then, the ship must travel for at least five miles a day before the navigator can see new landmarks. The ship can travel in either direction along the coast, or head back out to sea and try again if that is preferred. A ship on an uncharted course obviously cannot fix its location from landmarks.
- Example: Captain Longfellow is sailing from Cancun to Havana. As he is wanted throughout the Spanish Main, he decides to sail southeast away from the Cape of Nicaragua and then turn south to Panama. He sets out, but is intercepted after 250 miles by a Spanish galleon which he evades. As he had to alter his course, he rolls a 10 for Knowing (Navigation), and his crew rolls a 9 to assist with Boating, to determine his current deviation. Two raises allow him to plot his course accurately, and will cancel the next failure he makes.
- Longfellow continues on for another 350 miles and then turns south for Panama. Another turn and another roll resists in double 1s and a critical failure: 4d10 (acing) miles of deviation. Fortunately, his previous two raises reduces the deviation to a mere 1d4 miles, leaving him 2 miles off course to the right.
- He then heads south for 270 miles before getting caught in a storm. Afterward, he rolls well and gets a 3, for 3d6 (acing) miles of deviation. The dice roll well with two aces, leaving him another 18 miles off course.
- Finally, he travels south for the last 350 miles and makes landfall. Luck is with him, and his total is a 9: another raise and 4d4 (no acing) miles of deviation, for 12 miles this leg and 30 miles total. He ends up 30 miles west of Panama, and spends the next several days painfully tacking back in the face of the prevailing wind.