Topic: My Ship borne Combat rules

Here are some alternative rules to govern Ship to Ship combat. The numbers listed for Speed in Rules & Magic on page 43 take into account the shape of the ship, the number of sails and how maneuverable it its. It is an average speed for daily travel. When doing combat. The speed is variable based on the wind speed. For ease of plotting movement. Counters can be used with a hexagonal grid, with each hex equalling 500 feet.
For Rowing, a boat or ship can be rowed one hex per round for long periods. It can be rowed 2 hexes per round for 10 rounds before having to rest by rowing 1 Hex per round for 10 rounds. It can be rowed 3 hexes per round for 5 rounds before having to rest by not rowing at all for 10 rounds. If a ship has sails and is rowing with the wind, rowing speed can be added to sailing speed.
When Sailing, square sails only work for going with the wind. The Wind Speed is 1d6 rolled by the Referee each round. Windspeed is the same for all ships.
Triangular sails are need to sail against the wind and give the ship maneuverability. A certain amount of crew is need to sail a ship. And by doubling the crew working the sails, the maneuverability of the Ship can be increased by one category. This is called having the ship “Topped Out” and it is obvious at a glance when this has been done to a ship. Maneuverability is measured in Classes which is designated Maneuverability Class or MC, which is measured on a scale of A to G

A = Ship can make 180° turns without using any of it’s movement rate
B or C = Ship can make 60° turns in one round, before moving forward one Hex.
D or E = Ship can make 30° turns in one round, before moving forward one Hex.
F = Ship must move forward one Hex before turning 30°.
G = Ship unable to make turns at all.

A ships needs it’s full crew and Hit Points in order to have its’ listed MC. If a damaged ship  has at least half the crew and half the Hit Points the ship is one MC worse. If the ship has between 1/4 and 1/2 its’ Crew or Hit Points it is two MC worse. It the Ship has less than 1/4 its’ crew or Hit points, it is 3 MC worse.

Cannon may be placed on a ship.
Each Ship's Cannon uses one ton of the ship's cargo space. (this does not include the powder) Half of the cannons will be on each side of the ship. 
A Ship's Cannon requires a barrel of gunpowder per firing and does 1d24 Ship's Hit Points of damage to the target ship. A Natural 20 is required to hit individual targets. 
Rate of fire is based on the number of crewmen assigned to the cannon. These are in addition to the crew required to sail the ship. 
4 crewmen = 1/10 rounds 
3 crewmen = 1/20 rounds
2 crewmen = 1/30 rounds
1 crewman = 1/40 rounds


Ships            Crew        MC        Rowing    Cannon
Raft                      1        F        1-3        0
Canoe                  1        A        1-3        0
Lifeboat                  1        B        1-3        0
Trireme               170        F        1-3        0
Quadrireme              170        F        1-3        0
Longship                 75        D        1-3        0
River Galley             20        D        1-3        0
Riverboat                 16        D        1-3        0
Sailboat                   1        B                0
Cog                     20        E                2
Caravel                 35        D                4
Carrack                 82        E                6
Galleon               150        E                20
Cutter                 20        D                4
Brig                     45        D                8
Corvette                 84        C                10
Frigate                 84        D                12

Last edited by Andomedanaea (2020-03-01 17:40:09)