Ship Talk

Well I am no expert on the subject but over the years I have complied various factoids for use in a campaign I have been working on. I have recently been working on converting it from 2nd Edition to LotFP. I was using the "A Mighty Fortress" supplement from 2nd Edition for a lot of my gunpowder rules. The trick I discovered is to keep a narrow focus on a certain time period as to keep thing simple

For my campaign I use a tech level close to 1550 AD to 1650 AD. Since there was no real uniform construction no two ships were exactly alike. I stuck with 5 different classifications.

• The Sloop (based on Bermuda Sloop)  - small ships, 100 tons carried about 75 men

• The Brigantine (based on Brig)  -  150 tons, carried about 100 men

• The Schooner (based on Two-masted Schooner)  - 100 tons, carried about 75 men

• The Frigate or the "Man-O-War"  - 360 tons carrying about 190 men

• The Square-Rigger or Galleon  - 100 -150 tons, carried about 80-85 Men

One thing that struck me is how slow all of your ships are. See Comparison below. A historical galleon is about 76% faster if both ships are sailing under the same conditions.

These are the historical details for The Golden Hind, Sir Francis Drake's English Galleon.

•    Crew: 20 officers & gentlemen, 40 to 60 crew, including a Master, Mate, Cook and 10 to 12 deckhands
•    Masts: 3
      o    Sails 6, 5 square sails and lateen
•    Hull: wooden
•    Hull dimensions:
      o    Length:
               Overall: 120 ft (36.5 m)
               Hull: 102 ft (31 m)
               Waterline: 75 ft (23 m)
       o    Breadth: 22 ft (6.7 m)
       o    Depth: 13.5 ft (4.1 m)
       o    Displacement: 300 tons (305 tons)
•    Beam: 20 ft (6 m)
•    Height of mainmast: 92 ft (27 m)
•    Sail area: 4150 sq ft (386 m²)
•    Speed (sail): 8 knots (15 km/h)[9 mi/h]
•    Steering: Whip Staff Rudder.
•    Capstan: used for hauling up the anchor, located in the armory and gun deck
•    Crew complement: 80-85
•    Armaments: 22 guns
       o    2 Peteras (small guns) on poop deck
       o    2 Peteras on fore deck
       o    2 Falcons (long range guns using two pound shot) in forecastle
       o    2 Falcons in stern
       o    14 Minions (guns using four pound shot) on gun deck
•    Load Cap: 100-150 tons (100-150 tons)
•    Maximum Capacity: 95

LotFP  Galleon, Excellent Quailty

•    Crew: 150 (1 Captain, 1 Navigator, 14 Mates, 134 Crew)
•    Masts: ?
      o    Sails square sails
•    Hull: wooden
•    Hull dimensions:
      o    Length:
                    Overall: ?
                    Hull: ?
                    Waterline:?
       o    Breadth: ?
       o    Depth: ?
       o    Displacement: ?
•    Beam: ?
•    Height of mainmast: ?
•    Sail area: ?
•    Speed (sail): 1.9 knots (3.5 km/h)[2.2 mi/h]
•    Steering:?.
•    Capstan:?
•    Crew complement: 130+
•    Armaments: ?
•    Load Cap: 150 tons (150 tons)
•    Maximum Capacity: 150

Last edited by Evil Eli (2011-06-25 20:49:37)