[none]

From: durupt_at_rtccnh1.serigate.philips.com
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 15:52:48 +0200

Hi all

+raming the ship
The raming ship's captain has two options:

• he can strike the hull of his target.
• he can shear the oars.

Both options were covered in an article in heroes magazine. If I remember well, striking the hull causes (1d10 + raming speed) of damage to the target.

The difficult situation is when one sailship is involved in the fight. The sailship movement is tied to the wind and to the state of her rigging. For a free merchant (pirate is a bad word <g>), it is important to slow the pursued ship without damaging the hull. If a pirate galley chases a merchant sailship, it is important that the galley catch the prey in a short time, because the rowers (who are the crew) might be too tired to be usefull during the boarding. As the rule stands, you cannot fire to a ship without trying to sink her, because the rigging is never considered.

I propose the following:

• each mast is given AP. A storm can break the masts, but they are difficult to hit with a siege engine (that's why chained ball were invented).
• each mast is tied to a portion of the ship's rigging. Strong winds and scrapnel can destroy the sails. The ship's speed increases with the surface of the sails, but the winds (and projectiles) are more likely to damage the sails.

	Peace
		Jean

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