RhoHammer

I agree that the 'determaned defender'should be more a ships knowledge then a perk. As it is a knowledge for Merchants then for Navy forces (Privateers). In addition traders are less defended by gunnary /armor then navy crew. Marines are not supposed to be part of a commercial crew or ship. Defending a vessel is a moral obligation, however paying ranson (prize law) to retreave ship and cargo used to be a practical approach that is not possible in game. The privateers themselves were often simply pirates who would take advantage of wars between nations to gain semi-legal status for their enterprises. A privateer is similar to a mercenary except that, whereas a mercenary group receives a set fee for services and generally has a formal reporting structure within the entity that hires them, a privateer acts independently with generally no compensation unless the enemy's property is captured. A reward should only be given once captured vessel and cargo are in friendly waters. "Nations often granted letters of marque that would entitle private parties to capture enemy property, usually ships. Once the ship was secured on friendly territory, she would be made the subject of a prize case, an in rem proceeding in which the court determined the status of the condemned property and the manner in which the property was to be disposed of. Best regards, R.Hamelink officer VWIC