DougieOh

So the economic patch is coming soontm, and everyone is excited about it. I figured therefore that this would be a good time to revisit this topic and maybe update a few things. We've seen the introduction of the Americans. What can we say about them as a faction? What are their ships like? And their sailors? Would this be a good choice for a new captain? Well, the Americans are difficult to define. But should you make the decision to join them you will be sailing for hours from their ports (reputed to be somewhere "way up north" but I've never been) just to catch sight of anything. I suppose that would give you time to get to know them. I rarely see them in game as I frequent the warm breezes and tropical delights of the ABC Islands mainly, with an occasional sojourn into the Gulf of Venezuela or Maracaibo Lagoon. But I'm sure they're good guys to hang out with and do guy stuff with on those long, cold, monotonous cruises through the icebergs and freezing rain that are native to their homeland. And hey! Maybe you'll get lucky and die from Scurvy or Dysentery, or get eaten by a polar bear. Better than the alternative. Join if: You really really like to be cold and alone. Now on to American ships. They come in two main types: Old busted or new hotness. Old busted: New Hotness: The neat thing about the two choices of American vessels is that to go from Old and Busted to New Hotness you need only come within gun range of any Dutch ship. So we've covered the American faction (poor devils) and their "ships" in some detail. On to the crew! Admittedly, they do have catchy tunes, however.

Added all ports from the coast of Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Mexico and the Texas Coast to west of New Orleans. Mapped by the Dutch Antilles Squadron

Personnel Moving on, let's talk about your fellow captains and the people who will make up your crew. You'll be spending a lot of time with these people. In the case of Great Britain, France, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, Spain, The Pirates and The Neutrals this time will usually be spent in uncomfortable quarters - rowing away from burning wrecks in lifeboats, manacled together below decks on some prison barge in the sweltering Caribbean heat, etc. For the prospective Dutch Republic Captain the accommodations will be far more opulent and voluminous, but it's still important to select the proper mix of personnel for long voyages. So let's look at your fellow sailors: Great Britain: France: Sweden: Denmark and Norway: Spain: Pirates: Neutrals: Dutch Republic:

I didn't want to include the American faction in this overview, as they are Not Implemented Yettm. When they are included I look forward to giving them the kind of insightful, unbiased coverage you have come to expect. Thus far we have covered the factions in a macro-view. Let's start really digging into the subject matter so that captains can get a better understanding of their options and thus can make a more-informed choice. Let's start with what is of paramount importance to any naval officer: Ships. What ships can you typically expect to command in the service of the country of your choice? Great Britain: France: Sweden (shown actual size): Denmark and Norway: Spain: Pirates: Neutrals: Dutch Republic:

Additional information concerning some of the locations in the Netherlands Antilles: 1 2 3 4 Previous Next ARUBA OUR BEACHES TripAdvisor.com recently named Eagle Beach one of the top ten beaches in the world. THE SUNSHINE Aruba has the most of sunny days of any island in the Caribbean making for the perfect Beach Vacation. THE WEATHER Located below the hurricane belt in the southern Caribbean, Aruba has 82-degree days year round, refreshing trade winds and low humidity contributing to the Best Caribbean Vacation. DIRECT FLIGHTS To enjoy your best Caribbean Vacation, you can hop on a direct flight from many major North American cities to Queen Beatrix International (AUA). THE ROMANCE Many couples who honeymoon in Aruba continue to return for their anniversaries year after year. IT’S GREAT FOR FAMILIES Aruba is the perfect Beach Vacation for family fun in the sun. US News & World Reportranked Aruba among its Best Caribbean Family Vacations in 2012. THE WEDDINGS Destination Wedding named Aruba’s Eagle Beach one of the Best Caribbean Beaches for Weddings. THE HONEYMOONS Aruba was named one of the World’s Top Honeymoon Destinations by Brides Magazine. OUR NATIONAL PARK Covering about 20% of the island, Arikok National Park is an incredible nature preserve, and the largest national park in the Caribbean. WE ACCEPT U.S. DOLLARS No need to exchange your currency—the U.S. Dollar is widely accepted here. THE DIVING In addition to providing a wonderful Beach Vacation, Aruba was recognized as one of the top wreck diving destinations in the Caribbean by Scuba Diving Magazine. ADVENTURE SPORTS Thanks to Aruba’s constant trade winds, it is known as a world-class destination for windsurfing and kitesurfing. THE FOOD More than 90 nationalities influence Aruba’s cuisine, with local dishes like gouda-glazed keshi yena joining South American, European and Caribbean favorites on menus around the island.

Gentlemen; As we are on a hiatus from the Open World, and as hopefully many more captains will join us in the coming days, it is perhaps a good time to discuss the various factions, and their positive and negative aspects. It is important that new captains be given a fact-based and impartial overview of the military, political, geographical, and social characteristics of the various factions. This thread will serve this purpose. So without further ado, let us get on with the overview: Great Britain (England, Britain, whatever): Worst people ever. Terrible food. Have you ever read Mutiny on the Bounty? Awful, just awful. Their ships - all lynxes by the way - are loaded to the gunwales with rats. This comes in handy as they can use the rats to plug the hundreds of holes from cannonballs that quickly form on these disease-and-vermin infested garbage scows. Join if: You hate yourself and think others should hate you just as much. France (French): You can't understand a single word they say, as they seem to speak in their own language. It sounds nice, but really it's quite confusing. They nap most of the day and only slip anchor at 15:00 in the afternoon. At 15:30 they turn their ships back to port as they don't want to be late for drinks before dinner. I hear they are great fighters - at least that is what they keep saying all the time. Constantly. Join if: You enjoy picking lice from the hairy armpits of a chain-smoking woman with an eye patch. Sweden (Abba): These guys are a real pain in the butt. They seem to travel everywhere together. Swarms of Swedish yapping and nipping at your heels like so many little terriers. You can't even step out your door without them trying to gank you. I heard about a guy who got jumped six times just going to a cafe. They really need to calm down. Join if: You make your coffee with Red Bull instead of water and love to listen to techno. Denmark and Norway (Twins): There are no players playing this faction. It is a ghost town. Sad, really. Join if: You are a ghost. Spain (Those Guys): RAMJB is the only Spanish player. It would seem that Spain is still kicking ass with just RAMJB as their entire fleet. This is alarming to the Danes and Norwegians, or would be, if there were any Danes and Norwegians. There are hundreds of Spanish ports and RAMJB is going to be very busy patrolling them all. Join if: You like taking orders from RAMJB. Pirates (Jerks): The pirates are an interesting faction. Shortly after kindergarten lets out the server fills with pirates. A strange coincidence. They seem to get lost at sea quite a bit, and complain about how hard it is to shoot stuff, and really want the game to be on PlayStation 4 as it will be easier to play with a controller. This faction is always threatened with extinction from either scurvy, starvation, or a bad batch of baby food. Join if: You get lost for hours and decide to attack the first thing you see. Then get killed by it and discover that you are now a pirate. Neutrals (Eunuchs): A sad collection of people who are always one engagement away from joining the pirates but just can't make up their mind about it. These people hail from the Bahamas, so naturally they don't want to do much during the day except lay on the beach and sleep. They're not into fighting or sailing or trading or politics or crafting or anything really. They're neutral. Join if: Don't join. Dutch Republic (Netherlands, Dutch): History: Until the 16th century, the Low Countries–roughly now corresponding to Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg–consisted of a number of duchies, counties and bishoprics, almost all of which were under the supremacy of the Holy Roman Empire, with the exception of the county of Flanders which was under the Kingdom of France. Most of the Low Countries had come under the rule of the House of Burgundy and subsequently the House of Habsburg. In 1549 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V issued the Pragmatic Sanction, which further unified the Seventeen Provinces under his rule. Charles was succeeded by his son, King Philip II of Spain. In 1568 the Netherlands, led by William I of Orange, revolted against Philip II because of high taxes, persecution of Protestants by the government, and Philip's efforts to modernize and centralize the devolved-medieval government structures of the provinces.[17] This was the start of the Eighty Years' War. In 1579 a number of the northern provinces of the Low Countries signed the Union of Utrecht, in which they promised to support each other in their defence against the Spanish army. This was followed in 1581 by theAct of Abjuration, the declaration of independence of the provinces from Philip II. In 1582 the United Provinces invited Francis, Duke of Anjou to lead them; but after a failed attempt to take Antwerp in 1583, the duke left the Netherlands again. After the assassination of William of Orange (10 July 1584), both Henry III of France and Elizabeth I of England declined the offer of sovereignty. However, the latter agreed to turn the United Provinces into a protectorate of England (Treaty of Nonsuch, 1585), and sent the Earl of Leicester as governor-general. This was unsuccessful and in 1588 the provinces became a confederacy. The Union of Utrecht is regarded as the foundation of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces, which was not recognized by the Spanish Empire until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The Republic of the United Provinces lasted until a series of republican revolutions in 1783-1795 created the Batavian Republic. During this period, republican forces took several major cities of the Netherlands. After initially fleeing, the monarchist forces came back with British, Austrian, and Prussian troops and retook the Netherlands. The republican forces fled to France, but then successfully re-invaded alongside the army of the French republic. After the French Republic became the French Empire under Napoleon, the Batavian Republic was replaced by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Holland. The Netherlands regained independence from France in 1813. In the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 the names "United Provinces of the Netherlands" and "United Netherlands" were used. In 1815 it was rejoined with theAustrian Netherlands, Luxembourg and Liège (the "Southern provinces") to become the Kingdom of the Netherlands, informally known as the Kingdom of the United Netherlands, to create a strong buffer state north of France. After Belgium and Luxembourg became independent, the state became unequivocally known as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as it remains today. Economic Perspective: During the Dutch Golden Age in the late 16th century onward, the Dutch Republic dominated world trade in the 17th century, conquering a vast colonial empire and operating the largest fleet of merchantmen of any nation. The County of Holland was the wealthiest and most urbanized region in the world. Courtyard of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, 1653 The free trade spirit of the time received a strong augmentation through the development of a modern, effective stock market in the Low Countries.[18] The Netherlands has the oldest stock exchange in the world, founded in 1602 by the Dutch East India Company. While Rotterdam has the oldest bourse in the Netherlands, the world's first stock exchange – that of the Dutch East-India Company – went public in six different cities. Later, a court ruled that the company had to reside legally in a single city, so Amsterdam is recognized as the oldest such institution based on modern trading principles. While the banking system evolved in the Low Countries, it was quickly incorporated by the well-connected English, stimulating English economic output. Between 1590–1712 the Dutch also possessed one of the strongest and fastest navies in the world, allowing for their varied conquests including breaking the Portuguese sphere of influence on the Indian Ocean and in the Orient, as well as a lucrative slave trade from Africa and the Pacific. Politics: The republic was a confederation of seven provinces, which had their own governments and were very independent, and a number of so-called Generality Lands. The latter were governed directly by the States General (Staten-Generaal in Dutch), the federal government. The States General were seated in The Hague and consisted of representatives of each of the seven provinces. The provinces of the republic were, in official feudal order: The Duchy of Guelders (Gelderland in Dutch) The County of Holland The County of Zeeland The former Bishopric of Utrecht The Lordship of Overijssel The Lordship of Frisia The Lordship of Groningen and Ommelanden. In fact, there was an eighth province, the County of Drenthe, but this area was so poor it was exempt from paying federal taxes and as a consequence was denied representation in the States General. Each province was governed by the Provincial States, the main executive official (though not the official head of state) was a raadspensionaris. In times of war, thestadtholder, who commanded the army, would have more power than the raadspensionaris. In theory, the stadtholders were freely appointed by and subordinate to the states of each province. However in practice the princes of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau, beginning with William the Silent, were always chosen as stadtholders of most of the provinces. Zeeland and usually Utrecht had the same stadtholder as Holland. There was a constant power struggle between the Orangists, who supported the stadtholders and specifically the princes of Orange, and the Republicans, who supported the States General and hoped to replace the semi-hereditary nature of the stadtholdership with a true republican structure. After the Peace of Westphalia, several border territories were assigned to the United Provinces. They were federally-governed Generality Lands (Generaliteitslanden). They were Staats-Brabant (present North Brabant), Staats-Vlaanderen (present Zeeuws-Vlaanderen), Staats-Limburg (around Maastricht) and Staats-Oppergelre (around Venlo, after 1715). The States General of the United Provinces were in control of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the Dutch West India Company (WIC), but some shipping expeditions were initiated by some of the provinces, mostly Holland and/or Zeeland. The framers of the US Constitution were influenced by the Constitution of the Republic of the United Provinces, as Federalist No. 20, by James Madison, shows.[19] Such influence appears, however, to have been of a negative nature, as Madison describes the Dutch confederacy as exhibiting "Imbecility in the government; discord among the provinces; foreign influence and indignities; a precarious existence in peace, and peculiar calamities from war." Apart from this, the American Declaration of Independence is similar to the Act of Abjuration, essentially the declaration of independence of the United Provinces,[20] but concrete evidence that the former directly influenced the latter is absent. Join if: You're a dynamic Captain looking for unlimited potential in the foremost economic power of the age. I hope everyone finds this resource helpful.

Just a suggestion as to great music to accompany the sailing on the open world - and perhaps nation-specific music in ports as well. Add your own thoughts. To me this is a perfect sailing companion, and as it is violins, it certainly captures the Aubrey/Maturin feeling. I've heard a few different recordings of these concertos, but this one is my favorite. http://www.amazon.com/Violin-Concertos-Antonio-Vivaldi/dp/B0009IFF08/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1431111509&sr=8-12&keywords=Vivaldi+Concertos+for+4+violins