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I have been told 'war supplies' currently is out of function for preparing an invasion of an enemy port. They were used to deposit 'hostility' in a target harbor, if I understand this correctly. The idea was not bad and I think it could be revived in another form, in context of what I will try to explain here as my next suggestion. -- The preparation of a planned invasion is crucial for success. My idea is about troop transports taking the place of 'war supplies'. Let's face it: to take over an enemy port an aggressor not only needs to defeat a fleet and fortifications of the harbor - historically and actually this is only the first stage to the following fight on land. This is done by landing troops who will fight against the defenders. Only after they win, the town will get conquered and taken over. When no troops are getting on the shore, you can bombard the place with your ships as you please, it will not be yours by that alone. So, gamewise, how could this important aspect of an amphibious invasion be represented? - We will have to build 'troop transports' for the port battle. They could be AI-steered or players are commissioned by their clans to command the troop transports. This is a crucial part of the battle and only the best players should be selected for that task, because it will be in their hands if the invasion succeeds or not. In that role they do not participate in sinking enemy ships, they concentrate in bringing their ships to target areas and keeping them afloat while they unload troops (repairs possible on board). We will have battles for dominating zones as before, but also we will have to defend those troop ships (or stop and sink them, from point of view of the defender) so they make it to a designated landing zone - usually a beach close to town or the town pier. Troop transports have to be protected by all means to reach this place, where they will unload their troops in longboats. This while they are shielded from the defenders by their accompanying war ships. Hopefully. Port battles could still contain mechanics like now where you get your victory points from the struggle about domination zones, so this part of the conquest will not become obsolete, we would only have to add a new part, about the troop ships safely reaching their destination. Every port has a calculation based on what's necessary in Battle Rating for attacking it, as far as its land troop defenses are concerned. Now what the attacker would need is to bring to the beach enough troops to outnumber the calculated defenders. This will determine the port flipping. The troop transport would have to be a new ship type in game, larger and less elegant than the Indiaman. Bulky and rather defenseless, made for containing as many soldiers and weapons inside as possible and providing the means of unloading them. This could be symbolized by animations which start the moment the transport reaches beach or mole, triggered by AI or the Captain who commands the troop ship. You can still interrupt the process, it has to be completed in a given time window for success. Troop transports will be one-time instruments and not usable for something else, like shipping cargo. They are built exactly for a given invasion plan, in a port of the attacker. You use the same material for them as are necessary for 'war supplies', plus soldiers. It would be rather interesting for battle development if you have to bring them on OW to destination (escorted of course by the battle groups). Very precious. The key to success or failure. If you loose them already on the march to destination, the port battle would become meaningless (or only be fought for victory points, but no actual flipping the port). Once being used for a port battle, the troop transport will disappear and you will have to build and collect new ones for another port battle to come. In the way 'war supplies' did. Effect: More tactical requirements for both the voyage to target port and the port battle itself. A new role as commander of transport vessels who has a decisive importance for victory or failure. When the port battle and invasion are done, the commanders of troop ships would either find themselves in the conquered town or a spawning basic cutter represents their escape vessel as the transport has to be left at the place, if successful or not.