Sharpshooters, Marines, and other "Live" cargo

[William the Drake]

This topic is focused on all non-sailing crew and personnel that may find themselves on board our ship, and will offer possibilities in which they can be implemented.

 

1: Sharpshooters and Marines,

    These will be crew that are actively used in close ship-to-ship combat as well as boarding combat. When close enough, sharpshooters will begin to pick off enemy crew, slowly but continuously lowering the enemies crew number. They will be placed in the ship's rigging and deck. Marines on the other hand will be used solely for boarding combat. Marines will be much more adept at boarding than regular sailors, making them very valuable to a captain that likes to board.

The issue comes in that crew, sharpshooters, and marines will all take up space in the overall crew limit. Each ship could be given a number of minimal sailors needed (in order to properly, but not optimally, sail the ship) as well a Sharpshooter limit, based on the size of the ship (and thus the amount of rigging and spots up in the sails and masts in which to hide). The fewer sailors you have,the slower your "crew Focus" skills change and the less they actually affect the ship's performance.

So, if you have a max ship crew of 40, you can decide to have 20 crew (minimum needed being, say, 10), 15 Marines, and 5 Sharpshooters, or any combination the player deems fit 

 

2: Prisoners

  At some point, after boarding actions, you may find yourself in possession of a few prisoners of war (or wanted pirates) that could be turned over to authorities for either a boost in renown or a pretty penny (This would usually mean just NPC crew, or the crew of other players, but not the other players themselves). A brig could be implemented on each ship to allow for the carrying of PoWs, which could in turn be removed or upgraded to carry more prisoners at the captain's (player's) discretion.

 

3: "Live" Cargo

  A: "Specialty Civilians"- Civilians of importance. These may encompass workers and professionals required to man various parts of economy ( e.g. Master shipwright, Blacksmith, etc.) or people of royal import (Governors, viceroys, Royal relations, anyone with "friends in high places") These people will require a place amongst the crew, meaning they will take the same space as combat crew, but will not fight in combat actions. (So 19 sailors, 15 marines, 5 sharpshooters, 1 Special Civilian. Max crew 40)

  B: Civilians- unimportant civilians in need of transportation. These will be put in the Cargo Hold, however will need a bit more upkeep than regular cargo. (If things like rations and fresh water are implemented, they will also need this as upkeep). Civilians will also slightly affect crew morale, based on the length of time at sea.

  C: Livestock-  Livestock needed for trade and the economy. These will also be put in the cargo hold, will also need a bit more upkeep than regular cargo, but will not affect moral like citizens

 

The main idea here is to diversify the possibilities available to each captain: Will you attempt to board in every action? Then you will want more marines at your disposal. Want to target the enemy crew as much as possible, but not intending to board? Just Sharpshooters and sailors for you. On a long trade run with livestock or civilians? Then you best plan your trip wisely to minimize any morale or ration issues that may come up. The more a player can feel they can change their strategy and individualize it, the better, in my opinion.

 

 

Cheers- Captain Drummond

[BungeeLemming]

Sharpshooters

[William the Drake]

Sharpshooters

As that is simply a discussion of sharpshooters and (mainly) muskets, whereas this is focused more as a possible game mechanic suggestion vs. a visual one, as well as other suggestions based on crew number, is this not appropriate for the suggestion forum? Here I am simply presenting a possible version to be used, in conjunction with game mechanics that are already in place