Naval Ships and Tech discussion (LONG)
Scott Adams
longshot at JAX.FIDONET.ORG
Mon Dec 8 02:27:20 CET 1997
Naval info/rules from another gaming system which could be used for or
referenced with pnp. Sorta :)
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Anchors & Arrows
Naval rules for 1st Edition BATTLESYSTEM(TM) games
by Thomas M. Kane
William the Conqueror carried out an amphibious invasion of England. The
city of Tyre survived a Babylonian siege of 13 years by shipping in food,
because although Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon commanded an invincible army, he
had no fleet. Even in a primitive world, no military leader can ignore
warfare on the high sea. When naval battles occur in an AD&D(R) 1st Edition
game, the 1st Edition BATTLESYSTEM(TM) rules can be modified to simulate
them. Some general guidelines and ideas follow on setting up such a campaign.
The ships
Even the earliest seafarers knew the value of organization, but ancient
and medieval sea captains were not shackled into the rigid formations of
land troops. In naval BATTLESYSTEM games, each counter represents one
independent ship. When several ships unite in one attack, they can be
treated as figures in the same unit, with all attacks resolved with one roll
on the BATTLESYSTEM Combat Results Table (CRT). Likewise, when several
ships are the victim of one assault, damage against them can be determined
once and spread evenly among the victims. Because ships can move freely,
each might belong to several temporary "units" during the course of a single
game.
Most ships' statistics can be found on pages 53-55 of the AD&D 1st
Edition DMG. Table 1 herein provides details needed for BATTLESYSTEM games.
These numbers may be varied slightly to create customized ships. More
precise information about historical ships appeared in Margaret M. Foy's two
articles, "High Seas," in DRAGON(R) issue #116, and "The Oriental Sea," in
issue #130. Note that very few ships are specifically designed for combat.
Until gunpowder and cannons appeared, "navies" were usually merchant fleets
that had been pressed into war. Ordinary ships carried weapons to ward off
pirates. Furthermore, no king could afford to pay for a fleet that was
useful only in war, so navies had to be suitable for trade as well as for
fighting.
The men
Most "real" fighting takes place between shipboard marines. Develop
statistics for these soldiers as if they were ordinary land units wearing
light armor (to allow for fast movement). A typical ship will carry at
least one force of skirmishers to fire missiles from the castles and
rigging. Larger craft use regular troops in their forecastles and
aftcastles, and maintain a second unit of regulars to board the enemy. Some
rare skirmish troops can swim with a movement rate of 4" when unarmored.
They may swim to enemy ships with drills and bore away one structural point
per round (see "Combat").
A ship's crew is a special unit type. The crew can contain from one to
23 figures, depending on the kind of ship; these figures may represent a
real:scale figure ratio of 10:1, 5:1, or 2:1. Sailors suffer no morale or
discipline penalties for belonging to small units. A ship's crew may fight
in either regular or skirmish formation, but while the sailors are in
battle, their vessel cannot move. If half a galley's crew--or any scale
sailor figure on a sailing ship--is killed, the ship is automatically
crippled (see "Combat").
Since there is usually no room to maneuver aboardship, you do not need
miniature figures or counters to represent marines and sailors. Simply
record their unit strength on paper, indicate which figures that are in the
rigging and castles, and note any figures that are wounded and killed. The
action takes place between ships. You need counters only in an amphibious
battle, in which marines land and fight ground engagements.
Movement
Movement rates for assorted ships and wind conditions in BATTLESYSTEM
game scale inches are shown on Table 2. Once a course has been set, the
waves never forgive. When a ship turns, it must pay a movement penalty as
shown on Table 2. In addition, whenever boats wish to change facing, the
crew must check discipline by rolling 2d10 and attempting to score below its
DL rating. If this check fails, the ship is "in irons" and cannot move
until the next round.
A drifting ship moves forward twice its length during each BATTLESYSTEM
game round. If some obstacle lies in this path, the ship collides with it,
taking crippling damage (see "Combat"). Should the ship strike another
ship, both suffer this damage. Ship lengths are shown on Table 2.
The speed values in Table 2 assume that both oars and sail are used to
full advantage, except in the case of galleys. Real galleys always removed
their sails before battle. If players insist on sailing galleys to combat,
they will be fast but almost impossible to maneuver. Galleys require two
rounds to raise or lower their sails. A galley can also be rowed 3" faster
for 20 BATTLESYSTEM game rounds, or 6" faster for 10 BATTLESYSTEM game
rounds, but after this, the rowers must rest for one hour. These speeds may
be interchanged; for example, a galley crew could go 6" faster for five
rounds and then 3" faster for 10 more before resting.
Even the boldest sailor cannot defy the wind. Table 3 shows directions
in which a ship may sail during a given breeze. Use the Wind Direction and
Force tables on page 54 of the 1st Edition DMG, and place a pointer on the
game table to indicate the wind direction. A protractor is helpful in
interpreting the ways a ship may sail. You may wish to start both navies on
the windward edge of the table, since they will drift across as the game
progresses.
Game set-up
Since turning is so difficult, a navy must prepare its formation before
it meets the enemy. The fleet that sees its foe first has a vast advantage.
Therefore, you may wish to begin a naval BATTLESYSTEM game while the fleets
are still miles apart. Both navies can send out scout ships, and the DM can
keep track of their adventures on a map. Without telescopes, ships must
approach within 150" (4,500') to distinguish each other. Sailing ships can
see 10" (300') farther because of their high crow's nests. Vessels may
camouflage themselves with gray paint, so that enemies must approach to
within 100" (3,000') to see them. However, few ancient admirals would forgo
their brilliant sails and gilded hulls for this. In AD&D games, magical
spells and items can be used for scouting as well. Whichever side is first
to safely locate and examine the enemy is allowed to place its ships on the
battle-board second, allowing that player to examine the foe's apparent
positions and prepare to counter them.
Command
The captain of a ship's crew can be treated like any other unit
commander, but his orders can reach any point on the vessel, regardless of
command radius. A ship cannot sail while the crew is out of command, so a
first mate acts as deputy commander in case the captain dies. If a ship
carries boarding parties or marines, they will probably be a separate unit
with their own officer. If the boarding party is destroyed, its mother ship
can still sail. Sometimes, marines are deposited on an enemy deck and
abandoned, left to capture the enemy ship and make it their own. These
untrained sailors can use their new ship, but they suffer a +4 penalty on
all DL checks.
Ancient mariners often tried to disrupt their foes by blowing trumpets in
an attempt to drown out the enemy captain's orders. This can work whenever
ships are within 1" of each other. While the trumpeters blow, they penalize
all DL checks by one point per 10 hornblowers. This penalty applies both to
the enemy's ship and to the trumpeter's own!
There is often only one way for primitive ships to communicate: They must
physically contact each other, so that captains can shout from ship to ship
and be heard over the crashing sea. Historical navies sometimes fought
battles long after their kings had made peace, because there was no way to
recall a fleet. For complete realism, you could rule that players may not
talk with each other during naval BATTLESYSTEM encounters, unless they sail
their ships into contact or use magic. This rule makes magical
communications devices priceless. It also presents interesting strategic
decisions, in which captains must choose between taking immediate action or
conferring with their allies. However, it requires great self-restraint
from the players. If you wish, you may ignore this rule and assume that
ship crews communicate with some form of semaphore, torch, or blinker code.
These systems did not exist in the historical Middle Ages, but they may have
been invented in a fantasy world.
Combat and damage
Ships can be damaged in battle by the use of artillery, spells, fire,
drills, and the like. Artillery can be directed at either a ship or its
crew for attack purposes; attack bonuses and damage against characters are
given in the 1st Edition DMG, pages 108-109 (see also "Artillery and
archery").
Each vessel must be in one of three states: normal, crippled, or
destroyed. This status is determined by the number of structural points a
ship loses from a given attack. When a ship loses half its structural
points, it has been crippled. If a vessel loses all its points or is
crippled twice, it sinks. A crippled ship cannot move above half speed, and
it requires twice as long to perform any turn. When several ships are
attacked together, and the damage is sufficient to cripple more than one,
one ship sinks, leaving the others undamaged. An attack that cannot do at
least half damage to a ship is ignored. Two exceptions to this are fire
damage and drill damage. Both sorts of damage add up until they are stopped
or the ship is crippled and, eventually, sunk. Since "units" of ships
fluctuate, you should record the structural-point total for each counter.
Hull values appear on page 54 of the 1st Edition DMG.
When a ship sinks, all its passengers are considered killed. Few people
could swim in ancient times; although some sailors might survive by clinging
to wreckage, there will not be enough survivors to form another unit. When
a ship is afire or otherwise endangered, its crew will probably try to board
an enemy ship, capture it, and escape. When friendly ships try to rescue
sailors, use either the grappling and boarding rules in the 1st Edition DMG
(page 55) or the guidelines under "Boarding" herein to determine how many
sailors cross from ship to ship. Once a ship has been "destroyed," it
requires 3-18 rounds to sink below the water.
Artillery and archery
Archery is resolved using the standard BATTLESYSTEM rules. The wooden
fortifications of a ship's "castles" give their archers a +3 bonus to armor
class. An extra missile-armed skirmish figure could be placed in a sailing
ship's masts, although heavy crossbows cannot be reloaded in rigging. The
elevated positions of castles and rigging allow figures there to shoot over
the heads of their allies on the deck, without resorting to indirect fire.
Note that the normal movement restrictions for troops using missile weapons
(BATTLESYSTEM rule 10.4) do not apply, since archers can stand still while
their ship maneuvers. The effects of archery fire on a ship are divided
between its crew and marines, as per the normal AD&D BATTLESYSTEM rules.
Artillery can be treated normally against crew on enemy ships. When
ships fire artillery at other ships, ignore the rule that catapults always
strike against AC 0 and ballista against AC 10. Ships are such large
targets that catapults have a reasonable chance of hitting them, while more
accurate ballista bolts often rebound from wooden hulls. Armor classes for
ships are given on Table 1.
Use the Siege Attack Values table on page 109 of the 1st Edition DMG to
determine the hull-point damage done against wooden ships, if the
BATTLESYSTEM CRT is not used (ballistae have no effect on a ship's hull).
To determine artillery damage to ships using the BATTLESYSTEM CRT, assume
that a light catapult or mangonel inflicts 1d6 hull points damage; a heavy
catapult, 1d10; and a trebuchet, 1d14. Few ships can mount even a light
catapult. Heavier artillery engines must always be based onshore.
Ancient ship artillerists occasionally hurled caltrops and slippery soap
onto enemy decks to impede marines. If this is attempted in a game,
calculate damage on the normal BATTLESYSTEM CRT, as if the missiles caused
3d10 hp damage. Do not cripple or remove any vessels, but whenever a ship
would be crippled by this damage, mark it to show that its decks are
hazardous. That ship's marines suffer a +2 on their AR, whether they are
boarding an enemy ship or defending themselves. Defenders in ship castles
are not affected because of their wooden shields.
Boarding
Sailors can grapple enemy vessels whenever their ships are within one
inch of each other. If both captains agree to grapple, the attempt
automatically succeeds. Otherwise, the grappled ship has a 25% chance of
escaping, as per page 55 of the 1st Edition DMG. The attacker may break
contact whenever he desires, unless the defenders grapple his ship. Once
grappling occurs, push the two ships straight toward each other, without
turning either one. When they make contact, measure the area where the
ships touch to determine the attacker's frontage. Every 3/4" allows one
boarding figure to attack. For example, if the frontage is 1 1/2" long, two
man-size figures can invade. A minimum of one figure can always board.
When galleys attempt to board taller ships, the galley crew suffers a +1 to
its AR, while the defenders gain a -1.
In boarding raids, any unit that fails morale surrenders, because there
is no room for routs or open formations. Once all defenders have died or
surrendered, the attackers own the defenders' ship.
The defenders of each ship can usually surround intruders. Assume that
the defenders can pit two figures against every one attacker, if enough
warriors are available. The ship's castles allow extra defenders to thrust
tridents or spears at invaders. When any corner of the boarders' frontage
is within 1" of the victim's prow or rear, troops in that castle may join
the melee.
Ramming
Rams are formidable in mass formations. When fleets crowd together in
constricted waterways, one ramming charge can sink a navy.
Ramming attacks occur during the movement phase. The attacker must move
at least two-thirds of its normal movement rate straight forward, and the
attacker must strike an enemy ship's side. Assume that a ram does 5d6 hp
damage, or 12 hull points. You can also determine ram damage with the
normal BATTLESYSTEM CRT table, reading results as 2d12 hull points damage.
A ram's AR equals 30, with the crew's DL rating subtracted from that. Thus,
if the crew's DL rating is 16, the ramming AR is 14. The victim of a ram is
forced backward 1" for every three hull points of damage suffered. The
rammed ship goes straight back from the ram, possibly colliding with other
vessels. Every ship involved in a crash suffers half the damage that the
ram attack caused, so the ship that was rammed first takes additional damage
from a secondary collision.
Ramming leaves the attacker in contact with the defender. Unless the
rammer pulls away as soon as possible, it may be boarded. If the victim
sinks, the rammer must spend the rest of the round doing nothing except
pulling away, to avoid being dragged under. Only galleys normally mount
rams; Viking-type longships seldom carry them. A ship without a ram may
nonetheless drive itself into an enemy, inflicting half ramming damage on
both the attacker and victim (it may still be useful for huge ships facing
rowboats). Rammers can also drive directly at a galley's prow, then turn
and shear off its oars, crippling the enemy. A DL check must be made for
the attacker; if the check fails, the attacker's oarsmen left their own oars
out, and both attacker and defender are crippled. (A defender can make a DL
check to have its oars shipped to avoid shearing.) Shearing leaves the ships
in contact unless the attacker has enough movement left to escape.
Fires
Fires can divert a boat's crew or engulf an entire ship. When catapults
hurl burning shot, use the BATTLESYSTEM CRT and treat damage as 1d10. Then
round the result up or down to correspond to one of the damage entries on
Table 4, and cross reference to determine how long the fire burns.
Other fire attacks can be resolved by a roll on Table 4. This includes
collisions with burning hulks, such as the "fire ships" used by England
against Spain's Armada, and attacks by fiery piles dropped with tongs by
aerial enemies. Assume that unpiloted "fire ships" drift at half their
normal speed in the direction of the wind. Roll on Table 4 once for every
enemy figure firing flaming arrows or for ever 5 HD of magical fire used
against a ship. Lightning does only half the burning damage of fire. When
a burning ship grapples an ordinary one, there is a 10% chance per
BATTLESYSTEM game round that the new ship will also suffer a fire attack.
This applies to friendly rescuers and to enemies.
Only an extremely advanced navy should possess "Greek fire." For game
purposes, assume that this substance can be projected only 2" but always
hits its target. The victim suffers one roll on Table 4. Greek fire can
also be sprayed on the water; each shot covers a rectangle 1" x 3", burning
for 1-4 BATTLESYSTEM game rounds. Any ships that enter these pools of flame
suffer the effects of one attack on Table 4.
When a ship loses all its hull points to fire, it burns uncontrollably.
The Ship's Burning Time table on page 55 of the DMG shows how long the
passengers have to escape. If no friend can rescue them, they will probably
try to board an enemy ship and capture it. Lesser fires still require the
full attention of all crewmembers and marines for a length of time shown on
Table 4. Even if a fire is too small to cause damage, the crew must stop
it. The crew cannot move the ship or fight while extinguishing flames. In
any BATTLESYSTEM game round in which fires are neglected--the crew must
repel boarders, for example--the ship suffers damage as if another fire
attack had been made on Table 4. All fire damage is cumulative. If a ship
takes three points of damage from fire, then takes another two, the crew
must spend two rounds fighting the fire. Furthermore, if the ship had only
10 hull points, the combined five points of hull damage will cripple her.
Natural enemies
Winds and water can ruin a ship as surely as a ram. In stormy weather,
each ship must check for wind damage at the beginning of the storm (or game)
and once every 10 BATTLESYSTEM game rounds thereafter. Wind damage cripples
normal ships and sinks damaged ones. There is a 10% chance of wind damage
at wind speeds of 32-38 MPH, a 30% chance at winds of 39-63, a 60% chance at
winds of 64-103 and a 90% chance at winds of 104 and up. Galleys and
rowboats have double normal chances of being damaged.
The sea itself waterlogs galleys. If these ships are not taken ashore to
dry each night, they suffer double the normal turning penalty. For this
reason, galleys seldom conduct blockades. Viking longships are an exception
to both of these rules, being as seaworthy as any ship.
DMs may also choose to place whirlpools, icebergs, seaweed, reef mazes,
and other hazards on the oceanic battlefield. Islands, shorelines, and
hidden coves can conceal ambushers and influence an enemy's maneuvers. The
exact effect of these perils depends on the scenario, but you may assume
that collisions with underwater objects automatically cripple a ship. Fog
has all the effects listed in the BATTLESYSTEM rules and can also cause
ships to collide. When any two ships cross each other's path in fog, their
crews must each make a DL check, penalized by adding the ship's turning
penalty, with all fractions rounded up. If either crew fails this check,
the ships collide and each is crippled. A ship already crippled sinks.
Tactics
With BATTLESYSTEM rules for naval fights, adventurer-admirals need to
learn how to win these fights. Historically, there were two philosophies of
naval tactics. The Mediterranean peoples preferred to fight in carefully
arranged lines of battle, with rams and catapults. After these engines had
disabled the foe, marines systematically boarded each enemy ship. (The
Vikings scorned that caution. They boarded enemy ships recklessly, hoping
to win through the prowess of their warriors.) The object of line battle
formations was to attack the foe's flank and rear, while defending one's
own. Without gunpowder weapons, the "broadsides" position was often
useless; in fact, rammers preferred to face the foe's side.
When lines of ships confronted each other, they had two options.
Attackers could attempt to sail straight through the enemy line, then return
from behind, or they could attempt to maneuver around the foe's flanks. To
defend against these attacks, fleets formed "hedgehogs," circles with their
forecastles facing outward. Defenders also took up positions around reefs,
shorelines, and islands. Navies exploited numerical superiority by forming
two lines, one behind the other, so that if the attacker foiled the first
formation, a second was available. However, in narrow straits, large
numbers of ships were a handicap: One ram attack could crush them all
together.
Even the less-sophisticated Norse style of sea battle required some art.
Norse captains were like generals who designed their own battlefields,
customizing every detail to suit their plans. Each ship chose when and how
to board its enemy, so ships that carried many marines could surround foes,
while vessels with few mighty defenders could sail between obstacles or
friendly ships to protect their flanks, forcing enemies to attack one by
one. The Vikings were known to lash ships together for defense, making
floating fortresses.
In a battle of sailing ships, each captain must decide how to use the
wind. Aggressive admirals prefer to attack from the windward side, the
"weather gauge." This lets them sail straight against the foe, or hold still
and refuse battle. If the "weather fleet" does not come forward, its enemy
cannot reach it except by oar. Unfortunately, the "weather gauge" prevents
ships from withdrawing and forces them to sail straight into enemy missile
fire. The fleet with the "lee gauge" can remain orderly and flee if it
desires. When both admirals seek one side of the wind, a long competition
of maneuvers can result with no combat. This is an excellent chance for the
side with higher discipline and faster ships to win without fighting.
Last notes
Few gamers own navies of tiny ships, so you can make naval BATTLESYSTEM
counters by cutting out pieces of cardboard to the size of a ship on the
BATTLESYSTEM game scale, as per Table 1. Snip off the two front corners on
each ship to make a pointed prow. You can also fold cardboard into
three-dimensional oval hulls or build ships from toothpicks. Model kits and
lead miniatures may also provide more attractive ships.
Pirates, sea monsters, and enemy nations provide reason enough for PCs to
become admirals. Yet not all naval BATTLESYSTEM scenarios need be military.
Peril haunts the most routine voyages in the ancient world, and PCs may
find that their fortunes depend on merchant fleets. Emperors may dispatch
great navies to search the world for riches and curiosities. Guiding these
flotillas through narrow seas, battered by storms and hemmed by reefs, can
be exciting too.
Remember, The Odyssey began when the war ended.
Bibliography
Hough, Richard. Fighting Ships. New York:
G. P. Putnam's and Sons, 1969.
Leckie, Robert. Warfare. New York:
Harper and Row, 1970.
[Tables are best viewed with an 8pt mono-spaced font (Courier New)]
Table 1
Ship Statistics Table
Length Width Crew Marines # figures
Maximum
Ship AC (game ") (game ") (# figures*) (# figures*) per castle**
artillery
Rowboat 0 1/2-1 1/8-1/2 1 1 --
--
Barge, small 3 1/2-1 1/4-1/2 1 1 --
1 ballista
Barge, large 3 3/4-1 3/4-1 1 2 --
1 ballista
Galley, small 5 3-4 1/4-1/2 17 3 1
4 ballistae
Galley, large 5 4-6 1 23 7 1
8 ballistae
Merchant, small 0 4-5 1-2 3 12 2
8 ballistae,
4 catapults
Merchant, large 0 6-8 2-3 3 31 3
12 ballistae,
6 catapults
Warship 1 3-4 1/2-1 2 15 3
9 ballistae,
5 catapults
* This assumes man-size figures with 3/4" bases; the number given is the
maximum number of figures that can fit on the ship. If the battle is fought
any distance from land, larger ships will probably have far fewer marines on
board, since they will also be carrying food and water. You can Plan ship
logistics using Katharine Kerr's article, "An Army Travels On its Stomach,"
from DRAGON issue #94.
** This statistic indicates how many figures can fight from each of a ship's
defensive castles. All ships have two: one forecastle on the prow, and one
aftcastle on the stern. Thus, a warship can place three marine figures in
its forecastle and three more at the stern. This does not increase the
total capacity of the craft, as these troops must come out of the ship's
normal complement. Combat in the castles is described under "Archery" and
"Boarding."
*** Catapults are light catapults (mangonels). Most ships have less
artillery than this figure, and longships carry none.
Table 2
Ship Movement Table
Turning ------------- Wind speed (MPH)----------------
Ship penalty* 0 1-12 13-24 25-38 39-63 64-103 104+
Rowboat 1/4 3 9 12 13 13 14 17
Barge, small 1 1/3 3 9 12 13 13 15 16
Barge, large 2 1 4 7 8 8 9 10
Galley, small 2/3 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
(with sail) 2 15 27 33 41 42 44 50
Galley, large 1 1/3 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
(with sail) 4 12 21 24 33 35 36 43
Merchant, small 1 1/3 1 15 21 23 24 26 31
Merchant, large 2 -- 9 15 16 17 20 23
Warship 1 1 13 19 20 21 22 23
* This number equals the fraction of a ship's movement rate that must be
forfeited to change direction. Therefore, a rowboat can turn and still have
half its movement left, while a large barge requires two whole rounds to turn.
Table 3
Points of Sail Table
Angle to wind Required wind speed
(in degrees) Maneuver (MPH)*
120 Tacking 8-46
90 Reaching 8-54
60 Broad reaching 4-72
30 Running free 1-82
0 Running before the wind 1+
*Thus, a ship can run before the wind with any breeze at all, but tacking is
impossible in winds of under 8 or over 46 MPH.
Table 4
Fire Attack Table
Hull-point Time to
1d100 damage extinguish**
01-15 1 --
16-25 2 1
26-35 3 1
36-53 4 2
54-64 5 2
65-75 6 4
76-86 7 4
87-96 8 8
97-98 9 8
99-00 10 16
* Adapted from pages 54-55, 1st Edition DMG.
** Time in BATTLESYSTEM game rounds.
Copyright TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Do not repost.
~~~ Telegard v3.09.g1/mL
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