Naval Ships and Tech discussion (LONG)

[Scott Cohan]

sc>   Too bad that "Water from Stone", "Sustenance", and "Preservation"
sc> are all LAW   spells and the Climans are Chaotic.

sa>oh yeah..:)..hmmm..err...your right.  Forgot about that.  So maybe they had a
sa>wizard prisoner :) (yeah right).

  Well, theoretically, they _could_ buy Law spells, but at substantial
  penalties.

sc>   "Cogs, Caravels and Galleons", part of Conway's History of the
sc> Ship.

     sa>that should help...

sc> Ships:   With prevailing wind: Average Speed = 2.53 knots (1.20 to
sc> 3.98)   Against wind: Average Speed = 1.14 knots (1.06 to 1.24)

sc>   This means, even sailing 24 hours/day at full speed, a trip of 560
sc> miles would   take 9 days with the wind and 20 days against it.

sa>Looks good info.

sc>   I still have a lot of reading to do, but so far I think that I can
sc> use Genoese   Crusader transports and Hanseatic cogs for most nations
sc> in the SoT, and use  caravels and the Catalan nao for the more
sc> nautically advanced nations (Clima,   Fomoria)

sa>Yes.  Donara and Marentia might have Carvels as well.  Sivas is a major
sa>port you know.  :)

  I'm not sure which nations I would consider "nautically advanced".  According
  to the Sea of Tears article, only the nations of Erdan and Aratad have the
  navigational skill to cross the open sea.  Of course, the article also states
  that a major trade route crosses the open sea between Pelara and Maoun, so it
  contradicts itself.
     Right now, I'm assuming most nations prefer to hug the coast, but can make
  open sea trips if required.  They probably sail by the stars, with only the
  more advanced nations having any knowledge of sextants and such.  I would
  define the nautically advanced nations as Fomoria and Clima and possibly
  Aratad (seeing as they were occupied by Clima until recently, perhaps some of
  their naval tech rubbed off).
     The added advantage of using caravels for the more advanced nations is that
  you can use the same ship for Lemasa and those troublesome trips East.
     Now, there's nothing wrong with cogs and Crusader Transports, they're just
  not as advanced as the caravel.  They're still wonderful ships for the Sea of
  Tears (They worked in the Mediterranean even after the caravel was developed).
   Besides, caravels are more expensive and cost more to run than cogs and
  crusader transports, because they are bigger ships.  Most nations wouldn't
  need to build caravels.  Clima is the notable exception, as they must make
  long trips without stopping and must have larger ships in order to carry out
  their excise duties.

sc> catapults and   my personal favorite siege weapon, the springald.

sa>Never heard of that..

  It's basically a large vertical wooden grid, thus:
  +--+--+--+--+
  |  |  |  |  |
  +--+--+--+--+
  |  |  |  |  |
  +--+--+--+--+
  with about 64 to 144 holes.  The holes have an arrow placed in each one, while
  a large piece of wood which covers the rear of the holes is pulled back and
  released.  Something like:

  \    |->
   \   |->
    \  |->
     \ |->
      \|->
  Wood Grid

  The wood is released, it slaps against the grid, launching all of the arrows
  in a single volley.

  Helps break the ice against boarding parties.


sc>   More details as I read farther, but so far, I feel comfortable
sc> changing the   naval tech to this level (late 14th, early 15th
sc> century).  Keeps it equitable   with the armor and weapon tech.

Well if you get a final draft do post it here for us guys :)

  Still doing research, but I'll post it, never fear.  It's not as if the list
  is cluttered or anything.

sa>Did you see the post I did on ships from TSR?

  I did.  I used to have a copy of the old BATTLESYSTEM rules lying about, but I
  sold them a while ago.  Oh, well.  It looks like it could be useful.  Thanks.


  Well, I've got to get back to work.  Bye!


  Scott Cohan