User Guide

Losing Crew: As crewmen are knocked out, it takes the surviving
crew longer to reload the ship’s cannon after firing a broadside.
Losing Cannon: As a ship loses cannon she’ll have less of them to fire
at the enemy. (But you probably guessed that.)
Grappling and Boarding Actions
When a ship rams another vessel, the ramming ship’s crew rushes
aboard the enemy ship to battle her crew. While they battle it out, you
take on the enemy captain in a daring swordfight. The battle ends
when you or the enemy captain surrender.
See the next section, “Fencing and Swordplay” for details on this
heroic conflict.
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Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
Chain Shot: Chain shot consists of two smaller balls linked together
by a chain. When fired, the balls tend to separate and begin spinning,
primarily doing damage to the enemy’s sails. Chain shot has a medi-
um range: it fires a shorter distance than round shot, but longer than
grape shot.
Grape Shot: Grape shot is the classic anti-personnel load. Basically
the crew loads the cannon with a bunch of musket-balls and iron fil-
ings, turning the weapon into a massive shotgun. Grape shot is par-
ticularly effective at injuring the enemy’s crewmen. Grape shot has a
very short range.
Changing Cannon Ammunition
When the battle begins, your ship’s cannon are loaded with round
shot. If you have the other ammo-types available, you can switch
between them at will.
Press the Round Shot key (number pad 3), the Grape Shot key (num-
ber pad 1), or the Chain Shot key (number pad 7) to load your cannon
with the appropriate kind of ammunition.
Damage Effects
A ship struck by enemy cannon fire takes damage to one of the fol-
lowing: its hull, sails, crew, or cannon. The part of the ship damaged
is determined by a damage algorithm: certain ammo-types have a
greater chance to damage specific parts, though collateral damage to
other parts of the vessel are possible no matter what shot is used.
Hull Damage: As a ship takes damage to its hull, the ship’s speed and
manoeuvrability degrade. If the hull is totally destroyed, the ship
sinks.
Sail Damage: As a ship takes sail damage its speed and manoeuvra-
bility decline. If the sails are totally destroyed, the vessel is no longer
under any control, and it may surrender at your next approach.

Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
Book Three
Ammunition Availability
All ships are equipped with round shot, but some lack either or both of
the other two types of ammo. If you find yourself in a vessel lacking a particu-
lar type of ammunition, you might be able to find a shipwright who can
upgrade your ship with the missing ordnance.
The Memoirs of Captain Sydney
I said it before: a good pirate fights only when there’s profit in
it, or when he’s not got no other choice.
When a pirate’s fightin’ fer a profit, he’s got to remember that
every ball he puts into the other ship lowers her resale value, and that
a single lucky shot can sink even the strongest hull. Me, I always liked
to put a couple of long-range rounds into the enemy, for to put the fear
o’ heaven in the crew, then range in close off her bow or stern, cut her
crew down with grape, then board and take her at sword-point.
Exchangin’ manly broadsides with a merchant ship might make
fer a good song or legend, but I prefers money in the bank.
Now when fightin’ fer survival, on the other hand, the situa-
tion’s exactly the opposite. If I been chased down and forced into a
fight with some blasted pirate hunter in a beastly huge warship, my
job is to disable or sink her - be d____d to the value o’ her hull. I gets
treasure off of merchant ships - I fights warships fer to live to enjoy
that treasure.
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