User Guide

112
instances of accidental friendly fire. Where
possible, ships try to minimise this risk. Each
ship on each side of the battle will have one op-
portunity to attack a target each day. Because
of this targeting mechanism, ships of a similar
class or basic characteristics will tend to con-
centrate their fire on only a few targets if pos-
sible, giving them the greatest opportunity to
sink the vessel.
Damage
The base amount of damage each ship inflicts
on its target is determined by checking the re-
sult of a random die roll in a combat resolution
table. If the ship is on a side that is commanded
by an admiral, the die roll is also modified by
the admiral’s fire or shock rating (depending
on the current phase). If both sides are com-
manded by an admiral, only the net difference
(if any) between their respective values is ap-
plied to the side with the superior leader. A gal-
ley class of ship receives an additional bonus to
this die roll when combat occurs in an inland
sea, but incurs a -2 penalty when the combat
occurs on the high seas.
The base amount of damage is then adjust-
ed by the ratio of the number of cannons on
the attacking ship to the hull size of the target.
This result is further modified by the attack-
ing vessel’s current operational strength and
then multiplied by an attack modifier that is
determined by the country’s naval technology
level. The result of this complex calculation is
applied to the target, reducing its strength. A
similar procedure is used to determine the mo-
rale damage inflicted on the target as well.
End of Battle
A naval combat ends when a side has been com-
pletely eliminated, or when one fleet’s morale
has dropped so low that it breaks and disen-
gages. There is a small chance that one or more
of the defeated side’s retreating ships may be
captured by the victorious side. It is likely that
a captured ship will need to be sent to the near-
est friendly port for repairs, although there is
no guarantee that it will be in good enough
condition to reach the harbour without sink-
ing. The victorious fleet is then free to contin-
ue operations as it wishes, and the defeated side
is forced to retreat.
Naval Retreat
A fleet that has lost a naval combat must retreat
from the sea province where the battle took
place. If there is an adjacent friendly harbour,
it will retreat there to begin repairing any dam-
age. Otherwise, it will retreat to an adjacent sea
area that is in the general direction of the near-
est friendly harbour.
Naval Blockades
You cannot attack an enemy fleet that is in port.
If you wish to sink it, you must use land forces
to gain control of the province. When they cap-
ture the city, any ships that are in the harbour
will be forced out to sea where your fleets can
engage them.
If you position a fleet in a sea province that
borders an enemy port, it will initiate a block-
ade. You will see a graphic appear on the map,
showing a net that encircles the port. Coastal
provinces are assumed to rely heavily on mari-
time traffic for their income, so a blockaded
province will generate only 25% of its normal
tax and trade revenues until the blockade can
be lifted.
If the country that owns the port receives
any income from overseas colonies or centers
of trade, and the port belongs to province that
is directly linked to the country’s capital, a
percentage of this overseas income will be cap-
tured by your fleet and be diverted to your own
treasury. If you are able to blockade all of the
enemy’s home ports, you can completely cut off
his overseas income while making a very tidy
profit yourself.
Naval Transport of
Armies
Our final topic for this chapter on the military