Arrrr (GLOG: Ship Rules)

26 Aug, 2024

I've been strugging to find a set of ship rules that I'm happy with, from an old system I adapted from Stars Without Number feeling to complex to other glog systems and even the 5e rules in Saltmarsh feeling too complex and arbitrary. I've settled on the following simple, but hopefully enjoyable system.

Creating a ship

A ship is characterised by a few elements.
HD (Hull Dice): Are the health pool of a ship, each HD can be thought of as a life. Range from 1-18
Armor: Is any plating, reinforced wood or magical enchantment that defends a ship from attack. Range from 1-5
Sails: Are the best method of categorising how large a ship is. Range from 1-3
Speed: Is how many hexes a vessel can travel forward, turning also costs 1 speed. Equals: 6x[sails]-[HD]-[Armor]
Crew: is the number of actions a vessel can take (in the case of player vessels, crew is the number of player characters). Each crew is not a single person, but a team, often called a watch. *Normally is 1/3 HD rounded up

Movement

For each speed a ship may spend 1 to; Move 1 hex Forward or Rotate 1 once (1/6 of the hex) .
Wind: Ships have double the speed from sails when traveling directly with the wind and half the speed when sailing directly into the wind. At the start of each round roll a d6, the wind moves 1 turn towards that direction. \

Combat

Ship combat takes place in rounds, with each round taking approximately an hour.
Initiative functions on card or bag initiative, each ship puts a token into the bag for each crew they have, and they are drawn randomly to determine turn order. The drawn vessel may make 1 action on their turn.

Actions:

• Raise Sails: Move up to Speed hexes, including turning, this can only be done once each round of battle. Once you take this action return your token to the bag.
• Full Sail: Move [Sail] hexes forward, this is effected by wind.
• Come About: Turn 2 hexes, can no longer move this turn
• Repair: Gain 1 temporary HD, or resolve a Crisis. You cannot have more than 1 temporary HD.
• Boarding Action: Roll Contested speed, if the attackers win they board the enemy vessel. (See Boarding Rules)
• Fire Weapons: Fire one weapon (See Attacks), each weapon can only be fired once in a round.
• Ramming Speed: Ram an opponent within 1 hex that is being faced by the ram. Attacking with damage equal to remaining speed. If the attacking vessel does not have a ram they take 1/2 damage in return.
• Crack Shot: The character makes an attack roll against an opponents crew, on a great success the opponent misses their next turn. On a mixed success they miss their last turn.

Attacks

All attacks take place in a contested roll.

Attackers: Damage Vs Defenders: Hit Dice (1d8)+Armor
If Attacker rolls higher: Enemy loses 1 HD or Attacker chooses a Crisis
If Defender rolls higher: Defender randomly roll a Crisis

Boarding

Contested roll of d6+[crew]. Players may each add STR or DEX instead of [crew].
Side with lower roll loses 1 crew.
Attacker may choose to fall back or repeat the roll. If all crew on a ship is defeated that ship is Dead in the Water.

Crisis

Example Weapons

Ranged Weapons

Can face Fore, Aft, Port or Starboard. For 1 coin can pivot to Port or Starboard. Arc weapons can fire over other vessels.

Tightly controlled firearms can only be purchased from rare sources*

Rear Weapons:

Rams

You can only have a single ram equipped to a vessel

Example Upgrades

NPC vessels have 1 upgrade, players may have 1/2xHD upgrades

Navy Benefits

Each navy has a specialty, vessels in that navy get the benefit from their navy. Players are able to access their shipyards can gain the upgrade

Example Vessels

Caravel

This lightweight ship is designed for speed to the detriment of everything else, they act as scouts and couriers

HD: 2 AR: 0 Sails: 1 Speed: 7 Crew: 1

Lightwood: This ships light weight constructing gains it +3 speed.
Weapons:

• None

The Smuggler

This medium sized ship uses speed to keep it going, but unlike a caravel it still packs a punch.

HD: 6 AR: 0 Sails: 2 Speed: 6 Crew: 2

Darkened Hull: Is nearly impossible to detect when unlit at night and has +2d to escape notice.
Weapons:

• Ballista: Fore (3 hex), 1d8 damage
• Drag Barrels: Can be dropped onto the hex behind the vessel, anyone who enters the hex has their speed halved.

The Longship

Famed for the dwarves who use them, the longships use oars to move fast and board enemy vessels

HD: 6 AR: 0 Sails: 1 (2) Speed: 6 Crew: 1

Oars: Oars act as an extra sail (+6 speed) that is unaffected by the wind. (-1 crew)
Weapons:

• Hooked Ram: Melee weapon, no self damage on ramming and may initiate a boarding action immediately.

The Frigate

This medium sized ship forms the bulk of most forces, well armed enough to defend itself or act as a military core.

HD: 6 AR: 2 Sails: 2 Speed: 5 Crew: 2

Layered Hardwood: By layering special hardwoods the vessel gains +1 armor without a reduction in speed.
Weapons:

• Ballista: Fore (3 hex), 1d8 damage
• Mangonel: Pivor (6 hex), 1d10 damage

Man-O-War

A massive vessel the man-o-war is the ultimate vessel of navy domination

HD: 10 AR: 2 Sails: 3 Speed: 5 Crew: 4

Advanced Mountings: Designed for war this ship can have 2 additional weapons.
Weapons:

• Ballista: Fore (3 hex), 1d8 damage
• 2xManganel: Port & Starboard (6 hex), 1d10 damage
• Reinforced Ram: | Deal +2 damage on ramming.

The Gunship

A new class of vessels, Gunships take advantage of the new cannons to punch above their weight class

HD: 3 AR: 1 Sails: 1 Speed: 6 Crew: 1

Lightwood: The lightened ballast and wood grants this ship +3 speed
Weapons:

• Swivel Canon: 4 hex range, 1d6+3 damage

The Map

#GLOG #Mechanic #NKoG