This is an open-water duel for testing ship combat. You command the Red ship. The Blue ship is run by a CPU captain. The left column is a debug panel. It will spoil hidden information, such as the opponent’s loaded ammunition. For the best experience, play without looking at the debug panel.
On activation: apply a pending Repair, then spend Movement Points and take at most one action, in either order. Repair is the exception, it must be declared before moving as it costs Movement Points. You may skip movement, the action, or both. If Sails are 0 and there is wind, the ship will drift one hex downwind.
Each round the wind may change direction or calm down. A d6 roll at the start of each round determines the wind direction. Facing exactly with the wind gives +1 Movement Point. Facing exactly against it gives −1 Movement Point. Other facings, and calm weather, give no modifier. Movement Points cannot fall below 0.
When there is wind:
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | Holds its current direction |
| 4 | Rotates 60° clockwise |
| 5 | Rotates 60° counterclockwise |
| 6 | Becomes calm; the last direction is remembered |
When the wind is calm:
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | Stays calm |
| 5–6 | Returns from the last direction |
Move equals current Sails, plus the wind modifier. Enter the hex ahead or either adjacent forward hex (bow ±60°) for 1 Move, and face that direction for free. Turning 60° in place also costs 1 Move. No reverse or sideslip.
At 0 Sails a ship has no voluntary Move. If there is wind it drifts one hex downwind at the start of its activation.
Each ship startes the game with the cannon loaded with a ball. Firing needs at least 1 Crew and a loaded gun, then spends the loaded ammunition. The target must sit in a broadside arc (not bow or stern) and inside the ammunition’s range. A shot that enters through the target’s bow or stern has its damage halved, rounded down, to a minimum of 1. Reloading replaces whatever is currently loaded and counts as an action. During a round, a ship can either fire or reload, but not both. There are three types of ammunition: ball, chain, and grape. Each type has a different range, damage, and purpose. A ball is a heavy shot that can penetrate a hull, a chain is a lightweight shot that can damage sails, and a grape is a small shot that can damage crew.
| Shot | Hits | Range | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball | Hull | 2–4 | 2 at range 2; 1 at range 3–4. Cannot fire at range 1. |
| Chain | Sails | 1–2 | 2 at range 1; 1 at range 2. |
| Grape | Crew | 1 | 2 |
Repair needs 2 Crew and must be declared before moving. It costs 2 Move this turn and applies +1 Hull or Sails at the start of your next turn. A ship can have at most one pending repair at a time and repairing will not exceed its starting stats (Hull 6, Sails 4, Crew 4).
When you are at least 16 hexes from the enemy and have taken no damage this round, you may flee. You may move first, then flee in the same turn. An escaped ship is undefeated, the skirmish ends, but neither side has sunk or struck.
The Blue captain follows the same rules you do. Each skirmish it is given one personality, then its posture can shift as the fight develops:
| Captain | Tendency |
|---|---|
| Cautious | Keeps range, repairs early, and is quick to break off. |
| Steady | Trades shots when the exchange looks fair but withdraws when clearly losing. |
| Bold | Closes in and hunts damage. A bold captain retreats only when in serious danger. |
Posture during a fight is Defensive, Balanced, or Offensive. A losing or cautious captain may open the range and flee once the 16-hex rule is met. The debug panel shows personality, current posture, and the seed so odd behavior can be reproduced.