Captain and Crew Abilities

[LickOfTheCat]

Just come across the rules for Captain and Crew abilities. Seems the cards are no longer available but wondering if they are really needed to use these rules?

[Bligh]

I only make use of them if an historical action indicates that some special incident merits their use, otherwiue they are relegated to the campaign scenarios where you are trying to develop a character. but like all the other rules and add ons it is what suits your style best. Take it or discard it as you will Scott.

Rob.

[Dobbs]

I like the idea of these and think it should be expanded to ship attributes. The could be positive and negative. The negative cards could either be used to balance play between two players or a twist might be that you could play them on your opponent.

[Diamondback]

Another use for them would be for points values toward a fleet limit--say a negative-SA for a barnacle encrusted hull that occasionally has a chance to cramp maneuverability (say, draw an E chit every third turn and if it comes up Hit you lose a Veer point for that ship that turn) buying a points discount on that ship you can then buy crew or equipment upgrades with, or even maybe another ship.

[Naharaht]

Sails of Glory is not a game, in which you have to own the officially printed cards in order to use what they say in the game. You can write or print the text on your own cards and use them with the Captain and Crew Abilities rules.

[Diamondback]

I ordered an absurd number of extra decks because I wanted to have a full set for each ship (CCAD was four sets of ten cards), but as the game's evolved I've pivoted to the idea of a custom laminated printout log for each ship with all ten CCAD optional rules, just strike through any that aren't available to that ship or have already been used with greasepencil.

Personally, unless granted an exception by a "named captain" like Nelson I'd prefer to limit ships to one or two Captain Abilities per game as an anti-cheese measure. We really need to take another run at a "Named Captains Deck"...

[Bligh]

Just come across the rules for Captain and Crew abilities. Seems the cards are no longer available but wondering if they are really needed to use these rules?

This may be of interest as a starting point to write up your rules Scott. You can copy the official ones onto these templates or make up your own for the needs of different scenarios.

https://sailsofglory.org/downloads.php?do=file&id=196

Rob.

[Dobbs]

These changing times certainly challenge the idea of games. Private folks can make playing pieces cheaper than designers can make them. Rules can be disseminated and dissected by enthusiastic players faster than the makers can adapt.

I still favor the SoG playing pieces, and the game rules are a fabulous base, but what does the future hold?:shock:

[Bligh]

As far as gaming Sails goes whatever our versatile minds are capable of conjuring up Dobbs.
I still like the general look of the Ares ships, but will add any of the printed ones I need to expand my choices in ships as long as I can make them look as if they fit in to the general style of the Ares ones, and improve the scale anomalies.

Rob.

[TexaS]

We live in marvelous times!

I wholeheartedly agree with DB about making rounds with special abilities for captains, crew or even ship quirks.

[Bligh]

If anyone can make sense of them and put them into an organized spreadsheet it is DB Jonas.
Meantime I will keep working on my special incident cards.

Rob.

[Diamondback]

We live in marvelous times!

I wholeheartedly agree with DB about making rounds with special abilities for captains, crew or even ship quirks.

The rub is, striking the balance between enough to add a flavor reflecting historical events but not crossing the line into Wizkids Pirates-level Powergaming Munchkin Cheese--former member Walram once said that game was more complex than company-level military operations he'd run.

Don't be Wizkids... leave Munchkin to Steve Jackson. Say, one Captain and two Crew per ship unless using a Named Captain?

[TexaS]

We’ll just put points cost on the commanders and how many Cochranes can you have in your navy?

[Diamondback]

We’ll just put points cost on the commanders and how many Cochranes can you have in your navy?

I'd like to say one incidence of a Name per game period but we may have to compromise at "per player"--WK had big problems about slight variations in name ("Jack Hawkins vs Capt Jack Hawkins," "Thomas Gunn vs Sir Thomas Gunn") allowing you to use what were clearly intended to be the same character twice in a fleet, and when I GM'ed I had a house-rule in my scenario games limiting to "one version of a character per."

[TexaS]

I think that is more of a problem with players rather than the game rules.

[Diamondback]

I think that is more of a problem with players rather than the game rules.

There is that... Munchkin gonna Munchkin.

[Bligh]

The beauty of our gaming DB, is every decision is done by consensus after discussing the known historical presidents for our decisions. Thus we almost always decide upon a happy medium, between the tedious and the totally ridiculous. We don't game more than once with the "Wizkids Pirates-level Powergaming Munchkin Cheese--" as you so aptly phrase it.:clap:
Rob.

[Diamondback]

Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer that a Munchkin Game every now and then is a healthy thing--for the same reason as I eat Taco Bell once a year, to remind you why you DON'T do it the rest of the time... sorta like why I keep the first rifle I ever built as-is with all the overweight Mall Ninja tacticrap (seriously, this thing even unloaded outweighs TWO standard-issue M4s including their shipping crates!) as a reminder about "this is why you DON'T do that."

Frankly, All-Optionals-Included "Advanced Rules" Sails seems way too tedious for even me to keep up with, which is part of why I like the idea of printout "Expanded Logs" so they can have a step-by-step checklist to go down all the stuff to keep track of every turn.

[Bligh]

If I want a Munchkin Game I play with Simon and his Pirates. He puts together some really fun games.
Your printed out Expanded logs sound like a good idea DB. Do yo have a printout handy for me to take a gander at it?
Rob.

[Diamondback]

Rob, what I have right now are notes and thoughts scattered on scraps of notepaper but nothing complete, and my hardcopy rules are in a footlocker 30 miles away. I'll start trying to round 'em up and draw up a draft document, and email it to you for feedback based on tournament experience as an "alpha test" before I release it as a Beta upload here.

[Bligh]

Thanks DB.
Don't feel you have to rush on this, I was just interested to see if you had anything I could trial.

Rob.

[Diamondback]

Thanks DB.
Don't feel you have to rush on this, I was just interested to see if you had anything I could trial.

Rob.

Check your email, amigo, sent you a conceptual mockup to think on. :)

[Bligh]

Got it thanks DB. I have mailed you back a few minutes ago.

Rob.