Rum for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner and Supper....

Wait, that be reality in me case.

On a more serious note, there be much in the wings that is going to boost nations and battles - the Letter of Marque, Enemy of the Crown and Blockades, the new Hostility laws, Plantations, all a nice package for strategy and play at the upper levels. I look forward to it as it will change game play.

Here be me true wish list:

I hope to see a day that wielding a ship and her cannon be more feared and powerful than voodoo in one's warchest.

I by no means have the answers, just the concept I'd like to see the way PG will move. I don't believe getting rid of all voodoo be the answer, but move the power from the voodoo chest to the ships and fleets at sea would be on my wishlist, or at least bring them to a much more level playing field.

For instance, how one has outfitted his ships and configured his fleet would play against another, whether to escape battle,or inflict extra damage (level or attribute loss) , or take more damage. The battle should cause some "hurt." Right now, one just fights, repairs and repeat. To inflict "hurt" one fires a leviathan or a sabotage curse - and it doesn't even require a ship battle to execute. Using a fire ship, now that makes sense - but there be more vengeance in some curses than there be battle strategy.

On Black Death, instead of firing voodoo and killing 1% of a port's population, purchase a "special cargo" or put a curse upon a ship to carry the plague, Where it will dock and deliver its cargo. For the next 24 hours she drains up to 5% of the population down the River Stix unless someone can locate the source of the plague. Make the plague expensive to acquire, transport and deposit into the port. Make it difficult but possible to locate and stop.

Instead of firing a curse to kill an adversary's officer, catch one of his ships in port and take shot at 'em. Send your crew into port and "take care" of him. If ye have crew with the skill, they can press gang another's crew into service ... it be rare, but it would definitely take more than a few credits, a few turns, and voodoo cards to pull it off. Much more satisfying, too, knowing he not only lost captain, admiral and crew, but ye be the one who gained 'em!

Or, with a wee bit of outfitting of ships, populations can be moved as much in a day by a fleet of ships as one "transport immigrant curse does in a cast.

And, instead of a curse for charity donation, one can still "buy" influence with gold coin. How about a fleet loaded with goods for aid and good will, (or special rum!) can be transported for a boost in influence. Trade can get one some influence, as it does fame- perhaps tie fame to the amount of influence gained in a port to one's trade and their fame. Exchange Fame for Influence (we already do so for gold coin). Lower citizen taxes should also boost influence, or at least level it off where there be no loss of influence during updates. Trade can also be taxed in the port (as has been discussed in other topics) so lower taxes for citizens ought to increase influence and population in a port.

Bottom line, there be many ways to bring power back to the seas, and away from the voodoo war chest. Not all at once, but like fertile lands, eventually, voodoo can be weaned away from play as features begin to push forth. Should voodoo cards be totally replaced? By no means. Master Craftsmanship, Expedition journey, Fugitive from Justice, Hostile Natives, and many more affect ships directly.

When it be figured how to put as much or more power in one's ships rather than his voodoo chest, we will begin to sea some seafaring adventure.

Don't get me wrong, voodoo has served a purpose - it has brought life to the game that would ne'er been here if not for voodoo. It may be time for a transition of power from the voodoo to the ships and fleets of Avonmora, or at least bring the power and might to the sea to match that of a witch doctor.

Here be the features in which this may come closer to what I hope to see:

1 Ship Specialization
2 Crew and Officer Skills to be used to replace or be as effective as voodoo.
3. Specialty ships builder feature in hideout for development and upgrades that can be sold on the market.
4. Officer training for Captains, admirals and merchants in hideouts.

+1

If things were to move in the direction you suggest, I would think crew specialization may be an interesting mechanic to add. You mentioned crew training in the hideout.

As Hideout feature or a standard feature. I would like to
See it set something like crew atts. So each crew member gets an id, they can be assigned to a ship, and can be attributed to taste.

Basically setup just like ship atts.
Possible attributes to assign points 0-10

Possible attributes might look like the following.
And would suggest like ship attributes it migh take some trial and error to find the best attribute spead.

Mercantile - maximizes load times and evasion and improve travel travel rate of slower ships

Combat - improves accracy, hit points, and improved travel rate on war ships,

Resolve - improved defense, improved attack, and resistance to attacks from other crews.

Willpower - resistance to voodoo attacks that affect crew and fleet or ship specific attacks. Resistance to attack from trained crews special attack.

Operative - improves special crew based attacks. Such as a gang press, assassination port curruption.
Improves ship capture chance over sink, and ransom fees collected / demanded. For some existing voodoo attacks, but also for crew based actions similat to those suggested by SHM

Charisma - improve ship to port based, influence curruption, self influence gain, population transport, ect.
This would basically be an physical act of crew pressing political agend for you in a target port. Similar port type actions suggested by SHM


Now i will suggest special action may require new voodoo / replacement of existing voodoo, or tie into existing voodoo as a trigger.

So if you cast charity donation, it must now be assigned a fleet for delivery. The attributes assigned to that fleets crew will affect the chances of a successfull delivery of that donation. Would be similar for many other attacks, ambush, assassin and black death to name a few.

Gang press would perhaps need to be initiated by voodoo cast of a card that does not yet exist or a modification to a card that exists like assasinate/press action selectable on cast. Like add turns for chance of press. Would also require a properly trained / attributed crew to succeed.

Remodel may be changed to remodel/retrain.
So you can enter a ship or crew member.

Crew levels, increase by training which would be an expense. Attributes would work the same as ships.
Possible 3-5 per ship and can be assigned as desired.

I suggest a route for additional atts, perhaphs a rare card,
Or tie to a crews members actual experience. Maybe they can automatically gain experience for a specific action to attribute gain. Certain number of battles win equals 50 % cgance to win an addition to combat att. Or alternately just a an extra att that is assignable. Similar would go for any attribute that a crew member get experience in a task specific area. Like crates delivered, influence gained, stolen or currupted, fame stolen, ships captured, ect.

I like the both the main idea and the way you sketch it.

+1

There is much to commend in SHM's wishlist : I favor a return to ship-based power and less reliance on voodoo, which does tend to replace battle strategy and tactics too much. I dont mind voodoo which brings the fleets together, but once they meet, it should be the better ships and crew which decide the bout.

To that end, SHM is right to mention a wish of mine : that ship-builders gain skills and technologies and thus can build-in transferable improvements : i.e If as a ship-builder, I have reserached galleon techs, then my galleon ships should be sold with that improvement built-in, not lost once its out of my yard. Due to turn constraints, no shipbuilder can just churn them out, so, to be able to offer a specialized, even bespoke, build would create a premium market for the best ship-builders as players discover their favored set-ups and favored builders

Danik wrote:There is much to commend in SHM's wishlist : I favor a return to ship-based power and less reliance on voodoo, which does tend to replace battle strategy and tactics too much. I dont mind voodoo which brings the fleets together, but once they meet, it should be the better ships and crew which decide the bout.

To that end, SHM is right to mention a wish of mine : that ship-builders gain skills and technologies and thus can build-in transferable improvements : i.e If as a ship-builder, I have reserached galleon techs, then my galleon ships should be sold with that improvement built-in, not lost once its out of my yard. Due to turn constraints, no shipbuilder can just churn them out, so, to be able to offer a specialized, even bespoke, build would create a premium market for the best ship-builders as players discover their favored set-ups and favored builders

+1. Agreed!

+1

The ships should be the main part of the game in my opinion also.

+1 to SHM and +1 for Danik's comment.

+1 to SHM and Danik.

+1