Naval Sequence of Play

The Naval Sequence of Play describes the order in which actions are performed during a naval fight. The movement and adjustment of ships occurs in normal game rounds, allowing events at sea to be measured by the same time scale used for combat. To keep track of orders, movement, missiles, boarding, collisions and damage, a fixed "Sequence of Play" has been included in the system. Each phase of the sequence must be resolved in the order indicated below. This prevents ships from turning, firing, accelerating, drifting or striking one another out of order, while giving the DM a consistent frame for judging what has already occurred and what remains possible in the present round. Descriptions for each phase are linked for further reading.

The Sequence accounts for the delay between an officer giving an order and the vessel answering that order. A ship is a large, moving body, dependent upon crew labour, wind, steering, sail and momentum.