Naval Sequence of Play

The Naval Sequence of Play describes the order of ship actions that must be resolved during ship turns, each of which takes place over five rounds. Apart from the normal resolution of combat, if any is occurring, the following steps are observed once every five rounds. These steps allow the captains of each ship to restore their vessels’ combat worthiness and give orders for future movement. The five-round interval, or "ship turn," equals one minute of real time. Ship movement between decisions is expected to follow this chronology, so that vessels continue according to their existing speed, heading and condition until new orders are given and resolved.

A ship is a large, moving body, dependent upon crew labour, wind, steering, sail and momentum. The helmsman may begin to answer the tiller at once, but sailors must still haul lines, brace yards, gather or loose sail, shift weight, clear obstructions and respond to commands passed across a noisy deck. For this reason, changes in speed or direction are not treated as instantaneous. Officers must judge the enemy's course before the moment of contact, decide whether to close, sheer away, hold position, prepare to board or bring weapons to bear, and then trust the crew to carry out the order in time.

The delay between an officer giving an order and the ship answering that order requires a full ship turn. Expressed in combat rounds, if an order is given at the outset of the 1st round, the result of that order does not commence until the 6th round. This delay creates the possibility of unexpected outcomes. Orders given at the start of a ship turn are written out and cannot be changed until the next ship turn, regardless of what occurs in the meantime. A poor order may leave the ship badly placed several rounds later; a good order may put the vessel into position before the enemy can answer. As a result, ships may collide, become fouled, move unintentionally out of range, be caught unawares, or be caught in irons, leaving them unable to move until another five rounds have passed and an attempt can be made to restore their situation.

Between ship turns, combat is resolved according to the standard round-by-round sequence, when melee, missile fire, siege fire, ramming, grappling, boarding and action point use is handled normally.

Sequence of Play

Wind Phase

The direction of the wind is called by its location on the compass, called "windward." In naval terms, downwind, the direction the wind is going, is called leeward. These terms are used throughout the naval combat rules to describe a ship’s position and movement in relation to the wind. For game purposes, the compass has sixteen points, representing a 360 degree circle of horizon. Every five rounds, or once per minute, a die is rolled to determine whether the wind has shifted one point clockwise or counterclockwise. This roll should be made before the next phase in the sequence.

Unfouling Phase

All ships wishing to do so may attempt to unfoul themselves during this phase. To begin the attempt, orders must be given to the crew, after which the entire ship's crew must spend five rounds attempting to free the vessel's rigging from that of another ship. During this time, the crew is occupied with cutting, hauling, clearing spars, loosening lines and separating the vessels enough for normal handling to resume; they cannot engage in combat and may be interrupted by boarding from acting on behalf of the ship, unless marines are present to protect them. The attempt is resolved during this phase.