Naval Battles in D&D - how do?

[Deleted]

Hi all,

How do you handle naval actions and warfare in D&D campaigns? - Asking a short question, hoping for long answers.

This might touch my PBP on the boards, so I have to remain pretty vague.

Thanks in advance,

Rafe

[Deleted]

About 5 years ago (real world time) the players IMC spent about 5 game years on shipboard and that lasted a year of real time. I did not even refer to the rules for this, I just told the players how I was going to run it with large crossbows (for shooting a dozen quarrels at a time), ballista (for hurling spears & other things), catapults (for hurling many small stones or one large stone and other things) and Greek fire. Then based on that bare bones framework I just winged it, things went fast and everyone had fun. I just assigned an average chance for a hit per weapon type and a range of damage per weapon type. For instance for the large crossbows (for shooting a dozen quarrels at a time) they made one roll to see if there was a hit, a second roll on a d12 to see how many of that flight hit. I don't remember all the numbers at this point, but if it came up again, I would whip it up and vet it with the players and then use it.

[derv]

It depends on the type of sailing crafts you're trying to represent. I generally stick to very early historic water craft like the bireme. This makes using Metagaming Concepts Microgame Ram Speed a fun little side entertainment for me and the players.

The rules are simple and can be found on BGG along with components. Or you could purchase a copy. They can still be found through many online stores.

There's also this Cyberboard Page if that's your thing. I've never tried this with any games, so I cannot say how well it works.

If you intend to include rules for catapults or ballista, you would have to house rule. I sometimes use a 13+ with modifiers on d20 mechanic for such things (kind of like classic Traveller combat, but that had a target of 8+ on 2d6. I don't use skills as a modifier, either). If other ships are nearby and you miss your target, I'll sometimes roll for over/under shooting and windage to the right or left, to see if you hit an unintentional target (this isn't something I will always do).

Once a ship is grappled and boarded, I simply move to the standard D&D combat to resolve matters.

Oh, don't forget to include a chance of drowning if you fall or are knocked overboard.

*I checked and Ram Speed actually does have rules for using catapults and such. I didn't remember that. Anyway, you wouldn't need to houserule it.

[Scott Anderson]

Every set of naval rules I have found has been too long and too boring. I was writing an OSR pirates game and I had to stop because there was nothing fun about fighting pirate battles at sea.

[Deleted]

Jul 23, 2016 19:13:28 GMT -6 Scott Anderson said:

Every set of naval rules I have found has been too long and too boring. I was writing an OSR pirates game and I had to stop because there was nothing fun about fighting pirate battles at sea.

I think that rather than writing extensive rules on how to do it, (and how you would write it out, I don't know) I think the best way is to have an experienced ref that is good at winging things. As I said above, I put together a bare bones framework, with a bare bones Arneson "tell me what you rolled and I will tell you if you hit" method and winged it. I used the same method for the opponents, sea battles went quickly and there was plenty of excitement and fun. Fighting pirate battles at sea can be and is fun, but I could not write out specifics on how to do it. I could show you the framework, but as for how to use it you would have to watch me do it and learn by being part of it. That is really hard to put on paper and if you want a battle like that to move you have to be able to wing it and throw curves from the opponents so effort and creativity can come into play on the part of the players. That is what makes it both memorable and fun. A large part of it is creative improvisation on the part of all - the ref and the players. When you are all on the same page and the players trust the ref, it gives you freedom to go (to a great extent) "Free Kriegsspiel" lots of things.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the input, guys.

Again, I can't really talk about what I am planning, yet, but I am reading your posts with great interest.

Now, if this was for a one-shot scenario in a tabletop game, I'd probably go back to the Wizkids (?) game, "Pirates of the Spanish Main".
I've only watched actual play of it so far, but it seems easy enough to allow a fast pace at the gaming table.

For my own purposes, I am looking into Ram Speed, right now, though: Looks like a solid, low-fi option.

- More later, got to test a few things out before I comment.


The corresponding PBP scenarios will not come before next year, but what I can say - because my players already know - is that we'll likely see 16th and 17th century naval battles emulated to our fantasy world.

Looking at the Battle of Lepanto, in particular:


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lepanto

[Deleted]

Fascinating battle!

[Scott Anderson]

Once you get into the 15th century, the fantasy milieu changes a little bit. Gunpowder, cannon, decent roads. It's a different feel, and a nice change of pace if everyone has a little background on the time period. I would just settle for oar and sail rules; the cannon are similar enough to ballistae.

[scottenkainen]

I had naval battles in a previous campaign, but did not want to switch to wargaming to resolve them. Since the PCs were only tangentially involved (none of them were high enough in level now to cast spells powerful enough to affect ships), I just described the combat as flavor text.

[howandwhy99]

OD&D has some sailing ship rules. I believe AD&D DMG does too. But I think Wooden Ships & Iron Men is a better stand in for either.

[Scott Anderson]

Jul 26, 2016 19:03:01 GMT -6 howandwhy99 said:

OD&D has some sailing ship rules. I believe AD&D DMG does too. But I think Wooden Ships & Iron Men is a better stand in for either.

Wooden Ships & Iron Men.  Where can we get it?

[howandwhy99]

Avalon Hill box set from the 70s. Check Ebay:
www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1975-Avalon-Hill-Wooden-Ships-Iron-Men-Board-Game-/

For more detail and so a longer game check out Close Action

[Deleted]

Thanks for the many interesting replies! Put a bit of work into it, will bookmark this thread for when the campaign gets back to this. (Don't want to implement any possible spoilers for my players here, of course.)