Where to keep your Gun Powder

There is no answer, because there is no single safe place to store them.
It's all situational. You are correct that the crow's nest is a vulnerable location - easily fired upon by any experienced pirate. So, I don't like having them up there if we're facing other pirates within firing range.
Confession - I don't really like carrying the stuff anymore. Which is a shame, because I'm a big fan of the explosions - so long as they happen at other ships' expenses. :D

Each and every location has its benefits and problems. The captain's quarters has some benefits, but what concerns me is the life of the helmsman and any other nearby crew.
Of course, primary objective is to prevent any and all would-be boarders. So, for the most part boarders are not a concern.
If I'm transporting kegs and don't wish to have them in the crow's nest, I may store them below deck, towards the bow. They ARE in danger of exploding if we receive cannon fire in that location, however. Again, I don't worry much about boarders, since priority #1 is preventing them.

Still, if I'm going to carry regular gunpowder barrels, on a galleon, I'll mostly prefer them in the crow's nest. We can repair the masts. We'll get zero holes. And all crew will be fine.
Mega Kegs, however, are a different story.
I'll tend to keep mega kegs (Stronghold GPBs) mobile. I prefer them away from visibility and easy firing range - so, the crow's nest is out. I'll store them below deck, towards the bow. And I'll have them moved as the situation changes - such as lightning storms, cannon fire, or other types of enemies who may chomp through the hull.

Aye... in life, especially upon the seas, there are few easy answers.

I'd rather take the risk of a well placed sniper shot putting my mast down than a keg blowing up in my ship killing me and possibly, the rest of the crew.

Kegs seems to be invincible from canonballs when placed on the voyages table, there was a myth-busting video recently showing this, and it works. It still won't protect them from sword and bullets though.

Gotta be honest, I hard disagree with all these. Mega keg on the bow? What? It's much harder to shoot a moving crows nest than the front of a ship.

Think you should do what you feel like doing, an if you think it's better then ill not tell you it's wrong.

Since this only regard the galleon, I can see you logic, both for aggressiv an defensive players.
just that 10-15sec it take to get up to the crows nest, compared to have it right at hand.

it's a double edge sword, Personally I always check the captains quaters an the map table, so if they are there, you are lucky when its me, cause im a "good" pirate.
But if a "bad" pirate see it, they will also put it all over, so not much safer.

Why come here and argue that everyone should store gunpowder kegs in the captain’s cabin when half your argument for doing so is that no one will expect that?

If this post succeeds and every crew you join - and every crew you meet - does as you suggest, you have lost your advantage.

Remember the wartime motto: “Loose lips sink ships!”

I wish there was a way to attach them to the backs of crew members. It would encourage them to be extra vigilant of possible boarding situations.

@glannigan Madman! Your words will be the doom of many crews!

@glannigan Up until mast damage became a thing our crews used to carry the barrels on the lower boom (yard arm) of the mast. We all mastered the jump from the ladder to the boom to cut time in retrieving the gpb's. For awhile after the release of mast damage we noticed that chickens in cages were immune to bullets. So we'd stack the gpb's at the tip of the bow sprit and surround them with chickens then cover them with plants. This method worked well and provided some humor everytime @Murphy576 or @diqitalsoul blew themselves up with a sword lunge or boarded an enemy ship with a chicken instead of a gpb. We test weekly and would love to find a good spot but for now short of harpooning a rowboat to the aft of the ship and sacrificing a man to work the harpoon we'll be putting the gpb's in the crows nest!😂

Unfortunately if keeping barrels the best place is your mast. It’s easier to take mast damage and repair than it is your hull and sink. If you store them down below you risk blowing up to a cannon ball hit from an island or player. If you get boarded it’s easier for them to find a barrel on your boat and blow it than it is to climb ladder and get it. Having a barrel onboard is always a risk. If you don’t want to take the risk then don’t carry them on board. Most of the time people don’t notice them in crows nest. If you stack them on top of each other and use little space it will be harder to hit than if they are spread out. Also behind the chair is a normal tuck spot where people hide or hide treasure if it’s on your boat they will find it period.

@glannigan said in Where to keep your Gun Powder:

So I’m tired of arguing with every crew so maybe I’m wrong but I’ve tested this stuff extensively.

Regular Gun Powder should be kept in the captains quarters behind the red chair. This is my argument:

1. No one can see it and no one will look for it there.

2. the ONLY thing that can set it off is a Meg bite! If it does go off you get 2 holes in the rear bottom and the rear mast will drop and the wheel will lose 2 “boards”. It is also Lightning Proof in the captains quarter.

3. everyone knows the 1st thing to do when engaging another ship is grab your eye of reach and shoot at the crows nest.

4. when boarded the boarder will head straight to the crows nest 9 out of 10 times.

The mega keg should always be on the very very tip of the Bow!

Everyone I sail with refuses to do this and thinks I’m nuts. Am I nuts?

Edit: I only sail and tested Galleons so I have no idea where you would want it on other ships.

May I add: If you have more than one keg and they all go off at the same time it's devastating. So if you spread them across the ship it is less deadly if one gets triggered.

@glannigan

I still refuse to keep it anywhere other than the crow's nest.

Yes, other players can snipe it, but at the same time, a well placed cannonball shot or a meg bite can absolutely set them off if you keep them behind the captain's chair. Then you're in a world of trouble as you'll have more holes AND your crew mates could be killed if they were standing near the barrels. In the crow's nest, your damage will be minimal compared to keeping them anywhere else on the ship.

While there will be risk no matter where you put them these days, I still have to argue that keeping them in the crow's nest is the lesser of all evils.

I always keep regular gun powder barrels in the crow's nest. The SGB is another story. I've done so many fort steals by sniping it when it's loaded into the crows nest, sometimes I wonder if it's worth it to load it at all. That said, on a gally, we've been putting it on the barrel next to the main mast on the bottom deck, with a similar location on sloops and brigs. We only had one issue with it there, and that was (surprisingly) on a gally in the roar with a volcano.

I will say, when we're sailing with new crew members (not necessarily new players), they are shocked we aren't keeping the SGB in the crows nest. I always tell them "it's the way it's always been done" is the worst reason in the world to do anything.

Heres an idea. Get several harpoon rowboats and have them tether to the back. Use them as a weapon, sail right by a ship dragging the boats along and hopefully he collission with their ship will set it off.

Eitherway it will be quite a sight and they’ll be wary to get too close to the back of your ship.

Thats if it works 😂