Been listening to the Athena's Fortune audio book recently and I have to say I love it. Really like the in game mechanics that are referenced in it.
Listening to the chapter on the battle between the Unforgiven and the Black Gauntlet, it would be an interesting mechanic to add in to the game where a damaged ship begins to lose speed depending on the damage its received. Even after repairing the ship with planks, a speed debuff would still be present and this then introducing a need for the wanted ability to repair a ship at the shipright. Paying the in game gold would then provide a fresh paint job, patched holes removed and speed returned back to its original stats. This speed debuff would be a small reduction, nothing too drastic.
Hopefully this would introduce a new gold sink with a purpose and provide pirates with a reason to actually care about their ship rather than the throw away tool they are often used as. Keeping it pristine keeps it with its competitive edge.
