There should be actual roles on a ship that provide crew mates with certain abilities while on the ship. For instance, the Captain is the only one who can see the wind lines. Other crew members would need to look to the wind flags to actually see wind direction. This would place some importance on the role of captain and make it so there would need to be better teamwork to actually man a ship properly. The captain should be the only one able to brig anyone too. Pirate ships were not a democracy. Other roles could have to do with shooting cannons. Maybe those in cannon roles would have a damage multiplier on the cannon balls or something.
Ship roles
In fact, pirate ships were often very much a democracy and the captain was often elected by the crew. I proposed elsewhere a model by which captains could be elected by the crew (or self-appointed, if they start a closed crew ship by themselves)
One of the main benefits would be to be able to choose missions, or order someone into the brig without a crew vote.
I had thought the wind streaks in the sky were a bit of a cheat, but in real life, everyone would be able to feel the wind on their face, so it is perhaps the best way of representing that.
Though it's a neat idea, I don't think it fits SoT.
This game is all about communication. You and your teammates are supposed to work out these rolls.
Also, from what I understand, in real life, back in the days, the entire crew voted on everything and we're all in charge. The Captain was in charge only during combat.
@flying-poopla
Pirate ships in real life were actually some of the very first to practice true democracy the captains word was only law during combat other than that the crew voted on everything they would do with the ship, where they went, who they attacked so on. The captain could be deposed at any time by the crew and a new captain would be elected. Pirates were also some of the first to practice compensation for injured or killed crew and would be paid extra according to what injury they sustained. On a pirate ship men were allowed to marry each other if they chose and regardless of race or religion every man and some women were considered equal. Hollywood does a poor job at showing the real lives of pirates and their lives at sea.@flying-poopla In SoT every pirate should be equal (Pirate Code, Art. 4), so a static role model doesn't really fit here. Everyone should be able to do everything without drawbacks.
The specific idea of only the captain being able to see the wind would make it more complicated to set sails correctly, on the other hand everyone can still see the flag, which shows the wind too.
Making the captain able to brig someone without voting can be useful, but could be used by trolls too, that's a double-edged sword.
Many Pirate ships used democracy for some decisions, but i don't think the crews should be pushed into a system, they should decide for their own good if they use a democratic vote or follow orders from one pirate.I don't fully agree. Though it would help to assign roles to crew members like: sails, navigation, steering and group leader etc. I don't think its wise to lock certain abilities for people who don't have that role. For example if the ship gets attacked it would be frustrating not be able to do something. However the assignment of roles would give some order and clearness for the crew. Also giving a captain more power than other members can lead to more griefers and trolls or people who don't take their role seriously.
I've always thought it would add an extra dimension to the gameplay if we could select a skill set before heading out to sea. Visit the quartermaster at an outpost to gain one of the following skills:
Helmsman - all other crewmates have a slightly slower wheel turn rate than now, the helmsman gets a faster wheel turn rate. He's not going to be able to turn a galleon on a dime but he can turn the wheel faster.
Gunner - has bigger pockets for cannonballs (15 or 20) rather than the default 10 so there's less need to run back for refills. They'll also reload faster than the current speed, everyone else will reload slightly slower. You're not making a cannon machinegun though.
Navigator - they'll automatically mark (circle) the islands on the map when you start a voyage. He could also "see" the map markings in real life and some form of bonus to make chest finding easier (some people seem to have real problems finding the X marks the spot).
Shipwright - has bigger pockets for planks (10 rather that 5), nails them on faster (everyone else is slower) and has a bigger bucket for bailing out.
Rigger - can raise, lower and angle the sails faster as well as hauling up the anchor with the strength of 2 men.
Lookout - can climb the ladder to the crows nest a bit faster and gets an improved telescope, possibly with an X-ray vision ability so he can see the loot on other ships. With a lookout on board you will be able to pick rich targets and let the poor go unmolested.I know that all of this is way too complicated and would never make it into the game but we're all allowed to dream aren't we?
Interesting, but could make life a lot tougher for solo players. Not only would it still be one against four, but they would also be up against a crew with a full complement of bonuses against their one.
I bet people have said this already, but pirateships most definitely were a democracy. The captain was an elected official and all the crew signed a document stating they knew what was expected of them, it was a loose legal system, with the captain acting almost like a president, the crew could even oust them from power for making faulty decisions.
@surveyorpete said in Ship roles:
In fact, pirate ships were often very much a democracy and the captain was often elected by the crew. I proposed elsewhere a model by which captains could be elected by the crew (or self-appointed, if they start a closed crew ship by themselves)
One of the main benefits would be to be able to choose missions, or order someone into the brig without a crew vote.
I had thought the wind streaks in the sky were a bit of a cheat, but in real life, everyone would be able to feel the wind on their face, so it is perhaps the best way of representing that.
Good idea. I think whomever starts the session should be flying his colors for the ship. Silly you have to reset them each time.
@kungfustu72 said in Ship roles:
I've always thought it would add an extra dimension to the gameplay if we could select a skill set before heading out to sea. Visit the quartermaster at an outpost to gain one of the following skills:
Helmsman - all other crewmates have a slightly slower wheel turn rate than now, the helmsman gets a faster wheel turn rate. He's not going to be able to turn a galleon on a dime but he can turn the wheel faster.
Gunner - has bigger pockets for cannonballs (15 or 20) rather than the default 10 so there's less need to run back for refills. They'll also reload faster than the current speed, everyone else will reload slightly slower. You're not making a cannon machinegun though.
Navigator - they'll automatically mark (circle) the islands on the map when you start a voyage. He could also "see" the map markings in real life and some form of bonus to make chest finding easier (some people seem to have real problems finding the X marks the spot).
Shipwright - has bigger pockets for planks (10 rather that 5), nails them on faster (everyone else is slower) and has a bigger bucket for bailing out.
Rigger - can raise, lower and angle the sails faster as well as hauling up the anchor with the strength of 2 men.
Lookout - can climb the ladder to the crows nest a bit faster and gets an improved telescope, possibly with an X-ray vision ability so he can see the loot on other ships. With a lookout on board you will be able to pick rich targets and let the poor go unmolested.I know that all of this is way too complicated and would never make it into the game but we're all allowed to dream aren't we?
If you have game pass, check out Bomber Crew.
Pretty good implementation of a crew needing to work together and it has vertical progression with the ability for crew members to learn new skills and improve existing skills.
Neat game. Cruddy graphics and no multiplayer though. With a few tweaks it could be a beast.
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