From: owner-7thsea@darkedge.com on behalf of Stephen Beeman
[sbeeman@texas.net]
Sent: Monday, September 06, 1999 1:24 AM
Subject: Re: [7th Sea RPG] Ship statistics

>Does the Pirate Nations sourcebook describe how one translates the given
>ship statistics to real-world numbers?  If not, does anyone have any
>suggestions on how to do so?

The naval rules in 7th Sea involve a lot of hand-waving, and don't really
lend themselves to conversion to or from real-world numbers. The best way to
generate stats for a ship is to compare it to the sample ships, since those
are what she'll be fighting. A little ship like the one you're describing
sounds like 10 points, so let's start there:

* In the 10-point class, Brawn 2 would make it a warship (comparable to the
Naval Frigate), and Brawn 3 would arm it to the teeth. Let's go with 2.
* Finesse measures how well-manned the ship is. If this really is a yacht,
then a 1 is justified. (Besides, we'll need the points later.)
* Resolve is the size and sturdiness of the hull. With a small, fast ship,
we'd expect this to be 1, but that's too flimsy for a PC's ship. Resolve 2.
* Wits reflects the straight-ahead sailing speed of the ship. This is not
the strong suit of fore-and-aft ships, but she's no wallowing tub, either.
Yet another 2.
* Panache is the ship's maneuverability, and we want it as high as possible.
We can get Panache 3, and then also buy Silk Sails for 2 more points, for
Panache 4.
* Adding up the stats and advantages, we've spent 12 points. Now we need a
2-point flaw. Small Keel makes her more prone to capsizing, which may be
dangerous but fits well with the ship's concept (especially the lateen
sail).

Thus: B2 F1 R2 W2 P4. Draft 2, Cargo 2, Crew 1. Small keel (-1uk on capsize
checks). 10 points.

Now, for roleplaying purposes it's important to know her crew complement and
dimensions. There, AEG has given us no help whatsoever--you just have to
guess. For this ship, let's say 70' long and 20' abeam. By the Sanborn
Formula, she needs 14 men to work the sails, plus 24 men to fire her
broadside; her Finesse 1 means that she runs at minimum crew, so that's all
she gets.

> I'm thinking that it could be fore-and-aft rigged on the main mast,
>with a lateen sail on the mizzen mast.

Hmm, sounds pretty unusual, which is cool--it gives your ship character.
Maybe she's the product of a Vodacce shipwright enslaved by Crescent
raiders. Crescent heritage also helps explain the rare silk sails. Now the
ship doesn't just have stats, she's got a history waiting to be uncovered.

BTW, I don't know what Theans call lateen sails--probably "Crescent sails"
or "Mirror sails."

> I think that's basically a pinnace or a yacht, but I could be wrong.

Pinnace is acceptable, but yawl might be a better word. Yacht only refers to
a ship's role, and says nothing about her size or configuration.

--Stephen Beeman
Austin, TX


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