Coastal towns are protected from enemy raiders and bombardments by forts and fortresses bristling with guns. Forts are dealt with in ship combat assuming they are immobile, and may fire their full battery every turn.
| Type | Gun Battery | HPs | Normal Garrison |
| Log Fort | 12 Long Guns | 150 | 4 Officers, 12 Marines |
| Earthworks Fort | 20 Long Guns | 200 | 6 Officers, 18 Marines |
| Small Fort | 24 Long Guns | 250 | 8 Officers, 24 Marines |
| Medium Fort | 36 Long Guns | 350 | 12 Officers, 38 Marines |
| Large Fort | 48 Long Guns | 450 | 15 Officers, 50 Marines |
| Ships at sea may bombard defenceless towns for ransoms. This is a common practice of Pirates and Privateers who want a town's booty, but do not want to fight a land engagement. A coastal town will nearly always be guarded by a fort. Once this is destroyed the town may by freely bombarded. A town of average size may have one or two cannon itself which will fire back at the attackers in the harbour until the town surrenders. | |||
| Roll on the next table to determine what the principal trade commodity which the town stocks is; | |||
| 01-10 | Lumber | ||
| 11-20 | Foodstuffs | ||
| 21-30 | Textiles | ||
| 31-40 | Livestock | ||
| 41-50 | Sugar | ||
| 51-60 | Tobacco | ||
| 61-70 | Precious minerals | ||
| 71-80 | Furs | ||
| 81-90 | Liquor (wine, rum, etc) | ||
| 91-00 | Metal ores | ||
| Ports | |||
| A harbour or
haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored.
Harbours can be man-made or natural. A man-made harbour will have sea
walls or breakwaters and may require dredging. A natural harbour is
surrounded on most sides by land. A port is a man-made coastal or riverine
facility where boats and ships can load and unload. It may consist of
quays, wharfs, jetties, piers and slipways with cranes or ramps. A port
may have magazine buildings or warehouses for storage of goods and a
transport system such as railway, road transport or pipeline transport
facilities for relaying goods inland. A natural harbour is a landform
where a part of a body of water is protected and deep enough to furnish
anchorage. Natural harbours have long been of great military strategy and
economic importance. Many of the great cities of the world are located on
a natural harbour.
Harbour pilots, barges and tugboats are often used to safely manoeuvre large ships in tight quarters as they approach and leave the docks. The terms port and seaport are used for ports that handle ocean-going vessels, and river port is used for facilities that handle river traffic. Sometimes a port on a lake or river also has access to the ocean, and is then referred to as an inland port. A fishing port is a type of port or harbour facility particularly suitable for landing and distributing fish. A dry port is a term sometimes used to describe a yard used to place containers or conventional bulk cargo, usually connected to a seaport by rail or road. Impounded docks are a variant in which the water is impounded either by dock gates or by a lock, thus allowing ships to remain afloat at low tide in places with high tidal ranges. Dry docks are a variant also with dock gates, which can be emptied of water to allow investigation and maintenance of the underwater parts of ships. A dockyard consists of one or more docks, usually with other structures. Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial construction. The terms are routinely used interchangeably, in part because the evolution of dockyards and shipyards has often caused them to change or merge roles. Shipyards are constructed by the sea or by tidal rivers to allow easy access for their ships. The site of a large shipyard will contain many specialised cranes, dry docks, slipways, dust-free warehouses, painting facilities and extremely large areas for fabrication of the ships. After a ship's useful life is over it makes its final voyage to a shipbreaking yard. |
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| Size | Port Capacity | Fee | Depth |
| Very Large | 10 galleons | 100 Denarii | 20 metres |
| Large | 5 galleons | 50 Denarii | 10 metres |
| Average | 2 galleons | 20 Denarii | 5 metres |
| Small | 1 galleon | 10 Denarii | 2 metres |
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The assumption is that each harbour has some sort of port authority or an official working for the local ruler. The port official will meet the oncoming ship either outside the port or upon it's mooring at a dock, to inspect the ship. The captain will be asked his nationality, his business, and intended length of stay. Passengers are likely to get screened. Merchandise will be inspected more or less effectively, depending on the administrative ability of the port (varies a lot although in times of war inspections can get pretty obnoxious). At this point money comes into play. The ship is probably going to be assessed a port fee for using the docks. Port authorities may require a week paid in advance, subject to reimbursement when the ship sets sails. Merchandise or treasures entering the port will be taxed. Of course a ship captain may pull into a deserted cove to unload his merchandise, but that would be considered contraband which is illegal and punishable if caught. |
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