Capt Wolf

Use the formula provided. You can determine the max cargo for a given class easily enough. Nope. For now, they're off limits, although leadership is discussing the matter. Thanks for the reminder. Done. Ships in port don't factor into the raid equation. Any encounters with ships on patrol happen before the raid. Unencountered ships in port just get to watch the raid for entertainment purposes (and please, no wagering ). (@Captain Genaro, correct me if I'm wrong here.) Can't license until the MOC is up.

This should have been done earlier, but here are the raid rules as previously announced: --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Trade MRCA now has a new feature: RAIDS. When you fill out the Trade MRCA form, instead of going on a trade run, you have the option to raid a port. (Note: Old World ports on the continent cannot be raided.) If the raid is successful, you get a minimum of 50% of the DBs from the town bank. To conduct a raid, your ships must win a battle with the port's defenses (i.e., forts and troops). For the defender, all forts have standard ratings for firepower, "hull" strength (their walls), and troops (measured in "crew" units). The stats of all of a settlement's forts are added together, and the strength of any militia and/or troops stationed there are also added in. Standard fort stats can be found here (scroll down to the “Forts” section). Every additional 5 soldiers add 1 crew unit to the total. All three stats (firepower, hull, and crew) are used in resolving the battle. For the attacker, the firepower, hull, and crew ratings of all the ships in the squadron are added together. You may add troops to your raiding ships to increase your crew rating for the raid. For every point of cargo capacity plus the ship's class rating, a ship may carry 5 soldiers (5 soldiers = 1 crew point). For example, a class 3 ship with a cargo capacity of 4 could carry 35 soldiers (7 additional crew points). Getting there and back The attacker's ships have to actually make it to the port, and they must also plan for their escape. So... - When filling out the MRCA form, the attacker must plan a route that not only takes his or her ships to the zone of the target, but also gets them away to a safe port. (This is similar to ships that patrol for prey in the MRCA and return to their original port.) - In addition to the MRCA zones the ships will sail through, the attacker must also state the port to attack and the final port they will run to after the raid. - Also, the attacker's ships have to survive any encounters at sea they might have on their way to the target. Since an attacker might want to call off a raid if they suffer too many losses prior to reaching the target, there is a place on the raid form where the attacker can list the minimum number of ships levels that must be present in his/her fleet to follow through with the attack. If they abort the attack, the ships will just go their final destination without attempting the raid. Results Attacking soldiers that are lost as a result of sea engagements or combat are removed from the game. Defending soldiers that are lost are automatically replaced. If the attacker does not have enough transport capacity on his ships (due to ships lost during the raid), excess soldiers are left behind, surrender, and are removed from the game. If a defender's fort is damaged, a repair cost will be charged to the owner (similar to increased maintenance costs for damaged ships). If the fort is destroyed, a vignette to show it being rebuilt must be posted before the fort is functional again. (Think of this as sistershipping the fort.) At the conclusion of a successful raid, the attacker may receive additional DBs from the town bank (beyond the minimum 50% haul) depending on how many raiders survive to loot and plunder the settlement.

Cool. I'll also call @Captain Genaro's attention to this, as he has had the most to do with developing the form. Player name here means owner name. If the settlement is the entity paying for the troops (like settlements licensing property), then yes, put the name of the settlement here. --- FYI, the form is a work in progress. It should also have a place for the link to the MOC of the troops if new troops are being recruited.

With increased interest in building armies -- as raiding now provides something players can actually do with soldiers -- long-discussed limits for recruiting troops have now been made official. There is a limit to how many soldiers can be "recruited" (i.e., purchased and MOC'd) from a settlement during any MRCA period, based on the settlement's level: Hamlet: can't recruit troops Town: 10 men per MRCA Large Town: 30 men per MRCA City: 60 men per MRCA Large City: 90 men per MRCA Grand City: 180 men per MRCA Capital City: 270 men per MRCA Note that all troop purchases, as well as movement of troops from one location to another, are done through use of the updated troop form. All existing troops will be grandfathered in without impacting current raising limits, but players still need to fill out the new form so that we know where the location of all existing troops. Also, as a reminder, here are the costs for recruiting troops. Note that there is a slight discount to raising more at a time, but the upkeep is always 6DBs per MRCA per 10 men (always rounded up) Platoon: 30DB | 10 Men | Upkeep 6DB / MRCA Company: 80DB | 30 Men | Upkeep 18DB / MRCA Battalion: 220DB | 90 Men | Upkeep 54DB / MRCA Regiment 600DB | 270 Men | Upkeep 162DB / MRCA Division: 1700DB | 810 Men | Upkeep 486DB / MRCA Army 4500DB | 2430 Men | Upkeep 1458DB / MRCA (If you wish to discuss this update or have any questions, please use the BoBS Era II Intro Thread.) Also, remember that a MOC is required with the purchase of troops.

Excellent lighthouse and scene in general. The dock, row boat, and minifig activity bring the scene to life. And I'll always have a preference for builds from real bricks. While some of the digital builds are spectacular, I enjoy the physical builds more. Well done.

Congrats to Captain Cooke on a well-earned honor! Wonderful scene! I particularly like how you've used those decorative arch pieces in combination with microfigs and the variety of textured bricks to really create detail in a simple structure. Fantastic!

If that's the case, very cool.

Posting from my phone, so keeping this short. Nice fort. I like the tiled battlements and the removable part play feature. I also like how the walls are worked into the rocks. Regarding the size, check the land rules in the master index. 32x32 gets you a medium fort. Large for a fort is 64x64.

The idea behind the black flag rule is to have a way to identify known pirates. As such, I personally have no problem with a pirate not raising the black flag for its initial piracy attempt. In fact, if the attack leaves no witnesses, the black flag really shouldn't be triggered. Of course, this situation only happens if all ships that were attacked are sunk, which isn't a very successful piracy run.

I'll summon @Bregir and @Legostone since they're the ones who know the most about the A-MRCA.

Probably the first clue that the WTC was involved...

Yes, and I'm glad you did! I'm curious to see if those islands get used at all, and if so, how. That's certainly one possible use!

Good question. I would think that an attack on a port when the parties are not at war would be considered an act of piracy, and as such would result in the attacking ships being designated as black flag ships. But we did not specifically discuss this, so I'll bring it up and confirm whether my interpretation is correct.

The sign-up deadline for the next Adventure MRCA and Trade MRCA is August 13, midnight, anywhere in the world. ---------------- Players can sign up for both the Adventure MRCA and the Trade MRCA, but individual ships can only participate in one or the other, not both simultaneously. To sign-up for the Adventure MRCA, read the rules here and then sign-up via this form. To sign-up for the Trade MRCA, read the rules here and then sign-up via this form. For a ship to take part in either MRCA, it must be licensed. You can license your ship under the new ship rules via this form. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Trade MRCA now has a new feature: RAIDS. When you fill out the Trade MRCA form, instead of going on a trade run, you have the option to raid a port. (Note: Old World ports on the continent cannot be raided.) If the raid is successful, you get a minimum of 50% of the DBs from the town bank. To conduct a raid, your ships must win a battle with the port's defenses (i.e., forts and troops). For the defender, all forts have standard ratings for firepower, "hull" strength (their walls), and troops (measured in "crew" units). The stats of all of a settlement's forts are added together, and the strength of any militia and/or troops stationed there are also added in. Standard fort stats can be found here (scroll down to the “Forts” section). Every additional 5 soldiers add 1 crew unit to the total. All three stats (firepower, hull, and crew) are used in resolving the battle. For the attacker, the firepower, hull, and crew ratings of all the ships in the squadron are added together. You may add troops to your raiding ships to increase your crew rating for the raid. For every point of cargo capacity plus the ship's class rating, a ship may carry 5 soldiers (5 soldiers = 1 crew point). For example, a class 3 ship with a cargo capacity of 4 could carry 35 soldiers (7 additional crew points). Getting there and back The attacker's ships have to actually make it to the port, and they must also plan for their escape. So... - When filling out the MRCA form, the attacker must plan a route that not only takes his or her ships to the zone of the target, but also gets them away to a safe port. (This is similar to ships that patrol for prey in the MRCA and return to their original port.) - In addition to the MRCA zones the ships will sail through, the attacker must also state the port to attack and the final port they will run to after the raid. - Also, the attacker's ships have to survive any encounters at sea they might have on their way to the target. Since an attacker might want to call off a raid if they suffer too many losses prior to reaching the target, there is a place on the raid form where the attacker can list the minimum number of ships levels that must be present in his/her fleet to follow through with the attack. If they abort the attack, the ships will just go their final destination without attempting the raid. Results Attacking soldiers that are lost as a result of sea engagements or combat are removed from the game. Defending soldiers that are lost are automatically replaced. If the attacker does not have enough transport capacity on his ships (due to ships lost during the raid), excess soldiers are left behind, surrender, and are removed from the game. If a defender's fort is damaged, a repair cost will be charged to the owner (similar to increased maintenance costs for damaged ships). If the fort is destroyed, a vignette to show it being rebuilt must be posted before the fort is functional again. (Think of this as sistershipping the fort.) At the conclusion of a successful raid, the attacker may receive additional DBs from the town bank (beyond the minimum 50% haul) depending on how many raiders survive to loot and plunder the settlement. MRCA Forms Note that the MRCA signup form doesn’t have raids added yet, so if you’re interested in conducting a raid this month, give us a few days to get the forms modified. If you’re just going to be trading, you can go ahead and fill out the forms normally. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consult this map for trade zone numbers before submitting any forms: And here are the trade values as of July 30, 618. When filling out your MRCA form, please make sure you spell the ports exactly as they appear below. Settlement Faction Zone Trade Value Acropolis OL 24 18 Aden CAR 2 132 Alexport PRI 29 32 Arlinsport COR 6 326 Astrapi OL 23 197 Balmin NAM 2 175 Balondia COR 2 110 Bardo ESL 8 206 Baskers Island MAR 6 88 Bastion SR 18 249 Belson COR 4 666 Breshaun OL 7 843 Calisto MAR 25 48 Camp Isaac COR 35 40 Cecropia OL 22 41 Charlatan Bay SR 24 287 Dortanix MAR 1 441 Dragonstone OL 20 18 Elizabethville COR 22 176 Eltina OL 7 267 Elysabethtown ESL 20 157 Fatu Hiva OL 35 219 Fortaleza Victoria ESL 32 5 Freeport GAR 27 17 Fuerte Unido ESL 32 188 Granoleon OL 5 661 Haven SR 21 36 Hojaroja ESL 32 33 Hussar’s Isle COR 24 9 Jameston COR 35 403 Kieg GAR 3 441 King’s Harbour COR 24 352 Kings Port TER 13 597 La Puebloto ESL 32 5 Lavalette OL 28 207 Leopaldis GAR 24 78 Londa MAR 2 441 Mehit ESL 32 5 Mesabi Landing COR 35 387 Montario ESL 17 92 Mooreton Bay COR 24 268 Moray’s Den SR 21 18 Myzectlan COR 35 54 New Haven COR 24 52 Nova Malto ESL 32 90 Nova Terreli ESL 17 646 Pontelli ESL 17 170 Poorvintia CAR 26 5 Poppy Port SR 26 50 Port Raleigh COR 20 146 Port Wilks ESL 22 14 Port Woodhouse COR 35 64 Prinport GAR 9 588 Puerto Alijo ESL 20 5 Puerto Desafio ESL 32 140 Quinnsville COR 24 245 Rassilon SR 18 155 Salida Este ESL 23 107 Stedor ESL 3 220 Stormhaven COR 22 56 Takashii SR 18 18 Terreli ESL 3 661 Tortuga SR 32 116 Trador ESL 32 319 Ulric ALT 1 110 Weelond ESL 8 471 Westface TER 13 391 Windfall Island OL 28 9 Yeldo COR 1 441 Also, the unclaimed islands can now be chosen as destinations. They have no trade value, so you won't earn any DBs sailing to them, but they're better than sinking. If sailing to one of these unclaimed islands, use the name listed here: Island Marked on map as Zone Trade Value Fever Island 1 26 0 Island of Bats 4 27 0 Bubbling Island 6 30 0 Garden of Hades 9 31 0 Gunpowder Island 16 35 0 Stilt People Island 17 35 0 Glimmer Island 20 35 0 Mud Beach 21 35 0 Screeching Isle 22 35 0 .

Sol and Luna. See in particular his charity in the Merrynight mini-challenge. Glad you liked that!

A resolution to the Prio / Sea Rats conflict is in sight. See here for details.

Willem Guilder, Admius Legistrad of Eslandola’s Colonial Council, could not believe that he was still in King’s Harbour, months after the Grand Ball. Living in a rented manor house, he now found himself working out of a room that had previously been a small chapel. Perhaps he should pray to return home, he mused to himself. Guilder had read through the latest news on the Prio situation. When all this had started a few months ago, it appeared to be a routine case of some pirates making off with the small Prio trade ship Palmetto. But then Prio had retaliated, sinking one of the pirates and capturing another. Bastion then detained two Prio ships in their port, claiming unpaid bar expenses by the crews. And now another Prio ship had been captured, this time the Prince Alex, flagship of the Duchy’s trade fleet. Eslandola naval reports advised traders to avoid the South Prio Sea if at all possible, and prominent Eslandola citizens were throwing fuel on the fire in both directions. As the director of a trade company, Guilder knew this sort of stuff was bad for business. Piracy is always part of the equation when sailing the seas, but an escalation wouldn’t help anyone. And while Lord Prio may have the right to feel aggrieved, he is not without blame and risks a fight that could send his fledgling nation into ruin. Balance needed to be restored. So Guilder sat down at his desk – a table, really – in his makeshift office in this rented manor house on a Corrish island miles from his Eslandolan home, and penned two identical letters: To Lord Alexander Prio, Grand Duke of Isle Romantica and Authorities of the Settlement of Bastion, and the Happy Bastion Barfly Club Dear Sirs, I have watched with much dismay these past months as your disputes at sea have inflamed passions throughout the region. I write to you in the hope that, as a third party outside the particulars of your encounters, I may offer mediation service to restore the Brick Seas to the status quo of some months earlier. As such, here are the details of my proposal: - The Prio ships currently detained in Bastion, the Peacock and Pearl, be allowed to leave port and return home. - The ship Palmetto be recognized as a legal prize, now property of the Sea Rats. - The status of the trade ship Prince Alex, as well as the status of funds owed in Bastion for actions of the Prio crews, be determined in a hearing to be held in a neutral location, judged by a panel of both Sea Rats and others. I offer this as a means of bringing hostilities to an end, while allowing both parties to plead their case and be heard. I anxiously await your replies. Humbly yours, Willem Guilder --- When finished, Guilder summoned one his personal guard into the makeshift office. “Sir?” inquired the Eslandolan swordsman. “I have letters here of the utmost importance. See to it that these go out on the fastest ships available heading to Alexport and Bastion.” “Bastion, sir? I’m not aware of any ships in port headed there.” “Yes, of course, you’re right. Well, then, I’ll have to charter one. Take this letter for Alexport and get it on its way. I’ll make arrangements for the Bastion letter myself.” “Very good, sir,” and the guard was off on his task. As Guilder got up from the desk, he thought to himself, “Maybe I’ll charter myself a ship back to Weelond while I’m at it…” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ OOC: Leadership and the Sea Rats have agreed to resolve the Prio conflict with a good old-fashioned BoBS Build-Off! We’ll need builders for each side, exact number and subject of the builds still to be determined. Among the issues that will be decided are how much, if any, of the “bar tab” should be paid, and whether the Prince Alex should be awarded to the Sea Rats as a legal prize or returned to Prio. Details for the build-off will be posted as soon as they are finalized.

Very nice! I really like it! Well proportioned, nice rockwork, and as RocketSeason pointed out, it does have something of a Classic-Pirates feel.

Actually, I did miss it. Thanks! It has some similarities to what I'm working on, and might make some parts of my idea easier.

I think two things are getting conflated here: - Islands have natural bonuses for certain things. Anybody with an appropriate property can gain the bonus when building on that island. - Trade companies have monopolies. TC members can gain the monopoly bonus for appropriate builds anywhere. As for how ownership of a settlement is determined, each faction handles it differently. But for this discussion, the only thing that matters is whether the owner has a monopoly benefit, which is something unique to trade companies. EDIT: to make clear: Monopolies and Bonuses are two different things entirely.

Correct. If a settlement is owned by a TC and that TC has a monopoly bonus, the settlement would get the TC monopoly bonus for any properties owned by the settlement. Note that it's not just enough for the mayor of the settlement to be a member of a TC, but the TC must own the settlement. For example, in ESL, Bardo, Weelond, and Salda Este are owned by the MCTC, Pontelli is owned by the ETWC, and Trador is owned by MAESTRO. Other settlements have mayors that belong to these TCs, but the settlements themselves are not part of the TC.

--- From a quick look at the account summary, I see four black-flagged ships: Calamity Strikes (which was sunk this month), Komodo Dragon (also sunk), Morning Fog, and Viper. If sisterships of Calamity Strikes and Komodo Dragon are commissioned, they will begin as un-black-flagged (they are new ships). Two ships, Warped Wood and Killer Frog, do not yet show the black flag on the account sheet, but that needs to be changed because they sailed with the Komodo Dragon this month. @Captain Genaro, who is supposed to update the black flag status on the account sheets? And if any ships currently not flying the black flag sail with Morning Fog, Viper, Warped Wood, or Killer Frog this coming month, they will automatically become black-flag ships.

It looks like leadership needs to do a better job of both updating the account summary and posting black flag status each month. I'll take some of the heat for that. And I trust now that we all have a better understanding of how the black flag rules are supposed to work. Does anybody still have a question about how it is supposed to work?

Anything is possible, but I think it's likely that troop costs will remain the same. And if they do change, you wouldn't be the only person to have already purchased troops, so that will be something for leadership to consider.

Fair enough! Leadership is supposed to make sure that the status says black flag for ships considered black flag ships when running the MCRA program. And this is an area where I would agree that a lot of this could have been avoided if Prio had continued to seek redress diplomatically after the Palmetto was spirited out of the Corrie port. Prio assumed their position was understood, which it was not. They had filed notice with Corrington since the ship was in a Corrie port. Admittedly, the lack of any centralized Sea Rat authority makes it difficult for nations to know how to discuss matter with them, but I don't recall them specifically reaching out IC to any SRs after that. Granted, but at the same time, don't try to stand on technicalities when piracy results in consequences. All that said, I plan on making a post IC later tonight that might help resolve the matter. I'd just like to include a small build with it rather than just post some text. Can we agree to wait calmly for a few hours?