The Shipping Forecast
A downloadable game
What I’m trying to hack together is a system for sailing ship operation and activities while going from port to port. Sorta Traveller-esque (in the operating a free trader sense), but in a fantasy setting. The encounters and events in port are the more interesting bits, but what do you do in-between?
Events at sea could include weather (becalming, storms, etc), ship issues (damage and repair, crew matters, fire, etc), passenger and cargo issues, and so forth.
I am envisioning this for use in a game setting where some of the area has been charted, but possible discoveries of new islands may occur. Encounters with fauna or with other vessels (friendly or hostile) could be possible, as well.
For in port activity, I’d like to have a a few systems or sets of tables: a trade and cargo bit for brokering; an encounters bit for potential passengers or possible adventure hooks; administrative and tariff matters; some maintenance and upkeep requirements to keep things in check and have tasks the PCs and crew need to keep up with (or not, if they’re feeling risky).
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Development log
- Cover art testJun 10, 2023
- Initial Trade Commodities & GoodsAug 12, 2022
- On WeatherJul 30, 2022
- Register of ShipJul 26, 2022
- Update on Wealth and ShippingJul 10, 2022
- Update 5-27May 27, 2022
Comments
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You can help support this project as a playtester by running a test of sailing using the rules in On Weather. Do a journey of at least 4 weeks length and send us the log, and we'll list you as a playtester in the finished version.
What does the weather value start at?
If you're starting out brand new, or if you're setting out after having been in port for a while, probably just a random D10 for the starting weather value.
Good clarification to add; thanks for asking!
EDIT: Additional thoughts. Do any of these seem better choices?
The same rules would apply after the ship has been in port for more than a week (unless you want to keep tracking weather while in port). But the idea of landfall and port as something of a reset makes sense, and makes it a more significant event in that way. Also, the weather over land follows different rules from at sea, so it makes sense not to use the sailing Wind/Weather rules while in port, and have a reset once you're out on the open seas once more.
- You could treat it like after a Stormfront, (use wind 4, Weather 5) I'd be tempted to do that for any brand new start.
- You could generate new Wind and Weather numbers randomly. For each, roll 2d10 and average them (rounding up). Carryover modifiers (to next roll) would apply, but adjustments to the starting numbers would be waived, and Tide does not apply while in Port. So Wind results of 1, 2, 8-10 would have modifiers applied to the first new turn Weather. But Weather results like "2 Drizzle/fog/light rain; -2 Wind, -1 to next wind roll" would only use the -1 to next roll.
My knee-jerk reaction is players could choose what weather is like when they leave port- after all, you could usually always sit tight and wait for weather conditions to be favorable.
Or make it simple and the weather is always Fair when you leave.
Caveat: I haven't played this yet.
Ship Combat
"These rules do not pretend to cover ship-to-ship combat. For an encounter leading to combat, another system will need to be used to resolve those events.
Or, each side roll d10, and then, for each ship then roll that number of crisis/catastrophe events. If that doesn't seem to indicate who the winner is, do it again."