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Spanish Main Showdown

Fleet Construction Players must build their fleets using the rules below. It’s recommended that a set Gold $ amount be set for

each player to use in constructing their fleet of ships. A good start would be $500,000 - $1 million gold, so

each player can field a half a dozen or more 4 to 5-masted ships along with a couple medium and small scout

ships in their fleet.

Ship Design Players should use the following design tables below for building their fleet of ships. Each ship should have

a stat card or ship’s Deck Plate filled out for it to use during play.

Ship Type is the type of ship represented by either the number of masts it has or style.

Acceleration is the number of hexes a ship may increase its current speed each round.

Top Speed is the total number of hexes a ship can move in a single round.

Handling is how hard it is to control a ship. This number is applied to each Captain’s Boating rolls.

Toughness is comprised of its base Toughness to damage the ship and the amount of Armor (in

parenthesis) it possesses. The Armor value is already figured into the total Toughness. All ships have

the Heavy Armor trait so weapons without the Heavy Weapon trait are ineffective against ships.

Crew is the number of crew required to operate the ship’s sails, rigging, and so on. Crew aid the

captain in all Boating rolls as it’s a group effort to safely navigate a ship.

Having less than three quarters this number incurs a -2 penalty to all crew cooperative

Boating rolls.

Having less than half this number incurs a -4 penalty to all crew cooperative Boating rolls

Cannoneers are the number of gunners located below the ship’s decks. These gunners load,

reload, and wait for the captain’s signal to fire various size cannons and ammunition at their targets.

Cannoneers fire on the captain’s command each round so the -2 Unstable Platform penalty does not

apply to their Shooting roll. A captain may give the order to shoot any time during his initiative, or

forgo any Shooting attempts on his turn to wait for one of his opponents to declare a Broadside

maneuver against him.

Two Cannoneers are required to shoot a cannon each round; one loads and one shoots.

Guns are the number of cannon slots or space it has below decks to equip cannons. The number of

actual cannons installed depends on the size of the cannons to be installed within this set space.

Cargo Space is the number of slots set aside below decks for cannon ammunition, shot & powder.

Each cargo space is the same size no matter what type or size of ammunition it

holds.

Wounds are the number of wounds caused by being damaged that a

ship can take before being wrecked. For example, a 4-masted ship can

take four wounds and still function. A fifth wound wrecks the ship

and is out of commission for the duration of the game.

Ship Cost is the base price to purchase this type of ship. This price

does not include cannons, ammunition, or any shot & powder, only

the cost of the ship.

Stock Cost is the total cost to buy that particular ship, fully loaded

with 8-pdr cannons and cargo spaces filled with 8-pdr solid shot &

powder. This gives a ballpark figure of the cost per ship when

determining fleet construction amounts.

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Created by: Michael “Trigger” Ysker

Ship Design Table

Cannon Design Table Cargo Space Design Table

Ammunition Table

Determining Casualties Follow the steps below in order when determining casualties of crew and cannoneers.

1. Make one group Agility roll for all crew and cannoneers together.

a) Success = all crew and cannoneers duck out of the way and no damage.

b) Failure = possible casualties.

2. Roll 2d6 for the number of possible casualties.

3. Roll a d6 die for each possible casualty to determine each type.

a) Each odd die = one crew member is hit.

b) Each even die = one cannoneer is hit.

4. Roll damage from successful hit.

a) Compare damage to crew Toughness 5, and remove each crew casualty if wounded.

b) Compare damage to cannoneer’s Toughness 5, and remove each cannoneer if wounded.

Subtract the Armor value of the ship from the damage to cannoneers due to the shot being

fired through the ship’s thick hull and into the lower decks.

(A player may spend a benny to reroll a group Agility roll, or spend it to soak the damage inflicted to all potential

casualties by making a successful group soak roll at d6. If wounds inflicted are different between crew and cannoneers,

take the higher of the two when rolling to determine if damage is soaked. Shaken has no effect in game. All aboard are

both alive and able to act, or wounded and out of play. There is no Shaken condition.)

Ship Type

Acceleration Top

Speed Handling Toughness Crew Cannoneers Guns

Cargo Space

Wounds Ship Cost

Stock Cost

1-Mast 1 2 +1 13(2) 4 4 2 4 1 $10,000 $18,000 2-Mast 1 3 +0 14(2) 8 12 6 4 2 $30,000 $50,000 3-Mast 1 4 -1 16(4) 16 24 12 8 3 $60,000 $100,000 4-Mast 2 5 -2 18(4) 24 32 16 10 4 $80,000 $133,000 5-Mast 1 4 -3 24(4) 30 40 20 10 5 $100,000 $165,000

# Spaces Shot Size # Shots Solid Shot Fire Pot Grape Shot Chain Shot

1 4-pdr 100 $500 $750 $1000 $750 1 8-pdr 50 $500 $750 $1000 $750 1 16-pdr 25 $500 $750 $1000 $750

Gun Slots Cannon Type Cannon Cost

½ 4-pdr $1500 1 8-pdr $3000 2 16-pdr $6000

Shot Type

Shot Size

Heavy Weapon

Armor Piercing

Range Damage Special Notes

Solid Shot 4-pdr Yes AP 2 2/4/8 2d6+2 -



Fire Pot 4-pdr Yes - 2/4/8 2d6+2 -4 Damage, A fire starts on 5-6 with Hull Critical Hit



Chain Shot 4-pdr Yes - 1/2/4 2d6-1 If shot hits with a Raise, -1 Top Speed to target struck

Chain Shot 8-pdr Yes - 2/4/8 2d6 If shot hits with a Raise, -1 Top Speed to target struck

Chain Shot 16-pdr Yes - 3/6/12 2d6+1 If shot hits with a Raise, -1 Top Speed to target struck

Grape Shot 4-pdr Yes - 1/2/4 2d6-1 No damage to ship if it has more than AP 2. Determine casualties.

Grape Shot 8-pdr Yes - 2/4/8 2d6 No damage to ship if it has more than AP 2. Determine casualties.

Grape Shot 16-pdr Yes - 3/6/12 2d6+1 No damage to ship if it has more than AP 2. Determine casualties.

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Bennies Each player receives 1-2 bennies per ship in their fleet at the beginning of play.

For small fleets of up to four ships, 2 bennies per ship is suggested. For larger fleets

of five or more ships, 1 benny per ship is suggested, so as not to prolong damage

and slow gameplay down. A player may spend any of his bennies on any

appropriate actions or rolls he sees fit, per the standard Savage Worlds rules.

Bennies are not restricted to any one ship or captain.

Initiative Initiative order is resolved using the Savage Worlds rules and a standard set of playing cards with jokers.

One card is dealt to each player controlling a fleet of ships. All benefits from being dealt a joker apply. On

each player’s initiative card, that player chooses one ship from his fleet and sets its current speed for the

round; following all acceleration and deceleration maneuver rules. He then performs all movement and

required rolls for his ship. On the captain’s order, cannoneers may shoot anytime during this ships movement

or wait to shoot as a counterattack against an opponent during a Broadside maneuver against him. Each ship

may only move and shoot one time in a round. When done, the next player does the same with one of his

ships in his fleet. Each ship in a player’s fleet may only be selected once in a round to move and shoot.

This continues repeatedly for all players and their ships using the same initiative cards and order until all

ships have completed their actions for the round. When done, new initiative cards are dealt to each player to

begin the next round. All cards are collected and reshuffled when the deck runs out or a joker is draw.

NPC Stats Captains have the following stats: Agility d8, Boating d8, Toughness 6.

Crews have the following stats: Agility d6, Boating d6, Toughness 5.

Cannoneers have the following stats: Agility d6, Shooting d6, Toughness 5.

Collision Damage Collision Damage is calculated when a ship has enough speed to enter a hex containing an obstacle or

another ship. All collisions, intentional or not, are calculated using the relative speed of objects.

Collision Damage = (Relative Speed x 1d6) + 1d6. This is applied to all ships and obstacles involved. Ships with

Heavy Armor add their Armor rating as an AP value to their damage dealt. Ships with Heavy Armor halve

damage they take from colliding with other obstacles that don’t have Heavy Armor.

Cannon ROF Only one quarter of a ships cannons may fire at a single target per round (minimum 1), unless the ship is

performing a Broadside or “Crossing the T” maneuver. Each ship may perform one and only one Shooting

action per round, no matter the number of targets. Each Shooting action must be performed during its own

ships movement or as a counter-attack against an opponent’s declared Broadside Maneuver.

Cannon Firing Arc Cannons are mounted on each side of a ship in the lower decks. Their range may be great, but their arc of

fire is relatively small due to their fixed position. Cannons have a firing arc of 3 hexes wide as shown in the

Shooting Diagram below. Hexes are counted within this firing arc to determine cannon range and penalties.

All normal range penalties (0/-2/-4) apply when performing Shooting actions.

Broadside Maneuver The center hexes of a ships firing arc is where a ship may perform a Broadside Maneuver. If a target is in

range, located in a center hex, and is parallel to the attacking ship (facing the same or opposite direction), the

attacking ship may fire all cannons on one side of his ship at his foe as a Broadside Maneuver.

If the target is in a center hex but NOT parallel to the attacker, a Broadside Maneuver may not be

performed, although a normal Shooting action using one quarter cannons may still be.

Broadside Counter Maneuver A defending ship may perform a counter-attack against an attacking ship that has declared a Broadside

Maneuver against him, if his ship has not already performed a Shooting action in the round. With a successful

Agility roll by the defending ship’s captain, he may perform a Broadside Counter Maneuver and fire all

cannons on one side of his ship at the same time as his attacker’s Broadside Maneuver.

Damage from both attacks is dealt simultaneously to each ship. Any Critical Hits or Out of Control rolls are

made immediately. Ships are moved according to the results rolled and any collision damage applied. If the 3

attacking ship has movement left, he may finish his move. The defending ship has used its one Shooting

action for the round and may not perform any more Shooting actions until next round.

“Crossing the T” Maneuver A ship may perform a “Crossing the T” Maneuver when it performs a Turn Maneuver in a hex that crosses

perpendicular to the bow or stern of an enemy ship. All cannons on the side of the attacking ship, no matter

the size, must be within Short Range. The attacking ship may perform a Broadside Maneuver at its target

during his Turn Maneuver with a successful captain Boating roll aided by his crew. Relative Speed is

calculated using the ships orientation before the Turn Maneuver. The defending ship may not return fire.

With failure, the captain can’t position the ship in time to perform the “Crossing the T” Maneuver or any

Shooting action in the hex. The ship may still move and perform a Shooting action during its move if it has

movement left. He may also finish moving and forgo a Shooting action until later in the round if a Broadside

Maneuver is declared against him.

Shooting Diagram

Ship A has a firing arc of three hexes wide as shown above in the Shooting Diagram. Ships B, C, D, and E are

all within Ship A’s firing arc. Ship A may fire one quarter its guns from its right side at two targets within its

right firing arc. The green colored center hexes in a firing arc represent the hexes in which a ship may perform

a Broadside Maneuver. Ship A can perform a Broadside Maneuver against Ship B since it is located in a center

hex of Ship A’s firing arc, and Ship B is parallel with Ship A. If Ship B has not taken a Shooting action in the

round, Ship B may perform a Broadside Counter Maneuver against Ship A with a successful captain Agility roll.

With failure, Ship B may not return fire. Ship A may not perform a Broadside Maneuver against Ships C or E,

as they are not in a center hex, nor Ship D as it is not parallel with Ship A, however Ship A may still perform a

normal Shooting action against Ship D.

To perform a “Crossing the T” Maneuver, a ship must move perpendicular to its target’s bow or stern during

a Turn Maneuver. Ship E is moving into the next hex and begins a Turn Maneuver. At the point that Ship E is

perpendicular to Ship C, outlined in red, he declares a “Crossing the T” Maneuver against Ship C. With Ship

E’s cannons in short range and with a successful captain Boating roll (aided by his crew), Ship E may perform

a Broadside Maneuver. Ship C may not return fire. With a failed Boating roll, Ship E cannot fire in the hex and

finishes its Turn Maneuver represented by Ship D. He may continue to move and shoot if his ship has

movement left. Ship D may also finish moving and shoot later in the round as a counter-attack if an opponent

declares a Broadside Maneuver against him. 4

Ship Damage

Every hit to a ship requires a successful captain Boating roll, aided by his crew, to keep the ship

under command; otherwise the ship must roll on the Out of Control table and apply the rolled

results immediately.

Every Raise on a successful hit to a ship causes a Wound and a cumulative -1 to all captain Boating

rolls until the ship is repaired. This penalty does not apply to crew.

Each Wound a ship suffers also grants the attacker a roll on the Critical Hit table and apply the

rolled results immediately.

Relative Speed Relative Speed is used in determining Collision damage and Shooting penalties as shown in the Relative

Speed Diagram below. No matter what hex ships are in, compare each ships orientation or direction within a

hex and apply the relative speed modifier.

The ship in the center hex is moving at a current speed of 4 forward. Another ship six hexes away, and in the

center ships firing arc, is moving at a current speed of 2 in the same orientation (light green). Since they are

both facing the same direction, the relative speed between both ships is 2, (4–2). If the second ship was

heading in either of the (yellow) directions, the relative speed equals 3, (4-2) +1. The (orange) direction would

be 5, (4+2) -1, and in the (dark green ) would be 6, (4+2) which would simulate both ships zipping by each

other while trying to shoot or colliding in a devastating head on collision.

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Ship Maneuvers

Boating Rolls: No Boating rolls are needed when performing maneuvers with (-) in their heading; otherwise apply the penalty listed after each maneuver to all captain Boating rolls. If the maneuver is failed, move the ship into the hex and roll on the Out of Control Table to see where it ends up. A captain cannot navigate and maneuver his ship all by himself. He relies heavily on his crew to assist him in keeping the ship safe and out of harm’s way, which is why the crew must make a cooperative Boating roll and apply the results to the captains Boating roll. Crew Boating rolls add +1 for every success and raise to the captains Boating roll up to a maximum of +4.

Broadside (-): Broadsides are the most powerful attacks a ship can make. This maneuver is usually reserved

for daring captains or those with vastly superior firepower. A broadside may be lined up whenever a ship is

parallel to its foe in the corresponding left or right center hexes. A broadside may be attempted at any distance

as long as it is within the cannons range. All guns on one side of the vessel may be brought to bear on the

target at once. The enemy vessel may likewise fire half its cannons back if his ship is facing the same or

opposite direction as the attacking ship (see Broadside Counter Maneuver in the main rules).

Club Hauling (–4): By dropping the anchor and having all the crew rush to one side of the ship the captain can attempt to turn his ship very tightly in a semi-circle. If successful, he may turn his ship 2 hex-sides left or right before moving forward into the next hex. On failure, the ship rolls on the Out of Control table.

Crossing the T (-): The most favorable position in naval combat is perpendicular to your opponent at close range. This allows a ship to fire a complete broadside (all its cannons on that side) and rake the target from stem to stern, without presenting the same target to the enemy. A ship may perform a “Crossing the T” Maneuver whenever it crosses perpendicular to the bow or stern of an enemy ship in his hex during a Turn maneuver and with a successful captain Boating roll aided by his crew. Relative Speed is calculated using the ships orientation before the Turn maneuver. All cannons must also be within short range. The defending ship may not return fire or make a counter-attack. With failure, the shot does not take place and the ship continues its move and/or shooting action.

Decelerate (-): The Captain decelerates up to two times the ship’s Acceleration at the beginning of his turn.

Hard Brake (+0): The Captain decelerates up to three times the ship’s Acceleration, requiring a Boating roll.

On failure, the ship goes Out of Control.

Obstacle (–2 or more): Sailing through obstacle looks easy enough on the tabletop since a ship is simply moved however the player wants. But in “reality,” the ship is pitching and tossing at the mercy of the wind. For this reason, ships trying to move into a hex with two or more obstacles surrounding the hex—two narrow reefs, an island and a ship moving to block you—must make a captain Boating roll aided by his crew per each hex he enters that contains two or more obstacles surrounding it. If the hex only has obstacles on one side of the hex, no Boating roll is needed. The hex being entered must have at least two obstacles surrounding it to require a Boating roll and at least one obstacle on each side of the hex. A penalty of –2 is applied for two obstacles surrounding a hex, –3 for three obstacles, and –4 for four obstacles. If the Boating roll is failed after moving into the hex, the ship hits one of the obstacles at random, suffering and dealing collision damage. If successful, the ship may make a Turn maneuver and continue if it has movement left. If all five sides of a hex contain obstacles surrounding it, the ship automatically collides with one of the obstacles randomly, suffering and dealing collision damage as usual.

Ram (Opposed): Though we must move ships in turns on the table-top, ships move simultaneously in the “real world.” For that reason, when one ship rams another, we give the defender a chance to get out of the way—even if it’s not his turn. When this happens, the two ships make opposed captain Boating rolls aided by their crew. If the attacker wins, he’s managed to ram his foe, pushing his foe into the next hex while he moves into the target’s hex, and collision damage is calculated normally. If the defender wins, he must move his ship forward or backward one hex, effectively timing the ramming attempt by moving faster, ending ahead of the attacking ship, or slowing down just enough to get behind him.

Turning (-): After moving into a hex, a ship may pivot or turn 1 hex-side left or right before moving forward

into the next hex. It may continue to perform this maneuver as many times as its Top Speed allows it. 6

Critical Hits 2d6 Effect

2 Mast: A mast is hit and snapped. Top Speed drops by one. If there are no masts left, the ship drops to zero Top Speed (unless she has oars).

3 Rudder: The rudder is hit. The ship may only turn in one direction (away from the attacker’s side), and suffers –2 to its Handling. A second rudder hit to the same side counts as a Hull hit.

4-5 Weapon: A random cannon is destroyed and may no longer be used. If there are no cannons,

this is a Hull hit instead.

6-8 Hull: Treat damage normally but roll 1d6 as well. A roll of 6 means a fire has started. Roll on the Fire Table at the beginning of each round for each fire started until all fires are put out.

9-10 Crew: Crew Critical Hits inflict 2d6 casualties scattered randomly among crew and cannoneers. No Agility rolls allowed to duck for cover and avoid being hit. Use the grape shot rules to determine casualties.

11 Cargo: The contents of 1d4 random Cargo Spaces are destroyed. If the vessel is not carrying cargo, treat this as a Hull hit instead.

12 Magazine: The ship’s magazine is hit, which blows the ship to matchwood and sends all aboard to Davy Jones locker. Any ships in adjacent hexes suffer 2d6 + the destroyed ship’s base Toughness in damage. An example would be a 4-Mast ship that explodes will cause 2d6+14 points of damage to all adjacent hexes.

Out of Control 2d6 Effect

2 Dip: The prow of the ship disappears beneath the waves, covering the decks in water. Roll 1d6. This many crew (not cannoneers) are washed overboard and lost forever unless a successful group Agility roll is made.

3-4 Turn: Move the ship 1-2 hexes in the direction of the maneuver, or 1-2 hexes away from a damaging hit. Roll a d6. Rotate the ship that many hex sides to the right in its new direction.

5-9 Slip: Move the ship 1-2 hexes left or right (in the direction of a failed maneuver, or away from a damaging attack).

10-11 Major Slip: Move the ship 1-3 hexes left or right (in the direction of a failed maneuver, or away from a damaging attack).

12 Roll: The ship rolls to one side, heeling over hard. The crew and captain must make Boating rolls (–4) or the ship capsizes and sinks.

Fire Table 1d6 Fire Result

Fighting Fires: Crews can put out fires, but this takes away from their other duties to do so. A team equal to half the ship’s base Toughness is required. The team must assemble one round, and in the next may make a group Boating roll at –2 for one fire. With a success, the team extinguishes the fire.

1 The fire burns out.

2-4 The fire continues to burn.

5 The fire causes a ship Wound.

Ships Ablaze: If a burning ship strikes another vessel, there is a chance the fire will spread from one ship to the other. Roll 1d6 and on a 5 or 6, the fire spreads to the other vessel.

6 The fire spreads and starts another fire.

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