Dodgeing the Hit Squads?

[Pinstar]

It is very clear and has been stated many times that when you plunder an area alot, the superpowers will send a fleet of warships (hitsquad) to the area. It has also been said that each nation only has so many warships, so it cannot blanket the whole map with extra protection. My question is: If I pound an area and have the danger level rise to max, then leave and plunder other areas, how many total areas must I plunder before the extra warships brought to area 1 have been sent out to reinforce other areas (thus makeing it safe to plunder area 1 again, for awhile)

[Charlemagne]

It takes account of how much gold you take and how many captives (per nation of course). So it is diffficult to say how many cruises.

[Pinstar]

Ohh lets say about 5000-7000 gp and maybe half a dozen to a dozen wealthy captives. (those are the norms for good cruises with my fleet of brigs)

[Charlemagne]

Ok here goes. At the start of the game each region has a rating from 0 -9 for local traffic, long distance trade, and naval vessels. This is a total of 9 numbers for each region because the different nations have different numbers.

When a game starts there are some number of points of unallocated naval traffic for each nation. Every month the nations move 1 point into the currently most plundered (gold and captives) region, until they have no unallocated points. Also they move a long distance trade points out of the most plundered region.

Once they are out of unassigned points, they start reassigning based on the same criteria. Moving points out of non-plundered regions into plundered regions.

The points are used to figure out what you encounter when a target is sighted on a cruise. The highest level possible is 9 naval, 9 long distance trade 9 local traffic(for each nation). Obviously if a region has reached the 9 level for naval and has moved down to 1 on the merchant levels almost all of the encounters you have in that region (with that nation) will be with naval ships.

Settlements provide a boost to these point tallies. A farmstead gives a boost to local traffic and so on.

[Pinstar]

Wonderful advice!
I'm be sure to plunder a new area every time.

Also, with my small ships, I don't feel good about sending them in hot zones that are nearby, so I send them into lesser zones nearby (2 1/2 cannon/ treasure chest) the problem is, often times they'll come back completely empty handed. How can I get my smaller ships to plunder the small zones, but still be able to bump into someone?

[Jebus]

Also they move a long distance trade points out of the most plundered region.

Is there a rule that states that they have to move this point into an adjoining region?  If so, it would make finding large-traffic areas easier once you've found one, because you'd now that eventually all the long-distance trade will be moving into adjacent areas, so you can plunder those for a while, and just kinda work you're way out from there.

[Charlemagne]

There is no adjacency rule.

In general I'd crusie a region 3 or 4 times before moving on even with small ships because you gain the benefit of superior regional knowledge that way. If you move out after your first cruise ytou may never find anything just because your knowledge is always very low.

[Jebus]

There is no adjacency rule.

Just wondering, thanks.

The highest level possible is 9 naval

What are the different names for the amount of presence in an area.  I know 3/9 points is very light, 4/9 is fairly light, and 9/9 is teeming.  What are the rest of them?

[Charlemagne]

Here are the knowledge levels:

Unexplored
Barely Passed Through
Explored Briefly
Well Surveyed
Thoroughly Charted
Very Familiar Seas
Claimed as Our Waters
Like the Back of Our Hand

Here are the traffic numbers:

None
Scant
Very Light
Fairly Light
Moderate
Fairly Heavy
Very Heavy
Plentiful
Teeming

But these combine local/trade/naval traffic I believe.

[Jebus]

Thanks for the knowledge levels as well.  I was never quite sure whether well surveyed or thoroughly chartered was more knowledgeable, so that helps a lot.

[Pinstar]

I didn't know either till I found that if you mouse-over the word, it tells you at the bottom "4 of 8" or "7 of 8" much like it does if you mouse-over the words saying how heavy the presence is

[Jebus]

That would have been a good idea, but it never occured to me to try it.

[Mercator]

You're a general and you didn't even think to try it?

*shakes his head in shame*

What are these boards coming to?

 

[Pinstar]

Huzzah the peasents will overthow the old generals and dictators!

[Jebus]

I didn't think to try it because it didn't occur to me to care about it until Charlemagne posted the levels.

To me, if an area was Well Surveyed/Throughly Charted or better, then it was fine, if it wasn't Well Surveyed/Thoroughly Charted, then I'd send ships to explore it.  Other than this, it never really mattered to me how explored an area was.  Hence I never felt the need to distinguish between Well Surveyed and Thoroughly Charted, hence not trying to mouse over the word to find out which has a higher number.

[Pinstar]

I personally actually send my brigs into dark areas, totally unexplored. By the time they get finished cruiseing the area, it's well surveyed anyway.

[Mercator]

Hence I never felt the need to distinguish between Well Surveyed and Thoroughly Charted, hence not trying to mouse over the word to find out which has a higher number.

That's alot of hencing!  

I agree with Pinstar, but I never sent a frigate into a totally dark area, much less cruising in one!  But I have noticed that a long cruise really does up the exploration of the area.  Which I find particularly cool that the coad toads put it in the game, since it makes perfect sense.

Bravo!

[Severous]

Thought I would post into this thread to bump it to the top of the boards.

If you are trying to work out whats going on in those cruises this thread contains some food for thought.  

It also joins with the recent postings about the sightings and encounters rules.

Enjoy

[Coconut Kid]

Charlemagne speaks.