Combat

Battles are resolved the moment a fleet makes landfall. A superior force prevails more often, but the seas are fickle — no outcome is certain.

Colonisation Rules

How empty shores are founded and broken enemy settlements are razed.

Fleet & Garrison

Reinforcement convoys and stationed garrisons that bolster a settlement.

Preparing for War

War is not won at the moment of battle — it is won in the months of preparation beforehand. A Governor who neglects any part of the war chain will find their fleet broken before it reaches shore.

• Harbour — all ships are built here. Higher levels unlock stronger vessels and faster construction.
• Barracks — trains ground troops (swordsmen, archers, cavalry) and siege weapons. Level 10 unlocks catapults.
• Research — Sail research unlocks large warships and merchant ships. Weapons and armor research strengthens troops.

The War Fleet

Every attack requires warships. Ground troops and catapults cannot sail on their own — they board warships as passengers. A well-composed fleet balances firepower, troop capacity, and speed.

Small Warship

Fast, affordable, and available early (Harbour level 1). Carries 5 troops and light cargo. Ideal for scouting raids and early aggression.

Large Warship

Heavy combat vessel unlocked at Harbour level 5 with Sail research. Carries 10 troops and far more cargo. The backbone of any serious invasion fleet.

Colonisation Ship

A specialized vessel required to found empty islands and complete the razing of broken defenseless — it must be escorted by warships. See Colonisation.

Ground troops — swordsmen, archers, cavalry, and war dogs — provide the fighting strength that wins battles. Catapults are essential for destroying buildings and enabling colonisation. All ground units ride aboard warships as passengers, limited by each ship's troop capacity.

Marshal Voss notes

A war fleet sails only as fast as its slowest vessel. Ground troops ride as passengers aboard warships. Review the Fleet and Units chapters before committing forces to open water.

Battle Strength

An attacker's total strength is the sum of each unit's attack value multiplied by its count. The defender's strength draws on unit defense values, wall fortifications, and the settlement's intrinsic defenses. The greater the attacker's advantage in this ratio, the higher the probability of victory — though defenders always hold the advantage on home ground.

Morale also weighs on both sides. If the attacker's happiness falls below 40, their battle power is reduced by 10%. If the defender's happiness falls that low, their defensive power also drops. At the harshest morale tier, each side can lose up to 45% of combat strength.

Defending a Settlement

Every settlement has a base defense of 50 — even an ungarrisoned island offers some resistance. Beyond that, defense is shaped by three factors:

• Garrison — units stationed on the island contribute their defense values. Allied reinforcements count too.
• Stone Wall — each level multiplies the defense of all stationed units by an additional 5%, and adds 10 intrinsic defense on top.
• Watch Tower — detects approaching fleets and provides advance warning. Higher levels reveal more detail about incoming attacks, giving time to prepare.

Wall Defense by Level

Plunder Protection

A fortified Storehouse shields a portion of reserves from plunder. The stronger the stores, the less a raiding fleet can carry off.

Raiding Unclaimed Shores

Unclaimed islands can be raided for stores, but they are not free prizes. Wild guardians defend each shoreline tier, and even victorious crews may suffer losses during withdrawal.

• Guardians by tier — Barren shores are light resistance, abundant shores are severe resistance.
• Withdrawal losses — Returning fleets can still lose ships and crews after landing operations.
• Raiding pressure — Repeated strikes on the same shore reduce recoverable stores for 12 hours.
• Treasure chests — Successful raids may uncover a buried chest of bonus coins. Rarely, a cursed chest is found instead — destroying all landing troops while ships escape unharmed.

Use the Reports & Dispatches ledger to compare sent, fallen, and returning crews against plunder totals. If pressure is high and returns are thin, rotate to another shoreline.

Siege and Razing

Surviving Catapults deal structural damage to the defender's buildings after a successful assault. This is the only way to weaken an enemy's fortifications from afar.

• Catapult damage is applied only when the attacker wins the battle.
• To attempt an occupied-island raze, the target's Main House must stand at level 1 when the assault ends.
• The colonisation fleet must include catapults that deal building damage in that same victorious attack.
• If the charter holds, the island is not taken. It is devastated in place until only the Main House remains at level 1.

Rules of Engagement

Not every settlement may be targeted. The following restrictions apply:

• Alliance members are protected from attacks by their own.
• Governors cannot attack those they have added as friends.
• Newly arrived Governors are shielded until their protection period ends.
• Launching an attack while under protection forfeits that shield immediately.