Going aloft is a job for the Rigging Crews, while Deck Hands can support the Sailing Master orders. Some orders require maximum effort from Sailing Teams and some Deck Crews pulling cables.
Gun Crews are drilled for the purpose and live, sleep and eat by their guns. While there’s some variation in drills and sea legs the crews managing the guns will not take over other duties other than acting Deck Hands.
Marines and Naval Fusiliers basic duty is to defend the ship from boarding but may also, depending on the nationality, have as primary duty defending the Gun Crews while keeping them in the fight with vigorous defense of points of access either in and out of the gun decks during a battle.
All Crews can fight during boarding actions, but Sail and Guns are not best employed in that. Deck Hands are the best choice along with Naval Infantry ( Fusiliers ). Marines are the best when defending against a boarding.
Of course what I put above is in generic terms with little consideration to specific nations, particular ship complements, and other singular factors.
In broad terms the Crew focus display will be indispensable when planning the course of action because:
- takes time to prepare and reach places
- timing is everything in naval age of fighting sail
- cannot replace different specialists with one another
The planning of actions is tested at 5 with 2 adjustments. Three seemed short, but maybe if Crew Move actions are abstracted removed it can be 3 which makes a more fluid experience but lacks ( yet! ) the sense of commitment to an order.
In battle time this might be 5 minutes, or even 30 minutes, depending on variables like crew training, sea conditions, wind, etc.
The Actions in Sequence track is “real time” and both players will perform actions according to the momentum. This means during a Sequence the ordered Actions might actually shift and momentum passes back and forth between players even during the same Sequence.
wargamer.coffee.break 