Wooden Ships and Iron Folk -- A watercraft generator

 

"Twas a wonderful craft,

She was rigged fore and aft, and oh how the wild winds blowed her,

She stood several blasts, she had twenty-three masts, and they called her the Irish Rover."

    Why stay on a single continent throughout a game? There's royalty to save, treasure to plunder, and piracy to be done. Without a sea-worthy vessel, how can any of this derring-do possibly be accomplished? From biremes and triremes, to sloops and schooners, the variety of ships, and the purposes they serve are vast. Whatever form they take, these ships and boats can find a home in nearly any setting.

    To use this table, roll 4d8 and consult the relevant tables below. As per usual, I have done my best to keep the results general in nature.

d8	How big is it?
1	Tiny. Perhaps just a canoe, faering, or dinghy. Piloted by a "crew" of 2-6.
2	Small. This vessel could be a war canoe, knarr, or dhow. 6-30 crew.
3-4	Mid-Sized. A longship, cog, junk, or sloop. A crew of 30-120.
5-6	Large. The craft could be a frigate, treasure ship, or galleon. A crew of 120-350.
7	Huge. A vessel like a 1st or 2nd rate ship of the line, freighter or battleship. 350-900 souls are required for a ship of this size.
8	Titanic. These behemoths encompass ships such as aircraft carriers or super freighters. A veritable floating town, more than 900 people are necessary to crew it.

d8	What is it used for?
1-2	Trade.
3-5	War.
6	Diplomacy.
7	Exploration.
8	Roll twice and ignore this result. The combination is the vessel's purpose

d8	What is the crew like?
1-2	Salty dogs. Practically a parody.
3-4	A pack of thieves, pirates and ne'er-do-wells.
5	Press-ganged into service. They are miserable and their officers strict.
6	A family, community, or other close group with shared intimacies.
7	Hard-bitten, serious soldiers. Even if they are not on a warship, they are likely in the navy.
8	Incompetent and out of their depth. They could have stolen the ship, or are refugees.

d8	What is unique about the vessel?
1	The vessel is accursed. Perhaps the crew are undead, or damned to never leave their ship.
2	A legendary ship, it's reputation causes hope or dread by sight alone.
3	Something of staggering value is being kept in the hold.
4	The craft is carrying some important personage or the crew is aware of some vital fact.
5	Blessed by a sea god or darker power, the ship cannot sink no matter how damaged.
6	The crew is from some distant or lost land. Their motives and tongue are a mystery.
7	It was crafted by some being(s) of great power, and it will never lose it's way.
8	It is adrift, the crew vanished and no signs of violence upon it's hull.

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As always folks, thanks for reading!