Tides Of War

The naval assault, and it is not a fair fight on purpose.

One side is the ARMADA, assaulting from a moving flagship; the other is the island KEEP's garrison, sailing out to stop them. The two do not play the same game.

THE ARMADA must occupy broad water sections ahead of its flagship to push it, column by column, toward the island. PHASE ONE, the approach: the crew CHARTS a safe course, tides stake <n> setting a wayfinder on the next cell, and the ship crosses on a countdown that runs faster the more crew man her, but only while the lane stays clear; boarders, a contested cell or a tidecaller's conjured whirlpool break the stake, and tides unstake strikes it to chart again. PHASE TWO, the bombardment: at about two thirds across she holds firing position and trades fire with the Keep's shore battery; storm the shore to silence the guns and press the walls, all while keeping her afloat, because reefs tear the hull. The Armada wins by felling the Keep, and it races a SUPPLY clock: the fleet starves as it goes, eased by holding water (fishing the sea), and if the supply empties first the assault collapses.

THE KEEP sails out to CONTEST the water so the ship cannot advance, boards and sinks the flagship's hull, or simply outlasts the Armada's supply. It wins by sinking the ship, starving it, or holding the Keep to the time limit.

Combat is on the water with the raft mechanics: brace against a swell, rock an enemy raft, and a sunk fighter is fished out and recovers. tides is the status (phase, ship, hull, Keep, supply, water, course); tides vote <ground>, tides join, tides watch and tides leave as the others.

See also: help battlegrounds, help winds of fate, help sundered span, help ships.

Syntax

tides
tides vote 
tides join
tides stake 
tides unstake
tides watch
brace
rock

Examples

tides
tides join
tides stake n