Any tips for mail runners in sea battles?

Jando · Swabbie Posts: 54 **1236 Gold** -

Greetings, all.

I recently started a new game as a Spanish citizen with a mail runner (one gets that thing when one starts in 1660 if I remember right). However, I don't play the boarding game (i.e. just board the other ship and settle the argument with the sword fight) with this one, I want to win my sea battles - and I've got some problems with that, hehe.

I thought it would be a good tactic with the mail runner to sail just outside of the cannon range, then sail into position, release a broadside and retreat to a position outside the cannon range. However, it seems that as soon as I sail outside the cannon range the game will also pop up the dusk message and end the battle as can be seen in the screen shot:

Now, in that shot there are maybe 7 or 8 boat lengths between my mail runner and the Dutch Brig I'm chasing, thus staying outside of cannon range doesn't work it seems. Anyone of you has some tips for me how to win sea battles with a mail runner?

(Just for info, I play by my own rules currently, and one of these rules is that I consider any battle lost when I get boarded while the enemy has more crew left than I have.)

Emmerson · Swabbie Posts: 105 **1743 Gold** -

Maybe instead of trying to stay out of round shot range, just give yourself enough distance to react to their fire. With a mail runner, you should be able to (literally) sail circles around most other craft, and dodging their fire at a long range should be easy to get the hang of, too.

As has been mentioned on here, the enemy will fire where he thinks you're going to be, based on your present course. So you should let him draw a bead on your trajectory, wait for him to fire, change your course --at long range he should miss by a mile-- and then take your shot at him.

I'm not sure if I'm presenting that well or not. Likely our War Canoers can give you good advice . . . .

Yak · Powder Monkey Posts: 18 **191 Gold** -

That pretty well summed it up. You can just hold off until they fire, circle hard, and open fire at them. I usually blast away from afar, until most cannons are destroyed, then swoop in for the grapeshot before boarding. Most battles I'm never hit, unless I didn't position myself correctly to begin with.

Zem · Gunner Posts: 675 **3281 Gold** -

Emmerson is right. The Mail Runner (good little ship, I like it very much!) is fast enough to easily avoid the enemy's shots within the range of the cannons.
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Howie · Helmsman Posts: 4301 **45890 Gold** -

rupertlittlebear · Helmsman Posts: 4545 **10381 Gold** -

Lots of strategy already posted on the forum. Mostly under War Canoe.

Suggestion. Get to their stern and chain them to death.

If you are good at Fencing, do the quick board and celebrate.

In any case, you will want Copper Plating and Cotton Sails to help with any ship fighting in the Good Old Mail Runner.

CGM3 · Gunner Posts: 614 **12612 Gold** -

Other upgrades you'll probably want:

Fine-grain powder to increase the range of your shots (even chain and grape).

Bronze cannon for better accuracy.

Triple hammocks for a larger crew (useful in boarding). You can also "pick up" (by sailing over) sailors who fall off any ship during a battle, adding them to your crew, even if that exceeds your vessel's mamximum limit.

And the Gunner specialist increases the speed with which your gunners reload.
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