Brig (ETW Unit)

Brig (ETW Unit)
Class	Brig
Unit Size	78 men
Weaponry	25 guns
Morale
Melee Attack
Ranged Attack
Defence
Charge Bonus
Accuracy
Range
Ammunition
Region	Global
Recruitment Cost	700
Upkeep Cost	170
Turns to Build
Unit Limit
Building Requirements	Shipyard (or any other tier 1 port)
Technology Requirements	None
Attributes

A brig is a lightly armed, small, two-masted sailing ship, much prized for its exceptional handling and sailing qualities.

Overview

The term “brig” is a contraction of “brigantine” (an earlier sailing ship design), although the two types do not have the same rigging. A brigantine carries fore-and-aft sails, while a brig is square-rigged; this explains why the brig was favored, for square rigging requires far fewer skilled hands to sail the vessel. The term “brig” could also include many rigging sets, including the strangely named “hermaphrodite brig”, which had a square-rigged forward mast and schooner-rigged aft (main) mast.

All brigs, in the hands of a good captain, are handy little ships, and can virtually turn in their own length. This maneuverability partly makes up for the light armament, usually no more than a couple of cannon – and those no larger than 12-lbers. The development of carronades (short-barreled, short-range, large-bore weapons) added to a brig’s firepower.

Historically, the fledgling United States Navy used brigs, particularly on the Great Lakes. USN brigs also put up a brave account of themselves against the Barbary Pirates.

Details

These vessels, though not very strong, are very cheap and quick to build, and as such are good if you require ships to transport and army across a stretch of water quickly without waiting for larger ships to be built. They can also be used to raid ports and trade routes, and take on small pirate vessels and traders. However, due to their limited firepower they are quickly outclassed, and as such frigates are much better suited to duties where there might be fighting involved. When compared to sloops, brigs have far more men and a portion greater cannon, also. However, there are disadvantages to using Brigs. Brigs have completely open decks, and this factor combined with their high crew count make brigs very susceptible to grape shot, while sloops offer a high degree of protection against grapeshot for its men. Also, brigs are very vulnerable to chain shot due to their square sails, while sloop sails are harder to take down. Brigs are some of the only ships that have cannons located in their stern. This means that brigs can still deal damage when fully on the run--albeit very little damage.