Civilian Lugger (ETW Unit)
| Civilian Lugger (ETW Unit) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Lugger |
| Unit Size | 54 Men |
| Weaponry | 12 Guns |
| Morale | |
| Melee Attack | |
| Ranged Attack | |
| Defence | |
| Charge Bonus | |
| Accuracy | |
| Range | |
| Ammunition | |
| Region | Global |
| Recruitment Cost | 440 |
| Upkeep Cost | 70 |
| Turns to Build | |
| Unit Limit | |
| Building Requirements | Comercial Basin |
| Technology Requirements | None |
| Attributes | |
Luggers are small vessels. Excellent for fishing and handy gunboats, pirates, smugglers and similar unsavoury, nautical fellows favour them!
Overview
Like many European ships, the ship’s rigging style gives the lugger its name. Lugsails are a development of the classic square-rig of larger vessels. The sails have yardarms, but the attachment of the yardarms to the mast is off-centre. As a result, the sails lie fore-and-aft, with the yards at a jaunty angle, rather than at right angles to the keel as in a square rigged vessel. This sail layout has much of the efficiency of a square rig when running before the wind, combined with the handiness of a fore-and-aft when changing course. In addition, sailing the ship only needs a small number of sailors, leaving more of the crew to do other work – or fight.
In military and quasi-military use, a lugger carries only a small complement of light guns, but these are usually sufficient to overpower or overawe a merchantman’s crew. A lugger is unlikely to survive for long against a properly handled armed naval vessel. However, the lugger’s speed and good handling qualities make it ideal for coastal scouting and a little light piracy!
Historically, the French “chasse-marée” is a type of lugger, originally a type of swift fishing boat. French privateers (pirates operating under a government licence) used these swift vessels to raid British commercial shipping.
Details
The Civilian Lugger is a cancelled unit available only to the Pirates. It is a swift unit, capable of combating trade ships with ease. However the ship will not last long against a ship of the line, due to its weak hull strength and small number of guns. As a result of this the Civilian Lugger will likely become outdated later on in the game.
