Naval Trade Blockades

[Bjarkehingrumme]

The ability to introduce naval blockades of harbours would be great for naval civ's. It could easily be implemented;

- RULE START -
If a hostile ship is inside the city radius the city's harbor will be rendered useless for trade purposes.
- RULE END -

In this way one could, with a large enough fleet, embargo an entire continent! Taking out the defending navy would be crucial, however, as every gap in the blockade would be enough to restart trade. Subhunting would be very important also.

[peteruk223]

Yeh that is a very good idea I think that should be implemented into the game.

[Dauphin]

The ability to blockade would be a good one.

Having just one hostile ship in the city radius might not be the best rule - you could just send a galley ship in at the end of a turn, thus disrupting trade for the player at the start of his turn, but then have it be obliterated by 10 battleships patrolling the port the same turn.

Perhaps amend the rule so that it says the hostile ship has to have been there at least one turn.

[Ijuin]

A good compromise could be that having a ship fortified inside the city's radius would block sea trade with it. Unfortified ships would be "just passing through" and not actively blockading the port.

[Bjarkehingrumme]

Perhaps a combination of both proposals (by Ijuin and Dauphin)?
As far as i remember you can fortify and still move in the next round, so Dauphins proposal might still be necessary even though fortification is also required..

[Master Zen]

excellent idea

[Drachasor]

How about just giving ships a "blockade" and "counter-blockade" order. The former takes one turn to activate, and keeps the ship still (like it was a fortified ground unit) thereafter. The latter command can break a blockade without engaging the enemy (you just need to run the trade ships out) and ends the blockade breakers turn.

Hence there would be two ways to break a blockade. You could destroy the blockading ship, or you could simply break the blockade and possibly avoid combat (depending on what the enemy did next turn). As in real life, if you wanted to have a decent blockade, you'd have to control the oceans.

-Drachasor

[ZargonX]

Fortified ship in city's radius

[GePap]

It is already possible to start a naval blockade, thought extremely difficult since you need to block each sea square through which trade can pass-so unless you can block trade at some key water areas.