[JokerZida]

Sailors swinging between ships while cannons blazing? That's modern sailing from the Age of Sail (mid-16th century onward)—not ancient naval warfare.

Before Cannons
🔹 Heavy reliance on oarsmen for locomotion
🔹 No gunpowder = no cannons
🔹 Ships like the Roman and Byzantine galleys fought very differently.

Actual naval tactics (before the 16th century):
🔹 Ships maneuvered skillfully to ram their reinforced bows into the enemy's flanks.
🔹 Portable catapults and sloops were used for long-range attacks.
🔹 Boarding bridges and grappling hooks were deployed on approach.
🔹 Battles ended in infantry battles on the deck—i.e., land battles at sea.

🔹Longships, like cogs, with their fore and aft castles, provided additional height for archers and crossbowmen to fire arrows at enemy decks when boarded. This means that these shields may be more effective against galleys when boarded, but they become a bigger target upon impact.

So, when you imagine ancient naval warfare, forget pirates and think of floating infantry platforms equipped with devastating cannons! ⚔️

🌊 #SailsOfWar is coming June 17, 2025! Are you ready to sail into naval battles?

[DoctorEldritch]

@JokerZida me and @DracoTarot were recently talking about the lack of games set in proper Dark Ages. This one is not set there as well if it is in the mid-16th century, but I want to ask, what time period is the game covering, exactly? As you mentioned, by the 16th century, naval canons were already quite widespread and changed naval warfare.

But "Age of Sail" as a period is 16th-19th century, so if the game adheres to it, then this is the time the game will be set in? Then again, canons were used in some capacity on naval vessels from as early as the 14th century... So what period exactly will we get to play in?

[miskkie]

Fairly interested in this actually. Hope they get it right.