Privateers

[Beorn]

For those of you already have a lot of experience with this game: What works best against foreign privateers belonging to nations you are not at war with?

Your own privateer?
Is a larger fleet more effective than a smaller fleet, or are you better off sending a ship or two into each naval zone?

(I see in the rules that privateers have a 90% chance of avoiding battle, so it is hard to pick up on what is giving you your best chance, cause even your best chance is kind of a long shot each turn.)

[CushVA]

I usually try to keep at least one fleet near my merchants (either in the same zone as or an adjacent one).

Have you tried giving your fleet(s) "Intercept Orders" ? I don't think I've tried it with ships belonging to nations that I'm at peace with.

[Ralegh]

Privateers - or declaring war.
Note that having your own privateers in teh same sea zone as your own merchant will reduce income from the merchant significantly.

[Beorn]

ORIGINAL: Ralegh

Privateers - or declaring war.
Note that having your own privateers in teh same sea zone as your own merchant will reduce income from the merchant significantly.

So you are saying that my regular fleets accomplish nothing? Or just not as much as my own privateer?

[sol_invictus]

Are Privateers simply raiding any and everyone within a zone regardless of whether the Privateer's Nation is at war with the Merchant? If so this should be changed so that the Privateers only attack enemy Merchants.

[Reiryc]

ORIGINAL: Arinvald

Are Privateers simply raiding any and everyone within a zone regardless of whether the Privateer's Nation is at war with the Merchant? If so this should be changed so that the Privateers only attack enemy Merchants.

I think they should still attack your own trade, but at a discounted rate. This would reflect that privateers did historically attack their host country's trade ships, but usually only those that were deep ocean vessels as opposed to the local ships that would hug the shore line along a coast. And of course, depending on the amount of shipping available for them to try to hit. Privateering for the french or spanish allowed for more targets of opportunity later in the war than did privateering for the english.

[sol_invictus]

I agree that Privateers should have negative effects on all trade in a zone, but I don't think they should directly attack their home Nation's Merchants or Merchants of allies. Just a relatively small negative effect for friendlies but greater for enemies, including attacking and capturing certain numbers of enemy Merchants.