Navy Maintenance

[ploesch]

We need to clarify the maintenance cost of naval units.

In chapter 5, in the Militayr payroll section under Domain Maintenance it say that Garrisoned Naval units are 1/24 their Muster cost eash season, 1/12 if active.

In chapter 6, it says that naval units have a maintenance cost of their Muster every 4 years. That would be 1/16 their muster cost every season, 1/8 if active.

That is a significant enough discrepancy that is should be addressed. Personally, I vote for the lesser cost. Ships are rarely going to be considered garrisoned, and a cost of nearly 2 GB's per season to own a active Caravel seems too steep to me. Especially since it will likely be used for trade, and paying 1/3 your capacity for maintenance seems a bit off to me, paying a GB to be docked seems way off, especially since a garrisoned ship would likely only keep a skeleton crew, and incure little if any damage due to weather.

[Cuchulainshound]

Ships are often garrisoned in game, especially after they've been used for a "special project". Keeping a standing navy should be expensive- it's a big hammer to have in your back pocket. Between the ability to Invade and to Blockade Trade Routes, it can be the sort of level that no one else is prepared for.

So, should a ship cost it's "build value" evey 6 years, or every 4 years? Don't know much history on this, tho' I do know that every "armada" that showed up in Europe was used as needed, and then let rot asap. If there was no need, it wasn't kept up "just in case".

I think game balance and feel is the more important consideration here than any historical discussion, and I haven't played that many naval powers (twice only, and once I was just the Admiral, and money was not my problem.)

You could split the diff, go with every 5 years.