Square-rigged Merchantmen are well-designed and seaworthy vessels. They have large cargo capacity, can carry numerous guns, and have plenty of room for crew and passengers. Furthermore, they can be sailed with a smallish crew to save money.
Often not carrying enough crew to man all guns, most Merchantmen are extremely disinclined to fight: when facing pirates they almost always seek to run away. Beware, however: some Merchantmen have been converted to pirate ships, with stronger armament and sailed by a ferocious crew of cutthroats. These ships are extremely dangerous.
The Large Merchantman and East Indiaman are larger variations of this design. |
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