Might ring

Every ship on the seas has a strength rating known as "might." Might is shown by a small ring around each ship: the might ring. The might ring serves as an indicator of the strength of an enemy ship relative to one's own ship. Icons also denote rumbling (small circle) barbarians and swordfighting (small rectangle) brigands.

Blue ships are weaker than the viewer's ship, green ships have similar might to the viewer's ship, and red ships are stronger than the viewer's ship.

Calculations
Several factors go into the color of a ship's might ring relative to another ship. One important factor that goes into the strength of a might ring is the number of pirates on board. A ship with many more pirates on board is likely to have a higher might ring than a ship with only a few pirates. Another factor that determines the strength of the might ring is the skill of the pirates on board. Carousing puzzles do not factor into this, nor do crafting puzzles. Thus, the only statistics that factor into the might ring calculations are those of duty puzzles such as sailing or carpentry. It is not known exactly how each pirate's statistics factor into the might ring, but a higher puzzle standing will lead to a stronger might ring.

The size of ship does not factor into the might ring calculations. Thus, one pirate on a sloop might view one pirate on a war brig as having a similar might ring.

Effects of might rings
Attacking ships of different might ring colors can have various consequences. If a ship engages an enemy with a blue might ring, it risks being engaged by the black ship.

Might rings are commonly used by the commanding officer of a ship to determine what brigands to attack. Generally, a green-ringed enemy has the best possibility of being a winnable fight while still giving a large amount of booty. Ships with easier might rings may bring easier fights, but they will often bring in less booty, and attacking stronger might rings can often lead to losses.

Historical notes

 * The icons identifying brigands and barbarians were added with.
 * Navy vessels also had might rings, but players were not able to attack them. This changed with.