Official:Gunnery

Gunnery

Ha har! The Gunner's art is a noble one, perhaps the most challenging of the voyaging Duties. Gunnery is critical to a Pirate Crew's success in Sea Battle, yet requires much practice to master. By dropping arrows onto the deck, the Gunner directs the wildly rolling implements of his trade into the four cannons in the right order. But speed is of the essence! The Captain counts on this twitchy endeavor for his ammunition in battle!

The Gun Deck

The Gunnery puzzle is arrayed with four cannons. Rolling about the Deck is the Barrel, which dispenses all a Gunner needs: Cannon Balls, Powder, Wad (crumpled fabric), and Buckets of Water. These pieces roll around the deck, turning whenever they hit an obstruction.

Placing Arrows

The art of Gunnery is to place Arrows on the board. One can either click the mouse in a spot and then drag in a direction to set the arrow, or use the mouse to place the Arrow and then the arrow keys on the keyboard to set its direction. Once an Arrow is placed it will direct pieces in that direction. The Gunner can place up to three Arrows on the deck at once. Placing a fourth Arrow removes the first, and so on.

Filling Cannons

The Gunner's objective is to fill each cannon with the correct sequence of Pieces. First, the Powder must be loaded. Then, the Wad. Finally, the Cannon Ball must be put in place. The Cannon is then ready to be fired by the Commanding Officer during Sea Battle.

Remember: Powder! Wad! Shot!

Cleaning Out Cannons with Water

If an incorrect piece slides into the Cannon the Gunner must wash the Cannon out using the Water. Likewise the Cannon can be washed out unintentionally unless one is careful.

Once a Cannon has been fired an ugly mess is left behind. This must be cleaned out using Water to prepare the Cannon for the next shot.

Out the Hatch!

If the Gunner doesn't want a piece he can toss it overboard by pointing it out one of the cannon hatches. Cannon balls sent overboard are NOT lost from the hold.

Gunnery Scoring

More than any other duty puzzle, speed is the key in gunnery. Your captain cares first how quickly you ready his cannons, then how efficiently you managed it. Try to quickly fill the cannons while placing as few arrows as possible. The real indication of Gunnery success is how many cannons ye have armed!