Captain Paths
Nine captain classes
Section titled “Nine captain classes”Each captain class changes pricing, voyage modifiers, reputation growth, inspection profile, and starting relationships. You pick a class at game start, but your choices during play push you toward one of three emergent postures.
| Class | Play style | Starting edge |
|---|---|---|
| Merchant | Volume trade, port fee discounts | Steady, reliable, safe |
| Smuggler | Inspection evasion, underworld connections | Lean margins, high flexibility |
| Navigator | Speed bonuses, fuel efficiency | Storm resilience, fast routes |
| Privateer | Faction-aligned combat, salvage income | Political leverage |
| Corsair | High-risk piracy, black market access | Reputation volatility |
| Scholar | Cultural knowledge, luxury trade bonuses | Diplomatic options |
| Merchant Prince | Luxury specialist, high starting capital | Expensive tastes |
| Dockhand | No advantages, everything earned | Hard mode |
| Bounty Hunter | Combat-funded, target contracts | Faction heat |
| Custom | 10 skill points across Trade/Sailing/Shadow/Reputation | Your trade-offs |
The custom builder lets you choose a home port, cultural background, and faction alignment. Every choice is a trade-off, not an optimization puzzle.
Three emergent postures
Section titled “Three emergent postures”As you play, your choices push you toward one of three captain identities. These are not classes – they are what your choices turn you into.
Relief / Legitimacy
Section titled “Relief / Legitimacy”Convoy discipline. Trust-based access. Public consequence.
- Earns through: volume trade on legitimate routes
- Strengths: steady income, institutional trust, safe route access
- Weaknesses: trapped by legitimacy, vulnerable to shortage and delay
- Fears: delivery delay, undercapacity, public failure
Relief is the safest, most consistent path. It wins on reliability. The danger is that consistency becomes complacency – and when the supply chain shifts, the Relief captain has no fallback.
Gray / Document
Section titled “Gray / Document”Paper leverage. Timing abuse. Institutional risk.
- Earns through: clever positioning, brokered goods, institutional gaps
- Strengths: flexibility, information advantage, cross-civilization access
- Weaknesses: thin margins, vulnerable to inspection and seizure
- Fears: seizure, exposure, paper closure
Gray is lean, clever, and survivable. It peaks early and then has to work to stay ahead. The danger is that the system starts remembering your name.
Honor / Frontier
Section titled “Honor / Frontier”Direct confrontation. House politics. Reputation volatility.
- Earns through: combat salvage, direct trade, faction leverage
- Strengths: combat income, house access, tactical flexibility
- Weaknesses: crew injury risk, expensive ship maintenance, escalation pressure
- Fears: escalation, crew loss, thin support networks
Honor is combat-funded and volatile. One good fight is rewarding. Seven fights in a row starts costing crew health, hull integrity, and salvage value.
Five ship classes gate route access and define your combat profile:
| Class | Role | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Sloop | Starter | Regional routes, light cargo |
| Cutter | Fast upgrade | Speed advantage, still light |
| Brigantine | Mid-game | Cross-region routes, bulk cargo |
| Galleon | Late mid-game | Long-haul luxury routes, heavy cargo |
| Man-of-War | Endgame | Dangerous shortcuts, military presence |
Upgrading your ship is a campaign decision, not just a purchase. Bigger ships cost more to maintain, dock at higher fees, and attract more attention.
Companions
Section titled “Companions”Ten recruitable companions across five roles (two per role):
| Role | Effect | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Marine | Combat damage + interception | Iron Marta, Red Tomas |
| Navigator | Speed + danger reduction | Star Lila, Old Henry |
| Surgeon | Injury healing at sea | Dr. Amara, Patches |
| Smuggler | Inspection evasion | Shadow Kai, Rosa the Fence |
| Quartermaster | Trade bonus on sells | Coin Mariam, Dockhand Pete |
Maximum two companions at a time. Each has a home port, required standing to recruit, personality, morale, and departure conditions. Quality over quantity.
Proved divergence
Section titled “Proved divergence”Dogfood simulation confirms: three postures produce different routes, different trade mixes, different combat profiles, different failure textures, and different captain identities. Credit ratio between strongest and weakest path lands in the 3-5x band – different lives, not equal ones.