Re: How does rigging work, anyway?

On Thu, 10 Apr 1997, Michael Sandy wrote:

> How do sails work in SJ?  Obviously, some force proportional to the
> cross-sectional area is at work, but what direction does that force go?
>
> Making a system work that within an inconsistent framework that doesn't
> require redesigning all ships may be tougher than I thought.

Perhaps the sails don't really do anything at all.  Look at the
illustrations:  the only ships with rigging to speak of are groundling
ships, and they can't maneuver to save their lives.  I think that the
rudders do all the work.  In my (intermittent) campaign, spelljamming craft
have a series of rudders that direct the propulsive energy provided by the
helm.  Topping out the ship becomes a matter of adding more rudders and
greasing up the ones you have.  The masts have been reduced to nothing
more than a raised platform for the watch, on ships that have one at all.

Rich Gant, Spelljammer Heritic