Transparency in Logging Movement

Optionally, logging movement should be ONE PLAYER’ S decision, since technically there would not be real time for all the players to debate over the movement of the ship while giving orders. Should there be separated player characters managing multiple ships, each player in charge of their ship should write orders secretly from the other players, though this may result in collisions.

Arguably, however, since the DM will be writing all movement orders for all ships opposed to the player, this would unfairly balance the fight to the DM, who could decide not to have the enemy collide with themselves. The DM could, imaginably, assign random choices to ship commanders, but this in turn would give favor to the players, who would be choosing their ship’s actions (we would hope) intelligently.

We could also work out a set of semiphore flags to pass communications between ships, to allow players various latitudes towards making group decisions, within the agreed upon choices of DM and players. Whatever these are, however, the exact amount of communication allowed ~ none, some, unrestricted ~ must be agreed upon ahead of time and fully understood to reduce arguments on these lines.

See Naval Combat