Navies are armies with sufficient ships to carry the men. These ships are listed in the force’s baggage train. In order to form a navy, then, you simply have an army pick up ships at a hex where ships belonging to your nation have been anchored. Most orders which can be issued to armies can also be issued to navies (as long as the navy is able to anchor its ships). There are two kinds of ship, transports and warships. Transports carry troops (150 cavalry or 250 infantry per vessel) but are not very effective in combat, whilst warships do not carry troops and are instead used in combat. Each ship is considered to be fully-crewed by its own sailors, who do not come from or form part of the army troops.
If an army has some ships but too few to carry the men it will remain an army, and if it moves inland will leave the ships anchored behind. Alternatively, if a navy recruits more troops than the ships can carry, it will turn into an army, keeping the ships unless it then moves inland, at which point the ships will be anchored.
Navies may only enter water hexes, hexes with a major river alongside, shore hexes, or hexes containing a port or harbour. (Any navy that is on a shore hex, a hex containing a harbour or port, or a hex with a major river along its side, can be considered as being in that hex for purposes of movement. However, they are still ‘offshore’ rather than disembarked and on the land.) Any movement into a shore or port hex (that does not have a major river) will stop movement for that turn. Movement along coastal water hexes is generally safe, assuming the navy does not encounter an enemy navy. Naval movement in the open seas, however, can be very dangerous, with the navy being at risk from storms, pirates, or more exotic catastrophes.
If a navy enters a hex where there is a navy belonging to a nation which is not tolerant or friendly to the navy, or to whom the navy is neither tolerant or friendly, then it will normally be forced to stop in that hex. If the navy is large enough, however, they may be able to either force their way past, or even ‘overrun’ a smaller navy, in which case all troops and characters in the smaller navy are killed.
If a navy starts a turn on a land hex, then it may anchor its ships and turn into an army either by issuing orders to move inland (either an 850 – Move Army or an 860 – Force March Army order), upon which the ships are anchored at that hex, or by issuing the anchor ships order (thereby remaining on the same hex). These ships will remain there until either they are picked up by any army of the same nation, captured by another nation, or scuttled, abandoned or destroyed through the issuing of the appropriate order. In a similar manner, if a navy is ordered to attack an army in the same hex, it will anchor its ships and land, turning into an army in order to attack.
| Type | Fed Cost | Unfed Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hex with a major river hex-side | 1 | 2 |
| Seas | 1 | 2 |
| Coast | 1 | 2 |
| Shore with no major river hex-side | 1, and ends movement (all remaining points) | 2, and ends movement (all remaining points) |
| Hex with port but no major river-side | 1, and ends movement (all remaining points) | 2, and ends movement (all remaining points) |
| Hex with harbour but no major river hex-side | 1, and ends movement (all remaining points) | 2, and ends movement (all remaining points) |
| Others | Not allowed | Not allowed |