Counterplay to privateer rushes ?

[dagriggstar]

I don't think it's super relevant but I'm playing TAC

Anyway, I keep getting raided by privateers before I have a chance to build up a navy, effectively blockading me from ever trading with Europe.
So like, what do you do when another faction has privateers out and you have no naval units at all (since they killed your caravel and whatever other naval units you had) and no gold to buy one ?

 

[eondr]

That you are playing TAC is relevant. I haven't seen any CPU privateers in vanilla

 

[PlanarFreak]

Recently played some TAC, here are my thoughts:
1. Cheese strat: Beat them to the privateer rush (caravel -> privateer x2 or galleon -> privateer x2) and annihilate them first. This is a very strong strategy; after you destroy their last ship, call it a victory and move on to the next game.
2. General solution: Buy a frigate (ships x2-3 -> frigate) and park it on your main exit point (move everything to that city by caravan or short sea hops). It'll eat privateers alive and you really just need one. You can continue playing the game normally after.
3. Long shot: Buy 1-2 galleons and get the FF Giovanni, he's available relatively early. These are tough nuts for privateers; even if one goes down, another should be able to swoop in to eliminate the offender (unlucky rolls could land you in the same position). If all goes well, take strength promotions and use them as double-duty cargo ships and privateer hunters.

If you can't afford these strats, then focus on improving your economic opening strategy first.

Thowaway tip: Coast gives +10% strength when defending, manually driving your ships can give you an edge in the long run.

 

[ClassicOdor]

In general, if you're getting hammered by privateers, you're playing too slow. Privateers start showing up around 1550, so you need to have enough money for at least a frigate by that time. The way I usually handle it is to send out a scout, build a Village Hall first and man it, and then rush Jacques Marquette. If there isn't a Seasoned Scout on the dock, I send my free colonist out as a scout, avoiding ancient ruins till they become seasoned, If I don't get Marquette, I usually rage quit because my plan is for all the treasure the scouts find to arrive at my port by around 1540 and rush Giovanni da Verrazzano for the galleons so I can sell the treasure full price in Europe. With this strat I can usually save up pretty quick for a ship of the line which makes the privateers fun because an SOL is pretty much invincible against them. Frigates can occasionally be killed by privateers.

Also, if you lose all your ships, the king will give you a new one and chew you out.

Around 1445, stop auto sending trade ships to Europe and don't blindly send ships into the fog of war unless they're stacked with a ship of the line. If you don't have a war ship, send the ships out far south or north from where the privateers are originating. If one shows up, if you can, go hide in a native village if you can't get back home. Save frequently so you can save scum.

Way back when I first started playing TAC, before I found a good strat, I tried everything to get away from the privateers. I even sailed all the way over till I found the west route and started there. But the privateers know where you are, and when they come to that side of the map, they bug out and can't leave so it's a never ending nightmare. They just hang out by your port and sink anything coming through.


Edit:

Another trick is to keep a low price treasure in your port city and 50 guns. This should trigger an event where you can choose to lose the treasure and guns and have an 80% chance of getting a privateer. This can happen pretty early too.