What is the new rule regarding Ship Purchases in Sea Zone with Existing Ships?
A58. One of the oft talked about rules issues is the ability to purchase a ship, place it into a region where there are ships belonging to other players (e.g., someone blockading a port) and then using that ship to load/unload Army pieces before the other players have a chance to act. In a recent test game, this was the beginning of the end for one of the players. After discussions with Glenn, we decided to treat the placement of a new ship in a sea zone the same as moving a ship into a sea zone. Any player with ships already in that sea zone have a chance to declare a battle before the purchasing player can do anything with it (just as if an existing ship had been moved into the region from somewhere else). If a battle is declared, then that ship cannot move or load pieces – it must fight the battle! Also, special case: If two players both buy a ship in the same sea zone, then both are considered to have “entered” and both, on the other players turn, have the ability to declare a batt
