6.4.2.2.1 Piracy

To weaken an empire without necessarily declaring war on it you can send your ships pirating against his ships and fleets.

There is no 'piracy' order as such in Austerlitz. If your fleet consists solely of warships and meets a ship of nation to which you have a neutral relationship towards, then they'll become privateers, hoist the jolly roger, and attack! There aren't any shades of neutral in the game, so if your good and noble captains come across a ship of a country that your majesty is frowning upon, then they decide to do a little frowning themselves - with cannon balls...

Your pirate fleets must consist solely of warships, however, which means that all you have to do to avoid catastrophic losses when moving a war fleet and possibly engaging a larger foe in battle is to include a merchantman. If a merchantman is included in the fleet only countries with which you are at war(1) will stop your fleet.

Preconditions:

-you must have a Neutral relationship toward that empire

-only single warships and fleets made up solely of warships can be used as pirates

-you can only pirate by moving your ships. It is not enough to let them wait for other ships crossing their position

In case of a sea battle the pirating side will be identified as 'PIRATE' to keep its identity a secret. Only if the pirate loses the battle will its country be revealed.

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