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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CarlZog" data-source="post: 2982235" data-attributes="member: 11716">I think you might be getting some of your nomenclature a little muddled, but I do understand your point.Despite the presumably pre-gunpowder medieval context of most D&D, the sailing ships depicted in fantasy rpg material are almost invariably representations of late 16th to early 19th century designs. I suspect that this is because the vast majority of popular notions of sailing ships are derived from that period -- essentially the Spanish Armada through Trafalgar. For an artist or a game designer without a lot of nautical background, it's a lot easier to find reference material for ships of this time period than it is to find decent pre-gunpowder medieval ships. And, even if he does, the resulting image isn't likely to resonate very well with a public raised on Captain Blood, Horatio Hornblower, and, now, Jack Sparrow.Although it can be viewed as an anachronism, it's not one that particularly impinges on my fantasy gaming. Actually, I'm certain it's the least of the historical mistakes one could find if D&D was going to be held up to a strictly historical standard for an early medieval setting.Carl</blockquote>