Boarding

Boarding, or "grappling", is a special game state where players fight to the death for a reward of tickets and supplies.

By firing a Grapple Shot onto an enemy ship which is within 50 meters, the game will display the "Grappled!" message, and Boarding mode will be activated.

During Boarding mode:
 * The ships both get drawn together by ropes, close their sails, and cannot move.
 * Ships cannot sink.
 * Ships cannot be damaged by cannonballs.
 * Player respawn times are increased by 100 seconds.
 * Rope ladders on either ship can be used by all Factions.

An enemy Grapple Hook can be released to prematurely end the grapple fight. Neither team will win, and any dead players will instantly respawn.

Otherwise, when all players on one team have died or are in the water, their ship will immediately sink, ending the grapple fight. The winning team will gain a reward of tickets and supplies, which increases if they defeated a ship with a larger crew than theirs.

Boarding can also refer to the practice of simply getting your ship close to an enemy ship and jumping aboard, without grappling it first. This method, however, will not trigger the deathmatch mini-mode and both sides will be able to respawn and damage ships normally.