Victory in naval combat often rests on the most harrowing part of the engagement: a successful boarding action. Only the most battle tested crew are trusted to transgress the gunwales of an enemy vessel and claim a foothold. Amidst a hail of musket fire, the boarding party thrusts headlong into hostile territory, breaching bulkheads with boarding axes and clearing decks with grenadoes and blunderbusses; breaking enemy defenses and making way for the rest of their crew.