Captured Merchants should travel back in the open world and you escort them if you want to guarantee their arrival?

[Destraex]

A friend suggested this and I do remember seeing something here about it years ago. I thought it might be time to bring this up again with wind direction and other diplomatic and crew changes. Doing this would leave the merchant vulnerable and potentially create another scenario that players could play out. The escort role.

 

Technically though it creates extra time and effort every time a merchant is captured. It also creates extra burden on the server. 

The time is the major thing I am worried about. People will not like working to capture something for 30 minutes and then still not having it secured.

 

Also damage on the captured ship would stay perhaps a little improved by the prize crew - which would subtract from your original crew.

 

[Quineloe]

imo anything you capture should just get added to you as a fleet until you hit a port. And sit at 20% crew while doing so.