"What Makes for a Good Pirate Game?" Topic

What makes for a good pirate game/scenario, or campaign, beyond the obvious, e.g. treasure for the taking, free rum and other spirits, attractive wenches, and nicely painted miniatures, vessels, and terrain?

Are two-sided games best, or do you prefer muliple players pitted against one another during a game?

If the latter, how to you keep the games challenging, and reasonably balanced for everyone involved?

Any ideas, and/or links to creating scenarios or campaigns would be greatly appreciated.

Ideally, I am interested in a mix of land and naval actions, along the Eastern seaboard of the USA, or in the Caribbean, but a little privateering off the coasts of Europe might be fun as well.

"What Makes for a Good Pirate Game?"

Rum!

Dan

If there is free rum I'll turn up to play!!!

Yep. Gotta have priorities . . .

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And the number one quote here:

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Dan

Arrgh!

Morally, and alphabetically, pirates fit in somewhere between pimps and politicians, so it isn't hard to set up a game with several bands of pirates, who are loosely cooperating in their plot to defeat the governor's forces, while each is out to get as much loot as possible for themselves.

In our games, the governor's forces, being trained and disciplined, have an advantage, so I give the governor fewer figures than the pirate bands. Cannibals are usually even less effective, so I give the cannibal player more figures.

We played a game where two bands of pirates and a company of the governor's soldiers raced to capture the cannibal village, where the Spanish treasure was hidden. We did another game where the object was to rescue the governor's daughter (scantily clad Reaper female) before the moon rose and she was sacrificed on the altar (this involved some Meso-American scenery).

Pirates got around, so you could have them fight Native Americans along the Carolina coast, pillage Portuguese settlements in Africa, plunder Arab dhows in the Indian Ocean, or even attack Indian ships to capture the nawab's favorite wife and her jewels, utilizing figures from your FIW, Marlburian, or colonial collections.

Grelber--who needs to get busy and make a couple ships for his pirates!

One of the best pirate games I played in was at a SpartaCon some years back where two Pirate crews were pillaging a Mongolian palace. The pirates advanced from the far end of the board where their ships were moored on opposite sides of the table. As they advanced any engagements were fought once they got within a certain range of each other.

Meanwhile the emperor had random patrols appear at various landmarks/terrain and harass the pirates until he could mobilise his full army which was proceeding from the palace.

Initiative was rolled for each turn making it very tense as when combat was inevitable each side was anxious to get initiative and get the first shots off and/or get reinforced by more pirates coming from the ships.

The GM did a wonderful job of adding color to the game with various markers on the board that would trigger animals/treasures or even some weapons.

What was great about was he started with like three players but as more players arrived – including me – he would add a new party from the pirate ships as reinforcements or add a new squad from the palace as guards.

In the end the Pirates put aside their differences and sacked the palace, killed the emperor and stole his wife!

Lots of figures, beer and gamers who do not throw hissy fits when the dice, or their "allies" go against them.

My pirate games are very open rules-wise to allow role-playing as well as basic move and fight. This gives players more opportunity to act like a pirate. You want to steal the governor's prize cannon and fire it? If you can find gunpowder and shot, you can. You want your leader to jump from the tavern to a horse below and charge the Spanish Captain? Sure, go ahead and try it. This really adds fun to the game.

I also include non-player character figs who hold clues to where treasure is buried or hidden. Players get VPs for having the most treasure, so players are watching each other closely after one of them gets a clue. Again, adds something to the game besides move and shoot each other.

Some kind of interaction between players is essential.

An island, a fabulous treasure, and several bands of pirates landing on said-island at different points and different times. "The law" can also show up in over-whelming strength. That is to say too strong for any one or two bands of pirates to handle. The fabulous treasure can be in the possession of natives. Or a guardian (magical or otherwise). Or both.

A pirate's life should be short and violent. Retirement with loot in luxury should lead to old rivals showing up to take it away ("share it"). Followed by duels, bouts of unconsciousness from over-drinking and an early death.

"What Makes for a Good Pirate Game?"

Rum!

plus maybe something else…oh and the lash!

Rum, Rum, Rum, then bring out the ninjas!

Are two-sided games best, or do you prefer muliple players pitted against one another during a game?

In our last LotHS campaign we tried doing a free for all with multiple players a couple of times. Inevitably, one player ended up being the big loser as everyone ganged up on them first.

This time we're doing things a bit more structured with multiplayer semi-historical scenarios in addition to the one on one scenarios.

Thanks for all of the ideas thus far. They sound great.

Keep them coming.

I was thinking about a game along the Carolinas, and adjacent areas, with several pirate bands in competition with one another, but also able to loosely cooperate too, if desired. There were indians to worry about, fairly weak government forces, weather, wild animals and big toothy fish, and sorties can be made up and down the coasts, and/or to Bermuda, Florida, or the Caribbean, for "trade".

Of course, Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, and others will be in the mix, e.g. Charles Vane, Calico Jack Rackham, Anne Bonney, Mary Read, Sam Bellamy, Hornigold, Black Bart, and others from the 1710 – 1720 timeframe.

The locals in North Carolina are sympathetic to the pirates, since they provide trade items at less than actual cost, and help support the local economy.

More powerful government forces might occasionally show up, to harass, or attack the pirates, but that will be a rare event.

Hmmmm, ninjas sound like fun.

'What makes for a good pirate game/scenario, or campaign…?'

I'd say 'plenty of opportunities for choice between conflict and cooperation.' Players should have to choose between working with or against each other. Those three elements make for the most compelling multi-player games: choice, competition/conflict, cooperation.

I prefer a multi-lateral setup with two (or more!) opposing sides: that is, many players in two (or more!) broad classes of opponents. Within those classes--perhaps even between them--players have sub-missions which have the potential to drive them to betrayal, or perhaps more politely, 'self-interested' actions.

Schogun's principle he calls 'role-playing' is also very powerful: allow players to try possible actions, even if they might not completely make sense at the time. I allow my players to investigate scenes and try actions that have low probability of succeeding. The player finding a boxful of 'grenades' will be an extremely happy player as he lights them and tosses them into groups of opponents, even if he never causes much harm. His giggling will draw the others to try creative actions.

You need players who are Arrrrrrdy!

Probably important to have players with a good sense of humour

I think having a number of players with objectives that can be complementary and/or competitive is a good idea – TWhitley has a great idea, having lots of "bling" out there to grab adds unpredictability and fun

Plus, the forces of law 'n order should not be overpoweringly better than the rag-butt pyrates – after all, piracy occurs at the edge of Empire, and the local military presence is probably not cutting edge

DeanMoto missed a word out!

"Rum, sodomy, and the lash" – one of The Pogues finest albums……

Rewarding players for showing up in costume is always a crowd-pleaser.

Who said the wenches had to be attractive? Any port in a storm mate!

Obviously, some of us are more discriminating than others…..

Perhaps that is why the men drank so much.

My game, The Humiliation of St. Margaret's Towne is a three pirate company invasion of a Carrib port. The local Rum baron, Lord Gort has a retinue of Chinese pirates to guard His. Chinese roll to see There is a skilled militia contingent. The cane workers have gone over to vudu. They attack with the goal of pouring the their brew of blue-black vomito back down the gullets of their victims converting them to vudu. The cacaphony of the drums of course cause the fauna to flee…big apes run into St Margaret's Towne ahead of the vudu crowd. And, oh yes, best to recess the militia shore battery to keep them away from the salt water crocs who have been coming ashore for the odd goat or rummy. And, take care around the bridge…eggs of the Giant Leeches are gestating in its arches' shadows, defended virulently by the Giant Leech swarm. The Royal Flagulant Society will pay for a live one…pay Big. To date no leech cage has proven strong enough.

The question has been put to me: can vudu convert a Giant Leech to their number. The answer is in the question of how low can I sink.

Sorry. The Chinese Pirates roll to see whether they are loyal to the lord, or whether they prefer their own best interests.

To spice a little more:
- pirettes:
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- zombies:
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( TMP link )

Now ( TMP link ) this:

I'ved used their Pulp Nazi She Wolves, + Amazon's, as a commando group, fanaticaly loyal to Himmler, who roam the Pacific of the mid-30's in an experimental U-Boat, seeking to secure esoteric treasures (such as an idol of Dagon) for the Fuhrer. They don't really get along with the sub's captain, who's a vet of the Kaiser's navy & who's not at all enamoured with the Nazis. So far, in 2 games, they've battled American Merchant sailors, FBI agents, Cthulhu Cultists, Chinese Tong, Mounties, Cannibals & various hungry animals & bugs!

could easily be 'translated' to a swashbuckling series of pirates adventures…

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