"Pirate 'Sub-Genres'/Games" Topic

Hi all, I'm doing a bit of research into different games systems for pirates – specifically skirmish/warband level gaming (not ships).

I'm just wondering what type of pirate games people are playing? As I see it, there seems to be quite a few sub-genres under the flag of 'pirate games'. From 'pure historical' at one end of the spectrum to 'fantasy' at the other and I'm imagining many games also fall in between; perhaps using human pirates from our world but incorporating some of the legends.

So where do you fall on the scale and what games systems support your interest? Does fantasy put you off or interest you?

Thanks,
Scale Neutral

I have a project for Ganesha Games' Flashing Steel (part of the Song of… line), it'll accommodate the whole traditional spectrum once I'm done, from normal pirates – and if I call pull off the paint job, a few well known ones – to sea creatures and undead pirates.

I won't have orc or elven or dwarven pirates, that'd stretch the project too far (it's supposed to be a fairly small one).

Some fantasy is ok – mermaids, sea monsters or undead pirates, ghost galleons.

It's the closest game I've ever built to an ImagiNation world and I've adopted an everything-but-the-kitchen sink approach. All the above plus Renaissance strays, Barbary pirates and other flotsam and jetsom.

Basically, all the old lore of the Age of Sail holds some attraction for me.

Pirates "Tooth and Claw", a landing party goes ashore to collect fresh food (dodos in my case) and meets other more aggressive forms of wildlife.

I've watched several Pirate skirmishes played using "Blood & Swash".The play seemed smooth and fun.

We ran a pirates v. Dinosaurs game at Warfare last year based on some Saurian Safari games I'd run at the club before (wessex wargamers winchester)

We ran a pirate vs Arabs and a pirate in black Africa.
For fantasy, we had a pirate vs King Kong. A friend built the wall with the gate to KK domain and sculpted a King Kong for a 1930 game and we used the set for a 1730 game.